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Beloved Lives: A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel
She Must Choose Between Living Her Past and Creating a New Life
April Robins is a mess. Her diet and wardrobe are disastrous, she's stopped exercising, and the nightmares are back—nightmares that started at puberty and didn't stop until she married. Now that she's divorced, the dreams are worse than ever, and April's malaise has her cat and her best friend, Trish, worried.
April decides it's time to get her life back in order by running and eating better. She also agrees to attend a class Trish thinks will introduce them to new guys. When April meets the class instructor, Mitch van der Waals, an expert in the paranormal, she discovers they have a lot in common including a mutual attraction. When she and Mitch start dating, both cat and best friend approve.
But when the hospital where April works as a medical technologist hires Dr. Weston, a handsome, new cardiologist, things get complicated. At her first meeting with Dr. Weston, April faints. As he shows more and more interest in her, she finds herself unaccountably affected by Weston, sometimes irritated, other times literally falling into a trance in his presence.
April realizes Weston was a key player in her past lives as she struggles to find the root cause of her nightmares through past life regressions, sessions in the sleep lab, and strangely spontaneous trances.
Does she have a choice between being who she is now and who she seems to have been over and over again?
Solving the mysterious origins of the nightmares that have echoed down through April's many lives could be a matter of life and death, in this life and beyond.
Readers of romance books about past lives like Angelfall by Susan Ee, The Immortal Rules by Julia Kagawa, and The Steward by Christopher Shields will love this paranormal romance and suspense book.
April Robins is a mess. Her diet and wardrobe are disastrous, she's stopped exercising, and the nightmares are back—nightmares that started at puberty and didn't stop until she married. Now that she's divorced, the dreams are worse than ever, and April's malaise has her cat and her best friend, Trish, worried.
April decides it's time to get her life back in order by running and eating better. She also agrees to attend a class Trish thinks will introduce them to new guys. When April meets the class instructor, Mitch van der Waals, an expert in the paranormal, she discovers they have a lot in common including a mutual attraction. When she and Mitch start dating, both cat and best friend approve.
But when the hospital where April works as a medical technologist hires Dr. Weston, a handsome, new cardiologist, things get complicated. At her first meeting with Dr. Weston, April faints. As he shows more and more interest in her, she finds herself unaccountably affected by Weston, sometimes irritated, other times literally falling into a trance in his presence.
April realizes Weston was a key player in her past lives as she struggles to find the root cause of her nightmares through past life regressions, sessions in the sleep lab, and strangely spontaneous trances.
Does she have a choice between being who she is now and who she seems to have been over and over again?
Solving the mysterious origins of the nightmares that have echoed down through April's many lives could be a matter of life and death, in this life and beyond.
Readers of romance books about past lives like Angelfall by Susan Ee, The Immortal Rules by Julia Kagawa, and The Steward by Christopher Shields will love this paranormal romance and suspense book.
- GenresParanormal
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 28, 2018
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
And I gotta be honest here, it was very touch and go whether I would actually finish this!
The story tells of April, and Mitch and Weston. April only has her say here, and I would probably have enjoyed in more if the guys had had a say.
April and Winston have history, ancient history. And through time, they have, according to Weston, found each other and lived long and happy lives. But something doesn't ring true for April and she uses Mitch skill at hypnotherapy and past life regression to finally get some answers.
Like I said, touch and go for a while. I got way past half way, and I still wasn't able to figure out what was going on, and where this was going. But I kept at it, hoping it would make sense at some point. It did, but only once it was all revealed in the book.
It's not overly explicit, but there is some violence when they talk about how it all began. It's well written and I saw no editing or spelling errors.
It just didn't work for me.
But for a first time author, well done.
3 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
February 9, 2018
~Received a copy from the author in. exchange for an honest review~
2.5 stars at this point.
I hate being one of those people who give bad reviews but....
I tried my hardest to get into the heart of this book. Really, I did. But it's too darn slow for me. The storyline is a unique one, but the writing, well, it kind of disappointed me.
Paranormal.. Paranormal, but even that paranormal has some action and some twists in it. 😐
I promise to give it another shot soon.
2.5 stars at this point.
I hate being one of those people who give bad reviews but....
I tried my hardest to get into the heart of this book. Really, I did. But it's too darn slow for me. The storyline is a unique one, but the writing, well, it kind of disappointed me.
Paranormal.. Paranormal, but even that paranormal has some action and some twists in it. 😐
I promise to give it another shot soon.
February 23, 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book for free to give a voluntary honest review. This review contains only my own thoughts and opinions of this book. First of all, I’d like to thank Marilyn J. Evans. Although the story wasn’t much to my liking, I am always honored when an author asks me to read and review their work.
This book could have been something great. The plot and idea behind it was very different from anything I’ve read and the twist ending is not something you’d ordinarily find in a romance story. Anyone who knows me knows how much I appreciate and respect that. Authors who can awe me with originality and passion of their written world is usually what draws me to their art in the first place and keeps me intrigued and invested. Sadly, even if the story was original and unique, it was far from enough for me to see the passion behind it and feel the intrigue. There was nothing to keep me on my toes and invested reading this.
The main reason as to why I could not get invested in it was the fact that very little was actually happening in the story to begin with. Sure, the naked weird protagonist had some bad dreams and a real strange and special cat (I’ll get back to that in a second). But the rest was just ... blah. It was following everyday ordinary life with cleaning, work, cooking, class and hanging out with friends (or in this case friend). I don’t know how it is for other bookworms like me out there, but when I read, it is to escape everyday life and forget about it for a while. Not to be thrown right back into it. I mean, if I was interested in following a day of work and doing chores I could just have done it myself in real life instead of reading about it.
The book does not pick up and become somewhat interesting until at least halfway through when we start to learn of past lives and what the dreams actually mean. Though, the author did not really pull her readers into the story and events even then. It felt more like she recapped the events for us rather than actually having us experience it along with the story. There were no depth or detailed descriptions to make it feel important and the story therefore progressed too rushed. So even though I started to get into the storyline and started liking it, the author did not take that extra step to lead me deeper into it and feel for the characters and experience what was happening, to make sure I could fully enjoy it. She just brushed by it instead of actually slowing down and go into depth. She just went back to square one. Yet she made sure I had to sit through boring everyday lectures and work conversations explained into detail instead.
Then we come to personalities. Why I approve of giving the characters a bit of an edge and som unique qualities, they just weren’t relatable or that likable. Their unique quirks just got on my nerves because no one with a sane and realistic mind acts or say stuff like that. They couldn’t have normal hobbies or ordinary fashionable clothes or even good humor. It was always a bit too much in the wrong direction. Give them some unique traits, sure, but not all of them. It’s too much.
And then we have Winston, the cat. No offense meant to the author, but cats don’t in a million years act like that. Cats are not social animals, how cute and cuddly the may appear and sometimes are. This cat can’t handle being alone and he comes running because he missed her when they’ve been apart. He cuddles with her at night to soothe her distress after a nightmare and tries to protect her from threats and danger. A cat in real life would never do that, because their mental capacity is not made to understand others emotions or even care about others (it comes with the whole unsocial nature). The sad truth is that cats only are social and cuddly with the promise for food. That’s how most have learned to get an extra treat. Also a cat would never come to you with a leash in its mouth, excited for a workout. A. Their body is built to run really fast in short stretches, so they don’t have muscles built to handle sprinting longer treks. B. Because they are unsocial creatures they rather be alone and explore and hunt when they are outside. Putting it on a leash and forcing the cat to be near you at all times and deciding where it should go (even having it on a leash alone on the front porch with minimal space to move and go) is miserable and in my book, borderline abuse. Winston behavior is much closer to a dog than a cat, so maybe Winston just should have been written as a dog instead. That would have been much more realistic and believable.
Overall, I feel that this book should be at on and a half star, but since it isn’t possible to rate it with half stars I’m putting it at two stars in total. This book could use some work and changes, but it was not all bad. The writing was okay and I did enjoy the journeys to the past, even if the characters unrealistically suddenly could do it without struggle or a learning process.
This book could have been something great. The plot and idea behind it was very different from anything I’ve read and the twist ending is not something you’d ordinarily find in a romance story. Anyone who knows me knows how much I appreciate and respect that. Authors who can awe me with originality and passion of their written world is usually what draws me to their art in the first place and keeps me intrigued and invested. Sadly, even if the story was original and unique, it was far from enough for me to see the passion behind it and feel the intrigue. There was nothing to keep me on my toes and invested reading this.
The main reason as to why I could not get invested in it was the fact that very little was actually happening in the story to begin with. Sure, the naked weird protagonist had some bad dreams and a real strange and special cat (I’ll get back to that in a second). But the rest was just ... blah. It was following everyday ordinary life with cleaning, work, cooking, class and hanging out with friends (or in this case friend). I don’t know how it is for other bookworms like me out there, but when I read, it is to escape everyday life and forget about it for a while. Not to be thrown right back into it. I mean, if I was interested in following a day of work and doing chores I could just have done it myself in real life instead of reading about it.
The book does not pick up and become somewhat interesting until at least halfway through when we start to learn of past lives and what the dreams actually mean. Though, the author did not really pull her readers into the story and events even then. It felt more like she recapped the events for us rather than actually having us experience it along with the story. There were no depth or detailed descriptions to make it feel important and the story therefore progressed too rushed. So even though I started to get into the storyline and started liking it, the author did not take that extra step to lead me deeper into it and feel for the characters and experience what was happening, to make sure I could fully enjoy it. She just brushed by it instead of actually slowing down and go into depth. She just went back to square one. Yet she made sure I had to sit through boring everyday lectures and work conversations explained into detail instead.
Then we come to personalities. Why I approve of giving the characters a bit of an edge and som unique qualities, they just weren’t relatable or that likable. Their unique quirks just got on my nerves because no one with a sane and realistic mind acts or say stuff like that. They couldn’t have normal hobbies or ordinary fashionable clothes or even good humor. It was always a bit too much in the wrong direction. Give them some unique traits, sure, but not all of them. It’s too much.
And then we have Winston, the cat. No offense meant to the author, but cats don’t in a million years act like that. Cats are not social animals, how cute and cuddly the may appear and sometimes are. This cat can’t handle being alone and he comes running because he missed her when they’ve been apart. He cuddles with her at night to soothe her distress after a nightmare and tries to protect her from threats and danger. A cat in real life would never do that, because their mental capacity is not made to understand others emotions or even care about others (it comes with the whole unsocial nature). The sad truth is that cats only are social and cuddly with the promise for food. That’s how most have learned to get an extra treat. Also a cat would never come to you with a leash in its mouth, excited for a workout. A. Their body is built to run really fast in short stretches, so they don’t have muscles built to handle sprinting longer treks. B. Because they are unsocial creatures they rather be alone and explore and hunt when they are outside. Putting it on a leash and forcing the cat to be near you at all times and deciding where it should go (even having it on a leash alone on the front porch with minimal space to move and go) is miserable and in my book, borderline abuse. Winston behavior is much closer to a dog than a cat, so maybe Winston just should have been written as a dog instead. That would have been much more realistic and believable.
Overall, I feel that this book should be at on and a half star, but since it isn’t possible to rate it with half stars I’m putting it at two stars in total. This book could use some work and changes, but it was not all bad. The writing was okay and I did enjoy the journeys to the past, even if the characters unrealistically suddenly could do it without struggle or a learning process.
February 6, 2018
“Class on psychic phenomena? We signed up in the early spring? Thought it would be funny?”
Missouri author Marilyn J. Evans was a medical researcher studying human autoimmune diseases for twenty years, then worked in quality assurance for the pharmaceutical and biologics industries. Writing fiction is her third career. She has studied, taught and lectured on comparative religion and aspects of the paranormal for more than two decades. BELOVED LIVES marks Marilyn’s writing debut.
An author with a background in science brings a special appreciation for paranormal novels that deal with regression and past lives and the manner in which previous lives influence character development. For a debut novel BELOVED LIVES marks the arrival of a writer with a keen eye for all aspects of being – now and previously – and Marilyn is able in a few sentences to bring us into her imaginative world and make us believe. ‘In the heart of Kansas City, in the humidity-burdened heat of a glaring summer afternoon, a silver Mercedes crept down a one-way street. The driver studied modest houses to the left and right, searching for the little bungalow he knew so well but had only seen in his waking life three days before. He slowed the car even further, recognizing the house both from his previous visit and from recurring dreams over the past year. Before those dreams there had been others, years of them with a different, older home in the countryside miles from this city. His visit to that house had frustrated him but had led to the clues that finally brought him here, closer than he had been in all his years of dreaming and searching. The visit to the country house had brought him, at last, to the source of his deepest yearnings, his most passionate desire. The driver pulled into an empty space between two other vehicles parked along the street, then he arranged his rear-view mirror so he could watch the sidewalk leading to the bungalow. On his first visit, he had tried the doorbell, but it had not worked. He had knocked on the door but could not rouse anyone. Now he waited to see who lived here, who would be coming home to that little house. He finally knew her name, where she worked, and where she lived. He had discovered these things recently, but he still did not know what she looked like. He sat with the engine and air-conditioner off in his slowly warming car, hoping he would not have long to wait. Finally, the waiting man saw a young woman, juggling shopping bags, ambling down the street, then turning onto the walk leading to the house. Goose bumps prickled the skin on his arms, and the hair on the back of his neck rose. At last, he saw and knew her.’
The tale spins as the well-scribed synopsis details – ‘‘April Robins is a mess. Her diet and wardrobe are disastrous, she's stopped exercising, and the nightmares are back—nightmares that started at puberty and didn't stop until she married. Now that she's divorced, the dreams are worse than ever, and April's malaise has her cat and her best friend, Trish, worried. April decides it's time to get her life back in order by running and eating better. She also agrees to attend a class Trish thinks will introduce them to new guys. When April meets the class instructor, Mitch van der Waals, an expert in the paranormal, she discovers they have a lot in common including a mutual attraction. When she and Mitch start dating, both cat and best friend approve. But when the hospital where April works as a medical technologist hires Dr. Weston, a handsome, new cardiologist, things get complicated. At her first meeting with Dr. Weston, April faints. As he shows more and more interest in her, she finds herself unaccountably affected by Weston, sometimes irritated, other times literally falling into a trance in his presence. April realizes Weston was a key player in her past lives as she struggles to find the root cause of her nightmares through past life regressions, sessions in the sleep lab, and strangely spontaneous trances. Does she have a choice between being who she is now and who she seems to have been over and over again? Solving the mysterious origins of the nightmares that have echoed down through April's many lives could be a matter of life and death, in this life and beyond.’
This is a remarkably strong debut novel and hopefully this genre holds the author’s attention long enough for more books of this caliber to follow.
Missouri author Marilyn J. Evans was a medical researcher studying human autoimmune diseases for twenty years, then worked in quality assurance for the pharmaceutical and biologics industries. Writing fiction is her third career. She has studied, taught and lectured on comparative religion and aspects of the paranormal for more than two decades. BELOVED LIVES marks Marilyn’s writing debut.
An author with a background in science brings a special appreciation for paranormal novels that deal with regression and past lives and the manner in which previous lives influence character development. For a debut novel BELOVED LIVES marks the arrival of a writer with a keen eye for all aspects of being – now and previously – and Marilyn is able in a few sentences to bring us into her imaginative world and make us believe. ‘In the heart of Kansas City, in the humidity-burdened heat of a glaring summer afternoon, a silver Mercedes crept down a one-way street. The driver studied modest houses to the left and right, searching for the little bungalow he knew so well but had only seen in his waking life three days before. He slowed the car even further, recognizing the house both from his previous visit and from recurring dreams over the past year. Before those dreams there had been others, years of them with a different, older home in the countryside miles from this city. His visit to that house had frustrated him but had led to the clues that finally brought him here, closer than he had been in all his years of dreaming and searching. The visit to the country house had brought him, at last, to the source of his deepest yearnings, his most passionate desire. The driver pulled into an empty space between two other vehicles parked along the street, then he arranged his rear-view mirror so he could watch the sidewalk leading to the bungalow. On his first visit, he had tried the doorbell, but it had not worked. He had knocked on the door but could not rouse anyone. Now he waited to see who lived here, who would be coming home to that little house. He finally knew her name, where she worked, and where she lived. He had discovered these things recently, but he still did not know what she looked like. He sat with the engine and air-conditioner off in his slowly warming car, hoping he would not have long to wait. Finally, the waiting man saw a young woman, juggling shopping bags, ambling down the street, then turning onto the walk leading to the house. Goose bumps prickled the skin on his arms, and the hair on the back of his neck rose. At last, he saw and knew her.’
The tale spins as the well-scribed synopsis details – ‘‘April Robins is a mess. Her diet and wardrobe are disastrous, she's stopped exercising, and the nightmares are back—nightmares that started at puberty and didn't stop until she married. Now that she's divorced, the dreams are worse than ever, and April's malaise has her cat and her best friend, Trish, worried. April decides it's time to get her life back in order by running and eating better. She also agrees to attend a class Trish thinks will introduce them to new guys. When April meets the class instructor, Mitch van der Waals, an expert in the paranormal, she discovers they have a lot in common including a mutual attraction. When she and Mitch start dating, both cat and best friend approve. But when the hospital where April works as a medical technologist hires Dr. Weston, a handsome, new cardiologist, things get complicated. At her first meeting with Dr. Weston, April faints. As he shows more and more interest in her, she finds herself unaccountably affected by Weston, sometimes irritated, other times literally falling into a trance in his presence. April realizes Weston was a key player in her past lives as she struggles to find the root cause of her nightmares through past life regressions, sessions in the sleep lab, and strangely spontaneous trances. Does she have a choice between being who she is now and who she seems to have been over and over again? Solving the mysterious origins of the nightmares that have echoed down through April's many lives could be a matter of life and death, in this life and beyond.’
This is a remarkably strong debut novel and hopefully this genre holds the author’s attention long enough for more books of this caliber to follow.
February 22, 2018
>Book review – Beloved Lives
>This book is a standalone romantic mystery with an HEA. April is a successful young woman that has suffered all of her life with vivid dreams that leave her screaming. The story has the usual fun BFF, Trish, who is the comic relief. Mitch fulfills the role of sexy, leading man and Winston plays both a huge cat and a creepy stalker.
>This story deals with the interesting concept of past life regressions. Past soul mates find each other time and time again after each reincarnation. April and Trish take a paranormal class taught by Mitch. The class helps both Trish and April understand the paranormal realm and all of its possibilities. The class time seems to slow the book down a bit. The material presented by Mitch is dry and while important for the characters, I tended to skim over it.
>No one in this story seems to question the validity of reincarnation. The regression dreams were like short stories. April and the doctor Winston were supposed to be past life soul mates, but there wasn’t any connection there, except for April constantly fainting. The chemistry was all between April and Mitch, but the romance stayed all G rated.
>I am a reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock. This book is appropriate for a young adult (16+) to adult audience. I am giving this book 4 stars.
>This book is a standalone romantic mystery with an HEA. April is a successful young woman that has suffered all of her life with vivid dreams that leave her screaming. The story has the usual fun BFF, Trish, who is the comic relief. Mitch fulfills the role of sexy, leading man and Winston plays both a huge cat and a creepy stalker.
>This story deals with the interesting concept of past life regressions. Past soul mates find each other time and time again after each reincarnation. April and Trish take a paranormal class taught by Mitch. The class helps both Trish and April understand the paranormal realm and all of its possibilities. The class time seems to slow the book down a bit. The material presented by Mitch is dry and while important for the characters, I tended to skim over it.
>No one in this story seems to question the validity of reincarnation. The regression dreams were like short stories. April and the doctor Winston were supposed to be past life soul mates, but there wasn’t any connection there, except for April constantly fainting. The chemistry was all between April and Mitch, but the romance stayed all G rated.
>I am a reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock. This book is appropriate for a young adult (16+) to adult audience. I am giving this book 4 stars.
June 3, 2018
April is plagued by dreams. For as long as she can remember she has had them. When a new doctor comes into the hospital she works at, the truth slowly is revealed. Her life is not just her own. She finds out she is fated to relive her many experiences and now is given a choice. Go back to the love she is fated for or make herself a new path to follow.
This story was very well written. It kept me genuinely enthralled from page one. The characters are colorful and likable, well most of them anyway. I have to say when Weston, the man, not the cat, came into the story I had an instant dislike for him. One word I can use to describe April is strong. She has all this strange stuff happening to her, and she takes it on and moves with it. If I were in her place, I'd be freaking out. As for Trish, I just loved her. She was a very fun and likable best friend character. And then you have Weston, the cat! He is such a big part of this story, and I loved him and his quirky CATtitude. Haha. I loved this cat. :)
Overall, this was a great story. It was filled with mystery and romance. It was written very well. Usually, I get a little lost when reading books that have to do with past lives, but this one was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I hope to read more from this author soon.
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This story was very well written. It kept me genuinely enthralled from page one. The characters are colorful and likable, well most of them anyway. I have to say when Weston, the man, not the cat, came into the story I had an instant dislike for him. One word I can use to describe April is strong. She has all this strange stuff happening to her, and she takes it on and moves with it. If I were in her place, I'd be freaking out. As for Trish, I just loved her. She was a very fun and likable best friend character. And then you have Weston, the cat! He is such a big part of this story, and I loved him and his quirky CATtitude. Haha. I loved this cat. :)
Overall, this was a great story. It was filled with mystery and romance. It was written very well. Usually, I get a little lost when reading books that have to do with past lives, but this one was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I hope to read more from this author soon.
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March 10, 2018
The pace is slow at the beginning of the story but soon picks up the further in to it you get. Would you want your dreams/nightmares from your past to start haunting you ....... a past you know nothing about. This story held my interest on wanting to know exactly how the ending would go as there were great characters and twists that really had you unsure what would happen next. April needs to get to the bottom of those dreams that leave her throat sore from screaming, they have haunted her from childhood but she's had no answers............ until she meets a new Dr at the hospital who seems to have a control over her and he makes her very uncomfortable. Mitch is a tutor at the college and talks about past lives, paranormal, telepathy and they have a chemistry between them which is very strong. Is there such a thing as your soul mate, do we come back over and over, is there such a thing as fate to the path of our lives. This has been a great suspenseful read which does grab your attention if you love all of this.
February 7, 2018
First time reading from the author.
I thought the story was good. The characters were likable, even the cat.
The pace was slow at the beginning of the book, but picks up a little ways in. I didn’t like the words fat man, being used several times in one spot.
The rest of the story held my interest on wanting to know the ending.
Having bad nightmares, and wanting them to stop. Leads April to get to the bottom of those dreams.
To find out you lived so many life’s and must choose to keep living many more or to end it with choosing someone else she loves. I liked how the story played out and hope to read more from the authors book shelf.
Part of me hopes or wonder if there might be a second part down the road for the two kids in the story.
Thank you for sharing your book with us.
Got for an honest review.
I thought the story was good. The characters were likable, even the cat.
The pace was slow at the beginning of the book, but picks up a little ways in. I didn’t like the words fat man, being used several times in one spot.
The rest of the story held my interest on wanting to know the ending.
Having bad nightmares, and wanting them to stop. Leads April to get to the bottom of those dreams.
To find out you lived so many life’s and must choose to keep living many more or to end it with choosing someone else she loves. I liked how the story played out and hope to read more from the authors book shelf.
Part of me hopes or wonder if there might be a second part down the road for the two kids in the story.
Thank you for sharing your book with us.
Got for an honest review.
February 15, 2018
My mother used to say, paranormal hogwash. She never could see that sometimes something has to be believed to be seen. I once saw a unicorn that turned into a mule, maybe it was the light or maybe I just wished it to be. Who knows for sure, but it's a great discussion anyway. The characters became very full and believable, the plot-line had one or two twists, it did read a little slow at the beginning, but that's not a problem, once you get to the second chapter. Marilyn Evans posed some questions that can only be answered by each of us readers. Is there such a thing as a soul mate, can we be made to come back over and over, are we destined or do we have free will to change the path of our lives. I loved the fact that the author took the time to get the science right as well.
Well Done.
Well Done.
April 26, 2018
3.5 for a very interesting read on a very interesting topic. It’s refreshing to read a story that does not have a cookie cutter plot. I would have loved for the author to have gone into a greater depth in developing the relationships between April and Weston. For a story to revolve around past lives, I just felt short changed. A good story, just want a bit more.
March 20, 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Beloved Lives: A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel by Marilyn Evans
This is the first paranormal romance book I read, and I have nothing else to compare it. I just wanted to say this because well that’s the truth and I love telling the truth.
A lot of the paranormal issues that are covered and mentioned in the book personally I think they are hocus pocus. Maybe that’s why I didn’t really “got” the story. To be honest, it alienated me a bit.
April is a divorced woman that is going through a bad time and her two pillars of comfort and supports it's her cat named Winston and her best friend, Trish.
After the divorce, she started having nightmares again, and her search of finding out more about them led her and Trish in enrolling in a paranormal class hat was taught by a cute man named Mitch.
Mitch is going to play a cathartic and essential role in her life.
I liked the fact that the book presents a plethora of paranormal activities. Having April run every day and also being divorced is something I can relate since I do like running and I am divorced, so I did connect with the character.
It is a pleasant read; I found it light reading, not too much drama, even that towards the end April was in danger it was not decorated with too many heavy emotions or feelings.
I believe that the author did a great job with her first novel and I am sure her next books will be more addictive and suspenseful.
Nice work.
Beloved Lives: A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel by Marilyn Evans
This is the first paranormal romance book I read, and I have nothing else to compare it. I just wanted to say this because well that’s the truth and I love telling the truth.
A lot of the paranormal issues that are covered and mentioned in the book personally I think they are hocus pocus. Maybe that’s why I didn’t really “got” the story. To be honest, it alienated me a bit.
April is a divorced woman that is going through a bad time and her two pillars of comfort and supports it's her cat named Winston and her best friend, Trish.
After the divorce, she started having nightmares again, and her search of finding out more about them led her and Trish in enrolling in a paranormal class hat was taught by a cute man named Mitch.
Mitch is going to play a cathartic and essential role in her life.
I liked the fact that the book presents a plethora of paranormal activities. Having April run every day and also being divorced is something I can relate since I do like running and I am divorced, so I did connect with the character.
It is a pleasant read; I found it light reading, not too much drama, even that towards the end April was in danger it was not decorated with too many heavy emotions or feelings.
I believe that the author did a great job with her first novel and I am sure her next books will be more addictive and suspenseful.
Nice work.
August 5, 2020
I receives a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I saw the concept of this book and I could not wait to get my hands on it. The cover art is amazing and gives off a certain vibe for the book. I knew going it was about past live regression. April has had nightmare for most of her life that only stopped when she got married. She now recently divorced and the nightmares are back worse than ever. She has a couple love interests in this book and while she is trying to figure out the connection with one and why she all but faints or does faint around one. I found the book good. It did leave me wanting more.
March 22, 2020
While I don't normally read romance, I found this to be very enjoyable. It was a litle light on the romance, which may be why. I found April to be absolutely engaging and relatable. The characters are all written very well, and complex. And the dialogue and pacing work well. Solid book and a fast, fun read.
February 7, 2021
Unique, interesting, well written, scary... Review to follow on gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com.
February 22, 2019
Beloved Lives
Marilyn J. Evans
*Disclaimer* I was given a copy of this book for an honest review by Author Marilyn J. Evans.
The idea and plot behind this book is a very interesting one, the story revolves around April Robins and follows her through the discovery of her past. Although I’ve read books with similar past-life storylines, ‘Beloved Lives’ was a refreshing take on the paranormal romance genre given the main character is as common as they come and nothing extraordinary. In addition, there were no vampires or angels and demons as you would usually find in these kinds of books, making her and her world more relatable.
However, I found the book to be very slow to start and by the end I felt as if it still hadn’t quite made it the main plotline but danced around it and instead focused on trivial tasks of everyday life. In this sense neglecting the most interesting, and in my opinion most important part of the story, that of Aprils past-lives. I wasn’t pulled into or invested in the story until close to the end where all the detail and action can be found and even than it felt rushed and was over before I knew it. I was disappointed with the plot as it had no depth and wasn’t as developed as it could have been.
The same goes for the characters, none of them felt fully developed and I found myself disinterested in their individual stories. Winston the cat, although a very cute character, seemed more like a dog and I think could have worked better to write him as such.
I have given this book 2 stars as I believe it could have done with some major editing to fully develop both the storyline and the characters. Although, the writing style was very nice to read and not over complicated and I really enjoy the paranormal side of the story. Overall, it was a fair start for a new author and I hope she continues to write.
Marilyn J. Evans
*Disclaimer* I was given a copy of this book for an honest review by Author Marilyn J. Evans.
The idea and plot behind this book is a very interesting one, the story revolves around April Robins and follows her through the discovery of her past. Although I’ve read books with similar past-life storylines, ‘Beloved Lives’ was a refreshing take on the paranormal romance genre given the main character is as common as they come and nothing extraordinary. In addition, there were no vampires or angels and demons as you would usually find in these kinds of books, making her and her world more relatable.
However, I found the book to be very slow to start and by the end I felt as if it still hadn’t quite made it the main plotline but danced around it and instead focused on trivial tasks of everyday life. In this sense neglecting the most interesting, and in my opinion most important part of the story, that of Aprils past-lives. I wasn’t pulled into or invested in the story until close to the end where all the detail and action can be found and even than it felt rushed and was over before I knew it. I was disappointed with the plot as it had no depth and wasn’t as developed as it could have been.
The same goes for the characters, none of them felt fully developed and I found myself disinterested in their individual stories. Winston the cat, although a very cute character, seemed more like a dog and I think could have worked better to write him as such.
I have given this book 2 stars as I believe it could have done with some major editing to fully develop both the storyline and the characters. Although, the writing style was very nice to read and not over complicated and I really enjoy the paranormal side of the story. Overall, it was a fair start for a new author and I hope she continues to write.
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