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Beyond Forever
1999. He appeared to her out of the swirling fog on the cliff's edge, a ghostly figure who seemed somehow larger than life. Dark, handsome, blatantly male, he radiated the kind of confidence that led men into battle and women into reckless choices. But independent-minded Julia Fairfield wasn't about to coerced into anything, especially not a jaunt across the centuries in search of a miracle.1818. Abducted from her own time, Julia found herself face-to-face with this flesh and blood incarnation. Gavin MacKinnon was as confounded as Julia about her place in his life, but after a night of passion, they learned that their destinies were inextricably bound together, no matter what the time or place.
A Scottish ghost leads a twentieth-century woman into the past to save a soul and to find the love of a lifetime.
A Scottish ghost leads a twentieth-century woman into the past to save a soul and to find the love of a lifetime.
363 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2014
26 people are currently reading
677 people want to read
About the author
Debra Dier
20 books45 followersRumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. The first time I saw a reader mention my possible demise in an online review, chills rippled over my skin. It is odd to read someone say she loves you and she thinks you must have died because nothing new has been published in years. To that reader and to anyone else who may have mourned my passing I say: I have been buried in all the wonderful joys and duties and responsibilities of motherhood.
Yes, other writers manage to keep pumping out books while dealing with children. I think I may have continued, except I had the loss of my mom hit right at the time I was finishing the last book on my contract. I just couldn't find the heart to pick up my quill. Instead, I plunged into volunteer work. Once I left that realm where the written word reigned, I never sought a way back into it. I was Alice who forgot about the looking glass.
My best friend gave me a magnet a couple of years ago that had “Stop me before I volunteer again!” emblazoned across the shiny surface beneath the face of a young woman who resembled me. She told me she was tired of waiting for another book. I realized my short hiatus from writing had turned into a twelve year sabbatical. I stepped back into my office, looked at my computer and decided she was right. I sat down and began writing the first book in a series of fantasy novels for older teens and adults.
While I was working on the new series, I obtained the rights to all of my previously published novels. The next day a New York publisher contacted me and asked to buy the rights to those novels. They wanted to publish them immediately. It was tempting, but instead of allowing those books to be published in their original form, I decided to take a peek at them and see if there was anything I might do differently today. I was always the type of writer who would have been revising in the bookstore if bookstores did not frown upon such tactics. The first book, Beyond Forever, took eight months to re-write. In reality, I kept the concept and a little of the original and wrote a new book. The result is A Twist of Fate which will be available late November 2013.
In the past year I have reconnected with an old love—writing. As I work my way through the old novels, I find my concepts and choices concerning characters and plot have altered over the years. I am currently working on revising all the old books. And yes, eventually, soon I hope, I will return to the new series. Before I get another magnet from Kim.
Debra Dier is the bestselling author of sixteen critically acclaimed romance novels and short stories. Her work has earned her a place in the Writer's Hall of Fame.
Deb was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York. Although she always knew she wanted to do something creative in life, well-meaning family members talked her into doing something in a much more practical light. She received a BS in Information Systems Management and headed down a career path that included writing computer code and designing computer systems. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she thought of a purely creative career. For some mystifying reason, she was put on a fast track in that career and became a manager of other programmers and analysts in a large corporation at a young age. It was then she decided to try her hand at writing something other than computer systems. After her first novel, Surrender the Dream was published, she took the plunge into writing full time. She has never regretted that decision.
When her daughter was a toddler, Debra decided to take a short hiatus from writing to concentrate on all things motherhood. There wasn't a task she didn't take on, including making Halloween costumes, volunteering for room parent every year, and becoming a Girl Scout leader. By the way, her idea of camping is staying at a three star hotel. Not precisely the roughing it kind of girl. At the urging of her daughter, Deb has found herself sleeping on a mat in a ten
Yes, other writers manage to keep pumping out books while dealing with children. I think I may have continued, except I had the loss of my mom hit right at the time I was finishing the last book on my contract. I just couldn't find the heart to pick up my quill. Instead, I plunged into volunteer work. Once I left that realm where the written word reigned, I never sought a way back into it. I was Alice who forgot about the looking glass.
My best friend gave me a magnet a couple of years ago that had “Stop me before I volunteer again!” emblazoned across the shiny surface beneath the face of a young woman who resembled me. She told me she was tired of waiting for another book. I realized my short hiatus from writing had turned into a twelve year sabbatical. I stepped back into my office, looked at my computer and decided she was right. I sat down and began writing the first book in a series of fantasy novels for older teens and adults.
While I was working on the new series, I obtained the rights to all of my previously published novels. The next day a New York publisher contacted me and asked to buy the rights to those novels. They wanted to publish them immediately. It was tempting, but instead of allowing those books to be published in their original form, I decided to take a peek at them and see if there was anything I might do differently today. I was always the type of writer who would have been revising in the bookstore if bookstores did not frown upon such tactics. The first book, Beyond Forever, took eight months to re-write. In reality, I kept the concept and a little of the original and wrote a new book. The result is A Twist of Fate which will be available late November 2013.
In the past year I have reconnected with an old love—writing. As I work my way through the old novels, I find my concepts and choices concerning characters and plot have altered over the years. I am currently working on revising all the old books. And yes, eventually, soon I hope, I will return to the new series. Before I get another magnet from Kim.
Debra Dier is the bestselling author of sixteen critically acclaimed romance novels and short stories. Her work has earned her a place in the Writer's Hall of Fame.
Deb was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York. Although she always knew she wanted to do something creative in life, well-meaning family members talked her into doing something in a much more practical light. She received a BS in Information Systems Management and headed down a career path that included writing computer code and designing computer systems. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she thought of a purely creative career. For some mystifying reason, she was put on a fast track in that career and became a manager of other programmers and analysts in a large corporation at a young age. It was then she decided to try her hand at writing something other than computer systems. After her first novel, Surrender the Dream was published, she took the plunge into writing full time. She has never regretted that decision.
When her daughter was a toddler, Debra decided to take a short hiatus from writing to concentrate on all things motherhood. There wasn't a task she didn't take on, including making Halloween costumes, volunteering for room parent every year, and becoming a Girl Scout leader. By the way, her idea of camping is staying at a three star hotel. Not precisely the roughing it kind of girl. At the urging of her daughter, Deb has found herself sleeping on a mat in a ten
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 27, 2014
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was very well written as I knew it would as I have the original in a book form. Love a well written and thought out plot with great characters. Hope the other books she has written come out soon.
September 2, 2016
9/2/2016
I have read THE ORIGINAL several times since it's debut in 1999, so I'm skeptical to hear that there's a newer version out there, especially when everyone is yapping away about that new one and not so much the original.
SO LET ME REVIEW THE ORIGINAL!
This book has been my favorite time swept novel by far, and after all these years from my first read back in 1999, it has stuck with me. No matter what I've read, I've always been able to recall this story in precise detail.
Now all this smothering aside, let me begin my review: I have recently RE-READ this ORIGINAL version, and although I used to be able to read it all in nearly one setting, this time it took a while. It's not written easily. This version has a LOT of words in it. It's super detailed, but it paints the picture well. That's why it was hard for me to sit through; I've been so used to reading easy crap lately that I had to retrain my brain to focus on wordier descriptions.
I only found ONE typo (surprisingly, I didn't catch it years past). Somewhere in there, when Gavin calls her angel, Debra Dier accidentally says "angle". I knew what it was meant to be, but still. It stood out enough to make me stumble. It doesn't detract though.
The time swept aspect was well thought out. There was no weird "rip in the universe" Julia stumbled into, no dream she'd endured. Gavin's ghost, quite literally, submerged her in his ethereal abilities and sent her back in time.
I don't (yet) know how the new version is written out, but women were known to flock over Gavin all the time that he immediately takes a disliking towards Julia. In protection of his son, his own framing, and society's desire for his title and lands, Gavin is not a man to take easy. Octavia Harcourt, Gavin's ex mother-in-law, keeps trying to kidnap Brandon and give the boy a horrible life as revenge against Gavin for her daughter Lavinia's death. Everyone thinks Gavin killed Lavinia because he didn't want their marriage annulled, when the truth is that he wanted the divorce and Lavinia didn't want to be ruined from it. She went to his house and they fought at the top landing of the stairs, and when she went to slap him, he evaded and she lost her balance. She fell down the stairs out of her own stupid luck, but the damage had already been done. The blame was put on Gavin and he was labeled a murderer. This, combined with every woman vying for the title and riches they could acquire from marrying him, and the fact that they've kept his son Brandon from him for so long, lying to the poor boy about who and what his father really is as they give the kid a horrible life (just out of spite), all of it has made Gavin very distrusting and disliking of the female "species".
It's strange when I read reviews saying that Eliza has Julia's memories from the future, because Gavin had NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET any Eliza. Or Claire, for that matter! It's EMMA that Gavin was "destined" to meet had Julia not invaded. Julia comes flying back in time on her own and almost gets plowed down by Gavin's horse, a feat most women do in an attempt to gain his attentions. You never really hear of EMMA until Julia meets with Gavin's mother Mary, and the woman mentions the stark resemblance to the two.
It starts off as Julia Fairfield is visiting her grandmother's friend, Helen Brainbridge, at Dunmore Castle, Helen's home. Julia is there with her grandmother Angela in a vacation to clear her mind and with the hopes of writing about the Tragic Earl of Dunmore, Gavin MacKinnon. Her niece Lauren is 8, having been 3 when Lauren adopted her after her whole family died.
Helen's fiance Fredrick was her soulmate, but he died in the war (WW2, to be exact), and because of that, she'd never married. She refused to marry someone she wasn't truly in love with--a lesson that sticks with Julia because that's why Julia couldn't marry her bastard fiance Nathan Riley.
And to pause for a moment: GAVIN ORIGINALLY DIED IN 1818, as opposed to what I'm seeing in the reviews that he's now died in 1816.
So Gavin's ghost finds Julia at the cliff and he basically haunts her every second of the day and night, constantly asking Julia to come back and save his family. She keeps refusing, until he stops asking and forcibly brings her there himself. Wraps her in his arms and transports her across time. Julia arrives at the foot of Gavin's horse as he is riding, and is knocked out by said horse. Gavin brings her back to Dunmore Castle and has Erskine, his butler, come to his aid. He begins to wonder if Julia's another addled woman who is willing to throw herself in front of his horse in hopes of gaining his attention, yet all the times it's happen no accidents have ever occurred. That is usually what happens at his London home, Pall Mall. However, this time, an accident HAS happened and Julia has a bump on her head from it all. After his butler Erskine comes to help, his housekeeper Iona comes to assist with Julia.
Several other names are listed over time: Beatrice MacQuarrie, Russell Lampkin, Felicity Taverner, a Misses Barnaby, Tina the Italian greyhound mother Mary owns, the blackguard that tried running Patrick MacKinnon down, Regina, which is Beaufort's wife that Patrick has been sleeping with, and the goons working for the Harcouts. An "Eliza" is never mentioned, which begs the question: what is this NEW story of Beyond Forever? Nor any Claire!
You see, Emma Fitzgerald, the daughter of Rebecca Fitzgerald, was supposed to come down around this time to visit and meet Gavin, a woman Gavin's mother Mary strongly believes is his soulmate. However, a crisis in the family keeps Emma home for several more months, during which Gavin is murdered. She doesn't finally come down until a month after his death, by which it's already too late. Emma marries a man from Boston and lives a happy life there, bearing his children, and thus beginning the family-tree that births Julia. Which is why Julia has an uncanny resemblance to Emma.
Neville Talbot kills Gavin over Lavinia, Gavin's deceased wife; Neville had fallen into Lavinia's trap and believed to be so maddened by his love for her, that upon her death, Neville had been working his way into seeing off Gavin's family. Once he'd finally succeeded in killing Gavin, he would have had Gavin's son Brandon accidentally killed, then marry Gavin's sister Alison and kill her off a year later. I don't remember how Gavin's mother Mary dies, but right before Gavin's supposed death, his brother Patrick was to be killed by a carriage hit-and-run, which Julia managed to prevent. Because Julie was there, Patrick lives on and marries within three years, Alison marries her one true love Philip Montgomerie, their mother Mary will live on to see Gavin's son and her other grandchildren marry and have children--all during which Gavin "will be looking down at it all, watching them, waiting. For I know one day we shall all be together again." <--right out of the book's ending.
During Neville's attempt to shoot Gavin, a fight ensues and Gavin throws him over the side of the cliff--the same cliff Julia first meets his ghost in her time. Gavin is shot, fatally wounded, and is dying in Julia's arms. There is a cliche, long drawn-out dying dialogue between the two about their undying love for one another, then as Gavin dies, his ghost reappears and the dialogue continues, discussing the changed future all thanks to Julia. After Julia says her farewell to Gavin's human body, she hugs the ghost and she is returned to her time.
THIS is where it gets sketchy. As a writer, I have issues with sudden dream-like changes, but knowing that this book was first written in 1999, word count was a primary focus. It's a large book already, so I'm pretty sure to keep word count and keep publishers happy, Debra Dier snipped the story to make a quick ending.
Julia seems to have fallen asleep and is awoken from her nap by various family members: her grandmother Angela, her LIVING mother, and her LIVING brother Mike with his wife Diane, who was also her best friend. Surprisingly, her mother is alive, which throws Julia into an excited, yet still-confused state of mind. Her family thinks something's wrong with her. She wonders how they're all still alive (hey, when she left with Gavin's ghost they were dead and only her grandmother was alive). But that's when she notices her wedding gown, and their bridesmaid dresses. Her groom, the bastard she hadn't married originally, was waiting for her at the altar.
Deciding that she wanted to change her own future and ensure her family stays alive, she agrees to marry the jerk after all. She walks down the aisle and is handed over, but as she stands before the altar she peeks over and finds it's not her bastard fiance Nathan, but actually Gavin! Then suddenly, all the memories from this new reality come crashing through her, explaining quickly how they met and how long they've been dating. Quietly, Gavin tells her he obtained these memories of his former life with her in childhood, and has worked his way through life to find her again. "I told you I would find you again," he whispered before his lips touched hers. <--straight out of the book.
All of his family members are there. Each one of them. And Helen Brainbridge, Julia's grandmother's best friend from the start of the book that owned Dunmore Castle, was happier without the castle. "Gavin's grandfather had saved Frederick Stapleton during the Second Wold War, sending him home to the arms of his waiting fiance." <--straight from the book. Gavin's grandfather, the modern-day Gavin, all because Julia saved his son in 1818.
The only member missing from the book? Brandon. And where is he?
Gavin pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "I'm thinking Brandon has yet to come." <--straight from the book.
And the final moment of the book: Julia receiving a package in the mail, the book she'd written called Beyond Forever. She comments on it to Gavin about how different it all is, and how it feels like a different life time.
So you see, I'm stumped over what everyone's talking about in their reviews. Eliza? Claire? A new story? A new ending? But it has the same title?! Weird! And so, this leaves me with only one thing to do: read the new one. I shall expound on this review with a review of the new one in due time.
I have read THE ORIGINAL several times since it's debut in 1999, so I'm skeptical to hear that there's a newer version out there, especially when everyone is yapping away about that new one and not so much the original.
SO LET ME REVIEW THE ORIGINAL!
This book has been my favorite time swept novel by far, and after all these years from my first read back in 1999, it has stuck with me. No matter what I've read, I've always been able to recall this story in precise detail.
Now all this smothering aside, let me begin my review: I have recently RE-READ this ORIGINAL version, and although I used to be able to read it all in nearly one setting, this time it took a while. It's not written easily. This version has a LOT of words in it. It's super detailed, but it paints the picture well. That's why it was hard for me to sit through; I've been so used to reading easy crap lately that I had to retrain my brain to focus on wordier descriptions.
I only found ONE typo (surprisingly, I didn't catch it years past). Somewhere in there, when Gavin calls her angel, Debra Dier accidentally says "angle". I knew what it was meant to be, but still. It stood out enough to make me stumble. It doesn't detract though.
The time swept aspect was well thought out. There was no weird "rip in the universe" Julia stumbled into, no dream she'd endured. Gavin's ghost, quite literally, submerged her in his ethereal abilities and sent her back in time.
I don't (yet) know how the new version is written out, but women were known to flock over Gavin all the time that he immediately takes a disliking towards Julia. In protection of his son, his own framing, and society's desire for his title and lands, Gavin is not a man to take easy. Octavia Harcourt, Gavin's ex mother-in-law, keeps trying to kidnap Brandon and give the boy a horrible life as revenge against Gavin for her daughter Lavinia's death. Everyone thinks Gavin killed Lavinia because he didn't want their marriage annulled, when the truth is that he wanted the divorce and Lavinia didn't want to be ruined from it. She went to his house and they fought at the top landing of the stairs, and when she went to slap him, he evaded and she lost her balance. She fell down the stairs out of her own stupid luck, but the damage had already been done. The blame was put on Gavin and he was labeled a murderer. This, combined with every woman vying for the title and riches they could acquire from marrying him, and the fact that they've kept his son Brandon from him for so long, lying to the poor boy about who and what his father really is as they give the kid a horrible life (just out of spite), all of it has made Gavin very distrusting and disliking of the female "species".
It's strange when I read reviews saying that Eliza has Julia's memories from the future, because Gavin had NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET any Eliza. Or Claire, for that matter! It's EMMA that Gavin was "destined" to meet had Julia not invaded. Julia comes flying back in time on her own and almost gets plowed down by Gavin's horse, a feat most women do in an attempt to gain his attentions. You never really hear of EMMA until Julia meets with Gavin's mother Mary, and the woman mentions the stark resemblance to the two.
It starts off as Julia Fairfield is visiting her grandmother's friend, Helen Brainbridge, at Dunmore Castle, Helen's home. Julia is there with her grandmother Angela in a vacation to clear her mind and with the hopes of writing about the Tragic Earl of Dunmore, Gavin MacKinnon. Her niece Lauren is 8, having been 3 when Lauren adopted her after her whole family died.
Helen's fiance Fredrick was her soulmate, but he died in the war (WW2, to be exact), and because of that, she'd never married. She refused to marry someone she wasn't truly in love with--a lesson that sticks with Julia because that's why Julia couldn't marry her bastard fiance Nathan Riley.
And to pause for a moment: GAVIN ORIGINALLY DIED IN 1818, as opposed to what I'm seeing in the reviews that he's now died in 1816.
So Gavin's ghost finds Julia at the cliff and he basically haunts her every second of the day and night, constantly asking Julia to come back and save his family. She keeps refusing, until he stops asking and forcibly brings her there himself. Wraps her in his arms and transports her across time. Julia arrives at the foot of Gavin's horse as he is riding, and is knocked out by said horse. Gavin brings her back to Dunmore Castle and has Erskine, his butler, come to his aid. He begins to wonder if Julia's another addled woman who is willing to throw herself in front of his horse in hopes of gaining his attention, yet all the times it's happen no accidents have ever occurred. That is usually what happens at his London home, Pall Mall. However, this time, an accident HAS happened and Julia has a bump on her head from it all. After his butler Erskine comes to help, his housekeeper Iona comes to assist with Julia.
Several other names are listed over time: Beatrice MacQuarrie, Russell Lampkin, Felicity Taverner, a Misses Barnaby, Tina the Italian greyhound mother Mary owns, the blackguard that tried running Patrick MacKinnon down, Regina, which is Beaufort's wife that Patrick has been sleeping with, and the goons working for the Harcouts. An "Eliza" is never mentioned, which begs the question: what is this NEW story of Beyond Forever? Nor any Claire!
You see, Emma Fitzgerald, the daughter of Rebecca Fitzgerald, was supposed to come down around this time to visit and meet Gavin, a woman Gavin's mother Mary strongly believes is his soulmate. However, a crisis in the family keeps Emma home for several more months, during which Gavin is murdered. She doesn't finally come down until a month after his death, by which it's already too late. Emma marries a man from Boston and lives a happy life there, bearing his children, and thus beginning the family-tree that births Julia. Which is why Julia has an uncanny resemblance to Emma.
Neville Talbot kills Gavin over Lavinia, Gavin's deceased wife; Neville had fallen into Lavinia's trap and believed to be so maddened by his love for her, that upon her death, Neville had been working his way into seeing off Gavin's family. Once he'd finally succeeded in killing Gavin, he would have had Gavin's son Brandon accidentally killed, then marry Gavin's sister Alison and kill her off a year later. I don't remember how Gavin's mother Mary dies, but right before Gavin's supposed death, his brother Patrick was to be killed by a carriage hit-and-run, which Julia managed to prevent. Because Julie was there, Patrick lives on and marries within three years, Alison marries her one true love Philip Montgomerie, their mother Mary will live on to see Gavin's son and her other grandchildren marry and have children--all during which Gavin "will be looking down at it all, watching them, waiting. For I know one day we shall all be together again." <--right out of the book's ending.
During Neville's attempt to shoot Gavin, a fight ensues and Gavin throws him over the side of the cliff--the same cliff Julia first meets his ghost in her time. Gavin is shot, fatally wounded, and is dying in Julia's arms. There is a cliche, long drawn-out dying dialogue between the two about their undying love for one another, then as Gavin dies, his ghost reappears and the dialogue continues, discussing the changed future all thanks to Julia. After Julia says her farewell to Gavin's human body, she hugs the ghost and she is returned to her time.
THIS is where it gets sketchy. As a writer, I have issues with sudden dream-like changes, but knowing that this book was first written in 1999, word count was a primary focus. It's a large book already, so I'm pretty sure to keep word count and keep publishers happy, Debra Dier snipped the story to make a quick ending.
Julia seems to have fallen asleep and is awoken from her nap by various family members: her grandmother Angela, her LIVING mother, and her LIVING brother Mike with his wife Diane, who was also her best friend. Surprisingly, her mother is alive, which throws Julia into an excited, yet still-confused state of mind. Her family thinks something's wrong with her. She wonders how they're all still alive (hey, when she left with Gavin's ghost they were dead and only her grandmother was alive). But that's when she notices her wedding gown, and their bridesmaid dresses. Her groom, the bastard she hadn't married originally, was waiting for her at the altar.
Deciding that she wanted to change her own future and ensure her family stays alive, she agrees to marry the jerk after all. She walks down the aisle and is handed over, but as she stands before the altar she peeks over and finds it's not her bastard fiance Nathan, but actually Gavin! Then suddenly, all the memories from this new reality come crashing through her, explaining quickly how they met and how long they've been dating. Quietly, Gavin tells her he obtained these memories of his former life with her in childhood, and has worked his way through life to find her again. "I told you I would find you again," he whispered before his lips touched hers. <--straight out of the book.
All of his family members are there. Each one of them. And Helen Brainbridge, Julia's grandmother's best friend from the start of the book that owned Dunmore Castle, was happier without the castle. "Gavin's grandfather had saved Frederick Stapleton during the Second Wold War, sending him home to the arms of his waiting fiance." <--straight from the book. Gavin's grandfather, the modern-day Gavin, all because Julia saved his son in 1818.
The only member missing from the book? Brandon. And where is he?
Gavin pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "I'm thinking Brandon has yet to come." <--straight from the book.
And the final moment of the book: Julia receiving a package in the mail, the book she'd written called Beyond Forever. She comments on it to Gavin about how different it all is, and how it feels like a different life time.
So you see, I'm stumped over what everyone's talking about in their reviews. Eliza? Claire? A new story? A new ending? But it has the same title?! Weird! And so, this leaves me with only one thing to do: read the new one. I shall expound on this review with a review of the new one in due time.
March 19, 2015
I love time travel romance. I probably mention that in every review I do of one. I love them, but they can be tricky.
They can have solutions at the end that are not agreeable to me and what I would want for the couple.
So I tend to read them with bated breath.
Thankfully this turned out to be one of the good ones. Quite good.
I understand that this novel was completely revised from an earlier published version and I have never read the old one.
I don't want to say to much as far as story goes as I think its always better to read that. I also don't want to put spoilers down. But the brief on it is that we have a Scottish Earl who died in 1816 and is a ghost in the current castle. The castle did not stay in his family as there was nobody left to pass it to.
The heroine is visiting with her grandma and niece and there she meets the ghostly Gavin MacKinnon, Lord Dunmore.
He thinks that Julia is his miracle and can help him keep his son alive if she goes back in time. So that is how she ends up there.
Now what I liked about this is they way the heroine is integrated into the past. A bump on the head and she has some memory issues. She is a woman called Eliza as they all know her. But in her head she still has her memories as Julia from modern times. She thinks herself crazy at times. But this lets her be part of the past in a mostly fitting way, without having some of the issues modern heroines tend to have when they go back. Often they get annoying with the constant references to modern things, what they miss, asking for weird things. We only have a few of these here in the heat of the moment.
By having her be a integrated character like that, makes the mystery of why she has those memories and who tries to murder Dunmore, more interesting and compelling. Its a slow puzzle to put it all together and I thought it was done really well. This is where getting more pages is wonderful for me as it gave me more meat in the story.
I thought the love across time between Dunmore and Julia was really done well. The characters came to life for me and I really got a sense of where they were coming from.
I was just really pulling for them and worried how it would all end. Author made it work out beautifully and satisfying. Truly a love across times.
I am really liking this author and I don't believe I have read anything of hers before this one. I see that her books are out of print and there was a preview of "Scoundrel" in the back which is one of those out of print. I hope that means the backlist is coming to kindle. I'll be on the watch as I really want to read those.
So yay for authors getting their backlists up and yay for them writing again.
They can have solutions at the end that are not agreeable to me and what I would want for the couple.
So I tend to read them with bated breath.
Thankfully this turned out to be one of the good ones. Quite good.
I understand that this novel was completely revised from an earlier published version and I have never read the old one.
I don't want to say to much as far as story goes as I think its always better to read that. I also don't want to put spoilers down. But the brief on it is that we have a Scottish Earl who died in 1816 and is a ghost in the current castle. The castle did not stay in his family as there was nobody left to pass it to.
The heroine is visiting with her grandma and niece and there she meets the ghostly Gavin MacKinnon, Lord Dunmore.
He thinks that Julia is his miracle and can help him keep his son alive if she goes back in time. So that is how she ends up there.
Now what I liked about this is they way the heroine is integrated into the past. A bump on the head and she has some memory issues. She is a woman called Eliza as they all know her. But in her head she still has her memories as Julia from modern times. She thinks herself crazy at times. But this lets her be part of the past in a mostly fitting way, without having some of the issues modern heroines tend to have when they go back. Often they get annoying with the constant references to modern things, what they miss, asking for weird things. We only have a few of these here in the heat of the moment.
By having her be a integrated character like that, makes the mystery of why she has those memories and who tries to murder Dunmore, more interesting and compelling. Its a slow puzzle to put it all together and I thought it was done really well. This is where getting more pages is wonderful for me as it gave me more meat in the story.
I thought the love across time between Dunmore and Julia was really done well. The characters came to life for me and I really got a sense of where they were coming from.
I was just really pulling for them and worried how it would all end. Author made it work out beautifully and satisfying. Truly a love across times.
I am really liking this author and I don't believe I have read anything of hers before this one. I see that her books are out of print and there was a preview of "Scoundrel" in the back which is one of those out of print. I hope that means the backlist is coming to kindle. I'll be on the watch as I really want to read those.
So yay for authors getting their backlists up and yay for them writing again.
September 2, 2016
9/2/2016
I have read THE ORIGINAL several times since it's debut in 1999, so I'm skeptical to hear that there's a newer version out there, especially when everyone is yapping away about that new one and not so much the original.
SO LET ME REVIEW THE ORIGINAL!
This book has been my favorite time swept novel by far, and after all these years from my first read back in 1999, it has stuck with me. No matter what I've read, I've always been able to recall this story in precise detail.
Now all this smothering aside, let me begin my review: I have recently RE-READ this ORIGINAL version, and although I used to be able to read it all in nearly one setting, this time it took a while. It's not written easily. This version has a LOT of words in it. It's super detailed, but it paints the picture well. That's why it was hard for me to sit through; I've been so used to reading easy crap lately that I had to retrain my brain to focus on wordier descriptions.
I only found ONE typo (surprisingly, I didn't catch it years past). Somewhere in there, when Gavin calls her angel, Debra Dier accidentally says "angle". I knew what it was meant to be, but still. It stood out enough to make me stumble. It doesn't detract though.
The time swept aspect was well thought out. There was no weird "rip in the universe" Julia stumbled into, no dream she'd endured. Gavin's ghost, quite literally, submerged her in his ethereal abilities and sent her back in time.
I don't (yet) know how the new version is written out, but women were known to flock over Gavin all the time that he immediately takes a disliking towards Julia. In protection of his son, his own framing, and society's desire for his title and lands, Gavin is not a man to take easy. Octavia Harcourt, Gavin's ex mother-in-law, keeps trying to kidnap Brandon and give the boy a horrible life as revenge against Gavin for her daughter Lavinia's death. Everyone thinks Gavin killed Lavinia because he didn't want their marriage annulled, when the truth is that he wanted the divorce and Lavinia didn't want to be ruined from it. She went to his house and they fought at the top landing of the stairs, and when she went to slap him, he evaded and she lost her balance. She fell down the stairs out of her own stupid luck, but the damage had already been done. The blame was put on Gavin and he was labeled a murderer. This, combined with every woman vying for the title and riches they could acquire from marrying him, and the fact that they've kept his son Brandon from him for so long, lying to the poor boy about who and what his father really is as they give the kid a horrible life (just out of spite), all of it has made Gavin very distrusting and disliking of the female "species".
It's strange when I read reviews saying that Eliza has Julia's memories from the future, because Gavin had NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET any Eliza. Or Claire, for that matter! It's EMMA that Gavin was "destined" to meet had Julia not invaded. Julia comes flying back in time on her own and almost gets plowed down by Gavin's horse, a feat most women do in an attempt to gain his attentions. You never really hear of EMMA until Julia meets with Gavin's mother Mary, and the woman mentions the stark resemblance to the two.
It starts off as Julia Fairfield is visiting her grandmother's friend, Helen Brainbridge, at Dunmore Castle, Helen's home. Julia is there with her grandmother Angela in a vacation to clear her mind and with the hopes of writing about the Tragic Earl of Dunmore, Gavin MacKinnon. Her niece Lauren is 8, having been 3 when Lauren adopted her after her whole family died.
Helen's fiance Fredrick was her soulmate, but he died in the war (WW2, to be exact), and because of that, she'd never married. She refused to marry someone she wasn't truly in love with--a lesson that sticks with Julia because that's why Julia couldn't marry her bastard fiance Nathan Riley.
And to pause for a moment: GAVIN ORIGINALLY DIED IN 1818, as opposed to what I'm seeing in the reviews that he's now died in 1816.
So Gavin's ghost finds Julia at the cliff and he basically haunts her every second of the day and night, constantly asking Julia to come back and save his family. She keeps refusing, until he stops asking and forcibly brings her there himself. Wraps her in his arms and transports her across time. Julia arrives at the foot of Gavin's horse as he is riding, and is knocked out by said horse. Gavin brings her back to Dunmore Castle and has Erskine, his butler, come to his aid. He begins to wonder if Julia's another addled woman who is willing to throw herself in front of his horse in hopes of gaining his attention, yet all the times it's happen no accidents have ever occurred. That is usually what happens at his London home, Pall Mall. However, this time, an accident HAS happened and Julia has a bump on her head from it all. After his butler Erskine comes to help, his housekeeper Iona comes to assist with Julia.
Several other names are listed over time: Beatrice MacQuarrie, Russell Lampkin, Felicity Taverner, a Misses Barnaby, Tina the Italian greyhound mother Mary owns, the blackguard that tried running Patrick MacKinnon down, Regina, which is Beaufort's wife that Patrick has been sleeping with, and the goons working for the Harcouts. An "Eliza" is never mentioned, which begs the question: what is this NEW story of Beyond Forever? Nor any Claire!
You see, Emma Fitzgerald, the daughter of Rebecca Fitzgerald, was supposed to come down around this time to visit and meet Gavin, a woman Gavin's mother Mary strongly believes is his soulmate. However, a crisis in the family keeps Emma home for several more months, during which Gavin is murdered. She doesn't finally come down until a month after his death, by which it's already too late. Emma marries a man from Boston and lives a happy life there, bearing his children, and thus beginning the family-tree that births Julia. Which is why Julia has an uncanny resemblance to Emma.
Neville Talbot kills Gavin over Lavinia, Gavin's deceased wife; Neville had fallen into Lavinia's trap and believed to be so maddened by his love for her, that upon her death, Neville had been working his way into seeing off Gavin's family. Once he'd finally succeeded in killing Gavin, he would have had Gavin's son Brandon accidentally killed, then marry Gavin's sister Alison and kill her off a year later. I don't remember how Gavin's mother Mary dies, but right before Gavin's supposed death, his brother Patrick was to be killed by a carriage hit-and-run, which Julia managed to prevent. Because Julie was there, Patrick lives on and marries within three years, Alison marries her one true love Philip Montgomerie, their mother Mary will live on to see Gavin's son and her other grandchildren marry and have children--all during which Gavin "will be looking down at it all, watching them, waiting. For I know one day we shall all be together again." <--right out of the book's ending.
During Neville's attempt to shoot Gavin, a fight ensues and Gavin throws him over the side of the cliff--the same cliff Julia first meets his ghost in her time. Gavin is shot, fatally wounded, and is dying in Julia's arms. There is a cliche, long drawn-out dying dialogue between the two about their undying love for one another, then as Gavin dies, his ghost reappears and the dialogue continues, discussing the changed future all thanks to Julia. After Julia says her farewell to Gavin's human body, she hugs the ghost and she is returned to her time.
THIS is where it gets sketchy. As a writer, I have issues with sudden dream-like changes, but knowing that this book was first written in 1999, word count was a primary focus. It's a large book already, so I'm pretty sure to keep word count and keep publishers happy, Debra Dier snipped the story to make a quick ending.
Julia seems to have fallen asleep and is awoken from her nap by various family members: her grandmother Angela, her LIVING mother, and her LIVING brother Mike with his wife Diane, who was also her best friend. Surprisingly, her mother is alive, which throws Julia into an excited, yet still-confused state of mind. Her family thinks something's wrong with her. She wonders how they're all still alive (hey, when she left with Gavin's ghost they were dead and only her grandmother was alive). But that's when she notices her wedding gown, and their bridesmaid dresses. Her groom, the bastard she hadn't married originally, was waiting for her at the altar.
Deciding that she wanted to change her own future and ensure her family stays alive, she agrees to marry the jerk after all. She walks down the aisle and is handed over, but as she stands before the altar she peeks over and finds it's not her bastard fiance Nathan, but actually Gavin! Then suddenly, all the memories from this new reality come crashing through her, explaining quickly how they met and how long they've been dating. Quietly, Gavin tells her he obtained these memories of his former life with her in childhood, and has worked his way through life to find her again. "I told you I would find you again," he whispered before his lips touched hers. <--straight out of the book.
All of his family members are there. Each one of them. And Helen Brainbridge, Julia's grandmother's best friend from the start of the book that owned Dunmore Castle, was happier without the castle. "Gavin's grandfather had saved Frederick Stapleton during the Second Wold War, sending him home to the arms of his waiting fiance." <--straight from the book. Gavin's grandfather, the modern-day Gavin, all because Julia saved his son in 1818.
The only member missing from the book? Brandon. And where is he?
Gavin pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "I'm thinking Brandon has yet to come." <--straight from the book.
And the final moment of the book: Julia receiving a package in the mail, the book she'd written called Beyond Forever. She comments on it to Gavin about how different it all is, and how it feels like a different life time.
So you see, I'm stumped over what everyone's talking about in their reviews. Eliza? Claire? A new story? A new ending? But it has the same title?! Weird! And so, this leaves me with only one thing to do: read the new one. I shall expound on this review with a review of the new one in due time.
I have read THE ORIGINAL several times since it's debut in 1999, so I'm skeptical to hear that there's a newer version out there, especially when everyone is yapping away about that new one and not so much the original.
SO LET ME REVIEW THE ORIGINAL!
This book has been my favorite time swept novel by far, and after all these years from my first read back in 1999, it has stuck with me. No matter what I've read, I've always been able to recall this story in precise detail.
Now all this smothering aside, let me begin my review: I have recently RE-READ this ORIGINAL version, and although I used to be able to read it all in nearly one setting, this time it took a while. It's not written easily. This version has a LOT of words in it. It's super detailed, but it paints the picture well. That's why it was hard for me to sit through; I've been so used to reading easy crap lately that I had to retrain my brain to focus on wordier descriptions.
I only found ONE typo (surprisingly, I didn't catch it years past). Somewhere in there, when Gavin calls her angel, Debra Dier accidentally says "angle". I knew what it was meant to be, but still. It stood out enough to make me stumble. It doesn't detract though.
The time swept aspect was well thought out. There was no weird "rip in the universe" Julia stumbled into, no dream she'd endured. Gavin's ghost, quite literally, submerged her in his ethereal abilities and sent her back in time.
I don't (yet) know how the new version is written out, but women were known to flock over Gavin all the time that he immediately takes a disliking towards Julia. In protection of his son, his own framing, and society's desire for his title and lands, Gavin is not a man to take easy. Octavia Harcourt, Gavin's ex mother-in-law, keeps trying to kidnap Brandon and give the boy a horrible life as revenge against Gavin for her daughter Lavinia's death. Everyone thinks Gavin killed Lavinia because he didn't want their marriage annulled, when the truth is that he wanted the divorce and Lavinia didn't want to be ruined from it. She went to his house and they fought at the top landing of the stairs, and when she went to slap him, he evaded and she lost her balance. She fell down the stairs out of her own stupid luck, but the damage had already been done. The blame was put on Gavin and he was labeled a murderer. This, combined with every woman vying for the title and riches they could acquire from marrying him, and the fact that they've kept his son Brandon from him for so long, lying to the poor boy about who and what his father really is as they give the kid a horrible life (just out of spite), all of it has made Gavin very distrusting and disliking of the female "species".
It's strange when I read reviews saying that Eliza has Julia's memories from the future, because Gavin had NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET any Eliza. Or Claire, for that matter! It's EMMA that Gavin was "destined" to meet had Julia not invaded. Julia comes flying back in time on her own and almost gets plowed down by Gavin's horse, a feat most women do in an attempt to gain his attentions. You never really hear of EMMA until Julia meets with Gavin's mother Mary, and the woman mentions the stark resemblance to the two.
It starts off as Julia Fairfield is visiting her grandmother's friend, Helen Brainbridge, at Dunmore Castle, Helen's home. Julia is there with her grandmother Angela in a vacation to clear her mind and with the hopes of writing about the Tragic Earl of Dunmore, Gavin MacKinnon. Her niece Lauren is 8, having been 3 when Lauren adopted her after her whole family died.
Helen's fiance Fredrick was her soulmate, but he died in the war (WW2, to be exact), and because of that, she'd never married. She refused to marry someone she wasn't truly in love with--a lesson that sticks with Julia because that's why Julia couldn't marry her bastard fiance Nathan Riley.
And to pause for a moment: GAVIN ORIGINALLY DIED IN 1818, as opposed to what I'm seeing in the reviews that he's now died in 1816.
So Gavin's ghost finds Julia at the cliff and he basically haunts her every second of the day and night, constantly asking Julia to come back and save his family. She keeps refusing, until he stops asking and forcibly brings her there himself. Wraps her in his arms and transports her across time. Julia arrives at the foot of Gavin's horse as he is riding, and is knocked out by said horse. Gavin brings her back to Dunmore Castle and has Erskine, his butler, come to his aid. He begins to wonder if Julia's another addled woman who is willing to throw herself in front of his horse in hopes of gaining his attention, yet all the times it's happen no accidents have ever occurred. That is usually what happens at his London home, Pall Mall. However, this time, an accident HAS happened and Julia has a bump on her head from it all. After his butler Erskine comes to help, his housekeeper Iona comes to assist with Julia.
Several other names are listed over time: Beatrice MacQuarrie, Russell Lampkin, Felicity Taverner, a Misses Barnaby, Tina the Italian greyhound mother Mary owns, the blackguard that tried running Patrick MacKinnon down, Regina, which is Beaufort's wife that Patrick has been sleeping with, and the goons working for the Harcouts. An "Eliza" is never mentioned, which begs the question: what is this NEW story of Beyond Forever? Nor any Claire!
You see, Emma Fitzgerald, the daughter of Rebecca Fitzgerald, was supposed to come down around this time to visit and meet Gavin, a woman Gavin's mother Mary strongly believes is his soulmate. However, a crisis in the family keeps Emma home for several more months, during which Gavin is murdered. She doesn't finally come down until a month after his death, by which it's already too late. Emma marries a man from Boston and lives a happy life there, bearing his children, and thus beginning the family-tree that births Julia. Which is why Julia has an uncanny resemblance to Emma.
Neville Talbot kills Gavin over Lavinia, Gavin's deceased wife; Neville had fallen into Lavinia's trap and believed to be so maddened by his love for her, that upon her death, Neville had been working his way into seeing off Gavin's family. Once he'd finally succeeded in killing Gavin, he would have had Gavin's son Brandon accidentally killed, then marry Gavin's sister Alison and kill her off a year later. I don't remember how Gavin's mother Mary dies, but right before Gavin's supposed death, his brother Patrick was to be killed by a carriage hit-and-run, which Julia managed to prevent. Because Julie was there, Patrick lives on and marries within three years, Alison marries her one true love Philip Montgomerie, their mother Mary will live on to see Gavin's son and her other grandchildren marry and have children--all during which Gavin "will be looking down at it all, watching them, waiting. For I know one day we shall all be together again." <--right out of the book's ending.
During Neville's attempt to shoot Gavin, a fight ensues and Gavin throws him over the side of the cliff--the same cliff Julia first meets his ghost in her time. Gavin is shot, fatally wounded, and is dying in Julia's arms. There is a cliche, long drawn-out dying dialogue between the two about their undying love for one another, then as Gavin dies, his ghost reappears and the dialogue continues, discussing the changed future all thanks to Julia. After Julia says her farewell to Gavin's human body, she hugs the ghost and she is returned to her time.
THIS is where it gets sketchy. As a writer, I have issues with sudden dream-like changes, but knowing that this book was first written in 1999, word count was a primary focus. It's a large book already, so I'm pretty sure to keep word count and keep publishers happy, Debra Dier snipped the story to make a quick ending.
Julia seems to have fallen asleep and is awoken from her nap by various family members: her grandmother Angela, her LIVING mother, and her LIVING brother Mike with his wife Diane, who was also her best friend. Surprisingly, her mother is alive, which throws Julia into an excited, yet still-confused state of mind. Her family thinks something's wrong with her. She wonders how they're all still alive (hey, when she left with Gavin's ghost they were dead and only her grandmother was alive). But that's when she notices her wedding gown, and their bridesmaid dresses. Her groom, the bastard she hadn't married originally, was waiting for her at the altar.
Deciding that she wanted to change her own future and ensure her family stays alive, she agrees to marry the jerk after all. She walks down the aisle and is handed over, but as she stands before the altar she peeks over and finds it's not her bastard fiance Nathan, but actually Gavin! Then suddenly, all the memories from this new reality come crashing through her, explaining quickly how they met and how long they've been dating. Quietly, Gavin tells her he obtained these memories of his former life with her in childhood, and has worked his way through life to find her again. "I told you I would find you again," he whispered before his lips touched hers. <--straight out of the book.
All of his family members are there. Each one of them. And Helen Brainbridge, Julia's grandmother's best friend from the start of the book that owned Dunmore Castle, was happier without the castle. "Gavin's grandfather had saved Frederick Stapleton during the Second Wold War, sending him home to the arms of his waiting fiance." <--straight from the book. Gavin's grandfather, the modern-day Gavin, all because Julia saved his son in 1818.
The only member missing from the book? Brandon. And where is he?
Gavin pressed his lips against the back of her hand. "I'm thinking Brandon has yet to come." <--straight from the book.
And the final moment of the book: Julia receiving a package in the mail, the book she'd written called Beyond Forever. She comments on it to Gavin about how different it all is, and how it feels like a different life time.
So you see, I'm stumped over what everyone's talking about in their reviews. Eliza? Claire? A new story? A new ending? But it has the same title?! Weird! And so, this leaves me with only one thing to do: read the new one. I shall expound on this review with a review of the new one in due time.
January 2, 2014
Very enjoyable read! The characters really drew me in, I found myself pulled into the story and worried how things would play out for Gavin and Julia. Definitely a few twists and turns along the way. I would recommend to anyone looking for a historical time travel romance!
February 20, 2014
One of the best romance story ever! This story is true love... true soulmates.
March 6, 2025
An oldie but a goodie! I liked this more than I expected to. It's well-written and holds the attention. The characters are likeable. Initially Gavin seems cold and maybe selfish, but we come to realize he has good reason to be jaded with regards to women and as he gets to know Julia, he opens his heart and learns to trust again.I really enjoy characters growing emotionally, going through a transition, becoming a better version of themselves. What I like about Julia is that she is intelligent and resourceful. In so many romance books the smart independent woman suddenly regresses once she meets the "man". Not so here. She stands up to Gavin in spite of the attraction she can't resist. All that doesn't sound like much - but this book did something not many books can do. It made me cry. Ms. Dier managed to infuse emotion into her story in a way that just swept me along. I was rooting for this couple. I wanted that HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
This book does not appear on the "Best" lists but I think it should. I read the original ending and see that they is an updated version with a new ending. Guess I need to read this story yet again.
July 30, 2022
This was slow at first but a super cute read.
January 14, 2014
Julia Farfield, an English teacher responsible for her orphaned niece and her grandmother comes to Dunsmore Castle for a visit after a relationship goes bad. She meets a man in the mist who helps her off the cliffs. He introduces himself as Gavin MacKinnon, only problem, Gavin MacKinnon died in 1816.
It is the Ghost of Gavin MacKinnon and he has a job for her. He wants her to go back to 1816 and save his son who died shortly after Gavin did. Back in they year 1816 Julia finds herself in the body of another, her memories muddled, and face to face with the flesh and blood Gavin MacKinnon. Trying to regain her memory and figure out why she appeared at the Dunsmore castle alone in the middle of the night, she and Gavin circle their feelings for each other while the move from Scotland to London.
The center of the story is the concept soul mates. There is only one for you and if you’re lucky, you will find your mate over and over again through time. Both Julia and Gavin have constant instances of deja vu as they move through the story so they may not remember their past encounters, they do recognize each other on a basic level. If you like this theme, you will likely really enjoy this story. It’s not one of my favorites and that may have tainted my view of the book and I had a lot of problems with the story.
The pacing - either too fast or too slow. In several places the book simply dragged. It’s long at 400 pages and there a decent amount of that I could have cut out. I found it easy to skim entire sections. Other times the story sped at lighting speed where everything happens in one night and all secrets revealed in one telling.
Ghost Gavin. Arrogant, self absorbed, selfish, and completely blind to anything except his own problems. Despite asking Julia to save his son he has no guarantees he can bring her back and cares not what that would do to the people in her care. He haunts her and goads her until she has no choice but to say yes. Couldn’t stand him and that made it hard to push through the beginning of the book.
Julia herself. Admittedly she shows signs of strength, telling Ghost Gavin to get lost, telling 19th century Gavin she won’t marry him, but overall she’s sad, dull, and uninteresting, and the memory loss just makes her more pathetic.
Tangents. Too many side stories, his sister Allison’s engagement, the attempted kidnapping of the son, and the attack on Gavin that don’t add to the fundamental story.
It was also a bit much to have both the evil former mother in law bent on revenge for the death of her daughter and the other woman who wants Gavin for his own at any cost.
But I’d lie to say the book was all bad. There was much to enjoy.
19th century Gavin. What a pleasant change. He’s gentle and kind, sweet and generous, and treats Julia/Eliza with respect. My favorite character of the story. His feelings make sense and his reactions not always predictable.
Gavin’s family. The MacKinnon’s are an entertaining family and I especially loved the scenes between Gavin and his mother.
The kisses and love scenes. Stunning, just stunning, the author has a gift here. Not overly erotic but beautiful and moving. The passion and love came right off the page.
Julia’s backbone. It doesn’t make an appearance often but when it does it’s a sight to behold.
The end I don’t want to spoil. It’s a bit over done and left too many questions marks. In fact, it made the whole story somewhat pointless. But Julia does get her happy ending and I was pleased by that. Overall this book wasn’t my taste but I do think it will work well for those who find the sole mate idea romantic.
Received ARC at no charge from author in exchange for an honest review.
It is the Ghost of Gavin MacKinnon and he has a job for her. He wants her to go back to 1816 and save his son who died shortly after Gavin did. Back in they year 1816 Julia finds herself in the body of another, her memories muddled, and face to face with the flesh and blood Gavin MacKinnon. Trying to regain her memory and figure out why she appeared at the Dunsmore castle alone in the middle of the night, she and Gavin circle their feelings for each other while the move from Scotland to London.
The center of the story is the concept soul mates. There is only one for you and if you’re lucky, you will find your mate over and over again through time. Both Julia and Gavin have constant instances of deja vu as they move through the story so they may not remember their past encounters, they do recognize each other on a basic level. If you like this theme, you will likely really enjoy this story. It’s not one of my favorites and that may have tainted my view of the book and I had a lot of problems with the story.
The pacing - either too fast or too slow. In several places the book simply dragged. It’s long at 400 pages and there a decent amount of that I could have cut out. I found it easy to skim entire sections. Other times the story sped at lighting speed where everything happens in one night and all secrets revealed in one telling.
Ghost Gavin. Arrogant, self absorbed, selfish, and completely blind to anything except his own problems. Despite asking Julia to save his son he has no guarantees he can bring her back and cares not what that would do to the people in her care. He haunts her and goads her until she has no choice but to say yes. Couldn’t stand him and that made it hard to push through the beginning of the book.
Julia herself. Admittedly she shows signs of strength, telling Ghost Gavin to get lost, telling 19th century Gavin she won’t marry him, but overall she’s sad, dull, and uninteresting, and the memory loss just makes her more pathetic.
Tangents. Too many side stories, his sister Allison’s engagement, the attempted kidnapping of the son, and the attack on Gavin that don’t add to the fundamental story.
It was also a bit much to have both the evil former mother in law bent on revenge for the death of her daughter and the other woman who wants Gavin for his own at any cost.
But I’d lie to say the book was all bad. There was much to enjoy.
19th century Gavin. What a pleasant change. He’s gentle and kind, sweet and generous, and treats Julia/Eliza with respect. My favorite character of the story. His feelings make sense and his reactions not always predictable.
Gavin’s family. The MacKinnon’s are an entertaining family and I especially loved the scenes between Gavin and his mother.
The kisses and love scenes. Stunning, just stunning, the author has a gift here. Not overly erotic but beautiful and moving. The passion and love came right off the page.
Julia’s backbone. It doesn’t make an appearance often but when it does it’s a sight to behold.
The end I don’t want to spoil. It’s a bit over done and left too many questions marks. In fact, it made the whole story somewhat pointless. But Julia does get her happy ending and I was pleased by that. Overall this book wasn’t my taste but I do think it will work well for those who find the sole mate idea romantic.
Received ARC at no charge from author in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2014
This was my first time travel romance book and I must say I liked parts of it, though there were several parts thst disappointed.
The idea of this book is about soul mates and their endless connection through time and space. I liked the idea of souls finding their mates over and over again but somehow the story fell short of this actual theme.
When Julia travelled back in time to save Gavin's son, she loses her memory and ends up believeing she belongs to this time - thus the time travel theme disappears completely and is replaced by boring chatter amongst various females. In those instances the story dragged on and lost its appeal.
Also what's the point in time travel when afterwards the person doing the time travel doesn't actively change history but just sort of stumbles along and gets lucky? Because that's all that happened. She didn't actively prevent Gavin or his son from dying, she only happened to be there and somehow, luckily, the story changed. That's it.
I think what was most disapointing was the ending. If the entire romance is built around souls finding their mate even after hundreds of years have past then it's a shame to make such a disapointing ending. Julia loved Gavin, and now that she's back in her own time she just picks his grand grand... son, who just happens to feel like he belongs to another time. Predictable, not at all new and actually kind of sad. Julia can't have Gavin but at least she snagged a relative.
I would have wished for this whole time travelling theme to have been treated differently.
The idea of this book is about soul mates and their endless connection through time and space. I liked the idea of souls finding their mates over and over again but somehow the story fell short of this actual theme.
When Julia travelled back in time to save Gavin's son, she loses her memory and ends up believeing she belongs to this time - thus the time travel theme disappears completely and is replaced by boring chatter amongst various females. In those instances the story dragged on and lost its appeal.
Also what's the point in time travel when afterwards the person doing the time travel doesn't actively change history but just sort of stumbles along and gets lucky? Because that's all that happened. She didn't actively prevent Gavin or his son from dying, she only happened to be there and somehow, luckily, the story changed. That's it.
I think what was most disapointing was the ending. If the entire romance is built around souls finding their mate even after hundreds of years have past then it's a shame to make such a disapointing ending. Julia loved Gavin, and now that she's back in her own time she just picks his grand grand... son, who just happens to feel like he belongs to another time. Predictable, not at all new and actually kind of sad. Julia can't have Gavin but at least she snagged a relative.
I would have wished for this whole time travelling theme to have been treated differently.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2014
I must say that I read the January 2014 kindle version of this book. (There seems to be another version with a different ending and/or storyline) I enjoyed the premise of this book. I found the hero Gavin McKinnon truly drool worthy. He was strong, smart but also very sweet, with a hint of slightly tortured thrown in. Our heroine Julia is visiting Dunmore Castle in Scotland with her grams, and her 8 Year old niece Claire. Julia meets the handsome Gavin in ghost form. He convinces her to go back in time to help save his son who died tragically in the Regency period. What ensues is a love story that is sweet and passionate. I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The hero had eyes only for the heroine. She was a smart, courageous woman. I love books with a plot and this one had it. While the romance was great it wasn't full of sex scene after sex scene. I enjoyed the concept of soul mates. I thought the ending was fantastic. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written historical romance.
June 4, 2014
I always hate it when I can't finish a story and I suppose I'm going to say only what others have said. I reached halfway and had to give up because of the endless reference to what a 'hunk' Gavin was, how beautiful Julia was and how they lusted after each other. This became very tedious by chapter eighteen. I got it by chapter two so I didn't need to hear it over and over again. I wanted the characters to get on with the story and it would have been interesting if Gavin had worn something other than buff-coloured breeches. (Didn't the poor man have any other colour breeches to wear?)
I haven't completely deleted it from my kindle so I might go back to it in time as the beginning intrigued me.
I haven't completely deleted it from my kindle so I might go back to it in time as the beginning intrigued me.
October 18, 2010
Beyond Forever is a book that held much promise. The beginning and the end of the book are its best sections because the characters are fun, charming and heartwarming. But, sadly, the book wasted far too much of it's middle with the characters caught in a seemingly endless cycle of annoying "I hate you but, darn it, my traitorous body still wants you oh-so-bad" behavior. As a result, what could have been an exceptional read turned out to be yet another average one. Still, if you love time travel, surly, sexy Scottish heroes, believe in soul-mates and don't have a problem with the type of relationship that I've described above you may love this one
December 27, 2013
I gave it 3 instead of 4 stars because I thought it had a bit of a slow start setting the characters up before the time travel and I had mixed thoughts about the happily ever after ending.
She learned from his mother's long ago journals that their family line died out. When the hero's ghost comes to her and asks her to go back to the regency period to save his young son from death, she agrees. Once there, she finds she must help the widowed hero overcome his well earned mistrust because of self-serving women and save the family she has grown to love from threats. A good story with likable characters.
She learned from his mother's long ago journals that their family line died out. When the hero's ghost comes to her and asks her to go back to the regency period to save his young son from death, she agrees. Once there, she finds she must help the widowed hero overcome his well earned mistrust because of self-serving women and save the family she has grown to love from threats. A good story with likable characters.
March 19, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. This is a really good book. Its starts out a bit slow but once she goes back it picks up. It's like having your cake and eating it too. You get to read about someone living two lives and what happens in both. The story has everything, love, mystery, and murder. Gavin you will just fall in love with. And in the end you walk away with closer. I won this book but would feel the same even if I bought it.
September 26, 2015
If you have never read Debra Dier you are missing a treat. I have read almost every book she has written. I have not had time to list them on my shelf, but I will continue to work on that.
This novel is a time travel romance with lots of intrigue.
Loved it!! Give it a try. You many find you have discovered another favorite author.
(Seriously, how can you only have one favorite romance author?) :)
This novel is a time travel romance with lots of intrigue.
Loved it!! Give it a try. You many find you have discovered another favorite author.
(Seriously, how can you only have one favorite romance author?) :)
March 18, 2014
This is my first time to read a book by Debra Dier. Excellent book! Debra had me going through out the whole book as to if it was a dream or really happened. Love a love story and this one is a classic! Beautifully written. She wove current day with 1816 time period flawlessly. I'm off to get Scoundrel next and plan on getting all of her books!
August 1, 2014
If you can make me cry you get 5 stars.
If you can make me cry you get 5 stars.
A very well done novel done in believable Recency style. I didn't know who done until the very end. If you can keep an inveterate reader of romance and mystery for over sixty years AND make her cry, you have done your job as a writer.
If you can make me cry you get 5 stars.
A very well done novel done in believable Recency style. I didn't know who done until the very end. If you can keep an inveterate reader of romance and mystery for over sixty years AND make her cry, you have done your job as a writer.
February 25, 2015
Love lives forever
In spite of death and betrayal, dishonor and disillusionment, despite the spans of centuries love finds two soul mates allowing them to right some major wrongs in the Regency Era, separate only to meet up in present day. Taking this journey through time was well worth the trip!
In spite of death and betrayal, dishonor and disillusionment, despite the spans of centuries love finds two soul mates allowing them to right some major wrongs in the Regency Era, separate only to meet up in present day. Taking this journey through time was well worth the trip!
April 4, 2023
Miracle
Julia is visiting Dunmore Castle on the Isle of Mist, when she meets Gavin. Why does he and this place seem so familiar? Gavin says he needs her, so she must travel to the past and help him. So she agrees and the adventure begins and the mystery is solved. Read and enjoy.
Julia is visiting Dunmore Castle on the Isle of Mist, when she meets Gavin. Why does he and this place seem so familiar? Gavin says he needs her, so she must travel to the past and help him. So she agrees and the adventure begins and the mystery is solved. Read and enjoy.
August 13, 2016
I'm a sucker for Time Travel Romance novels and this one delivered.
I loved how one small action led to so many miracles.
And the ending was great!!!
I loved how one small action led to so many miracles.
And the ending was great!!!
March 8, 2014
Great book not a big romance fan but this one was a keeper
October 30, 2014
Read this on paperback years ago, the cover for the updated version sure looks way hotter than the old faded one I got here beside me.
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