Lapses of Memory

by M.S. Spencer

Sydney Bellek first meets Elian Davies in the 1950s on a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser when she is five and he is seven. They run into each other every few years after that, but while he knows from the start that she is his true love, she does not. Later, as rival journalists, they vie for scoops on international crises from the Iranian revolution to the Lebanese civil war. The handsome and intrepid Elian beats her out at every turn, even while keeping his love for her secret.

Only after years of separation does she finally realize they are meant to be together, but this time, in a twist of fate, it is Elian whose memory of her is gone. Will he remember her before she loses heart or will their new love be enough to replace the old one?

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Although M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled on five continents, the last 30 years have been spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher, kayaker, policy wonk, non-profit director and parent. Once she escaped academia, she worked for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of the Interior, in several library systems, both public and academic, and at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a Diploma in Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo, and Masters in Anthropology and in Library Science from the University of Chicago. Ms. Spencer has two fabulous grown children and a perfect granddaughter. She divides her time between Maine and Florida.
Writing as M. S. Spencer, she has published sixteen cozy mystery and romantic suspense novels.

Reviews

[Lisabet Sarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sydney Bellek meets Elian Davies for the first time in the nineteen-fifties. She’s five years old, he’s seven, and their respective families are en route to Paris and beyond, flying on the magnificent state-of-the-art Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Though she feels a strong connection with the older child, he quickly slips from her memory. When she encounters him again, first when she’s a teen in Gibraltar, then as a student of Arabic in Cairo, she senses something familiar about his startling blue eyes, russet hair and stubborn cowlick, but she doesn’t recognize him. Their lives run in parallel as both become foreign journalists, covering the world’s conflicts and crises, and competing for the top stories. Time after time, Elian drifts in and out of Sydney’s life, almost like a ghost. Each meeting is marked by a paradoxical level of comfort, given that Sydney believes them to be strangers, as well as by the intense flare of physical attraction. Before Sydney can figure out who he is or what this means, however, Elian’s gone.

Then fate throws them together in a perilous situation. They are captured by one of the factions in the Lebanese civil war. Sydney escapes unharmed, but Elian disappears and is believed dead. As she mourns, Sydney begins to understand who Elian really is – her true soul mate, as well as the father of her unborn child. For years she searches without success for her lost lover. When she finally finds him, he insists he has no recollection of her, or of his former identity. After her own repeated memory lapses, Sydney struggles to enlighten Elian about their shared past and to secure their hoped-for future.

I bought this book after reading the author’s blog post about its origins (thus confirming that sometimes, at least, blogging is an effective marketing tool!) According to the post, many of the scenes and events in Lapses of Memory, particularly the journeys on multiple generations of aircraft, are based on M.S. Spencer’s own life experiences. An enthusiastic traveler myself, I was eager to read a book that promised visits to Paris, Cairo, Beirut and other exotic locales.

I found myself enmeshed in a novel with a far more ambitious and complex structure than is typical for romance. Lapses of Memory shifts smoothly back and forth between the present and the past, as Sydney narrates the story of her relationship with Elian to their now-adult daughter, Olivia. Olivia, a romance author by profession, is writing Sydney’s biography, but she’s not exactly an unbiased observer. M.S. Spencer does an excellent job conveying both the affection between mother and daughter and the mutual unease that characterizes their journey into Sydney’s very personal history.

The author’s prose is vivid and I enjoyed the glimpses she provides of different locales and cultures, though these were not as extensive as I had hoped. I did find the premise of the tale a bit implausible. Then I thought about how poorly I recall some of the people from my early years (I am almost exactly Sydney’s age), and wondered whether in fact the core plot notion was as crazy as it first seemed.

Overall, I liked this book, but two aspects bothered me. First, I found the ending somewhat dishonest. Throughout the novel, Sydney and Olivia speak and act as if Elian had passed away at some point after he and Sydney finally married. It was a shock to me to discover this was not the case. I rather wonder about the author’s intentions in this regard, or whether I seriously misread the interactions between mother and daughter.

My second criticism relates to the erotic content. As an erotic romance author myself, I know the depth and intensity an explicit love scene can bring to a story. M.S. Spencer’s sex scenes, however, gave me the distinct impression that the author is not comfortable writing about the details of sex. Her word choices and descriptive style struck me as awkward, uneven and strained. Unlike the polished prose in the rest of the book, these scenes felt amateurish and embarrassed. It’s as if someone told M.S. Spencer ,“Well, you’ve got to put in the sex, because that’s what readers want these days”, and she forced herself to do this, even when this wasn’t natural for her.

In fact, Lapses of Memory would have worked perfectly well if the sex had been more nuanced and less graphic, and I suspect the author herself would have been far more comfortable. Though Sydney’s and Elian’s connection expresses itself in intense physical attraction, it’s fundamentally a spiritual bond. We expect them to become lovers – we don’t need to see every step in that process.

In summary, Lapses of Memory delivered on its promise of taking me to far-off lands, as well as offering an original and engaging love story. I’m glad I gave in to my impulse.

[Got Romance! Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: Novel
Heat Level: Spicy
Reviewer: Marchelle
Date: July 25,2014

This is the first book I have read by this author. I started reading it fully expecting something along the lines of "The Notebook". By the second chapter, I knew my expectation was completely wrong and I was hooked. I understand this isn't the author's usual genre but I have to say she definitely hit the mark with this one.

Olivia is writing the story of how her parents, Sydney Bellek and Elian Davies, met and fell in love. Sydney and Elian met the first time as children on a transatlantic flight, when she was only five years old and he was seven. They both grow up to become journalists and their paths cross several times over the years, almost always on airplanes. Through most of the years, Sydney doesn't recognize or remember Elian, but he always seems to remember her. By the time she realizes she is in love with him, he has been through a traumatic event and no longer has any memory of her and she fears it is too late for them to be together. While Olivia is "interviewing" her mother and writing the story, she is involved in a romantic dilemma of her own. She has two men vying for her affection and she is unsure which man she wants to be with.

I loved Sydney! She is outspoken, confident, headstrong and opinionated. She manipulates her daughter into divulging information about the men in her life by withholding parts of her own story. She meddles in her daughter's love life without her knowledge. She has been everywhere, seen everything and she's still as brassy as she was in her younger years. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts of her story and wanting to cry at others.

This is a very touching story and I was completely drawn in. The characters were vivid and real. I found myself wanting to skip to the end to reassure myself it would all work out. That's how invested I was in these characters. I'm glad I didn't read ahead and ruin the ending. The anticipation was definitely worth it!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t normally choose romance books, but when I won this audiobook in a contest I gave it a go. And I’m so glad I did!

I was pleasantly surprised by the story of Sydney and Elian. They met as kids on a plane in the 1950s, and so begins the lifetime of chance meetings and hints at true love.

I like how the story is told through two timelines - Back in the past and also in present day through conversations between Sydney and daughter Olivia. It was a great way to unravel events and also bring out Olivia’s own love entanglements.

The only “miss” I felt was the scenes in which Sydney described to Olivia her lovemaking with Elian. Would Olivia really be interested in hearing details of her mother’s sex life? I cringed a bit at those parts, so that’s why 4 stars not 5. It didn’t seem realistic.

Regarding the narration of the audiobook, it was wonderful! He has a gentle, welcoming voice that suits the book well. The tone and emotion added an extra level to the romantic story.

An engaging story!

[at Romance Authors at Large Hot Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book for me, was a unique read. I don't normally read outside of the genre's I write, but I found this book to be entertaining and interesting.

Lapses of Memory is about Olivia writing a book about her parents love story, as her mother Sydney recounts her journey. Mark my words, you will laugh, grumble, and then laugh some more. This book was memorable, and I'm not likely to forget about it anytime soon.

Ms. Spencer did a wonderful job in capturing what it's like to be a woman of the world. You can still have it all, but you don't necessarily need to do things the conventional way or order. Sydney Bellek is a woman in some ways I envy, and I'm sure many of you, will too. Career driven, head strong, and passionate. When fate throws your life partner/soul mate in your path that many times, how could things NOT work out?

The concept for this book delivered in most instances. There were times in which the shifting in narration confused me, and I had to go back a few paragraphs and reread, but maybe that's just me.

The sex scenes were quick, but keep in mind they're being told from memories, and from moments in which the characters didn't have oodles of time to languish in between the sheets.

Overall, this was a great read, and I'd highly recommend this book.

[Isabel Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. I loved the way the past and present intertwined and overlapped creating a wonderful sense of time and place. I love the reflections and mirrored moments in the parallel love stories.
The story has some fascinating settings, over time but also place. They are described so vividly and the picture painted is so clear you feel as if you are there watching events unfold. The story has many twists and turns that you’re excited to find out what will happen but can’t predict anything. The plot-line continuously holds the reader’s interest without becoming unbelievable.
The characters are engaging and warm. Something that really works in the book is that even though Sydney is a force to be reckoned with, she isn’t cold and calculating, which is often how career women are portrayed. I found the premise and way of telling the story really interesting. It certainly brought back childhood moments of believing your parents’ love story is epic. I loved the portrayal of the mother/daughter relationship. No other relationship holds that much love and exasperation at the same time.
The story is intriguing, feel good and humorous. When I finished reading I was left smiling and the story will stay with me. I thoroughly recommend this book, it is well worth reading.

[C.B. Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lapses of Memory by M. S. Spencer is an engaging read that draws the reader into the lives of a mother and daughter as they struggle along the rocky road to find true love. Two stories intertwine in this well-written romance.

Sydney and Elian, both journalists, encounter each other in many exotic locations around the globe amidst the backdrop of major world events. With each meeting, their love grows, but a series of inescapable events separate them.

A mother’s love is reflected in Sydney’s daughter’s dilemma of the heart. Olivia must choose between a dashing, rich Frenchman who wants to whisk her away on his private jet, and her steadfast, hardworking boyfriend. With her mother’s quiet guidance, she too finds her one true love.

The history of modern air passenger travel and government upheavals in foreign lands adds interesting depths to this story. I recommend Lapses of Memory to anyone who enjoys a satisfying romance, exotic locales, and a touch of history.

[Janice Spina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lapses of Memory was not something that I would purchase. This was a free Audible book that came with my subscription. I couldn’t finish it because of the graphic scenes and the fact that a mother was sharing this with her daughter in her biography. Not my kind of book.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book to read I couldn't put it down. Very romantic book to read, highly recommend it. And planning on rereading it at the end of the year.. already know a few people who would this book.