Overseas

By: Beatriz Williams

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A passionate, sweeping novel of a love that transcends time.

When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one’s more surprised than she is. Julian’s relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she’s baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billionaire—Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor—pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn’t had a boyfriend since college?

The answer is beyond imagining - at least at first. Kate and Julian’s story may have begun not in the moneyed world of 21st-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.

Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.

©2012 Beatriz Williams (P)2012 Penguin

A Wonderful Suprise!

What made the experience of listening to Overseas the most enjoyable?

The concept of people's lives colliding. The way Julian loves Kate. The way Julian is so honorable despite his life in modern times. It is always fun to share in two people falling in love. The story is unpredictable, and just when you think all is lost, you find it may not be. Everything that happens has a reason, the reader is not aware.

What other book might you compare Overseas to and why?

Outlander and The Rose Garden. The concept is similar, but this book has its own character. The notion that lives can/will be affected through time travel and the special bonds that are formed.

What about January LaVoy’s performance did you like?

She did a great job. Kate seems to have been a bit more dramatic tham I would have thought if read on paper, but the performance was true to the character and appropriate. The other characters were all distinct and very well done. She was great to listen to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was near tears when I thought something happened to Julian and when the couple is at the train station. Otherwise, there were many ups and downs in the story that caused varying emotional reactions for me.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that I would normally pass over, but the praise in the reviews made me think twice and I can say I am glad I listened to them and to the book. It is a very entertaining listen and well worth a credit and your time. I loved it.

Just ok

Would you try another book from Beatriz Williams and/or January LaVoy?

The plot wasn't the page turner that I thought it would be. Both characters thought it would be better to keep a major component of the truth from the other even knowing it could change the events. That's far too implausible for me.

What could Beatriz Williams have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The sub-plot was better than the overarching one. Add more connectivity to the company as the story goes on. More time in the past would have helped too.

Did January LaVoy do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She had excellent accents although the professor sounded like a hick instead of a scholar.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

There were way too many scenes of the main characters talking about how much they loved each other. The book didn't present enough conflict for me to wonder if they would end up together. When poorly explained time travel and a villian you can see coming from a mile away are the only foils to the love story, I am bored.

Entertaining listen

I love Beatriz William’s books.. (She also writes under Juliana Grey, also good books!) This one had a slow beginning but an unexpected, well threaded ending making it worth the read/listen. I had to roll my eyes a few times because it can be a bit sappy or unrealistic.. not like her other books. As always there were parts of the book that displayed the author’s intelligence and research efforts. Overall I recommend the listen!!

I would give 11 stars

best book I have read in a while. Wonderfully written with well developed characters. Kept me reading well into the night.

Perfect book!

I’ve just been turned onto this writer. This is the second book I have listened to, and they just keep getting better.

Rare Find!

It's not very often that you come across a book that has everything, mystery, love, good flow, and an amazing narrator but this one has it all! I decided to get this book on a whim, not having read anything by the author before or knowing much about the storyline. I can only stand amazed at the beauty of this book. Time travel romance has been getting popular in the past few years but it is hard to find books that have good enough flow to really convince the reader. Outlander and The Time Travelers Wife both were able to do this beautifully, and now the Overseas story is going to join those prestigious ranks. This story is wholesome without smut although I was a little surprised by the amount of cursing due to the fact that the author was very conservative for the love scenes. None of the love scenes were described in much detail, just the before and after but it does flow nicely. Leaving the details to the imagination of the reader/listener. I, myself usually like a nice steamy love scene and although I was a little disappointed none were included I still enjoyed the reading. The story is classically romantic and the narrator is absolutely AMAZING! January LaVoy has the ability to really bring this story to life. I think it was the first time I've been able to really feel the teasing affection between to characters in such detail. I was very impressed with her, the writing was excellent but January LaVoy really made the story live and breath. I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes classic romance without a lot of detailed love scenes.

A SWEET OVER-THE-CENTURY ROMANCE

Although romance isn't the genre I usually read, I still enjoyed this one. It is very, "vanilla" by most romance standards, but still has an interesting twist and likeable, if not terribly developed characters. The author also managed to tie up most of the lose ends and answer most of the questions posed in the story by book's end (something I especially like author's to do.)

The book wasn't "Outlander" caliber, but then it didn't take days to read (or years waiting for the next part of the story either). I'd call it a "doughnut" book- a sweet treat, enjoyable every once in awhile.

Interesting look at time travel

Though I'm normally not a fan of time travel concepts I decided to pick this up due to a review. Overall the blending of the current and the past store lines were well done in my opinion and very interesting. The author did a great job of giving just enough to keep the reader guessing as to what exactly was going on while providing a smooth continual flow of the relationship developing within the current timeline. The writing style worked well to keep the story fresh and interesting.

I will say that towards the last half of the story Kate became a bit annoying. Though I'm sure not intentional, January (narrator) influenced this as she did a great job of expressing Kate's emotions. Don't take this wrong - January did a great job as narrator and I hope to see/hear her in future works. My feelings of annoyance link directly to Kate and her reactions to situations that I feel go into overboard status. Additionally I feel that as a character Kate was in constant argumentative mode at that stage of the story.

Overall the story is interesting and did not have a predictable ending as I thought it would. Kudos to the author for her style of blending and creative touch to making this an interesting story.

A Vettriano painting in print

The love story was lyrical and magical; the narration by January LaVoy was handled with great style. I loved the romance, but the underlying plot and character growth was not as strong as I would have liked. Beatriz Williams has great potential as an author - hopefully we will have a chance to watch her style grow.

Enjoyable and a little unexpected

Where does Overseas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Overseas started out rather predictable and a little confusing, but the action and surprise picks up from the middle onward. It's a fun read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Overseas?

It's a time traveling novel, and as the story unfolds, events that seemed inconsequential at the beginning, suddenly take on plot-thickening significance.

Which character – as performed by January LaVoy – was your favorite?

Julian. I love the way Ms. LaVoy did his voice.

Who was the most memorable character of Overseas and why?

Again, the hero, Julian. He was believable (o.k., and desirable, too)

Any additional comments?

It's a great summer read. If you're a little bored at the beginning, press on; you'll be glad you did.