It was a decent twist in the Tarzan legend. A little wordy for my normal reads. It took me a while for the story to grip me.

The legend of Tarzan has been a story I enjoyed since I was a kid watching the old black and white movies and someday I’ll read the original written classic, but in the meantime… I saw this retelling and was eager to give it a try.

Zan got off to a good start beginning with the background and set up of Ari’s situation and how she ended up on the adventure that led her to Zan. The author caught the feel of the times for young women like her. Marry for comfort and situation, conform to the societal expectation. Ari has been brought up knowing this expectation, but also experiencing something different. Her Uncle Sully took Ari on his adventures and taught her to think and act for herself. However, he also doesn’t want her ostracized so he defers to his sister to help now that Ari is of age and feels Ari should spend time in society. But one last adventure changes everything.

As to the man of legend himself, I enjoyed the portrayal of an uncivilized Zan and their early encounter along with Mr. Emerson, the anthropologist’s work with Zan and his days of adjusting to London and the civilized world. I actually was disappointed that the story didn’t spend more time in Africa and Zan’s life there. It heads back to England rather quickly. Zan was six when he was left to fend for himself. Zan tried hard and wasn’t afraid to learn. It was courageous the way he trusted Emerson and the others and took his place in society all because he wanted to be worthy of Ari.

And that leads me to what kept this book from being more than moderately engaging for me. I was not impressed with Zan’s lady love. He strives to be worthy and she…Ari was a doormat disguised as an adventurous woman. She got all fiery and furious about going off on adventure, but that was where her fire seemed to begin and end. Ari lied about the important stuff happening to her for really lame reasons, and yeesh, she blabbed to people she didn’t like or trust with hers and Zan’s secrets and then gets all ‘how could they betray me?’ when it gets used against her and Zan. The engagement was driving me nuts. It’s not a love triangle. She never loves the guy only Zan, but she thinks she should accept the guy because loving and wanting Zan is futile. She couldn’t seem to make up her mind, dithered, got in a snit, determines to say no, dithered, got in a snit, uh, see where I’m going with this? Meanwhile poor Zan is steady to his course. And even the big crisis and drama that happened near the end was avoidable if she’d just opened her mouth and told the truth, but she thought she knew better and if she couldn’t find a solution, well then of course no one could, right? The stubborn-stupid act leading to the unnecessary damsel in distress just grated for me. I could have just read Zan’s story and been perfectly happy to be honest.

And that’s the thing, there were several stories actually going on with many points of view. Ari’s friends all had their story, her fiancé and his family, her uncles, aunt. Her frenemy’s bullied little sister…. None of this was bad, but it added little to the plot that couldn’t be had with Ari or Zan’s narration and was distracting.

Also, one caution. It didn’t bother me because it fit the situation, but the first scene with Zan as the wild man who steals Ari away back in the jungle to his tree platform, he considers her his and he takes her. She fights him at first, but then she wants it. It’s dubious consent at best and he doesn’t understand that it’s wrong (raised by gorillas and all), but from our modern civilized perspective, it can make one cringe a tad.

I was tickled when I saw how the author tied it all back to how we came to have the classic story and legend by Edgar Rice Burroughs with that quick scene at the end.

So, it was alright. Zan was just what I wanted to see in a Tarzan hero, but his ‘Jane’ was an irritation that I tolerated. The storyline was an interesting take. I’d recommend it for those who might enjoy a Tarzan legend retelling.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Great book. You start out thinking this is just another Tarzan book. But this stands on its own. I loved the relationship between Zan and Arianna. Great story.

This is outside my usual genre preference, but I did like the description and occasionally like to try something new for a change. The general concept of the book was very entertaining, but I feel like it would have been better as a short story, perhaps. The key points, the excursion to the jungle to see the "wild man" was only a few pages. The kidnapping of Arianna by the wild man, only a few pages. She was leaving the jungle, safely returned to her own people, by 15% into the book. The process of civilizing the wild man, who chooses to be called Zan is again, only a few pages. I think there was more book space lent to Wynonna's torment by her sister. The Beginning of the book was fast paced and engrossing, as well as the end of the book. But between about 20% and 80% or so, the book just seemed to lose it's steam.

I really loved this book. Great chemistry between characters. ☆☆☆☆☆ rating.

This book was fantastic. At first I was a little bit intrigued by the Tarzan-Jane feel to it and then as I continued to delve deeper into the story line I was constantly pulled further into the plot. Super awesome, fast and sweet all wrapped into one, I really enjoyed it!

This book was so good. The characters were all well developed and the way the author describes the sceneries was wonderful. I could picture the different locations and characters vividly.
You can't help but be immediately drawn into the story from the start and I could not put it down. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
I wish I could add more but I'm afraid it would be a spoiler and would not do this book justice.

The summary of the book sounded great, however, I couldn't get into the story! It ended up in my DNF pile after 15% . Zan just wasn't my cup of tea. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love all things Tarzan! Watched the Johnny Weissmuller movies growing up plus read the book by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Saying this, I read this book as an alternative Tarzan so looked forward to the adventure the author would take the reader on. Most of the book was interesting but it was intermixed with chapters that I found dull and lackluster especially when it came to Zan acting so mild and meek. Didn't fit the scenario the author set up in the beginning of the book. So much potential but found it sadly lacking.

This book is supposed to be a retelling of Tarzan by E.R. Burroughs and I guess it is in a way... It's just very different from everything I had imagined it to be. They have some common elements - a young man found living with apes, instalove, ape-man traveling to England in search of his one true love... And while I'm usually not a fan of these things, I actually have enjoyed Tarzan several times over the years and therefore hoped for something similar in this one.

Unfortunately for me, it was not to be as I couldn't relate to the story in any way and felt that Shoup put a bit too big of a spin on things.

I thought that the beginning was pretty decent... till I was 10% in and discovered an intimate scene of sorts that made no sense whatsoever to me. Apparently Arianna has been married before (but hasn't told anyone she knows) and has been intimate before. She hated it, but Zan, who doesn't even remember meeting a human woman, manages to perform some magnificent orgasm-inducing oral sex at his first attempt when he doesn't even remember how to speak...

The heroine Arianna seems to do nothing else but cry and let everyone else walk all over her. Not all of her friends are all that great and one friend in particular, Delia, seemed to be there just for some extra drama. Arianna didn't seem to get along with Delia nor did she seem to even like her, yet they had been "friends" for YEARS. No idea how and why...

I wish that more of the story had been from Zan's POV as his POV was actually interesting and I liked that. Arianna's (and almost every other random character's), however, did nothing but annoy me in the end. The (unnecessary) drama simply bored me, but maybe I'm the only one...

Also, I don't particularly care for the cover. Separate from the story it's actually pretty good, but I don't think it actually fits the story as the reader doesn't see much of Zan like this. Maybe at first, when he was still living in the jungle, but later on he's always dressed like a gentleman. The two simply don't fit in my mind.

In the end I was left kind of wondering if it's the same book as Untamed by Jane Shoup just with a different cover... Description and everything seems to suggest so.

A twist on the Tarzan stories I grew up with. I found myself fighting for the characters to be together and hoping that true love would prevail. I found the book very easy to read and will read more by this author.