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BEYOND EVERY MIRROR

From the Anachronistic Dimensions series , Vol. 1

An intriguing start to a promising new series, although stronger editing might have made it an even more compelling read.

In Church’s (The Early Scrolls, 2016, etc.) paranormal romance, a musician’s unusual visions lead him to a parallel dimension where he encounters a woman who may hold the key to his fate.

At 29, Dane Bainbridge, the successful lead singer and songwriter of the band Dark Myst, lives a life that many musicians would envy. Because he’s an avid reader with a fondness for history, he decides to visit a bookstore near his estate. There, he encounters an elderly woman who tells him that he’s actually the reincarnation of her brother, Lance Keagan, a Broadway star who disappeared on his 30th birthday, back in the early 1950s. For Dane, this is the latest in a string of uncanny encounters; since childhood, for example, he’s often caught glimpses of a beautiful woman beside him when he looks in the mirror. He also feels an affinity for a 17th-century knight named Kori Blackmore, who also disappeared at age 30. After an otherworldly encounter during a Dark Myst show, Dane returns to his estate only to face a new vision in his mirror that pulls him into a parallel world known as Mikaire. He finds himself trapped in a dungeon, and his only hope of escape lies with Meirah, a woman whose youthful love for Kori triggered a tragic cycle of death and rebirth. As their feelings for each other grow, Dane and Meirah must escape Mikaire before the cycle begins again. This first novel in Church’s Anachronistic Dimensions series offers an intriguing story and vivid characters and settings. The imaginative premise spans centuries as it tells the story of how Meirah fell in love with Kori and became fated to love and lose him again and again. Despite the book’s successes, though, the editing is uneven; for example, the name of one character is spelled three different ways on one page: “Caitlyn,” “Kaitlin,” and “Caitlin.” Still, Dane and Meirah are likable protagonists whose relationship forms the emotional core of the story, and Kori becomes a vital supporting player with a detailed back story of his own. Church’s descriptions give life and vitality to Mikaire, a dimension where time moves at a much slower pace and the blood of mortals sustains its ruler, Sakkana.

An intriguing start to a promising new series, although stronger editing might have made it an even more compelling read.

Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-692-78270-5

Page Count: 372

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2017

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LOVE AND OTHER WORDS

With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.

Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.

Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.

With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.

Pub Date: April 10, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

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THE UNHONEYMOONERS

Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...

An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.

Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.

Pub Date: May 14, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

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