Simone Levin had a dream job as a safari pilot until an unexpected pregnancy clipped her wings. Tired of juggling motherhood with her demanding flight schedule, Simone applies for an office job, unaware that her new boss is Carlo Carlevaro, the man who’d ditched her before finding out he’d knocked her up. Carlo returns to East Africa only to kill another fire–Ivory trafficking from his lodges … threatens to destroy his company. Finding Simone back on the payroll comes as a pleasant surprise. As his employee, Simone is off-limits, but she is the only one he trusts to help with his undercover investigation. With time running out, Simone and Carlo strive to expose the trafficking ring, but working together rekindles their mutual desire. When Simone is implicated as a trafficker, revealing her daughter’s existence to Carlo seems inevitable. Acting on her instincts might come too late as the syndicate retaliate and hone in their threat. Will they survive to give their love a chance?
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This romantic thriller is quite a page-turner. Carlo and Simone take you on a wild adventure through Africa and the world of trafficking and poaching. The author makes Africa come alive and you feel like you’re actually there with her wonderful descriptions. Lots of drama with some past romantic history, a secret daughter, and more. I won this book in a Booksweeps promotion and enjoyed it so I voluntarily chose to write a review. A good book that you will enjoy.
Africa is brought to life this book. The second chance love story of Carlo and Simone is twisted up with a child, the mystery of the ivory smuggling and a company in turmoil. Highly recomment this book.
Taking place in Africa (which in itself was a bonus with the realistic and vivid scenes), this romantic mystery was one I found myself on the edge of my seat as the tension built and the plot thicken. Full of intrigue, suspense, and passionate romance, there is never a dull moment in this well written story with some truly interesting characters.
this was a really great book! she is off to find a office job after trying to make ends meet. her new boss is her old lover and father of her child. there is real danger out there that could cost them both there lives. read to find out what happens.
Not what I was expecting in such a good way…
Perfect Mistake was just that a really gorgeous story about a perfect mistake that turned into so much more I really enjoyed everything about this book.
I really liked this book, story written by this author and writing style. The story is very good and the characters are very likable. The book is a great length. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
Simone Levin is a pilot for the East African branch of Carlevaro Air and usually transports tourists to various Carlevaro lodges and resorts in Tanzania. Though she deals with some sexual harassment, she enjoys her job for the most part but doesn’t like flying overnight trips due to her three-year-old daughter at home. Life is going pretty well for Simone until her manager has a heart attack and the big bosses from headquarters fly in and start changing things.
Carlo Carlevaro is the CEO of Carlevaro Air and flies to Tanzania to inspect the company’s lodges and deal with a poaching problem. He didn’t expect to find Simone on his payroll, the woman he’d love and lost four years earlier. Though he knows nothing about her life and responsibilities, he assigns her to be his personal pilot for the lodge inspections and doesn’t understand her animosity. She’s obviously keeping secrets, and he’s determined to uncover them no matter what.
Simone and Carlo are wonderfully complex characters. They’ve both been through some trying times, and their bad experiences have shaped them into strong, mature, career-minded people. As a single mother, Simone lives her life around her daughter, but work often gets in the way. Carlo never meant to abandon Simone, but family and business problems took precedence over his love life. I totally loved how they grew to trust one another again and finally opened up enough to communicate their feelings and misconceptions. The sex scenes were hot and explicit, but fueled by friendship and love.
This story has a great mixture of romance and intrigue. The author wrote about poaching in graphic detail but did so tastefully, and I found the honesty refreshing and realistic. The descriptions of the Serengeti and the animals were breathtaking. The harsh realities of third world city life and healthcare were also detailed.
Carlo’s family plays a big role in the story, and I’m anxious to learn more about Angelo and Julia, his brother and sister respectively, in future books. (I hope they’ll get their own HEAs!)
The story is told in third person, in duel H/h POV, but seemed to focus more on Simone than on Carlo. Most of the loose ends are tied up. I really enjoyed the book and the author’s writing style, and I would love to read more of her work!
5 Stars
Disclaimer – I volunteered to read and review this book. Thank you, Sophia Karlson, for sending me an ebook copy. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
4 years ago,Simone and Carlo had 6 glorious weeks together. Then Carlo disappeared, leaving Simone pregnant. Now Carlo is back, as her boss and he’s trying to find out who is using his flights for the poaching of ivory. When Simone is implicated, she has to reveal his daughter to him. Can they survive just what is happening around them, between them?
I did not know, going into this book, that Karlson is a first time author. I did not,at all, get that impression while I was reading it either!
Karlson spins a great tale!
It’s not overly explicit, not is it particularly violent. It does get a little . . . . . .yukkie. . ..when Simone’s friend is describing her “gifts” though. Also, it’s quite painful reading about Simone and Carlo’s trip to the poaching sites. Only because it truly is awful, the poaching.
I did not get who was part of the poaching ring, and I was surprised how that all went down. I sort of expected something else to happen, I was waiting for that something else, to see how Simone would deal with it,before she revealed his daughter to Carlo, but that doesn’t happen, so I was a little . . . . .not disappointed, cos I really enjoyed what did happen here, but I can’t find the right word word, and you know how that pains me so!
It’s told from both Simone and Carlo ‘s point of view, in the third person. It’s WELL told, well defined and well delivered. I read it in one single sitting.
So why not 5 stars? No idea,but I have 4stars attend of my fingertips while typing this up, so. . . .
4 solid first time stars.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Maybe I’m a bit biased here since Africa is home for me but what a stunning book by debut author Sophia Karlson. Hardly believable this is her first book. Perfect Mistake, a romantic suspense is beautifully written with stunning settings that captivate your imagination and gives you a hint of Africa if you haven’t been there.
Simone Levine was a new pilot learning the ropes when she met and fell in love with Carlos, also a pilot. Their relationship was an intense but short lived when Carlos was called away on family business. Due to circumstances unbeknown to Simone, she never heard from him again. Discovering she was pregnant made her look for him, which proved futile and she gave up.
Four years later, she’s ready to take on a desk job which would give her more time with her child when Carlos puts in an unexpected appearance as the head of the company she’s employed at, and goes by his full name which she had no idea of. His reappearance sends her into an emotional turmoil she’s clearly not ready to handle which ultimately results in some tense confrontations he isn’t expecting from a now matured Simone.
Their second chance at happiness is given a perfect dose of suspense in the form of ivory smuggling. Carlos is there to investigate evidence that their company’s planes are being utilized to smuggle elephant tusks out of Tanzania. Throw in a dollop of her being a suspect and tensions run high.
I’m not a fan of second chance love stories but Sophia’s done a remarkable job of bringing Carlos and Simone together with the perfect balance of romance and suspense. Added to the fact was the way in which they handled their reunion, not with the usual angst and anger but a maturity which is both sweet and tense at the same time.
And the suspense was well thought out and equally compelling. The mystery behind the smuggling of elephant tusks, kept me enthralled and left me eager to know details in my usual impatient fashion. While the pace is quick it gives you the right amount of attention span to grasp both the intricate reunion of the couple and the intensity behind the smuggling which is a serious situation facing law enforcement in Africa.
The writing is excellent and the settings well placed so much so that my imagination took a descriptive spin in the wilds of Africa. Simone was strong and determined and well balance while Carlos is strong and sensitive with the right balance of maturity his position as head required which comes through in his reaction to the discovery of his daughter he knew nothing about. A flash of anger followed by heart warming compassion toward Simone for having endured raising a child on her own. The couple’s emotional reactions were realistically in description and not over done.
Given the heat of the African setting, Perfect Mistake is the perfect book for a perfect afternoon of rain, cold and a blanket. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more reads from the author and perhaps a sequel to Angelo’s story, what can I say…I’m a sucker for playboys.