BOOK DETAILS:
Book Title: Beyond Believing by D.D. Marx
Category: Adult Fiction , 248 pages
Genre: Romance, Chick-Lit
Publisher: Next Century Publishing
Release date: April 6, 2015
Content Rating: PG-13
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
When Olivia gets news of her best
friend Dan’s fatal car accident, her life is shattered. Consumed with grief and
struggling to find any meaning or purpose to life, she trudges along with a
gaping void in her heart. Finally, when her frustration reaches its peak,
Olivia decides to put her trust in the depth of friendship the two of them
shared. That trust finally allows him to breakthrough to her, and Dan begins to
guide Olivia through the twists and turns of her life, leading to something new
and entirely unexpected.
When Olivia exposes a gigantic
internal scandal at work, her career implodes. With no job and nowhere to turn,
she escapes to Palm Springs for the sympathy and care of her beloved cousin,
Garrett. However, with only weeks left before the opening of his newest store,
“Gin and Tonic,” Garrett isn’t quite the comfort Olivia had expected. She yet
again tries to find her way, and in the process meets someone who begins to
fill that void in her heart. She’s never before experienced a love like this; it
heals her soul and rekindles her spirit – and just may have been the design of
her dearly departed friend all along.
Beyond Believing is a sweet, funny,
and romantic story that touches the heart, serves up delicious twists and
turns, and shows the reader that there’s no such thing as “coincidence.” Author
D.D. Marx regards this book as her “love letter to friendship,” written in
memory of her best friend, Dan.
BOOK REVIEW:
Starting from the first line, Beyond
Believing captured my attention.
‘My
Name is Olivia Henry, and I am addicted to friendship.’
Seasoned readers would have already
deduced a few things from this single line. Beyond Believing is a heart warming
tale of friendship, love and is a first person narrative from two different
points of view. Olivia Henry and Finn McDaniels belong to two different
countries. One is from Chicago, a friendship addict who places more importance
on people, and the other from Scotland, and who has another smashing opening
line.
‘My
name is Finn McDaniels, and I am an obsessed foodie, not eating, but cooking.’
I could relate to that! But the
amazingly memorable lines apart, the story follows the lives of these two
characters as they grow up from careless kids to professionals who want to
passionately work for some cause they like. Olivia’s journey from school to
college to the various jobs as she deals with the loss of a friend and tries to
find a soul mate is filled with relatable moments and a sense of being
connected with the reader. Finn, on the other hand, is obsessed with cooking
and decides to professionally train himself in that art. He reaches Paris and
decides to work there, where he meets his future wife.
All through the story, even though the
readers can find parallels between both the narratives and people who are
exceptionally good with following names and individual characters would find
the common link between these two seemingly different narratives, the suspense is
well maintained and the visuals are so stunning that we could actually VIEW the
story as it unfolds. What happens when these two people cross each other’s
paths is not even the central point of the story. It happens well into the last
few chapters of the story.
But all readers can note the parallels
between the lives of Olivia and Finn – the school day friendship, the loss of a
loved one, a supportive family and the search for a work they feel passionate
about. They are as similar as they are dissimilar. Olivia is unsuccessful in
the life partner department and Finn succeeds in marrying his love, but loses
her. But their paths do cross in the most unexpected way possible.
When you read Beyond Believing, you travel
with these lead characters as they approach life, and handle all it throws at
them – not with an amazing grace like most heroes would, but falling down and
staggering back up, like normal people do. They are not larger than life, they
are not the perfect models of human characterisation. They are prone to
weaknesses, they are prone to disasters, they are victims to the play of fate
and they cope with it. They try to deal with it. They feel the presence of the
person they loved and lost in the little things that happen in their lives. One
lost a best friend and the other lost a spouse, two different people, two
different genders, but the emotions are same.
The plot is simple in its brilliance.
The story is realistic fiction. The language is simple and memorable, with the
dialogs having a lot of impact both on the reader and on the flow of the story.
The characters are deeply sketched and are described so clearly that you could
visualise them. The overall story adheres to the summary well and the cover
page is attractive. Beyond Believing is a must read. It definitely would strike
a chord with you. It is a story for everyone, and is sure to rekindle your
memories. A beautiful, well written, humorously phrased story.
AUTHOR'S BIO:
D.D. Marx is a contemporary romantic
fiction writer and blogger, as well as a lover of all things social. She is a
graduate of the University of Dayton, as well as the Second City program in
Chicago, where she currently resides. A proud aunt and self-described hopeless
romantic, Marx has always has a knack for humorous and engaging storytelling.
Her pen name is a dedication to her beloved friend Dan, who continues to guide
and inspire her in her daily life.
BOOK LINKS:
PRICE:
$22.46 for Hardcover
VIEW THE TOUR SCHEDULE HERE:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Not a SPAM comment! :)