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

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.

I WANT ONE!!!

Any additional comments?

Oh. My. Gosh! That was the most romantic, absourbing ride I've been on in a very long time! An to think, I got this as a spur of the moment impulse! Now I want a Julian for my very own! I'm an avid reader of romance and this is like nothing like I've ever encountered. I adored the sweet romance and heartbreakingly beautiful love between these two and how far they were willing to go for one another. I found myself completely enraptured with their lives - I'm finishing this dang thing at FIVE friggin A.M! Just a warning for you potential readers out there - there are no steamy sex scenes in this book!!! There is plenty of tension (so much that I was drooling for one - and kinda bummed that there wasn't just a teeny one) and lots of play. Sometimes I think that leaves a "romance" novel almost lacking in some way, unless the author can pull off something that makes the readers overlook that. But Overseas does it beautifully, in such a way that I didn't feel I was missing out and it made it almost more endearing.

I absolutely loved January LaVoy! I've never heard any of her previous works. I loved how she made it easy to keep the characters straight an her english accents were awesome - especially Julian's. I like how she didn't go to far overboard with her male voices like so many are prone to do and her voice is very pleasing to listen to.

I'm sooo glad I caved and got this book! One of the best impulses/credits I ever spent! I can't wait to see was Ms. Williams comes up with next!

Chick Lit and Romance plus Sci-Fi

I wasn't ready for the first two (particularly the trembling lips and broad shoulders parts) and it doesn't do for me. The narrator is great and the premise has recently become fascinating to me -Replay in particular. I'd compare and contrast Overseas with The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser which has similar time travel and a female lead; even has fainting, and while it has romance, it's farther from a romance novel. January LaVoy is great!

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 twists

First of all, January LaVoy is a wonderful narrator. For me, a narrator can literally make or break a book. LaVoy, was able to keep me interested. There are so many twists and turns in this book that, I may have lost interest if the narartor was of the monotone runon type. This was not the case. Although, I found myself having to rewind a few times, during the story, just to understand what was actually happening and why, it was a enjoyable read, and it kept my interest. I highly recommend the book. The story had it all. Good guys, bad guys, true love, Wall Street, betrayal and even time travel!

Great listen - different kind of story

this was a different kind of love story - not an easy listen since you need to keep track of which of the two time slots you are in at any time.
Narrator did a great job and kept interest to the end.
Worth a credit!!!!!!

Julian = Edward Cullen

Move over, "50 Shades", there's a new Twilight fanfic in town! I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned this yet but Julian is basically a British Edward Cullen. He's an overbearing, filthy rich piano prodigy who is so beautiful that Kate can't stop talking about it. Kate is Bella Swan. She's a swooning damsel-in-distress who is gorgeous but doesn't realize it and although book smart, does a ridiculous number of frustratingly stupid things. That's not to mention how many plot points seem to be a direct rip-off of events from "Twilight". I won't list them out to avoid spoilers but trust me, it's true - especially in the first half of the book.

Other than "Twilight", it also reminded me of "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "My Name Is Memory" mixed together. I enjoyed how descriptive it was (all of the gushing over Julian's looks aside) but the plot is pretty iffy. The impetus for the time travel is farfetched and bizarre at best. And while it was nice that everything wrapped up neatly, it was annoying that it all happened via a conversation between two characters.

I seem to be in the minority here but I didn't like the narration at all. The voice she does for Alicia seems like it would have fit Kate better. Kate sounds a little too old. And her male voices are terrible. Charlie sounds like a surfer. Julian sounds a little stodgy - definitely nothing like the leonine god he is described as over and over.

Overall, this was an OK listen. If a sequel came along, I might give it a shot although I'd definitely read it rather than listen to it if the narrator remains the same.

Hist. Romance & a touch of time travel-NOT Si Fi

For some reason this was in the Science Fiction department and it's about as much Si Fi as "Outlander" by Diana Gabeldon is..don't get me wrong-I love the Outlander series, but basically they are historical romances and not Si Fi -They have a bit of time travel,but its not necessarily central to the plot. This novel falls into the same category

The bits of flash back to the early WWI era that constitutes the time-travel and the returning to current time were confusing at first-I had to rewind and listen again several times-finally I got the eras correct and my listening smoothed out. The reason for time travel and how it's done doesn't come until the final chapters of "Overseas" and that was irritating..no real reason for it to be held off so long and the explanation is dumb IMO but, then, I'm not the author.

"Overseas" is a real romance though and, for the most, it's adequately done. The plot is one that keeps romances going..rich man meets financially floundering woman and though she insists she can take cafe of herself, he swoops in with jewels and pearls and a unending ticket for private air travel..all of which have something eventually to do with the time travel, but when introduced are dumb and contrived. I had a problem with the female protagonist, who is a dynamic stockbroker and a firm woman in real life but always gives in to her old fashioned and overbearing male lead/protagonist. Granted he grew up in the early 1900s and women were treated differently then, but he's been in current time for quite a while when he meets the female protagonist and I wished the author had allowed him to grow a bit in attitude.

The reading was well done-January LaVoy has a great voice and did a good job on accents and male voices. Her narration added excitement to the book for me.

I call this story average-it's the kind of book I'd rather have read myself and bought at the used book store for $2.00 instead of spending a credit on it here. It's worth a listen if you love, love, love Historical Romance...just don't make the mistake I did and think it's actually Science Fiction-time travel. If you just occasionally enjoy historical romance, put it on a list for the used book store and pick it up there to read for yourself.

I was disappointed.

Incredibly Dull and Waaaay too much Saccharine

First I have to admit I did not finish this book. It is potentially possible that on the last few pages the author came up with a more well thought out explanation for time travel, made the characters more realistically shocked, and at least initially skeptical about the whole idea of time travel, and while she was at it gave the two main characters a personality. But I doubt it.

Instead, the hero was so heroic that regardless of how attractive and rich he was, he was so dull and priggish that no one would ever consider running the risk of going back in time to World War I France just to save his ass. Just because a man was born into the upper class of Britain at the end of the 19th century, died tragically young in a violent, bloody war and wrote poetry about it, doesn't mean he can't have a sense of humor, be completely unable to flirt, be so overprotective it bordered, no crossed the line, into obsession and generally had as much personality as his buried remains would have had, if he had actually died in the battle that transported him forward 90 years.

And the main character was evidently brilliant. Enough that she landed a plumb job at a cutthroat New York investment bank. But she wasn't smart enough to figure out that she was being set up by a woman she knew disliked her and who had the morals of a snake, or to even ask why this titan of industry searched her out in her cubicle and was immediately smitten with her. Or to ask why she was being hidden in the Connecticut country side. (Did anyone else wonder how hard it would be to trace them to the cottage in Connecticut, if he commuted back and forth to the city daily in an easy to spot Maserati?) They weren't exactly incognito.

I thought the narrator did a good job. But she could not save this drivel.

The reason men should not listen to "chick lit"

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

A woman with a high sense on incrudulity.

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

Made the characters more human. The main male character was in turns
a- A major WW1 poet, a famous one like Wilfred Owen
b- An perfect Edwardian scholar/athlete
c- A 21st century hedge fund titan, the savior of Wall Street
d- good looking and a great lover
e- a "time traveler"
For God's sake give me a break. Are we ready to think that the same class that gave the world it's fratricidal bloodbath of the Western Front 1914-18 to start the 20th century also gave us the Wall Street of 2007 to torpedo the 21st century?

The woman was by turns:
a- a brilliant Wall Street analyst
b- a "Hottie"
c- the smart and loyal girl next door
d- dumb as a box of hammers
e- a great lover
f- a "time traveler"

Well I should have stayed away from any book that has Wall Street protagonists, my bad.

What about January LaVoy’s performance did you like?

Her performance was good, accents excellent, except for the Harvard Professor who sounded like he was Joe Kennedy's cousin who was brought up in South Boston.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

An excellent referance and brief discussion of Patrick O' Brian's Audbry/Matitrin novels

Any additional comments?

Writing like this is why guys like me should stay away from "chick lit" It just irritates and makes me angry enough to write a review.

True Love Spans Forever

You keep shifting timelines in this. Kate and Julian are getting it together, but they seem to have met before in France. Is it a case of past lives or time travel? I can't give too much away without spoiling the plot.

I would say that the English accents were pretty dodgy and this book is a case of 'maybe the abridged version would be better'.