Overseas by Beatriz Williams (2012)
454 pages
Summary: When twenty-something Wall Street analyst Kate Wilson attracts the notice of the legendary Julian Laurence at a business meeting, no one’s more surprised than she is. Julian’s relentless energy and his extraordinary intellect electrify her, but she’s baffled by his sudden interest. Why would this handsome British billionaire—Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor—pursue a pretty but bookish young banker who hasn’t had a boyfriend since college?
The answer is beyond imagining . . . at least at first. Kate and Julian’s story may have begun not in the moneyed world of twenty-first-century Manhattan but in France during World War I, when a mysterious American woman emerged from the shadows of the Western Front to save the life of Captain Julian Laurence Ashford, a celebrated war poet and infantry officer.
Now, in modern-day New York, Kate and Julian must protect themselves from the secrets of the past, and trust in a true love that transcends time and space.
I first heard about this book in a library loot post on The Intrepid Reader. The gorgeous cover initially caught my eye, as well as the tag, “Over time. Over distance.” I quickly began wondering what the book was about and, upon discovering it was a time travel love story, I was a bit skeptical. But I decided to give it a try and am so glad I did.
This wasn’t a 100% perfect read for me because there were some things that had me questioning the characters. But any flaws this book may have were so easy to overlook because it was such a fun read. Overseas pulled me in almost immediately, made me care about the characters, and presented a mystery that I couldn’t wait to unravel.
The things which put me off weren’t about bad writing, but about some of the cheesiness of the characters. A review over at Between the Covers touched on this as well, noting that people do tend to act pretty cheesy and sappy when they are falling in love. Still, I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes when I read about it in a book. Then again, Julian is quite old-fashioned, so his chivalry and gentleman-like statements weren’t that out of character. And at times he did seem to want to control Kate under the guise of keeping her safe. She stood up for herself though and held her own which made me like her even more and want to keep reading. Plus it seemed obvious that Julian really loved her, he even apologized, and the majority of the time he was quite adoring and loving.
Here’s an example of some of the dialogue which you might find embarrassingly cheesy or extremely romantic:
“And my sole object in life now, Kate, is your happiness.” (195)
“Darling, look at me. When I tell you I love you, it means this: That I am your servant. That these two hands’—he held them up before me, and then cupped my face—“labor for you alone.” (196)
“But one thing I refuse to concede is my right to punch the lights out of any man who dares to insult you. Not because you’re helpless; God knows you’re not. But because no man can stand by idly and see his idol defamed.” (325)
“I don’t want to take any chances.” “A pretty slim chance.” “The only acceptable chance with you,” he said, “is none at all.” (155)
“Because I frankly can’t bear to think about someone else being with you, and not loving you the way I do.” (127)
On the other hand, Kate was quite modern and independent. At times she could be stubborn, going off and doing things that might be considered dangerous when Julian had said not to. She was also quite self-deprecating, constantly mentioning how handsome Julian was and questioning why he chose her when he could be out partying with supermodels. Julian’s wealth was also an issue from time to time as Kate refused to accept anything from him, insisting on paying for things herself and establishing her own career. This was quite admirable and I like strong female characters, but at the same time she did annoy me a bit when she wouldn’t let him do even the smallest thing for her.
But overall I did really come to like Julian and Kate and want them to have a happily ever after. If you’re someone who doesn’t like characters who belittle themselves (Kate) and old-fashioned guys who try to restrain women out of love (Julian), then this might not be your ideal book. Then again, these are two things which I don’t like in love stories and one of the reasons I don’t usually find myself reading the romance genre. Like I said though, this book made it work and had enough redeeming qualities to make me really enjoy it. Even if it doesn’t align with your preferences, it’s still a fun, entertaining, and escapist read.
So I am a converted skeptic. What about you? Have you ever read a book with some elements you didn’t like, only to love the overall outcome of the story?
This is Beatriz Williams’ first novel. You can find out more about her and Overseas at her website. She can also be found on Twitter.