Official Review: Beyond Love by Barbara J Duell
Posted: 05 Jul 2015, 20:30
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond Love" by Barbara J Duell.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Barbara J. Duell’s debut novel, Beyond Love, is a heart-warming and refreshing work of romance that will cause readers to experience a wide array of emotions, such as: hope, love, and even sadness. Two prominent themes found in this story were the themes of love and death. In addition to the themes, the novel revolved around the idea of love at first sight.
Michael McCall has had a hard life. On top of having a very masculine first name, she was also put into foster care as a teenager, and recently lost whatever family she had left in a tragic car accident.
The story opens up with the protagonist, Michael, going on a run in Sausalito, California. While she appears calm and put together on the outside, she still struggles to overcome the sadness that has engulfed her heart when her young son and husband lost their lives in a fatal car accident not too long ago. While on her run, Michael spots a young boy in the middle of the street about to get run over by an oncoming car. Motherly instincts kick in, and in a flash, Michael has pushed the young boy out of the street and saved his life. She then takes the young boy, named David Hampton, to her small cottage and calls his father to come and pick him up.
As soon as Michael meets David’s father, Dr. Hampton, sparks ignite between them. Shortly after their encounter, Dr. Hampton asks her to move in with him and work full time as David’s nanny. Can Michael handle living under the same roof with the alluring Dr. Hampton as his son’s nanny, or will she end up wanting to be much more?
I loved how the author created such three dimensional characters. Whenever a new character was introduced, the author would make sure to describe almost every feature of the character. That helped me have a better understanding of the story and made the characters feel more relatable. I liked how there was a genuine mother and son connection between Michael and David that many women can relate to. Also, I appreciated how the author did not reveal everything about the characters at once. Instead, she slowly dropped hints to the readers, which made some characters seem very mysterious.
On the other hand, I felt that some parts of the story were quite uneventful and repetitive. I found myself spacing out, and then having to reread paragraphs for the second time. In general, the story was slightly hard to keep up with. I felt like I got lost in the many paragraphs of imagery the author provided. Yes, imagery and description are important aspects of a story, but they shouldn’t be the main focus, in my opinion. The novel was also written in third person omniscient and the point of view changes were abrupt and a little sloppy.
Overall, the positive aspects outweigh the negative, and I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a refreshing and romantic weekend read.
******
Beyond Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | Hassle-Free Sample
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Barbara J. Duell’s debut novel, Beyond Love, is a heart-warming and refreshing work of romance that will cause readers to experience a wide array of emotions, such as: hope, love, and even sadness. Two prominent themes found in this story were the themes of love and death. In addition to the themes, the novel revolved around the idea of love at first sight.
Michael McCall has had a hard life. On top of having a very masculine first name, she was also put into foster care as a teenager, and recently lost whatever family she had left in a tragic car accident.
The story opens up with the protagonist, Michael, going on a run in Sausalito, California. While she appears calm and put together on the outside, she still struggles to overcome the sadness that has engulfed her heart when her young son and husband lost their lives in a fatal car accident not too long ago. While on her run, Michael spots a young boy in the middle of the street about to get run over by an oncoming car. Motherly instincts kick in, and in a flash, Michael has pushed the young boy out of the street and saved his life. She then takes the young boy, named David Hampton, to her small cottage and calls his father to come and pick him up.
As soon as Michael meets David’s father, Dr. Hampton, sparks ignite between them. Shortly after their encounter, Dr. Hampton asks her to move in with him and work full time as David’s nanny. Can Michael handle living under the same roof with the alluring Dr. Hampton as his son’s nanny, or will she end up wanting to be much more?
I loved how the author created such three dimensional characters. Whenever a new character was introduced, the author would make sure to describe almost every feature of the character. That helped me have a better understanding of the story and made the characters feel more relatable. I liked how there was a genuine mother and son connection between Michael and David that many women can relate to. Also, I appreciated how the author did not reveal everything about the characters at once. Instead, she slowly dropped hints to the readers, which made some characters seem very mysterious.
On the other hand, I felt that some parts of the story were quite uneventful and repetitive. I found myself spacing out, and then having to reread paragraphs for the second time. In general, the story was slightly hard to keep up with. I felt like I got lost in the many paragraphs of imagery the author provided. Yes, imagery and description are important aspects of a story, but they shouldn’t be the main focus, in my opinion. The novel was also written in third person omniscient and the point of view changes were abrupt and a little sloppy.
Overall, the positive aspects outweigh the negative, and I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a refreshing and romantic weekend read.
******
Beyond Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | Hassle-Free Sample
Like angelbeats1's review? Post a comment saying so!
