Overseas - Book Review

“You said you had the feeling we’ve met before. That’s not exactly true, but it’s not exactly false either.”

“What do you mean? When did we meet?”

“You asked me my last name before. I told you I couldn’t tell you, because you wouldn’t believe me. Possibly you still won’t.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe that? After everything else?”

“Because my name is Kate Ashford. And I’m your wife.” – from Overseas

 Kate Wilson is living in Manhattan, working as a Wall Street analyst in 2007. Her life is fast-paced and drums with the excitement of the financial world. When she meets Julian Laurence at a business meeting, she is immediately taken with his handsome good looks, extraordinary intellect, and a manner which is at once old fashioned and romantic. As their relationship heats up, not only is Kate surprised by how fast and hard Julian has fallen for her, but she begins to suspect that their love may have started a long, long time ago in France during WWI. How does the life of Captain Julian Ashford from decades before connect to the Julian Kate knows in the twenty-first century?

The past collides with the future in Overseas, the debut novel by Beatriz Williams who knows how to spin a tale so enthralling that the pages almost turn themselves. Romance, intrigue, dark secrets and betrayal…this book has it all. As I was reading, I was reminded of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Like Gabaldon, Williams sets the reader down in a place of long ago, throws in a splash of time travel, and thrills her reader with a romance which transcends time.

Williams writes her story from the first person point of view of Kate – a decidedly modern woman who finds herself wooed by a very romantic and devastatingly gorgeous guy. Kate is smart and funny, a woman who thinks that love in the twenty-first century cannot take the place of climbing the career ladder…until she meets Julian.

The story unspools mostly in the present time, with some interspersed chapters set in France during WWI. Williams is a talented storyteller – just when I thought I knew the plot, she put a nice little spin on it which kept me reading to discover the ending.

I do not read a ton of romance – but I do love a good historical novel and Overseas was a terrific balance of the two. Readers will need to suspend some reality for this book…but, those who allow themselves to sink into the lives of Julian and Kate will be richly rewarded with a good, old-fashioned romantic journey through time.

I predict that this novel will make Beatriz Williams a new favorite for readers who love the romance and historical fiction genres. Full of sizzle, this memorable story of love is an addictive read…and an admirable first novel.

Recommended.

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FTC Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review.