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Family and friends are shocked when Mary Kate Sasser throws herself into the adventure of a lifetime. The small-town Southerner follows her imagination on a quest to Africa, refusing the escort of her boyfriend. His marriage ultimatum echoes in her ears, but she's not going to think about that until she has climbed the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Addison Falk also wants an adventure--and a vacation from her real life. Fresh from her MBA program, she is being lured from Miami to London for a job in her father's investment firm. For all the glitz and excitement a life in lesbian-rich Soho promises, Addison can't bring herself to take the next step without first adding her name to the rolls of those who have stood on Africa's highest peak. Their mutual undertaking challenges not just daily survival, but also the plans each woman has made for her future. Finding their way back to earth--and back to their lives--may be the most difficult journey of all.… (more)
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Southern teacher Mary Kate Sasser takes this trip to challenge herself. The fact that her fiance Bobby takes no interest in the trip, and pooh-poohs her desire for this adventure, is troubling. Mary Kate is slowly coming to realize that he will never appreciate her adventuresome spirit, and will always patronize her for her desire for travel and adventure. This is even more problematic because Bobby is her school's assistant principal, and is therefore also her boss. If she breaks up with him at the end of the trip, there are major repercussions. Her family and coworkers all think he is perfect for her, and she lives in a small town where she is absolutely expected to marry him and raise his kids.
So what if she isn't interested in that?
Addison Falk is the opposite. An out lesbian, with wealthy parents who live in London and Peru, she currently resides in her home town of Miami. But her dad is pressuring her to move to London and work in his financial firm. In fact, he has it all planned out. He has even rented her an apartment in London, and told her all about its great lesbian and gay community. (And, if she happens to give up all of this lesbian nonsense while she's there, and meets and marries a nice young gentlemen, well....so much the better.)
And, as an added incentive, he is selling the Miami family home out from under her! She'll have to move within a couple of weeks of the end to her African adventure.
So what are these two women to do?
What else? Fall in love!!!
Okay, so the plot is a bit hokey and formulaic. But the writing is quite enjoyable, the scenery spectacular, and the adventure is new and exciting. How many books have you read about climbing Mt Kili (which the author actually did, BTW)? For me, this was a first.
Four stars out of five. - Ca
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I also really enjoyed the banter that the main and secondary characters had on the way up the mountain. It was funny, or caring, or sarcastic, and most importantly it flowed naturally.
The only little iffy part of this particular novel that gave me pause was the very end. It seemed just a bit rushed compared to the rest of the story. The mountain part especially was exquisitely built, one layer upon another towards the literal and story summit. But at the end it seemed like a sprint to the last word.