The Blue Hour

The Timeslip Series #1

by Julie Tetel Andresen, Julie Tetel Andresen

Cancer researcher Alexandra Kaminski is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough when she crosses paths with pharmaceutical representative, Val Dorsainville, and the two are plunged into the mystery, passion, and tragedy of their past lives in Paris of the 1800s. Can they solve the mystery and avert tragedy this time around?

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2012

About the author

Also known as Julie Tetel and Julia Joyce

Julie Tetel Andresen has always loved history, travel and foreign languages. She has lived for extended periods in Germany, France, Romania and Vietnam. When she is not out of the country, she can be found in Durham, North Carolina or Orlando, Florida, as well as New York City.

She grew up with a passion for playing the piano. As an adult she transferred that passion into writing romance novels and scholarly books about language. She likens writing essays in foreign languages to playing scales and arpeggios as warm-up exercises for writing in English. She also practices yoga on a regular basis and thinks of learning new grammatical forms as trying new mental asanas: can she get her leg behind her head in Romanian or get into full lotus in Vietnamese? No? Well, then, how about triangle pose or half-lotus?

Reviews

[Roxanne Kade · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking to be swept away on a magical adventure filled with mystery, romance, tragedy and intrigue, look no further.

Andersen combines endearing characters, gut-wrenching emotion, and fascinating twists and turns, to deliver an intelligently plotted tale that explores the subject of reincarnation and “time travel” in a most unique way.

I felt like I was on a treasure hunt and every time a present day character got a glimpse of the past, a glimmering gem was discovered. I even started looking for similarities between characters before the connection was made in the story, and it made me feel like I was a part of the adventure, instead of just reading about it.

I was fully immersed in this story by the time Alexandra took the letters she’d found to be translated. I have always loved historical reads, and the era this story transported me to was so exciting. The love story between the characters took hold of my heart and the final meeting between Jeanne and Victor was one of the most passionate and heart-breaking scenes I have ever read. I was just happy that “they” were able to learn from past mistakes.

At times, I found the modern day prose to be a bit stiff, making the characters feel older than they were, but that may just be because I’m so used to reading YA reads that tend to be more relaxed. This, however, didn’t stop me from loving every minute of this book.

The exquisite storytelling drew me in, and kept me in suspense right to the end. And what an end to one of the most epic love stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This was truly a masterpiece.

[phoenix · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fantasy romance spanning late 20th-century America and France to 19th century France. In the present, medical researcher Alexandra Kaminski is discombobulated by executive Val Dorsainville after one or two meetings, dazedly blundering around like a schoolgirl, due to a past life in which her can-can dancer ancestor, Jeanne Lacombe, was subjected to an erotic affair by Val's wealthy domineering ancestor the Count d'Albret. Alex gets lost in the tumult of searching for the secret of curing cancer and the romantic life of Jeanne. Val has another notch on the bedpost. There is a lack of romance between Alex and Val e.g. holding hands, walks, intimate talk. It's like training a mare. If you don't speak French, keep a French dictionary handy for occasional French words and idioms in dialogue. Sometimes the mix of American idioms and French phrases sounds funny particularly for French characters in France.

[Terra Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cancer researcher Alexandra Kaminski feels like she is right on the verge of something incredible when her star patient tries to set her up with Val Dorsainville. As their eyes connect a cold shiver runs through her and she hopes to never run into him again. That's when destiny decides to intervene because Alexandra and Val have been together before in a past that haunts their future and if they can't figure out how to fix their mistakes then the past is doomed to repeat itself, with dire consequences.

I really liked the cast of characters and the spirituality of those who fear that they are going to die soon. I loved how everyone was so interconnected. It's nice to think that those we love in this lifetime may find their way back to us in the following lifetimes. I also learned about cancer research and the new information about telomerase and how it can change the face about cures