Official Review: Beyond Love by Barbara J Duell

angelbeats1 · Post by **angelbeats1** » 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.

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Beyond Love
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Ravenlongwing · Post by **Ravenlongwing** » 14 Jul 2015, 17:34

Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I sometimes forget that what I know to be fact, issues my character force me to address, I fall short at times conveying a complete picture to my readers. Like anyone not at the top yet, I must try harder.

BJD

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 15 Jul 2015, 19:59

Great review! I love the Jane Eyre-ishness of this book!! Ravenlongwing, you should check out the writer's forum at this web site! It's a great resource!!

erasmus · Post by **erasmus** » 16 Jul 2015, 02:51

Despite some of the negative points you've brought up, this seems to be a hopeful, romantic book that I would like. Definitely putting this on my TBR list! Thanks for the great review!

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 16 Jul 2015, 08:35

Wonderful review! The book sounds like it has a great set up for a romance. I always enjoy character driven stories. The redundant parts seem frustrating. You gave great constructive feedback.

bettybug35 · Post by **bettybug35** » 20 Jul 2015, 20:09

Seems like an interesting book. Nice review!

angelbeats1 · Post by **angelbeats1** » 24 Jul 2015, 22:20

Ravenlongwing wrote:Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I sometimes forget that what I know to be fact, issues my character force me to address, I fall short at times conveying a complete picture to my readers. Like anyone not at the top yet, I must try harder.

BJD

You are very welcome! That's what book reviewers are for!

-- 24 Jul 2015, 22:39 --

bluemel4 wrote:Wonderful review! The book sounds like it has a great set up for a romance. I always enjoy character driven stories. The redundant parts seem frustrating. You gave great constructive feedback.

Thank you for your kind comment!

Post by **bookowlie** » 07 Aug 2015, 17:33

Nice, balanced review! The book sounds really good, particularly for a debut.

angelbeats1 · Post by **angelbeats1** » 16 Aug 2015, 23:31

Thanks! c:

shelley_soetosenojo · Post by **shelley_soetosenojo** » 01 Oct 2015, 09:58

Great review! Especially how you summarized the story. It makes me greatly want to read the book too!

amybo82 · Post by **amybo82** » 01 Oct 2015, 13:45

It sounds like this would be the perfect book to read while I'm trapped inside by the hurricane-inspired rains all weekend!

anatomy129 · Post by **anatomy129** » 19 Jun 2016, 01:08

I just finished reading the first chapter of this book. I thought it was very good. It held my attention and I am looking forward to reading the entire book.