Island Heat by Jill Myles
Paranormal Romance
February 28, 2011
E-Book
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

Blurb: On a business trip to Bermuda, realtor Diana Holcomb’s small plane goes down over the ocean, a victim of the infamous Bermuda Triangle.

Diana wakes up to find herself on a deserted island…that really isn’t all that deserted. First, a gigantic dinosaur tries to eat her. Then she’s captured by cavemen, and just when things are looking their worst, she’s rescued by none other than a gorgeous man with the body of an Adonis and the jungle skills of Tarzan.

Salvador’s been stranded on the island for a very, very long time without a woman. A very, very long time. And now that he has Diana, he intends to claim her for his own…

I enjoyed Jill Myles’ Succubus Diary series this past year so when I learned she had a couple of self published books out, I grabbed them up. I went into Island Heat without having read the blurb and thought it was a contemporary, so when a dinosaur  shows up (like an actual T-Rex), I was a little taken aback at first.

When Diana’s plane crashes on the way to a business trip to Bermuda, she wakes up on a deserted island. It doesn’t take her long to be discovered by native men who don’t speak her language but it is easy to tell they mean her harm. As she flees from them, she not only must try to survive the extreme island conditions, but she starts to be hunted by an actual T-Rex. Scared and alone, she meets Salvador, a very attractive man clothed only in a loin cloth.  Although they don’t speak the same language, Salvador takes her to safety and soon she learns many more secrets this island holds.

Island Heat is kind of like Lost meets Jurassic Park.  Told in Diana’s point of view, at first I had to set aside reality just a bit as she crashes into the island. Although she wakes up sunburned, this is really the only “injury” she has after crashing from an airplane. She then spends days running around with no shoes on and just happens to find her suitcase and purse.  Otherwise, I started to like this journey Diana goes on. She starts this quirky, yet very sexy romance with Salvador. He is pretty much like Tarzan – beating his chest in his scantily clad loin cloth making grunting noise at her. It’s kind of hot!

Eventually these two find common ground. I don’t want to spoil too much of how the story progresses. But there are twists and turns, and explanations for why there are dinosaurs roaming around. And some more eerie discoveries. For a novella, I really think the world is built up nicely, not giving us all the information at once and building up the suspense.

I think the romance between Diana and Salvador progresses too quickly. I loved the hot smex, but the declaration of love feels too rushed. However, I did like how the story is wrapped up and the decision Diana makes at the end.  Island Heat is a very entertaining, different kind of novella. (And it’s only $.99!)

Rating: C+

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