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Radiance:Love after Death
Radiance: Love after Death
From XOXO Publishing
Author Debra Jayne East
Amazon Buy link: http:////goo.gl/kjNTF
Marena Jacobs was not your typical heroine. She was in her forties, overweight, divorced and a workaholic. She never thought she would be looking for love again at her age. Driving home one rainy night to Eden, North Carolina, a near fatal car accident spirals her life into a nightmare or was it heaven? She lay dead on the sidewalk but her life was far from over. Marena had met the man of her dreams after she died.
Something happened in those seconds of time she passed from life to death. In the weeks ahead, she wakes up from a coma no longer overweight and haunted by what happened to her. She realizes her true love had been watching her all along. “Beware of strangers,” her grandma had always said. Now she knew why.
From XOXO Publishing
Author Debra Jayne East
Amazon Buy link: http:////goo.gl/kjNTF
Marena Jacobs was not your typical heroine. She was in her forties, overweight, divorced and a workaholic. She never thought she would be looking for love again at her age. Driving home one rainy night to Eden, North Carolina, a near fatal car accident spirals her life into a nightmare or was it heaven? She lay dead on the sidewalk but her life was far from over. Marena had met the man of her dreams after she died.
Something happened in those seconds of time she passed from life to death. In the weeks ahead, she wakes up from a coma no longer overweight and haunted by what happened to her. She realizes her true love had been watching her all along. “Beware of strangers,” her grandma had always said. Now she knew why.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 4, 2012
Radiance
Love After Death
by
Debra Jayne East
After twenty years of marriage, Marena never imagined she would find herself alone. She thought her marriage was forever, not taken out of her grasp by a cheating husband. She pushed herself into her work, getting so exhausted that she didn't have to think about the pain of it all. She had picked up a pizza and knew her son Brian would be home. It was raining, lightening lit up the sky and the power was flickering off and on down the street as she drove home. She saw what looked like a boy walking in the rain and she had every intention of stopping and calling someone to see if he needed a ride. That was before her car stalled out, and her life changed forever. All she could do was feel herself floating, looking down on what had happened. Until a tremendous bright lit figured came into her vision........
And there dear reader, I will leave you to find out what the author has in store for not just the characters, but for you as well. You will be taken on a journey that is not of this world as we know it. A love story so astounding and beautiful, it takes your breath away. I found myself mystified by the story that was unfolding in front of me. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page, and am hoping for another book to follow up with this one. I fell in love with the characters, I fell in love with David. Who is David? Read the book and find out! If things were as possible as they seem in Love After Death, we would all have hope to hold onto no matter what life brought our way.
Thank you Debra East for your talent, imagination, and passion that is clearly seen in the pages of this wonderful book.
I recommend this book pretty much for all ages. Sexual undertones are there, but I did not see any bad words, or sexual scenes. It was well written for teenagers and adults.
I give this wonderful book five stars *****
Reviewed by
Nora Chipley Barteau
Reviewers Helping Authors
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/
Love After Death
by
Debra Jayne East
After twenty years of marriage, Marena never imagined she would find herself alone. She thought her marriage was forever, not taken out of her grasp by a cheating husband. She pushed herself into her work, getting so exhausted that she didn't have to think about the pain of it all. She had picked up a pizza and knew her son Brian would be home. It was raining, lightening lit up the sky and the power was flickering off and on down the street as she drove home. She saw what looked like a boy walking in the rain and she had every intention of stopping and calling someone to see if he needed a ride. That was before her car stalled out, and her life changed forever. All she could do was feel herself floating, looking down on what had happened. Until a tremendous bright lit figured came into her vision........
And there dear reader, I will leave you to find out what the author has in store for not just the characters, but for you as well. You will be taken on a journey that is not of this world as we know it. A love story so astounding and beautiful, it takes your breath away. I found myself mystified by the story that was unfolding in front of me. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page, and am hoping for another book to follow up with this one. I fell in love with the characters, I fell in love with David. Who is David? Read the book and find out! If things were as possible as they seem in Love After Death, we would all have hope to hold onto no matter what life brought our way.
Thank you Debra East for your talent, imagination, and passion that is clearly seen in the pages of this wonderful book.
I recommend this book pretty much for all ages. Sexual undertones are there, but I did not see any bad words, or sexual scenes. It was well written for teenagers and adults.
I give this wonderful book five stars *****
Reviewed by
Nora Chipley Barteau
Reviewers Helping Authors
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/
February 28, 2012
About the book:
When Marena Jacobs drove home on a cold, rainy night to Eden, North
Carolina, she never expected to meet the man of her dreams, after she
died. Surviving a near fatal car accident, she slowly recovers from a
traumatic brain injury and crushed leg. In the months ahead, she
remains haunted by what happened in the seconds of time she passed from in to death. Was it real or imagined?
Before the accident, her life had almost come to a tragic end.
Contemplating suicide, she found a crooked heart-shaped stone in the
grass that saved her. She realized that it carried a message. "Even
though your heart is broken, it's still a heart, you can still love."
A stranger was about to prove to her how true that was!
My Review:
Radiance: Love after Death is not your typical love story. Marena Jacobs has a broken heart and spirit after a divorce from her husband who left her for another woman. One night driving home from work she is in a terrible car accident, dies, and comes back to life. While she was dead she meets a man that she knows loves her...an angel.
Join Marena on her journey to find out if her heart really can love again. Who is this man that has shown up at her door? Is he the one that can heal her heart?
I liked this novel and the very different take it has on a traditional love story. It will have you asking yourself, "Can my love stand the test of time?" and "Do I have a love that is eternal?" Hopefully you will come away from reading this with a new appreciation for LIFE! Appreciate every day and live it to it's fullest. Not only is this a great love story, but it is also an inspiration to those who read it, to appreciate the love in their lives and the life they have to enjoy that love. Overall I really liked this book, however, the middle was a little slow-moving for me.
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
Source: Publisher
When Marena Jacobs drove home on a cold, rainy night to Eden, North
Carolina, she never expected to meet the man of her dreams, after she
died. Surviving a near fatal car accident, she slowly recovers from a
traumatic brain injury and crushed leg. In the months ahead, she
remains haunted by what happened in the seconds of time she passed from in to death. Was it real or imagined?
Before the accident, her life had almost come to a tragic end.
Contemplating suicide, she found a crooked heart-shaped stone in the
grass that saved her. She realized that it carried a message. "Even
though your heart is broken, it's still a heart, you can still love."
A stranger was about to prove to her how true that was!
My Review:
Radiance: Love after Death is not your typical love story. Marena Jacobs has a broken heart and spirit after a divorce from her husband who left her for another woman. One night driving home from work she is in a terrible car accident, dies, and comes back to life. While she was dead she meets a man that she knows loves her...an angel.
Join Marena on her journey to find out if her heart really can love again. Who is this man that has shown up at her door? Is he the one that can heal her heart?
I liked this novel and the very different take it has on a traditional love story. It will have you asking yourself, "Can my love stand the test of time?" and "Do I have a love that is eternal?" Hopefully you will come away from reading this with a new appreciation for LIFE! Appreciate every day and live it to it's fullest. Not only is this a great love story, but it is also an inspiration to those who read it, to appreciate the love in their lives and the life they have to enjoy that love. Overall I really liked this book, however, the middle was a little slow-moving for me.
I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.
Source: Publisher
March 24, 2012
Radiance is the story of a severely depressed divorcée whose life takes an unexpected diversion following a near-fatal traffic accident. Marena Jacobs is a thirty-plus woman with a good job, a ‘fine son’ and many friends, but the betrayal of her husband sends her life crashing to a black pit. Though spiraling out of control, she discovers a heart-shaped rock that restores some semblance of hope. On a stormy night, she sees a young, hooded man just before her car stalls at traffic lights and is struck by a delivery truck.
For a short time, Marena has an out-of-body experience and meets the radiant image of an angel. After many weeks in a coma, she emerges with part of her spirit still deep in sadness. Along her road to recovery, she faces obstacles, dangers and resistance but she has the encouragement of her son, Brian, and her friend, Selena, to push her forward until a giant of a man crawls through her window to rescue her from an awkward situation.
David Martin is blind and acute. His skills are phenomenal, his talents immeasurable. He is handsome and 6’ 9” of power. He is there as a caretaker for Selena’s parents’ old house in the country.
Radiance is a heartfelt, paranormal love story of human triumph over often self-imposed misery and offers the assurance that no one is completely alone. It is an important journey for Marena and David, a journey I thoroughly enjoyed.
I felt that some of the story is repetitive and extraneous, needing a tight editorial hand. There are also numerable typing and grammatical errors that I found distracted too much from the otherwise compelling story.
For a short time, Marena has an out-of-body experience and meets the radiant image of an angel. After many weeks in a coma, she emerges with part of her spirit still deep in sadness. Along her road to recovery, she faces obstacles, dangers and resistance but she has the encouragement of her son, Brian, and her friend, Selena, to push her forward until a giant of a man crawls through her window to rescue her from an awkward situation.
David Martin is blind and acute. His skills are phenomenal, his talents immeasurable. He is handsome and 6’ 9” of power. He is there as a caretaker for Selena’s parents’ old house in the country.
Radiance is a heartfelt, paranormal love story of human triumph over often self-imposed misery and offers the assurance that no one is completely alone. It is an important journey for Marena and David, a journey I thoroughly enjoyed.
I felt that some of the story is repetitive and extraneous, needing a tight editorial hand. There are also numerable typing and grammatical errors that I found distracted too much from the otherwise compelling story.
October 4, 2012
Reviewed by: D. Allen Wright.
I'll admit to not being particularly religious upfront, but this romantic tale even caused me to doubt my own beliefs regarding the existence of angels.
Beautifully written, Debra Jayne East, succeeds in bringing together a couple, the woman in her forties, and the man, his sixties, engaged in a love affair that not only transcends age differences, but life and death, itself. Not only did she make it believable, she made me root for this unlikely pair to overcome the massive forces against them. Ms. East's command of characterization is evident in the way she brings the primary players to life through the use of dialogue, descriptive narratives, and scene settings.
I appreciated the subtlety of the "Angel" component. While certainly important to the story, it never felt as if it took over the plot, as supernatural beings often do in recent books of that genre. The book was still about real people, in real situations.
Ultimately, I judge books on how well they give me escape from my everyday life. In that, this book succeeded admirably, transporting me to another world and introducing me to characters that will be in my thoughts long after I turned the last page.
I'll admit to not being particularly religious upfront, but this romantic tale even caused me to doubt my own beliefs regarding the existence of angels.
Beautifully written, Debra Jayne East, succeeds in bringing together a couple, the woman in her forties, and the man, his sixties, engaged in a love affair that not only transcends age differences, but life and death, itself. Not only did she make it believable, she made me root for this unlikely pair to overcome the massive forces against them. Ms. East's command of characterization is evident in the way she brings the primary players to life through the use of dialogue, descriptive narratives, and scene settings.
I appreciated the subtlety of the "Angel" component. While certainly important to the story, it never felt as if it took over the plot, as supernatural beings often do in recent books of that genre. The book was still about real people, in real situations.
Ultimately, I judge books on how well they give me escape from my everyday life. In that, this book succeeded admirably, transporting me to another world and introducing me to characters that will be in my thoughts long after I turned the last page.
July 18, 2012
Have you ever read a book that caused you to cheer and cry at the same time? Have you ever gotten so involved with the characters in a book that you feel as if they are real? And have you ever finished a book and felt like mourning because it was over? That’s the way I felt when I read Radiance: Love After Death.
When Marena Jacobs is involved in a car accident that very well should have taken her life if not for the intervention of otherworldly forces, the divorcee realizes how incomplete her life has become since her divorce. She has thrown herself into her work to ease the pain but that is not living.
After waking from a coma, Marena has a long road to recovery left. Looking for a change of scenery, she becomes a caretaker for a friend’s home when the original house sitter failed to appear. When the arrival of David Martin – the person originally hired to care for the house – Marena’s life gets a little more interesting and a lot fuller.
Radiance: Love After Death is a story that will make you believe in destiny and that love can conquer all. It is a novel that will long remain in my heart and memory.
When Marena Jacobs is involved in a car accident that very well should have taken her life if not for the intervention of otherworldly forces, the divorcee realizes how incomplete her life has become since her divorce. She has thrown herself into her work to ease the pain but that is not living.
After waking from a coma, Marena has a long road to recovery left. Looking for a change of scenery, she becomes a caretaker for a friend’s home when the original house sitter failed to appear. When the arrival of David Martin – the person originally hired to care for the house – Marena’s life gets a little more interesting and a lot fuller.
Radiance: Love After Death is a story that will make you believe in destiny and that love can conquer all. It is a novel that will long remain in my heart and memory.
February 15, 2012
Debra Jayne East has created a beautiful world where love never dies and anything is possible. Even though most romance novels are written with a woman reader in mind, as a man, I feel a connection with these characters. We have all gone through ups and downs, and we all hope and pray for a happy ending. The author holds out that hope for all of us.
I also love the setting of the story. The mountains in North Carolina are beautiful. I can picture this story happening there. The name of the town, Eden, suggests new beginnings and a refreshing innocence.
The paranormal aspect of the story was what drew me to the book initially. I look forward to more stories from Debra that incorporate this theme. I hope she continues to go in this direction. It makes for an interesting love story, going beyond what's expected. Anything can happen in a Debra Jayne East story. And it's most likely going to be something good.
Don
I also love the setting of the story. The mountains in North Carolina are beautiful. I can picture this story happening there. The name of the town, Eden, suggests new beginnings and a refreshing innocence.
The paranormal aspect of the story was what drew me to the book initially. I look forward to more stories from Debra that incorporate this theme. I hope she continues to go in this direction. It makes for an interesting love story, going beyond what's expected. Anything can happen in a Debra Jayne East story. And it's most likely going to be something good.
Don
July 2, 2013
"Autumn leaves danced on the sidewalk from the strong wind and scurried in circles as if they were alive."
I love the way Miss East writes. Her images engulfed my senses and I was excited to get into this story but even more, her words took hold of me from the instant I started reading. She has a special style to her writing that when you are reading, the words come alive and the story takes flight. It is a rare gift she possesses and by my account it is a pleasure.
The writing is not just smooth and somewhat poetic but it is also realistic. The descriptions, dialog and emotions seem as real and raw as can be. I became lost in the moment and didn't want to put the book down!!!
"Sometimes when an accident happens, it's over so fast it's hard to know what occurred. My entire wreck happened within a few seconds, but those few seconds changed me forever. I never expected to be hanging between life and death. However, that's exactly what happened."
I love the way Miss East writes. Her images engulfed my senses and I was excited to get into this story but even more, her words took hold of me from the instant I started reading. She has a special style to her writing that when you are reading, the words come alive and the story takes flight. It is a rare gift she possesses and by my account it is a pleasure.
The writing is not just smooth and somewhat poetic but it is also realistic. The descriptions, dialog and emotions seem as real and raw as can be. I became lost in the moment and didn't want to put the book down!!!
"Sometimes when an accident happens, it's over so fast it's hard to know what occurred. My entire wreck happened within a few seconds, but those few seconds changed me forever. I never expected to be hanging between life and death. However, that's exactly what happened."
April 2, 2012
I like the idea of this book and plot kept me reading.This is a love story with trials. I found the that seeing through another persons eyes can be very enlightening. I got caught up in David's character. I wanted to find out how things turned out for Marena and David. This is a special story about second chances for life and love. This is a clean read that has no swearing or sex.
The down side of this story. I found the flow a bit choppy and inconsistent. I kept reading as I wanted to see how things would turn out. This story could have been amazing with proper editing
The down side of this story. I found the flow a bit choppy and inconsistent. I kept reading as I wanted to see how things would turn out. This story could have been amazing with proper editing
January 22, 2013
I had the chance to read this awesome book, I could not put it down i had to know what happen next. Merana Jacobs is a single mom and she loves her son very much. Merana gets in a car accident but she makes it alive. She decides to leave her old home and go live somewhere else so can start out with a new life. She meets this guy name David who is blind and can't see but they become friends. Merana finds out more about on how she made it alive from the accident. I could go on about this book but i do not won't to ruin it for you all. Check out this awesome book!!!!
May 15, 2012
Radiance by Debra Jayne East is the first romance I've read where the main character is over 40 and overweight. An accident leaves Marena in a coma where she loses a lot of weight. Her love interest, David, can see her inner beauty even before she's lost her weight. It was refreshing to read a romance where the main character is an older, divorced women. It gives a feeling of hope that when one relationship dies, a better one can take its place. I enjoy books where faith is evident, and this book was full of faith. This is a clean romance that has a satisfying end.
April 1, 2013
I just read Radiance: Love After Death by Debra Jayne East
This is a lovely old-fashioned romance story, even though it is definitely paranormal. It’s nice to see a 40+-year-old woman who falls in love with the man of her dreams. She has lots of problems to overcome, both physical and emotional. It is a sweet story and has a wonderful ending.
The story was excellent, but it was in desperate need of editing and formatting, which sometimes was a distraction. Even so, the book was a wonderful read.
This is a lovely old-fashioned romance story, even though it is definitely paranormal. It’s nice to see a 40+-year-old woman who falls in love with the man of her dreams. She has lots of problems to overcome, both physical and emotional. It is a sweet story and has a wonderful ending.
The story was excellent, but it was in desperate need of editing and formatting, which sometimes was a distraction. Even so, the book was a wonderful read.
March 24, 2014
Finished this in 2 days as could not wait to see if this was a Happily Ever After story. Marena is blindsided by a cheating husband and divorce and buries herself in work until she is exhausted. Coming home from work tired, crying, and not knowing how to go on anymore, she is in a car accident. She flatlines several times and somehow manages to live. She still has to now rehab and get on with her life..post-divorce. Her friend, Serena, suggests she house sit for Serena's parents for a change of scenery and in walks David into her life....or rather crawls in thru a window....but I won't tell you anymore. A beautiful story of faith and trust, and forever-love
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews