Black Tiger

Black Tiger #1

by Greta van der Rol

He haunts the jungle - and her dreams When Dr. Sally Carter travels to India to regroup from a broken heart the last thing she wants is to fall in love. But Raja Asoka (Ash) Bhosle is entirely too attractive to ignore, even though she knows it can only end in tears. Hers.

Ash guards a secret that lives in legend, protecting tigers from mindless slaughter. From the moment he sets eyes on the Australian doctor, he wants her, despite the objections of his mother and her unsuitability as a wife. While Ash fights tiger poachers, Sally struggles against cultural prejudice and increasingly vivid nightmares. Can the Legend of the Black Tiger be the bond that brings her and Ash closer together, or will it rip them apart?

The closer Sally comes to understanding what the legend means, the more frequent the nightmares become. Is she losing her sanity, or is there more to Sally than she herself knows?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Thriller

195 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2012

About the author

Greta van der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Tiger is one of those special paranormal romances that transcends the ordinary. Set in India, around the vividly well-characterized protagonists, Ash and Sally, the reader is swiftly drawn into the heat, majesty, and charisma of this ancient, evocative land and its beliefs, sometimes magical, other times violent and cruel.

Ash is a mesmerizing romantic hero. He's standoffish, but not necessarily because he wants to be: he has certain special obligations he dares not share with anyone.

He's drawn immediately to Sally Carter, a doctor he's recruited to care for the villagers he's in charge of. He resists the attraction: as long as he's lived, he's known he can only get together with a certain kind of woman.

The Legend of the Black Tiger pulls them both irrevocably into its mystery, its grace, its terror, and Sally discovers more about herself than she ever could have imagined.

This is the type of book I can enjoy reading over and over again.

Important note: The proceeds from this book go toward tiger preservation.

[Mei · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute shapeshifter book. I appreciated the location: India.
I also liked that the hero, Ash, is an Indian Raja! Very unusual and much appreciated.
The story is interesting with enough suspense and mistery. The heat is also present and well renedred! :)

[Candace Colt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exotic intrigue!

I’ve read Greta’s sci fi books and knew she was a terrific story teller. This one swept me in and held me to the last word. You’ll never hear that still small voice in your head the same again!

[Marilyn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Gives a glimpse of India's village lives and culture. Enjoyed it.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 2 out of 5]

 
 
Black Tiger, Greta van der Rol
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
I thought this sounded interesting and its got some great reviews on Goodreads, but...once again I find myself at odds with the majority. Its a good story, well written but just doesn’t work for me. I felt it was a bit single paced, bland, lacking in drama for me. Clearly that’s what lots of readers want though, and once again proves what I’m always saying, that reading taste is very subjective, and we all want different things. That’s good as it means there are books out to suit all tastes.
If you enjoy Mills and Boons ( I don’t – but millions do) or Hallmark films, this should be right up your street, its that kind of romance with a shape-shifter element thrown in. Though the romance/shifter part didn’t grab me, what I did enjoy was Sally’s immediate jump to conclusion judgement when they come across Indian Village law at work. A family have been evicted as the father was caught poaching. Sally feels that’s harsh, and Ash tries to explain that's how it works in the villages. Later when they’re discussing poaching he talks about the improvements he’s making in the villages, as when homes, jobs and money are scarce people are more likely to be tempted by the lure of getting involved with poaching. There’s a real Western/Eastern dilemma when it comes to legal issues – we like to think we get it right but sadly we get it wrong many times too. The whole Tiger/Animal  poaching issue was interesting, and falls close to how I feel. If my family needed food or medicine could/would I stand out against something that could change their lives? Ash wants to improve lives at his end while also trying to stop the trade at the other end, ceasing the outlets and flow of money will stop the poaching. No demand = no supply. I find it really sad that there is still so much trade in animals parts for medicine and furs for decoration in this day and age....
The characters didn’t feel real to me, and I couldn’t sense any overwhelming passion between Ash and Sally to account for their sudden statements of being In Love, it just didn’t feel real and that’s a problem when I'm reading. I need to feel there in the story, to care about the characters, to believe they are desperately in love and here I just didn’t. Like I said though I’m just one reader.
Stars: Two – its a good book for the right reader, just not for me.
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

[Nash Norden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy Black Tiger by Greta van der Rol and I did. It is not the usual paranormal romance like I thought it would be. It was more than that. Black Tiger focused on the issue of tiger poaching and conservation with a little bit of paranormal romance. I thoroughly enjoy how Sally struggle to fit in with the new culture – against the social standing, religion and belief and superstitious in India. I love the adventure with Ash as struggle to stop the tiger poaching issues.

I really like Sally as the heroine. She was strong woman who would stand for what she believe in. I was glad that Greta van der Rol didn’t press on the Sally-Ash romances. Instead, the author focused more on the tiger poaching issues. Sure, Sally and Ash like each other in the first sight, but I was so glad that the author takes their relationship slowly.

I would recommend to anyone who loves reading story with a mix of paranormal, romance and more action. Furthermore, you’re supporting tiger conservation when you purchase this book because the author is donating all the profits from this book to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation! How awesome is that?

** I receive a copy of the book from the author for review as part of the blog tour.

[Book Gannet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll admit I struggled with the book at first, especially with Sally’s clichés and stereotypes about what to expect when she arrived in India. This does mostly improve throughout the book, but I never really warmed to her. There’s an unsavoury Western arrogance that creeps into her thoughts every so often (though she does sort of laugh at herself towards the end), and a lack of respect at times (taking pictures at a funeral? I don’t care if it’s beautiful, is it appropriate?), which did not endear her to me.

Thankfully Ash is a much better character, struggling to protect the tigers, keep his mother happy, fight his attraction to Sally and think about the future of his line. The only thing I could have done without was the phone tracking thing, because calling someone and asking where they are is such a difficult prospect.

For the most part this is a good book with a solid storyline, demonstrating the horrors of the tiger trade and mixing in a little magic and romance. It took a while to get into, but once Sally settled down things did improve. A nice twist on the more common paranormal romance ideas, but your tolerance may vary.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Kendall {Book Crazy} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book if I am honest but I actually loved it! The plot was very different to the books I normally read which is what made me think that I wasn't going to like it! I learned a lot from the plot! I learned a lot about Tiger Conservation, poaching and also about India which was pretty amazing! I liked the two different storylines but I got slightly confused at times with Ash'd but I really enjoyed Sally's! The characters were very likable as well! Sally Carter and Ash Bhosle were the main characters of Black Tiger and I really liked the both of them! Sally was realistic and she stood up for what she believed in even if she was in a different country! Ash was so cute and you could tell that he had feelings for Sally! Ash and Sally as a couple were so amazing as well! There were so many other lovely characters in this book as well who really helped Sally and Ash out! The cover really suits the story and also I love that Greta is donating all the profits from this book to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation! Big thank you to Greta for a copy of Black Tiger!

[~❤️Minnie❤️~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 4 stars if it wasn't for the language barrier between the author and myself. There were words that made impossible for me to enjoy the book. For example the author called the treatment room (she was a doctor) the surgery; when for me that is the word for an operation. I was more conserned in those moments with chaging the words for my understanding that with following the plot.

The rest it was good. A unique story with a unique plot. I would have liked to have more scenes between the MCs but I get that the story needed Ash to go so that the connection between them came to light and for Sally's natural curiosity had time to be explored. I liked that the story had time to develop before Ash and Sally got in bed togheter.

I saw that this story has a continuation with White Tiger but this book can stand alone. It is not left with a cliff-hanger. That been said White Tiger is definitively going to my TBR pile!

[Toby Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Greta Van Der Rol's writing. From sci-fi to history to paranormal, she delivers the goods--action, a new world to immerse in, and a "dollop of romance" to spice things up. In this paranormal romance, she sheds light on the issue of tiger poaching without ever getting preachy,and through the changeable eyes of a were-tiger, a new concept for me. The romance is enjoyable, the plot pulls you forward, and you are thoroughly entertained while feeling virtuous for having supported tiger conservation by purchasing this book.
What's not to like? Grab one today and step into India and the world of the tiger.
Aloha,
Toby Neal, author of the Lei Crime Series
Blood Orchids (The Lei Crime Series)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual 'cup of tea'. I bought it for the reasoning behind the novel, which was the focus on tiger poaching. As usual, Greta packs in her dollop of romance as Ash and Sally navigate love via different cultures, and in doing so reveal the reasoning as to why tigers are still poached.
Personally I would have liked 'more' of the were-tigers. Ash and Sally were wonderfully empathic characters and I felt more might have been made of the relationship between the tiger-side as well as the human side. But that is a personal opinion and no detriment to the novel.
Definitely worth a read.

[Jessica Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book mainly because of how sexy Ash was written. I could very much hear his accented voice in my head as I was reading and loved it. Another reason I loved this book is that it renewed my interest in the 'were' genre which I got burned out on a few years ago. I'd never read about a were-tiger before and find them very interesting now.
LOVED the tiger voice in Ash's head.

[M.A. McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the first few chapters of this book a little awkward, but as it moved on, I became totally absorbed. The story of Ash and Sally is the main theme, but it is set in an exotic background that rings with authenticity. (Not that I am expert on life in an Indian village.) A satisfying conclusion and a book that I am happy to recommend.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting shapeshifter story that is set in India (which is unique itself). The story flows well and before you know it you have read the entire story.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.