Review: Burning Embers - Hannah Fielding

“Gradually the mist had lifted, and the sun burst forth, a ball of fire radiating the sky with unnaturally incandescent hues. Coral was reminded of the strident brushwork and wild colours of the Fauvist paintings that filled her mother's gallery, which Coral had always loved. The scene was now set for the show to begin: the drama in which the broad, breath-taking landscapes of Africa were the stage and the animals the actors.” 
Burning Embers by Hannah Fielding

Reviewer: Danielle
Rating: 4.5

Wow! This story was like nothing I’d ever read before, I’ll even admit I was sceptical at first, not sure if it would be ‘my sort of thing’. I shouldn’t have been worried. Set in Africa in 1970, the descriptions of the lands around Kenya really paint a vivid picture of the setting and each new place seems to add to the story. The story of Rafe and Coral’s relationship has many bumps in the road and hurdles to overcome, caused by both themselves and others.
I loved having something different to read. There’s nothing typical about this book and it’s almost refreshing in its approach to romance. Hannah Fielding has created a story that will stick with me for a while, it definitely could not be confused with any other. The characters each have personality traits that I’m sure readers will form their own opinions of, but I loved them all in their own way (except the ones that I’m not supposed to love!).
If you’re looking for something unique, this is definitely worth a read!
Synopsis
Coral Sinclair is a beautiful but naive twenty-five-year-old photographer who has just lost her father. She's leaving the life she's known and traveling to Kenya to take ownership of her inheritance--the plantation that was her childhood home--Mpingo. On the voyage from England, Coral meets an enigmatic stranger to whom she has a mystifying attraction. She sees him again days later on the beach near Mpingo, but Coral's childhood nanny tells her the man is not to be trusted. It is rumored that Rafe de Monfort, owner of a neighboring plantation and a nightclub, is a notorious womanizer having an affair with her stepmother, which may have contributed to her father's death.

Circumstance confirms Coral's worst suspicions, but when Rafe's life is in danger she is driven to make peace. A tentative romance blossoms amidst a meddling ex-fiancé, a jealous stepmother, a car accident, and the dangerous wilderness of Africa. Is Rafe just toying with a young woman's affections? Is the notorious womanizer only after Coral's inheritance? Or does Rafe's troubled past color his every move, making him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?

Set in 1970, this contemporary historical romance sends the seemingly doomed lovers down a destructive path wrought with greed, betrayal, revenge, passion, and love.