Overseas
by Beatriz Williams
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A cynical Wall Street analyst falls in love with a billionaire with a mysterious past in a romance with mystical ties to a relationship between a World War I British officer and a beautiful young American who held vital information about a fateful reconnaissance mission.Tags
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Wildly wonderfully romantic. This book, people, is why we read romances. Obviously this is a time travel romance. The hero is from WWI. He is perfectly written. The author creates the feel of a gentleman man of that era mostly with a dead on ear for the hero's word choice and sentence cadence. His actions of course just add to the perfect characterization. And this hero, Julian, is absolutely head over heels for the heroine, Kate. Kate is an ordinary young woman of the 21st century but when she eventually has an epiphany about her purpose in life you totally believe that the hero would love her.
The story was told completely in the heroine's POV alternately in 2008 and in Amiens, France in 1916. There was no awkward going for laughs show more thing with Julian not understanding the world he woke up in etc. This book was more serious than those written along those lines. There were still amusing moments where I smiled. There were moments where I teared up. And there were plenty of moments where I just wanted to sigh...
From the first time Julian tells Kate that he loves her. She doesn't know about the time travel yet:
The story was told completely in the heroine's POV alternately in 2008 and in Amiens, France in 1916. There was no awkward going for laughs show more thing with Julian not understanding the world he woke up in etc. This book was more serious than those written along those lines. There were still amusing moments where I smiled. There were moments where I teared up. And there were plenty of moments where I just wanted to sigh...
From the first time Julian tells Kate that he loves her. She doesn't know about the time travel yet:
Sweetheart, I love you. Of course I do. I love every priceless inch of you. I love you idolatrously, for a thousand reasons and I shall never stop. Hush," he said, laying his finger on my lips again. "You don't need to say anything. I'm a patient man. Just be easy. Know it's there, that you needn't doubt me on this at least."show less
He bowed his head to settle a silken kiss into the hollow of my throat, holding it there for what seemed an eternity before his mouth began to move up my collarbone, melting it in his wake. I tilted my head back, feeling the tickle of his hair against my cheek. "You... are the most baffling man," I managed.
"How so?"
"You just...you fell in love with me ...just like that?" My concentration kept lapsing; I struggled to hold onto my thoughts which I knew were important.
I felt his laugh against the skin of my neck. "Well look at you darling. You're love-at-first-sight material."
Look, you either can suspend disbelief and go with the time travel bit or you can't. I did and I enjoyed the book. The story is unique and yes, it is kind of hilarious and half-nauseating when the hero keeps referring to the heroine as a "little minx". But his old-fashioned dialogue is supposed to be part of his charm, right? I noticed other reviewers have a fair amount of quibbles and I did too. However, after taking a break mid-book I returned to the story and by the last third, I was gobbling it up because at its core, it's a very sweet romance.
"Overseas" by Beatriz Williams is quite simply put, a game changer. The kind of book that completely makes you re-think a genre. As a matter of fact, it is SUCH an interesting and different novel, that I'd say it simply surpasses being confined within one genre. It is not just contemporary adult fiction, it is also a romance novel, along with elements of historical fiction, and nuances of the sci-fi genre. But instead of being a hodge-podge of confusion, what you get is a melange of literary genres very craftily combined into a witty, charming and wonderful narrative.
I've seen some reviews, and some readers, compare this book to "The Time Traveler's Wife", which is an absolutely amazing book and one of my favorites. I, however, show more respectfully disagree. There are some similarities, perhaps, because of the element of time-travel but where The Time Traveler focuses on how the time travels affects a romance, I believe author William's book focuses on how a simple romance can exist beyond the perimeter of time. The time travel doesn't encumber the romance, it facilitates it.
Kate Wilson works on Wall Street, and although she has heard many things about Julian Laurence, the mysterious and reserved British billionaire running an enormous hedge fund, she is completely unprepared for how handsome he is, and even more unprepared for the way he looks at her. They meet, they talk and a harmless romance ensues. And yet, despite his gentlemanly and knight-like ways, Julian Laurence seems to be surrounded by secrets. And even as he opens his heart, and his home, to Kate he keeps his secrets to himself. As the mystery around Julian Laurence unravels, Kate uncovers the truth that is SO shocking, it is almost impossible to believe! Will she believe him? Does she trust him? Will this explosive secret bring them together, or tear them apart? And above all, will their romance stand the test of TIME and DISTANCE?
I must admit, I rarely ever read books like "Overseas" because I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to romantic fiction. My idea of romance is snuggling with your significant other on a couch, watching black and white movies, and eating a pint (or a gallon *shrugs* lol) of icecream. The tearing of clothes, the whispers of sweet-nothings, the showering of presents, and the constant blushing of a heroine does NOTHING for me. "Overseas" contains ALL of the aforementioned elements, YET, they are written with such wit, such charm, and such warmth that instead of becoming cliches, I actually came to enjoy them. But what kept me rooted, above all, was the current of mystery that surrounds Julian, and his past, that underlies the romance between Kate and him.
Another confession: I almost always despise it when a rich guy comes into the life of a middle-class girl, and sweeps her off her feet, showering her with lavish presents, and turning her life around. I rebel against the idea that a man needs to come and rescue me from anything, even my poverty! lol :P And yet again, there's Kate Wilson, being wooed by the filthy rich Julian Laurence, and being showered with every material object imaginable, clothes, jewelry, etc. But here's the catch, here's why this book is different - Kate never, not even at the end of the novel, takes any of it for granted, and never becomes entangled in the snare of riches and materialism, and she retains her dignity and her character till the very end. Now Kate is the kind of heroine I can live with being showered by lavishness!
Ultimately, "Overseas" completely changed the way I looked at the genre of romance in adult fiction. I've now come to realize that romance in fiction is not the problem, but the usage of cliches to perpetuate such a romance. Beatriz Williams, on the other hand, creates multi-layered characters, who are lovable, charming, sweet and easy to become attached to. She never allows her characters to lose themselves, or changes their nature, for the sake of romance. Kate is a smart, sensible, girl who puts loyalty and love above all else. And Julian is a man of honor, and is reminiscent of another character I absolutely adore....my dream (literary) hero, Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice), in his chivalrous ways. This book has me hooked in a way that is purely sinful! The romance...the sweetness.... It's beyond amazing! Do I need to say any more?!?! Go and get your copy, RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT! show less
I've seen some reviews, and some readers, compare this book to "The Time Traveler's Wife", which is an absolutely amazing book and one of my favorites. I, however, show more respectfully disagree. There are some similarities, perhaps, because of the element of time-travel but where The Time Traveler focuses on how the time travels affects a romance, I believe author William's book focuses on how a simple romance can exist beyond the perimeter of time. The time travel doesn't encumber the romance, it facilitates it.
Kate Wilson works on Wall Street, and although she has heard many things about Julian Laurence, the mysterious and reserved British billionaire running an enormous hedge fund, she is completely unprepared for how handsome he is, and even more unprepared for the way he looks at her. They meet, they talk and a harmless romance ensues. And yet, despite his gentlemanly and knight-like ways, Julian Laurence seems to be surrounded by secrets. And even as he opens his heart, and his home, to Kate he keeps his secrets to himself. As the mystery around Julian Laurence unravels, Kate uncovers the truth that is SO shocking, it is almost impossible to believe! Will she believe him? Does she trust him? Will this explosive secret bring them together, or tear them apart? And above all, will their romance stand the test of TIME and DISTANCE?
I must admit, I rarely ever read books like "Overseas" because I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to romantic fiction. My idea of romance is snuggling with your significant other on a couch, watching black and white movies, and eating a pint (or a gallon *shrugs* lol) of icecream. The tearing of clothes, the whispers of sweet-nothings, the showering of presents, and the constant blushing of a heroine does NOTHING for me. "Overseas" contains ALL of the aforementioned elements, YET, they are written with such wit, such charm, and such warmth that instead of becoming cliches, I actually came to enjoy them. But what kept me rooted, above all, was the current of mystery that surrounds Julian, and his past, that underlies the romance between Kate and him.
Another confession: I almost always despise it when a rich guy comes into the life of a middle-class girl, and sweeps her off her feet, showering her with lavish presents, and turning her life around. I rebel against the idea that a man needs to come and rescue me from anything, even my poverty! lol :P And yet again, there's Kate Wilson, being wooed by the filthy rich Julian Laurence, and being showered with every material object imaginable, clothes, jewelry, etc. But here's the catch, here's why this book is different - Kate never, not even at the end of the novel, takes any of it for granted, and never becomes entangled in the snare of riches and materialism, and she retains her dignity and her character till the very end. Now Kate is the kind of heroine I can live with being showered by lavishness!
Ultimately, "Overseas" completely changed the way I looked at the genre of romance in adult fiction. I've now come to realize that romance in fiction is not the problem, but the usage of cliches to perpetuate such a romance. Beatriz Williams, on the other hand, creates multi-layered characters, who are lovable, charming, sweet and easy to become attached to. She never allows her characters to lose themselves, or changes their nature, for the sake of romance. Kate is a smart, sensible, girl who puts loyalty and love above all else. And Julian is a man of honor, and is reminiscent of another character I absolutely adore....my dream (literary) hero, Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice), in his chivalrous ways. This book has me hooked in a way that is purely sinful! The romance...the sweetness.... It's beyond amazing! Do I need to say any more?!?! Go and get your copy, RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Overseas is the story of Julian and Kate, somehow connected through time and always in love. When Julian meets Kate she already knows everything about him. And when Kate meets Julian he already knows everything about her. So the story unfolds as, in two different time periods, the same romance plays out in opposite ways but always with the same outcome - someone always travels through time.
I loved every word - the rush of the beginning as the book opens up (blossoms, really) into a torturous love-hate relationship between two charismatic characters. And then the two timelines were so fundamentally different and frustratingly difficult to wrap my mind around! How could the same two people exist in 1916 and 2008?? But that suspsense, the show more mystery, and the seemingly impossible romance make this book impossible to put down. The underlying theme that no matter when they meet they are always in love is so poignant and the grand scale of emotion and love is charming and breathtakingly beautiful. The relationship between Kate and Julian was infinitely romantic. There was not a page in the book that did not add to the mystery and suspense of this improbable love. Even more impressive was Beatriz Williams' ability to express clearly these emotions on paper.
As weird as this story was at times (trying to be suspenseful, though coming off more as having ADD by switching back and forth between time periods) the emotion between Julian and Kate was the constant pull that kept me enraptured until the very last page.
Such a unique idea and so well explained. The time travel aspect was handled beautifully and at the exact right moment the story unfolds from a frustrating time-warped love affair to a brilliantly perfect romance. This story is the most romantic thing I've ever read. show less
I loved every word - the rush of the beginning as the book opens up (blossoms, really) into a torturous love-hate relationship between two charismatic characters. And then the two timelines were so fundamentally different and frustratingly difficult to wrap my mind around! How could the same two people exist in 1916 and 2008?? But that suspsense, the show more mystery, and the seemingly impossible romance make this book impossible to put down. The underlying theme that no matter when they meet they are always in love is so poignant and the grand scale of emotion and love is charming and breathtakingly beautiful. The relationship between Kate and Julian was infinitely romantic. There was not a page in the book that did not add to the mystery and suspense of this improbable love. Even more impressive was Beatriz Williams' ability to express clearly these emotions on paper.
As weird as this story was at times (trying to be suspenseful, though coming off more as having ADD by switching back and forth between time periods) the emotion between Julian and Kate was the constant pull that kept me enraptured until the very last page.
Such a unique idea and so well explained. The time travel aspect was handled beautifully and at the exact right moment the story unfolds from a frustrating time-warped love affair to a brilliantly perfect romance. This story is the most romantic thing I've ever read. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program. How far would you go to save the life of the man you love? Across oceans, across decades? This is the premise of the first novel by author Beatriz Williams.
Kate is a an up and coming financial analyst at a powerful Wall Street firm. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets a handsome British billionaire hedge fund manager while working an account. She immediately falls for Julian Lawrence only to discover he is actually Julian Ashford a celebrated WWI soldier and poet killed on the western front. As their relationship grows so does an unknown threat to their safety. The tale is intertwined with scenes from Amiens, France and the young american woman who show more has come to warn Julian about his fate.
I had doubts about the book initially, thinking it might be too much of a “romance” for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was hooked immediately and found myself having difficulty putting it down. The mystery of how the time travel occurred, the merging resolution of the two eras, and the wonderful high paced action at the end were enough to keep me turning pages late at night.
I was occasionally annoyed at the repeated bickering between Julian and Kate over her independence and his over protectiveness, but it never felt controlling or over the top. The romance was nicely played with a true sense of passion between the couple, but no uncomfortably graphic imagery. The dialogue was wonderfully written; from Julian’s clipped British speech and vocabulary, to Kate’s refusal to swear, her best friend Charlie’s over zealous use of “F” bombs. The wall street setting was believable, but not overly detailed and the pacing was great. I also enjoyed the fact that this time travel is so effortlessly placed in the story without feeling too contrived. The brotherhood shared among the soldiers was touching and pointed. The bad guys weren’t all bad and the good guys weren’t all good. Everything was balanced well.
Part historical fiction, part wall street thriller, and part romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in, I would recommend this book to lovers of several genres. For fans of time travel romance like the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, I think this would be a nice fit and much easier to read through in a few short sittings or one long one. I see myself telling lots of people to pick this up and I am sure to read it again myself. Looking forward to further books from this promising new author! show less
Kate is a an up and coming financial analyst at a powerful Wall Street firm. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets a handsome British billionaire hedge fund manager while working an account. She immediately falls for Julian Lawrence only to discover he is actually Julian Ashford a celebrated WWI soldier and poet killed on the western front. As their relationship grows so does an unknown threat to their safety. The tale is intertwined with scenes from Amiens, France and the young american woman who show more has come to warn Julian about his fate.
I had doubts about the book initially, thinking it might be too much of a “romance” for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was hooked immediately and found myself having difficulty putting it down. The mystery of how the time travel occurred, the merging resolution of the two eras, and the wonderful high paced action at the end were enough to keep me turning pages late at night.
I was occasionally annoyed at the repeated bickering between Julian and Kate over her independence and his over protectiveness, but it never felt controlling or over the top. The romance was nicely played with a true sense of passion between the couple, but no uncomfortably graphic imagery. The dialogue was wonderfully written; from Julian’s clipped British speech and vocabulary, to Kate’s refusal to swear, her best friend Charlie’s over zealous use of “F” bombs. The wall street setting was believable, but not overly detailed and the pacing was great. I also enjoyed the fact that this time travel is so effortlessly placed in the story without feeling too contrived. The brotherhood shared among the soldiers was touching and pointed. The bad guys weren’t all bad and the good guys weren’t all good. Everything was balanced well.
Part historical fiction, part wall street thriller, and part romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in, I would recommend this book to lovers of several genres. For fans of time travel romance like the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, I think this would be a nice fit and much easier to read through in a few short sittings or one long one. I see myself telling lots of people to pick this up and I am sure to read it again myself. Looking forward to further books from this promising new author! show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This was an easy read, which I was immediatly immersed in. I could not put it down and finished it over a weekend. It was a great way to relax and just enjoy an interesting love story that criss-crosses time and history.
Kate is a New York banker, working on Wall Street and headed to Business School. She meets Julian Laurence, a incredibly handsome, incredibly rich hedge fund manager and the rest is history. Literally.
This book has some issues, like the fact that Julian is waaay too perfect. He is completely devoted to Kate, rich, handsome, good in bed. There is also the suspension of disbelief about where Julian comes from and how it all works out in the end.
All in all though, a great read, and something I was grateful to recieve show more through early reviewers. show less
Kate is a New York banker, working on Wall Street and headed to Business School. She meets Julian Laurence, a incredibly handsome, incredibly rich hedge fund manager and the rest is history. Literally.
This book has some issues, like the fact that Julian is waaay too perfect. He is completely devoted to Kate, rich, handsome, good in bed. There is also the suspension of disbelief about where Julian comes from and how it all works out in the end.
All in all though, a great read, and something I was grateful to recieve show more through early reviewers. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Is it true that love spans ages, that it’s timeless. It’s a question Kate Wilson Wall Street analyst never asked herself until the fateful day she fell down the rabbit hole, the day Julian Laurence, Hedge Fund creator/billionaire walked into her life. After a rocky beginning at a first attempted personal relationship Julian literally crashes back into her life one night while running in Central Park and after only a very short while Kate is uncomfortable with not only the slightly cosmic feelings she has for Julian but especially his almost preternatural trust in the love he professes to her. It’s not until Julian reveals a secret that Kate feels the rabbit hole shrinking and it forces her to look at a truth that should not be show more possible that will alter her life even more, a secret that’s unbelievable and yet she has no choice but believe him. It seems Julian Laurence Ashford WWI British war hero and poet did not die on a lonely field in France but found himself falling down his own rabbit hole that brought him straight to the 21st century. Even as Julian peals away the layers of himself to Kate she knows there are things he’s not telling her, things that could lead to disaster, things that could alter the very deep love they’ve only recently found with each other, things that she feels she needs to know.
Beatriz Williams is a brilliant literary genius and as her words brought me from the bloody trenches of France in 1916 to the towers and glass of Manhattan today she transported me body and soul, flung me through the ether to worlds I rarely reach with mere words. Her narrative is a flowing prose filled mix of cultures and eras that kept me hypnotically entranced as she spun her improbable yet believable tale. Her dialogue is a mixed bag of English lords with the graphic and often sordid contemporary speak we’re so used to today. And as much as her words transcended me it was her characters that made me see the scenes through their eyes and their hearts, these miraculous fictional people became so real to me and became friends, rivals, villains and lovers and culminated in an experience that I will not forget. I could feel her extensive historical research shine through and not only in her main body of work but also during her interludes in the past where she shows me a foreign and different time.
This is the best book I’ve read this year and if it doesn’t make the top spot on my best of list in 2012 then the world is really up for some amazing fiction as the year progresses.
Ms Williams it was my immense pleasure to experience this work of amazing literary fiction and I can not wait to see where you take me to on our next journey together.
Please check out my exclusive Q&A with author Beatriz Williams http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Fiction-General-Discussion/New-Release-fe... show less
Beatriz Williams is a brilliant literary genius and as her words brought me from the bloody trenches of France in 1916 to the towers and glass of Manhattan today she transported me body and soul, flung me through the ether to worlds I rarely reach with mere words. Her narrative is a flowing prose filled mix of cultures and eras that kept me hypnotically entranced as she spun her improbable yet believable tale. Her dialogue is a mixed bag of English lords with the graphic and often sordid contemporary speak we’re so used to today. And as much as her words transcended me it was her characters that made me see the scenes through their eyes and their hearts, these miraculous fictional people became so real to me and became friends, rivals, villains and lovers and culminated in an experience that I will not forget. I could feel her extensive historical research shine through and not only in her main body of work but also during her interludes in the past where she shows me a foreign and different time.
This is the best book I’ve read this year and if it doesn’t make the top spot on my best of list in 2012 then the world is really up for some amazing fiction as the year progresses.
Ms Williams it was my immense pleasure to experience this work of amazing literary fiction and I can not wait to see where you take me to on our next journey together.
Please check out my exclusive Q&A with author Beatriz Williams http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Fiction-General-Discussion/New-Release-fe... show less
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Author Information
34+ Works 10,802 Members
Beatriz Williams is a graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia. She is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Along the Infinite Sea, A Certain Age, and The Summer Wives. (Bowker Author Biography)
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Overseas
- Original title
- een verre liefde
- Original publication date
- 2012
- People/Characters
- Kate Wilson; Julian Laurence
- Important places
- Amiens, Somme, Hauts-de-France, France; New York, New York, USA; Manhattan, New York, New York, USA
- Important events
- World War I
- Blurbers
- White, Karen; Fortier, Anne; Willig, Lauren
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 472
- Popularity
- 64,089
- Reviews
- 78
- Rating
- (3.61)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 18
- ASINs
- 5
