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Beyond the Moon
A strange twist of fate connects a British soldier fighting in the First World War in 1916 with a young woman living in modern-day England a century later, in this haunting literary time travel novel.
Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Part war story, part timeslip, part love story – and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art, Beyond The Moon is an intelligent, captivating debut novel, perfect for book clubs.
In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…
*NB Contains graphic descriptions of war violence and injuries, as well as profanity and mild sex.
Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Part war story, part timeslip, part love story – and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art, Beyond The Moon is an intelligent, captivating debut novel, perfect for book clubs.
In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…
*NB Contains graphic descriptions of war violence and injuries, as well as profanity and mild sex.
496 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2019
1250 people are currently reading
5138 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Taylor
1 book143 followersFollow me on instagram at @catherine_taylor_author and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CatherineTay...
I was born and grew up on the small island of Guernsey, one of the British Channel Islands in the English Channel.
My mother was a professional landscape artist, who spent her life painting the beautiful beaches and countryside of Guernsey. And so I grew up in an environment where it was a very normal thing to want to make a living from your art. Which is just as well, because I’m someone who always knew she wanted to be a writer, and if I’d had parents who’d harboured hopes of me becoming a tax accountant or a corporate lawyer, they’d have been sorely disappointed.
I’ve been obsessed with words and books since the day I first learned to read, and grew up on classic children’s authors like Enid Blyton and Edith Nesbit. As I got older I began to gravitate towards love stories with gripping plots, devouring novels like Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Katharine, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice, about clever, independent-minded women caught up in passionate affairs with complex, Byronic men. And equally I loved sweeping epics like The Thorn Birds and Gone With The Wind. I have always been a hopeless romantic, and my favourite novels are beautiful, intelligent love stories that combine a gripping plot with gorgeous prose and wonderful historical detail to lose yourself in.
I was also a keen writer myself from an early age, penning copious stories and poems – as well as plays to be performed in the field behind our house, with parts for me and my younger brother and sister, but always with myself in the starring role (of course!).
My love of language developed into an interest in foreign languages, and I went on to study French and German at university, then to live and study in Germany for several years after that. Most recently I worked as a journalist.
Throughout my time at university I studied 1900-1945 European history and culture – a period that continues to fascinate me. I always knew that when I eventually wrote my first novel it would be a novel of historical fiction set during the first half of the twentieth century. And that it would be first and foremost a love story.
Mental health is a subject that has always hugely interested me, and from the very start I knew that Beyond The Moon would be set partly in a psychiatric hospital. As I began to research people’s experiences in mental hospitals I was shocked to find just how common it is for patients to suffer neglect and abuse in such places. I can understand that modern-day Coldbrook Hall might seem far-fetched to some readers, but I assure you, you don’t have to look far on the internet to find some appalling stories. Just recently the following articles appeared in UK newspapers: ‘Firms cash in on psychiatric care crisis’ in The Times, and ‘Care Quality Commission [the UK regulator] places two Priory Group hospitals in special measures’ in The Guardian. If I, in my very small way through Beyond The Moon, can help shine a light on this modern-day scandal, then I am very glad.
I hope you enjoy Beyond The Moon as much as I loved writing it. I love to hear from readers, so please do get in touch at catherine@catherinetaylor.net. Also, on my contact details page, you can sign up for my mailing list and receive occasional (I don’t have the time for anything more frequent!) news about Beyond The Moon and future novels.
I’m currently working on a two novel series set in Guernsey and Germany both before and during the Second World War. It’s another smart historical love story, and I’m very excited about it.
I now live in London with my husband and two children - and three cats.
I was born and grew up on the small island of Guernsey, one of the British Channel Islands in the English Channel.
My mother was a professional landscape artist, who spent her life painting the beautiful beaches and countryside of Guernsey. And so I grew up in an environment where it was a very normal thing to want to make a living from your art. Which is just as well, because I’m someone who always knew she wanted to be a writer, and if I’d had parents who’d harboured hopes of me becoming a tax accountant or a corporate lawyer, they’d have been sorely disappointed.
I’ve been obsessed with words and books since the day I first learned to read, and grew up on classic children’s authors like Enid Blyton and Edith Nesbit. As I got older I began to gravitate towards love stories with gripping plots, devouring novels like Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Katharine, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice, about clever, independent-minded women caught up in passionate affairs with complex, Byronic men. And equally I loved sweeping epics like The Thorn Birds and Gone With The Wind. I have always been a hopeless romantic, and my favourite novels are beautiful, intelligent love stories that combine a gripping plot with gorgeous prose and wonderful historical detail to lose yourself in.
I was also a keen writer myself from an early age, penning copious stories and poems – as well as plays to be performed in the field behind our house, with parts for me and my younger brother and sister, but always with myself in the starring role (of course!).
My love of language developed into an interest in foreign languages, and I went on to study French and German at university, then to live and study in Germany for several years after that. Most recently I worked as a journalist.
Throughout my time at university I studied 1900-1945 European history and culture – a period that continues to fascinate me. I always knew that when I eventually wrote my first novel it would be a novel of historical fiction set during the first half of the twentieth century. And that it would be first and foremost a love story.
Mental health is a subject that has always hugely interested me, and from the very start I knew that Beyond The Moon would be set partly in a psychiatric hospital. As I began to research people’s experiences in mental hospitals I was shocked to find just how common it is for patients to suffer neglect and abuse in such places. I can understand that modern-day Coldbrook Hall might seem far-fetched to some readers, but I assure you, you don’t have to look far on the internet to find some appalling stories. Just recently the following articles appeared in UK newspapers: ‘Firms cash in on psychiatric care crisis’ in The Times, and ‘Care Quality Commission [the UK regulator] places two Priory Group hospitals in special measures’ in The Guardian. If I, in my very small way through Beyond The Moon, can help shine a light on this modern-day scandal, then I am very glad.
I hope you enjoy Beyond The Moon as much as I loved writing it. I love to hear from readers, so please do get in touch at catherine@catherinetaylor.net. Also, on my contact details page, you can sign up for my mailing list and receive occasional (I don’t have the time for anything more frequent!) news about Beyond The Moon and future novels.
I’m currently working on a two novel series set in Guernsey and Germany both before and during the Second World War. It’s another smart historical love story, and I’m very excited about it.
I now live in London with my husband and two children - and three cats.
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June 28, 2020
Exquisite ♡ 3.5 lovely stars
If a person can wear their emotions on their sleeve readable by everyone then this novel is undoubtedly the transparent works of an intuitive, kind, and empathetic writer. Throughout the entirety of the novel, Taylor's voice feels virtuous and tender, caring about the subject matter with respect to the time period and the character's struggles.
As a fan of time travel novels, hence my blog name, I have certainly indulged in a few of these kinds of stories. The blurb listed on Goodreads actually gives a great synopsis of what is happening in BEYOND THE MOON:
"In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…"
I am not the biggest fan of romance as the central focal point in my reading choices but wanted to give this one a try since it involved WWI.
Louisa, who lives in 2017 meets 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett, in Sussex in 1916 his time, after entering an old and dilapidated hospital wing. He has suffered trauma during his service and is dealing with the recovery. The two of them share an instant connection despite Robert's temporary loss of sight and strangely, no one else at that time can see Louisa either.
Right before Robert is fit to go back to lead his men, an incident tears them apart as they were about to make a promise to each other.
Distraught by the events, Louisa wants to see Robert again and thankful for a chance, another visit in that hospital wing takes her to a place in France, however, away from Robert into the midst of a military hospital in Amiens. She now is one of the awaited VAD nurses to arrive and aid the doctors in vetting and caring for injured soldiers.
How was a girl from 2017 supposed to fit in and do the job required and limited to the knowledge of 1916? This is the part that stood out the most to me and Louisa's character and her experience took to a shine.
"She found the chamber pot and used it rather inexpertly, after taking a good while to find a way through all the foreign-looking underclothes she had on. Everything was so old-fashioned: a long woolen skirt and cotton blouse, thick black tights held up by garters, a pair of drawers, two frilled petticoats and, under a cotton chemise, a pink satin corset that was digging into her, all terrifying hooks, eyes, and laces."
How was she supposed to pass as an experienced VAD, she wondered, when she didn't even know how to put on a corset? "
In the meantime, Robert is in the trenches fighting the Germans and leading his soldiers into battles he knows are close to hopeless endeavors. His leadership is critical and with his brothers in arms, they do all they can to survive. He has no idea Louisa is in France, they have had no contact for weeks.
Unfortunately, Robert becomes a POV. Across the leaders of any nationality, there seems to be a respectful understanding of rank, yet undoubtedly, cruelty is inflicted on him and the other POV's and he suffers greatly by the end.
Louisa is hoping desperately to find out if Robert is anywhere near and alive. With the aid of a friend, she finds out more about the person whose life she has taken over and finds aid in tracking down Robert.
In these last parts of the book, the plot and writing shine the most. There are action, drama, and heart-aching moments that propel this enduring story forward and redeem it to a satisfying end.
As I mentioned, I am not a reader of romance, so this part is unfair of me to rate or pick apart. Personally, the new love at such an underlying deep level after a few visits at the old hospital wing at the beginning took too fast, despite a plot that was languid in the establishment of all settings.
The main characters seemed like rather very nice and kind people...almost too good to be true for the most part of the story. This is why I wasn't really sold on them until it came to the trenches and the nurse duties that gave me a bit of that feist I enjoy reading about in characters to show what it takes to endure the circumstances.
The historical details were atmospheric and carefully researched. The setting in this novel, between France and England in WWI was my first fictional experience to travel to and experience a military hospital. Procedures and the lack of modern medical knowledge made these parts in the novel a riveting read.
Though Beyond the Moon is a labor of love to appreciate and exquisitely sweet, I wanted to love it even more than I did. Readers of romance will most likely find a deeper connection with this lovely book and the enduring love of the characters. Overall, it is a charming time travel novel full of heart.
Happy Reading.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
If a person can wear their emotions on their sleeve readable by everyone then this novel is undoubtedly the transparent works of an intuitive, kind, and empathetic writer. Throughout the entirety of the novel, Taylor's voice feels virtuous and tender, caring about the subject matter with respect to the time period and the character's struggles.
As a fan of time travel novels, hence my blog name, I have certainly indulged in a few of these kinds of stories. The blurb listed on Goodreads actually gives a great synopsis of what is happening in BEYOND THE MOON:
"In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…"
I am not the biggest fan of romance as the central focal point in my reading choices but wanted to give this one a try since it involved WWI.
Louisa, who lives in 2017 meets 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett, in Sussex in 1916 his time, after entering an old and dilapidated hospital wing. He has suffered trauma during his service and is dealing with the recovery. The two of them share an instant connection despite Robert's temporary loss of sight and strangely, no one else at that time can see Louisa either.
Right before Robert is fit to go back to lead his men, an incident tears them apart as they were about to make a promise to each other.
Distraught by the events, Louisa wants to see Robert again and thankful for a chance, another visit in that hospital wing takes her to a place in France, however, away from Robert into the midst of a military hospital in Amiens. She now is one of the awaited VAD nurses to arrive and aid the doctors in vetting and caring for injured soldiers.
How was a girl from 2017 supposed to fit in and do the job required and limited to the knowledge of 1916? This is the part that stood out the most to me and Louisa's character and her experience took to a shine.
"She found the chamber pot and used it rather inexpertly, after taking a good while to find a way through all the foreign-looking underclothes she had on. Everything was so old-fashioned: a long woolen skirt and cotton blouse, thick black tights held up by garters, a pair of drawers, two frilled petticoats and, under a cotton chemise, a pink satin corset that was digging into her, all terrifying hooks, eyes, and laces."
How was she supposed to pass as an experienced VAD, she wondered, when she didn't even know how to put on a corset? "
In the meantime, Robert is in the trenches fighting the Germans and leading his soldiers into battles he knows are close to hopeless endeavors. His leadership is critical and with his brothers in arms, they do all they can to survive. He has no idea Louisa is in France, they have had no contact for weeks.
Unfortunately, Robert becomes a POV. Across the leaders of any nationality, there seems to be a respectful understanding of rank, yet undoubtedly, cruelty is inflicted on him and the other POV's and he suffers greatly by the end.
Louisa is hoping desperately to find out if Robert is anywhere near and alive. With the aid of a friend, she finds out more about the person whose life she has taken over and finds aid in tracking down Robert.
In these last parts of the book, the plot and writing shine the most. There are action, drama, and heart-aching moments that propel this enduring story forward and redeem it to a satisfying end.
As I mentioned, I am not a reader of romance, so this part is unfair of me to rate or pick apart. Personally, the new love at such an underlying deep level after a few visits at the old hospital wing at the beginning took too fast, despite a plot that was languid in the establishment of all settings.
The main characters seemed like rather very nice and kind people...almost too good to be true for the most part of the story. This is why I wasn't really sold on them until it came to the trenches and the nurse duties that gave me a bit of that feist I enjoy reading about in characters to show what it takes to endure the circumstances.
The historical details were atmospheric and carefully researched. The setting in this novel, between France and England in WWI was my first fictional experience to travel to and experience a military hospital. Procedures and the lack of modern medical knowledge made these parts in the novel a riveting read.
Though Beyond the Moon is a labor of love to appreciate and exquisitely sweet, I wanted to love it even more than I did. Readers of romance will most likely find a deeper connection with this lovely book and the enduring love of the characters. Overall, it is a charming time travel novel full of heart.
Happy Reading.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
January 14, 2020
Thank you HFVBT and the author for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Beyond The Moon
By: Catherine Taylor
*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Beyond The Moon is a romance story with a twist-time travel. Louisa, in 2017, drinks too much and accidentally falls down a cliff. She is deemed a suicide risk and admitted to Coldbrook psychiatric hospital. This is not a place of caring. Patients are subdued with pills and cannot defend themselves. Louisa becomes aware of an abandoned wing of the hospital and begins to explore this area. It is here she meets Robert, only, he is living in 1916 and fighting in WWI. He was also a patient here. How is this possible? Can a relationship develop between two people living a century apart? This is an intriguing story with well developed characters. It definitely kept me interested and reading because of its unique premise. I have not read much time travel fiction prior to this. The author does an excellent job of weaving these two timelines together to create a cohesive story. It is evident that much research went into the story as well. On a different note, the horrible conditions in the hospital and the mistreatment of the patients is a sad reflection of actual conditions in so many institutions today. It is so heartbreaking. This problem is one to be aware of more to affect change. Overall, Beyond The Moon is a great read that I definitely recommend!
Beyond The Moon
By: Catherine Taylor
*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Beyond The Moon is a romance story with a twist-time travel. Louisa, in 2017, drinks too much and accidentally falls down a cliff. She is deemed a suicide risk and admitted to Coldbrook psychiatric hospital. This is not a place of caring. Patients are subdued with pills and cannot defend themselves. Louisa becomes aware of an abandoned wing of the hospital and begins to explore this area. It is here she meets Robert, only, he is living in 1916 and fighting in WWI. He was also a patient here. How is this possible? Can a relationship develop between two people living a century apart? This is an intriguing story with well developed characters. It definitely kept me interested and reading because of its unique premise. I have not read much time travel fiction prior to this. The author does an excellent job of weaving these two timelines together to create a cohesive story. It is evident that much research went into the story as well. On a different note, the horrible conditions in the hospital and the mistreatment of the patients is a sad reflection of actual conditions in so many institutions today. It is so heartbreaking. This problem is one to be aware of more to affect change. Overall, Beyond The Moon is a great read that I definitely recommend!
April 6, 2022
In 1916. First Lieutenant Robert Lovett is wounded in France and send to Coldbrook Hall Military hospital in Sussex, England. He’s a talent painter, he’s lost his sight and they believe he’s suffering from shell shock and hysterical blindness. He’s witnessed so many horrific things during the war, a way for his mind to cope, it turns off his ability to see and the doctors doubt his vision will return.
In 2017. Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved gran, when she visits the South Downs Cliffs, has a drink to celebrate her grandmothers life and she accidentally falls part way down the cliff face. Doctors are sure she's tried to commit suicide and Louisa's admitted to Coldbrook Hall a psychiatric hospital. The busy consultants and medical attendants won’t accept they have made a mistake with her diagnosis and she has no family to call for help.
One day she and a fellow patient Kerry are exploring the derelict Victorian Hospitals old wing and it was used as a military hospital during The Great War. Louisa hears someone yelling for help, she discovers an old hospital room and finds a man lying on the floor. Robert tells her he was injured in the battle of the Somme, Louisa knows it happened over a hundred years ago and maybe she is crazy!
Louisa goes back in time as Miss. Rose Ashby, she works as a VAD in a busy hospital in France and luckily she's studied medicine in her previous life. Robert is captured by the German’s and becomes a prisoner of war and he has no idea Louisa is in France and desperately looking for him.
I received a copy of Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor from NetGalley and The Cameo Press Ltd in exchange for an honest review. It’s a story about war and mental illness, you read about the horrors of both and the couple unconventionally falling in love and doubting their own sanity.
I must admit I’m not a big fan of time travel stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the descriptions of WW I were well written and extremely accurate. Especially the battles, injuries, treatment options and Louisa's experiences as a front line nurse and four stars from me.
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In 2017. Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved gran, when she visits the South Downs Cliffs, has a drink to celebrate her grandmothers life and she accidentally falls part way down the cliff face. Doctors are sure she's tried to commit suicide and Louisa's admitted to Coldbrook Hall a psychiatric hospital. The busy consultants and medical attendants won’t accept they have made a mistake with her diagnosis and she has no family to call for help.
One day she and a fellow patient Kerry are exploring the derelict Victorian Hospitals old wing and it was used as a military hospital during The Great War. Louisa hears someone yelling for help, she discovers an old hospital room and finds a man lying on the floor. Robert tells her he was injured in the battle of the Somme, Louisa knows it happened over a hundred years ago and maybe she is crazy!
Louisa goes back in time as Miss. Rose Ashby, she works as a VAD in a busy hospital in France and luckily she's studied medicine in her previous life. Robert is captured by the German’s and becomes a prisoner of war and he has no idea Louisa is in France and desperately looking for him.
I received a copy of Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor from NetGalley and The Cameo Press Ltd in exchange for an honest review. It’s a story about war and mental illness, you read about the horrors of both and the couple unconventionally falling in love and doubting their own sanity.
I must admit I’m not a big fan of time travel stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the descriptions of WW I were well written and extremely accurate. Especially the battles, injuries, treatment options and Louisa's experiences as a front line nurse and four stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...
June 1, 2020
You know the saying, `don’t judge a book by it’s cover?’ It could not be truer for this story. At first glance the cover had me thinking it might be in the fantasy genre which is not something that interests me. When I read that there was time travel it almost put me off once again. However, I am no quitter and when the time was right I decided to give this story a fair chance and I’m so glad I did!
If you are a fan of historical fiction then this story will be right up your alley. The story begins in 2017 with Louisa. She has recently lost her much beloved grandmother and is completely bereft. After being orphaned when her parents died, her grandmother had been the only family she had. After putting her to rest she wanders along the beloved cliffs near her home and settles into the long grass, watching the sunset and toasting her grandmother’s life, with some good whiskey. Unfortunately for Louisa, she imbibes a little too much whiskey and falls asleep only to awaken in the dark, disorientated and as she tries to make her back to safety, she falls.
This leads to Louise being taken to Coldbrook Hall, a psychiatric hospital. Their assessment of her concludes that she made a suicide attempt and must be kept under watch and medicated. What a nightmare she has found herself in! While she is there she makes friends with some of the patients and finds her way into an older part of the building that is soon to be demolished. After exploring for a little while there one day she hears a cry for help and opens the door to find a man who has fallen from his bed.
Let’s go back 101 years now, WW1 is in its 4th year and Robert Robert is a patient at Coldbrook Hall, a military hospital. He has temporarily lost his sight, which of huge stress to him as he is also a very talented artist. He is a lieutenant and desperate to get back to his troops but fears this injury may mean the end of his army career. After falling from his bed one day he calls for help, that call is answered by a beautiful woman called Louisa. He may not be able to see but all of his other senses tell him she is beautiful.
Louisa is shocked to find a man alone in this abandoned building and she soon discovers that there is so much more to the reason he is there. Maybe she is indeed going mad because not only is she the only person who can see or hear him but she seems to be invisible to the staff tending to him. She has no idea what is going on but over the course of several weeks she visits Robert as much as she can. There is a connection she cannot explain and she knows they are falling in love. When the demolition of the old hospital begins, Louisa panics as this is her only connection to Robert and short of chaining herself to the wrecking ball, she has no way to stop what is going to happen. In a last bid attempt to see him one last time she puts herself in harms way and once again ends up falling. Except this time she falls and falls into a blackness like no other. When she awakens she finds herself in France 1917.
Talk about a massive plot twist! From here the story gets incredibly intense, in some parts very graphic but also a reflection of what soldiers and nurses went through in hospitals treating victims of this terrible war. I could not stop reading this story and was completely invested in Louisa and Robert finding each other again. This was an unexpectedly fabulous story!
If you are a fan of historical fiction then this story will be right up your alley. The story begins in 2017 with Louisa. She has recently lost her much beloved grandmother and is completely bereft. After being orphaned when her parents died, her grandmother had been the only family she had. After putting her to rest she wanders along the beloved cliffs near her home and settles into the long grass, watching the sunset and toasting her grandmother’s life, with some good whiskey. Unfortunately for Louisa, she imbibes a little too much whiskey and falls asleep only to awaken in the dark, disorientated and as she tries to make her back to safety, she falls.
This leads to Louise being taken to Coldbrook Hall, a psychiatric hospital. Their assessment of her concludes that she made a suicide attempt and must be kept under watch and medicated. What a nightmare she has found herself in! While she is there she makes friends with some of the patients and finds her way into an older part of the building that is soon to be demolished. After exploring for a little while there one day she hears a cry for help and opens the door to find a man who has fallen from his bed.
Let’s go back 101 years now, WW1 is in its 4th year and Robert Robert is a patient at Coldbrook Hall, a military hospital. He has temporarily lost his sight, which of huge stress to him as he is also a very talented artist. He is a lieutenant and desperate to get back to his troops but fears this injury may mean the end of his army career. After falling from his bed one day he calls for help, that call is answered by a beautiful woman called Louisa. He may not be able to see but all of his other senses tell him she is beautiful.
Louisa is shocked to find a man alone in this abandoned building and she soon discovers that there is so much more to the reason he is there. Maybe she is indeed going mad because not only is she the only person who can see or hear him but she seems to be invisible to the staff tending to him. She has no idea what is going on but over the course of several weeks she visits Robert as much as she can. There is a connection she cannot explain and she knows they are falling in love. When the demolition of the old hospital begins, Louisa panics as this is her only connection to Robert and short of chaining herself to the wrecking ball, she has no way to stop what is going to happen. In a last bid attempt to see him one last time she puts herself in harms way and once again ends up falling. Except this time she falls and falls into a blackness like no other. When she awakens she finds herself in France 1917.
Talk about a massive plot twist! From here the story gets incredibly intense, in some parts very graphic but also a reflection of what soldiers and nurses went through in hospitals treating victims of this terrible war. I could not stop reading this story and was completely invested in Louisa and Robert finding each other again. This was an unexpectedly fabulous story!
July 31, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy...I think.
Two and a half stars rounded up.
Well, at first I thought this would be a refreshing little recommendation from Netgalley. Instead, it turned into a weird sort of faux-Outlander that didn't even hold the advantage of the dude being kilt-clad and sporting a sexy brogue. Where to start? Perhaps with the good, the bad and the ugly of the plot points and issues addressed in the book.
The Good: realistic war grit, grave condemnations of the state of modern-day mental health programs in the U.K., and...the cover? I think I missed what the title is all about, though.
The Bad: realistic war grit, to the point that injuries and illness and filth and stuff is just, TOO MUCH. I felt ill at parts. Also, instalove between the two leads, and the romance on the whole feeling distinctly unconvincing. Why risk death and dismemberment and getting lost in time to go save this dude that I can't even believe you love?
The Ugly: There's a scene where, spoiler alert, the main two hook up, and this is only like 30% into the book. I should mention first that the female protagonist is a near-rape victim and definite sexual assault victim otherwise, so this scene, occurring with the male character in a sort of frenzied state of desire, read like rape. He's all I can't stop myself hope I don't hurt you, and it was offputting as hell.
Also, the Timey Wimey stuff? Completely ridiculous, I have never heard of this take on time travel, where you sort of astrally project into your soul's prior incarnation? What the... I guess the best part was that it was unique. And there's a part at the end where our protagonist has to ... "timehop" rather quickly to gather pertinent information from the future, and it was just implausible.
Overall take: I mean, it was a quick read I suppose, but there was a looooong boring middle part, so I could have easily stopped reading. And the romance was... whimsical? A bad sort of fluff? I don't know, something was unappealing. On to the next book!
Two and a half stars rounded up.
Well, at first I thought this would be a refreshing little recommendation from Netgalley. Instead, it turned into a weird sort of faux-Outlander that didn't even hold the advantage of the dude being kilt-clad and sporting a sexy brogue. Where to start? Perhaps with the good, the bad and the ugly of the plot points and issues addressed in the book.
The Good: realistic war grit, grave condemnations of the state of modern-day mental health programs in the U.K., and...the cover? I think I missed what the title is all about, though.
The Bad: realistic war grit, to the point that injuries and illness and filth and stuff is just, TOO MUCH. I felt ill at parts. Also, instalove between the two leads, and the romance on the whole feeling distinctly unconvincing. Why risk death and dismemberment and getting lost in time to go save this dude that I can't even believe you love?
The Ugly: There's a scene where, spoiler alert, the main two hook up, and this is only like 30% into the book. I should mention first that the female protagonist is a near-rape victim and definite sexual assault victim otherwise, so this scene, occurring with the male character in a sort of frenzied state of desire, read like rape. He's all I can't stop myself hope I don't hurt you, and it was offputting as hell.
Also, the Timey Wimey stuff? Completely ridiculous, I have never heard of this take on time travel, where you sort of astrally project into your soul's prior incarnation? What the... I guess the best part was that it was unique. And there's a part at the end where our protagonist has to ... "timehop" rather quickly to gather pertinent information from the future, and it was just implausible.
Overall take: I mean, it was a quick read I suppose, but there was a looooong boring middle part, so I could have easily stopped reading. And the romance was... whimsical? A bad sort of fluff? I don't know, something was unappealing. On to the next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2019
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor. I was a little concerned after seeing the comparisons made in the description and in several reviews to Outlander - a book I was unable to finish as it was much too explicit and quite unnecessarily so at that! Happily this was not the case. There is a scene with some intimate details but fortunately it isn't too graphic and can easily be skipped if one desires.
Beyond the Moon is a romance in that the main characters fall in love, and rather quickly and sweetly, but it is so much more than that label might suggest. I am not a romance reader but do not mind it when the romance plays second fiddle to the main storyline. It is a unique story of time travel, there are elements that make it unique that I won't share as it would spoil the unfolding of the story. Suffice it to say, it is an interesting spin on the usual time travel fantasy.
The author has done a lot of research to provide the details that make one feel they are in the World War 1 time period and it is very affecting. She has made it easy to immerse yourself in that world. In one review I read, someone felt that the modern hospital did not seem realistic, I disagree, it felt all too realistic in my opinion. The uncaring, often cruel treatment of patients is something we read of in the news, it saddens and angers me but unfortunately, it happens. It isn't just in mental hospitals but in all institutions and daycare settings for all ages and developmental abilities.
I would recommend Beyond the Moon to people, like me who enjoy actual historical fiction (as contrasted with historical romance fiction). Romance is there, yes, It drives the time travel but there is so much historical detail, a seamless immersion into the past that it doesn't overpower the story. The historical details are written so well, so "matter-of-factly", not as a random collection of facts just thrown in but as a natural part of the writing that I am sure many readers will find enjoyable. I was unable to put this book down and read it straight through in one day.
Beyond the Moon is a romance in that the main characters fall in love, and rather quickly and sweetly, but it is so much more than that label might suggest. I am not a romance reader but do not mind it when the romance plays second fiddle to the main storyline. It is a unique story of time travel, there are elements that make it unique that I won't share as it would spoil the unfolding of the story. Suffice it to say, it is an interesting spin on the usual time travel fantasy.
The author has done a lot of research to provide the details that make one feel they are in the World War 1 time period and it is very affecting. She has made it easy to immerse yourself in that world. In one review I read, someone felt that the modern hospital did not seem realistic, I disagree, it felt all too realistic in my opinion. The uncaring, often cruel treatment of patients is something we read of in the news, it saddens and angers me but unfortunately, it happens. It isn't just in mental hospitals but in all institutions and daycare settings for all ages and developmental abilities.
I would recommend Beyond the Moon to people, like me who enjoy actual historical fiction (as contrasted with historical romance fiction). Romance is there, yes, It drives the time travel but there is so much historical detail, a seamless immersion into the past that it doesn't overpower the story. The historical details are written so well, so "matter-of-factly", not as a random collection of facts just thrown in but as a natural part of the writing that I am sure many readers will find enjoyable. I was unable to put this book down and read it straight through in one day.
December 9, 2019
I am suffering from a huge book hangover this morning! I had the pleasure of reading two absolutely exceptional historicals this weekend and I know I won't be able to get them out of my head any time soon.
Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor is hands down one of the best books I've read this year. I was curious to pick it up after seeing all of the great reviews and the synopsis sounded intriguing. What I wasn't prepared for was how hard this book would hit me emotionally. There are some pretty heavy themes in the book so it's not a light read.
The book opens with Lieutenant Robert Lovett at Coldbrook Hospital in 1916. He's severely wounded from the war and has hysterical blindness. His past life as an artist a distant memory for him, he spends his days trying to recover and aching to go back to his men.
In 2017, Louisa has just lost her grandmother, the only family she has left, and is drinking her pain away on a cliffside when she accidentally falls. She wakes up at Coldbrook Hospital, now a Mental Institution, and they think she tried to kill herself so they admit her against her wishes. As someone that suffers from depression that is my worst nightmare. I cannot imagine being locked away and not in control of my own life.
One night as she is exploring the Hospital she hears someone calling out. It's Robert, from 1916, and he tells her his story. I don't want to go into much more as you will want to find it all out for yourself.
Beyond the Moon is truly a remarkable book. I was blown away by Catherine's writing..it's excellent and I can't wait for more from her! Highly, highly recommended.
Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor is hands down one of the best books I've read this year. I was curious to pick it up after seeing all of the great reviews and the synopsis sounded intriguing. What I wasn't prepared for was how hard this book would hit me emotionally. There are some pretty heavy themes in the book so it's not a light read.
The book opens with Lieutenant Robert Lovett at Coldbrook Hospital in 1916. He's severely wounded from the war and has hysterical blindness. His past life as an artist a distant memory for him, he spends his days trying to recover and aching to go back to his men.
In 2017, Louisa has just lost her grandmother, the only family she has left, and is drinking her pain away on a cliffside when she accidentally falls. She wakes up at Coldbrook Hospital, now a Mental Institution, and they think she tried to kill herself so they admit her against her wishes. As someone that suffers from depression that is my worst nightmare. I cannot imagine being locked away and not in control of my own life.
One night as she is exploring the Hospital she hears someone calling out. It's Robert, from 1916, and he tells her his story. I don't want to go into much more as you will want to find it all out for yourself.
Beyond the Moon is truly a remarkable book. I was blown away by Catherine's writing..it's excellent and I can't wait for more from her! Highly, highly recommended.
August 5, 2019
Louisa Casson's life is changed in a single night. After losing her grandmother, she drinks too much and accidentally stumbles down a cliff. She survives with little injury, but the medical professionals don't believe that it was accident. They see signs of suicide and a cry for help for help, so Louisa finds herself involuntarily committed to a mental institution at Coldbrook Hall. Surrounded by people with a variety of mental illnesses, Louisa tries to cope with her new reality as she works to convince the staff that she shouldn't be there. One day, she stumbles upon a forgotten wing of the institution. In a room lies a man named Robert Lovett who is injured and appears to be blind. As Louisa talks with him, she realizes that this man is a World War I soldier from 1917. As she gets to know him and their friendship builds, she finds herself continually drawn back to him, and eventually, she realizes that she must be in his life for a special reason.
Lately, I've been enjoying time travel historical fiction, so I was excited to give this book a try. As much as I wanted to like it, I was incredibly disappointed. The pacing isn't great==Louisa and Robert meet early in the book, and their friendship and subsequent relationship blossoms rather quickly. Just as I felt like I was getting to know Robert and enjoying his character, the plot turns suddenly, and Louisa and Robert end up in different places for a while. By the end of the book, I just didn't care that much about Robert again. I found myself bored at several places, and I never felt fully hooked by the story.
There were also a bunch of things that seemed out of place and hard to believe. Coldbrook Hall, where Louisa is committed, is such an awful place that I didn't find it realistic. Obviously there are probably institutions in real life that are poorly run and don't have great staff, but Coldbrook Hall felt like an over-the-top villain to me. Another thing that I didn't quite believe was Louisa's squeamishness when she was working in the military hospital. There were vivid descriptions of the brutality of war injuries, and I'm sure that would be shocking to many people, but Louisa was studying to be a doctor, so I wasn't expecting her to react like someone who has never been exposed to blood and gore.
I was also not a fan of the attempt to explain the time travel aspect. It felt forced to me, but I also really enjoy the time travel novels where the time travel remains more of a mystery and is just something that happens, so this could be more of a personal preference.
Overall, there are still some good aspects to the book. I did enjoy Louisa's character, and the story was a unique take on World War I historical fiction. It wasn't my cup of tea, but someone else might enjoy it!
Thanks to Catherine Taylor, The Cameo Press Ltd., and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!
Lately, I've been enjoying time travel historical fiction, so I was excited to give this book a try. As much as I wanted to like it, I was incredibly disappointed. The pacing isn't great==Louisa and Robert meet early in the book, and their friendship and subsequent relationship blossoms rather quickly. Just as I felt like I was getting to know Robert and enjoying his character, the plot turns suddenly, and Louisa and Robert end up in different places for a while. By the end of the book, I just didn't care that much about Robert again. I found myself bored at several places, and I never felt fully hooked by the story.
There were also a bunch of things that seemed out of place and hard to believe. Coldbrook Hall, where Louisa is committed, is such an awful place that I didn't find it realistic. Obviously there are probably institutions in real life that are poorly run and don't have great staff, but Coldbrook Hall felt like an over-the-top villain to me. Another thing that I didn't quite believe was Louisa's squeamishness when she was working in the military hospital. There were vivid descriptions of the brutality of war injuries, and I'm sure that would be shocking to many people, but Louisa was studying to be a doctor, so I wasn't expecting her to react like someone who has never been exposed to blood and gore.
I was also not a fan of the attempt to explain the time travel aspect. It felt forced to me, but I also really enjoy the time travel novels where the time travel remains more of a mystery and is just something that happens, so this could be more of a personal preference.
Overall, there are still some good aspects to the book. I did enjoy Louisa's character, and the story was a unique take on World War I historical fiction. It wasn't my cup of tea, but someone else might enjoy it!
Thanks to Catherine Taylor, The Cameo Press Ltd., and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!
July 28, 2019
A WWI Romance with a Twist
I loved this book it was very good.
Louisa's story tells of her being placed in Coldbrook, a privately ran mental hospital. She talks of the horrible conditions and the uncaring staff. It is a sad part. You can sympathize with the patients and wonder how such things could actually happen in the year 2017.
Louisa finds a portal to 1917 through a condemned wing of the hospital where she meets Robert an injured Soldier and they fall in love. After Louisa falls through the floor into 1917 she becomes Rose, A VAD nurse at a British Field hospital in France. She describes in great detail the sad conditions in the hospital. Shortage of Staff, Supplies and equipment. The horrible injuries to the soldiers and the deaths. It is so realistic you feel as if you are actually there. Quite sad.
You have Robert's story. He tells of his injury and when Louisa visits through the portal he falls in love with her. Then he goes back to his unit in France to fight in the war. While fighting in the trenches on the heels of the German Army he is captured and taken to a German P.O.W. camp.
Robert's part of the story tells of the front lines, the trenches, the injuries and the death of his fellow soldiers. He tells of his inner feelings. It is a very good depiction of the fighting soldier's life on the front lines. After he is captured by the German's he details what it is like to live as a prisoner in a German POW camp. It is also written in such a realistic manner that you feel as if you are there with Robert.
I love the characters, I love the story line and the ending is fantastic. If you want to find out how it all came about, if Robert survives the POW camp, if Rose and Robert ever get together again, than you will have to read the book. Warning....Once you pick up this book and start reading you will not want to stop until you are finished.
I loved this book it was very good.
Louisa's story tells of her being placed in Coldbrook, a privately ran mental hospital. She talks of the horrible conditions and the uncaring staff. It is a sad part. You can sympathize with the patients and wonder how such things could actually happen in the year 2017.
Louisa finds a portal to 1917 through a condemned wing of the hospital where she meets Robert an injured Soldier and they fall in love. After Louisa falls through the floor into 1917 she becomes Rose, A VAD nurse at a British Field hospital in France. She describes in great detail the sad conditions in the hospital. Shortage of Staff, Supplies and equipment. The horrible injuries to the soldiers and the deaths. It is so realistic you feel as if you are actually there. Quite sad.
You have Robert's story. He tells of his injury and when Louisa visits through the portal he falls in love with her. Then he goes back to his unit in France to fight in the war. While fighting in the trenches on the heels of the German Army he is captured and taken to a German P.O.W. camp.
Robert's part of the story tells of the front lines, the trenches, the injuries and the death of his fellow soldiers. He tells of his inner feelings. It is a very good depiction of the fighting soldier's life on the front lines. After he is captured by the German's he details what it is like to live as a prisoner in a German POW camp. It is also written in such a realistic manner that you feel as if you are there with Robert.
I love the characters, I love the story line and the ending is fantastic. If you want to find out how it all came about, if Robert survives the POW camp, if Rose and Robert ever get together again, than you will have to read the book. Warning....Once you pick up this book and start reading you will not want to stop until you are finished.
August 25, 2019
This book...oh my word, this book.
I couldn’t put it down. I found myself reading it at stoplights. It burrowed under my skin and grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go.
This is, on the surface, a time travel romance. Yet this book is so much more than that. It is also an unflinching portrait of the horrors of war, and a look at the torturous extremes a human soul can endure. It is a sonnet to the transformative power of love, even as it is also a criticism of the futility and pointless destructiveness of war.
The hero comes from a time that is as uncomplicated and honest as it is barbaric (WW1 1917), and the heroine from a sterile and isolating age full of smartphones, casual bullying and impersonal, revolving-door medical treatment (2017). When the two end up in the same place, separated by 100 years, their souls recognize one another and draw them together, even across the fabric of time.
The romantic side of me loved this. So did the medical side, AND the cynical one. It’s almost impossible to find a novel that satisfies all three, but Catherine Taylor has managed to weave a beautiful tale, filled with raw and ugly moments that only manage to make it all the more poignant.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the characters fall in love quite fast. This is true. It also isn’t the point, and if you can accept the speed at which their feelings develop, you will uncover a gem that is so much more than “boy loves girl, girl loves boy in return.”
The writing is beautiful, even haunting, at times. Still, this book is not for the faint of heart, considering its graphic depiction of war and the bloody aftermath. But, for me, that provided a stark and important counterpoint to the sweetness and innocence of the characters’ love.
Five unqualified, well-earned stars. I highly recommend this book.
My deepest thanks to the author, and to the publisher for the digital galley.
I couldn’t put it down. I found myself reading it at stoplights. It burrowed under my skin and grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go.
This is, on the surface, a time travel romance. Yet this book is so much more than that. It is also an unflinching portrait of the horrors of war, and a look at the torturous extremes a human soul can endure. It is a sonnet to the transformative power of love, even as it is also a criticism of the futility and pointless destructiveness of war.
The hero comes from a time that is as uncomplicated and honest as it is barbaric (WW1 1917), and the heroine from a sterile and isolating age full of smartphones, casual bullying and impersonal, revolving-door medical treatment (2017). When the two end up in the same place, separated by 100 years, their souls recognize one another and draw them together, even across the fabric of time.
The romantic side of me loved this. So did the medical side, AND the cynical one. It’s almost impossible to find a novel that satisfies all three, but Catherine Taylor has managed to weave a beautiful tale, filled with raw and ugly moments that only manage to make it all the more poignant.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the characters fall in love quite fast. This is true. It also isn’t the point, and if you can accept the speed at which their feelings develop, you will uncover a gem that is so much more than “boy loves girl, girl loves boy in return.”
The writing is beautiful, even haunting, at times. Still, this book is not for the faint of heart, considering its graphic depiction of war and the bloody aftermath. But, for me, that provided a stark and important counterpoint to the sweetness and innocence of the characters’ love.
Five unqualified, well-earned stars. I highly recommend this book.
My deepest thanks to the author, and to the publisher for the digital galley.
March 25, 2021
Taylor weaved a compelling story rich in historical facts pertaining to the war, advances in medicine, hospitals near the front and prisoners of war. She then transported us to 2017 and introduced to a heroine who is down on her luck and in real danger. Through a series of tragic events, she finds herself alone and admitted to an overrun, poorly managed psychiatric hospital. The author uses this narrative to shed light on a relevant blight while delivering a captivating tale.
Louisa Casson is just trying to muddle through the mess she finds herself in. To be honest, her predicament made my heart race. As much as I’d like to say this couldn’t happen today, I fear I’ve read enough to know this scenario is highly, probably. This realistic element quickly drew me in even as my anxiety grew.
While outside she explores the old abandoned wing. It is there she hears a voice calling for help. When she opens a room, she finds herself transported back to a hospital room in 1916. Here she meets 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett. He is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. The two strike up a friendship and eventually fall in love. Things go awry when he introduces her to fellow friends and they can’t see her. What unfolds held me spellbound.
Rich in history, Louisa and Robert’s story kept me engaged with twists. Our story goes back and forth between the two perspectives, and the author set much of the story during WWI in France.
I loved the attention to detail, from time spent in the makeshift hospital in France, to the horrors on the frontline. I liked Louisa and the friends she makes along the way. One cannot help but feel connected to her.
The romance is weaved throughout and is powerful in itself, but it truly is a backdrop to the story Taylor shares around them. I liked the explanation to the time-slip and how the author brought it all together.
I must admit that even as I found the story that was unfolded around them, I got anxious hoping for a happily ever after.
Liz May Brice narrates and has a delightful tone. I enjoyed both her female and male voice as she changed POVs. Her male voices sounded natural, and only once when Robert was extremely upset did I feel his voice sounded overly feminine. Ms. Brice enhanced the story through tone and pacing. The story works wonderfully on audio. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Louisa Casson is just trying to muddle through the mess she finds herself in. To be honest, her predicament made my heart race. As much as I’d like to say this couldn’t happen today, I fear I’ve read enough to know this scenario is highly, probably. This realistic element quickly drew me in even as my anxiety grew.
While outside she explores the old abandoned wing. It is there she hears a voice calling for help. When she opens a room, she finds herself transported back to a hospital room in 1916. Here she meets 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett. He is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. The two strike up a friendship and eventually fall in love. Things go awry when he introduces her to fellow friends and they can’t see her. What unfolds held me spellbound.
Rich in history, Louisa and Robert’s story kept me engaged with twists. Our story goes back and forth between the two perspectives, and the author set much of the story during WWI in France.
I loved the attention to detail, from time spent in the makeshift hospital in France, to the horrors on the frontline. I liked Louisa and the friends she makes along the way. One cannot help but feel connected to her.
The romance is weaved throughout and is powerful in itself, but it truly is a backdrop to the story Taylor shares around them. I liked the explanation to the time-slip and how the author brought it all together.
I must admit that even as I found the story that was unfolded around them, I got anxious hoping for a happily ever after.
Liz May Brice narrates and has a delightful tone. I enjoyed both her female and male voice as she changed POVs. Her male voices sounded natural, and only once when Robert was extremely upset did I feel his voice sounded overly feminine. Ms. Brice enhanced the story through tone and pacing. The story works wonderfully on audio. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
July 27, 2019
When a tumble down an eroding cliff face in the dark of night lands Louisa in A&E, the doctors determine that she is a danger to herself and admit her to Coldbrook Hall, a psychiatric facility, and put her on suicide watch.
Louisa is a former medical student and so hopes that if she can show them that she is not a risk to herself, that there has been some misunderstanding then she will be released. When she realizes that no one is going to believe her and the facility is too understaffed to care about individual patients, she knows that she has to keep her wits about her and her head above water.
When she learns there is a way to sneak away and into a closed and condemned ward of the hospital, used during the First World War for recovering British soldiers, she somehow stumbles upon a soldier recovering from his injuries. She is confused and shocked, but no more so than when she tries to show her friend ony for there to be no evidence of him ever having been there.
Her days then revolve around getting away and spending time with him. They gradually get closer, but how can they ever be together if she is only ever a visitor in the past, real only to him?
What follows is a beautiful and complex love story and an insight into the horrors of the new kind of war that soldiers had to face during World War I.
_________
This book, my god. I learned about this book in a recommendation email from NetGalley and I am so glad that I received the email. This is one of the most unique books that I have read for quite a while.
This book is told from two seperate first-person narrations, Louisa's and Robert's. Two life stories being told simultaneously and coming together. Sometimes dual narrations can make a story clunky, but it really worked for this book and truly the only way I think this story would have worked.
The author has a great voice and did such an amazing job with descriptive detailing that the parts of the story taking place in 1917 felt just as real and tangible to me as the parts of the story taking place in 2017.
I'll be completely honest I almost called it quits on this book when Louisa and Robert lost contact at about the midway point because I was worried that the rest of the book was just going to detail the seperate tragic endings for both of them. But I decided to have faith in where the story was taking me and keep reading. I'm so glad I did because the time apart and the journeys they both had to endure made the story so much more powerful. I loved this book more than I can express. I am astounded that this is the first book that Catherine Taylor has published. I am looking forward to more books from this author.
I saw some people comparing it to Outlander. And although it does involve a woman capable of traveling forward and backward through time, I found Beyond the Moon and the Outlander series to be quite unique from one another. They are both lovely and have a completely different voice from one another.
Many thanks to NetGalley's AuthorBuzz and The Cameo Press Ltd for recommending this book to me via email and sharing an electronic copy with me for reviewing purposes. I voluntarily read this book and this is my honest review.
Louisa is a former medical student and so hopes that if she can show them that she is not a risk to herself, that there has been some misunderstanding then she will be released. When she realizes that no one is going to believe her and the facility is too understaffed to care about individual patients, she knows that she has to keep her wits about her and her head above water.
When she learns there is a way to sneak away and into a closed and condemned ward of the hospital, used during the First World War for recovering British soldiers, she somehow stumbles upon a soldier recovering from his injuries. She is confused and shocked, but no more so than when she tries to show her friend ony for there to be no evidence of him ever having been there.
Her days then revolve around getting away and spending time with him. They gradually get closer, but how can they ever be together if she is only ever a visitor in the past, real only to him?
What follows is a beautiful and complex love story and an insight into the horrors of the new kind of war that soldiers had to face during World War I.
_________
This book, my god. I learned about this book in a recommendation email from NetGalley and I am so glad that I received the email. This is one of the most unique books that I have read for quite a while.
This book is told from two seperate first-person narrations, Louisa's and Robert's. Two life stories being told simultaneously and coming together. Sometimes dual narrations can make a story clunky, but it really worked for this book and truly the only way I think this story would have worked.
The author has a great voice and did such an amazing job with descriptive detailing that the parts of the story taking place in 1917 felt just as real and tangible to me as the parts of the story taking place in 2017.
I'll be completely honest I almost called it quits on this book when Louisa and Robert lost contact at about the midway point because I was worried that the rest of the book was just going to detail the seperate tragic endings for both of them. But I decided to have faith in where the story was taking me and keep reading. I'm so glad I did because the time apart and the journeys they both had to endure made the story so much more powerful. I loved this book more than I can express. I am astounded that this is the first book that Catherine Taylor has published. I am looking forward to more books from this author.
I saw some people comparing it to Outlander. And although it does involve a woman capable of traveling forward and backward through time, I found Beyond the Moon and the Outlander series to be quite unique from one another. They are both lovely and have a completely different voice from one another.
Many thanks to NetGalley's AuthorBuzz and The Cameo Press Ltd for recommending this book to me via email and sharing an electronic copy with me for reviewing purposes. I voluntarily read this book and this is my honest review.
Read
June 11, 2020Between 3 1/2 and 4.
This book is hard to rate.
On one hand, the love story is amazing! I loved the relationship between Robert and Louisa, and how they persevered.
On the other hand, the book has a really slow start. I nearly gave up two times but I knew they were going to meet at some point and kept reading.
The pacing in the middle is off sometimes. I know the author wants the reader to follow what Louisa and Robert are doing while apart, but some bits were hard to slog through.
In the end, I'm glad I read it and I'm looking forward to more from the author.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
This book is hard to rate.
On one hand, the love story is amazing! I loved the relationship between Robert and Louisa, and how they persevered.
On the other hand, the book has a really slow start. I nearly gave up two times but I knew they were going to meet at some point and kept reading.
The pacing in the middle is off sometimes. I know the author wants the reader to follow what Louisa and Robert are doing while apart, but some bits were hard to slog through.
In the end, I'm glad I read it and I'm looking forward to more from the author.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
February 16, 2025
Beyond the Moon is a historical fiction that takes place during WWI and has time travel. I was recommended this one and decided to give it a try since my library had the audio. I feel conflicted about this one, I was enjoying it at first and then started not to.
We have dual timeline in this story at first. In 1916, Robert is a lieutenant during WWI who has temporarily lost his sight and is in a military hospital in Sussex to get better before he can possibly return to his men fighting in France. In 2017 we follow Louisa who is mourning the loss of her grandmother. She is drowning her sorrows in alcohol one night on some cliffs when she stumbles and falls. Doctors assume she was trying to commit suicide since she has a history of depression and was found fallen on cliffs notorious for jumpers, so she’s involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric hospital. She’s in the same hospital Robert is but separated by 100 years…at first.
The premise had me intrigued and the writing at first I liked. But slowly as the story got going it became less interesting and lost its luster. It felt very long and tedious in details and felt very insta love. We get a lot of moments of detailed wartime and this pulling of these 2 characters across time. But I just wasn’t as invested. And then the ending definitely had me feeling a certain kinda way, not sure how I feel about it still. It was a choice for sure.
CW: military hospital, war descriptions (and scenes on page), violence, nightmares, medical misdiagnosis and “treatments” of the time, forced admittance to psychiatric hospital
We have dual timeline in this story at first. In 1916, Robert is a lieutenant during WWI who has temporarily lost his sight and is in a military hospital in Sussex to get better before he can possibly return to his men fighting in France. In 2017 we follow Louisa who is mourning the loss of her grandmother. She is drowning her sorrows in alcohol one night on some cliffs when she stumbles and falls. Doctors assume she was trying to commit suicide since she has a history of depression and was found fallen on cliffs notorious for jumpers, so she’s involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric hospital. She’s in the same hospital Robert is but separated by 100 years…at first.
The premise had me intrigued and the writing at first I liked. But slowly as the story got going it became less interesting and lost its luster. It felt very long and tedious in details and felt very insta love. We get a lot of moments of detailed wartime and this pulling of these 2 characters across time. But I just wasn’t as invested. And then the ending definitely had me feeling a certain kinda way, not sure how I feel about it still. It was a choice for sure.
CW: military hospital, war descriptions (and scenes on page), violence, nightmares, medical misdiagnosis and “treatments” of the time, forced admittance to psychiatric hospital
July 31, 2025
A novel of WW1. Time travel and love. 5 out of 5 stars
July 28, 2019
A romance for the ages - literally. Medical student Louisa Casson was palmed off as a child by her father to live with her grandmother at an isolated cottage on South Downs cliffs by the sea. Her grandmother becomes both surrogate father and mother to young Louisa. Love and affection were bonds that defined this relationship. An introvert and voracious reader, the death of her grandmother, her best and only real connection with society, devastated Louisa.
Depressed and without family or friends to offer support she seeks solace out of a bottle. On a foggy evening she looses her bearings and stumbles off the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, a ledge halts her death plunge. Unfortunately, she is discovered and thought to be attempting suicide and is committed to Coldbrook Hall for observation. Run down and run by uncaring and often cruel staff with sub-par professionals she becomes stuck in the institution.
One hundred years prior, in 1916 amidst the horrors of The Great War, Coldbrook Hall was a hospital for wounded from the Front. Among the wounded was a talented but unknown artist and front line officer, suffering from a form of hysterical blindness, 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett.
Back in the future, Louisa makes a friend at Coldbrook, Kerry, who takes her to an abandoned wing of the hospital. As Louisa wandered about the ruins she opens a strange door. Suddenly, she is totally confused as everything turns weird, though she’s walked onto a stage set from the early 1900s.
She stumbles into Lt. Lovett’s room. Almost immediately there is a connection between Louisa and Robert. Over the following weeks Louisa darts between the two realities as she attempts to comfort and help heal Robert. Robert becomes enchanted with Louisa, who not only helps him with his injuries but become his artistic inspiration.
This story is intelligently written and combines several genres into the fabric of the narrative. First and foremost it is a romance. Louisa and Robert share a passion that spans the ages but not without suffering separation and heartache. Lt. Lovett provides the reader with a realistic and fatalistic historical view of the horrors of trench warfare and the trenches - and life as a POW.
The Edwardian fascination with the paranormal is also an important element in the story as Louisa tries to understand why and how this is happening.
The conclusion is a whirlwind of action that must be read to be fully appreciated.
Depressed and without family or friends to offer support she seeks solace out of a bottle. On a foggy evening she looses her bearings and stumbles off the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, a ledge halts her death plunge. Unfortunately, she is discovered and thought to be attempting suicide and is committed to Coldbrook Hall for observation. Run down and run by uncaring and often cruel staff with sub-par professionals she becomes stuck in the institution.
One hundred years prior, in 1916 amidst the horrors of The Great War, Coldbrook Hall was a hospital for wounded from the Front. Among the wounded was a talented but unknown artist and front line officer, suffering from a form of hysterical blindness, 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett.
Back in the future, Louisa makes a friend at Coldbrook, Kerry, who takes her to an abandoned wing of the hospital. As Louisa wandered about the ruins she opens a strange door. Suddenly, she is totally confused as everything turns weird, though she’s walked onto a stage set from the early 1900s.
She stumbles into Lt. Lovett’s room. Almost immediately there is a connection between Louisa and Robert. Over the following weeks Louisa darts between the two realities as she attempts to comfort and help heal Robert. Robert becomes enchanted with Louisa, who not only helps him with his injuries but become his artistic inspiration.
This story is intelligently written and combines several genres into the fabric of the narrative. First and foremost it is a romance. Louisa and Robert share a passion that spans the ages but not without suffering separation and heartache. Lt. Lovett provides the reader with a realistic and fatalistic historical view of the horrors of trench warfare and the trenches - and life as a POW.
The Edwardian fascination with the paranormal is also an important element in the story as Louisa tries to understand why and how this is happening.
The conclusion is a whirlwind of action that must be read to be fully appreciated.
December 22, 2019
3.5 stars
It's 2017 and Louisa has just lost the only person closest to her in this world, her grandmother. Somehow she gets locked in a psychiatric hospital, because they mistook an accident of hers and thought that she tried to commit suicide. One day while she was wandering around, she accidentally she meets a man, Robert, who's supposed to be a Lieutenant of WWI.
That was a really interesting story, there's no doubt about this one. The whole time I couldn't help but wonder, is this truly a time travel story or is she hallucinating? If you're fans of historical fiction, war scenes and details of what a war entails, in the field, out of it, but also in hospitals. It also speaks about mental health and has time travel, so you get the fantasy part also covered. There's also a love story between our heroine and hero, but not as much as I'd like to see.
My romance loving heart craved for more scenes between the two protagonists , since it felt like the biggest portion of the book they were rather apart than together. We do follow their stories separately and they are very informative and interesting, however, that made me miss the connection between them as a couple and in the few scenes they were together, felt lacking.
There were indeed many gory and detailed scenes, like the book warned us, but honestly I didn't expect them to be that many for some reason. I liked the story, but it dragged for too long and there were parts that I'd rather skip, like the battlefield scenes or when they were in the hospital helping patients, some scenes that will probably haunt me for a long time. Yes, it's realistic and gritty, yes it's informative and it's what you should expect from a historical fiction novel. At the same time some things didn't make sense, especially the time travel process near the end..
I liked the angst and the suspense at some scenes and the personal journey of each, but I'd honestly like it much better if the book focused more on the two protagonists together, rathen than them being apart. Probably this book wasn't entirely for me, but that being said, others could probably appreciate more the fact that it's less of a romance and they get to know so much about this era and the struggles they had to face. The author definitely did a research and it shows.
Copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
It's 2017 and Louisa has just lost the only person closest to her in this world, her grandmother. Somehow she gets locked in a psychiatric hospital, because they mistook an accident of hers and thought that she tried to commit suicide. One day while she was wandering around, she accidentally she meets a man, Robert, who's supposed to be a Lieutenant of WWI.
That was a really interesting story, there's no doubt about this one. The whole time I couldn't help but wonder, is this truly a time travel story or is she hallucinating? If you're fans of historical fiction, war scenes and details of what a war entails, in the field, out of it, but also in hospitals. It also speaks about mental health and has time travel, so you get the fantasy part also covered. There's also a love story between our heroine and hero, but not as much as I'd like to see.
My romance loving heart craved for more scenes between the two protagonists , since it felt like the biggest portion of the book they were rather apart than together. We do follow their stories separately and they are very informative and interesting, however, that made me miss the connection between them as a couple and in the few scenes they were together, felt lacking.
There were indeed many gory and detailed scenes, like the book warned us, but honestly I didn't expect them to be that many for some reason. I liked the story, but it dragged for too long and there were parts that I'd rather skip, like the battlefield scenes or when they were in the hospital helping patients, some scenes that will probably haunt me for a long time. Yes, it's realistic and gritty, yes it's informative and it's what you should expect from a historical fiction novel. At the same time some things didn't make sense, especially the time travel process near the end..
I liked the angst and the suspense at some scenes and the personal journey of each, but I'd honestly like it much better if the book focused more on the two protagonists together, rathen than them being apart. Probably this book wasn't entirely for me, but that being said, others could probably appreciate more the fact that it's less of a romance and they get to know so much about this era and the struggles they had to face. The author definitely did a research and it shows.
Copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
October 14, 2019
Do you believe in destiny? The unexplainable? Do you believe in destined soul mates and a love that can cross through time?
In the year 2017, after burying her grandmother, the only person who really cared for her, Louisa tumbles accidentally off an isolated cliff in a drunken haze. She awakes to find herself admitted to a local psychiatric hospital as a possible suicide patient. Unable to leave, in an uncaring, bureaucratic institution where a good patient is a drugged and docile patient, she finds herself held prisoner and her every word used against her.
Secretly exploring an abandoned wing, she hears a cry for help and discovers a soldier, blind, battered and alone in a room that appears out of another era. Lieutenant Robert Lovett, a casualty of WWI, is very much alive, very handsome and very impossible to be there. Has Louisa lost her mind?
Day after day, she returns and love grows. How can two people, a century apart be together? Has Fate brought them together for its own purpose? Are they soulmates?
BEYOND THE MOON by Catherine Taylor is part fantasy, part true romance, a scathing expose on current British mental health conditions and a narrative on the horrors of one of history’s most devastating wars. Beautifully told, this sweet, yet highly romantic tale may take a few pages to set the wonderfully draw stage, but goes on to become a powerful story that will make believers out of even most unromantic types. Love finds a way when it is true.
I received a complimentary copy from Catherine Taylor. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher: The Cameo Press Ltd (June 25, 2019)
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Print Length: 496 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
In the year 2017, after burying her grandmother, the only person who really cared for her, Louisa tumbles accidentally off an isolated cliff in a drunken haze. She awakes to find herself admitted to a local psychiatric hospital as a possible suicide patient. Unable to leave, in an uncaring, bureaucratic institution where a good patient is a drugged and docile patient, she finds herself held prisoner and her every word used against her.
Secretly exploring an abandoned wing, she hears a cry for help and discovers a soldier, blind, battered and alone in a room that appears out of another era. Lieutenant Robert Lovett, a casualty of WWI, is very much alive, very handsome and very impossible to be there. Has Louisa lost her mind?
Day after day, she returns and love grows. How can two people, a century apart be together? Has Fate brought them together for its own purpose? Are they soulmates?
BEYOND THE MOON by Catherine Taylor is part fantasy, part true romance, a scathing expose on current British mental health conditions and a narrative on the horrors of one of history’s most devastating wars. Beautifully told, this sweet, yet highly romantic tale may take a few pages to set the wonderfully draw stage, but goes on to become a powerful story that will make believers out of even most unromantic types. Love finds a way when it is true.
I received a complimentary copy from Catherine Taylor. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Publisher: The Cameo Press Ltd (June 25, 2019)
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Time Travel Romance
Print Length: 496 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
August 20, 2019
This debut novel is a poignant and stirring love story that brings together Lt Robert Lovett, a talented artist and British World War 1 hero and Louisa Casson, a young woman living in modern day England.
An historical fiction with time travel mix with a love story is not what I usual love to read. The synopsis sounded interesting so I gave it a go and I was not disappointed. This story is nicely written and shifts between 1917 with Robert fighting the war and 2017 with Louisa in a psychiatric hospital trying to maintain her sanity while she travels back in time to 1917 as a VAD nurse in France and back to the future in the insanity ward. The chapters weave between the two periods as they tell the wartime love story. At first, Louise passage to and from the past is inconsistent but mid-way when her stay in the past seems permanent, the story takes off and we have hope that the love birds may reconnect….awe.
The horrors of war are excellently captured with all the gore, the fear, starvation, filth, trench foot, putrid body parts, exposure to the elements, the medical treatments, etc. These war vignettes enable us to better understand the feelings experienced. Although the story is mostly set during the horrific reality of the war it also includes details on treatment of mental illnesses today.
Time travel, each book has its own way to get to the other side of time. In “Beyond the Moon” the author has given us the illusion that just opening a door will do the trick. It did for Louisa.
Putting aside that the pacing drags in places and it takes way too long before the characters come together this fantasy said with total lack of fuss is a joy to read. What an original way to tell a story….
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
An historical fiction with time travel mix with a love story is not what I usual love to read. The synopsis sounded interesting so I gave it a go and I was not disappointed. This story is nicely written and shifts between 1917 with Robert fighting the war and 2017 with Louisa in a psychiatric hospital trying to maintain her sanity while she travels back in time to 1917 as a VAD nurse in France and back to the future in the insanity ward. The chapters weave between the two periods as they tell the wartime love story. At first, Louise passage to and from the past is inconsistent but mid-way when her stay in the past seems permanent, the story takes off and we have hope that the love birds may reconnect….awe.
The horrors of war are excellently captured with all the gore, the fear, starvation, filth, trench foot, putrid body parts, exposure to the elements, the medical treatments, etc. These war vignettes enable us to better understand the feelings experienced. Although the story is mostly set during the horrific reality of the war it also includes details on treatment of mental illnesses today.
Time travel, each book has its own way to get to the other side of time. In “Beyond the Moon” the author has given us the illusion that just opening a door will do the trick. It did for Louisa.
Putting aside that the pacing drags in places and it takes way too long before the characters come together this fantasy said with total lack of fuss is a joy to read. What an original way to tell a story….
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
August 17, 2019
We have it all in this story. Time travel, a good deal of history, a love affair, the tragic workings of a mental hospital in the present century. This book was good. The story fascinating. Almost too good to be true. So though you know its a bit of fantasy, deep down you'd like it to be true.
1916 Captain Robert Lovett is convalescing at Coldbrook Hall. He cannot see though doctors have assured him that there is no physical impediment to him getting his sight back.
In 2017 Louisa Casson through a number of sheer coincidences, finds herself in a mental health institution called Coldbrook Hall. The premises is their connection and one day Louisa disappears and turns up as Rose Ashby a Volunteer Nurse. Her stay as Rose is not permanent as she keeps going back and forth to 2017, until she realises she wants to be with Robert despite him returning to the Front, and so goes back to Amiens to the battlefront herself.
The two time frames are both intense - not everyday life. One is an institution run like a prison with Victorian attitudes to mental health and brutality and cruelty to match. Then we have both England and Europe in the grip of WWI , Robert a POW the harshness of life at the front, and the sheer numbers one is faced with in the hospitals. In the midst of this the love story is the only hopeful, bright spark amongst the misery.
Characters spot on, descriptiveness very good, fascinating story
August 11, 2019
Good debut. Well-rounded characters. Fairly complex plot. I'll be looking for Catherine Taylor's next book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.
August 12, 2019
This book presents the reader with an interesting premise (time travel), good character development and historical research. All this, coupled with a love story that transcends time, speaks not only to the power of love, but also the power of commitment, determination, friendship, honor and character. And, it does so with excellent writing and a compelling story which encompasses mental illness, war, medical treatment, art and more. The story begins in 2017 with Louisa who had just buried her much beloved grandmother, her only relative. She was distraught and filled with anguish so she sought solace at the top of a cliff where she and her grandmother had often spent time together. She eventually fell asleep after drinking too much alcohol. When she awoke, somewhat confused, night had fallen and it was extremely dark. She lost her bearings, and tumbled part way down the cliff. The good news was that she was discovered and rescued with injuries which were not life threatening, and from which she would completely recover. The bad news was that the attending doctor thought that she had attempted suicide and had her committed into a mental hospital for further evaluation. Unfortunately, the hospital was antiquated, understaffed, and completely devoid of acceptable care. Louisa eventually made a few friends in the hospital and one of them led her into a restricted old wing of the hospital which was slated for demolition. One day, while walking through the decrepit old space she came upon a restored area which was fully functioning and staffed. She found a patient who had fallen and was trapped by his clothing caught on a chair calling for help. He had been unable to free himself because he was blind and could not see what was holding him down. Louisa rushed in and helped him up from the floor and back into his bed. He told her that he was recuperating from an injury he had recently received in the Battle of Somme. That battle had taken place in 1916! The patient, Robert Lovett, was impatient to get back to the front and his men. He vowed to do so when and if his vision returned.
Louisa found that she could travel back through time between 2017 and 1916 by entering the abandoned wing and approaching the door to Robert's room. She did so many times and eventually Louisa and Robert fell in love.
Robert returned to the war and Louisa vowed to try to follow him through time. What happens next is remarkable and inspiring and demonstrates how strong love and commitment and selflessness can be.
Definately an uplifting story despite some very graphic and stark descriptions of war, wounds, medicine and treatments in the early 20th century. Do yourself a favor and read this book!
Louisa found that she could travel back through time between 2017 and 1916 by entering the abandoned wing and approaching the door to Robert's room. She did so many times and eventually Louisa and Robert fell in love.
Robert returned to the war and Louisa vowed to try to follow him through time. What happens next is remarkable and inspiring and demonstrates how strong love and commitment and selflessness can be.
Definately an uplifting story despite some very graphic and stark descriptions of war, wounds, medicine and treatments in the early 20th century. Do yourself a favor and read this book!
December 9, 2019
When I seen the cover I knew I had to try it.
I like trying out new authors. This is an engaging story with very vivid details about the Great War.
The way this author writes is amazing!
She doesn't miss a beat with the duo time line. I love it that it's between exactly 100 years! It wasn't confusing at all!
She will take you back to the battles and trenches where I was able to "hear" the sounds of the war. She will make you feel like you are there. I even imagined myself in the trenches along with Robert and his fellow soldiers.
I can relate to Robert on one thing and that was his artistic talent. You see, I used to be able to draw but I can't quite so much anymore because I'm out of practice.
Catherine has the ability to make you "see" Robert's art. His art was beautiful!
Robert's point of view is very interesting. I love his story. I learned a lot from him.
He's a very brave man and I loved that he didn't hide his feelings like some men do. I wanted to reach out and grab Robert to take him away from all that mess but somehow, I don't think he's like it very much.
He is a strong and determined man and all those wonderful qualities are what makes a true man in my opinion of course.
The life of a soldier can't be easy and it has made me that much more appreciative of our soldiers fighting for our freedom every day. I try to thank each military person if a Veteran or currently serving. I also pray for them each and every day.
Like Louisa, I too was a medical student until I got real sick and couldn't continue. It just about broke my heart. I can understand Louisa the most because I too have lost family members. I guess people handle their grief in different ways but I handled mine through the good Lord. I'm so glad that He was there for me.
I am the only one left in my immediate family and let me tell you, it's no fun. It gives me sort of a weird feeling. Thank goodness for my husband and son. They along with Jesus are my rock to lean on.
I too am nosy like Louisa ( but nothing like that has ever happened to me) I love exploring old buildings, graveyards etc.
I loved the historical part of it because without all of these events happening I think that our world would be very very different.
I think about Bible prophecy and God knew exactly what He was doing. The Bible is the Word. He knew that all these events took place because He can look outside the big picture and see exactly what's going to happen before we do.
All I'm going to say is because I don't want to spoil this book for others is I didn't want to put it down. I just had to see what happened to Robert and Louisa.
My thanks to Virtual Historical Tours for a copy of this book. NO compensations were received. All opinions are my own.
I like trying out new authors. This is an engaging story with very vivid details about the Great War.
The way this author writes is amazing!
She doesn't miss a beat with the duo time line. I love it that it's between exactly 100 years! It wasn't confusing at all!
She will take you back to the battles and trenches where I was able to "hear" the sounds of the war. She will make you feel like you are there. I even imagined myself in the trenches along with Robert and his fellow soldiers.
I can relate to Robert on one thing and that was his artistic talent. You see, I used to be able to draw but I can't quite so much anymore because I'm out of practice.
Catherine has the ability to make you "see" Robert's art. His art was beautiful!
Robert's point of view is very interesting. I love his story. I learned a lot from him.
He's a very brave man and I loved that he didn't hide his feelings like some men do. I wanted to reach out and grab Robert to take him away from all that mess but somehow, I don't think he's like it very much.
He is a strong and determined man and all those wonderful qualities are what makes a true man in my opinion of course.
The life of a soldier can't be easy and it has made me that much more appreciative of our soldiers fighting for our freedom every day. I try to thank each military person if a Veteran or currently serving. I also pray for them each and every day.
Like Louisa, I too was a medical student until I got real sick and couldn't continue. It just about broke my heart. I can understand Louisa the most because I too have lost family members. I guess people handle their grief in different ways but I handled mine through the good Lord. I'm so glad that He was there for me.
I am the only one left in my immediate family and let me tell you, it's no fun. It gives me sort of a weird feeling. Thank goodness for my husband and son. They along with Jesus are my rock to lean on.
I too am nosy like Louisa ( but nothing like that has ever happened to me) I love exploring old buildings, graveyards etc.
I loved the historical part of it because without all of these events happening I think that our world would be very very different.
I think about Bible prophecy and God knew exactly what He was doing. The Bible is the Word. He knew that all these events took place because He can look outside the big picture and see exactly what's going to happen before we do.
All I'm going to say is because I don't want to spoil this book for others is I didn't want to put it down. I just had to see what happened to Robert and Louisa.
My thanks to Virtual Historical Tours for a copy of this book. NO compensations were received. All opinions are my own.
September 12, 2019
I received a free electronic copy of this time-traveling novel from Netgalley, BookSirens, Catherine Taylor, and Cameo Press Ltd. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Beyond the Moon of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
Beyond the Moon is an exciting tale covering two periods of time. The transitions are done very well and you are instantly aware of whether you are in 2017 in Coldbrook Mental Hospital in England or in the same location, Coldbrook Hall, in 1916, or in several places in France, for the most part, Number 16 Military Hospital, Amiens, France, again in either time frame. Fortunately, Catherine Taylor explains this better than I can - it is a very easy read, with your mind doing all the time flipping through her excellent prose.
The protagonists are well defined, pleasantly so except for those very few very bad ones, and the settings are also easily pictured. There are no great splashing mysteries, just those joys, those sorrows of people separated by hardship and war and the uncertainties of Europe during The Great War. The history is handled very well, times and locations are well presented. Beyond the Moon: A Haunting Novel of Time Travel and WW1 was an altogether satisfying read. I am pleased to recommend this novel to my friends and family.
Netgalley
pub date June 25, 2019
Please review Book Sirens by September 11, 2019
Cameo Press Ltd.
Reviewed on September 10, 2019, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes & Noble, and BookBub. Not available at Kobo or GooglePlay.
Beyond the Moon is an exciting tale covering two periods of time. The transitions are done very well and you are instantly aware of whether you are in 2017 in Coldbrook Mental Hospital in England or in the same location, Coldbrook Hall, in 1916, or in several places in France, for the most part, Number 16 Military Hospital, Amiens, France, again in either time frame. Fortunately, Catherine Taylor explains this better than I can - it is a very easy read, with your mind doing all the time flipping through her excellent prose.
The protagonists are well defined, pleasantly so except for those very few very bad ones, and the settings are also easily pictured. There are no great splashing mysteries, just those joys, those sorrows of people separated by hardship and war and the uncertainties of Europe during The Great War. The history is handled very well, times and locations are well presented. Beyond the Moon: A Haunting Novel of Time Travel and WW1 was an altogether satisfying read. I am pleased to recommend this novel to my friends and family.
Netgalley
pub date June 25, 2019
Please review Book Sirens by September 11, 2019
Cameo Press Ltd.
Reviewed on September 10, 2019, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes & Noble, and BookBub. Not available at Kobo or GooglePlay.
August 10, 2019
I really enjoyed Beyond The Moon. historic romance blended with time travel? What could be better! And no, it's not just like Outlander (at all).
Louisa is a medical student in 2017 when she suffers a fall from a cliff after attending her beloved grandmother's funeral. After she is rescued and take to the hospital, the medical professionals incorrectly determine it was a failed suicide attempt. As she struggles to survive in a mental hospital that predates WW I where treatment is poor and the caregivers are heartless and uncaring to say the least, she discovers a wing of the hospital which is off-limits since it has been condemned.. Louisa hears a voice calling for help and following the sound she discovers a blind patient in a single room. After their conversation and other clues Louisa realizes that the patient -- Robert Lovett -- a talented rising artist, who has been wounded fighting the Germans that she is not in 2017 anymore, but rather the early days of the first world war -- a century earlier.
Louisa and Robert's lives become intertwined as they both fight for survival -- he as a military officer and then captured POW and she, impersonating a WWI nurse in France. Their struggle to find each other again and for Louisa -- to keep her impersonation undiscovered keeps the reader engrossed in the story to the very end.
Taylor's work is well-written and researched. I highly recommend Beyond The Moon.
Louisa is a medical student in 2017 when she suffers a fall from a cliff after attending her beloved grandmother's funeral. After she is rescued and take to the hospital, the medical professionals incorrectly determine it was a failed suicide attempt. As she struggles to survive in a mental hospital that predates WW I where treatment is poor and the caregivers are heartless and uncaring to say the least, she discovers a wing of the hospital which is off-limits since it has been condemned.. Louisa hears a voice calling for help and following the sound she discovers a blind patient in a single room. After their conversation and other clues Louisa realizes that the patient -- Robert Lovett -- a talented rising artist, who has been wounded fighting the Germans that she is not in 2017 anymore, but rather the early days of the first world war -- a century earlier.
Louisa and Robert's lives become intertwined as they both fight for survival -- he as a military officer and then captured POW and she, impersonating a WWI nurse in France. Their struggle to find each other again and for Louisa -- to keep her impersonation undiscovered keeps the reader engrossed in the story to the very end.
Taylor's work is well-written and researched. I highly recommend Beyond The Moon.
July 23, 2019
More Than I Could Have Wanted!
I found this read to be really good and filled with so many emotions keeping me intrigued and a bit on edge to keep turning the pages! Intense at times yet riddled with excitement and daunting suspense. Well put together and unfolds at a nice pace. Lifelike with amazing chemistry. A first for me by this author and most likely will read more of her work.
I found this read to be really good and filled with so many emotions keeping me intrigued and a bit on edge to keep turning the pages! Intense at times yet riddled with excitement and daunting suspense. Well put together and unfolds at a nice pace. Lifelike with amazing chemistry. A first for me by this author and most likely will read more of her work.
August 27, 2019
This book should be made into a movie. They wouldn't have much trouble designing the sets. The descriptions in the book are perfectly rendered and paint perfect pictures for the reader. And the story moves beautifully between present and past with Louisa. The action scenes are riveting and the love story is touching. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Read
October 4, 2020DNF 25%
It was such a slow start, and after hearing all my fellow book club-ers reviews, I’m officially okay with a DNF.
It was such a slow start, and after hearing all my fellow book club-ers reviews, I’m officially okay with a DNF.
December 28, 2019
Disclaimer: I received an ebook copy of this from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Beyond the Moon
Author: Catherine Taylor
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (sex, mature love scenes, violence, war, what is it good for, absolutely nothing, and language)
Publisher: The Cameo Press LTD
Pages: 496
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…
Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Two journeys begun a century apart, but somehow destined to coincide - and become one desperate struggle to be together.
Part WW1 historical fiction, part timeslip love story - and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art - Beyond The Moon sweeps the reader on an unforgettable journey through time. An intelligent read, perfect for book clubs.
For fans of Diana Gabaldon, Amy Harmon, Beatriz Williams, Kate Quinn, Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Paullina Simons.
*NB This novel contains graphic descriptions of war violence and injuries, as well as profanity and mild sex.
Review: This book is very addictive. I loved the time travel aspect (I’m a sucker for those) and I loved how the book was written. The characters were very developed and the world building was amazing. The book is a little like Outlander, Louisa finds a portal to the past and meets a guy she falls for. The romance is super cute and steamy in some places and the depictions of the events are very realistic.
However, I did feel like it was a bit slower than what I normally like, but it fits a romance book perfectly.
Verdict: Highly recommend for romance lovers who like historical romance with twists.
Book: Beyond the Moon
Author: Catherine Taylor
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Genre: Romance
Recommended Age: 18+ (sex, mature love scenes, violence, war, what is it good for, absolutely nothing, and language)
Publisher: The Cameo Press LTD
Pages: 496
Amazon Link
Synopsis: In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall military hospital in Sussex, England. A gifted artist, he’s been wounded fighting in the Great War. Shell shocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems increasingly hopeless.
A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother – her only family. Heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol on the South Downs cliffs – only to fall accidentally part-way down. Doctors fear she may have attempted suicide, and Louisa finds herself involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall – now a psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly and chaotic place.
Then one day, while secretly exploring the old Victorian hospital’s ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa hears a voice calling for help, and stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned hospital room. Inside, lying on the floor, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme, a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lieutenant Robert Lovett…
Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Two journeys begun a century apart, but somehow destined to coincide - and become one desperate struggle to be together.
Part WW1 historical fiction, part timeslip love story - and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art - Beyond The Moon sweeps the reader on an unforgettable journey through time. An intelligent read, perfect for book clubs.
For fans of Diana Gabaldon, Amy Harmon, Beatriz Williams, Kate Quinn, Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Paullina Simons.
*NB This novel contains graphic descriptions of war violence and injuries, as well as profanity and mild sex.
Review: This book is very addictive. I loved the time travel aspect (I’m a sucker for those) and I loved how the book was written. The characters were very developed and the world building was amazing. The book is a little like Outlander, Louisa finds a portal to the past and meets a guy she falls for. The romance is super cute and steamy in some places and the depictions of the events are very realistic.
However, I did feel like it was a bit slower than what I normally like, but it fits a romance book perfectly.
Verdict: Highly recommend for romance lovers who like historical romance with twists.
September 25, 2019
Have pretty mixed feelings about this title. First, I'll start with the good. The quality of writing was very good. The writing style feels polished and elegant, especially during the WW1 sequences. Those sections are told with an enthusiasm and level of detail that could really be felt.
The shifts from the heroine's time at a mental institution and the hero's time on the battlefield contrasted in an interesting way. I enjoyed about the first half or so. There is also something about the elegant wholesomeness of this title (barring the love scene, which was pretty chaste compared to many romances) that make me think it could be a great grandma buddyread! Assuming at least one of you has an interest in period pieces or maybe studying WW1 in general.
There are some interesting facets to the love story. I liked Robert's uncertainty and complex feelings for Louisa around the midway point. Louisa finds an interesting friend in Kerry, who has some snappy dialogue. I just like seeing female friendships given time and space to flower.
Now for the not-so-good.
Around the 65-70% mark, this title started to lose me in a big way. I still saw it through to the end, but didn't feel as connected. Though the description mentions the love story prominently, I felt like this one didn't reach the depths that you'd find in a more focused romance novel. So much time (pages upon pages) is devoted to extrapolating on the war.
There are minute, lengthy descriptions of the heroine's duties as a nurse. The institution segments can also go into extended and nitty-gritty details that distract from important aspects. While it's fine for this to toe the line in favor of general fiction, there was potential in the romance that I felt wasn't fully reached.
More time should have been afforded to adding dialogue and inner thoughts between Robert and Louisa, and more flavor to both characters. They often come off as pleasant in a bland way.. I knew something wasn't hitting quite right when the Kerry/Louisa friendship was making a stronger impression on me than the Robert/Louisa love story.
But to sum it up, if you've an enduring interest in WW1, this book is understated as historical fiction. There is a high level of detail in those scenes.
Disclosure : Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this title. Also note, the full version was released in June and is available for purchase. It's also (currently) on Kindle Unlimited.
The shifts from the heroine's time at a mental institution and the hero's time on the battlefield contrasted in an interesting way. I enjoyed about the first half or so. There is also something about the elegant wholesomeness of this title (barring the love scene, which was pretty chaste compared to many romances) that make me think it could be a great grandma buddyread! Assuming at least one of you has an interest in period pieces or maybe studying WW1 in general.
There are some interesting facets to the love story. I liked Robert's uncertainty and complex feelings for Louisa around the midway point. Louisa finds an interesting friend in Kerry, who has some snappy dialogue. I just like seeing female friendships given time and space to flower.
Now for the not-so-good.
Around the 65-70% mark, this title started to lose me in a big way. I still saw it through to the end, but didn't feel as connected. Though the description mentions the love story prominently, I felt like this one didn't reach the depths that you'd find in a more focused romance novel. So much time (pages upon pages) is devoted to extrapolating on the war.
There are minute, lengthy descriptions of the heroine's duties as a nurse. The institution segments can also go into extended and nitty-gritty details that distract from important aspects. While it's fine for this to toe the line in favor of general fiction, there was potential in the romance that I felt wasn't fully reached.
More time should have been afforded to adding dialogue and inner thoughts between Robert and Louisa, and more flavor to both characters. They often come off as pleasant in a bland way.. I knew something wasn't hitting quite right when the Kerry/Louisa friendship was making a stronger impression on me than the Robert/Louisa love story.
But to sum it up, if you've an enduring interest in WW1, this book is understated as historical fiction. There is a high level of detail in those scenes.
Disclosure : Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this title. Also note, the full version was released in June and is available for purchase. It's also (currently) on Kindle Unlimited.
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