Layla Hagen

Withering Hope

Kelly Casey

I have owned this book for years and never read it. Recently I was looking through my older books, and rolling my eyes at all of the synopses until I saw the cover of this book and read the synopsis. I was hooked right away. The cover is absolutely beautiful, and the plot is so intriguing. An engaged woman and the pilot, of the private jet she is in, crash in the amazon rain forest and fight to survive. It was thrilling, it was romantic, it was heart-wrenching, and it was beautiful. The ending of this book had me nearly in tears. I have rarely ever been so absolutely and completely pleasantly surprised by a book. I have not given a contemporary romance 5 stars in a very long time. I highly recommend this book.

Shawna Gavas

I'm disappointed. This book could have been so much more.

Aimee and her pilot, Tristan crash into the Amazon Rainforest while en route to join her fiancée in Brazil for their wedding. Scary eh? It should be.....it should be terrifying. Instead Aimee and Tristan are surprisingly stoic. No breakdowns, very little crying and missing those left behind. Totally unbelievable in a nutshell. 


The chemistry between Aimee and Tristan was something else I wasn't feeling. Personally, even if I was engaged to another man, I would be clinging to the one in front of me. Especially when help was becoming less and less likely. 

Overall the premise of the story was fantastic....it was just the execution that was lacking for me.

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I wasn't really sure what to expect going into Withering Hope, but what I got was an all-consuming book that I just couldn't walk away from until I finished it. And I didn't stop thinking about it for quite a few days after finishing. 

It's kind of odd that I chose to read this book considering I am so NOT a good flyer, so I like to pretend bad things don't happen when flying and planes never crash. But something about the blurb (and the cover!) for this one drew me in and I knew I had to read it. I'm a fan of Layla's other books, but this one was something totally different for me. And her too, I believe.

I found Aimee and Tristan both to be very likable characters. I'm glad we got to read both of their points of view during the book. It made it that much easier for me to connect with both of them. I enjoyed reading as they learned more about each other and opened up in new ways. What they went through together in the jungle was real and intense – just like the feelings that developed because of that time spent with each other. 

As much as I enjoyed the characters and the romance, it was the survivalist aspect that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really admire the way Layla built the world Aimee and Tristan were trapped in after the plane crash. I felt like I was right there with them the entire time. I could picture everything... right down to the spiders and snakes (OMG). Never once was there a time when I could sit back and relax, convinced everything was going to work out. There were too many factors and so many great twists that I found it impossible to be lulled into a sense of security. I love when a book puts me through the paces like this. 

Without going too far into spoiler territory, I just have to say that I did have mixed feelings about the second epilogue. I cried when I read it and got just a bit angry that it all went down as it did. I thought it totally unnecessary. It was like someone punched me in the gut. But after some further reflection, however, I think it was just a testament to the power of these characters' love and I can appreciate it for that. It was bittersweet and I'm ok with that.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Hallie Joanne Downing

Tissues needed!

Though I disliked Aimee’s sudden switch between love interests at first, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her and Tristan in the end. 

Many ups and downs during this book, but not enough to get whiplash! This book kindly gives us a HEA with a twist for all those who feel like they need more after a book is finished. 

Withering Hope

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