OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
Author: Kelli Jean
Genre: Spiritual Rocker Romance (It's NOT paranormal, but deals with a level of intuition and spiritual connection between the characters.)
Series: NOLA's Own Book 1
~ SYNOPSIS ~
Kenna MacGregor was raised to believe that music is the language of the soul. That life is a song, pulsing with beats and rhythms, harmonizing the inner spirit with the energy of the universe. In a fated moment, she discovers the one person whose music reaches deep into her being, speaking to her in ways no one else ever could.
He is the dominating, larger-than-life, in-your-face Phil Deveraux. He's the lead singer of her favorite band and adolescent fantasy.
She's just a face in the crowd. A face that Phil is destined to see.
Their lips touch igniting an inferno-hot passion--awakening an incredible spiritual connection between them--melding their souls together in ways neither of them could foresee. Time stands still for Kenna and Phil and real life relentlessly thrusts them in different directions, while they each cling to that one moment when their destiny was sealed with a kiss.
[Patti]
Amazon/Goodreads rating: 5/5
In Patti's Imagination rating: 9.5/10
Let me start by saying that this was one of those happy accidents you know must have been meant to happen. Yes, I'm talking about me finding this book, but I could say the same about Phil and Kenna, too. But back to the book. Kelli approached the blog about a review after I'd posted on another page, and as soon as I read the synopsis, I was hooked on the idea. To know that it was the first in a 3-part story? Yeah, that excited me. I love anything that's remotely serial in nature. So, going into the book, I was excited and also worried. See, I'd gotten to know Kelli a bit while I waited for the ARC, and thought, "What if I hate it?"
Well, no worries there! I absolutely LOVED this book. I'm not one to gravitate toward the harder-edged stories (Rock Star, MC, etc), but these characters, they grabbed me from the beginning. The fact that I had never lived life the way they do (and never would) meant nothing. I fell into their world and I adored every second. Characters, for me, make or break a story. The leads must grab me somehow - I have to love or hate them, feel something. That was never a question in this book. Phil is as magnetic as you'd expect any lead singer to be, and despite the fact that I wanted to smack him - often! - I loved him anyway.
And Kenna...oh, Kenna, I love her. She reminds me, in the very best ways, of another favorite red-haired, part-Scottish, giant of a woman, Brianna Randall Fraser MacKenzie from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Many people grumble about Brianna, but I love her. Maybe it's because she's an engineer. Either way, Kenna's strength of mind and her sense of self remind me of that other character (not to mention her looks), and so I'd love her anyway. But she burrowed into my heart. I desperately want her to get a HEA! She so deserves it.
Peppered with additional supporting characters whose stories I MUST hear (hint, hint, Kelli, if you don't have that in the works!), this book is not just EPIC, as I've seen others say, it's truly a SAGA. I cannot wait to read the rest! Be forewarned - as I was from the beginning - that this is PART 1. It is not the whole story, so don't get your panties in a bunch. If you need ALL of a story before you want to start it, then wait for book 3 in the fall. But when you finally sit down to read it, be sure to give yourself a lot of time to devour the story. I guarantee that Phil, Kenna and the gang of NOLA's Own will suck you into their orbit for a time, and you will loathe having to leave them.
A truncated version of this review will appear on Amazon and Goodreads.
Amazon/Goodreads rating: 5/5
In Patti's Imagination rating: 9.5/10
Let me start by saying that this was one of those happy accidents you know must have been meant to happen. Yes, I'm talking about me finding this book, but I could say the same about Phil and Kenna, too. But back to the book. Kelli approached the blog about a review after I'd posted on another page, and as soon as I read the synopsis, I was hooked on the idea. To know that it was the first in a 3-part story? Yeah, that excited me. I love anything that's remotely serial in nature. So, going into the book, I was excited and also worried. See, I'd gotten to know Kelli a bit while I waited for the ARC, and thought, "What if I hate it?"
Well, no worries there! I absolutely LOVED this book. I'm not one to gravitate toward the harder-edged stories (Rock Star, MC, etc), but these characters, they grabbed me from the beginning. The fact that I had never lived life the way they do (and never would) meant nothing. I fell into their world and I adored every second. Characters, for me, make or break a story. The leads must grab me somehow - I have to love or hate them, feel something. That was never a question in this book. Phil is as magnetic as you'd expect any lead singer to be, and despite the fact that I wanted to smack him - often! - I loved him anyway.
And Kenna...oh, Kenna, I love her. She reminds me, in the very best ways, of another favorite red-haired, part-Scottish, giant of a woman, Brianna Randall Fraser MacKenzie from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Many people grumble about Brianna, but I love her. Maybe it's because she's an engineer. Either way, Kenna's strength of mind and her sense of self remind me of that other character (not to mention her looks), and so I'd love her anyway. But she burrowed into my heart. I desperately want her to get a HEA! She so deserves it.
Peppered with additional supporting characters whose stories I MUST hear (hint, hint, Kelli, if you don't have that in the works!), this book is not just EPIC, as I've seen others say, it's truly a SAGA. I cannot wait to read the rest! Be forewarned - as I was from the beginning - that this is PART 1. It is not the whole story, so don't get your panties in a bunch. If you need ALL of a story before you want to start it, then wait for book 3 in the fall. But when you finally sit down to read it, be sure to give yourself a lot of time to devour the story. I guarantee that Phil, Kenna and the gang of NOLA's Own will suck you into their orbit for a time, and you will loathe having to leave them.
A truncated version of this review will appear on Amazon and Goodreads.
~ PURCHASE ~
~ TEASERS ~
~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Kelli Jean
Moving to the arctic from a tropical climate might strike some people as a bit off, but I did it, and would never go back to heat and humidity.
I met a wonderful man who became my life partner, and we've started a family together in a place I can only describe as Sheep Country.
At one point in my life, I was painfully shy and introverted. It led to obsessive reading and a select group of close friends that I have had almost my whole life.
No longer shy (I don't know how that happened, it just did), I developed a horrendously foul mouth, and this tendency to find humor in almost any situation, and this diabolical need to speak my mind. It sometimes gets me into trouble.
Animal-lover, feminist, yoga enthusiast (when I get off the computer and practice, that is), and proud mother.
Social media links:
~ Tour Host ~
HEA Book Tours, PR
& More: http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment