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The Chronicles of Anna #1
Deadly Expectations
The Chronicles of Anna Book 1
As a teen Anna Creed discovers she can time travel; a trick she uses to ‘jump’ from one place to another with no apparent passage of time. All she needs are two wheels, speed and nerves of steel. Now eight years later she’s alone and pregnant when her secret power takes control to save her life. Injured and confused Anna finds herself in the arms of Paul Richards, her summer lover and the father of her child.
But Paul has secrets of his own. He’s the head of an old conflict weary family and has been Anna’s past life lover time and time again, something only he remembers.
Things come apart for Anna when she starts ‘jumping’ in her sleep. Both Anna and her sister are in mortal danger from Paul’s uncle Damian and a ghost from her past life is driving her to murder. As Anna and Paul’s fledgling relationship unravels she takes the final and unforgivable step of attacking him and leaving him behind.
From Northern California to the rainforests of British Columbia Anna gets closer to the truth about Paul’s family and the realization that saving Paul and her unborn child may ultimately cost her life.
As a teen Anna Creed discovers she can time travel; a trick she uses to ‘jump’ from one place to another with no apparent passage of time. All she needs are two wheels, speed and nerves of steel. Now eight years later she’s alone and pregnant when her secret power takes control to save her life. Injured and confused Anna finds herself in the arms of Paul Richards, her summer lover and the father of her child.
But Paul has secrets of his own. He’s the head of an old conflict weary family and has been Anna’s past life lover time and time again, something only he remembers.
Things come apart for Anna when she starts ‘jumping’ in her sleep. Both Anna and her sister are in mortal danger from Paul’s uncle Damian and a ghost from her past life is driving her to murder. As Anna and Paul’s fledgling relationship unravels she takes the final and unforgivable step of attacking him and leaving him behind.
From Northern California to the rainforests of British Columbia Anna gets closer to the truth about Paul’s family and the realization that saving Paul and her unborn child may ultimately cost her life.
372 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2011
11 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Munro
19 books239 followersElizabeth Munro lives in the rainforest on Vancouver Island, Canada with her husband and kids. She has published six books, the three volume Chronicles of Anna, a contemporary time travel/reincarnation fantasy, Wingspan and Skyfall, gryphon shifter romances and her science fiction romance Constant.
She’s a recent fan of Aussie spec fiction and loves finding unusual stories set in common places. And watches too much true crime on TV. She used to ride a crotch rocket, silver with blue flames, a sweet ride. Her summer writing den has a view of the mountain in the background of the train scene in the new Godzilla movie. So far no rumours the view has affected her writing. She has several novels in the works, stay tuned.
She’s a recent fan of Aussie spec fiction and loves finding unusual stories set in common places. And watches too much true crime on TV. She used to ride a crotch rocket, silver with blue flames, a sweet ride. Her summer writing den has a view of the mountain in the background of the train scene in the new Godzilla movie. So far no rumours the view has affected her writing. She has several novels in the works, stay tuned.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 8, 2012
Thirty pages into this book I stopped and rubbed my hands together.
She didn't did she?
I quickly skimmed through and found it -- Paul, the head of his house - check. The knife - check. The voice - check. The time travel - check. The Lady - check. Reading the lines - check. The evil Baron - check. The importance of water - check. The desert - check.
Oh My God.
Then I quickly went to her website and found that, yes indeed, there were three more completed or in various states of completion.
Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God. You have to have some serious courage to do what Elizabeth Munro attempted here.
If you're over the age of 40 then you know by my description what Munro attempted.
It is of course Frank Herbert's Dune. The greatest science fiction novel ever written and of course its amazing foray into sociology.
Munro did not completely redo Dune here. She took a single character, Lady Jessica, and she made a variation. What if Jessica rode a sport bike? What if she were young? What if she were on planet Earth? What if it was told only from her perspective?
That's a brave world indeed and I can't imagine tackling such an enormous proposition for my first novel.
Munro really hits her stride halfway into the novel and becomes clear about where she's going and how she's getting there.
Is it the equivalent of Herbert? No of course not. Does that mean Munro won't write an equivalent? No. She has much time left in her writing career.
All I can say is that this book is worth the read. God bless her for revisiting what for most of us is our greatest time spent with a book.
As for the sociology of her book it's interesting. The meaning of Rice? The ethnicity of the doctor. Quite interesting.
I dare say people will have fun interpreting that for many years to come.
As for me I take this book on face value. It's not a science fiction it is a thriller and a romantic one at that, and not a smut filled paper dump. It is appropriate for all ages.
My one contention is that independent publishers and in this case an independent author often undervalue their books. Charge more. Don't be afraid to ask for the sale. You'll get it.
She didn't did she?
I quickly skimmed through and found it -- Paul, the head of his house - check. The knife - check. The voice - check. The time travel - check. The Lady - check. Reading the lines - check. The evil Baron - check. The importance of water - check. The desert - check.
Oh My God.
Then I quickly went to her website and found that, yes indeed, there were three more completed or in various states of completion.
Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God. You have to have some serious courage to do what Elizabeth Munro attempted here.
If you're over the age of 40 then you know by my description what Munro attempted.
It is of course Frank Herbert's Dune. The greatest science fiction novel ever written and of course its amazing foray into sociology.
Munro did not completely redo Dune here. She took a single character, Lady Jessica, and she made a variation. What if Jessica rode a sport bike? What if she were young? What if she were on planet Earth? What if it was told only from her perspective?
That's a brave world indeed and I can't imagine tackling such an enormous proposition for my first novel.
Munro really hits her stride halfway into the novel and becomes clear about where she's going and how she's getting there.
Is it the equivalent of Herbert? No of course not. Does that mean Munro won't write an equivalent? No. She has much time left in her writing career.
All I can say is that this book is worth the read. God bless her for revisiting what for most of us is our greatest time spent with a book.
As for the sociology of her book it's interesting. The meaning of Rice? The ethnicity of the doctor. Quite interesting.
I dare say people will have fun interpreting that for many years to come.
As for me I take this book on face value. It's not a science fiction it is a thriller and a romantic one at that, and not a smut filled paper dump. It is appropriate for all ages.
My one contention is that independent publishers and in this case an independent author often undervalue their books. Charge more. Don't be afraid to ask for the sale. You'll get it.
March 10, 2012
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I feel really bad for not having finished it, but I value my time very highly, and I just could not get into the book.
It was very difficult for me to follow what was going on in the story. There were several times where I would read a paragraph or two and literally say "what the hell?" because I just didn't know what was going on. I didn't find anything likable about the characters either. They just didn't seem real to me. The way they talked and the narrator/main character's inner-dialogue didn't make sense to me either.
It was very difficult for me to follow what was going on in the story. There were several times where I would read a paragraph or two and literally say "what the hell?" because I just didn't know what was going on. I didn't find anything likable about the characters either. They just didn't seem real to me. The way they talked and the narrator/main character's inner-dialogue didn't make sense to me either.
December 21, 2011
It's a really well written book, great story and story lines. Amazing characters! I totally recommend this book.
March 24, 2015
While I might be inclined to classify Deadly Expectations as science fiction, I'd prefer a less aggressive approach and call it a true Paranormal. Sure, Anna has the gift of time-travel, but she doesn't need a special machine to do it. Along with that, many characters in the story are reincarnations from previous lives. Who they are, or why or how they can do it and remember their past lives, is something we don't know. However, I have hopes that the sequels might give us more insight about them.
Just like any time-travel stories, it can make your head spin with time loops and important details that risked being dismissed if not careful, so I knew it would not be a light read and it would need my full attention. There were times where I wished some parts were shorter or cut down just a little, but it was never enough to bug me. I was probably too impatient to know how Ms Munro would wrap it all up. And that, she did. In the end, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together neatly.
Over all, I loved the story of Anna and Paul, and my favorite character, Ray, who was a good friend to Anna. A great book if you're in the mood for some good time travel while staying cozy at home in your favorite chair.
Just like any time-travel stories, it can make your head spin with time loops and important details that risked being dismissed if not careful, so I knew it would not be a light read and it would need my full attention. There were times where I wished some parts were shorter or cut down just a little, but it was never enough to bug me. I was probably too impatient to know how Ms Munro would wrap it all up. And that, she did. In the end, all the pieces of the puzzle fit together neatly.
Over all, I loved the story of Anna and Paul, and my favorite character, Ray, who was a good friend to Anna. A great book if you're in the mood for some good time travel while staying cozy at home in your favorite chair.
August 9, 2012
Is it fair to begin a review with "I tried really hard to finish this book."?
A lot of writers create suspense by keeping the reader in the dark about what's going on. It's not so much telling a story, but dangling it just out of reach. To do this successfully, one needs characters that are interesting and likeable. They fill in the holes until the plot is finally, mercifully revealed.
Unfortunately, Anna and Paul are not interesting or likeable. Neither of them has any appealing qualities that really stand out with their words or actions. They don't act like real people, but run hot and cold and all over the place. The sex/romance is forced and awkward. Their dialogue ranges from dull to corny.
Anna, who narrates the story, rarely ever describes her surroundings, or makes observations about what is happening, so it's difficult to get one's bearings in this story. I tried really hard to finish it, but wouldn't want to begin a review with "It gets good at the end.", either.
A lot of writers create suspense by keeping the reader in the dark about what's going on. It's not so much telling a story, but dangling it just out of reach. To do this successfully, one needs characters that are interesting and likeable. They fill in the holes until the plot is finally, mercifully revealed.
Unfortunately, Anna and Paul are not interesting or likeable. Neither of them has any appealing qualities that really stand out with their words or actions. They don't act like real people, but run hot and cold and all over the place. The sex/romance is forced and awkward. Their dialogue ranges from dull to corny.
Anna, who narrates the story, rarely ever describes her surroundings, or makes observations about what is happening, so it's difficult to get one's bearings in this story. I tried really hard to finish it, but wouldn't want to begin a review with "It gets good at the end.", either.
December 28, 2015
This was an intense read and Anna was a very intense character. The world building was okay but could have been better, but the writing was phenomenal and the action was constant. It was one of those books were if you skimmed a page you missed something. I enjoyed reading this book, it was engaging enough to keep me turning the pages and so different than anything I have read before. I will be definitely checking out another book by this author.
February 17, 2012
I downloaded a free copy of her small story Stone and thought it was deliciously horrific and so I downloaded her Yellow Dress also for free and I loved it.
So I bought Deadly Expectations about a week ago and I just finished it. I thought Anna was similar to Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple in that she explores her world through dialogue and through her we come to know her world.
It's really hard to put your finger exactly what type of book this is because it has a bit of science fiction in it because Anna can time travel. But it's not totally science fiction. It's a thriller but we know what the ending is going to be, and Elizabeth Munro doesn't hide it, she foreshadows the battle between Damian Howard and Anna Richards right from the beginning. But yet we don't know what the outcome is. It's mystery because we don't know how or why these beings, these immortals can do what they can do. It's a romance story because Anna is saving her love Paul. There's so much that happens in this book.
I really enjoyed the escape and I enjoyed the ride with it. I'll definitely buy the next one to find out what happens to ... (can't say)
So I bought Deadly Expectations about a week ago and I just finished it. I thought Anna was similar to Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple in that she explores her world through dialogue and through her we come to know her world.
It's really hard to put your finger exactly what type of book this is because it has a bit of science fiction in it because Anna can time travel. But it's not totally science fiction. It's a thriller but we know what the ending is going to be, and Elizabeth Munro doesn't hide it, she foreshadows the battle between Damian Howard and Anna Richards right from the beginning. But yet we don't know what the outcome is. It's mystery because we don't know how or why these beings, these immortals can do what they can do. It's a romance story because Anna is saving her love Paul. There's so much that happens in this book.
I really enjoyed the escape and I enjoyed the ride with it. I'll definitely buy the next one to find out what happens to ... (can't say)
September 5, 2016
c2011: I am struggling a bit to actually describe what I think about the book. Starting with the story idea - its good and it is slightly different to the norm in that one of the main characters is pregnant at the start of the story. I really don't like the cover but that seems to be a common trend with self-published books. But, the writing is, I'm so sorry to be so candid, really dire. There was a lot of paragraphs that just didn't read right and I had to go back and try and puzzle out exactly what the author was trying to say. The characters were flat and no real emotion was conveyed IMHO. I think this book needed a hard-hearted editor to whip the pacing and dialogue into shape. Its an awful lot better than anything I could do but in its present format, I am unable to recommend to the normal crew as I just could not finish it. 'I remembered the taste of his lips the first time he slept with a woman when it was her first time just a couple of months before.. Say, what??
June 13, 2012
Could hardly put this book down!! This was a fantastic read. So unlike anything I've read before. Truly unpredictable. Looking forward to more from this author.
Deadly Expectations
Elizabeth Munro
Deadly Expectations
Elizabeth Munro
February 10, 2012
I was expecting a little bit more in sport bikes and it had not as much motorcycle action as I wanted.
But it was at times pretty scary and it is very addictive because it's almost all dialogue so you really read through it quickly but it's a huge book.
The ending was believable I don't want to spoil it. It seemed fairly realistic for something that's an obvious fantasy.
It's a pretty good escape in my opinion.
But it was at times pretty scary and it is very addictive because it's almost all dialogue so you really read through it quickly but it's a huge book.
The ending was believable I don't want to spoil it. It seemed fairly realistic for something that's an obvious fantasy.
It's a pretty good escape in my opinion.
September 6, 2012
If you enjoyed "The Time Traveler's Wife" you'll LOVE this book! It's a fast paced, time traveling whirl wind full of intrigue. It takes you on an intense, page turning ride and you'll be thinking about it long after you put the book down.
February 16, 2012
a wonderfully ambitious first novel! Rich characters and truly unexpected twists and turns kept me engaged. A real page-turner once it picks up steam by mid-way through!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews