Beyond the Palace

by Sara Elizabeth Goodman

From the first moment that Ben sees Laura, she seems too good to be true. Stunning, elegant, adventurous, and intolerably charming, she is everything that he wants in a woman. She even shares his passion for Bruce Springsteen’s music. And before he even realizes that it’s happened, Ben has turned his whole life upside down to follow Bruce around the country with her.

Laura fascinates him because everything about her is a contradiction. She never lies, but she never quite tells the truth either. She’s wildly outspoken and passionate, yet smoothly changes the subject whenever she is asked a direct question about herself. She manages to intrigue and infuriate, attract and repel, charm and disarm Ben at every turn. Yet there’s something sweet beneath her flippant exterior; something that Ben realizes that only he is allowed to see. And no matter how much he tries to stay away, he is unable to resist her.

But Laura has secrets that threaten to destroy their unlikely friendship. She is wealthy, yet unemployed. She has no family, and she seems to have almost no past, except for an older man whose relationship to her Ben cannot figure out. And she claims that she doesn’t believe in love.

When the tour ends, Ben knows that he wants more from his relationship with Laura. But he doesn’t know what Laura wants. And neither does she.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2010

About the author

Sara Elizabeth Goodman lives in Rockville, Maryland with her miniature schnauzer, Rosalita. She teaches high school English and journalism, and in her spare time goes to as many concerts as she can. And she DESPERATELY needs a publishing contract!

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I have all her other books! Please come out with a new one Ms Goodman!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good story if you're not a Bruce fan, I've heard those people exist, and it a darn good story if you are a Bruce fan. I found myself testing my own Bruce knowledge while reading. Kudos to the author for seeking her dream and self publishing.

[Matt Miltenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely read fiction but obviously the topic was worth a shot - I really enjoyed this quick read - was skeptical going in that someone could capture a story without going too cheesy but I think she nailed it. Good work.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Bruce so this book intrigued me. I thought it was interesting in that the author was female and the main character male.....

[Suzette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! The ending kept me up thinking for quite awhile last night. A must read for Springsteen fans.

[SANDY Sutherland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time


I would not recommend this book to anyone. I kept thinking the story might get better. I didn't. I finished it because of how much time I put into reading it.

[Grace Veniero · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Springsteen fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was engaging, and the author skillfully intertwined the real concerts with her characters' experiences. Every Springsteen fan can relate to knowing someone who's attended more Springsteen concerts than they have!

[Bob Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in one day
Amusing to see shows I was at being discussed and accurately to boot.

[susan pribil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it because I love Bruce Springsteen but it’s really bad. Just terrible. I did finish but it was more like reading to laugh at the poor writing.

[Laurie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was candy, no question about it. I think I connected to it mostly as a Springsteen fan, as I read it during my most recent Springsteen road trip. I did find the relationship between the two main characters to be obnoxious and kind of wondered why I kept reading. But I did keep reading, and found myself really wanting to know how it would end up. This is one of those books I'd give a 2.5 if I could. It's Bruce, so I rounded up.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Bruce Springsteen, read this book. If you're not, I'm not sure you'll enjoy it. It's basically a story of a young man who falls in love with a young woman with whom he shares a passion for Bruce - she's a complicated person and he's afraid to make 'the move' for fear of being rejected. I almost yelled at him and shook him for his inaction.