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Transformations
Successful Minneapolis CEO, Helen Warner, is desperate to escape her past. A close friend and travel agent convinces her that the best place to drop out of sight for a while is on a little island in the Bahamas. Because time is of the essence, the Agency charters a jet to take Helen there. Veterinarian, Jackson Andrews, is also fleeing from a recent staggering event in his life. Flying his private plane from Orlando to the small Bahama Island of Walkers Cay, he checks into the only hotel on the island and contemplates his options. These two individuals, each burdened with their own shocking personal secrets, take desperate precautions to protect their privacy. But while they try to remain aloof; they are intrinsically drawn to each other like moths to a flame. Could the crisis in their lives actually weld them together and provide trust, affection and a possible solution to their problems?
- GenresRomance
320 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2016
910 people want to read
About the author
James Foley Smathers
1 book20 followersJames Foley Smathers is a former United States Marine Corps Officer and Vietnam combat veteran. He is a graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. He and his wife reside in Central Florida where he breeds, trains and raises Golden Retrievers
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MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW DECEMBER 2016 ISSUE
TRANSFORMATIONS
James Foley Smathers
Privately Published
9780692649022, $15.95, http://a.co/9qvP1ID
It only takes a mysterious phone call to shake a marriage; one made by a desperate stranger who advises Jackson Andrews that his wife is playing games. The anonymous call could have been dismissed as a prank were it not for the hesitant and convincing tone of the caller, who casts a seed of doubt that soon blows up into a full-fledged confrontation as Jackson investigates the truth.
Transformations isn't just about a wife's transgression, however. The sequence of events that follows from that one phone call, spreads dissension and change through Jackson's previously-stable life like ripples in a pond.
What does Jackson's experience have to do with a CEO who seeks refuge and anonymity on a little Caribbean island? Plenty; because he's a pilot who has flown into Walker's Cay and into his own drama; and he too is in flight, in more ways than one. A similar sequence of events also gives impetus to an awakening process in his life even as both struggle to protect their psyches from further blows.
A story embracing two broken marriages isn't unusual; nor is the scenario of these two individuals getting together. What is satisfyingly different here is a winding tale of subterfuge, conspiracy, clashing egos and Minnesota atmosphere that permeates a story which moves neatly between two individuals' past and present lives.
Affairs gone wrong, the revenge of jilted love, feelings of anger, regret, and dismay on all sides permeates a story that moves from U.S. soil to the Caribbean and back.
James Foley Smathers imbibes his characters with realistic characters that aren't above a certain degree of subterfuge as they both flee their lives and attempt to exert some manner of control over their changing situations. The story line reads smoothly and vividly.
There's much to like about a chronicle that holds no black-and-white or good and evil and attends to tracking the mercurial emotions of all sides that it's hard to put down, making Transformations a fine saga of evolving romance and changes which take place on more than one level.
By: D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer,
Midwest Book Review
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 23, 2018
3 1/2 stars
Tell me, dear review reader, if you had just met someone, known them for 24 hours or less, would you reveal to them your deepest, darkest, most damning secrets, ones that could doom you? I know I wouldn’t, and yet, two people do exactly that. I thought that part of this book was preposterous. So now that I’ve said that, let’s move on.
In Florida, veterinarian Jack Andrews discovers that his wife cheated on him. In response, he does a couple of that necessitate his fleeing the county. Halfway across the country in Minnesota, Helen Warner, CEO of her husband’s company, and a former Olympic swimmer, also discovers her husband’s unfaithfulness. She, too, seeks her revenge in a most unusual manner, and must escape before her husband’s return from a business trip. Both wind up on the Bahamian island of Walkers Cay, in the island’s only hotel. Can you see what’s going to happen? Of course, they meet, and they, hit it off. They more than hit it off, they fall right into bed together, and that seems the thing that bonds them together for . . . if the plot is to be believed, life. Personally, given the things these people did, I wouldn’t turn my back on either one of them, and I’d be looking for a quick exit from the island while they’re there. They, however, learning of the things the other did, seem perfectly content to jump of the proverbial cliff and become a couple.
I thought the beginning of this book had great potential and was sure it was going to be an intriguing mystery. Instead, it turns into a rather juvenile and soppy romance built around two vengeful people. Along the way, it also turns into an advertisement for Alcoholics Anonymous, for, of course, both Jack and Helen are recovering alcoholics. (Eye roll, please; not because of the alcoholism, but because of the unlikelihood that two alcoholics would meet under these circumstances and connect.) You’ll also discover that the book turns toward lecture frequently, on military terms, on how to fly an airplane, on how to sport fish, on AA. Oh, and what are the chances that an experienced pilot would turn over total control of his airplane for a long period of time to someone who has never had a single flying lesson? Yep, that happens, too.
I didn’t like either of the main characters, Jack or Helen. There were, however, some secondary characters that I did find engaging, especially Cookie, but they were rather two-dimensional. The plot is unbelievable. The ending left things up in the air, literally, in an airplane, without letting the reader know if the daredevil plot Jack and Helen concoct works. My guess is that there is a second book in the works to turn this into a series. The writing isn’t bad, but it isn’t great, either. The dialog often is rather awkward, telegraphing or repeating information. The book could use some editing and proofreading, especially for punctuation issues and missing words.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Tell me, dear review reader, if you had just met someone, known them for 24 hours or less, would you reveal to them your deepest, darkest, most damning secrets, ones that could doom you? I know I wouldn’t, and yet, two people do exactly that. I thought that part of this book was preposterous. So now that I’ve said that, let’s move on.
In Florida, veterinarian Jack Andrews discovers that his wife cheated on him. In response, he does a couple of that necessitate his fleeing the county. Halfway across the country in Minnesota, Helen Warner, CEO of her husband’s company, and a former Olympic swimmer, also discovers her husband’s unfaithfulness. She, too, seeks her revenge in a most unusual manner, and must escape before her husband’s return from a business trip. Both wind up on the Bahamian island of Walkers Cay, in the island’s only hotel. Can you see what’s going to happen? Of course, they meet, and they, hit it off. They more than hit it off, they fall right into bed together, and that seems the thing that bonds them together for . . . if the plot is to be believed, life. Personally, given the things these people did, I wouldn’t turn my back on either one of them, and I’d be looking for a quick exit from the island while they’re there. They, however, learning of the things the other did, seem perfectly content to jump of the proverbial cliff and become a couple.
I thought the beginning of this book had great potential and was sure it was going to be an intriguing mystery. Instead, it turns into a rather juvenile and soppy romance built around two vengeful people. Along the way, it also turns into an advertisement for Alcoholics Anonymous, for, of course, both Jack and Helen are recovering alcoholics. (Eye roll, please; not because of the alcoholism, but because of the unlikelihood that two alcoholics would meet under these circumstances and connect.) You’ll also discover that the book turns toward lecture frequently, on military terms, on how to fly an airplane, on how to sport fish, on AA. Oh, and what are the chances that an experienced pilot would turn over total control of his airplane for a long period of time to someone who has never had a single flying lesson? Yep, that happens, too.
I didn’t like either of the main characters, Jack or Helen. There were, however, some secondary characters that I did find engaging, especially Cookie, but they were rather two-dimensional. The plot is unbelievable. The ending left things up in the air, literally, in an airplane, without letting the reader know if the daredevil plot Jack and Helen concoct works. My guess is that there is a second book in the works to turn this into a series. The writing isn’t bad, but it isn’t great, either. The dialog often is rather awkward, telegraphing or repeating information. The book could use some editing and proofreading, especially for punctuation issues and missing words.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
September 2, 2017
TRANSFORMATIONS is a jewel of a novel and James Foley Smathers is a talented storyteller. There is so much in this book that is unique and enjoyable. I found it interesting that “Jackson’s story” that preceded his transformation was told rather directly based upon his point of view and his experiences and actions as he uncovered the infidelities of his wife Jill. I found the application of Jackson’s veterinary skills to Jill’s Congressman lover to be especially apropos! In contrast, “Helen’s story” that led to her transformation was told indirectly by focusing on her husband Robert’s responses to Helen’s actions after Helen became aware of the infidelities. The details of both Jack’s and Helen’s backstories fully developed their characters in the first half of the book which made the reader like both of them before they got together in the second half of the book. The secondary characters on the Bahama Island of Walker’s Cay where Jack and Helen experienced their transformations were also well developed and likable. I also enjoyed how most of the chapters were named and that name defined what was happening at that point of the story. The dialogue was witty and the synergism of the characters realistic based upon their characters, histories and mutual needs.
While this was a “work of fiction”, the author gives clear signals that it may be to some extent based upon his personal experience. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
I won a signed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. However, this review is provided voluntarily and without obligation.
While this was a “work of fiction”, the author gives clear signals that it may be to some extent based upon his personal experience. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
I won a signed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. However, this review is provided voluntarily and without obligation.
February 27, 2018
James Knight
Sep 02, 2017 James Knight rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: everyone
TRANSFORMATIONS is a jewel of a novel and James Foley Smathers is a talented storyteller. There is so much in this book that is unique and enjoyable. I found it interesting that “Jackson’s story” that preceded his transformation was told rather directly based upon his point of view and his experiences and actions as he uncovered the infidelities of his wife Jill. I found the application of Jackson’s veterinary skills to Jill’s Congressman lover to be especially apropos! In contrast, “Helen’s story” that led to her transformation was told indirectly by focusing on her husband Robert’s responses to Helen’s actions after Helen became aware of the infidelities. The details of both Jack’s and Helen’s backstories fully developed their characters in the first half of the book which made the reader like both of them before they got together in the second half of the book. The secondary characters on the Bahama Island of Walker’s Cay where Jack and Helen experienced their transformations were also well developed and likable. I also enjoyed how most of the chapters were named and that name defined what was happening at that point of the story. The dialogue was witty and the synergism of the characters realistic based upon their characters, histories and mutual needs.
While this was a “work of fiction”, the author gives clear signals that it may be to some extent based upon his personal experience. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
Sep 02, 2017 James Knight rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: everyone
TRANSFORMATIONS is a jewel of a novel and James Foley Smathers is a talented storyteller. There is so much in this book that is unique and enjoyable. I found it interesting that “Jackson’s story” that preceded his transformation was told rather directly based upon his point of view and his experiences and actions as he uncovered the infidelities of his wife Jill. I found the application of Jackson’s veterinary skills to Jill’s Congressman lover to be especially apropos! In contrast, “Helen’s story” that led to her transformation was told indirectly by focusing on her husband Robert’s responses to Helen’s actions after Helen became aware of the infidelities. The details of both Jack’s and Helen’s backstories fully developed their characters in the first half of the book which made the reader like both of them before they got together in the second half of the book. The secondary characters on the Bahama Island of Walker’s Cay where Jack and Helen experienced their transformations were also well developed and likable. I also enjoyed how most of the chapters were named and that name defined what was happening at that point of the story. The dialogue was witty and the synergism of the characters realistic based upon their characters, histories and mutual needs.
While this was a “work of fiction”, the author gives clear signals that it may be to some extent based upon his personal experience. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
June 19, 2017
Two people, neither acquainted, trying to escape their lives, decide to go to a little island in the Bahamas. Each wanting anonymity, hiding secrets, but the one thing they can't deny, is the attraction to one another. Can they find happiness with each other?
I won a signed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am donating it to a senior assisted living facility.
I won a signed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am donating it to a senior assisted living facility.
May 20, 2017
Just short of amazing. This narrative exceeded my expectations! I highly recommend this book for men. The Doctor K characterization kept me laughing and reading aloud. Very humorous and well constructed. I may read it again before returning it to the person who loaned it to me. Honestly, the title, cover, and brief description fooled me...I didn't expect such a well-crafted story with a complication presented in Chapter Two that compels the reader to keep reading. I raced through it!
June 11, 2017
I really wanted to like this book but I simply could not get past the need for a good editor. In addition to taking way too much time setting the background and still no movement towards the premise blurb in the Giveaway description after more than 100 pages I had to throw in the towel. Sorry Goodreads. This is the first time I could not finish a book I won after a long drought but this one was not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2017
This is an excellent book. I found it very well written. There are some funny Veterinary stories in the mix of the writer background story of Helen and Jack. The main story of Jack's life and Helen's life and how they me was awesome. I didn't want to put the book down. Thanks James for this story.
May 20, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed Transformations. One never know where life leads and how one will get there. We have two individuals here that take that journey and find one another. Thanks to Goodreads for a copy of Transformations. I highly recommend reading this story.
August 24, 2017
I enjoyed this storyline. The detail in the writing brought you along with the characters. I found it interesting how 2 people escaping their past could easily rely and divulge their secrets. Sometimes it only takes the right person to put your trust in to make it work.
October 29, 2017
This book was impossible to put down. I was entrenched with the characters. Where is the sequel? ** My thanks to author, James Foley Smathers, for this signed first edition copy of "Transformations " that I won in a GOODREADS giveaway.
October 10, 2017
hope there is a next in the series because I would like to explore the characters of the husband and the senator to see what happens to them.
March 1, 2017
Interesting enough to keep my attention.
January 25, 2019
I received this book free of charge from a Goodreads giveaway.
This book was a 3.5 rating for me.
The first half of the book was more fast paced and interesting, but the second half was definitely readable and enjoyable. There was a lot of detail and time spent on airplane and fishing terminology and specifics. Although it seemed to slow the pace a bit (especially the chapter spent on ocean fishing), I did feel that I learned something. I do feel that it may have been more enjoyable to an older demographic. I am in my mid 20’s and have never been married while the characters focus on middle aged characters dealing with marriage. However, it was definitely still enjoyable for any age and demographic. I did enjoy that the character was a veterinarian.
This book was a 3.5 rating for me.
The first half of the book was more fast paced and interesting, but the second half was definitely readable and enjoyable. There was a lot of detail and time spent on airplane and fishing terminology and specifics. Although it seemed to slow the pace a bit (especially the chapter spent on ocean fishing), I did feel that I learned something. I do feel that it may have been more enjoyable to an older demographic. I am in my mid 20’s and have never been married while the characters focus on middle aged characters dealing with marriage. However, it was definitely still enjoyable for any age and demographic. I did enjoy that the character was a veterinarian.
July 29, 2017
This was a great book. I don't know how long it has been since I read a book that I couldn't put down and picked it up in the middle of the night to finish it in 3 days. It should be a movie it is a page turner and very different story that makes you wonder what happens next with these characters Mr. Smathers writes about. I recommended it to my book club and library.
January 22, 2017
fast pace and good fun............F.
January 23, 2017
Exceptionally gripping tale of intrigue and retribution penned by an exceptionally lucid writer.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews