Karavan Press title: A Fractured Land by Melissa A. Volker

DESCRIPTION

Left with a huge debt by her runaway ex-husband, Lexi Taylor is out of money and out of luck. In search of a new beginning and determined to be on her own, she returns home to sleepy Graaff-Reinet. She becomes the manager of the inn at Apricot Farm. Free of the burdens of her old life, Lexi finally feels she’s getting back on track – until American Carter O’Brien arrives in town.

South Africa is a long way from his home in Texas, but it’s the fresh start Carter needs – and his last chance. A former musician and the wayward son of an oil industry tycoon, he has been sent to the Karoo Basin in search of shale gas, and is expected to succeed. Harbouring serious mistakes in his private and professional past, he can’t afford any distractions, no matter how alluring.

Carter was prepared for potential problems – angry farmers, anti-fracking protests, tricky negotiations – but fighting his attraction to Lexi wasn’t one of them. As Lexi is drawn into Carter’s work and his complicated life, the pair must confront danger from an unexpected enemy in the Karoo … and from their own hearts.

ISBN: 978-0-6399942-1-5

Publication date: 1 June 2019

WHAT READERS SAY

“Take some fracking in the arid Karoo, mix in the disappearance of a young woman, add some sinister environmentalists, a dashing Texan geologist and a kick-ass heroine and you get a fabulous romantic suspense. Melissa A. Volker’s great sense of humour and her passion for the environment shine through in this eco thriller. Really enjoyed it.”

— Pamela Power, author of Ms Conception, Things Unseen & Delilah Now Trending

 

“I loved the evocative setting, intriguing storyline and memorable characters in A Fractured Land. The romance was palpable and this was a delightful and easy read.”

— Belinda Mountain, writer & award-winning parenting blogger

 

“I absolutely loved how Melissa managed to capture life in small town Graaff-Reinet, and her use of language to so perfectly depict the arid landscape of the Karoo was breath-taking.”

— Sharon Van Wyk, lifestyle blogger, sales & communications manager

 

“A Fractured Land combines sizzling romance with environmental awareness – the novel is a declaration of love for passion, adventure and the beauty of the South African landscape.”

— Karina M. Szczurek, Cape Times

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MELISSA A. VOLKER was born in Port Elizabeth to an American mother and a South African father. She is a reader, writer, blogger, recycler and award-winning stand-up paddler. A few years ago, while taking a break from a career in beauty therapy, she studied creative writing. She now writes romantic environmental fiction and blogs about writing and surfing. Her first novel, Shadow Flicker, won the Strelitzia Award from the Romance Writers Organisation of South Africa in 2017 (given to the most promising manuscript), and her second novel, A Fractured Land, was published in the United States a year later. Karavan Press is proud to publish new editions of both titles in 2019.