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Transparent
Morley Rivers lived a quiet life until she brought home a portrait of a hottie from the 19th century. Alexander Brynes had been cursed when his plea to a gypsy went horribly wrong. He was tethered to his portrait, unable to communicate with the people around him, until Morley came along. Alexander is positive Morley is the key to break his curse. He wasn't expecting her to break into his heart. As the curse starts to crack Alexander sheds his invisible state while making his true feelings known. If they succeed in breaking the spell, Alexander will be sent back to his time on Halloween allowing him to repair the damage his disappearance caused, but at the same time leaving a broken heart in his wake.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
6 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Joy Eileen
21 books141 followersI live in sunny southern California, and unless I am pulled out of here kicking and screaming (or I am offered an obscene amount of money) I don't ever see myself leaving.
When I am not enjoying the weather, I am stuck in a dark little room rubbing a naked person, and only to be let out every hour on the hour (or if you prefer a simpler term, I am a massage therapist.)
I have had many jobs from working at AT&T, a casino, and even Microsoft, before I started massage. I enjoy talking to people, and love listening to their stories as I feel everyone has a story to tell (some I could live without ever hearing, but who am I to judge.) Massage also allows me time to get my stories in order. When a client falls asleep, my mind will wander creating scenes that I quickly jot down on any available surface until I am able to get in front of my handy dandy laptop.
I live in a chaotic house full of love, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I do enjoy the quiet time when everyone is asleep, and I am able to write with Rock'n'Roll blaring in my ears of course. When I am not touching naked people, or stuck in front of my laptop I love to read. Reading is what inspired me into actually leashing myself to my laptop in order to create my books. I love getting lost in a book, and have been known to fall in love with characters, and hope to invoke that same emotion for my readers.
Other tidbits you may want to know . . . I workout with my niece three times a week where she makes me flip tractor tires, and beat up ship rope (she may be evil.) My favorite color is green, and my favorite number is 8. I love music, especially anything from the rock persuasion, from classic rock like Pink Floyd to my new favorite Halestorm.
When I am not enjoying the weather, I am stuck in a dark little room rubbing a naked person, and only to be let out every hour on the hour (or if you prefer a simpler term, I am a massage therapist.)
I have had many jobs from working at AT&T, a casino, and even Microsoft, before I started massage. I enjoy talking to people, and love listening to their stories as I feel everyone has a story to tell (some I could live without ever hearing, but who am I to judge.) Massage also allows me time to get my stories in order. When a client falls asleep, my mind will wander creating scenes that I quickly jot down on any available surface until I am able to get in front of my handy dandy laptop.
I live in a chaotic house full of love, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I do enjoy the quiet time when everyone is asleep, and I am able to write with Rock'n'Roll blaring in my ears of course. When I am not touching naked people, or stuck in front of my laptop I love to read. Reading is what inspired me into actually leashing myself to my laptop in order to create my books. I love getting lost in a book, and have been known to fall in love with characters, and hope to invoke that same emotion for my readers.
Other tidbits you may want to know . . . I workout with my niece three times a week where she makes me flip tractor tires, and beat up ship rope (she may be evil.) My favorite color is green, and my favorite number is 8. I love music, especially anything from the rock persuasion, from classic rock like Pink Floyd to my new favorite Halestorm.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 9, 2015
Okay, so I adore Joy Eileen and her writing style. Her dialogue is a huge strength in her books and I admire that! To make me laugh out loud and swoon while reading is a gift. So good job on that front. The story was adorable, and then it was hot, lol. Short stories are tough to pull off, I know from experience, but Joy does it flawlessly. I cared for the characters immediately and loved reading the transitions of Al(exander). Two books in, I'm assured I can count on a Joy for a great romantic read.
November 8, 2015
What could be better than a love that transcends the ages? Nothing! This was a fast read, but I did not feel cheated in any way. Joy Eileen is a wonderful story teller. I truly enjoyed this a lot.
September 28, 2015
It's been a long time since I have read a PNR (Paranormal Romance)
At first when Joy said she was writing one , I was nervous AND he was a ghost?! Let me say, She killed it! I was blown away. It was funny and sexy. Great halloween read. I wish it was a full length novel. I loved Morley, she was so funny and adorable. I had a great time watching her fall for Alexander. OMG Alexander. So I feel like a complete weirdo for crushing on a ghost. Not to mention the hot sex scenes, they made me hot *Blush* I loved watching them fall in love, it was cute and easy.
Im aware not a lot of people read PNR anymore but you have to give this a chance. Its not your typical PNR. This is for the grown and sexy! Who doesn't love a good ghost story ;)
Happy Reading!
-A
At first when Joy said she was writing one , I was nervous AND he was a ghost?! Let me say, She killed it! I was blown away. It was funny and sexy. Great halloween read. I wish it was a full length novel. I loved Morley, she was so funny and adorable. I had a great time watching her fall for Alexander. OMG Alexander. So I feel like a complete weirdo for crushing on a ghost. Not to mention the hot sex scenes, they made me hot *Blush* I loved watching them fall in love, it was cute and easy.
Im aware not a lot of people read PNR anymore but you have to give this a chance. Its not your typical PNR. This is for the grown and sexy! Who doesn't love a good ghost story ;)
Happy Reading!
-A
June 15, 2017
I adore Joy Eileen's Jackholes series; I was lucky enough to stumble upon it shortly after the publication of the first book, and can't wait for more of those boys, especially D. Then again, anyone who has read my reviews knows what an obsession I have with rockstars. I have had Transparent on my kindle for some time, but admittedly, I was a bit torn because paranormal just really isn't my thing. But the basic premise had me intrigued from the moment I read the blurb.
Morley (what a lovely, unique name - well suited to this lovely, unique heroine) is a self admitted bit of a hermit, who loves her job at Art - an art gallery she was blessed to have been offered a job at shortly before she graduated with a degree in art history. She has a wonderful relationship with the gallery owner, who is a bit of a father figure perhaps to this girl who was orphaned at 18 and had her heart shredded by a most unworthy man shortly thereafter. She thinks she is satisfied with her lonely existence, she has a career and a home she loves, even if she despises the busy body HOA queen who lives next door (and gives her endless grief over her choice of painting her front door red - a nod to the past when a red door had nothing to do with prostitution and everything to do with welcoming weary travelers.)
In unloading a high dollar shipment at Art, she finds herself unexplainedly drawn to a portrait of an 19th century Lord. The owner notices her interest and convinces her you take it as a gift, as he claims it has no real value in comparison to the rest of the shipment and will wind up in storage if she doesn't take it to her meticulously decorated sanctuary. The fact that the man in the portrait looks like everything she has ever wanted in a man, she gives in. Through a series of typically hysterical events and mishaps and such (Ms. Eileen's humor always makes me laugh- "I didn't remember turning the TV on. Maybe the cat accidentally stepped on the remote. That would have been a very plausible explanation, if I owned a cat." is just one of many literal laugh out loud moments for me....too bad the others stuck in the emergency room waiting room as I read were not as amused.) Morley eventually has to admit the man of her dreams, that gorgeous hunk in the painting, really is talking to her...is responsible for the sudden chills following her.
As I said, paranormal is not my thing, but Joy Eileen's writing style certainly is. There are parts of this story that are almost too relatable for me...at 25, I was that recluse that spent all my energy on my career, and had that bff, much like Morley's Heather, who would almost literally drag me out once in a while. Luckily my neighbors were quite the opposite of the aptly named Mrs. Crabington, in the form of my nearly life long male best friend and his roommate who quickly became another friend. If nothing else, I could count on them to raid my refrigerator and make sure my leftovers never went to waste (and I just had to cross the sidewalk if I needed company, or anything else - the roommate was a nurse who may have saved my life one night by rushing me to the hospital he worked at. But I have gone well beyond a slight digression here...) I also had picked up a print of a long haired warrior at a Renaissance Festival in college, who starred in more of my fantasies and dreams than I care to admit to - maybe that explains my draw to the storyline despite my distaste of paranormal. Whatever the reasons may be, I am certainly glad I was willing to put my narrow-minded genre snob tendencies aside and delve into this one.
Without spoilers, the ending was perhaps a bit much to wrap my head around fully, but isn't that a hallmark of fantasy? And how much more hypocritical could I be to embrace all the rockstar story
lines I don't discredit, no matter how unrealistic they are, but criticize a paranormal book - a genre that never claims realism - for being over the top? I can't do it. I pride myself on not meandering into spoiler territory in my reviews, so I am not comfortable sharing much about the story line itself, but real or just an old painting, Lord Alexander has an undeniable Magnetism. Morley does too.
I surprised myself greatly as I searched the waiting room for tissues. As much as I would like to blame it on the nasty summer allergy weather, these jaded eyes rarely leak, but I did discretely work my way through quite a number of tissues. At least as many as my equally embarrassing inappropriate outbursts of laughter. Some incredibly executed sexy scenes keep this squarely in 18 + age categories, but beyond that, it gets my highest recommendations, even for those like me who aren't PNR fans. I fins myself hoping for a bit more of their story sometime down the road.
Morley (what a lovely, unique name - well suited to this lovely, unique heroine) is a self admitted bit of a hermit, who loves her job at Art - an art gallery she was blessed to have been offered a job at shortly before she graduated with a degree in art history. She has a wonderful relationship with the gallery owner, who is a bit of a father figure perhaps to this girl who was orphaned at 18 and had her heart shredded by a most unworthy man shortly thereafter. She thinks she is satisfied with her lonely existence, she has a career and a home she loves, even if she despises the busy body HOA queen who lives next door (and gives her endless grief over her choice of painting her front door red - a nod to the past when a red door had nothing to do with prostitution and everything to do with welcoming weary travelers.)
In unloading a high dollar shipment at Art, she finds herself unexplainedly drawn to a portrait of an 19th century Lord. The owner notices her interest and convinces her you take it as a gift, as he claims it has no real value in comparison to the rest of the shipment and will wind up in storage if she doesn't take it to her meticulously decorated sanctuary. The fact that the man in the portrait looks like everything she has ever wanted in a man, she gives in. Through a series of typically hysterical events and mishaps and such (Ms. Eileen's humor always makes me laugh- "I didn't remember turning the TV on. Maybe the cat accidentally stepped on the remote. That would have been a very plausible explanation, if I owned a cat." is just one of many literal laugh out loud moments for me....too bad the others stuck in the emergency room waiting room as I read were not as amused.) Morley eventually has to admit the man of her dreams, that gorgeous hunk in the painting, really is talking to her...is responsible for the sudden chills following her.
As I said, paranormal is not my thing, but Joy Eileen's writing style certainly is. There are parts of this story that are almost too relatable for me...at 25, I was that recluse that spent all my energy on my career, and had that bff, much like Morley's Heather, who would almost literally drag me out once in a while. Luckily my neighbors were quite the opposite of the aptly named Mrs. Crabington, in the form of my nearly life long male best friend and his roommate who quickly became another friend. If nothing else, I could count on them to raid my refrigerator and make sure my leftovers never went to waste (and I just had to cross the sidewalk if I needed company, or anything else - the roommate was a nurse who may have saved my life one night by rushing me to the hospital he worked at. But I have gone well beyond a slight digression here...) I also had picked up a print of a long haired warrior at a Renaissance Festival in college, who starred in more of my fantasies and dreams than I care to admit to - maybe that explains my draw to the storyline despite my distaste of paranormal. Whatever the reasons may be, I am certainly glad I was willing to put my narrow-minded genre snob tendencies aside and delve into this one.
Without spoilers, the ending was perhaps a bit much to wrap my head around fully, but isn't that a hallmark of fantasy? And how much more hypocritical could I be to embrace all the rockstar story
lines I don't discredit, no matter how unrealistic they are, but criticize a paranormal book - a genre that never claims realism - for being over the top? I can't do it. I pride myself on not meandering into spoiler territory in my reviews, so I am not comfortable sharing much about the story line itself, but real or just an old painting, Lord Alexander has an undeniable Magnetism. Morley does too.
I surprised myself greatly as I searched the waiting room for tissues. As much as I would like to blame it on the nasty summer allergy weather, these jaded eyes rarely leak, but I did discretely work my way through quite a number of tissues. At least as many as my equally embarrassing inappropriate outbursts of laughter. Some incredibly executed sexy scenes keep this squarely in 18 + age categories, but beyond that, it gets my highest recommendations, even for those like me who aren't PNR fans. I fins myself hoping for a bit more of their story sometime down the road.
July 9, 2018
“Morley Rivers lived a quiet life until she brought home a portrait of a hottie from the 19th century. Alexander Brynes had been cursed when his plea to a gypsy went horribly wrong. He was tethered to his portrait, unable to communicate with the people around him, until Morley came along. Alexander is positive Morley is the key to break his curse. He wasn’t expecting her to break into his heart.”
There are more words to the back of the book but those are the only one’s you really need to know, those are the words that had this book come home with me at a book signing this year.
It took a while for me to start reading this book. I was distracted, I was sick, I went on vacation, I was sick again and other things just kept on making it hard to give this book my full attention. I started and stopped only a few pages in because I can't remember, but I got past my funk and gave it a shot. Being sick again and my daughter with her grandparents, I was able to read two novellas today. Score! Joy Eileen does a great job with this book, its original and although half way through I knew something different was going to happen, I was still truly happy and surprised that it turned out the way that I thought.
They fall in love, you fall in love and you are so happy after reading this book. At least I was. It is heartwarming, funny, sad/ happy at the same time and a fast read. I fell for the characters, the roles they play in the story and how they grow with each other. This novella does not disappoint.
There are more words to the back of the book but those are the only one’s you really need to know, those are the words that had this book come home with me at a book signing this year.
It took a while for me to start reading this book. I was distracted, I was sick, I went on vacation, I was sick again and other things just kept on making it hard to give this book my full attention. I started and stopped only a few pages in because I can't remember, but I got past my funk and gave it a shot. Being sick again and my daughter with her grandparents, I was able to read two novellas today. Score! Joy Eileen does a great job with this book, its original and although half way through I knew something different was going to happen, I was still truly happy and surprised that it turned out the way that I thought.
They fall in love, you fall in love and you are so happy after reading this book. At least I was. It is heartwarming, funny, sad/ happy at the same time and a fast read. I fell for the characters, the roles they play in the story and how they grow with each other. This novella does not disappoint.
June 24, 2017
Beautiful story. At first I was a little afraid of reading it cause I didn't want to get my heart broken when the ghost couldn't stay with his love. But this book was a total surprise.
Alexander and Morley are an odd couple who fell in love in a strange way but at the end everything worked out. Things were fixed and they both got their happily ever after.
The only think I didn't like a lot was the fact that Al sometimes didn't feel like a person from another century. I was expecting Mr. Darcy or something like that, but don't get me wrong. He's handsome, gentleman, romantic and sweet.
I really enjoyed this book, it's not your typical love story but beautiful none the less.
Alexander and Morley are an odd couple who fell in love in a strange way but at the end everything worked out. Things were fixed and they both got their happily ever after.
The only think I didn't like a lot was the fact that Al sometimes didn't feel like a person from another century. I was expecting Mr. Darcy or something like that, but don't get me wrong. He's handsome, gentleman, romantic and sweet.
I really enjoyed this book, it's not your typical love story but beautiful none the less.
October 29, 2017
This is a paranormal romance written with a bit of humor. Warning to some readers, their are some sexual situations. When Morley Rivers receives a painting of Lord Alexander Brynes, her world is turned upside down in a paranormal way. She can talk to the man in the painting.More than that she is asked to help Alexander who had a curse placed on him many years ago and found himself trapped in the portrait. This is a quick read, that will make readers smile along the way and make you wonder what you would do if faced with the crazy circumstances.
July 29, 2024
I was lucky enough to meet Joy at the Be Love, Spread Love book signing event in Vegas this June and she was such a fun person to be around. She was so excited to have the PP’s (purple princesses) stop by her table. When I saw Transparent and Unfinished Business I was intrigued! I got both of these and finally got around to reading Transparent and it was exactly as a I hoped, amazing. Morley and Al’s journey was such a vibrant fun adventure and I can’t wait to go on and start Unfinished Business now!
If you are wondering if you should read this, the answer is yes. 🫶🏻🖤
If you are wondering if you should read this, the answer is yes. 🫶🏻🖤
August 31, 2025
I do not know how Joy did it, but she fit an epic paranormal romance into a novella short enough to finish in one day! This book is funny, smart, and surprisingly spicy given its length (haha length). I absolutely fell in love with these characters and their antics and can not wait to read more of this series of novellas!
March 14, 2020
Short and sweet
Different yet familiar, this storyline is always interesting to me. Whether a book or painting, I love when the main character comes out of it...literally. Reminiscent of, but different, from Dorian Gray which I loved. This story was not sinister.
Good writing!
Different yet familiar, this storyline is always interesting to me. Whether a book or painting, I love when the main character comes out of it...literally. Reminiscent of, but different, from Dorian Gray which I loved. This story was not sinister.
Good writing!
January 29, 2017
Amazing! I couldn't stop reading! Absolutely amazing!!! Wonderfully written! Emotional! Very strong story! I want more! I loved this SO very much!
October 1, 2015
I got this book for an honest review!
I lo ed this book. It's starts out with Morley thinking she's hearing things. Ecause I the middle of the night she starts hearing a man's voice in her house. She goes to I vestige and ends up hurting herself trying to figure out where the man is only to find out the voice is from a man who is invisible and it's from the painting the she brought home from work.
Alexander was cursed when he was alive (a really long time ago) and got stuck in the painting and the only way to get out was to have him truly believe in love. He believes that since Morley can hear him, she can help him.
Over the next two days, they start getting to k ow each other and she teaches him about things in this century. As they get closer things start to change with him and her and they realize that maybe she will be his savior.
To find out if Morley is the one, READ this book!!!
I lo ed this book. It's starts out with Morley thinking she's hearing things. Ecause I the middle of the night she starts hearing a man's voice in her house. She goes to I vestige and ends up hurting herself trying to figure out where the man is only to find out the voice is from a man who is invisible and it's from the painting the she brought home from work.
Alexander was cursed when he was alive (a really long time ago) and got stuck in the painting and the only way to get out was to have him truly believe in love. He believes that since Morley can hear him, she can help him.
Over the next two days, they start getting to k ow each other and she teaches him about things in this century. As they get closer things start to change with him and her and they realize that maybe she will be his savior.
To find out if Morley is the one, READ this book!!!
November 7, 2015
Transparent is the first book I've read from author Joy Eileen. It was filled with suspense, comedy, and a budding romance between two people from totally different times.
I cried at the end. It was beautiful and heartwarming. This story was the most unique paranormal romance I've read in a while. I recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. This is one book you will definitely fall in love with.
5 well deserved stars for Transparent by Joy Eileen. I'll be checking out more of her work.
I cried at the end. It was beautiful and heartwarming. This story was the most unique paranormal romance I've read in a while. I recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. This is one book you will definitely fall in love with.
5 well deserved stars for Transparent by Joy Eileen. I'll be checking out more of her work.
July 21, 2016
I loved this book. I died laughing so many times. This reminded me a lot of "The Knight in Shining Armor" by Jude Devereaux, just set in an even more current time period. I hated when this book ended, but it is wrapped up beautifully. I am still trying to figure out where I order my own Alexander. Watching the two of them trying to navigate those romantic waters and figure each other out is very amusing. I wish there were more romances like this. I want to see what this author comes out with next.
October 2, 2015
Amazing! This paranormal romance is perfect to get me in the mood for Halloween!! Morley is so relateable and I laughed at her responses to hearing Alexander in the middle of the night because I can just imagine me being like that. Joy has such an amazing way of pulling you into the story. I was laughing with them, root for them, hoping for them! I have given them the name Morlander! Great book! Very well-written. I'm looking forward to reading more from Joy Eileen.
November 27, 2015
Now I love a bit of paranormal, but love from a cursed man in a picture? Intrigued I was!
This was like a modern day fairytale, a book that talks about neighbours back fat, has an English Lord from the 19th century, refers to coffee as liquid life and some HOT sexy scenes (is it wrong I was excited as he was invisible?!!!)
I really enjoyed this book!
This was like a modern day fairytale, a book that talks about neighbours back fat, has an English Lord from the 19th century, refers to coffee as liquid life and some HOT sexy scenes (is it wrong I was excited as he was invisible?!!!)
I really enjoyed this book!
October 5, 2015
Alexander has been trapped inside a painting for century's. When Morley River's brings home his painting the last thing she expects is to be haunted by the sexy Alex. This was one of the sweetest, funniest love stories I've read in a while. I adored how Alex spoke. Sweet read with a HEA.
October 11, 2015
4-5 stars Beautiful romantic story
I loved the characters in this book. Alexander and Morleys love for each other you could feel how much they meant to each other. Well written romance book.
I loved the characters in this book. Alexander and Morleys love for each other you could feel how much they meant to each other. Well written romance book.
October 22, 2015
5 Stars
Wow this one is an excellent Halloween read. I think the beginning was the best part, when she first met Alexander. This has everything you could ever want in one really steamy paranormal short story.
Wow this one is an excellent Halloween read. I think the beginning was the best part, when she first met Alexander. This has everything you could ever want in one really steamy paranormal short story.
October 5, 2015
Awesome fantasy
This was a quick read full of fantasy and humor....definitely worth reading. Looking forward to reading more of her books.
This was a quick read full of fantasy and humor....definitely worth reading. Looking forward to reading more of her books.
December 18, 2015
A paranormal series This was wonderful. A new favorite author! I read this after Ghost of Christmas Past v2.
October 27, 2016
loved this book and quickly becoming a fan of this author.
September 29, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. A true romance!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews