ElizaLeone3

A romance worthy of a series

Revisado: 06-28-17

#Romance #TimeTravel #Fantasy

5 Stars
Series: Book 8: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Morna Conall & Jerry
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present)
Mature Themes: Sex

Recommendation:
Yes! After almost a dozen other books where Morna is the link connecting those around her to love, it was wonderful to read her origin story. Love Beyond Reach is book 8 in the series and can be read as a stand-alone story, but I would still recommend reading the first 7+ ones before starting this one. Without knowing Morna’s future, her history is not as impactful.

There’s not much to say about this story except, thank goodness. With a beloved character like Morna, it would have been easy for BC to write a story for Morna that was not up to the reader’s expectations. There was nothing about this story that was a letdown. Morna and Jerry had just the right amount of push and pull, with Morna’s family ties finally shown, and even Kip and Mary make a sweet appearance. There’s enough intrigue to make it not just a pure romance novel, and of course, the time-travel aspect was present.

It was wonderful going back to Conall Castle and seeing old friends, especially when they are as sweet as Morna, her brother, Jerry, and Mary.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear.

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Two Time Jumps?!

Revisado: 04-06-17

5 Stars
Series: Book 7.5: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Harper & Kamden McMillan
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present/Present-Past?)
Mature Themes: Sex

Recommendation:
A delightful Christmas story of love, redemption, and of course a sexy Scotsman or two. This is book 7.5 in the series and can be read as a standalone story, but I would still recommend reading the first 7+ ones before starting this one.

Harper and Kamden are a passionate loving match made for each other, except nothing went as planned. When a blizzard forces Harper to take shelter at a nearby castle, she’s more than upset when she finds it’s one from her past. Kamden dreams of changing the day it all went wrong, he’s changed, and he wants a second chance with Harper, but he’s not even sure how to start. In comes Morna.

This is a Christmas story, but refreshingly enough, that’s not the focus. The romance we’ve grown to love from all of the Scotsmen and their brides, the meddling from Morna, and the time-travel quirks are all still present and center focus. A major departure for a Morna’s Legacy novel is the two characters starting out with a history and not as complete strangers. This gave the length of the story room to explore a deeper love than would have been possible otherwise. Seeing these two characters come together and heal one another made for a beautiful Christmas miracle.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear. The novella was 4 hours, the recording quality was excellent with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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Back to the Present!

Revisado: 10-23-16

Recommendation:
A definite yes after book 5’s sadness. This is book 6 in the series so make sure to read the first 5+ ones before starting this one.

Gillian has claimed ownership of Cagair castle (in the present) after Jane’s mysterious disappearance and has set about renovating the castle to its full glory. Until her world is turned upside down by a group of strangers renting the castle for a few days for an obscene amount of money. Her guests seem odd and when she finds a dirty ragged man wandering the mist, she doesn’t think life can get any weirder. But then she learns to time travel.

Orick disappeared over a cliff to plunge into the sea and to his death, the trouble is… he doesn’t know who he is or where he’s from. What he does know is Gillian is the fairest woman he’s ever seen and wants to get to know her better.

After the sadness that soaked the pages of book 5, this story was one of hope and finding your way out of self-imposed darkness. Gillian is a strong character with a good moral compass and a deep internal flaw she must overcome in order to survive and thrive. Their romance was one of sweet moments and respecting personal boundaries that was wholesome to read.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear. The book was 6 hours as usual, the recording quality was excellent with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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The Best One Yet!

Revisado: 10-01-16

Recommendation:
Yes! As this is now book 5 in the series, you should read the ones before to understand, at the very least, read Love Beyond Measure and In Due Time to see how Jane ended up in the past.

Grace’s sister (from book 4) Jane, is teleported to the past by Morna who in all her wisdom, must know something Jane doesn’t. Morna often takes the choice for that first leap out of those she helps hands, but Jane is not as thrilled as the others. She is bored, restless, and having dreams of sexy highlanders that keep her up all night. Cooper is the reason Jane stays, but he’s quickly becoming not enough. She misses her city, needs companionship, and a purpose. Luckily, it’s not just Morna who is looking out for her.

As with the rest of the series, there’s some prescription with Love Beyond Compare. Woman finds the man; man woos the woman, they sleep together, then marriage. Or is there? Jane is the unwilling romantic. She wants a man who can commit, she’s not about being used for her body and then being set aside, but she also wants Adwen. Adwen is the definition of a ladies man, use them, flatter them, and then boot them out of his bedchamber. Jane’s not that kind of gal.

Their chemistry and comedic banter are perfect and is balanced by Cooper’s quick wit, and some of the most heart-wrenching loss I’ve read in this series so far. Love Beyond Compare is beyond compare, Bethany Claire’s most impressive novel yet!


Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear. The book was 8 hours and fit perfectly during a flight to the east coast. As usual, the recording quality was excellent with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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It’s Jeffery’s Turn!

Revisado: 05-31-16

Recommendation: Cooper was a highlight for me in this series, and to see him back and causing trouble again was wonderful, add in his Aunt Jane and you’ve got a novella worth reading.

Jeffrey’s done everything for Grace and Cooper, but as Cooper watches his dad struggle to find love in the past, he calls in help from everyone’s favorite witch. Morna is back at it again. Setting the right wheels in motion for her family to find the loves of their lives, and Jeffrey is no different. Kathleen has heard so much about Jeffrey and over the years her desire for the man she’s never met has only increased, but when she finally does meet him, will he be as wonderful as she’s imagined?

Thank goodness for more Cooper! I love this kid. He’s a wonderful comic relief character, tearjerker, goofball, everything. A homerun character. With this being a novella, there is a bit of instant love, but that can’t really be helped. The transitions from US to Scotland and present to past are seamless. Additional comedic relief is provided by Jane, Cooper’s Aunt and Grace’s sister, and if I had to hazard a guess, she’ll be our next novel romance.

A new castle is introduced, and even a cozy cottage that ground the story and pulls it out of the Castle for a stint.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood’s Cooper and Jane… two peas in a pod. Cooper’s child-like and adorable voice matched well with Jane’s up-to-no-good one. As usual, the recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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The Past Comes to the Present!

Revisado: 03-16-16

Characters: Eoghanan McMillan & Grace Mitchell
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present)
Mature Themes: Sex & violence

Recommendation: If you’ve liked the story so far, keep at it, they are still enjoyable and in this one you’ll see a lot more of Morna. Besides, Cooper is worth reading/listening to.

Grace and Jeffery are parents to a charming and bright little boy, Cooper, but their love is not one of sexy negligees and candle lit dinners. Tell that to Grace’s father. To avoid her family's pressures Grace runs to Scotland and uses a new work assignment as her escape. When she gets to Morna’s Inn, things are not as they seems, but then… when ever is it with Morna?

Love Beyond Measure was a little bit of a departure from the rest of the Morna series as the bulk of the story took place in the present in Scotland than in the past. This was also the first book where family was a main theme for the woman in the relationship. Yes, Brie had her mother, but for the most part she wasn’t in the same time. This dynamic and different perspective on family, paired with the longer modern day storyline was a welcome departure for the series as five books in, the series had the potential to become stale. Being able to see through Cooper’s eyes also helped to make this book stand on its own.

It’s now a lot easier for Bethany Claire to fall into stereotyping or “easy” plot tricks, thankfully she didn’t. Grace and Jeffery’s relationship and how they interact with one another and Cooper would easily be difficult for a Scotsman from the past to not understand, but with Eoghanan’s familial history he is extremely understanding of it. Here’s where this plot point was handled brilliantly, Grace had no idea. Really, six hours in and Eoghanan finally tells her that he was adopted by the McMillan clan. It would have been an easy out to use that face when he initially meets Jeffery, but it didn’t happen and the book was stronger for it.

All that good being said, this is book five in a series and it’s bound to have its weaknesses. This was the weakest in terms of the plot “climaxes,” in that the villain and the two main heartbeats of the story seemed rushed and as if they were after thoughts and add ins. There was also a lot more sex, too much, it was less about a deep emotional connection and more about instant-love and attraction, sad when the previous stories were so focused on strong women and Grace belongs within their ranks. One final criticism is Grace’s siblings. Throughout the book she mentioned she cares for them and loves them, but without hesitation and a thought to them she moves to the past with her kid, “father,” and best friend. Huh.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood’s Jeffery and Cooper are now on my list of all-time favorites! Cooper was child-like and adorable while Jeffery’s was gruff and american, a stark contrast to one another and the rest of the cast. Grace was still a generic woman as most of the American women have been. As usual, the recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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Texas goes to Scotland!

Revisado: 01-21-16

4 Stars
Series: Book 3: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Baodan McMillan & Mitsy Fredrickson
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present), Texas (Present)
Mature Themes: Sex & violence

Recommendation: The story was one that reminded me why I fell in love with the series in the beginning and the last few chapters gave me goose bumps. If you’ve liked the other Morna series, then keep reading, this one one disappoint.

Mitsy has one friend, and Bri has gone crazy, talking of living in the past in Scotland and marrying a laird. When Mitsy’s marriage falls apart she decides she’s got nothing better to do than to rescue her poor crazy friend lost in a foreign country. Little did she know Bri was far from crazy and magic was real.

Mitsy was a different character than I was expecting. When she started as a broken flower, her character adapted, overcame, and ended as a fiery woman who gave two brothers a run for their money. The standard Morna cast of characters was present, though in a more limited capacity, but Bri, her mother, the baby and everyone else was there to cry, celebrate, and scheme together. Baodan was a gruff and harsh man who quickly softened when Mitsy entered his life. Baodan was a weaker main character, closer to Eoin than the other previous two. His “flaw” was weak, and his progression to healed was quick and very linear.

The love story between the two characters was the most cookie cutter of the stories so far, two divorced/widowed people connecting, both given up on love until they meet the other. The underlying story was wonderful, it harkened back to the first book and had a deep and complicated twist that was rewarding to finish.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood’s many voices are growing in numbers and the diversity in her roles and voices is beginning to blur together. Certain characters still stand out as different, and Mitsy’s had the opportunity to as a Texas accent would have been a great differentiator, sadly, the chance was not taken and Mitsy sounded generic. As usual, the recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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​A Christmas Short with Ageless Love!

Revisado: 01-07-16

#Romance #TimeTravel #Fantasy

5 Stars!
Series: Book 2.5: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Hew Morey & Adelle Montgomery
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present)
Mature Themes: Sex

Recommendation:
Yes! Though listed as book 2.5, you can read A Conall Christmas as a standalone, I would not however, suggest it. Read it in order and you’ll understand far more of the background story.

After two novels about the younger generation, it’s finally Adelle’s turn! Hew, Mary’s brother, is on his way past Conall Castle and stops to get out of the cold. He soon bumps into Adelle. Hew’s history left him shy and tentative to form new relationships, but Adelle’s infectious attitude and modern views soon had him intrigued.

For a short story, Adelle was the perfect main character. She’s an integral part of the Morna’s series but not such a core character that she would need her own full length book. The standard “it’s a short story so the love was super instant and feel rushed” issues are there but if you’re aware and accept this the story is very enjoyable. The characters have wonderful chemistry, charming interactions, and of course the Christmas theme was delightful.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is, as always, wonderful to listen to and her voice shines in Adelle’s parts. In the first book her performance was not what I was expecting but as she’s grown into the roles her diverse voices and the level of quality has increased and constantly makes me smile while listening. The short was three hours and fit perfectly in the to and from work commute. As usual, the recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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A Tragic Story of Misconnections and Timeless Love

Revisado: 11-11-15

4 Stars
Series: Book 2: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Blaire MacChristy & Arran Conall
Setting: Scotland (Past/Present)
Mature Themes: Sex & violence

Recommendation:
If you enjoyed Love Beyond Time, you’ll want to pick up Love Beyond Reason. Bethany has done it again with this lovely time travel romance that will keep you giggling at character quirks and sighing in frustration over character choices. If you’re looking for a bodice ripper you will want to look elsewhere, there is little sex, but really, that’s not what the story is about.

Finally, Blaire and Arran’s love story gets told! At the beginning of Love Beyond Time we are introduced to Blaire and Arran but quickly transported into Bri and Eoin’s love story. Because book one was ultimately not about these two lovers, we are left holding our breath that they will ultimately get together. Thankfully, we are not disappointed!

Arran and Blaire embark on a twisting story of misconnection and betrayal that is both heart wrenching and romantic. Honestly, if you can dream up a complication for these two lovers, it was in this book. Time travel, pregnancy, murder, marriage, etc. Though there was one obstacle after another it didn’t become tiresome, but it did get close.

The Morna’s Legacy series has fantastic character development. The characters are well realized and deeply interesting, each with their own quirks and personalities and thanks to the talents of the voice actress, they all sounds remarkable lifelike and multi dimensional. The weakness of the series is in the descriptions. Two new castles were introduced and nothing was described of them, characters wore clothes (I assume), and the beautiful Scottish countryside was basically ignored.

Audiobook Review:
Lily Collingwood is the voice actress for the trilogy and while her performance in the first book grated on me slightly, by this second book I was grateful for her diverse voices and the level of quality she brought to the table. Coming in at just over eight hours the story was easily digested in two work days. The recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

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Lovely and full of Soul!

Revisado: 07-27-15

Lovely and full of Soul!
#Romance #TimeTravel #Fantasy

4 Stars
Series: Book 1: Morna’s Legacy
Characters: Brielle Montgomery & Eoin Conall
Setting: TX & Scotland (Past/Present)
Mature Themes: Sex, violence, animal violence

Audiobook Review:
The audiobook was wonderful! The voice actress for the used a variety of voices and accents making the entire listen more enjoyable and easy to understand who was speaking. Her Scottish accent was realistic and pleasant to listen to, while her male voices were a bit lackluster. A partnership of voice actor/actress would have better suited the story and the expository sections felt robotic compared to the life she gave the characters. The recording quality was great with no hum or distortion and made the entire focus on the story.

Recommendation:
A highland romance to keep you warm at night and dreaming of far off places. The action, intrigue, and pure heart will have any romance reader ready to buy the second book. As far as I know, this is not a historical romance novel and may not fill that want.

What a great story from all aspects! The writing was solid, the characters were detailed and well rounded and the setting (modern and past) were detailed and described enough to immerse you without bogging you down in details. The love story is realistic with the couple not instantly falling into bed with one another and just as one might expect, Bri attempts to shield her heart as long as she can in her unfamiliar surroundings.

Bri is a wonderfully spunky woman with a huge heart and the ability to fill a room with her laughter and determination. Once she lets herself go and accepts what her heart is telling her she opens up to her new world and fills the pages with her love for Eoin and his time. The magic is an after thought to the story and fits seamlessly into the intrigue and politics that make up the majority of the non-romance plot. The connections between the characters are real and heartfelt, the stable master to his horses, Eoin to his brother, and Bri to her mother, etc. All off this adds to the detailed and rich world created.

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