Customer Reviews

The Orchid Hunter (Silhouette Bombshell)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sandra K. Moore's THE ORCHID HUNTER is the adrenalin-soaked tale of Dr. Jessie Robards, out to save her beloved, critically-ill great uncle by retrieving a rare flower from the Amazon before a rival mercenary beats her to it. The jungle is described in such detail, the reader feels its stinging insects, smells its lush dampness, and visualizes a world of lethal beauty. But the drum-beat that pulses behind this well-crafted story is Jessie's growing attraction to entomologist Richard Kincaid, who proves that some forms of yoga can improve more than a hero's flexibility . . .

Fans of TOMB RAIDER, the Indiana Jones films, and action-packed romantic suspense will want to give Sandra K. Moore's books a try.

Sandra warned me when I told her I'd bought a copy of THE ORCHID HUNTER that I might not like it because it wasn't the type of book I normally read. Let's see . . .

1) it has a terrific heroine

2) it's laugh out loud funny at times

3) it's packed with edge of your seat adventure

4) it has fantastic descriptions of the Amazon

5) it's tightly plotted

6) the writing is superb

7) and it has a satisfying love story and some really sweet and touching moments

So what's not to like? In fact, I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to many more by this talented new author. Bravo! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Rare orchid hunter Jessica Robards has traveled the world in search of the best for her client Linus von Brutten III. The work is dangerous enough going into remote locations like New Guinea, but rivals who prefer to steal than dig make it more perilous. Currently Jessica is in Texas visiting her ailing Uncle Scooter, owner of the most dilapidated honky tonk, the Slapdash Bar and Grill, but though away only six weeks she learns her beloved relative is dying the victim of a pharmaceutical research experiment.

Von Brutten tells a stunned Jessica that he can save her uncle if she brings back the legendary Death orchid. Besides wondering how he knew Scooter was dying from the Cradion experiment, she agrees. In the Brazilian Rainforest, Jessica meets entomologist Rick Kincaid who is studying the moths that pollinate her orchid. As they work together, they fall in love. Others including the CIA, von Brutten's rivals, and a local tribe try to prevent Jessica from completing her mission.

THE ORCHID HUNTER is an action-packed adventure romance with the emphasis on the skirmishes with their enemies even more than the lead couple's growing love for one another. The description of the Amazon is absolutely incredible as tour guide Sandra K. Moore escorts readers on a fabulous trip. Mindful of the Indiana Jones tales, but in a modern gender bending context (we've come more than just a long way), fans of romantic suspense in an exotic locale will cherish this novel and want more from the von Brutten associates.

Harriet Klausner

I held off purchasing this book because I thought it ventured into the paranormal, but I was wrong! This turned out to be a great read and I loved every minute of it! When I finished it, I was tempted to go back and read the first half again. This is a definte keeper, one that I will certainly read again. I really loved the male lead! I can't wait to read her upcoming books.

Remember the name Sandra K. Moore. You're going to hear a lot about this enormous new talent. Told in the first person by kick-butt heroine Jessie "Robards," who uses her PhD in botany to scour the world for rare orchids for her billionaire boss, this books takes Jessie to the Amazon in search of the Death Orchid--which she's been told will prolong the life of the uncle who raised her. Along the way there's one crisis after another, all told in Moore's refreshing voice. As a female Indiana Jones, Jessie also has one sexy love interest in this exciting book. There's pathos, along with plot twists galore. Can't wait for this author's next book.

When I finished reading THE ORCHID HUNTER, I was laughing and crying at the same time.

Small Town, East Texas, scientist, PhD Jessie Robards is more at home hanging ninety-feet high in the canopy of the Amazon jungles than walking the asphalt jungles of Texas. Jessie stays alive by following the rule of the Jungle--stay sharp or get dead--but, she lives by her own set of rules.

- Depend on no one but herself.

- Leave nothing behind.

- Be prepared for anything.

- Don't get involved; not with the locals, not with the authorities, and especially not with irritating, sexy, bug nerds.

But all the rules change when Scooter, the uncle who raised Jessie and the only person she has ever loved, becomes the victim of a illegal drug trial and he is left with only a few weeks to live--unless Jessie can find the one thing that might save his life; a mythical Death Orchid.

But does this orchid really exist? Is the hunt for it, and the possible cure it might provide, worth giving up these last few weeks at Scooter's side?

Who should she trust?

Her employer, who promised to produce a miracle drug that would save Scooter's life, provided Jessie returned in time?

Or the man who claims to be from Homeland Security and insists that her employer is after the Death Orchid on behalf of a bio-terrorist group?

And what about Dr. Rick Kinkaid, the Entomologist, a.k.a. Bug Nerd, who conveniently shows up in the Amazon at the exact same time as Jessie, on a quest to find a Corpse Moth - the co-evolved sole pollinator of The Death Orchid. The Corpse Moth and The Death Orchid - one cannot survive without the other.

Can Jessie survive without the help of the Bug Nerd?

THE ORCHID HUNTER is a sizzling romance filled with exotic locations, action, adventure, betrayal and plot twists. An excellent story that will keep you on the edge of your chair from page one to the very last word.

With all the 5-star reviews, I truly struggled to get through the first 100 pages of the story. I found the Hero very off-putting in the begining and unattractive. I tend to prefer being attracted to the Hero, but that's just me. However, after the initial 100 page plow, I was pleasantly surprised by a terrific, well thought out story of suspense and sweet romance. By the mid point the author had won me over and I was not putting the book down until I'd finished. All in all, it was a great read.

THE ORCHID HUNTER manages to capture the essence of the Silhouette Bombshell line about as well as I've ever seen. A highly charged action-adventure tale with a romantic subplot, Ms. Moore has managed to interweave a ton of separate plot elements into a book that is destined to become a feature on your keeper shelf.

For Jessica Robards, keeping her client supplied with the rarest flowers found the world over is a job that takes dedication, skill, and an unerring sense of survival. Linus von Brutten III expects nothing but success from his employee, and Jessie refuses to fail. This time, however, the job is personal. Von Brutten has promised to save her dying uncle if she brings back him the Death orchid. How her employer knew that her uncle, a honky-tonk owner who suffered horribly from a pharmaceutical research experiment, is dying, and how to cure him, is a question that Jessie can't afford to analyze too closely.

She sets out for rainforests of Brazil, and is immediately faced with trouble on all sides. Local tribes who simply want her to leave them in peace, tough-guy CIA agents with unknown agendas, and even fellow rivals looking for the same Death orchid all hope to watch Jessica fail. But then, she meets Rick Kincaid, an entomologist studying a moth who just so happens to pollinate the same flower she's hunting for.

THE ORCHID HUNTER is wonderfully interspersed with detailed accounts of the landscapes that Jessie and Rick wander through, rich tellings of the rainforest and its inhabitants, and details about flowers that I honestly had never even heard of before. Between the kick-butt action, the steamy attraction between Jessica and Rick, and the bad guys hot on their trail, THE ORCHID HUNTER is Bombshell at its best.

I like books with srong women and this book did not disappoint!! Dr. Jessie Robards has dedicated her life to tracking down the world's rarest flowers. If you think this is boring it's not she goes to faraway places, she has to always be ahead of Lawrence Daley, her one serious rival,& she cannot be caught with the flowers (it's against the law). This time she has to find the Death Orchid not only for her employer but also because she was told it would save her dying uncle. To me this book reminded me of Lara croft. Instead of going after artifacts the character went after rare, highly prized flowers. It was more of a adventure story to me with a little bit of romance. Loved it!! Loved the character Jessie Robards she is sassy, independant, strong.

I had never heard of this author but picked the book up because of its somewhat unusual storyline. WAS I GLAD I DID! I usually only expect a quick, pleasant read from these series books but this was an exception. Great storyline and terrific characters. Grab this book; you won't be sorry. I'll definetely be looking for this author's next book.