Romancing the Soul

by Sarah Tranter

Your Soul Mate is out there! Let a past life lead the way Rachael Jones hasn’t exactly chosen an average career path. She’s a ‘past-life regressionist’ and is now hoping to help her clients find their Soul Mates through reconnecting them with their past lives. But despite her best intentions, there are problems. Rachael made the mistake of regressing her best friend, Susie Morris, who has since been haunted by events that occurred in her past life. When Susie meets Hollywood actor, George Silbury in unlikely circumstances, she is completely unprepared for her reactions. There’s an intense mutual attraction that neither can explain nor ignore. Can George help Susie to overcome the sense of desolation she feels as the result of her past-life regression or will history’s habit of repeating itself ruin all chances of her finding happiness?

Genres: Romance

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2013

About the author

I am a writer of romantic and paranormal fiction with the wonderful Choc Lit.

Formerly a political researcher, lobbyist and Public Relations professional, I moved from London nine years ago to settle in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside where I now live with my husband and two boys.

No such thing as … immortality is the first in the No Such Thing paranormal romance trilogy, and is my debut novel.

I am a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association's New Writers Scheme.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. Sarah Tranter is creeping into my top five authors!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m already a fan of Sarah Tranter – I loved her book No Such Thing As Immortality. So already being familiar with her writing I was looking forward to seeing what this book would have in store for me.

Rachael is a past-life regressionist who tries to help her clients find their soul mates by reconnecting them with their past lives, but sometimes this can have terrible consequences – she regressed her friend Susie, who since then has been haunted by the events from her past life. But when Susie meets George Silbury, a Hollywood actor – there is an intense mutual attraction that neither can explain or deny. Will George be able to help Susie overcome her feelings from her past life regression and help her find happiness?

As soon as I read the first page I was SO intrigued by what I was reading! Sarah Tranter has such a talent of capturing your attention straight away and it felt fantastic to be back reading another of her brilliant novels.

I really enjoyed the past-life regression element to the novel. I’ve heard about it before and it was WONDERFUL to have this woven into the novel, I found Rachael’s career role to be fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this subject. I think the past-life regression was one of the things that really MADE this novel for me, I was drawn in straight away and hooked to what I was reading.

I LOVED George so much, I fell in love with him straight away and I especially enjoyed reading his interactions with Susie. I became swept up in their scenes and George was the perfect leading hero, I really believed in his feelings and I was rooting for him. There are a brilliant selection of other characters to meet too, and each one helps to bring the story to life. Of course, this novel has a bit of a twist to it too and some darker elements which will pull you in.

Romancing The Soul is a beautifully written novel with a twist that had me captivated right from the beginning. Full of love, past lives and taking chances – this is a story that will have you truly believing in soul mates.

[Crystal M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from First Reads and haven't read any books from this author before. This book kept my attention easily, so much so that I had to keep myself from staying up all night to finish it. I find the concepts of past lives and soul mates to be intriguing, though I don't believe in them myself. I would probably read this book again.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

George’s sister Cassie (who is a journalist) has been trying to discredit past life regression. When we meet her she’s in total disbelief that she’s experienced the same past life with more than one regressionist and this has really unsettled her!

Next, we find out more about Rachael. Despite her father’s career in banking and her own degree in economics, she has chosen to train in therapies. Flat mate Suzie doesn’t understand why she would give up a mainstream career.

The moment George and Suzie meet in Rachael’s consulting room, they experience such an unusual reaction to each other. Rachael has an idea of how it fits together as does Cassie.

I have to say that all the characters bring something to the plot (great characterisations).

Suzie was a rather annoying character at first. I know she was playing it safe and had already given up on engaging with life but I still felt she had no backbone. However, when she comes into her own and puts her foot down she is rather majestic. I was cheering her on! I empathised with her on the school trip in the coach …

George is a HOT male lead and I don’t mean just physically … despite his film star looks he wasn’t arrogant and is everyone’s ideal man :)

My favourite character is Rachael. Loved her ‘ring a ding ding’ feelings and how she felt about life. I know she annoyed Cassie sometimes but she’d be a great friend to have.

The integral historical aspect really drew me in. It was so authentic with Cassie researching and then the flashbacks. I enjoyed these past events in the modern world and this gave the romance an edge for me. Despite working out where we were going with all the characters, it was quite tense at times knowing how it should end but hoping that the events conspiring against our two romantic leads could be averted and wondering how.

Romancing the Soul is such a unique love story. This may be a plot that is well known to any romance reader but the unique past life regression makes George and Suzie’s ‘dance of love’ feel fresh and alive. The pace kept me engaged and the humour adds to the plot too.

Whether you believe in a past life and a soul mate or not, Romancing the Soul is a story I would recommend for all lovers of romance and that illusive HEA.

I would like to thank the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the plot unfolded in this one. But then I did always loved past lives stories.

The heroine is Susie, who does not believe in love after her friend showed her a past horrid life and now she is all tormented. No true love, and she certainly does not believe in past lives either even though she saw it.

Our hero is George, a world famous actor who is super hot! He is dragged by his sister to Rachel (who showed Susie her past life too), meets Susie and the scene is set. The romance is a crazy whirlwind. He is totally utterly in love with Susie. While Susie has a hard time believing it, I mean he is hot and famous, she is no model. I do get her fears.

But on their side is Rachel and George's sister Cassie. And through them we also get the whole past life story and what really happened then. There is also something very sinister going on. There is a darkness over their love story and they will not have it easy.

Two loves reunited in another lifetime for a chance at love again

[Suzi Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

It'll hook ya and won't let go until you finish (at least with the audiobook, that's how I 'read' it).

[Angelika Belko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one! It was actually both romantic and hilarious! Highly recommend!

[Janell Sutherland · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is based upon the premise of past lives. Rachel is a professional past life regressionist, which means that through hypnosis or trance or something she gets people to remember their past lives. She’s especially interested in reconnecting soul mates, because they have an extra-special love vibe.

Rachel is not the love-interest heroine of this story. Neither is Cassie, an investigative journalist out to debunk the whole regressionist theory. However, these two women are connected to the main couple and they also share their POVs throughout the book.

Susie, Rachel’s roommate, is the heroine. And George, Cassie’s brother, is the hero. George is a famous movie star and the sexiest man on the planet. When he meets Susie, they share an instant connection that can only be based upon their past lives. George and Susie literally tingle when they’re around each other, and in the beginning their physical connection is so strong that all they do is make out.

I really wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t. My biggest issue was all the head-hopping. The four characters I’ve mentioned alternate POVs so frequently that I was distracted. It happened mid-scene all the time. Or a new scene would start without notice and I’d have to figure out who was talking and what was going on. I thought Cassie was going to be the heroine because the first chapter was all from her perspective.

I also had a problem with Susie. She’s not a thin woman, and doesn’t believe herself to be very attractive. She understandably has a hard time believing that famous sexy man George would be into her. But she ignores him for so long, not letting him explain himself. Then she takes every opportunity to believe that he’s joking with her, or that he’ll run away when he sees her naked, or that he’ll cheat on her, despite his words and actions to the contrary. Her confidence in their relationship only seems to exist when they’re together, because she leaps to some pretty ridiculous conclusions whenever they’re apart. Plus, at the end, she’s almost too stupid to live.

I had another problem with the exposition. A lot of scenes that would have been interesting were not shown, they were just described after the fact. Cassie and Rachel spent too much time talking about what George and Susie were doing and how it related to events in the past, when I would have preferred to see what was actually happening. I also would have liked more depth and introspection from George and Susie. They did have a lot sex, but after the first time it occurred behind closed doors.

So, I liked the setup, but I didn’t like the execution. I should mention that this is a very British book, and all the characters are British, so their way of talking was a nice culture change, and I narrated the whole thing in an accent in my head. Points for that. Overall, though, it was a C+.

This review was originally posted on Red Hot Books at: http://redhotbooks.com/2014/01/review...

[Agi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book by Sarah Tranter and I am very sorry to say that it was not my cup of tea. Although I find the idea of the book interesting: reuniting Soul Mates, past lives etc. Not exactly what I call "wow" but nevertheless, something refreshing and new for me in a book. I guess the only book with plot a little similar to this was Marian Keyes's "Anybody Out There", which I loved.

We have four main characters in this book. Best friends Susie and Rachael, and Rachael is a past - life regressionist and helps people to find their Soul Mates. Susie is a teacher and since Rachael has regressed her, she doesn't believe in a true love and is being haunted by her awful, past life.
Cassie and George are sister and brother. Cassie is a journalist and George is a Hollywood star. Cassie wants to prove that this was Rachael does for living is a total crap and so makes George to be regresses by Rachael. George meets then Susie and their attraction is just to intense.
And this is all what I can say about the plot.

The characters were unlikeable for me, I didn't feel them and I didn't fall for them. The whole plot, the whole action was too unrealistic, too untrue and I really couldn't care less what's going to happen. For me one half of this book is about Susie moaning that she can't have relationship with George but she doesn't understand why, and the second is about Susie moaning, that she can't continue the relationship with George but she doesn't know why. She just has bad feelings.
In my opinion, the characters were not the best written. I really couldn't care less about Susie, she was a drama queen, meh, weak and not funny at all. George was so perfect and nice that I couldn't help but think that it can't be true. The banter between Cassie and Rachael was the lightest point of the plot but the dialogues were not engaging at all, they were repeating the same things over and over again and I felt bored. I have skipped more then a third of the book and I didn't have a feeling that I'm missing something.

The idea of regressing was also not this what I thought of and developed in a way that didn't have me hooked. There were too many repetitions, the tension was not enough for me, the situations were too unrealistic, the sub - characters were ridiculous as "black - characters". I am really sorry to say that it was not my favourite reading but nevertheless, I hope that I will come across Sarah Tranter in future.

I received a copy of this book from publisher in exchange for a review.

[Jiha · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find my review here.

I won this book on a giveaway months ago, and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to read and review it (I got distracted by other books ^_^). I'm particularly intrigued with stories about second chances, and I'm thrilled to say that I found this book really engaging and refreshing.

It's told from different points of view, and it's about two soul mates whose lives ended in a tragic way, but get another chance of finding happiness on their next life. I've never read about past lives before, so this book deals with themes that I'm not very familiar with, but it was great to read something new.

Susie is a schoolteacher who doesn't like being emotionally involved with any man. She's just an ordinary woman, so she is taken a back when the gorgeous Hollywood star, George Silbury gets interested in her. She's been a fan of him for years and when they meet in her best friend's office, they are instantly attracted to each other.
George on the other hand, is one of the most handsome men in the world and is also a gentleman. I could list all the things I love about him, but I'm going to save that for my "Swoon Worthy Saturday" post.
I like how Susie and George's relationship grew, the author added a bit of drama which was interesting to read.

The only issues I have with this book are the author's writing and Rachel, the past-life regressionist. It took me a while to get into the story because the author's writing was a bit distracting. She has a unique and different style, but thankfully I got used to it after a few chapters. As for Rachel, I thought she was a bit maddening. She's one of the main characters, and at first I thought I could over look my dislike for her, but as the story goes on she truly annoyed me. She's a great friend of Susie though, and has good intentions.

Other than the issues aforementioned, I really like how everything unfolded. Even though I had a feeling of how it would end, the author was able to surprise me with some twists.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love second chances and instant attraction/love.

[Robyn Koshel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romancing the soul is one of the most unique reads I have read in a long time. I found the subject matter of past life regression so riveting. The fact that you could possibly find your soul mate through past life regression was even more fascinating.

Sarah Tranter has such a distinctive writing style that you feel as if you were in her characters head willing them on. She blends heart wrenching drama with her own quirky humour. She used the phrase “The nutty regresser” to describe Rachael and I have to say I chuckled all day about it.

George Silbury leapt off the page and stood out for me. Although, as a Hollywood actor, you would expect some sort of inflated ego but Sarah Tranter gave him depth. When he meets Susie, there are fireworks. The only way I can describe Susie and George’s interactions is passionate.

Romancing the soul stands out from the crowd. Sarah Tranter’s laborious research into past life regression is clear. This book exceeded any expectations because Sarah Tranter took a speculative subject matter and made it a real possibility.

Whether you are sceptical about Soul mates or a believer, this book will convince you that there is some gravitas to the notion. Past life regression is something I always heard about but never understood but after reading Romancing the Soul, I feel it is worth finding more about.

Sarah Tranter finely crafted novel offers us an extraordinary romance that will stay with you long after the book is read. Romancing the soul is what all good romance stories should be, clever, emotional, with an unforgettable story line with twists and turns.

After reading her début supernatural romance “No such thing as immorality”- I am very eager for the authors next book. Once you pick up a Sarah Tranter book, they are very hard to put down.

I highly recommend this book for a great holiday read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really torn in two by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline, with Rachael, a past life regressionist, on a mission to reunite divided soul mates, George and Susie, with the help of George’s sister Cassie. Can soul mates from a previous life recognise each other? If they do, is history doomed to repeat itself in the next life?

Rachael and Cassie make a fun duo of feisty women who were interesting to read about and who I really liked. George and Susie on the other hand, I really didn’t care about at all. Susie was a bit of a wet rag and George was wonderful. That is the problem for me, he was just too wonderful and perfect with nothing that made him human. Whilst I really enjoyed the banter between Cassie and Rachael I found the dialogue between George and Susie to be really forced and wooden.

George and Susie aside, this is a fun, original romance read with a twist, that despite my aversion to the main characters, kept me interested as I wanted to know what happened next and how it would end. I have given it 4 stars although it did really fall somewhere in the middle between 3 and 4 for me.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book as the concept of soul mates and past life regression interested me.

While I got through the whole book, I actually swore at it while reading because I found some scenes and characters incomprehensible with their tedious hang-ups and issues. Instead of propelling the story forward, I felt the repetitiveness instead slowed it down. I honestly think that certain chapters could have been removed and would not have been detrimental to the overall book.

I didn't 'not enjoy the book' but it isn't one of my favorites either.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just silly. Silly plot with silly characters doing silly things. Also, I am aware that the story is about past-life regression, but it felt like I was reading the second book in a series having missed the first. Gave up in the end as I was just plain irritated by it!

[June Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Past life regression? Soul mates? you either believe it or not. The story was a bit too mushy for me, and repetative, Susie was OTT, Rachel was always meddling, George was a very macho man, and more could have been made of Rob. It was o.k.

[Susana Pelegrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Boring couldn't finish the last few pages

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

c2013. This such a hackneyed plot even though a few of the elements are different to the norm. Unable to recommend to the normal crew even as a light read.

[Josie]

The blurb felt a bit misleading once I started reading. I didn't even make it far enough to get to Susie's POV so that confused me - three other characters had their POV before she did. I also felt like the writing style and storytelling style weren't engaging and needed a bit more work for clarity. This was a DNF for me.