Beneath the Lake

By: Casi McLean

Narrated by: Aundrea Mitchell

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Reeling from her boyfriend's indiscretions at a party, Lacey Montgomery escapes into the throes of a torrential storm. Her car spins out of control and hurtles into the depths of an icy, black lake. She awakens in the arms of a handsome stranger, in a place she's never heard of - 34 years before she was born.

Bobby Reynolds is smitten the moment the storm-ravaged woman opens her eyes. Learning the truth about her origin does nothing to stop the passion taking root in his heart and leaves him torn between finding a way to return Lacey to her time and convincing her stay with him.

Will the couple be able to discover the key to a mysterious portal before time rips them apart? Or will their spirits wander forever through a ghost town buried beneath the lake?

©2015 Casi McLean (P)2017 Casi McLean

The Best Time Travel Romance!

I'm so glad I decided to give this book a try. The beginning is hard to keep up. Specially in audiobook form, I had to re listen to the first few chapters over for it to make any sense, but stick with it! The author is new to me but she has woven a great time travel romance with suspense, intrigue, and love.

The narration was well done and brought the story to life. This was definitely a story that required my full attention! I attempted to listen to it while doing other tasks and it did not work. I kept having to rewind because so much goes on in the beginning that if you don't play close attention you will be lost.

The story starts alternating between 2012 and 1949 with Lake Lanier as an important focus. The author did an amazing job describing everything and she draws you in and keeps you enthralled. The story is suspenseful and expertly woven by the author to keep you engaged the whole time. I think the author did an amazing job with this book. It sounded so believable the way the characters behaved. If time travel was possible, it could definitely happen like this!

This is truly an imaginative story with great well developed characters. Lacey is a great main character! Bobby is so nice and understanding! They go through a lot! This is by far the best time travel story I have read! This is one story I would not mind re listening to it again.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

I SWEAR, IT KEPT ME WONDERING...

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook through Audiobook Boom at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

This one blew my expectations. The time bounced back and forth between the 34 years, Each chapter began with the date and month. The entire story happens within a few months of the present timeline. Although right away I did figure out the major player in the time connection, I couldn't for the life of me see how it was to play out. The book held tight in it's consistently, considering the different time periods had different characters and emerging sub-plots.

This is one of Andrea Mitchell's best narrations. Minimal instances of the annoying "...(pause) He said."

Two Thumbs Up!

Review also on Smada's Book Smack blog

**3.5 Stars**
Lacey Madison (aka Maddie) hurries out of her friends party after she catches her boyfriend in a romantic encounter with another woman. But she didn't count on being followed by a stranger, to have a terrible storm, or to loose control of her car. Next things she knows, she is being rescued by a handsome stranger who claims it is 1949 instead of 2012. Maddie has no idea what happened or if she will ever be able to find a way back home.

This is very much so a love story that just so happens to have a mystery and some time travel thrown in. The main point of the book is about destiny and true love, the lengths people will go to save the one they love. The book had a very wholesome flair to it that made the sweetness of the romance shine through (keep in mind that like 75% of the book is set back in the 1950's where the world seemed more wholesome in general compared to today).

My biggest complaint was Maddie, and I feel terrible saying that considering most of the book is narrated by her. At times though I just found her so frustrating! She was a master of jumping to conclusions, making assumptions about every situation without ever communicating with the people around her and doing super dramatic things that could have been avoided. But no, let's just assume the worst so we can wallow, it's much more fun that way. She at times failed to understand the slang of the 1950's and then was shocked when they didn't understand her. Also, I was kind of surprised at how easy it was for a modern, driven, educated woman of today to be totally happy back in early 1950 where she couldn't use her degree/career, technology or women's rights- I expected some push-back from Maddie, but there never was. Bobby was super dreamy, pretty much the perfect guy and 100% accepting regardless of the fact his world turned upside down.

There were chapters inserted occasionally that were narrated from a mysterious man's point of view back in the present time, someone who was out to manipulate Maddie and her whole world without her even being aware. I think those were my favorite parts because it made me try and guess and put things together even though I was still missing lots of info until the last few chapters. Casi did a good job of keeping me guessing and I liked how the connection was formed between all the pieces.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed the overall experience. The narrator Aundrea did a great job of bringing all the characters to life as well as creating the world. The sound quality was spot on and I felt like I was immersed in the different times. I would like to listen to more books being narrated by Aundrea in the future and I think that this story was a good choice to listen to.

There were some questions that I would have love resolved when the book ended, but overall I found this book to be very interesting and unlike anything I have read before. I would love to get my hands on the next book in the Lake Lanier Mystery series to see what kind of place in history the characters will end up next (and I saw that it was Piper's turn to explore and I really liked her). I think this book will appeal to anyone looking for a sweet romance with a dash of the paranormal and mystery thrown in for flavor.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

beneath the lake

overall a good book. was slow in some parts then fast in others. confusing in the beginning of whats happening but it becomes clearer as the book goes on. was given a copy of this book at my request so im leaving this unbiased review.

A fantastic love story with a time travel twist

Beneath the Lake is a very well written story that incorporated romance, mystery and time travel. As the story began to unfold, I thought I could see right where things were going, but then just enough of a twist would happen to keep me guessing. Well done!

I thought the narrator's performance was also well done. I found this book very easy to listen to.

I was provided this review copy audiobook by the narrator, author, or publisher and have voluntarily left this review.

time travel romance book

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was very reminiscent of The Time Traveler's Wife. The narration was well done and the writing was pretty good, though at times it took me a few minutes to identify what time the story was in. All in all, a solid, if heavy on the romantic angst book.

A captivating story

“Beneath the Lake” was a wonderful read, a story that captivated me from the beginning. The time travel element was well presented and the action did not seem dull to me at all.

Our main character, Lacey Montgomery runs out of a party after seeing her boyfriend with another woman. She accidently falls into Lake Lanier and passes through a time gate of sorts and wakes up in 1949. She will now try to understand if her trip back in time has a purpose, in the same time try to make sense of her feelings for her host, Bobby Reynolds.

What I mostly liked about the story was how well the author has incorporated the time travel aspect with the romance. I think this is my second read with this theme, but Lacey is constantly trying to find a way back and knows her time is this period is limited. However, she takes advantage of every minute. As well, the jump between past and present is well weaved into the story. And to be honest, this is what mostly kept me till the end. Who is Rob? Why does he want revenge? These are just some of the questions you will find out by the end of the story.

The characters are like normal people, nothing abnormal, no heroes or anything like that. They make do with what they have. And this is exceptional J Their actions are not forced or anything. The simple way of their connection is well in line with the customs of the 1940s.

All in all, I liked the book quite well and I have no complains in regards to the story, The narration was ok, although Bobby’s voice was more like whispered. A total of 4 stars and my thanks to Jess and the author and narrator for this great story!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Aundrea Mitchell and Casi McLean. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Sweet time travel romance

If you could sum up Beneath the Lake in three words, what would they be?

Sweet, romantic, but sometimes confusing

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bobby, of course, because he loved Lacey with everything he had and never gave up on her

Have you listened to any of Aundrea Mitchell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't but I did not like her male voices. Especially Bobby, who sounded too weak and soft spoken.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I was ok with not listening to it all at once.

Any additional comments?

This is a book where you have to pay close attention to what is happening or you might get lost. It switches back and forth through time often and the characters change in the different time periods. It is one of the better time travel books I've read or listened to. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Great!

I really enjoyed this story! I think this is one of those rare books where I enjoy the audio more than reading - I was able to just close my eyes and listen, imagining the story. Time travel with suspense and bit of mystery - this book is unlike anything I've read before and I really enjoyed it. Narration was ok.


**a copy of this audiobook was provided in exchange for an honest review**

Star-crossed lovers, time travel, history, suspens

This is going to be a difficult book to review without giving away major spoilers! I had a very different idea of what was going on in the beginning of the book than what it turned out to be. It was a surprising plot twist that was nicely done. But, since it's no secret the book is about time travel, I will say there are some mind-blowing moments. I listened to this on audible, and I played back a few scenes to appreciate how the pieces all fit together...it's a complicated plot, but the author does an outstanding job of allowing it to unfold and then solidifying the entire concept so it makes sense. Plus, it's clear a lot of research went into the 1950s timeline. I enjoyed how Bobby spoke, his confusion over modern terminology, his endearing personality, and all the references to the current events of the past. The relationship was allowed to develop over time, and these two star-crossed lovers refused to give up on each other, despite the overwhelming obstacles. Descriptions were vivid, and I got chills when I initially heard the details of the lake's history and the hidden world beneath. Recommended for fans of time-travel, romance, and suspense!