Beyond Fate

Beyond #1.5

by Lee McCormick

“Maybe in our next life, things will be different? It can be you and me. Maybe we’ll finally fit. Soulmates, right? So maybe…”

Clay

I’ve been on a hundred jobs, but I’ve never met a person like Jayce Holden. He’s everything I shouldn’t want, wrapped in a protective package that seems hellbent on making sure I’m safe from his family. Making sure I’m his.

I'm not sure what I want... not when my mission is to kill his father, and Jayce is the only person who knows where to find him.

Jayce

I’ve had a dream of the same man my entire life. Sometimes, he’s soft and sweet… and sometimes, he’s trying to kill me. Sometimes he does.

When Clay walks into my life, I recognize him immediately. I know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him, whatever it takes to make him mine… even if it means defying my family and putting everything on the line.

BEYOND FATE is a dual POV novella that follows Jayce and Clay into the future for their shot at finding happiness in their next life. While connected to the Beyond universe, this is a uniquely crafted story set in the future to give two characters their very deserved happily ever after. Expect high heat, an assassin and the son of a mafia boss fighting for their chance at love, and the HEA that everyone demanded.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark, Dark Romance, Romance, Novella, Second Chance, Enemies To Lovers

183 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2024

About the author

Lee McCormick has been writing since they were very young, and they've finally found the courage to offer up some of their favorite ideas to the world. Parent to two amazing kids and three pretty fantastic dogs, they've always been fascinated with dark romance and love that transcends time and reason.

When they aren't busy working on their novels, you can usually find them browsing queer romance recommendations or playing a video game. 

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

“Do you think two people are destined to meet, to be together over and over again, no matter what life they live?”

Clay broke my heart in Beyond Time , so to be gifted this lovely HEA was everything I didn’t know I needed to complete the story.

Even not being strictly connected to book one, I still caught the little snippets of their past lives, the glimpses of Kade and Seth within Clay and Jayce, all the pieces coming back together. I got so giddy, literally kicking my feet, when they touched the spots like Jayce and Seth would. It was too precious.

We interlinked like pieces of a puzzle, perfectly aligned.

This novella repaired all the hurt the previous installment had left behind, and I’m still deeply enthralled by this world Lee McCormick has created, I can’t wait for the next work they cook up.

«And then he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine and it was just us—two men who had found one another against all odds, against all reason, because fate knew exactly where we belonged.»

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Mafia boss’ son vs assassin
- Mentions of drugs & human trafficking
- Threats of rape (off page)
- Murder & Violence
- Parental abuse
- Strict top/bottom
- Brief rimming
- 69
- Intercrural
- Possessive MCs
- Past lives/soulmates

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond Fate is an amazing continuation of Jayce and Clay's story from Beyond Time. I was captivated by their story and was so excited to see more from these two. I could not have been more pleased, surprised, and happy with their long-awaited happy ending.

I enjoyed the strong personalities of both Jayce and Clay. Clay knows how to take care of himself and places himself right in the middle of a dangerous game that puts him directly into Jayce's crosshairs. Immediately you can sense a connection between the two. Even Jayce and Clay are shocked at the immediate need to protect, defend, and possess one another.

The whole concept of shared lives and reincarnation is such a fascinating element of their story.
The glimpses into their past were so well done and added so much emotional depth and weight to this story.

Overall I was blown away by the emotional depth of this story. Jayce and Clay are completely different from Seth and Kade, and with that differential you can still sense and feel their connection, regardless of personality differences, their souls match and make for a beautiful action-packed romance that I could not get enough of. Cannot wait for what comes next!!!

** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[Book Binge: Reviews by Melissa DaSilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It would never be enough. I would want him every day for the rest of my life. This life, the next life. Every life. I would love him forever.”

I will be perfectly honest that I really didn’t want this story. I was one of the ones who was completely satisfied with who was alive and had a HFN at the end of Beyond Time. I was sad of course for the loss of their other identities but it ended perfectly for me. So I didn’t really see a need for a story for Jayce and Clay. Well boy was I wrong!!!!!

This story is completely different than book 1 but I loved it just as much! If you haven’t read book 1 I honestly think you’d be fine to read this one. You’ll just miss out one some of the freaking amazing moments where they think about past lives but you will still understand the story and enjoy it. It hurt my heart every time I read anything to do with their past lives. I need more reincarnation books!

I loved Jayce and Clay (maybe even more than Kade and Seth 😮 can I say that when I loved them so much? 😂). It’s so hard to compare because really this is a completely different story. I honestly could just read story after story of these four and all their different reincarnations. I didn’t see how we were going to get a HEA in this life for these two but we did and I’m so happy!

If you weren’t a fan of book 1 for any reason I still suggest giving this one a try. It’s a very clear romance with just the two characters and no conflicting feelings about who you might want to end up together. I absolutely recommend these books and this author and I really look forward to what they come out with in the future!

[haletostilinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐︎ 3.75 stars rounded up ⭐︎

I might be in the minority with this one.

As in, I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. Kind of like the first book, it did not outright 'wow' me.

Honestly, the first 40% of this was slow going for me. I wasn't 100% connecting with Clay and Jayce, there was barely action in the plot to make up for that, and I was worried of getting to a point where I'd DNF this, and I didn't want that.

Thankfully, around then, it picked up big time. Things were moving along at a much faster pace - and for a novella that is under 200 pages, you expect things to be a fast pace, so I was surprised that it was so slow beforehand - and I was getting into Clay and Jayce as a couple as well.

The thing is, I fear the author might have thought they had a built in foundation for these two, from the previous book, and the fact that they're versions of Seth and Kade.

Well, I don't agree. These versions of them have actually never met, and there are enough differences in their personalities that they mostly feel like completely different people to Seth and Kade.

So I personally needed more than just "I've been dreaming of him my whole life" and that kind of insta-love "I just knew he was mine" type of deal between them. I need to see them fall in love just as much as we saw with Seth and Kade to believe it.

And it eventually got there - and I do admit, even in the slower first half, it was taking some time with them, and not just immediately diving in, so it gets points for that - but it felt like it was taking the easy route at first.

And I did eventually enjoy these two. I kind of liked that there was kind of a reversal between them, from what Seth and Kade were.

Not that Jayce didn't have that darkness in him that Kade has. But he truly feels like a less intense, less psychopathic version of Kade. So Jayce wasn't a sweet, kind guy like Seth with just a teensy bit of darkness, he was darker than that for sure. But he wasn't Kade levels. And Clay felt pretty much how he did in the first book, closer to Kade. Close to a sociopath, I'd say.

But something in this timeline, about Jayce, made him defy those he worked for this time instead of betraying him/killing him/hurting him. This time, they got it right.

I was happy to see these two get their own HEA. They did get the raw deal in the first book, so I'm happy to know, as we go on with this story back in the present time, that one day in the far off future, these two get the HEA they deserve.

I do wish there had been just a little bit more care and time given to their sex scenes in this. The first time they do frottage between Clay's legs because they couldn't have penetrative sex, for some reason? I was little confused as to why. I thought maybe because they were on the run and had to be quick, but they still had a full on frottage session, so that didn't entirely track for me. The only other thing I can think of is no lube, but...then why didn't the story just say that? Without knowing, I'm still sitting here confused on why they couldn't that first time.

And then when they have full on sex at the end, it felt a tad rushed to me. Like a "oh yeah we're near the end and I haven't done a penetrative sex scene, let's get through that real quick" kind of thing, so I wasn't entirely feeling it. It did get a little steamy near the very end, but it was almost too little, too late.

So, I don't know if I'm gonna have tomatoes thrown at me for not entirely loving this, but don't fret! It did pick up for me and I did start to enjoy these two, enough to give this 3.75 stars that are ultimately rounded up to 4 stars.

I will say that the last 60% went by a lot faster and was more enjoyable for me than the first 40%, so this story gets major points for that. And I did start to feel the connection between Clay and Jayce the longer the story went on, and the more they did for each other, risking it all for the one person that was made for them.

While the plot did pick up, I was never entirely sold on the meat of it. I didn't particularly care for the whole mobster/Clay trying to kill the mobster angle, although it served its purpose enough that it helped pick up the story for me, so it still gets points for that, too.

I think what made the first almost half so slow for me was that they were barely doing anything, and weren't using the time they had alone before things picked up to get to know each other too well. But thankfully there were enough moments where they inadvertently did anyway that it wasn't completely slow for me.

So yeah, this could have been better, and for a novella, it did not need to be so slow for a good portion of this, but it picked up and improved on the chemistry and connection between Clay and Jayce as it went on, so major points for that.

I still can't wait for the second book in this series. The concept of this series is still so fascinating to me. And I am ultimately so happy Clay and Jayce got their HEA as well, they deserved it.

Onto the next! 😍

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review

My Ratings for the Beyond Series:

🔆 Beyond Time: 4.25 stars (my review)
🔆 Beyond Fate: 3.75 stars

[S.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of those people who read the first book in this series and felt bad for Jayce and Clay, so when I heard that the author was going to release a novella featuring the two of them, I was so here for it. And this did not disappoint.
Set in a non-disclosed future, Clay is an assassin for the government who does whatever is needed in order to get the job done. Including putting himself into the position to have to handle a serious sexual assault – all in a day’s work. But then the giant mechanic that keeps watching puts himself in the middle, messing up Clay’s plans for getting close to the big boss and suddenly, all bets are off.

The tension between Clay and Jayce is palpable from the very beginning and getting to see what they are thinking through the dual POV is excellent for understanding just what the heck is going on. Jayce has memories – dreams of Clay – that have been going on for a very long time and just wants to figure out what the hell is going on. And maybe see if Clay could be the one person in the horrid existence he is living that can make it all worthwhile. Clay, on the other hand, is discovering that there are things about his past and himself that he has no memories of and Jayce just happens to be one of them.

Despite being a novella, the story doesn’t rush straight into a relationship between the two of them. Instead, it simmers in the background whilst the story of a son desperate to get out from underneath the thumb of his evil father and the government assassin who should be using said, unknown son in order to get to the father hurtles along with a sense of impending doom hanging over everything. The interactions between Clay and Jayce get more and more intense, and things throw us into meeting characters that we completely and utterly hate (I’m talking Nick here) as well as hopefully someone we’ll meet again (Rhys) and this story grabs you and doesn’t let go.

I’m beyond excited for the next instalment and really pleased that Clay and Jayce got the action and romance that they deserved. A very satisfying novella and I recommend giving this author a read!

I received an ARC from GRR.

[⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven• · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling MM romance which is sweet despite their dark circumstances, kept me on toes with its twists & climax, finally giving HEA to 2 soulmates that we wanted & they deserved 🥰. I devoured my #ARC in 5hrs, omg I love Jayce & Clay so much!

Jayce is the mafia boss' son; protective, badass but gentle too. Clay is the assassin sent to kill the boss; vicious, calculating but soft too. Their sweetness only for eachother tho 😉. Their personalities was what I expected! And, this time, they fit & complimented eachother 😭🥰.

I'm biased (duh), but for those who've read Beyond Time, this is the best companion novella! Giving Clay & Jayce their HEA 😍 in a future timeline! Omg the Easter eggs 🤭.

As a standalone, it is pretty good. A "supposed" enemies to lovers with a soulmate twist, their walls broke down in face of unexpected yet long awaited love. C's job, J edging us, that climax had me soo anxious! I love that they kill for eachother & have their backs 😁. Loved the subtle futuristic vibes! RTC.

So is Rhys getting a story?? 👀

Story Ratings:

POV: 1st person, Dual POV
1) Overall Enjoyment—> 5/5
2) The Characters: 5❤️/5
3) Top feels: 😳😇🥺🥰😅🤭😬🤬😭😟😍😏😉
4) Steamy scenes: 2.5/5
5) Levels: Cute+Swoon: 4/5
Angst+Thrills: 3/5
Dark: 3/5
6) Creativity + world: 4.7/5
7) Plot arc: (Soulmates, Mafia trouble—Awesome story for novella) 5/5
8) Writing style + pace: 4.6/5

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Still, when he drew me up against him and I laid my head down on his chest, I realized the rhythm of his heart was a song I’d known my entire life."

This from a girl who hates novellas....... Beyond Fate by Lee McCormick was the novella I never knew I needed but I had to have!

If you haven't read Beyond Time by Lee McCormick, go and do it immediately and then come back and read Beyond Fate.

And if you have read Beyond Time, then you will understand if I just say Clay and Jayce finally get their HEA!🖤

"My eyes flicked between the gun at his chin and the blood on his lips. "I would have loved you. Without all of this, without everything going on, I would have loved you."

Of course it's 5 stars!!

[B.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fucking intense.
Can be read as a standalone. The book is very mafia forward with Beyond Time aspects. It's explained well so you don't feel like your lost.
Things Jayce had to do to survive is really unfathomable. His "dad" is POS.
Hints of sexual assault.
Made it seem as though Jayce had to do certain things to keep up a persona, or he knew he wouldn't be violent like others. Many deaths.
Clay was searched by Nick, and that was gling awry before Jayce.
This book does contain a lot of murder and blood lol
But also finding the person you're always supposed to be with no matter the costs.

Jayce wanting to hold of on anything intimate because he didn't wasn't Clay to feel like he HAD to. 👏👏👏
I'm glad Clay pulled his head out his ass.
It is steamy, but I would say it's also plot heavy. For a novella, it was very balanced. I would say from 65-70% the intensity and all the things that were happening was making me anxious lol but that's great storytelling.

Nick is a butthole and got the ending he deserved.
Rhys was the best side character who got so little on screen time. I hope he gets his own book.

[Leigh Gaskill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is it, the HEA we all wanted in Beyond Time but didn’t think could happen! Jayce & Clay have incarnated together in this timeline, and unfortunately Clay has been sent to assassinate Jayce’s father.

This may be a novella but the pacing is such that it doesn’t read like one. Beyond Fate is well plotted out, doesn’t feel rushed, and is packed with action. There are also elements of both hidden identity and miscommunication. While neither of these men’s personality is bloodthirsty by nature, make no mistake they can and will each bring the heat.

Lee McCormick’s writing, as with their debut novel, is superb and has me begging for the next when this novella is not out for the masses as of yet. Fantastic addition to this series, cannot rave about this enough!

I received an advanced copy and these are my unbiased thoughts.

[Tare · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Beyond Time I was of course so ready to see Jayce and Clay get their HEA (especially my baby Clay).

I love the glimpses and snippets we got of their past lives and their connections. Jayce has been dreaming of Clay (and all the variations of his soul) his whole life. Imagine the emotion of finding that person in real life?! I just adore soulmate stories and Lee did the concept so wonderfully. Honestly I could read about these 4 over and over in many different reincarnations.

Jayce and Clay once again should be enemies but their pull towards each other is undeniable and they quickly realize they are ALL IN. The possessive, protective touch-him-and-die vibes were off the charts and I was absolutely here for it.

“Did he remember what it felt like to slide a knife into my side? Did he remember the warmth of a dozen first kisses? Did he remember what I was almost positive were lives we’d lived before?”

And one more because Lee has to continually hurt me with this line…

“Maybe in our next life, things will be different? It can be you and me. Maybe we’ll finally fit. Soulmates, right? So maybe…” 🥺🥺

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

Beyond Fate is book 1.5 in the Beyond series and follows Beyond Time. The books should be read in order, as both characters and their intricate story are introduced in the first book. This book is set in the future in the next lives of the characters and the author stated that this book could be interpreted as an alternate universe.

The relationship aspect of the book is electric, as Clay and Jayce are end goals and all goals. Nothing else ever feels right in their lives, since they are soulmates in every life, and the author does a great job with their intimate and private moments.

Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.

[S.S. Genesee · Rating 5 out of 5]

These boys!! In whatever incarnation they appear in, whether it be Kade and Seth or Jayce and Clay, I love them so much, your honor. All the little references to their past lives, dreams of who they'd been, ahhhh it tugged at my heart strings just remembering everything they'd been through.

This really is a book you cannot read without reading the first; a companion novella, if you will. While this IS set in the future in a different lifetime, one would have a better understanding of who these characters are and what they mean to each other from learning the events of BEYOND TIME. And HOLY WAH does it just make the emotions hit even harder!! Especially the sweet sweet epilogue, that made me swoon so hard. Happy and extremely satisfied, thank you Lee for the ARC <3

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yeah, Clay and Jayce, well deserved HEA. This was cute. Really sad (Why did you have to give Jayce such a sad story, Lee? That’s just uncalled for). Ok though… I’m gonna tell you right now. I still feel like I didn’t get enough backstory for Clay. I KNOW I KNOW WE GOT A WHOLE BOOK. But I feel like I know all of Jayce’s story, but like next to none of Clay’s… but I still really enjoyed this book, and I loved the beginning where Lee says that we can think of it as in the future OR as an AU. Personally, I stuck with AU cause I don’t like the idea of Cade and Seth being done…….. but I liked this. Now, on to book 2!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it really hard to get into this book. Maybe if I hadn't read book 1 in the series it would have been easier.
I know the author has set this in an AU, but I kept remembering thigs from the first book.
I will continue on with the series but perhaps this book exists.

[Janee Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was everything that I wanted! Because I was not going to rest until I saw Clay get his HEA. The fact that this was a mafia romance was also a great touch because I eat that stuff up.

[Tate Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read.
Just the right amount of violence.

[【Ｓｔａｒｓ ａｔ Dａｗｎ】 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would want him every day for the rest of my life. This life, the next life. Every life. I would love him forever.

What a HEA this is. And the HEAT! There are so many things I’d like to say about this story but I’m just so choked and in love. So good.

[Kat Moreid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possessiveness is my jam and this book is all about he's mine and touch him, you die. This book feeds the possessive monster and it makes me sooooo happy!! Jayce and Clay didn't get their HEA in the first book, they were beaten, lost, and broken. Their story was a tragedy and we as readers needed them to find each other again, somehow, someway! Making it a mafia story? Ugh, yassss. Why are there not more mafia stories? Soulmates through the ages with a dark, violent side. No shame for the darkness within them, no need to hide it. All each knows is "He is mine." The last part of the book was amazing. It hit me hard and I loved every second of it. I cannot wait for more!!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely read after book 1, giving us a satisfying HEA for two people we loved! I adored their story!

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved beyond time but the only thing I 'hated' was that jace and clay were just gone, they just didn't exist anymore, and it made me sad, like they mattered and then they're just not there
And what happened to clay just killed me and he deserved an happy end, that whole scene made me sad and he deserved better.
And I just wanted answers and basically them to exist and be happy

And then they eventually were, loved all the highlights to all their previous lives, that was pretty cool, this whole concept will always blow my mind tbh, really enjoyed this

[Brooke Greathouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t care for this one as much as the first book. It was only 180 pages, but it was really repetitive and dragged on and on. I honestly have no idea what was happening. It didn’t make any sense. I thought Jayce and Clay were different souls finally getting their HEA, but, they were a reincarnation of Seth and Kade. Idk. Just confusing.

[winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’all mind if I scream?

AAAAAAAA SO MANY CALLBACKS TO BOOK 1, SO MANY HURTS HEALED!! This series has rotted my brain this week. I can’t stop thinking about it!! The way that ultimately these are two souls that will find each other no matter what… I’d like to think that fate fucked everything up for them at first because it knew it would get it so right eventually.

Spice: 3/5
Angst: 3-4/5

[myqueerbookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond Fate by Lee McCormick is a novella, book 1.5 in the Beyond Series. This novella is a dual POV that follows Jayce and Clay into the future for their shot at finding happiness in their next life.

« mafia x assassin »
« past lives/reincarnation »
« soul mates »
« possessive MCs »
« size difference »
« touch him & die »
« instant obsession »
« second chances »
« “I bought him, so he’s mine” »


Clay and Jayce completely GUTTED me in Beyond Time, so I was so happy that these two got their own story. As Lee stated, Clay and Jayce deserved and demanded more! This novella repairs the hurt and utter heartbreak left in book one’s wake. I absolutely loved Clay’s and Jayce’s story and their much overdue HEA.

“Why did I feel like every moment of my life had led me to this point, and no matter what I’d done, no matter who I’d been in the past, it was always going to be this? It was always going to be him. It was always going to be Clay.”

Lee McCormick’s character development continues to be on point! I really enjoyed Clay’s and Jayce’s personalities and how we got a strong sense of their personalities even within a short novella which is no small feat.

Clay and Jayce are instantly drawn to each other. An instant obsession is formed where they both feel the need to protect each other with a sense of possessiveness to claim each other as “mine,” even at their own risk. This confuses Clay as he had long learned to look out for himself and no one else. I continued to thoroughly enjoy Lee’s take on reincarnation, past lives, and soul mates! I can’t wait for Beyond 2 and/or anything else this author puts out!


[I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review].

[Reemz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time putting my thoughts into words with this one. I was seriously looking forward to this book…you can kind of tell from my review of the last one that I preferred pretty much every combo of relationships over the one that we got (Seth and Kade) so knowing that Jayce and Clay were going to get their happy ending made me very excited.

Unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed. The author mentions at the beginning of this book that this whole story was supposed to be a bonus scene. And you know what? That’s exactly what this felt like. It’s like a bonus scene that goes on for 150 pages too long. There just isn’t an interesting enough plot here to keep the book going. Everything feels rushed and not fleshed out at all. It’s almost like a fanfiction.

I didn’t hate this book or anything but it feels pretty pointless and the writing is a bit of a downgrade from the first book. I get that this is supposed to be essentially fan service but that doesn’t mean it has to be mediocre.

I think I’m in the minority with this opinion though so no hate to you if you liked this book. If you did, I’m honestly glad for you. I wish I did too.

[Jen (Fae_Princess_in_Space) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh I really struggled with this one - I LOVED beyond time but this one just fell a little flat for me?

I know these two were supposed to be reincarnations of Seth and Kade but honestly, they read as completely different characters and I just didn’t bond with either of them. I just never got invested in them because I think the author hoped we would immediately equate them with the characters from Beyond Time, but to me, because there was no story crossover, they were just badly introduced new characters - a mechanic/adopted son of a mafia lord and an assassin… from the government? Maybe? I’d have preferred if this directly continued from the last book as Clay gave the body they shared up to Seth… just any extra link to hook me in. It just didn’t feel like an HEA for Jayce and Clay, just a novella about two separate characters.

I know a lot of people loved this one, and I have high hopes for the next book in the series, but this one just wasn’t for me.

[Wren Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful story blew me away with, not only the entire premise of the story, but the depth of emotion. I cried several times!
This is a fast pace story but I didn’t feel it was rushed and I was left with absolutely no doubt these men are fated to be and would get their HEA.

This is a novella that follows on from Beyond Time. I have not yet read Beyond Time, but I don’t feel I missed out on the passion these 2 men have for each other. I will read Beyond Time in the near future.

[Alicia Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

I just couldn’t get into this one and I really liked the first book. I think the need to “fix” it was unnecessary but that’s my opinion.

[J.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though the author didn’t give me quite the ending I might have wanted for the previous book in this series (but an excellent one nonetheless), they almost did something even better—they gave me a second book. I immediately jumped into this one, looking forward to seeing how a resolution for Clay and Jayce would come to fruition. As the next variations of reincarnated souls, I was definitely curious how they would connect with each other and how much they might remember in these new lives without the medical intervention of the previous book’s inciting incident.

This story is not a “fix it” for two characters who didn’t get their happily ever after. McCormick ensures that this story does its own heavy lifting and is able to stand on its own as a mobster/hitman dark romance. Removing the context of the first book and adding a bit of the “insta love” trope would complete this separation, but I had much more fun picking out the overt and subtle echoes that made the two stories interweave nicely. I’ve read plenty of other books in which the heroes go a little feral for each other even before love is involved, and the extra layer of the inevitability of soulmates deepens the story here rather than acts as a narrative shortcut. That these men will always be each other’s weaknesses also serves as an excellent thematic connection with the first book. The climax of the story hit me right in the feels in the way Clay and Jayce quietly decide to trust each other, in much the same way as in Beyond Time when the characters were more aware of their circumstances.

Reading this book is not necessary, with the first standing nicely on its own, but I’m so glad that I did. McCormick’s spin on the soulmates trope in this series is a refreshing take that makes the emotional connection the characters work for so much more satisfying than having something that is simply meant to be. I already look forward to where McCormick will take this context next within the broader scheme of the overarching plot.

[S a n d r a · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨

I loved Beyond Time. It was a tremendous surprise, a magnificent discovery, and an intense, emotion-filled read. When I saw the preview of Beyond Fate at the end of said book and that the author intended to create a novella with Jayce and Clay as the main focus, I couldn't wait to read it.

Jayce and Clay deserved to have their own happy ending, and, as the author says, whether you take it as an alternative reality or as a future in which Jayce and Clay share one of their many lives, it's nice to see them enjoy their own HEA. However, it's still a novella, which implies short length with all that entails.

Jayce and Clay reunite amidst a plot of mafia and betrayals. Jayce, who has spent his whole life dreaming of someone he's never seen, recognizes Clay as soon as he lays eyes on him. Clay, on the other hand, though he doesn't remember Jayce as such, feels a certain familiarity and attraction to him that he can't explain.

I liked how different the story we find here is compared to the one we saw in the first book, but also how, with all, it influences and makes its presence felt at times. Jayce and Clay have an intense and tumultuous romance marked by the impossibility of denying what they feel and by the force of destiny, which leads them to encounter each other life after life.

A romance that fixes what was broken in the first book in the best way possible and gives us the ending that these two deserved to have but that, for obvious reasons, was impossible for them in the first book.

[369Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
After reading book 1, I absolutely felt for Clay and Jayce, and wished that their characters could have had a better fate. When I saw that there was a book 1.5 “fix it” sort of deal with Clay and Jayce as the MCs, I was so excited! I did still enjoy this book a lot, but there is a fatal flaw in it that I couldn’t really get over.

Basically, in the future, Jayce is reborn as an evil mafia boss’ son, while Clay works for the government and is trying to take down said mafia boss. The plot with them is fairly basic, but never dull. This was great for a novella.

Now that we have context, I must reveal the fatal flaw: This book is supposed to be a happy end for Jayce and Clay. In the previous book, it was established that Jayce was separate from Kade, though they were both incarnations of the same soul, they were both the same person. This is what made it so devastating when Kade took over. In this book, Clay and Jayce are reborn in the future. By the author’s own logic, then wouldn’t that mean that this Clay and Jayce would be different versions of themselves, just as different as Clay and Seth were from each other in book one? Meaning our original Clay and Jayce are stuck in book one, and this Clay and Jayce are simply new versions? Am I overthinking this?? I don’t know. Obviously I’m invested in these people!

Again, I loved the little details and callbacks to the past lives with these two. The implicit trust and devotion was so much fun. Despite my logistical qualms with the book’s premise, I think it’s so cool that the author added this novella in. I loved that we got more from these two soulmates ❤️