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Lost Within

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What happens when two women, five hundred years apart, switch places?

~Aven~
As an archaeologist, my life is spent uncovering mysteries from the past. Each year spent digging in the dirt fuels my dream to find something that will change my life.

And then it happens—that life changing event I never imagined could be true. Somehow I ended up five hundred years in the past. Lost Within a world I only read about in history books.

Every moment is spent unraveling this mystery and trying to go home. But there’s a snag. I just might fall for the man I’m supposed to marry. The question now is once I figure out how to get back home, will I want to?

~Lucia~
I thought I had rid myself of it. I was certain my unexpected journeys through time were over. I was wrong, and now the unthinkable has happened. Again. This time though, I did not cause it.

I ended up five hundred years in the future. Lost Within a world I don’t recognize. My fate and return home lie in the hands of the woman whose life I now lead, and all I can do is wait.

Every moment is spent confused and longing for home. But there is a problem. Two men valiantly fight for my heart, and I might just fall for one or both of them before this is all over. The question now is once I have the chance to go home, will I want to?

Lost Within - A modern love story with a twist.

Contains some language and sexual situations.

429 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2017

24 people are currently reading
86 people want to read

About the author

Jennifer Domenico

28 books378 followers
Jennifer Domenico writes contemporary and erotic romances. She loves alpha males with a soft spot, flawed characters, and strong, sassy women. Her characters usually have a side of kink and aren't afraid to demand what they want. The author doesn't apologize for that. She's a sucker for a happy ending as long as it comes with a lot of heat.

She lives in Phoenix, Arizona but is a Bostonian at heart. The way to her heart can be reached with a foreign accent, a shot of Fireball, and an unlimited supply of cupcakes.

She is also known under her alter ego, Jaelyn LaStoria, author of time traveling romances, because why not. The first title is Lost Within.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Lily.
977 reviews56 followers
September 13, 2017
5 stars! One of my top favorites of 2017!

Let me start by saying that Fantasy and Historical romances are not my typical reads, but this book was amazing and had me hooked from start to finish! It had a perfect blend of sexy, sweet moments, swoony heroes and strong heroines.

It is a time traveling story with a modern day twist about two girls connected by fate and who switch places 500 years from each other. I won't give out spoilers so you'll have to read it to find out more about the two heroines, Aven and Lucia.

The story is broken up into three parts:

Part one is in Aven's POV and set 500 years in the past. She is to wed Cosimo in two days, a man who Lucia doesn't love. Although Aven tries to fight it, she falls in love with him.

"I am a placeholder. The only problem is the longer I'm here, the more I want to stay."

Part two is in Lucia's POV and set in 2015. Her family thinks she's lost her memory and as she tries to adjust to modern day, she finds herself confused when Aven's ex, Oliver and her current fling, Marc, fight for her love. I did have a favorite one, but I won't tell who ;).

Both heroines adjust to their present circumstances, but what will happen once the curse ends? Will they go back or be stuck? We find this out in part three.

Words can't describe how much I wholeheartedly loved this book! I'm so happy I took a chance on something new and I seriously can't wait to read more from this author!
Profile Image for Energy Rae.
1,760 reviews55 followers
October 12, 2017
In 2015 Las Vegas, Aven is an archeologist working in an up and coming museum. She heads off to Italy to try and find a red jewel rumored to have been the source of time travel. She finds exactly that and is transported back in time to 1515, to the life of the owner of the jewel, Lucia, who surprisingly looks a lot like Aven. Lucia, in turn, gets transported to present day to try and acclimate to Aven's life in this modern world. While time travel is not new to Lucia, adjusting to Las Vegas and the change in the world is hard, it's made even harder when she has two suitors interested in her, which she feels is scandalous as she is used to the way things are in her time.
Aven, who has always had a love for all things history is in her element. She is trying her best to live as Lucia would in case they switch back. She is betrothed to Cosimo and must go through with the wedding to appease her, rather Lucia's parents. But she also wants to see if they are going to be able to switch back places or be stuck in their new worlds forever.

LaStoria shifts chapters by giving us portions of Aven's new world and then portions of Lucia's world. It's a good balance so that you get to intimately know each girl and the people in their new worlds. It's a great romantic read with rich characters and well developed back stories.
Profile Image for Viridiana Dimas.
265 reviews5 followers
October 12, 2017
A refreshing new twist of a modern and historical romance with a fantasy mix. This is definitely not your normal boy meets girl love story. But a story where even a girl today, can find love in a different century. I loved and enjoyed every page of this book. Jaelyn LaStoria took a risk in bringing something brand new and put her own twist, and ended up hitting it out of the park. Lost Within will take you the lively strip in Las Vegas then to beautiful Renaissance Florence, Italy. All the characters in this story were beautifully written and the images you get from the landscapes are so vivid.

One of my favorite things about this whole story is the adaptation from time travel from modern 2015 to five hundred years back to the year 1515. Aven being an archeologist and a history buff still had a tough time, but with the help of Lucia's little sister, Magdalena, she manages to get by. Lucia on the other hand pops in to the future with no one to help her and no knowledge of what she's in for. Except for Aven's best friend Cait, who's there to show her the ropes on being a woman of this new century without knowing what's really going on. I really enjoyed reading how each one not only learned about the new world they were living in, but learned something new about themselves. Both Aven and Lucia had so many similarities from the beginning. Not only them but the men in their lives as well. Oh my did they have me swooning. I loved them! Even the jerks, because of course with out them we wouldn't know how great these men are. Not only sweet but know how to turn up the steam for their women.

Even though this is a new genre for me, I'm so glad I gave in. The cover was perfection and the blurb definitely eye catching. This is a must read! If you love swoon worthy men and strong opinionated and quirky women with a little magic mixed in, then this is a book for you. Lost Within is a standalone with it's own HEA and a very satisfying ending. You will not be disappointed. I can't wait to see what Jaelyn will come up with next!

Merged review:

☆☆☆☆☆ 5 Historical Stars!

A refreshing new twist of a modern and historical romance with a fantasy mix. This is definitely not your normal boy meets girl love story. But a story where even a girl today, can find love in a different century. I loved and enjoyed every page of this book. Jaelyn LaStoria took a risk in bringing something brand new and put her own twist, and ended up hitting it out of the park. Lost Within will take you the lively strip in Las Vegas then to beautiful Renaissance Florence, Italy. All the characters in this story were beautifully written and the images you get from the landscapes are so vivid.

One of my favorite things about this whole story is the adaptation from time travel from modern 2015 to five hundred years back to the year 1515. Aven being an archeologist and a history buff still had a tough time, but with the help of Lucia's little sister, Magdalena, she manages to get by. Lucia on the other hand pops in to the future with no one to help her and no knowledge of what she's in for. Except for Aven's best friend Cait, who's there to show her the ropes on being a woman of this new century without knowing what's really going on. I really enjoyed reading how each one not only learned about the new world they were living in, but learned something new about themselves. Both Aven and Lucia had so many similarities from the beginning. Not only them but the men in their lives as well. Oh my did they have me swooning. I loved them! Even the jerks, because of course with out them we wouldn't know how great these men are. Not only sweet but know how to turn up the steam for their women.

Even though this is a new genre for me, I'm so glad I gave in. The cover was perfection and the blurb definitely eye catching. This is a must read! If you love swoon worthy men and strong opinionated and quirky women with a little magic mixed in, then this is a book for you. Lost Within is a standalone with it's own HEA and a very satisfying ending. You will not be disappointed. I can't wait to see what Jaelyn will come up with next!
Profile Image for Lisa Marie ~ Words We Love By.
996 reviews64 followers
October 16, 2017

Jaelyn Lastoria aka Jennifer Domenico has taken a successful turn into the paranormal. Not the furry shifters or blood sucking kind but the time traveling kind. Aven is a curator at a small museum in the Luxor in Las Vegas and is fascinated with all things history. Her and her friend Daniel, travel to Florence, Italy in search of a fabled necklace said to allow time travel. When she finds it, Aven wish to see history from a first hand point of view comes to pass, in a very interesting way.

Jaelyn's story of intersecting lives, out-of-time experiences and coping with being somewhere unfamiliar is wonderfully told from two points of view. The first section is of Aven, the 21st century woman who finds herself in the body of a 1500's young lady about to be married. Lucia is a banker's daughter who is unhappy with the choice of suitor her father has found for her, instead she is in love with a commoner with no prospects. Aven's character is smart, resourceful and curious. The second part is Lucia navigating the shocking world of 2015, with sights no one from the 1500's had ever dreamed of. Lucia's adjustment is a little harder that Aven's with no one and no previous knowledge to guide her.

The story that unfolds is one of adaptation, growth and acceptance as each woman is able to walk in the shoes of another. This gives them each an understanding of the other as well as a fresh perspective of the lives they have been thrust into. Jaelyn peppered her time-travel story with a great balance of love story in both times that will make you swoon.

A really good para read of time travel with some different twists to make it unique.


Merged review:

Jaelyn Lastoria aka Jennifer Domenico has taken a successful turn into the paranormal. Not the furry shifters or blood sucking kind but the time traveling kind. Aven is a curator at a small museum in the Luxor in Las Vegas and is fascinated with all things history. Her and her friend Daniel, travel to Florence, Italy in search of a fabled necklace said to allow time travel. When she finds it, Aven wish to see history from a first hand point of view comes to pass, in a very interesting way.

Jaelyn's story of intersecting lives, out-of-time experiences and coping with being somewhere unfamiliar is wonderfully told from two points of view. The first section is of Aven, the 21st century woman who finds herself in the body of a 1500's young lady about to be married. Lucia is a banker's daughter who is unhappy with the choice of suitor her father has found for her, instead she is in love with a commoner with no prospects. Aven's character is smart, resourceful and curious. The second part is Lucia navigating the shocking world of 2015, with sights no one from the 1500's had ever dreamed of. Lucia's adjustment is a little harder that Aven's with no one and no previous knowledge to guide her.

The story that unfolds is one of adaptation, growth and acceptance as each woman is able to walk in the shoes of another. This gives them each an understanding of the other as well as a fresh perspective of the lives they have been thrust into. Jaelyn peppered her time-travel story with a great balance of love story in both times that will make you swoon.

A really good para read of time travel with some different twists to make it unique.
Profile Image for Carol Marques.
109 reviews4 followers
June 23, 2019
A different spin on time travel romance. Two heroines change places. Loved it! Give me more.
Profile Image for Amber.
1,275 reviews33 followers
April 5, 2018
Lost Within is a truly heart-wrenching yet exquisitely breathtaking journey that will take you out of your head and place you in a world full of wonder, magic, and passion. This story will both enlighten and entertain as you dare to imagine what life might be if the unthinkable and incredible happened. This book was such a huge pleasure, and made my heart soar at the endless possibilities it created. The fire of this collection of words seared my soul and left a powerful hope that will give my heart wings to breathe and dream. What a wonderful adventure to experience and savor!

I had no idea what to expect when I started this book, but I was completely and utterly blown away by its gentle yet fierce determination to prove to me that I am important and should be treasured like I have always dreamed about. I have so much to give, and in turn I should receive everything that my heart desires. We can only give what we take in, so if we are nurtured and loved beyond measure then we can send that out to those around us who are in as much need of that as we are. This story is everything that is important in life. It is pure hope and raw love just waiting for us to lay claim to it.

Jaelyn LaStoria is a wonderful, new to me author that I plan to keep my eye on. She has a spectacular gift that I have cherished and look forward to reading more from in the future. Authors who can quietly touch your heart in the most powerful of ways is one that is hard to find and deserve to be treasured. I recommend this book and author to all readers who want to discover new and fresh ways to appreciate your own life and yet to strive for more that will help us to grow, prosper, and reach our highest potential.
Profile Image for Tamra Delasalle Padgett.
377 reviews4 followers
October 11, 2017
Time travel books are not my normal want to read but Jaelyn has changed my mind now. Lost Within combines suspense, time travel, current day romance with historical romance and just the perfect amount of each. The two females Aven and Lucia I feel are connected by their destiny and trade places 500 years apart, each not really knowing how to handle the world they went to.

Aven in current time is an Archeologist who is hunting for this jeweled magical piece with her partner in Italy when she discovers the secret and is transported to the past. This find would put her tiny museum and her career at the top of her career. But how will she handle where she is now and her destiny is at stake as she falls in love with the one person Lucia doesn't love and was doomed to marry.

Lucia is so out of place in modern day 2015 and her family and friends think she has amnesia and tries their best to help her adjust. She is thrown into dealing with Aven's past love Oliver and the current man she is dating, Marc. Can she fight her feelings for these two men and not fall for them or will she fall for the one who is her true love.

In these struggles these two women are fighting through Will they ever go back to their own time or will they be stuck where they are due to the magic in that stone? You will just have to read this wonderful book to find out. I can't wait to see if there will be more to this story.
Profile Image for Ashlee Lynn.
Author 5 books37 followers
December 13, 2018
This book was too cool for words. It’s like Freaky Friday but they travel 500 years in the past or 500 years into the future. Aven is from the future, Lucia from the past. Lucia has traveled through time before but didn’t cause it this time. Neither of them are prepared for what happens to them but both have never felt right in their world. Do you feel right in yours? Imagine the culture shock of not only traveling back into time but a different life that is not yours. Having friends or family that believe you are one person when really you are another and you don’t know how to navigate the world you have been thrown into.

I have only good things to say about this story. I love the fact that its 1515 verses 2015. Two very different worlds, two very different cultures and what a dream it would be to switch. Like the back of the book questions, would you want to switch back? I know for myself I always wanted to go back into time, to a simple time. Would life be better, easier? This story explores whether or not you could find yourself within another world and that is altogether just amazing. Very imaginative, great writing and world building. It is a easy fast read that will keep you entertained. It was unpredictable and I loved every minute of it.
Profile Image for Lena (desert.diva.reads).
188 reviews6 followers
October 15, 2017
Where to start...the words to describe what I experienced the past three days elude me. Books are meant as an escape, each story takes you to a world you yourself could never dream of. That’s what makes books so great.
Lost Within takes you to two worlds with such a flawless ease that you finish only with the desire of wanting to learn more about the women in within the story.
Don’t let the word historical deter you from reading this story. It’s very much a modern romance. Aven a young women in 2015 is taken back to 1515. As a modern women, it’s interesting to view the 16th century through her eyes. As it is to see how Lucia (the young women she switch’s with) is able to adapt to 2015. There is love and romance, but it’s sweet and slow not the steamy sex scenes you might be used to but it’s a nice change of pace.
Best of all there is a connection, such a deep connection between Aven and Lucia that it brought me to happy tears, watching their lives intertwine was nothing like I’ve read before. 5 out of 5 roses!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
953 reviews
October 11, 2017
What a wonderful story that includes time travel, history, and love stories in 2015 and 1515! Jaelyn LaStoria takes us on a journey from modern day Las Vegas to Florence, Italy set in 1515 and 2015. Aven Lane is a history lover and jumps at the chance to travel to Italy with her friend in search of a necklace that holds special abilities for one person - to travel back and forth through time. Aven happens to find the necklace and the next thing she knows, she is still in Italy but in 1515 as Lucia. And Lucia finds herself in Las Vegas as Aven in 2015. Both of these smart, forward thinking women must navigate a time and place that is completely foreign to them. Ms. LaStoria keeps us on the edge of our seats from beginning to end to see which love interest will each lady choose, and just how they make it in a time so far away from what they already know. I loved every minute of this book!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Profile Image for Amber.
627 reviews3 followers
July 13, 2017
I really love Jaelynn LaStoria's twist on time travel romance, I loved the modern day romance with just a hit of a historical feel to it. Lost Within takes you on a journey with these two very headstrong women who are determined to live their lives to the fullest. I loved the romance, and of course my heart went out to the underdog as always and I really felt for Oliver but my fave character ended up being Marc. He's so hot. I really enjoyed reading Lucia and Aven's story and seeing how the came to terms with each other's situations. Between the two Lucia was def my fave, I felt she had more to adjust to than Aven. This is def one of my top reads for 2017 and highly recommended. I hope Jaelyn decides to give us more of Lucia and Aven's story in the future because once you're hooked, you're not gonna want to stop.
Profile Image for Clare.
533 reviews16 followers
October 22, 2017
This was a wonderful twist on a time travel themed story and I loved it very much.

Aven and Lucia were fated someway to swap places in time to find their significant other and really find true love. I enjoyed reading about each woman as they adapted to the time and the life that they found themselves living in and working out how to cope with not knowing that they may never see their families again.

It was a well written story that kept me gripped with plenty of angst. It also had lessons to be learnt of trusting your own instincts and to follow your heart even if your head might be telling you different. Aven and Lucia were both strong and clever women and I liked that about their characters.

This was a great read for me and so I give it 5 Stars!
1,465 reviews3 followers
October 12, 2017
COMPLETELY SPOILER FREE! It’s not easy to read a story within a story. It’s even harder to read a time travel romance. I am always leery about getting involved in such a book but after seeing this pop up on my social media and knowing the type of writing this alter ego author has written, I decided I needed to jump in and take a chance. This book, this story took me to a place I never expected and I am so glad I took the chance. And the characters, oh my goodness. I loved everything aspect of this book. I was completely engulfed and lost in Lost Within.

Bravo to Jaelyn LaStoria on taking a chance and discovering a whole new level of writing. Your talent shines through. I look forward to more from you.
723 reviews2 followers
October 11, 2017
This time travel romance was IMPOSSIBLE to put down! I am NOT a time travel fan typically, but I love this author so I had to give it a try! It was WONDERFUL! Aven is an archeologist who loves Renaissance time and while looking for a special necklace in Italy the impossible happened! Aven ended up in 1515 Italy while her ancestor, Lucia, ended up in Vegas in 2015! The romances between Aven and her two boyfriends and the upcoming marriage of Lucia keep you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t stop turning the pages until it ended. You definitely need to try this book by Jennifer Domenico AKA Jaelyn Lasoria!
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,010 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2017
Wow! Let me start by saying that historical and fantasy romance are not a genre I’ve read before and if I’m honest I didn’t even think I’d like them but I’m so glad I took a chance on this. It’s most definitely one of my top reads of 2017! I’d highly recommend taking a chance on this!
It had a really refreshing storyline that was packed full of suspense, time travel, the hot and steamy stuff and all the feels. A really fantastic read.
Profile Image for Terri.
80 reviews3 followers
October 12, 2017
A beautifully written and amazingly detailed story about two women who mysteriously change places. One woman goes five hundred years into the past while the other woman goes five hundred years into the future. In the beginning Aven and Lucia both want to get back to the life they knew but then things happen. Will these events make them not want to leave in the end? You'll just have to read the book to find out.
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