Beneath the Ashes

by Susanne Matthews

Lucie Raines loves her job overseeing the Mediterranean Gallery at the Perry Foundation Museum. She’s always felt at home among the remains of Rome’s glory days, so much so that she frequently dreams of the era and most recently of a dream lover who makes her feel the way no flesh and blood man ever has. When she’s offered a chance to go to Italy and join an archeologist on a new dig in Pompeii, she jumps at it.
Her excitement is tinged with confusion when the advance items recovered from the dig arrive. While she’s always been able to get impressions from the artifacts she’s handled, these bits and pieces of the past aren’t simply relics, they belong to her, but how is that possible? A day in Rome spent touring the Roman ruins leaves her questioning her sanity, but when she arrives at the site of the new excavation and meets the archeologist, she begins to question far more than that. Her attraction to him is so intense that it frightens her. Can her fantasies really be memories of a past life? And if she gives in to them, what will happen to the future she has planned?
While archeologist Mario Tedesco is the first to admit that ghosts exist and frequently haunt his worksites, he doesn’t believe in reincarnation. When an earthquake reveals the ruins of a Roman villa in the nearby countryside, one that draws him as no other dig ever has, he begins to reconsider the notion, especially when his nightly dreams include Antonia, an imaginary wife who satisfies him as no other ever has ... until she vanishes after a mild earthquake with a desperate plea to find her, to find them, before it’s too late.
When Mario meets Lucie, he’s convinced that she’s the reincarnation of the woman from his dreams, but if she recognizes him she doesn’t own up to it. He can tell she isn’t immune to him but refuses to allow him to get close to her. Is she afraid of him or of herself? Can he convince her to take a chance on love? Or will the rumbles from Mount Vesuvius tear them apart once more?

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 3, 2023

About the author

Susanne Matthews grew up as an avid reader of all types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. Today, she has made her dreams come true. A retired educator, she now gets to spend her time writing, so she can share her adventures with her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.

Susanne lives in Cornwall, Ontario with her husband. She has three adult children and five grandchildren. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, chatting on the Internet with her writer friends, and hearing from her readers.

Reviews

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Musings

I can't imagine how much research went into this amazing novel. I loved the compelling characters and the intriguing plot. The way Ms. Matthews told the past and present is genius. So glad I found this book in a FB ad. Happy reading!

[Randy Becknell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Story !

If you didn't believe in reincarnation when you started this book you just might after finishing it. I love the history in this story and the added parts about the couple who have a eternal love.