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Clouded Rainbow
Roger Belkin has everything going for him, the career, the car, the marriage. Roger spends his days working as an investment manager and planning his life with his wife, Lois. But just as Roger is living the American Dream, on one cold, dark night, he will lose everything. A horrific traffic accident tears Roger and Lois apart and sends this loving husband on a tragic journey to find his wife. How far would you go to find the one you love?
Downloaded over 200,000 times! Over 200 five-star reviews!
Praise for "Clouded Rainbow"
"This is a good airport book for a fast trip and it may even appear in a made [for] TV film." – Amazon Top 10 reviewer
"The story is tightly written, and powerfully told. It catches your attention and doesn't let you go. It is a story of hope and perseverance. It is truly a 5 star novel." – Amazon Top 200 reviewer
"Sturak has a good imagination, which is evident in the original plot of this story." – RT Book Reviews
"Emotional, chilling and definitely not what I expected..." – Senior Reviewer / MidWest Book Review
Downloaded over 200,000 times! Over 200 five-star reviews!
Praise for "Clouded Rainbow"
"This is a good airport book for a fast trip and it may even appear in a made [for] TV film." – Amazon Top 10 reviewer
"The story is tightly written, and powerfully told. It catches your attention and doesn't let you go. It is a story of hope and perseverance. It is truly a 5 star novel." – Amazon Top 200 reviewer
"Sturak has a good imagination, which is evident in the original plot of this story." – RT Book Reviews
"Emotional, chilling and definitely not what I expected..." – Senior Reviewer / MidWest Book Review
235 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2009
293 people are currently reading
1458 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Sturak
17 books77 followersJonathan Sturak grew up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He is a Penn State University graduate and holds degrees in Computer Science and Film. He currently lives in Las Vegas where he uses the energy of the city to craft stories about life and the human condition. "The Place Called Home," Sturak's essay about Eastern European heritage in Northeast Pennsylvania, was featured on Glass Cases, associate literary agent Sarah LaPolla's pop culture blog at http://glasscasesblog.blogspot.com/20.... Sturak is also a contributing editor at http://NoirNation.com, the premier location for international crime fiction. His debut thriller novel "Clouded Rainbow" was published in December 2009 and has over 200,000 downloads on the Amazon Kindle. Sturak keeps updated information on his website at http://sturak.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
March 27, 2012
Kindle.
What a thing of potential beauty you are. And yet also a double edged sword. Clouded Rainbow was imported directly into my thinky thing via the medium of Kindle. A free e-book? What could be nicer? I'll tell you. A free e-book that has been well edited. Kindle is a double edged sword for all writers as well, whether they have realised it or not. The note-taking and highlighting system means that reviewers, both kind and cruel, paid and unpaid can now make easy use of this facility, taking quick notes as they go along. This means the evidence of either genius or careless writing can be called up at a moments notice in a condensed form.
If you look through my back catalogue of reviews you will see that I am frequently, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, ironic but generally complimentary at least up to a point. I try not to be mean, overly critical or downright cruel. I've not written a fiction book so I can only guess how hard the process is. Admittedly cruelty and all of these other things are in my nature but the nice men in the uniforms said it was not good to torture authors. So I don't.
First off, I have to give a big thumbs up to anyone who will put in the time and effort, and go to great lengths to write a book. To then release it free to the baying book hounds on the internet clearly takes a lot of courage, and perhaps lady or man-balls the size of grapefruit, if not watermelon!
Clouded Rainbow has potential, at least where the plot is concerned: man and wife, deeply in love, go out to celebrate an anniversary and things are going swimmingly until a car accident on a bridge on the way home. Man is trapped in car while wife is ejected through the windscreen, over the bridge and into the watery depths of the river below. Both are then shipped to separate hospitals to recover and neither remember the accident. So begins Roger Belkin's one-man mission to find his wife and recover the pieces of life which has been shattered by one single incident. So, plot - check, yes there is definitely a clear plot line.
The delivery of the plot is let down by the obtuse and obfuscatory writing. Adjective and adverb heavy, unnecessary diversions and descriptions, misuse of words (brazen, transcend), bad grammar (the word is shone not shined for the love of god!).
Also the characters, particularly Roger and Lois seem to have a strange relationship with their body parts... frequently they seem to be described as if the part in question is independent from the character to whom they belong. For example, his brain felt confident in declaring that he was in the city last night P 136 Loc 2078. So the brain was there without Roger? And Roger rolled around on the hard pavement. He felt his bones yell. P169 Loc 2588.
Some of the prose made sense but was written in such a manner that it was necessary to take a moment to translate. I have 108 examples of this kind of thing highlighted within the book but here is an amuse-bouche;
Her words massaged his auditory nerve and further pushed him into serenity Sturak, J 2009 P32 Loc565
Does he feel calmed by listening to her voice?
In the entryway, a rhythm of bangs hit the front of the closed door Sturak, J 2009 P70 Loc 1127
Is someone knocking at the door then?
Detective Cleveland looked up the stairway before transcending Sturak, J 2009 P107 Loc 1656
Has Detective Cleveland died and passed over to the other side or is he climbing the staircase?
Then he had exercised the side of the bed as his resting place closest to the bottle P107 Loc 1666
Has someone slept on one side of the bed near a bottle?
Roger followed his sense of smell to the side of the building and then to the entrance of the tasty edifice Sturak, J 2009 P118 Loc 1811,
Is the building edible?
Then, in a sudden burst, the beeps from the microwave stabbed Carol's sensitive ears; her hand dropped the phone Sturak, J 2009 P133 Loc 2049
Someone else has already commented on this, but why is the microwave stabbing Carol's ears?
No one walked from the front of the restaurant which would spring the awaiting dogs to fetch a bone Sturak, J 2009 P163 Loc 2506
People in PA leave their pets at the front of restaurants?
He felt clobbered, beyond the breaking point of a tree branch used as a crutch Sturak, J 2009 P171 Loc 2625
I didn't understand this metaphor. Or is it a simile?
She remembered the feeling which was indescribable for anyone to receive Sturak, J 2009 P193 Loc 2959
Emotions are hard things to write about.
These two, however, were not mute as their opposite sex chromosome sparked a primitive flirtation Sturak, J 2009 P199 Loc 3044
Two people are flirting
and to close
The forgetful man could never be forgotten as he would always be just as she remembered him Sturak, J 2009 P235 Loc 3577
You have me there....
As a final note I would have to say that I have always been mistrustful of authors who rate their own books on this site... and give them five stars. Unless it is in an ironic way (I refer you to the Bizarro writers).
What a thing of potential beauty you are. And yet also a double edged sword. Clouded Rainbow was imported directly into my thinky thing via the medium of Kindle. A free e-book? What could be nicer? I'll tell you. A free e-book that has been well edited. Kindle is a double edged sword for all writers as well, whether they have realised it or not. The note-taking and highlighting system means that reviewers, both kind and cruel, paid and unpaid can now make easy use of this facility, taking quick notes as they go along. This means the evidence of either genius or careless writing can be called up at a moments notice in a condensed form.
If you look through my back catalogue of reviews you will see that I am frequently, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, ironic but generally complimentary at least up to a point. I try not to be mean, overly critical or downright cruel. I've not written a fiction book so I can only guess how hard the process is. Admittedly cruelty and all of these other things are in my nature but the nice men in the uniforms said it was not good to torture authors. So I don't.
First off, I have to give a big thumbs up to anyone who will put in the time and effort, and go to great lengths to write a book. To then release it free to the baying book hounds on the internet clearly takes a lot of courage, and perhaps lady or man-balls the size of grapefruit, if not watermelon!
Clouded Rainbow has potential, at least where the plot is concerned: man and wife, deeply in love, go out to celebrate an anniversary and things are going swimmingly until a car accident on a bridge on the way home. Man is trapped in car while wife is ejected through the windscreen, over the bridge and into the watery depths of the river below. Both are then shipped to separate hospitals to recover and neither remember the accident. So begins Roger Belkin's one-man mission to find his wife and recover the pieces of life which has been shattered by one single incident. So, plot - check, yes there is definitely a clear plot line.
The delivery of the plot is let down by the obtuse and obfuscatory writing. Adjective and adverb heavy, unnecessary diversions and descriptions, misuse of words (brazen, transcend), bad grammar (the word is shone not shined for the love of god!).
Also the characters, particularly Roger and Lois seem to have a strange relationship with their body parts... frequently they seem to be described as if the part in question is independent from the character to whom they belong. For example, his brain felt confident in declaring that he was in the city last night P 136 Loc 2078. So the brain was there without Roger? And Roger rolled around on the hard pavement. He felt his bones yell. P169 Loc 2588.
Some of the prose made sense but was written in such a manner that it was necessary to take a moment to translate. I have 108 examples of this kind of thing highlighted within the book but here is an amuse-bouche;
Her words massaged his auditory nerve and further pushed him into serenity Sturak, J 2009 P32 Loc565
Does he feel calmed by listening to her voice?
In the entryway, a rhythm of bangs hit the front of the closed door Sturak, J 2009 P70 Loc 1127
Is someone knocking at the door then?
Detective Cleveland looked up the stairway before transcending Sturak, J 2009 P107 Loc 1656
Has Detective Cleveland died and passed over to the other side or is he climbing the staircase?
Then he had exercised the side of the bed as his resting place closest to the bottle P107 Loc 1666
Has someone slept on one side of the bed near a bottle?
Roger followed his sense of smell to the side of the building and then to the entrance of the tasty edifice Sturak, J 2009 P118 Loc 1811,
Is the building edible?
Then, in a sudden burst, the beeps from the microwave stabbed Carol's sensitive ears; her hand dropped the phone Sturak, J 2009 P133 Loc 2049
Someone else has already commented on this, but why is the microwave stabbing Carol's ears?
No one walked from the front of the restaurant which would spring the awaiting dogs to fetch a bone Sturak, J 2009 P163 Loc 2506
People in PA leave their pets at the front of restaurants?
He felt clobbered, beyond the breaking point of a tree branch used as a crutch Sturak, J 2009 P171 Loc 2625
I didn't understand this metaphor. Or is it a simile?
She remembered the feeling which was indescribable for anyone to receive Sturak, J 2009 P193 Loc 2959
Emotions are hard things to write about.
These two, however, were not mute as their opposite sex chromosome sparked a primitive flirtation Sturak, J 2009 P199 Loc 3044
Two people are flirting
and to close
The forgetful man could never be forgotten as he would always be just as she remembered him Sturak, J 2009 P235 Loc 3577
You have me there....
As a final note I would have to say that I have always been mistrustful of authors who rate their own books on this site... and give them five stars. Unless it is in an ironic way (I refer you to the Bizarro writers).
March 27, 2012
I made it 11% into this Kindleing belch-inducing indigestibility before bulimia set in and I had to stop.
Really a shame, too, because I like the idea of a man and wife whose car accident gives them simultaneous amnesia and whose rescuers, being separated by time and distance (his damaged body remains in the car, hers is thrown free and reasonably unharmed), don't connect the two in their minds, leading to a search for each other with no idea of why they're separated.
In better edited hands, this would have been a fun thriller. As it was, adverbitis, adjectivitous hypertrophy, and severe, severe wrong-worditis coalesced to make this reader into a deleter.
Really a shame, too, because I like the idea of a man and wife whose car accident gives them simultaneous amnesia and whose rescuers, being separated by time and distance (his damaged body remains in the car, hers is thrown free and reasonably unharmed), don't connect the two in their minds, leading to a search for each other with no idea of why they're separated.
In better edited hands, this would have been a fun thriller. As it was, adverbitis, adjectivitous hypertrophy, and severe, severe wrong-worditis coalesced to make this reader into a deleter.
August 25, 2011
Ugh. "electronic beeps from the enraged microwave stabbed Carol's sensitive ears."
Why was this microwave so pissed off? Just one sample of overly-dramatic prose from this clunker.
Why was this microwave so pissed off? Just one sample of overly-dramatic prose from this clunker.
February 8, 2012
This book...was just not good.
I'm not sure if I was supposed to be on Roger's side throughout the events of the book, but I found him to be insufferable, classist, and obsessive (not in a good way).
I'm not sure if I was supposed to be on Roger's side throughout the events of the book, but I found him to be insufferable, classist, and obsessive (not in a good way).
January 15, 2015
This is NOT a thriller.
Way too overdescriptive, to the point where it got boring and I had to skip some paragraphs.
And, come on, it was so unbelievable! Roger left the hospital and no one noticed? Machines beep, staff notices! He had just been in a serious accident and he could just leave like that? His injuries let him cross the city? The whole police department was after him for some minor disturbances?
Way too overdescriptive, to the point where it got boring and I had to skip some paragraphs.
And, come on, it was so unbelievable! Roger left the hospital and no one noticed? Machines beep, staff notices! He had just been in a serious accident and he could just leave like that? His injuries let him cross the city? The whole police department was after him for some minor disturbances?
November 27, 2011
Got this as a freebie on ebookfling. Very overwritten, melodramatic story. Some compelling elements, lousy over romanticized ending. Seems like a student practicing to write a novel.
August 26, 2014
I seriously went through this entire book thinking it was written by someone in middle or high school. However, upon completing the book and seeing the "About the Author" section state that he is a graduate of Penn State University, I was actually surprised. This book is terrible....
For Example:
"Det. Cleveland had a logical, mathematical mind and solved his cases by deducing the truth from the facts presented. He didn't believe in magic or the paranormal and knew that every crime had a criminal" Pg 75 of 235
Um...Isn't that how all detectives work deducing truth from facts presented? And every crime has a criminal? Really? Was that line necessary?
Or how about:
"Tall oak trees obstructed the full view of the store, but the blinding sign lit up the sky lie the constellation Orion." pg 91 of 235
I was not aware that constellations were so blinding. Where is this city in which constellations shine so bright in the sky? Where I live they are the same brightness as all the other stars we see in the night sky (not including the sun, obviously).
And my final example (although I highlighted SEVERAL more examples of it's terribleness):
"The sound of Det. Cleveland's footsteps changed tone as he moved onto the older hardwood floors. Roger had remodeled the kitchen last year with new flooring and the entryway still had the original wood from the house's construction some 10 years ago. The detective, however, had no way of knowing this, and if he somehow found Roger hiding upstairs, the reason his footsteps sounded differently would probably be the last question he would ask." pg 106 of 235
Seriously?!?! OK, A) Who redoes the hardwood floors in a house that was just built 10 years ago? B) Why do I care about how his footsteps sounded, and C) Why the heck is this important? This entire paragraph is 100% unnecessary! It has absolutely zero to do with the story, the character experiencing it doesn't care or even know its going on, and the character that caused it isn't even there! He even says if he were there he still wouldn't ask about it because it would be the last thing he'd need!! WHY DID YOU MAKE ME READ IT THEN?
I have several other examples of the awfulness of this book but eventually I gave up highlighting them all because it would just be the entire book highlighted. And honestly, I feel bad that I've said this about something I know the author must have worked so hard to write (I would be devastated if someone said these things about something I had written), but I think that this really is a complete waste of a read.
For Example:
"Det. Cleveland had a logical, mathematical mind and solved his cases by deducing the truth from the facts presented. He didn't believe in magic or the paranormal and knew that every crime had a criminal" Pg 75 of 235
Um...Isn't that how all detectives work deducing truth from facts presented? And every crime has a criminal? Really? Was that line necessary?
Or how about:
"Tall oak trees obstructed the full view of the store, but the blinding sign lit up the sky lie the constellation Orion." pg 91 of 235
I was not aware that constellations were so blinding. Where is this city in which constellations shine so bright in the sky? Where I live they are the same brightness as all the other stars we see in the night sky (not including the sun, obviously).
And my final example (although I highlighted SEVERAL more examples of it's terribleness):
"The sound of Det. Cleveland's footsteps changed tone as he moved onto the older hardwood floors. Roger had remodeled the kitchen last year with new flooring and the entryway still had the original wood from the house's construction some 10 years ago. The detective, however, had no way of knowing this, and if he somehow found Roger hiding upstairs, the reason his footsteps sounded differently would probably be the last question he would ask." pg 106 of 235
Seriously?!?! OK, A) Who redoes the hardwood floors in a house that was just built 10 years ago? B) Why do I care about how his footsteps sounded, and C) Why the heck is this important? This entire paragraph is 100% unnecessary! It has absolutely zero to do with the story, the character experiencing it doesn't care or even know its going on, and the character that caused it isn't even there! He even says if he were there he still wouldn't ask about it because it would be the last thing he'd need!! WHY DID YOU MAKE ME READ IT THEN?
I have several other examples of the awfulness of this book but eventually I gave up highlighting them all because it would just be the entire book highlighted. And honestly, I feel bad that I've said this about something I know the author must have worked so hard to write (I would be devastated if someone said these things about something I had written), but I think that this really is a complete waste of a read.
Read
April 8, 2012I have learned to Never Give Up...
October 15, 2013
I downloaded this book as a free book on kindle. I figured it was only right that I should write a review for this book as a courtesy for the author's generosity. So here it is.
Judging from the many reviews it received, there are more than enough information about this book available all over the place. So I will make it short and sweet as possible.
Roger and Lois Belkin are celebrating their wedding anniversary in a poshy restaurant. A terrible rainstorm raged outside when they set out for home afterwards. They did not make it.They ended up in a massive collision in which Lois landed up in a coma and Roger lost part of his memory and roam the streets looking for his wife. They were taken to different hospitals. The police were the bad guys with one detective, Ray Cleveland, having enough sense to know what is going on and rushing around trying to find Roger Belkin before it is too late. There was a demented police captain seeking out his blood for criminal offenses, having a 100 police officers, heavily armed and seriously trigger-happy, on his tail.
So, the suspense is there, the clichés packed to the rafters, the Americanisms plastered all over the scene. Americanism, such as "honey, I'm home"; the roar of a powerful V12-engines somewhere; Guppy, his office pet fish; his honey, nicknamed "Dynamite"- as hot as hot can be in black lacey underwear; the valet-parking at restaurants, the fancy SUVs, etc. etc. etc. Oh and Roger had everything going for him in life: the right work - and home addresses; a wealthy, good-looking - no, make that 'sexy' wife; a picture perfect life. Above all, they loved each other to death, no, let's make that 'to pieces' instead.
So the mood was set to capture the reader. Whatever happened, everyone was deliriously happy in the beginning of the story as it should be.
Then Guppy went belly-up, Roger's expensive suit got drenched in the sky's tears; the accident happened and everything turned black.
I have to give this story a four star rating: various reasons:
1) The plot worked perfectly; 2) there were no loose ends drifting about in the end; 3)the characters were totally believable; 4) the tension was kept up all the way; 5) the narrative was fast moving; 6) there was an economy in word-use and 7) it kept me reading, riveted to the story.
8)the events were vividly pictured; 9) The bad reviews I read about the book, was in my humble opinion, uncalled for. It was an above average book. What I do suspect though is that fellow readers were just as angry with the ending as I was and showed it in their ratings. I wanted to do the same! But I also wanted to be fair as well. By rating it four stars, the average rating will hopefully go up. It is not a one star book, for sure.
But it is losing a star for the irrational ending. It does not fit the story at all. It does not fit the American ending! I felt emotionally manipulated. So, sorry, this is my revenge. If this is the kind of plot expected from an otherwise talented writer, I will not read the other books coming from his pen. I suspect the ending floored this book big time with its readers. And if I sound irrational myself, just live with it, or the read the book! I am livid!
Judging from the many reviews it received, there are more than enough information about this book available all over the place. So I will make it short and sweet as possible.
Roger and Lois Belkin are celebrating their wedding anniversary in a poshy restaurant. A terrible rainstorm raged outside when they set out for home afterwards. They did not make it.They ended up in a massive collision in which Lois landed up in a coma and Roger lost part of his memory and roam the streets looking for his wife. They were taken to different hospitals. The police were the bad guys with one detective, Ray Cleveland, having enough sense to know what is going on and rushing around trying to find Roger Belkin before it is too late. There was a demented police captain seeking out his blood for criminal offenses, having a 100 police officers, heavily armed and seriously trigger-happy, on his tail.
So, the suspense is there, the clichés packed to the rafters, the Americanisms plastered all over the scene. Americanism, such as "honey, I'm home"; the roar of a powerful V12-engines somewhere; Guppy, his office pet fish; his honey, nicknamed "Dynamite"- as hot as hot can be in black lacey underwear; the valet-parking at restaurants, the fancy SUVs, etc. etc. etc. Oh and Roger had everything going for him in life: the right work - and home addresses; a wealthy, good-looking - no, make that 'sexy' wife; a picture perfect life. Above all, they loved each other to death, no, let's make that 'to pieces' instead.
So the mood was set to capture the reader. Whatever happened, everyone was deliriously happy in the beginning of the story as it should be.
Then Guppy went belly-up, Roger's expensive suit got drenched in the sky's tears; the accident happened and everything turned black.
I have to give this story a four star rating: various reasons:
1) The plot worked perfectly; 2) there were no loose ends drifting about in the end; 3)the characters were totally believable; 4) the tension was kept up all the way; 5) the narrative was fast moving; 6) there was an economy in word-use and 7) it kept me reading, riveted to the story.
8)the events were vividly pictured; 9) The bad reviews I read about the book, was in my humble opinion, uncalled for. It was an above average book. What I do suspect though is that fellow readers were just as angry with the ending as I was and showed it in their ratings. I wanted to do the same! But I also wanted to be fair as well. By rating it four stars, the average rating will hopefully go up. It is not a one star book, for sure.
But it is losing a star for the irrational ending. It does not fit the story at all. It does not fit the American ending! I felt emotionally manipulated. So, sorry, this is my revenge. If this is the kind of plot expected from an otherwise talented writer, I will not read the other books coming from his pen. I suspect the ending floored this book big time with its readers. And if I sound irrational myself, just live with it, or the read the book! I am livid!
February 14, 2012
A Pretty Solid First Novel
CLOUDED RAINBOW is a fast paced little story about love and devotion and the extremes to which one can go to follow the heart. The action involves a happily married couple who happen to be involved in a strange car versus truck accident that separates the two physically, each fearing the other dead, until the end of the struggle to survive spells out a degree of devotion that is credible yet amazing in its resilience. It would appear this is the first novel by Jonathan Sturak and as such it shows a promise of well-developed story line and how to propel a novel along at a breathless pace. It also shows where the author needs to polish and edit for his next work. The description of the couple (Roger and Lois Belkin) is just so absolutely 'perfect' and passionate that it rings false: overkill on the degree of flirtation and intimacy in a couple together as long as the Belkin couple feels too saccharine, too out of focus. Sturak also needs to decide whether he is writing poetry (his descriptive phrases are very heavy) or a pulp romance suspense novel. This is a good airport book for a fast trip and it may even appear in a made of TV film - attributes that will likely guarantee high sales for this effort. He will be an interesting author to watch grow and to see if his skills become more polished with each next book!
Grady Harp
CLOUDED RAINBOW is a fast paced little story about love and devotion and the extremes to which one can go to follow the heart. The action involves a happily married couple who happen to be involved in a strange car versus truck accident that separates the two physically, each fearing the other dead, until the end of the struggle to survive spells out a degree of devotion that is credible yet amazing in its resilience. It would appear this is the first novel by Jonathan Sturak and as such it shows a promise of well-developed story line and how to propel a novel along at a breathless pace. It also shows where the author needs to polish and edit for his next work. The description of the couple (Roger and Lois Belkin) is just so absolutely 'perfect' and passionate that it rings false: overkill on the degree of flirtation and intimacy in a couple together as long as the Belkin couple feels too saccharine, too out of focus. Sturak also needs to decide whether he is writing poetry (his descriptive phrases are very heavy) or a pulp romance suspense novel. This is a good airport book for a fast trip and it may even appear in a made of TV film - attributes that will likely guarantee high sales for this effort. He will be an interesting author to watch grow and to see if his skills become more polished with each next book!
Grady Harp
August 17, 2011
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book? Was it going to be paranormal? Was it going to be a mystery? What was going to happen?
Though it turned out to not be anything like I expected it, I liked it. And yes, I liked the ending as well, because that isn't something you see very often. It was fast paced (though it took me forever to read it because I was only able to do a few pages at a time) and really kept you on the edge of your seat. What was going to happen to the two main characters as they headed out for their night of romance?
I found their relationship, a little overwhelming at first. He was not just in love with his wife, but also obsessed with her. Does love like this exist in real life? No matter, because I don't read for reality. I read for escapism and entertainment.
But as events progressed, this level of adoration was essential in the characters plight, fight, and sometimes flight.
I'd suggest one go into it without expecting anything in particular, and leave your mind open.
I'm still curious though, as to the peculiar weather. And what caused the accident. But those aren't essential to the meat of the story.
Though it turned out to not be anything like I expected it, I liked it. And yes, I liked the ending as well, because that isn't something you see very often. It was fast paced (though it took me forever to read it because I was only able to do a few pages at a time) and really kept you on the edge of your seat. What was going to happen to the two main characters as they headed out for their night of romance?
I found their relationship, a little overwhelming at first. He was not just in love with his wife, but also obsessed with her. Does love like this exist in real life? No matter, because I don't read for reality. I read for escapism and entertainment.
But as events progressed, this level of adoration was essential in the characters plight, fight, and sometimes flight.
I'd suggest one go into it without expecting anything in particular, and leave your mind open.
I'm still curious though, as to the peculiar weather. And what caused the accident. But those aren't essential to the meat of the story.
November 14, 2016
Jonathan Sturak pulls off quite an achievement with this exhilarating romantic suspense novel. Roger and Lois Belkin are a devoted couple. On their anniversary, they become seriously injured in a horrible car accident, where each of them suffers head trauma. During the emergency response at the scene, they are rushed to different hospitals. This unfortunate separation ignites a series of nerve-wracking events that have life-shattering results. Sturak manages to keep the pace moving at rapid speed while skillfully investing great care in character development, plot twists, and sensory details that augur fateful outcomes. His talent for delivering suspense is on clear display. I was thoroughly engrossed in the narrative. My only criticism is that certain passages felt as though they could have been slightly more refined, but this is a minor imperfection that does not deter from the entirely compelling story. This novel grabs you with non-stop adrenaline and keeps your heart pounding until the climatic final pages.
June 15, 2013
Never ever have I read a book that made me sob like a blubbering idiot (no lies :D).
I can't believe the way it ended and I don't think that I can even look or read another book like this. I am a real hopeless romantic at heart and always expect the happy ever after, but Roger and Lois Belkin *sobs some more*..........
Okay I don't know what I expected from this book but not something like this. The beginning to end just took me further into the story. I had doubts about what was happening to Roger and my thinking was that Lois was not the woman I expected. Guess I kind of judged Lois differently to how I expected her to be.
Need I go on NOPE nothing about this story can make me forget it!!!! I guess its going to take me a while to get over it and enjoy the rest of my books I have stacked up (hopefully ones with happy endings)
I can't believe the way it ended and I don't think that I can even look or read another book like this. I am a real hopeless romantic at heart and always expect the happy ever after, but Roger and Lois Belkin *sobs some more*..........
Okay I don't know what I expected from this book but not something like this. The beginning to end just took me further into the story. I had doubts about what was happening to Roger and my thinking was that Lois was not the woman I expected. Guess I kind of judged Lois differently to how I expected her to be.
Need I go on NOPE nothing about this story can make me forget it!!!! I guess its going to take me a while to get over it and enjoy the rest of my books I have stacked up (hopefully ones with happy endings)
February 12, 2023
This story is not easily forgotten. Stuark has put together a true possibility of occurrences and related them in order to put them into a genre that is not usually read by me. A friend recommended this book and I debated long and hard about whether or not to read it. However, once I finally started it, I could not let go of it.
This is the story of Roger and Lois Belkin. Deeply in love and celebrating, caught up in a horrendous accident, they are separated. Roger only has a partial memory longing to return to the one who makes him complete, Lois. The story plays out in a well detailed and descriptive narrative that you can't stop once you have started. You have to read it through or get back to it as quickly as you can because the story is just that gripping of a tale.
This is the story of Roger and Lois Belkin. Deeply in love and celebrating, caught up in a horrendous accident, they are separated. Roger only has a partial memory longing to return to the one who makes him complete, Lois. The story plays out in a well detailed and descriptive narrative that you can't stop once you have started. You have to read it through or get back to it as quickly as you can because the story is just that gripping of a tale.
September 30, 2012
I really liked this story. Roger and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at a restaurant and on the way home an 18-wheeler loses control and there's a huge pile up on the bridge that leads to their house. This story is the adventure Roger has to go through to get to his wife, Louis, after waking up in a different hospital and no one being able to tell him exactly what happened. The end - oh my God the end - not what I expected at all. My heart was beating rapidly through the whole story and I couldn't put it down. Spent my day off reading it until the end, getting absolutely nothing else done (like cleaning the bathroom, etc) - I love it when books do that. :)
March 30, 2015
This book earns one star only because it was free!
I couldn't do it. I did not like it and I only wanted it to end.
It took me 4 days (to me that is a lifetime) to even read this book because nothing I mean nothing held my attention. The writing was dramatic in places where I do not believe that it was intended and I caught myself many times with my Kindle on my chest asleep. I NEVER fall asleep reading. Hey but what does my opinion count for?? It doesn't so go out and try to read this.
I couldn't do it. I did not like it and I only wanted it to end.
It took me 4 days (to me that is a lifetime) to even read this book because nothing I mean nothing held my attention. The writing was dramatic in places where I do not believe that it was intended and I caught myself many times with my Kindle on my chest asleep. I NEVER fall asleep reading. Hey but what does my opinion count for?? It doesn't so go out and try to read this.
November 29, 2011
This book was wonderful. I wasn't able to put it down. I read it in one afternoon. I would highly recommend.
January 17, 2012
A page turner a love story at its core!
kindle-i-own-to-read
October 29, 2012Amazon Freebie 10/28/2012
February 6, 2015
Not well written- didn't make it past 13% on my kindle. Stilted writing, unlikeable & poorly formed characters.
July 22, 2012
I would recomend this book it has alot of twists and turns and the end was unexpected.
March 9, 2020
Well, this book had potential to be good.
Well, this book had potential to be good. That potential is the only thing winning it an extra star. Unfortunately it was too full of purple prose pretention to be enjoyable. The characters felt like marionettes as opposed to real people, despite the visible effort to shove some kind of humanity into each and every breathing thing that pranced on stage, and honesty the worst one was Roger. He was so dumb. Everything he did was dumb. He caused his own bad end with a myriad of dumb decisions. It just tried way too hard in every single department and fell flat in every single department. There's not much more of use to say.
Well, this book had potential to be good. That potential is the only thing winning it an extra star. Unfortunately it was too full of purple prose pretention to be enjoyable. The characters felt like marionettes as opposed to real people, despite the visible effort to shove some kind of humanity into each and every breathing thing that pranced on stage, and honesty the worst one was Roger. He was so dumb. Everything he did was dumb. He caused his own bad end with a myriad of dumb decisions. It just tried way too hard in every single department and fell flat in every single department. There's not much more of use to say.
December 22, 2023
Awkward writing
Ialways feel bad posting poor book reviews but i just couldn't finish this one. Kindle says I got 16% through the book. I'm not sure if the story itself is any good, I couldn't get past the awkward, meandering.
Example: "Roger grabbed the keys from the young man and entered the tranquility of his SUV. His nose received a hint of Lois’ natural scent, which stimulated his receptive olfactory nerve."
The first 15% of the book is basically Roger thinking about how much he loves his wife, wants to have a nice romantic dinner with her, and can't wait to get home with her. Nothing much of importance has actually happened.
Ialways feel bad posting poor book reviews but i just couldn't finish this one. Kindle says I got 16% through the book. I'm not sure if the story itself is any good, I couldn't get past the awkward, meandering.
Example: "Roger grabbed the keys from the young man and entered the tranquility of his SUV. His nose received a hint of Lois’ natural scent, which stimulated his receptive olfactory nerve."
The first 15% of the book is basically Roger thinking about how much he loves his wife, wants to have a nice romantic dinner with her, and can't wait to get home with her. Nothing much of importance has actually happened.
February 27, 2024
I made it to 35% before giving up. The story was just unbelievable. There is no way someone with pretty servere injuries would just be able to walk out of the hospital without anyone noticing. And straight after he woke up. And I get that he got a head injury and the point was made about him not liking hospitals, but why not find someone to ask if they know where your wife is.
And I'm not even going to go into the writing.
If I didn't have so many other books I want to read, I might have stuck this one out. But I didn't care to find out what happened.
And I'm not even going to go into the writing.
If I didn't have so many other books I want to read, I might have stuck this one out. But I didn't care to find out what happened.
August 24, 2024
Didn't think I would read after the beginning - too much detail about the main character's perfectionism - but I kept reading. The beginning set the stage for the journey of little more than one day, with poor decisions and overreactions from observers, including the police.
Actually a very tight story - several opportunities to take tangents but not done.
Actually a very tight story - several opportunities to take tangents but not done.
December 10, 2025
Such hard work for a very unsatisfactory ending.
Horrible writing style; unnecessarily and overly descriptive, always seemed like the author was trying to show off how smart they are, just trying too hard.
I kept going as I wanted to know how it would end, but it was not worth the effort at all, very disappointing.
Horrible writing style; unnecessarily and overly descriptive, always seemed like the author was trying to show off how smart they are, just trying too hard.
I kept going as I wanted to know how it would end, but it was not worth the effort at all, very disappointing.
November 5, 2017
Fast read
Clouded Rainbows is a short book filled with a heart wrenching struggle of a man and woman separated by unfortunate events. The writer encourages you to feel the intense need for them to be reunited!
Clouded Rainbows is a short book filled with a heart wrenching struggle of a man and woman separated by unfortunate events. The writer encourages you to feel the intense need for them to be reunited!
February 25, 2018
This was a fantastic love story of determination with an ending you don't see coming. I have re-read this book several times and I enjoy it more each time. I have recommended this book to several people who have enjoyed it as much as I have. Loved it!
December 22, 2018
A must read book
If you believe in true love, then this is the book to read, all the way through hoping they find each other.........
Twist and turns. Definitively a romantic love story
If you believe in true love, then this is the book to read, all the way through hoping they find each other.........
Twist and turns. Definitively a romantic love story
August 22, 2020
Not a thriller it was really sad though. A very unfortunate thing happened in this story which was ok, although rather slow however I think it highlighted what the author wanted to portray-the way we look at situations and people in different situations.
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