Beyond the Reach of Judgement

by Jo Bissell

Julien Rene Durant was once a good man. Born in France, he took the oath as a Jesuit Priest in the 1600s. He dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel. Now, he was a monster surviving off the blood of others; killing for survival even as he wished for nothing other than for his own extinction. After almost four centuries of guilt and hopelessness, he encounters someone who might just be able to rescue the good man trapped within the monster, but will his judgements deny him a second chance?

Mary Ruth Jacobson-Ryan is nothing special; a small town girl stuck in a rut. Married to a Veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts who turned out not to be the perfect guy she fell in love with before the war, she is desperate for a way out. When things turn from bad to worse, she runs with plans to never look back. She quickly finds, however, that her search for a better future may lead her down a path with no future at all.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Erotica, Romance

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2014

About the author

I spend most of my time working as a full time physician which gives me a unique perspective which I hope comes through in my writing. When not writing or doctoring, I enjoy reading, movies, traveling, archery, thrift store shopping, and snowboarding, among many other things. Currently, I live in Iowa with my awesome husband and two cats.

Beyond the Reach of Judgement is my first original novel which evolved out of a 2012 National Novel Writing Month project and I hope it will be available soon. I previously wrote works of short fiction, fan-fiction, and poetry. I have a short story,His Eyes, currently available on Amazon Kindle. Future planned novels include a possible sequel to Beyond the Reach of Judgement, other works of urban fantasy and paranormal romances including a mermaid story and Gargoyle story, and a science fiction novel.

To preview Beyond the Reach of Judgement visit: https://leanpub.com/beyondthereachofj... or check out the excerpts available on my blog.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG,OMG,OMG I could not put it down. I love, love, love, "Beyond the Reach of Judgement". Jo Bissell is a master at weaving action, adventure, mystery, romance, and the paranormal into a realistic story.

A paranormal that is not the norm. Julien Rene Durant, a Jesuit Priest from the 1600's, is not a suped-up muscle man with bedazzling good looks. He has no telepathy, teleporting, shape-shifting, glowing eyes, command of hound-from-hell, or flying abilities. He has none of the "typical" vampiric qualities that can be found in my contemporary readings in the paranormal genre. Jo Bissell's vampire is original and it didn't need the norm. It would have detracted from the humanity that is Julien the man. I fell in love with him and all of his redeeming qualities.

A great mystery read. I had tidbits to clues of the outcome, yet was completely flabbergasted in the end. I was sobbing out loud and my heart literally hurt for days.

A delicious romance, Julien and Ruth develop the kind of love that IS beyond the reach of judgement. A Jesuit priest and a prostitute would make a very unlikely pair. Their love is redeeming, non-judgmental, caring, and fiercely protective, erotic and passionate. A baptism in cleansing of their souls.

I was so engrossed in BTROJ from the beginning to the very end. Jo
Bissell had me feeling the story, laughing, swooning, excited holding my breath, and snot-crying. SO SATIFIED.

[Suna · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG OMG LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!
The story was engaging from the very beginning and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I loved Julien and Ruth and their relationship. Everything was just perfect! Even the heartbreaking bits!

[Christie72 (Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Great New Adult Paranormal Romance! I have been a fan of this genre for many, many years, and a lot of the books I have read follow a set pattern, but not this book! It is so refreshingly different! The story opens with Julien, a vampire, sitting in jail. By beginning the book this way, it drew me in, and I was enthralled throughout the book. I wanted to know all of Julien’s story.

Julien was a Jesuit priest in the 1600’s who was turned into a vampire and has spent years living with his affliction, and this is truly how he sees his vampirism. He has lived his life trying to avoid attention, and it’s been a life spent in darkness devoid of color until he meets Ruth. Ruth is a sad character as well; she works the streets as a prostitute after fleeing an abusive husband. When Julien picks Ruth up with the intention of feeding on her, things change for both of them. Their colorless and dark lives develop into one with color and light. As their past catches up with them, can their love survive?

Beyond the Reach of Judgement is incredibly different! Yes, it’s a romance, and I love the romance between Julien and Ruth. It’s so beautiful because the characters are so flawed and sad. But, it’s also a story of good and evil. I saw examples of that throughout the novel. For instance, the author begins every chapter with a quote illustrating that. And, she chooses from a variety of sources from Interview with the Vampire to A Clockwork Orange. I just love Jo Bissell’s way of writing; it’s almost poetic to me, and it draws you in. I have never read a book in which a writer can make you feel such empathy for characters, even the bad ones. I didn’t like Ruth’s ex-husband, but I felt for him because Bissell showed me what he was like before he became an abuser. In my opinion, that is an incredible talent in a writer.

I must warn you…it is a romantic tragedy. HOWEVER, DON’T LET THAT SCARE YOU AWAY! If it does, you really are missing out on an incredible book. It’s so different and unique, and it’s a book that you will remember, I promise! It did end with me scratching my head. I asked myself, “Is this really the end?” She is planning a sequel, and I will definitely be one-clicking it as soon as it releases. Do yourself a favor and read this beautiful book today!

***This book was written for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews.***

[Keep Calm Novel On · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review from the Goodreads group, Lovers of Paranormal (LoP).*

Born in the 1600s, Jesuit priest Julien Rene Durant is living an immortal life. He feels he is a monster. This New Adult Paranormal Romance takes a turn when Julien meets Mary Ruth Jacobson-Ryan. His life has been unassuming not drawing attention to his habits required for his existence. Then he meets her. The characters have strong voices and the plot draws the reader into their world as they travel to keep their secrets safe. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter are insightful. The readers will ask themselves at the end of the novel, is the story over? The ending is shocking.

[Jacquelyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story you will dream about....
I was caught off guard by the perfection that went into every characters and every storyline. Ms Bissell took her readers to another level to let them see into her world and what she what feeling at that moment!!! Beyond the Reach of Judgement put a dreamer twist on paranormal, love, mystery, and most of all tragedy. This story made me asked the question will there be more after this? I would not lead you wrong dreamers pick up your copy so we can talk and dream about this one for days to come ***
A five star dreamer *****

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review (LOP) Good reads

http://cometomefantasy.blogspot.com

[Micheala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this in exchange for a review on the Lovers of Paranormal goodreads group.

Review also posted here:http://tangledupinabook.blogspot.ca/2...

**filled with spoilers**

While I looked forward to reading this, I am now looking back asking myself why. I could have done without exposing myself to this romantic tragedy. It's a book that while you like, you hate also. Or you dislike it, but you can't help but have hope for this book.

Title: Beyond the Reach of Judgement
Author: Jo Bissel
Series:none (possibility of one)
Genre: Tragedy, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 2.5 stars

Julien Rene Durant was once a good man. Born in France, he took the oath as a Jesuit Priest in the 1600s. He dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel. Now, he was a monster surviving off the blood of others; killing for survival even as he wished for nothing other than for his own extinction. After almost four centuries of guilt and hopelessness, he encounters someone who might just be able to rescue the good man trapped within the monster, but will his judgements deny him a second chance?
Mary Ruth Jacobson-Ryan is nothing special; a small town girl stuck in a rut. Married to the local Iraqi War Hero who turned out not to be the perfect guy she fell in love with before the war, she is desperate for a way out. When things turn from bad to worse, she runs with plans to never look back. She quickly finds, however, that her search for a better future may lead her down a path with no future at all.

So I'll start out with my initial thoughts about this book: First I thought Mary (who actually goes by Ruth) is married to an Iraqi soldier living in America, not a war hero who faught in Iraq. It's all in the wording. Second I assumed something along the lines of Ruth being in a bad marriage, meets vampire, falls in love, vampire most likely kills husband, rides off into the sunset with each other. I was right about the bad marriage, but to say I was wrong about the sunset ending is an understatement. I suppose it was wrong for me to assume a cute, little happy-go-lucky paranormal romance.

(I'm going to be a hypocrite here. I dislike when reviewers sum up the entire book, but I have to so I can fully explain everything.)

What really happened: The novel starts out with Julien picking up Magdalen, a hooker. It's his usual thing. He picks up a hooker, gives them money to rent a motel room and say they're alone (they don't dare run with the money because they assume they can get much more cash after the night with Julien). Once in the room, he drinks from their wrists, kills them, and leaves, covering it to look like a suicide.

But this time he doesn't do that, because as he's drinking, he hears two heartbeats instead of one, alerting him that she is in the early stages of pregnancy. He resists killing her then, not wanting to take an unborn child's life as well. He ties towels around her wrists to stop the blood flow. In the meantime he gets curious about who she really is and roots through her bag for ID.

Ruth then wakes up, freaks out, realizes what he is, so Julien takes her to his house where she heals a bit and rests. He is able to learn some of her story. She fell in love and married Jonny, who, since they were broke, joined the army and went off to fight. He wrote letters and everything, but once his mother died and he couldn't get back in time, he changed. When he was finally released, he needed therapy and meds but refused everything. His anger drove him to start beating Ruth. One night of her being in the hospital, she escaped fearing for the child she didn't want but came to love. After weeks of being poor, she resorted to prostitution and Julien was her first.

Ruth's escape from home is classified as a missing person so she has agents looking for her, all while a blurry image of her getting into a black car outside a motel didn't go unnoticed. So a particular agent, Samantha, widow of Jonny's friend is searching for Ruth and trying to figure out the mystery of this black car, not realizing at first that it is the same.

When Ruth goes to the bathroom and sees all the blood, Julien takes her to the hospital under her fake Magdalen name and leaves her there to deal with her miscarriage. For everyone's sake, he leaves with no intentions to return. But a couple nights later when she's released with no where to go, he shows up outside the hospital, surprising her.

As the attraction grows between Julien and Ruth, so does his guilt for all the things he has sinned for. Before becoming a vampire Julien was on his way to priesthood and will often still beg forgiveness from God. The novel carries on with them growing to love each other while having to move to a new location every few weeks because Samantha is on to them, and they know it.

It took a surprising turn when Julien contemplates leaving Ruth because he believes she deserves better. Ruth fights it of course, and after sex that night when he curls up with her, she thought she won. But the next morning he's gone with only a goodbye note in his place.

Meanwhile, Samantha feels she's closer than ever to accusing Julien of wrongdoing. She stays in contact with Jonny, but once she learns how Johnny treated Ruth, Samantha realizes it isn't Julien that is keeping Ruth from them; it's Ruth herself. She doesn't want to be found.

Days pass. Julien stays drunk. Ruth stays lost. Julien ends up in a church one night after leaving a bar and confesses everything to the priest who basically convinces him to go back to Ruth, and keep her as his in a special way if he truly cares for her. So a marriage proposal was made and that's that.

Except there's that pesky problem of Ruth's current marriage. So Julien hires a lawyer to get Jonny to sign a divorce agreement in exchange for $25,000. Samantha demands that he doesn't and tells him that Ruth is in Las Vegas and there's a chance she can get her back for him. But Jonny does, and he takes the money and uses it to get to Las Vegas.

The next night Julien and Ruth go to the same church and priest where Julien went a few nights prior. Before entering a call turns them around and there's Jonny with a gun and a whack of accusations. After all the initial yelling, he shoots Julien but Ruth steps in front of him. Samantha arrives to see all this.

A bystander calls 911, and while Jonny and Samantha are saying that it'll be here to save her, Julien knows otherwise. Ruth begs him to save her, and in the process of him trying to change her, she dies. Samantha arrests Jonny for murder, though it was an accidental murder, and arrests Julien for "crimes against humanity." The crime being trying to make someone into a vamp and is punishable by beheading.

Vampire criminals are kept in special cells and are given blood every once in a while just to be kept alive. And the blood isn't good; it comes from a blood bank and is stale. But Julien refuses all blood. One night when Samantha is in there with him, he talks about all his guilt, especially ruining Ruth's life and that he doesn't take the blood because he doesn't deserve to live.

The next night: Samantha goes to see him, calls out, but the cell is empty. So she slowly walks in, gun drawn..."As she did so, the form that had once been Julien René Durant collapsed upon itself in a cloud of dust until all that remained was a pile of ashes amongst a prison-issue grey jumpsuit.
She sighed. Never before had she witnessed a vampire starvation. She had not thought it even possible until now. Laughing to herself, she said, "He had the will after all..."
As she turned to leave, she wondered if she should have told him the truth--Mary Ruth Jacobson-Ryan survived."

AND THAT'S HOW IT ENDED.

Before I talk about what I liked and disliked, I'm gonna go on about the ending. Oh boy...well first there's a prologue that takes place later. Of course when I read it the first time I was clueless as to what's happening. After the book was finished, I went back to read it again. It's in Julinen's POV and takes place when he's in the jail cell. He thinks about Ruth and how he loves her and regrets her, and how she's the reason he won't drink. A) he wants to starve and B) the last blood he had was hers and he doesn't want to drink this utter stranger's stale blood; he said he wanted her blood to be the last thing he tasted. And more importantly he thought about her death. Needless to say, it is depressing.

Although the ending is dramatic, it's really unnecessary. Think about it. Ruth jumped in front of a vampire to protect him from a human gun. Um. HE WON'T DIE. She died for nothing! And then we get into the arresting of Julien. And Samantha says she arrests and kills a lot of vampires. How? She's a measly human while they're powerful immortals. I don't see how any of this really works. And it's not like she uses a special weapon on them. She just arrests them plain and simple. Cause I'm sure that's accurate... Uh huh.

While the ending is terrible, I applaud Bissel for being unique. How many paranormal romances end on a tragedy? There was only one other book I have ever read that ended with the vampire making her leave, and I cried. But at least there wasn't death and guilt thrown around left and right. Of course, we can all draw the similarities between this and Romeo and Juliet. So while I say this ending is unique, yes it is like R&J, but R&J is so commonly known for it. But how many people nowadays use that in their books?

And of course no book would be complete without the suicidal vampire. It was quite interesting actually. All the guilt, topped off with how he "ruined" Ruth's life, drove him to suicide. A nice parallel in a way, since all the prostitutes he's killed, he made it look like suicide.

And then we learn that Ruth lived! Now since the book is so open ended, we can assume that the vampire venom finally made it through her system and she's now one. But what if it didn't? What if the medics got to her in time and managed to save her? Which I find unlikely since the venom is in her system.... Anyway, sucks for Ruth. She wakes up as an immortal to find her ex-husband in jail for her murder and her vampire lover and would-be husband a pile of dust. Immortality just got lonely for her. I'm still having trouble processing why Julien was arrested. Yes, he was trying to inflict vampirism on a human, but at her request and he was trying to save her life! Sucks for Jonny though; tried to kill a vamp and accidentally shot his ex-wife.

Speaking of Jonny, what's up with his case now? He was arrested for her murder...but she's not dead (in a way). But he'd still do jail time because he almost did? Because he was the one still wielding that gun. Maybe? I don't know.

We just have to make the ending to this modern, paranormal version of Romeo and Juliet. Bissel says that in the future there is a chance for a sequel. Do I want to read this? Not really. Will I? Probably. My curiosity will drive me to it. I'm wondering what it'll be about. Ruth after she wakes. There's only two ways I really see that ending: suicide or a reconciliation with her abusive ex. Right before Jonny signs the divorce papers, we get flashbacks in his perspective of when he met Ruth and their life afterwards. He seems like he really did love her, and now that she's gone with their unborn child (because he doesn't find out the baby is gone until her before he shoots the gun) he realizes how wrong he was to her this whole time. So would that play out in the sequel? I can see Ruth doing this.

So while the ending is upsetting, it's also very unexpected. Lots of mixed feelings. So now what I liked and disliked about this book (other than the ending).

What I disliked:
~I couldn't fully connect to the characters. Though we got a background on all them, it was written in a way we couldn't emotionally attach. Instead of the story being in color for me; it's in black and white.
~Ruth's name. Mary, as her real name, Ruth as the one she goes by. Both are boring. And her full name is just long.
~The descriptions weren't the best to non existent. There was a lot of telling when it came to emotions and descriptions. And other times, I had a hard time getting a clear image of the characters, the scene, and the setting.
~Everything seemed to happen too fast. The book is kinda short, though, so that could be the reason.
~The realism in this book is not good at all. A book needs to be realistic through its characters and plot. And yes, although this is a paranormal, it can be realistic. I've read fantasies that are realistic. Again this is all in the characterization and plot points (other than the made-up creatures and/or places, of course.) Everything just seemed too easy for the characters (until the end) so...just...no.

What I liked:
~The start of the book. It starts out with Julien hunting, and it's really interesting reading it. I found it to be a really good hooking scene. (And the word "hooking" is not supposed to be a pun on the girls he picked up. Haha.)
~Despite everything, I liked the romance that developed between the two of them. It was cute.
~The spelling of Julien and Jonny's name. Common names but unusual spellings.

Overall, my feelings on this are eh. It was a cute book, the writing wasn't terrible, the plot was okay to say the least, my enjoyment level was just under the midway point. Despite the bad, I was hoping the couple would end up together. But will it be a book I reread? No. But while reading, there is this pull that the book has that makes you continue reading it. Halfway through, when I was still feeling meh about it, I couldn't not put it down.

Do I suggest this book? Probably not. Do I suggest it to people looking for a cute romance? Hell no! But I do suggest it to people who want to read an ending where the couple does not end up together.

And that's all the word vomit I have for this book. I think.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent read.

This was a pretty decent vampire read. Though parts were drawn out and Julien was kind of a whiney protagonist, the story itself was good. The ending was heartbreaking and left me wondering, though it could have come a hundred pages earlier.

[Cary Morton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally posted to Author Unpublished: http://authorunpublished.wordpress.com - It contains spoilers.

I had a hard time with this book. I wanted to like it so badly—I’d heard of the author before, and had the general idea floating through my mind that they were a good author, and so when I got ahold of Beyond the Reach of Judgment by Jo Bissell, I was excited to dig in. Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to walk into.

Right off the bat, I felt like the main characters, Ruth and Julien, lacked chemistry. The characterizations didn’t feel as intimate as I’d come to expect from a romance novel, and the detached, emotionless way Julien acted made it hard to like him as a main male lead. I didn’t like them—not as individual characters, and not as a couple. Both Julien and Ruth made decisions that reeked of poor judgment and immaturity, and considering the fact that Julien was a vampire, I found it hard to reconcile their decisions with the author’s fictitious reality. It wasn’t believable.

I’d also like to take a moment to point out how infuriating the Agent (I can’t be bothered with her name) was. Instead of being professional, she hunted down the wife of a man she only knew through association, a man who obviously had issues and willingly admitted to stalking said wife. It was clear to anyone with half a brain that this man was unstable, and yet she continued to help him—even when she eventually did have doubts about his sanity. She put another woman (Ruth) in danger. I’m pretty positive there’s some kind of girl-code floating around that says you don’t help an insane, dangerous man stalk another woman. I was disgusted with her as a character. Despite all the evidence that Ruth and Julien were happy and Ruth was in no danger, she continued to harass the couple…. it was sickening.

For the most part, the POV of the narrative stayed locked on Julien and Ruth—which was great… until it wasn’t. At one point, the POV switched to a third party POV to view their breakup, and I couldn’t help but sit back and wonder why I’d been pulled out of the intimate, tension-filled moment to a bystander POV. Another time closer to the end of the book, and perhaps more problematic, I was thrust into the unfavorable POV of Ruth’s soon-to-be-ex husband. This is a man who abused her, suffered from PTSD, and was in general, a creepy, stalker-type-personality. I did not like this man, and I liked being in his head even less. It felt like the author was trying to make me feel bad for this obviously sick individual who, for a brief moment, felt some remorse over the way he’d treated Ruth in the past, but even that was wiped away when he hunted her down and shot her.

The story was filled with potholes, cliché moments, unbelievable character actions, and lackluster characterization that made me want to put the book down. I slogged on, and I do mean slogged. I very nearly put down the book down and gave up, but I kept telling myself “I’m at 40%… maybe it’ll pick up… I’m at 80%… it’s almost over.” and I did, in fact, get through the book. Did I enjoy it? Not at all. This was not a sexy or heart warming read. It was a definite tragedy, and one that in my opinion, wasn’t written well.

In the end, the book was “meh.” I’m not particularly glad I read it, and I certainly wouldn’t read it again. I wouldn’t recommend it either. Obviously, I am in the minority of reviews for this book, so I can admit that there are probably a lot of people who will love this book, but I went into this novel expecting to find a sexy, paranormal romance, and instead I got a tragic thriller with a shoddy plotline and an infuriating cast of characters. It may not be a popular opinion, but it is my opinion. I implore you to read it for yourself if you’re so inclined, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[Erica Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more of your Anne Rice type of read.
Julien is actually a pretty scary guy. Not the modern glam vampire like Edward from Twilight. Actually when I first read his description after the prologue I was picturing more of a Nosferatu looking dude instead of a sexy guy who happens to drink blood to stay young and beautiful forever. Of course Julien doesn't stay this way after he gets some much needed nourishment but still, not the prettiest picture to have when you think you're reading a vampire romance novel. He did have one helluvan interesting back story though. The only problem is we only get to hear about a small part of it. His past was seriously interesting and it was kind of a waste that the author didn't explore it more.
Ruth! Again I would have liked her a lot more if her back story had been delivered better. She went through some seriously horrible stuff, and still managed to come out pretty ok but she was written almost two dimensional and a little unrealistic. No one comes out of tragedy unscathed or at least without a chip on their shoulder, the fact that she seemed to drop it all off and just embrace what could be with Julien without any sort of fear (besides the fear of being rejected as his lover) right out the gate was a tad unbelievable.
Ruth and Julien also didn't have great chemistry. Everything was instant with them, but not the believable love at first site or true mate fated kind of instant. It was the unbelievable kind where it all seemed a little forced. There wasn't an instant attraction when they met and most of the time that they spent together was written in clumps, "they spent the next three days.." and then wham now they have serious feelings for each other! It developed a little more throughout the book, and by the end it was easier to believe they strongly liked each other but nothing that screamed to me star crossed lovers, or oh yeah they'll last forever.
The ending left me wanting more thats for sure! I don't know if Jo Bissell plans on continuing this book into a series but I think it would have been much better if she had planned for more books in the beginning. She could have taken more care with the character detail, that would have made it easier to fall in love with them. Plus there was more than enough twists and changes in scenery for at least two books. Because Beyond the Reach of Judgement wasn't an extremely large book, it jumped from important scene to important scene without that smooth transition that makes the story fun to read. The best way I can phrase it would be that this book read like a persons summary of an epic vampire romance tragedy instead of the actual book. Sometimes its ok to make us (the readers) wait, give us a book filled with plenty of details so that your characters come to life, give us highs and lows with space in-between to fill our minds with tension, it will make the dramatic endings or cliff hangers even more powerful and more memorable to us.
Over all, even though I found this book lacking in certain aspects, the ending was shocking enough that I would like to see what were to happen if another book ever came out.

[Mary Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day while I was on Twitter, tweeting with another author, I got a tweet from the creative and talented Jo Bissell. She sent me a digital copy review of Beyond the Reach of Judgement. I shrugged as I looked at the title but I had promised I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I had just come down with the flu/pneumonia and my reading fell behind, otherwise I would have raced through this vampiric adventure. Feeling better, I started reading at 21% this morning and COULD NOT put this book down. Let me also mention that I do not normally dive into a vampire story of any kind but something caught my attention whilst reading the synopsis and I was compelled to venture on. I cannot stress how appreciative I am that I was generously sent a copy because I would have most likely missed this one and that would have been a shame. Don't get me wrong. I am a major fan of Rice's Interview with the Vampire but that's about as far as I'd ever explored the vampire world. I feel that Twilight was a bit tweeny for my generation and although I watched the Twilight movies with my little sister, I would never read the series. Twilight is NOT for me. And then along came Jo Bissell and Beyond the Reach of Judgement!! Can I just say...WOW!

Written with depth and maturity, I was instantly SUCKED into the story of a European priest, turned vampire some 400 years earlier when Iroquois warriors of New France, now Ontario, Canada, captured, tortured, and staked him to the ground as a sacrifice to the Devil in the woods. This devil was the priest's vampire maker and her name was Tawiskala. Together, he and Tawiskala savagely hunted the Iroquois. Tawiskala had no mercy and enjoyed killing but the priest also killed for vengeance. Eventually, the vampires part ways and the priest, Julien Durant, wanders the earth for centuries, living with remorse and guilt, despising the monster he knows himself to be. Then came Ruth, the beautiful prostitute Julien intends to feed on. Nothing will ever be the same again. The hunter will become the hunted and the consequences will be forever.

I screamed in agony when I read the last chapter. I did!! I wanted the story to continue. I wasn't ready for it to end. However, Bissell has assured me that she is currently working on the sequel. Well, do hurry!! Like a vampire craves blood, I crave more of Beyond the Reach of Judgement. Who knew that I would be TURNED into a vampire lover! I LOVED this delicious read right down to it's very last drop of blood!!

[Amanda Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*All spoilers removed* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond the Reach if Judgement by Jo Bissell

Like all truly great love stories, tragedy at its best. From the start of this novel it felt like a paranormal Romeo and Juliet with some Pretty Women mixed in. Sounds odd I know but read and you will defiantly understand!!

This was a good read, a bit sad, so if your in the mood for a hopefully cheer you up read, save this for another day. It was defiantly a worth while read and leaves the reader needing to know what's to come. The author leaves done things as a mystery until later in the book and then uses flashbacks to let the reader know about past events. I think this gives them a more dramatic flare and unique perspectives.

The characters are like some that I've encountered before, yet with a new spin. Opposites attract.... A female hooking for cash, a rich man. A devote Christian and wicken. This book brings us two very different people that are both unhappy in their current circumstances, but the reasoning could not be more different. A beautiful love develops at a more reasonable pace than some paranormal romances (although this one seemed unlikely to me, but it's the forbidden Romeo n Juliet thing), but as I mention of course ends with a taste of tragedy. Unexpected and if you really need to know, READ IT. Or of course you could cheat and locate a review full of spoilers...

The about the author suggest that this book will have a follow up. I did enjoy this read, but am not entirely sure I will be reading it. Maybe... I would like to know what unfolds in the after tragedy, but am not sure how many more surprising turns the book could take, seeing on how my favorite is no longer an option. And Agent Wolf, grrr. Another authority figure I despise. It didn't have to be that way but the last if her thoughts in this novel made me want to slap her...!

Overall yes I would recommend this book, just be prepared it is not all smiles and cheer or your typical paranormal romance. Not a bad thing but different. I hope you enjoy, I did :)


R2R for LoP
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Karen Voitik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the author and from Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.

> Beyond the Reach of Judgement is a standalone book with a tragic ending.

>The book opens as the vampire, Julian, sits in jail. He is being held by an agent who knows what he is. Julian is thinking about his love, Ruth. The book then flashes back to the first meeting between Julian & Ruth. Ruth had escaped an abusive relationship, but circumstances forced her to turn to prostitution to make ends meet. Her first client? Julian. Julian's intent was to drain her in order to feed, as he usually does every few weeks. No spoilers, but he decides to let Ruth live. They are drawn to each other, Ruth inexplicably accepting that Julian is a vampire. No disbelief at all. Paranormal is the fantasy among reality. The story must be able to be loosely, believable. The characters must act as realistically as possible in the fantasy situation. This is not the case with Ruth.

>A Special Agent, friends with the estranged husband of Ruth, begins to stalk the couple. Ruth and Julian go on the run/vacation, in order to hide, while having fun spending tons of money. There is a superfluous character of Julian's maker, which show up for no reason really. If she played a larger part of the story, I could understand her introduction. The ending takes the reader back to the jail cell, with Julian and a hell of a tragic secret.

>Julian was a priest in his past life. The use of religion and religious prayer, especially in Latin, was a bit much. Beth was a Wiccan, barely mentioned, but there was a still an instance of her religion ceremony in which not much happens and isn't used to advance the story. I enjoyed being introduced to the day walker vampires. Once again, other than tipping off the special agent, the story could've used any type of character to fill that role. The day walker phenomenon was introduced and forgotten. This book had a great idea that just didn't deliver. The purpose of the book seemed to be as a support for the book's very last sentence.

> This book is for an audience of 18 or older, due to implied sex in the novel.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal).

Beyond the Reach of Judgement is a story of survival and second chances at love in the world of vampires and mortals. A human named Ruth is the victim of an abusive marriage and looks to escape this part of her life by becoming a prostitute. Her first client is a vampire named Julien. Due to the unanticipated tragic circumstances of this first encounter, Ruth and Julien run away together and eventually fall in love. During this time, they are being tracked by a government agent who knows Ruth's husband and also dealing with the circumstances of Ruth's sudden disappearance. The agent eventually catches up with Julien and Ruth towards the end of the story.

As far as the characters go, I have mixed feelings. In his pre-vampire life, Julien was a priest, and the author made it very clear that this part of his past still played a significant role in his immortal life. Religious phrases in Latin appear throughout the story, but I felt it was a little bit much at times and the author could have cut back on the number of them. I was surprised how easily Ruth was able to accept Julien as a vampire. Ruth also came across as a very weak, codependent character.

There were a few parts of the story that I felt could have used a little more development. Julien's maker makes an appearance, but it was unclear what the purpose of her appearance was in terms of the big picture. Also, the concept of vampires able to walk in sunlight was introduced with little development. Personally, I think this last concept could play a significant role in a future novel, if the author chose to go that route.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Reach of Judgement by Jo Bissell

4 Stars

Running from an abusive husband Ruth finds herself having to do the unthinkable and use her body to make money. On her very first night on the streets she meets Julien, nervous but desperate she goes with him to a hotel. Julien has been a vampire for many years but has never really been comfortable with the killing side of his nature. As he is draining the life out of Ruth he hears the fluttering of a heartbeat, realising she is pregnant guilt overtakes him and he tries hard to save both Ruth and the baby.

Beyond the Reach of Judgement is a vampire story like none I have read before. Julien began his life as a Jesuit priest so becoming a killer went against everything he believed in. Meeting Ruth, having someone depend on him and trust in him was like a gift to Julien, and it was sweet to watch him as he began to find peace with himself.

Although I started out liking Ruth, she became overly confident to the point of arrogant and the switch in her personality as the story moved along frustrated me. At first she seemed sweet and innocent but it didn’t take long for my feelings to change toward her until I got to the point where I really didn’t care much for her at all.

The end was shocking, I didn’t see it coming and thought it added an interesting twist to an already fresh plot. It was sad and made me feel quite angry towards agent Wolfe, another character we met along the way. Her deception was cruel and made me question who the real monster was in this book.

The pacing was steady and overall this was a good read.

Copy supplied for review

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Lovers of Paranormal, LoP**

Wow, I did not expect that ending. Even with this book being a tragedy, I was still surprised. This book has a great story line. The way it unfolded was quite an a adventure. The love that grew between the characters was undeniable. It was a fairy tale, minus the blood sucking monster. Ruth's character is such a selfless woman, but whiny at times which added to her personality. Julien is not the typical vampire. I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were good. The story line is well thought out. A good paranormal/romance/tragedy. A good add to

[Maria York · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story started out a bit off scale, but it hurried on into a great story. A tragic love that bloomed over time, with a woman who had come out of a violent marriage and into a life of love and happiness. Although, through their short relationship they had to over come many twists and turns they survived through the love that they had built. This was a great paranormal romantic tragedy that I enjoyed reading, but was surprised at the ending!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was half finished with this book when I got a bad case of the shingles and was too sick to finish it in a timely manner. Now I've returned to my reading and I loved this book but didn't like the ending. I felt Julian should have an eternity with Ruth. Agent Wolf, I wanted to strangle her and go after another vampire and leave Ruth and Julian alone and let them be continue to be happy!!!!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book !!! I was shocked by the ending.... I would have liked to know ruth's future?

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent.

I enjoyed this story.

Probably could have used one more run through for spelling errors, but didn't really bother me too much.