Book blurb...
An all-new vivid, action-packed adventure across the African landscape in the tradition of Tony Park and Wilbur Smith, from Australian thriller writer, T.M. Clark.
Hiding from the law, they never expected to be caught in the crosshairs of a hunter… After relocating to South Africa on the heels of scandal five years ago, Chloe and her invalid father, Mike, once wealthy Zimbabwean landowners, now have little. Away at university, Chloe has had to rely on her father's best friend Enoch and his son Xo to watch over Mike. When a violent confrontation puts Chloe in danger, Enoch steps in to help – with inadvertent fatal results. With increasing pressure from a right–wing group on the police to charge Enoch, this mismatched family have no choice but to flee back to Zimbabwe. But crossing the border will be dangerous and near impossible with their route taking them amid warring dissident armies and landmines, and their every footstep is stalked by a shadowy ring of hunters – whose trophies are taken from more than animals... Only with help from Nick, formerly a soldier under Mike's command, now a professional game ranger, will the fugitives have a chance of making it home. But Nick has long struggled to come to terms with his fellow soldiers' choices before their unit was abandoned. Will his past demons put them all at risk?

My thoughts…
‘Enjoyable’ is an interesting choice of words for this read. The novel is great! The storytelling authentic and so immersive I was there. And it’s that prospect (of being caught up in such a scenario) that is a little daunting for me. There is so much going on in this story that is real, and so much I hope never happens in society.
So many scenes (like when the group is in danger while crossing a river on horseback) kept me on the edge, hoping all would go well.
I found the concept of hunting humans a little confronting, but T.M. Clark’s skill (blending fact with fiction) raises this novel from enjoyable to excellent.
There is a love story woven through the action and the added conflict—the ‘will-they-won't-they’ element—also adds to the emotional reader journey.

Nature Of The Lion by author T. M. Clark is another gripping read with twists and turns throughout. The gripping moments in the narrative added pluses to an already great read.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

MS Clark you have done it again, written a story that had me turning the pages trying to get to the end but not wanting it to end, you have taken me on a thrilling adventurous journey to Africa and bought to life people that have been through so much, the struggles that they go through, this really is a fabulous story.

The Story begins in South Africa where Chloe has just returned home from university to her invalid father Mike and the people she calls family Enoch and his son Xo, but there is trouble with a racist neighbour and Enoch ends up in trouble with the law, times are hard for people like Enoch and his son, so the decision is made to move back to Zimbabwe, their home, the place they fled five years before, it is not going to be an easy trip back through countries that are at war and there are also dangers from the animals to contend with.

Chloe seeks help from an old friend Nick, who is now a Kruger park ranger, he agrees and brings along his tracker Khululani and the dangerous journey begins with their horses and family across war torn Mozambique to Zimbabwe. This journey had me on the edge of my seat with danger happening around every corner, throw in a nasty hunter part of a group of shadow hunters known as the 6th and my heart was thumping.

I loved the characters in this story MS Clark has bought them to life, the love they shared for each other is amazing they went above and beyond and a romance as well what more could you want, the book is gripping, riveting I could barely put this one down, the setting is amazing, I really need to visit Africa and see the beauty for myself, MS Clark your stories are amazing and should not be missed you write powerful stories of strength and character of getting on with life when things can be tough, thank you for another keeper.

What a fabulous read, at the same time as taking us on a tension filled journey through the South African bush up to Zimbabwe, T. M Clark manages to convey so many emotions as well as educate us on the many situations that have occurred in those countries as well as many that may still be occurring.
The characters were all easy to relate to and I loved how supportive they all were of each other as well as being full of their own strengths.
I have to say the 6th completely filled me with horror and I'm glad that the society is a fictional one. Douglas was most definitely a deranged character who had me on edge throughout the story.
A read I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin MIRA for a copy in return for an honest review.

‘That is the fire of the Caçador Escuro, the Dark Hunter. We avoid such fires when we see them.’ Julio shook his head and made a cross on his chest as if to ward off evil. Enoch frowned. ‘Why?’ ‘These men are evil. They hunt people.’

‘Nature of the Lion’ is another compelling read from Zimbabwean born T.M. Clark. As I wrote about her previous book, ‘Child of Africa’ (HERE), I love reading about this compelling continent where I once lived. Clark brings to life the modern day hurdles that many there face and you will find yourself fully engaged throughout this riveting story.

Yet again Clark provides us with another gripping and action packed thriller that not only transports you to the heart of Africa but presents a side of life that not many are witness to - everything from illegal hunting to racism and corruption. So much beauty to be found in the wilds of Africa, yet it goes hand in hand with so much horror - it’s a tale of conflict for all the wrong reasons. Clark is so understanding of this imbalance and presents the compelling contradictions to perfection.

Containing a little of everything, the tension will build and the drama continue to unfold right up until the very end. The violence will confront you, the rugged beauty impress you. Clark again provides a ‘Fact vs Fiction’ at the end that proves most helpful in sorting through the details - real and fictionalised - from the book.

I highly recommend ‘Nature of the Lion’ with Clark becoming a firm favourite for her compelling writing in providing real and gripping dramas that will see you fully engaged throughout the novel. The characters are honest, the story they have to tell, whilst sad and frightening at times, proves very, very enthralling.

‘They do not think like you and me. They see the colour of skin as a measure of character and a means to judge who a person is.”




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A thrilling adventure set in the timeless bushland of Southern Africa. Chloe's family have settled in South Africa, away from their roots in Zimbabwe, after they fled the country following an incident that left her father indisposed and no longer able to care for himself. Chloe is unaware of what happened on that fateful night, she just remembers seeing her father's best friend Enoch burying what she thought was a body in the ground.
5 years on and their peace in South Africa is shattered when a racist bigot turns up drunk at the family farm looking to cause trouble. And trouble he does cause, forcing the family to flee South Africa and try to find their way back to Zimbabwe through war torn Mozambique. Meeting up with a close family friend, Kruger ranger Nick, along with his sidekick, Chloe and her family must travel through a warzone with 5 horses and her ailing father, who isn't doing well. Things go from bad to worse when their truck is taken from them in Mozambique by the military, so setting off on horseback and foot, they come across a hunter, but this hunter doesn't only have animals in his sights.
Nature Of The Lion is a heart pounding adventure, set amid a memorable backdrop of the African bush. The action is all too believable, and you'll stay up long into the night to find out if all members of the family make it back safely. I recommend this book to all lovers of adventure fiction.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five years they had been in South Africa after leaving their home in Zimbabwe under shadowy circumstances. Her father Mike, his lifelong friend Enoch and son Xo plus Ethel who cared for Mike were all the family Chloe had now. But the interference of their racist white Afrikan neighbour, and the violent altercation which followed meant Chloe and her family had to flee – destination their old home in Zimbabwe. Along the way they picked up Nick, game ranger and ex-soldier under Mike’s command, plus his offsider, tracker Khululani and the guide Filipe for their arduous journey.

But as well as the dangers of the wild animals and fighting armies, there were hunters of a different kind, hunters who took more than one type of trophy. And Chloe and her family were in their path…

Would they make it across the border into Zimbabwe? There were bound to be dangers they would encounter along the way – could they make it through safely?

Nature of the Lion is another breathtaking, heart stopping contemporary thriller set in Africa by Aussie author T.M. Clark. Gripping, intense, action-packed – I couldn’t put it down! The cover is divine, and the author’s writing is such that I can easily visualize the landscape, filled with awe inspiring spectacles of stunning beauty, alongside stark and terrible danger. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all this author’s work, and this one was no exception. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.