A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba
Published By: CreateSpace
Release Date: December 18, 2011
Format: Paperback - 371 pages / Kindle - 574 KB / Nook - 939 KB
ISBN: 1466226676
ASIN: B006NZWHF2
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women's Fiction
About The Author:
I’m Chris’ wife, Patrick’s mom and Bella’s owner. During the day, I’m the assistant to the Director at SESE at Arizona State University, and romance’s slave at night.
I moved to the U.S eight years ago, following my heart and the man who stole it. I love comedies, historical dramas and happily-ever-after stories. English is not my native, not my second, but my third language.
Some fun facts about me:
Each year I participate in one big event that requires me to physically train. My biggest sportive accomplishment was the 3-day 60-mile Susan G. Komen Walk.
Annually I pick a color I decree my favorite (this year it’s salmon).
I refused to text until 2010, always preferring to hear voices rather than sending emotionless messages. Politic bores me to death and I have no tolerance for arrogance.
“A World Apart” is my second book. My debut novel “Hidden Heart” came out March 2011.
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Disclaimer: At the request of the author, publicist, publisher and CBLS Promotions, a PDF edition of the book was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review and participation in the virtual book tour event.
Virtual Book Tour Event: On Friday, February 17, 2012, in association with CBLS Promotions, Camelia Miron Skiba participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/author-guest-post-camelia-miron-skiba.html
Book Description:
In a war that’s not hers, she loses everything.
Everything she loses is because of him.
Forgiveness is not an option.
Or maybe...
Lieutenant Cassandra Toma, trauma surgeon in the Romanian National Army starts her deployment at a joint-unit air base on a wrong foot, clashing on her first day with her new commander, Major David Hunt. Her rebellious nature and sassiness rival her excellent performance in the operating room—the only reason why she's not reprimanded, or maybe not the only reason.
They meet. They clash. A forbidden passion consumes them with the intensity of an erupting volcano, leaving her heartbroken and him with tarnished honor and pride as an officer. The only way out for David is disappearing into the dangerous warzone in Iraq. Their flame was supposed to be over when destiny brings them back under the same roof, this time with a common goal—to find Cassandra's brother, Maj. Robert Toma, kidnapped by insurgents while on patrol.
To rescue Robert, Cassandra and David put aside their resentments, uniting forces against a common enemy. Trying to forget the painful past, Cassandra opens up to give David—and their love—another chance. What she doesn’t realize is that her anguish is the result of David’s impetuous action—one reckless choice he made for which she may never forgive him.
His mistake, his secret, could cost them both the love they've finally found.
Book Excerpt:
EXCERPT #1:
“You need to calm down,” David inched closer to Cassandra, fixing her with such intensity her face caught fire.
“Calm down? You want me to calm down?” she snorted, jutting her chin up, hands on her hips.
“Yes. You need to calm down. What was that all about? Why are you so furious?”
“You want to know why I am so furious?” Cassandra grounded her feet apart and pushed her chin forward. “You really want to know? I’ll tell you why. I’m so sick of your bigheaded attitude, of your ‘I’m an American—I do whatever I want’ arrogance!” She shoved a finger at David’s chest, poking it and leaning forward. Her gaze locked on his, their faces close. “You act like some god on our grounds, like you’re doing us a big favor, honoring us with your royal presence as if we are a bunch of idiots you cannot stand. Anything that comes your way that is Romanian, you dismiss with such vehemence one might think it’s poisonous. Nothing we do or have is good enough for your nose.
“But let me tell you something, my friend. My people might not have everything so technical and so advanced, but they are good and hard-working people. They have good hearts and above all, they have dignity. When you live for generations under communism and are treated the way we were, maybe only then you can understand what it means to be so ‘primitive’. To be given nothing and be expected to work wonders. Your standards and ours obviously don’t match, but who are you to judge us? What do you know about us that gives you the right to treat us this way? Huh?
“And for your information, in case nobody had the courage to tell you, this is not our war.” She made a large circle with her arms. “We haven’t asked for it and we are doing you a favor allowing all of you to be on our soil. And not vice versa.” Cassandra straightened her back, pushed away a curl that fell on her face and held her arms up. “Here you have it, I said it.”
She walked around David, opened the door and before leaving, said without looking back, “And don’t forget to write me up.”
EXCERPT #2:
David shook his head, scrunching his eyebrows. “Have you looked around, Cassandra? Do you have the smallest idea where we are?”
“Yes,” she jutted her chin up, her voice a rasp, “in a rat’s hole I don’t give a damn about. I could care less about the people here, nor want anything to do with them. This is not my war. I said it before, I’ll say it again. The only reason I’m here is for Robert, and Robert only.” She inhaled deeply, squeezing dreadful tears between her eyelids. “If you don’t want to help, that’s fine. But don’t try to stop me.” She turned to walk away, but David caught her wrist. “What—”
“Look around you. I get it you don't care about being here, or about the people, but you have a choice—the choice of staying alive and safe, here on the base. They,” he pointed at the beds, “didn't.”
Three soldiers occupied the room, one without an arm, another without a leg. The third one had bandages around his head, half of his face disfigured with burns.
Her stomach twisted, a strong taste of bile rising in her throat.
“And what am I supposed to do, David? Just sit around and wait?” She glanced at Laura who, standing in the doorway, waved a nurse not to enter. Grateful that Laura spared her the embarrassment of being heard by others, she turned to David and said, “I have to at least try to find him, I have to.” Her eyes burned with tears, her voice choked up. “He is somewhere out there, and must be found, alive...” Her stomach turned to a fire pit, pain forcing her to bend forward.
David grabbed her by the shoulders and for a moment, Cassandra thought he’d embrace her. Instead, he blinked quickly, pushed her slightly away and rubbed her upper arms, shaking his head, his voice heavy. “Cass ... You won’t be allowed to go anywhere. If your assignment is here on the base, in the hospital, then you'll follow orders. This is not Romania.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but David raised a hand. “There's no point in arguing, trust me.” He limped around the first bed, put gloves and a mask on and added, “Come, let's finish the rounds.”
My Book Review:
This is a story about two people from different parts of the world, and how they came together in 2007 during the Iraq war. Cassandra Toma is a trauma surgeon and Lieutenant in the Romanian National Army. David Hunt is a reconstructive surgeon and Major in the US Air Force. Cassandra and David are both deployed to the American run Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Force Base in Constanta, Romania, near the Black Sea. Major Hunt is the director / commanding officer of the hospital and reconstruction center at the base, and Lieutenant Toma is one of the surgeons under his command. When Cassandra and David meet, both feel a mutual attraction for each other that grows as their days at the base go by, but there is one major problem .... David mistakenly thinks Cassandra is married to Major Robert Toma, who is her brother. David tries to avoid letting his attraction towards Cassandra get the better of him, and she can't understand why he doesn't pursue her. Each has a past with secrets and heartache that lead them down a path of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. David feels like he needs to get away from Cassandra and Romania, so he requests a transfer to Lancer Air Force base in Iraq. In the meantime, Cassandra's brother Robert has been deployed to Iraq for one final mission before he retires from the Romanian army. Robert and David meet up in Iraq and become good friends. They organize a run into a village to deliver Christmas gifts to the children, when returning to the base they are ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. David is injured and rescued by the American forces, while Robert and his Romanian troops are kidnapped by the insurgents. Upon hearing that her brother is kidnapped, Cassandra requests a transfer to Iraq to be near her brother and help in the search for him. What happens next is an emotional journey that Cassandra and David take that will ultimately decide whether they can build a future together or live A World Apart.
A World Apart is a captivating love story about two people from different worlds, who come together in a dangerous war zone, lose each other, and finally rediscover each other. This story is filled with so much emotion, passion, intrigue, drama and suspense, it will leave the reader spent after riding the emotional roller coaster of a ride that is Cassandra and David's journey. The storyline is well written and realistic, it's heartwarming and passionate love story mixed with the bravery, heartache and redemption from the military theme makes the story compelling and powerful. The complexity of the characters and their strong personalities are realistic, their interactions which each other are fascinating, you can't help but be intrigued by them. The description of Romania, Iraq, the military bases and the war zone activities is astounding, I could close my eyes and feel like I was transported there alongside Cassandra, David, Robert and the other characters in the story. When a story can transport you to another place and make you feel the full range of emotions, then you know that the story is one that you can't put down until the very end.
A World Apart is so much more than a romance novel, it has a mixture of intrigue, suspense, drama, and a dose of life's hard reality that will keep the reader sitting on the edge of their seat. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants to read more than just a typical romance story, you won't be disappointed!
RATING: 5 STARS *****
I love this book too. Cami is a wonderful talent. I have enjoyed all of her work! SHe is a treasure!
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry! I agree with you, this is the first book of Cami's that I have read, and I look forward to reading more from her. Thank you for visiting JGBR and commenting. :)
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