Escape from the Past Review Tour

Blurb:

"...will grip the reader's total attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for school and community library..." -Midwest Book Review

"...an entertaining and fast-paced read that guarantees to thrill any young reader's/gamer's wish to be a hero in faraway time." -Historical Novel Society

When nerd and gamer, Max Anderson, is lured into trying an experimental computer game, he doesn’t realize he's playing the ultimate history game, time-traveling into the past...anywhere...anytime. Survival is optional. To return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions--if he lives long enough. To fail means staying in the past--forever.  

Now he’s trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is the year 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.

NOTE: The book is only $0.99.

Excerpt:

Something moved ahead. There at the edge of a clearing cowered the man in rags holding his right elbow. He trembled and now that I was closer, I saw blood dripping from his wrist. The three riders had surrounded him, their blades pointing toward the man’s neck. One rider dismounted, his face shadowed by a half helmet and curled brownish beard, his hands covered by steel gauntlets like lizard scales. The other two sat motionless, waiting. I tried to get a better view of what the horsemen were doing when I looked down.

And froze.

I stood on the gnarled root of an oak tree. Surely I imagined things. But those were definitely my Nikes I’d forgotten to take off when I returned home. I moved my foot. Leaves crackled. A twig snapped. Something terrible had happened, something I couldn’t wrap my mind around. I blinked and looked to my right. Trees and undergrowth were losing themselves in the gloom. I remembered the mouse in my right hand, but when I lifted my arm, my fingers came up empty—except for the smear of something sticky on my palm. Blood. I was bleeding.

Wait.

The bush next to me was covered in blood. Not mine, I realized with relief. Disgusted I wiped my shaking hands with a fistful of leaves and turned to look behind me. The woods stretched into darkness—shadows within shadows nearly black.

My room was gone.

My Review:
3 stars

I liked the concept of the story, and the overall plot grabbed me from the beginning and never let go. On top of that, realistic descriptions of life in medieval Germany, detailed descriptions of the time travel/transportation technology, and interesting side characters helped bring the story alive.

However, I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Max. Whether because there was very little time to get to know the character since the story starts so abruptly or just a lack of explanations, I had a hard time grasping the character. For example, he conveniently knows uncommon details about history and natural medicine, but there’s no explanation as to how/why he learned that knowledge. So instead of being a character development moment, it comes across as a convenient plot device.

I also felt like there were numerous holes in the plot, partially due to so much happening so quickly, lackluster dialogue, and missing context. I kept wondering if there was a book before this that I missed that would have contained some of those missing explanations and backgrounds that would have helped this story make more sense.

Overall though, this. As someone who has a hard time getting into YA reads, I still enjoyed the story, as it was an interesting story with a fun premise. Would recommend it to YA fans.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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Author Bio and Links:

Annette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past.

Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, won multiple awards, including the 2017 U.S. National Indie Excellence Award. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing workshops at colleges, libraries, festivals and schools. She also offers vivid presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her husband and old mutt, Mocha.

Website: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annetteoppenlanderauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoppenlander

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Blog: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com/blog/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Annette-Oppenlander/e/B00W8QRTJ4/

Email: annette.oppenlander@yahoo.com

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Tailwinds Past Florence Book Blast

Blurb:
After getting blacklisted from the venture capital industry, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Vaughan will do anything to avoid telling his wife what happened. Even if it means agreeing to her dream of bicycling around the world. Kara, tired of being married to a workaholic, was readying for a divorce. Now, she’s packing bags of a different kind. Together, they pedal away from Seattle, headed east on the open road across America, Europe, and beyond.

Theirs is a decision that reverberates across centuries, shattering a continuum that bound their souls throughout time, and traps Edward in a battle with a past life over an eternal love.

As the miles roll by, and the couple's sordid secrets begin to surface, the couple encounters several men plucked from history, each one a vessel of Edward’s soul in a prior life. Of them, a 19th century art dealer proves dangerous, believing Kara is his ticket back to the past.

Tailwinds Past Florence is a contemporary love story with a magical twist, landing readers in the saddle of a global bicycle adventure.



Excerpt:
With no kids on the horizon or in-laws willing to travel all that way, the second bedroom had become a land of forgotten hobbies. Dust-covered mountain bikes leaned where a dresser may have stood, a paint-splattered drop cloth took the place of a guest bed, an empty easel in lieu of a mirror.

As he rose from picking up the shoe, an unexpected absence caught his eye. The map was gone. For months it had hung opposite the door, above a bookcase lined with old college texts and a copious collection of brushes and paint tubes. Now, in its stead, only thumbtack holes in the same not-quite-white (Kara called it Saffron Lace) that covered every wall in their Seattle apartment.

She brought the map home last fall, a laminated Rand-McNally depicting every country on earth in shaded relief. Accompanying it was a proposal to bicycle around the world. She wanted him to take a sabbatical—a laughable notion in the world of venture capital—and spend a year or three traveling.

Issues of Adventure Cyclist appeared in the bathroom soon after, borrowed travel guides rotated across her nightstand, and seemingly every conversation held an air of wanderlust, with Kara pining for small towns and country roads, campfire beers at sunset. Just the two of us, she’d say in a coquettish whisper. While we’re still young. Edward could only guess what spurred her restlessness and expected it to vanish as abruptly as it emerged.

The map hadn’t gone far. A quick search found it crunched into a football of discarded fantasy, punted behind a pile of bags and boxes. By the looks of things, she’d cleaned out the closet.

He unfurled the map, exposing a runaway squiggle of black ink. His eyes locked on the map’s northwest corner, where a star marked the departure point. Home. From there, the line dipped and danced across the northern United States and Canada before dashing south from London to Spain. Onward it went, around the Mediterranean to Greece, Turkey, and beyond. Edward followed the trail, past a who’s who of countries he knew nothing about, to China and Vietnam and a hand-drawn smiley face clear on the other edge of the poster, in Bali.

She’d given up on it. No. She gave up on me.

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About the Author:

Doug Walsh made his fiction debut with Tailwinds Past Florence, a road-tripping love story with a magical twist, inspired by the two years he spent cycling the world. The novel was a prizewinner in the PNWA Literary Contest. He's also authored One Lousy Pirate, a travel memoir, and over one hundred officially-licensed video game strategy guides. Travel guides to fictitious places, as he likes to call them. Originally from New Jersey, he now lives and plays in the mountains of western Washington.

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Tailwinds Past Florence is available at the following locations:
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Undercurrents in Time Excerpt Tour

Blurb:

What if time travel proved you were meant to be together? Sometimes the very things that bond two people can drive a wedge between them. Tabitha and Milt have been through a lot together, but they find themselves pulled in very different ways.

Tabitha longs for a getaway, while Milt is busy with his responsibilities. She embarks on an unplanned journey. With this attempt to pull herself out of the rut, how will she handle the unknown dangers she faces and return her life to normal?

Exclusive Excerpt:

Other images flooded into Tabitha’s mind.  The electronics shop; was that what it was called?  The device that told her where her brother was in 2047.  She shuddered, then remembered her parents’ memorial.  Brandon.  The woman with a cat’s paw.   Milt putting his hair up to not look so much like himself.  Milt, her “partner in crime”.  How that last excursion had brought them together, breaking so many rules, trying to right their own wrongs, being powerless to do so.  Time travel really was dangerous.

And yet, the Envo was parked in their garage.  Only one room away, a portal to another time.  How easily she could just hop in and escape to a whole new world.

Her body felt weary, but her mind would not stop.  She heard a stirring on the monitor and then the familiar cries.  She jerked as if to get up, but her legs stayed firmly in place.  Milt came to the door.  It was close to midnight.

“Tabitha, are you awake?  Should I just give him formula?  Or I could bring him to you.”

“Yeah, okay.”

A moment later the door opened and Milt handed her Peter.  He then sat down beside her, and lay back.

“I’ve been thinking we should get away, maybe the first weekend in January.”

“I’d LOVE to get away,” she responded.  Peter was getting fussy again.

Talking over his shoulder, he left the room.   “Let me double check my calendar.  Oh wait, there’s an inventor’s convention at the end of January.  Shoot!  We’ll have to make it February. ” He came back in.

“Hmmm. ‘Shoot.’  I’m thinking of a stronger word.”

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Author Bio and Links:

Author Pamela Schloesser Canepa had a childhood full of travel and moving, fueling her writing of poems and stories as a child to provide entertainment for long trips. When her family settled in the southeast, writing provided an outlet for private thoughts and emotions for years, until she decided to self-publish fiction in 2016. Pamela's genres include science fiction, paranormal fiction, and poetry of all types. The "Made for Me" series was Pamela's first published fiction series with a futuristic flavor. Pamela plans to continue to write a spinoff with one of the characters in “Undercurrents in Time,” and her next project is another installment in the “Made for Me” series.

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Storms Over Babylon Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

From the scorching plains of Persia to the opulent city of Babylon, Ashley and Alexander continue their sensuous and passionate journey through history. Alexander the Great is now king of Persia and Greece but his reign will be short. Time-travelling Ashley knows when her husband will die. She's determined to cheat Fate and save Alexander and her children, even if it brings the gates of time crashing down. Following Alexander on a tour of his new kingdom, she plans her moves and bides her time. She must, however, convince Alexander to abandon his crown and his kingdom.

Excerpt:

We had two weeks of marching through arid land before we came to Bampur. The most difficult part of our journey was over.

We’d lost more than five thousand souls in the desert. We arrived in tatters, deeply shocked by all the men, women and children who’d perished. We were relieved to be in a place where sweet water flowed in abundance and the grass grew green. It was like a rebirth, like arriving in paradise, and to top everything off the whole city had turned out to greet Alexander, conquering hero, and king of the world.

Alexander, conquering hero! The people lined the streets. They sat on the rooftops and were already hoarse from cheering by the time we were near enough to hear them.

Alexander, king of the world! Flowers fell like rain, wine flowed like rivers, the soldiers were feted and acclaimed, and Alexander’s name was on everyone’s lips. He had returned to his kingdom and the city, like a bride, opened her arms to him.

It was heady stuff for a man suddenly to realize that this was the summit of his glory. He had been fighting for so long that he’d forgotten why. He’d been struggling to reclaim a crown and consolidate a kingdom and now that it was done, suddenly, here it was. Here was his kingdom. It was just the edge, but it was here, and the people were weeping, screaming, and swooning when they saw him.

Even I, who had seen one of the ancient newsreels of the Beatles arriving in America, was impressed. The Beatles were an old hat compared to Alexander. These people had no television either. They had been waiting for months for a glimpse of the young king.

Here he was, and, by the gods! He was young! He was handsome! He waved and grinned and cried. His hair was bleached pale gold, his skin was burned deep brown, his eyes glittered blue and brown, and they were huge in his starving face. His purple cape was in tatters, but the mayor of the city gave him a new one. He wore the crown of Darius on his noble head and he carried the spear of a cavalry officer. His men had polished their bronze weapons until they shone in the red setting sun like drops of blood. The horses, wild with the scent of grass and water whinnied and screamed at the crowds, and the crowds screamed back.

Everyone cried, everyone laughed. It was our first homecoming and we were drunk within seconds with the ecstasy of ‘Nostos’, the return. We drank from the cups held out by every hand towards us. The men all had purple mouths and staggered drunkenly by the time we left the city and headed towards the encampment, but Alexander was drunk on glory. His eyes were brilliant and his color hectic. His face burned with fever and he had no voice left to speak.

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Author Bio and Links:

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. After graduation in St. Thomas, she moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

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The Renaissance Club Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

Would you give up everything, even the time in which you live, to be with your soul mate? That’s the question my heroine, May Gold must answer in this time travel love story. And she has to answer it in three short weeks, on a tour of Italy. A college adjunct teacher, she often dreams about the subject of her master’s thesis—17th century sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. In her fantasies, she’s in his arms, the wildly adored partner of the man whose passionate art invented the Baroque style. But in reality, May has just landed in Rome with her teaching colleagues and older boyfriend. She considers herself a precocious failure and yearns to unleash her passion and creative spirit. May finds she has to choose: stay in a safe but stagnant existence or take a risk.

Excerpt:

“Signorina, please. I cannot concentrate. Do you not have something else to do?”

His open arrogance was true to his time, an era when powerful men flaunted their status to the point of rudeness. Bernini’s fame, even at his young age, was second only to the cardinals and popes he served. His arrogance had been legendary.

“I thought the church was open today,” she said.

“It is not open to you, unless you are applying to become my assistant. But you will not be any use to me in that long skirt.”

She looked down. She had acquired voluminous folds of blue silk, a dress she hadn’t been wearing before. She felt air on her shoulders—her dropped-sleeves left them bare. “Well, not in this I wouldn’t,” she said, appreciating the rustle and texture. “But I’m not applying. I just want to watch you work.”

He said more gently, “Are you a traveler? You do not look Roman.”

“Yes. I’m a traveler. From a long way away. I’m with a group touring Rome. It’s our first day. St. Peter’s is so gorgeous, I can’t believe it. The Baldacchino is one of your finest pieces.”

         

Ignoring the compliment, he said, “If you are a traveler, then please travel to some other masterpiece. This church has many.” He waved her away and picked up the rod, checking the column once more.

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Author Bio and Links:

Rachel Dacus is the author of The Renaissance Club, a novel called “Enchanting, rich and romantic…a poetic journey through the folds of time.” Dacus’ book Gods of Water and Air is a collection of poetry, prose, and drama. Her other poetry collections are Earth Lessons and Femme au Chapeau. Her poetry and prose have appeared in Atlanta Review, Boulevard, Prairie Schooner, The Pedestal, and Valparaiso Poetry Review.  Her fourth poetry collection, Arabesque, is forthcoming in August 2018 from FutureCycle Press. Read more on her website: racheldacus.net. Follow on Twitter: @Rachel_Dacus.

Buy links:

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The White Lady Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

Avery Dunham has always been ready to follow her friend, time-traveling wizard, Ignus Burke, on incredible adventures. This time, though, she has serious misgivings. It's just one week before Christmas, but she cannot get him to change his mind. The usually cool and collected magic-wielding leader is wholly obsessed by the portrait of the White Lady whom he is bent on rescuing.

Almost as soon as they begin their journey, it becomes clear their mission is a trap.

Avery was right: this adventure is not going to be like any other.

Excerpt:

Avery had a few queries on the tip of her tongue, like, “Are you out of your freaking skull?”

If she didn’t ask, Stan probably would. They’d graduated from high school this past June and worked part-time ‘nothing’ jobs, taking a break before college while finding their way, as Avery’s mother put it. Mostly, they were drawn to Ignus like moths to a flame, especially Avery. Not that he noticed.

If only he’d look at her the way he did the white lady. More and more, the portrait seemed to dominate his thoughts. How could a petite, okay short, girl in a sparkly pink sweater and unicorn leggings compete with this tantalizing beauty?

Avery wasn’t plain, some even referred to her as cute, but exotic didn’t describe her. Quirky, sure. She wouldn’t term her brown eyes deeply affecting, and her face wouldn’t compel men through centuries to her side. The best she could do was plead with him.

“Ignus, be reasonable. Please.”

No reply. He wore his stubborn look. Crossing his arms over a lean chest, he tilted his head to better view the femme fatale on the wall above them.

The tousled brown hair covering his ears and forehead needed a trim. In his red Zombie Preparedness hoodie with a white rescue logo, gray dress pants, and white high-topped sneakers, he was the quintessential nerd. Most importantly, he was a wizard and time traveler with a passion for rescuing lost souls. His fervor for this particular lady was alarming.

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Author Bio and Links:

Married to my high school sweetheart, I live on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with my people and furbabies. An avid gardener, I grow herbs and heirloom flowers and use them in my stories. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the Scots-Irish are at the heart of my inspiration. My English/Scots-Irish ancestors were among the earliest settlers in America. I write historical romance set in the colonial frontier (The Native American Warrior Series), and the American Revolution (The Traitor's Legacy Series), colonial American Christmas romance (A Warrior for Christmas) Georgian England romance (Into the Lion's Heart, the time and place of Poldark). Some of my historicals have ghosts and paranormal in them. I also write Young Adult shapeshifter, fantasy romance (The Secret Warrior Series), and New Adult paranormal time travel, time slip romance to the Scottish Highlands, the American Revolution, the Civil War, WW1.. (My Somewhere in Time and Ladies in Time Series.)

The White Lady is available on Amazon and in eBook from all major online booksellers.

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Amazon Author Page where all my books reside

Son of the Moon Book Blast

Blurb:

In Nysa, Alexander the Great and time traveling journalist Ashley find their abducted son Paul being worshiped as ""the son of the moon"". Knowing she can’t change history and that Alexander’s kingdom will be torn apart when he dies, Ashley must make the terrible decision to leave her firstborn son in the sacred valley.

Alexander presses on to India, where he and Ashley are welcomed with feasts - and treachery.  They struggle through monsoons, face the might of Porus’s army, and outwit deadly Brahmin rebels. Facing the reality of Alexander’s looming death, Ashley considers the unthinkable - How to save him, and the consequences of cheating the Fates. Book III in the Time for Alexander series"

Excerpt:

Alexander opened his eyes very wide. “Me? Me? I did that? You weren’t even there. Do you want to know what you can do with me?” He leered. “Tell me some more stories about sex-mad queens and priestesses. They sound quite entertaining, but wait until we’re alone. I don’t want to miss a word you say.”

I narrowed my eyes. “If I find out that that you...”

“If I what?” he asked cheerfully.

I didn’t answer. I was looking over his shoulder at a figure in the distance. He must have seen the look on my face because he whirled around. For a moment he didn’t move. Then he dug his heels into Bucephalus’s sides, and, with a wild whoop, galloped madly down the dusty road leaving me staring after him with a bemused expression.

Chiron wriggled on my back and started to whine. I dropped my reins and unhooked the backpack, pulling him around to my chest. Holding the baby in front of me, I said to him, “There goes my husband, rushing to greet his best friend whom he hasn’t seen in over three months - his best friend who just happens to be your daddy.”

I spoke in English. I didn’t think anyone else would quite understand the complexities of the situation, which I’d already edited for Chiron’s ears. The soldiers around me thought I said blessings. Chiron waved and gurgled happily at my breast. All he was interested in was milk. I could never understand why Chiron seemed to be the only human being who didn’t mind Alexander’s singing. It made most babies turn purple and scream. At first I was worried that he was deaf, but then I realized Chiron was just a little oddball. He would probably turn into one of those weird kids who love broccoli and algebra.

The sun shined, the flags flapped merrily, the soldiers sang, and the Indus River, huge, brown, and deceptively sluggish, flowed like caramel by our sides.

We were in India!

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Author Bio and Links:

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She loves cooking, eating French chocolate, growing herbs and flowering plants on her balcony, and playing golf. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modeled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

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Buy Links:
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Somewhere My Lady Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

Lorna Randolph is hired for the summer at Harrison Hall in Virginia, where Revolutionary-War reenactors provide guided tours of the elegant old home. She doesn't expect to receive a note and a kiss from the handsome young man who then vanishes into mist.

Harrison Hall itself has plans for Lorna – and for Hart Harrison, her momentary suitor and its 18th century heir. Past and present are bound by pledges of love, and modern science melds with old skills and history as Harrison Hall takes Lorna and Hart through time in a race to solve a mystery and save Hart's life before the Midsummer Ball.

Excerpt:

Chills crawled down her spine and stood the tiny hairs at the back of her neck on end. The last thing she expected on this June day was a visitation from beyond, and certainly not by merry dancers.

She shrank noiselessly against the wall, pinching her pebbled arms to be certain she was awake.

Could she dream she was pinching herself?

What about the strong scents? The pungency of tobacco smoke and flowery perfumes wafted around her. Were odors a part of dreams? And sounds?

Dear Lord, how was any of this possible?

Uncertain if she were dreaming or haunted, she gaped at the animated figures. Wait. There. Him.

Her attention riveted on one young man in the gathering. He’d spun by earlier. She’d swear he gazed over his shoulder in her direction, then promenaded up the hall. His expert steps returned him again to the entryway.

Unlike the other dancers, he was fully corporeal. No partially seen legs or torso. Fitted blue breeches and silk stockings encased his long muscular legs. He wore his own chestnut brown hair pulled back in a queue at his neck, free of powder, while most male heads were wigged and white. The deep blue suit tailored to his tall figure complemented his deft steps in the English country dance.

Something about him held her spellbound…the tilt of his head, arch of his brow, glimpse of his profile… She followed his every move with the fixity of an owl.

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Author Bio and Links:

Married to her high school sweetheart, Beth Trissel lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by her human family and furbabies. An avid gardener, her love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into her work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of her inspiration. She's especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. And she loves a good ghost story. In addition to Young Adult and New Adult fantasy romance, she also writes historical, time travel, and paranormal romance, plus nonfiction.

For more on Beth visit her blog, One Writer’s Way.

Connect with Beth on Facebook and on Twitter.

Visit Beth’s Amazon Author Page where all her books reside.

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Two Worlds Collided Review Tour

Blurb:

Evie Reid, on a whim, agrees to travel back in time to 1997 to change bad boy Bellamy Lovel's path of destruction. She's smart with a college degree, but she's still fan-girl crazy for the rock band, Civilized Heathens. Evie knows despite all Bellamy's smiles and enthusiasm on the stage, he's destined to end it all on one lonely night in a hotel room unless she can change his path.

Bellamy isn't keen on having Evie as his personal assistant, hired by his band mates to watch over him, and keep him on schedule. However, there is something about the woman that sparks his interest, despite his best to ignore her. When darkness threatens to consume him, he realizes she may be the only light that will chase the shadows away.

Excerpt:

She spotted Bellamy standing on the ledge a few feet in front of her. Fear rose up inside of her like a tangible force that urged her to go to his rescue. Her legs carried her swiftly and her hands grabbed his dress shirt with some kind of wild print on it, and she yanked him toward her.

Bellamy's hands flew out in front of him as if to grab onto something to steady his fall. "What the–" Her cry of alarm muffled Bellamy's curse when she realized he was going to land on top of her, but at the last millisecond, Bellamy twisted, grabbing hold of her as he fell onto his back with her sprawled on top of him in an unseemly manner. Her hair had come loose from the knot at the back of her neck. Her glasses were askew on her nose and she tried to adjust them as she pulled on her blouse, which had risen above her waist. Bellamy's hot hands were on her flesh and for a moment she'd forgotten to breathe. She met his startled gaze and his lips pursed into a fine line.

"What is wrong with you, lady?" he said and shoved her away, not exactly rough but with a purpose to be as far away as possible from her.

She sat in a heap next to him, feeling a bit deflated that he didn't appreciate her attempt to help. "I was saving you," she said and lifted her chin.

"Saving me? Lady, you almost sent me tumbling over the edge."

   

My Review:

4 stars

I’ll admit, the main reason I wanted to read this was because of the whole time travel mixed with saving a rock star idea. I am a sucker for second chance stories, and this one sounded so unusual, I had to give it a shot. Well color me impressed, because I am so glad I took a chance on this. I was worried at first that the author would make this a “fix-it” story, where one character came in to “solve/fix” the “damaged” character. Especially with a topic such as this. However, my fears were soon allayed.

Part of this was due to the amazing characters. Bellamy broke my heart. As someone who has lived through depression, I could easily relate to him, and seeing his struggles so vividly yet well-handled was amazing. I cried throughout the book, rooting for him to make a different choice, to fight. And Evie…dear, sweet Evie. I loved how she was not only trying to help Bellamy, she was also growing herself. She was just the right partner for Bellamy, which leads me to the romance. The chemistry between Evie and Bellamy was perfect. I loved getting to see them together, especially their first meeting, and how they both changed each other.

My favorite part, though, was how the author focused on the idea that even though Evie was going back in time to try and change the past, the choice was ultimately up to Bellamy. There was no easy wrap up, no single solution, no miraculous fix-it. It was a very real look at what depression and what fighting depression looks like. At times, it was a bit much for me, but I appreciated how the author handled it, especially being someone who has dealt with depression for a good part of my life.

My only qualms with the story was that the beginning felt a bit rushed to me. I would have liked more time getting to see the future and learning more about the ramifications behind what Evie’s time traveling interference could do (I’m a major Doctor Who fan, so I love the sciency stuff behind time travel). Also, at times the sex scenes were a bit much. There was one in particular that seemed a bit forced to me, but part of that for me I think is because we were dealing with some heavy content matter as well.

Overall though, this was an amazing story that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend. 

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.*

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February 13: Up 'Til Dawn Book Blog

February 20: Books,Dreams,Life
February 20: T's Stuff
February 27: Deep In theCrease
February 27: SharingLinks and Wisdom
March 6: wordstravelfilm
March 6: Travel the Ages
March 6: Lorana Hoopes
March 6: Laura's Interests

Author Bio and Links:

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

When she’s not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”. You can also check out her published cover art designs at Victory Tales Press and Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing.

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Website     |    Blog     |     Facebook     |     Twitter

Pinterest     |     Amazon Author Page

 Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”

Two Worlds Collided will be $0.99 during the tour.