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Believe
"The author's writing propels the reader forward in a gripping tale from start to finish. Although, Ann and Patrick's story is at the forefront, other characters such as Malcolm, are equally interesting. Readers who are not bothered by the sexual explicitness of modern romance writing and who enjoy a historical setting combined with a touch of fantasy should find Walters' book well worth reading." -Reviewed by John E. Roper, US Review of Books "Traveling back in time to find everlasting love is a fairly well-used plot device in the romance genre. Several things stand out in Believe that make it different from other time travel romance books including the manner in which Ann travels back." -Review by San Francisco Book Review "The element of a sociopathic stalker adds a level of mystery and suspense, as well as provides a catalyst to advance the romance between Ann and Patrick. Believe is a good historical romance with a bit of fantasy and suspense thrown in, and will appeal to traditionalists of the romance genre." - San Francisco Book Review The moment Ann Roberts -a divorced mother of two grown children-spots the decrepit-looking bookstore, her life is turned upside down. Having a kinship with the past and unable to deny the allure of an antique bookstore, Ann ventures inside. She feels compelled to purchase an old album-titled Lady O'Neil's Memoirs-that coincidentally carries her great-grandmother's surname and chronicles the history of a prominent English family in the nineteenth century. Soon, her nights become haunted with dreams of the handsome man, Patrick O'Neil, pictured in the book. Their love is tested as they attempt to outwit fate that threatens to return Ann to the twentieth-first century.
348 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
1130 people want to read
About the author
Jan Walters
11 books292 followersMy first novel, Believe, was released in August 2013. It is a romance/time travel novel. The setting is Victorian England.
My second novel, York Street - A Ghost & A Cop Series It is a paranormal thriller. I really love creating characters and stories that encompass paranormal qualities. York Street was a finalist in mysteries for the Eric Hoffer Awards.
Other books in the Ghost and A Cop series are: Red Sunset Drive, Tempest Court, and Hazzard Avenue The titles of these books are from actual street names in Des Moines. Each book features a different type of paranormal killer.
Hazzard Avenue was used to create the movie, Voodun, which will be released in 2024. Jan has written two screenplays - The Veil and Lost Lake. Look for Lost Lake the movie to be released in 2024.
My second novel, York Street - A Ghost & A Cop Series It is a paranormal thriller. I really love creating characters and stories that encompass paranormal qualities. York Street was a finalist in mysteries for the Eric Hoffer Awards.
Other books in the Ghost and A Cop series are: Red Sunset Drive, Tempest Court, and Hazzard Avenue The titles of these books are from actual street names in Des Moines. Each book features a different type of paranormal killer.
Hazzard Avenue was used to create the movie, Voodun, which will be released in 2024. Jan has written two screenplays - The Veil and Lost Lake. Look for Lost Lake the movie to be released in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 22, 2013
Pretty darn good. I am a voracious reader, but impatient and a bit picky. Believe held my attention clear to the end. Although listed as a historical romance, the main character, Ann Roberts, is as modern and fresh as can be. Very good first book by a fresh author.
I do not generally read what is termed "romances" but this one is great. Oh yes, the hero is pretty hunky - or to quote the main character - "oh, baby"
I do not generally read what is termed "romances" but this one is great. Oh yes, the hero is pretty hunky - or to quote the main character - "oh, baby"
May 10, 2015
I wanted to like this book, but it suffers from "Outlander" syndrome: you know, independent woman of the present era gets transported in time back to somewhere in the British Isles, meets hunk who is puzzled by her odd, independent behavior, and irrationally buys her time travel story, falls in love with her and marries her, after which danger and wild adventures ensue. In this case, the heroine, Ann, is transported with her laptop and bag with her jogging outfit stuffed in it, to 1870's England, where she is mistaken for Victoria Montgomery, the fiancee of Lord Patrick O'Neil. Unfortunately the spurned boyfriend, David, who is trying to murder Ann in the 21st century, travels through the portal with her. Lord Patrick is a hunk, with black hair and flashing green eyes and a toned body, who can't understand how his shy, virginal betrothed has turned into such an outspoken little minx. But he prefers the change, and even though his real bride to be has disappeared, he goes ahead and marries the changeling, who has left her two grown children behind in 2013 in the U.S. (Our heroine also miraculous sheds about 20 years during her trip.) Ann has Patrick to defend her, but she is still pursued by David, her tormentor from home, as well as Lady Victoria's father, a drunken sot who has squandered the family fortune on wine, women and gambling, and wants to murder Patrick so he can control Lord O'Neil's fortune as the father of his widow.
I must warn that the writing does leave a lot to be desired. Here is a description of Lady Montgomery, whom Ann supplants: "Victoria had matured into a young woman poised on the brink of womanhood." The male characters, who all seem to have an excess of testosterone "storm" around quite a bit. And then there is language that I can only suppose would fit into a Harlequin Romance, such as: "Patrick came toward her. His loosely belted robe revealed the sculptured tanned body she loved. His hair was still damp from the bath, molded to the back of his neck. She met his gaze. His emerald eyes sparkled with unusual brightness. In one fluid motion, his robe slid to the floor. His desire was obvious." Oh, where to start? First of all, there is hardly any sun in this book and if there is, no one's skin is exposed to it, (oh, except Ann's arms and legs after Patrick relents and lets her go jogging in her tank top and gym shorts). Ann did not bring a tanning bed through the portal with her, and if she had there would be nothing to power it with. As for the fluid motion revealing the Lord's obvious desire - that reminds me of Erica Jong's zipless f--k in "Fear of Flying." Anyway, if you are at loose ends on a trip, this is a fast, amusing read that you can probably finish on the plane.
Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I must warn that the writing does leave a lot to be desired. Here is a description of Lady Montgomery, whom Ann supplants: "Victoria had matured into a young woman poised on the brink of womanhood." The male characters, who all seem to have an excess of testosterone "storm" around quite a bit. And then there is language that I can only suppose would fit into a Harlequin Romance, such as: "Patrick came toward her. His loosely belted robe revealed the sculptured tanned body she loved. His hair was still damp from the bath, molded to the back of his neck. She met his gaze. His emerald eyes sparkled with unusual brightness. In one fluid motion, his robe slid to the floor. His desire was obvious." Oh, where to start? First of all, there is hardly any sun in this book and if there is, no one's skin is exposed to it, (oh, except Ann's arms and legs after Patrick relents and lets her go jogging in her tank top and gym shorts). Ann did not bring a tanning bed through the portal with her, and if she had there would be nothing to power it with. As for the fluid motion revealing the Lord's obvious desire - that reminds me of Erica Jong's zipless f--k in "Fear of Flying." Anyway, if you are at loose ends on a trip, this is a fast, amusing read that you can probably finish on the plane.
Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2016
Believe by Jan Walters
I think I got this via Goodreads Giveaway, I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t enter it, I didn’t see it on there, and I just received it in the post – which I thought was a bit creepy.
Here’s the blurb – love that word...
‘The moment Ann Roberts – a divorced mother of two grown children – spots the decrepit-looking bookstore, her life is turned upside down. Having a kinship with the past and unable to deny the allure of an antique bookstore, Ann ventures inside. She feels compelled to purchase an old album – titled Lady O’Neil’s Memoirs – that coincidentally carries her great-grandmother’s surname and chronicles the history of a prominent English family in the nineteenth century. Soon, her nights become haunted with dreams of the handsome man, Patrick O’Neil, pictured in the book.
Ann’s life further unravels when she breaks off a relationship with her co-worker David Stewart, who begins stalking her with deadly intent. During an attack and unbeknownst to each other, both Ann and David are hurdled back in time to 1870 England. When Ann regains awareness in Patrick’s home, he discovers her and believes she is his missing fiancée, Victoria Montgomery. Assuming she will return home at any moment, Ann reluctantly assumes the person of Victoria and finds herself with an unscrupulous father, William, and a bounder named Malcolm for a brother. As the marriage approaches indecision and fear tear her apart. When Ann comes face-to-face with David, however she decides to trust in Patrick.
Their love is tested as they attempt to outwit fate that threatens to return Ann to the twentieth-first century.’
Apart from the fact that the blurb gives basically the whole story away, it was in excellent read. This was my first romance novel I’ve read and I was not looking forward to read it because I’ll probably end up giggling when it gets to the raunchy scenes but they weren’t that bad; normally it is the end of a chapter when that happens.
Now that I’ve finished Believe, I feel quite close to Ann; minus the children and the creepy, scary stalker David (funny how my boyfriend is called David). Being able to go back in time to nineteenth-century English would be amazing, I love that period in history with all the grand balls and beautiful dresses, the men are proper men not like ‘men’ nowadays where they walk around in women’s skinny jeans and hair up in a pony tail.
So I’m going to give Believe four stars because it’s awesome!!
I think I got this via Goodreads Giveaway, I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t enter it, I didn’t see it on there, and I just received it in the post – which I thought was a bit creepy.
Here’s the blurb – love that word...
‘The moment Ann Roberts – a divorced mother of two grown children – spots the decrepit-looking bookstore, her life is turned upside down. Having a kinship with the past and unable to deny the allure of an antique bookstore, Ann ventures inside. She feels compelled to purchase an old album – titled Lady O’Neil’s Memoirs – that coincidentally carries her great-grandmother’s surname and chronicles the history of a prominent English family in the nineteenth century. Soon, her nights become haunted with dreams of the handsome man, Patrick O’Neil, pictured in the book.
Ann’s life further unravels when she breaks off a relationship with her co-worker David Stewart, who begins stalking her with deadly intent. During an attack and unbeknownst to each other, both Ann and David are hurdled back in time to 1870 England. When Ann regains awareness in Patrick’s home, he discovers her and believes she is his missing fiancée, Victoria Montgomery. Assuming she will return home at any moment, Ann reluctantly assumes the person of Victoria and finds herself with an unscrupulous father, William, and a bounder named Malcolm for a brother. As the marriage approaches indecision and fear tear her apart. When Ann comes face-to-face with David, however she decides to trust in Patrick.
Their love is tested as they attempt to outwit fate that threatens to return Ann to the twentieth-first century.’
Apart from the fact that the blurb gives basically the whole story away, it was in excellent read. This was my first romance novel I’ve read and I was not looking forward to read it because I’ll probably end up giggling when it gets to the raunchy scenes but they weren’t that bad; normally it is the end of a chapter when that happens.
Now that I’ve finished Believe, I feel quite close to Ann; minus the children and the creepy, scary stalker David (funny how my boyfriend is called David). Being able to go back in time to nineteenth-century English would be amazing, I love that period in history with all the grand balls and beautiful dresses, the men are proper men not like ‘men’ nowadays where they walk around in women’s skinny jeans and hair up in a pony tail.
So I’m going to give Believe four stars because it’s awesome!!
February 3, 2014
I received the book Believe by Jan Walters via the Goodreads Giveaways.
It is a beautiful story with fantastic characters in it and I had trouble putting the book down. I loved it I couldn't wait to get to the end of the story to see what happened. What a love story very romantic. I couldn't work out what would happen, brilliant, very Mr Darcy!!!
I look forward to Jan Walters next book.
It is a beautiful story with fantastic characters in it and I had trouble putting the book down. I loved it I couldn't wait to get to the end of the story to see what happened. What a love story very romantic. I couldn't work out what would happen, brilliant, very Mr Darcy!!!
I look forward to Jan Walters next book.
April 11, 2015
I received this Believe through the Goodreads Giveaways.
I found there to be a few inconsistencies that had me flipping back and forth as well as a few loose ends that could have been finished or explained better. Overall though I found it to be a wonderful book with an intriguing storyline.
I found there to be a few inconsistencies that had me flipping back and forth as well as a few loose ends that could have been finished or explained better. Overall though I found it to be a wonderful book with an intriguing storyline.
Read
January 13, 2014Loved this book!
April 18, 2015
I won this through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
February 5, 2014
I was caught up in the adventure & suspense the whole time!!
I love this book!
I love this book!
February 21, 2017
Book Title: Believe
Book Author: Jan Walters
Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Review:
This book is beautifully written, and it's definitely one of the more interesting books I've received from Goodreads. I really appreciated Jan Walters attention to detail and historical romance she entwines in this story. This time hopping story reminds me a bit of "Outlander", a woman being transported in time and to England. It's a great take on a traditional story (time travel and romance),
I did find this book slow moving and I wasn't super into it. It took me a very long time to finish this book, which made me not as interested in it. I love a fast paced book - slow moving books tend to bore me and get me disinterested. There were also a few inconsistencies, which had me disinterested as well.
Overall, this is a great book. It didn't interest me due to the slower pace, but it's still a fantastic book! I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in historical romances and time travel stories!
Three out of five stars.
Book Author: Jan Walters
Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Review:
This book is beautifully written, and it's definitely one of the more interesting books I've received from Goodreads. I really appreciated Jan Walters attention to detail and historical romance she entwines in this story. This time hopping story reminds me a bit of "Outlander", a woman being transported in time and to England. It's a great take on a traditional story (time travel and romance),
I did find this book slow moving and I wasn't super into it. It took me a very long time to finish this book, which made me not as interested in it. I love a fast paced book - slow moving books tend to bore me and get me disinterested. There were also a few inconsistencies, which had me disinterested as well.
Overall, this is a great book. It didn't interest me due to the slower pace, but it's still a fantastic book! I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in historical romances and time travel stories!
Three out of five stars.
November 6, 2015
***ARC provided by San Francisco Book Review in exchange for an honest review***
Synopsis
When Ann Roberts stumbled upon an antique bookstore, she never expected to find an old photo album belonging to a long forgotten relative. As she researches her genealogy and the people in the photos, Ann begins dreaming of one of the men in the pictures, Patrick O’Neil, in vivid detail - almost as if she were remembering, rather than dreaming. When a crazed ex-suitor viciously attacks Ann, she and her attacker are cast back in time to Victorian England, where Ann is mistaken for Patrick’s fiancée. Ann struggles to fit into a time she is unfamiliar with, she faces a manipulative and greedy stepfather, a step-brother with a terrible secret, and her dangerous stalker. Ann must find a way to convince Patrick of the truth, and decide if she wants to remain in the past to have a future.
My Take
Traveling back in time to find everlasting love is a fairly well-used plot device in the romance genre. Several things stand out in Believe that makes it somewhat different from other time travel romance books, including the manner in which Ann travels back. Ann is transported back in time by mystical or magical interference, but the author never really explains who sent Ann back, or why. Although there is a mysterious woman who tells Ann to ‘believe,' the author never explains why Ann was chosen, the mysterious woman’s connection to Ann, nor how she transported Ann back. This was a very loose thread for me as I wanted a more in-depth explanation. Although the author never addressed it, one facet of Believe I found most interesting was the paradox of Ann being her own ancestor. Ann was also able to travel back with belongings from her time that help her convince Patrick and others she was, in fact, from the future. However, the ease and quickness with which everyone believed her story seemed a little too improbable, even with the belongings as proof.
The characters are fairly well developed, and each has a distinct personality that adds depth and emotion to the story. There were times the dialogue stumbled and took on an almost regency romance tone, but the story flowed smoothly and easily. The element of a sociopathic stalker added a level of mystery and suspense, as well as provided a catalyst to advance the romance between Ann and Patrick. Believe is a good historical romance with a bit of fantasy and suspense thrown in, and will appeal mostly to traditionalists of the romance genre.
Synopsis
When Ann Roberts stumbled upon an antique bookstore, she never expected to find an old photo album belonging to a long forgotten relative. As she researches her genealogy and the people in the photos, Ann begins dreaming of one of the men in the pictures, Patrick O’Neil, in vivid detail - almost as if she were remembering, rather than dreaming. When a crazed ex-suitor viciously attacks Ann, she and her attacker are cast back in time to Victorian England, where Ann is mistaken for Patrick’s fiancée. Ann struggles to fit into a time she is unfamiliar with, she faces a manipulative and greedy stepfather, a step-brother with a terrible secret, and her dangerous stalker. Ann must find a way to convince Patrick of the truth, and decide if she wants to remain in the past to have a future.
My Take
Traveling back in time to find everlasting love is a fairly well-used plot device in the romance genre. Several things stand out in Believe that makes it somewhat different from other time travel romance books, including the manner in which Ann travels back. Ann is transported back in time by mystical or magical interference, but the author never really explains who sent Ann back, or why. Although there is a mysterious woman who tells Ann to ‘believe,' the author never explains why Ann was chosen, the mysterious woman’s connection to Ann, nor how she transported Ann back. This was a very loose thread for me as I wanted a more in-depth explanation. Although the author never addressed it, one facet of Believe I found most interesting was the paradox of Ann being her own ancestor. Ann was also able to travel back with belongings from her time that help her convince Patrick and others she was, in fact, from the future. However, the ease and quickness with which everyone believed her story seemed a little too improbable, even with the belongings as proof.
The characters are fairly well developed, and each has a distinct personality that adds depth and emotion to the story. There were times the dialogue stumbled and took on an almost regency romance tone, but the story flowed smoothly and easily. The element of a sociopathic stalker added a level of mystery and suspense, as well as provided a catalyst to advance the romance between Ann and Patrick. Believe is a good historical romance with a bit of fantasy and suspense thrown in, and will appeal mostly to traditionalists of the romance genre.
July 28, 2014
At 32% I am putting this one down. I don't want to mark it as DNF because I don't think it's the fault of the book that I can't get into it. I have the WORST book hang over since I finished Written in My Own Heart's Blood. Everything I have read since just isn't what I am hoping it will be :( That said, I will shelve this one as read and will revisit it later.
I am going to start Into the Wilderness as I am told this will help get me out of my funk.
I am going to start Into the Wilderness as I am told this will help get me out of my funk.
April 25, 2014
The book started off ok but then deteriorated. The characters lacked depth and their actions at times were unbelievable at best.
April 30, 2015
I won this book on a goodread giveaway The plot involved a time travel and a bit far fetched at times but none the less a great read .Loved the characters Many thanks
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews