PRAISE FOR A STILL POINT IN TIME
“When her best
friend convinces her to attend a Speaker's Forum, Laura Bouvoire
little expects a life altering experience. The forum centers on
the poetry and art of Dylan Leone Gordon. A slide of a woman
stuns Laura. The face seemed familiar, and a brooch worn around
the neck captures her attention. But Laura dismisses the incident
as she leaves the forum for her doctor's appointment. At age
forty-three, Laura intends to undergo in vitro fertilization with
sperm from an anonymous donor. An English professor, Laura also
looks forward to when she is approved for tenure, which will
assure a secure income to support her child. Laura has an
extraordinarily promising student in one of her classes. Dante L.
Giovanni, thirty and single, attends night school in quest of an
engineering degree while working fulltime during the day
repairing computers. His mother's death left him and his two
siblings with crippling financial debt, and he sees a degree as
the solution to his financial woes. Laura's encouragement quickly
improves his writing, and Dante soon discovers his silver penned
gift. But he resents her suggestions that he forsake his
practical goals for a dreamy world of writing. Dante spends his
sparse free time in a big brother program to a child that has
been victim to child abuse. His devout religious opinions,
however, make it difficult to accept Laura's decision to undergo
in vitro fertilization. Shortly after meeting Dante, Laura visits
a jewelry story where an antique amethyst broach is displayed.
Soon she realizes it is the same broach worn the model in the
paintings Dylan Leone Gordon. As events unfold, Laura links her
present life experiences to a past life experience that bound her
through eternity to Dylan, who now is Dante. But Dante's
skepticism does not leave room for reincarnation. Worse, someone
else knows of their connection and profoundly resents it. His
motivations of jealousy and revenge posed a threat to Laura then
and continues to endanger her now… A Still Point In Time
provides a marvelous read. Author Marsha Briscoe displays a
decided gift for fluidly moving between past and present, weaving
a tale of emotional complexity and psychological depth. The past
and present merge fluidly in a tale of destiny and desire that
will delight paranormal romance lovers. Further, these
characterizations are absolutely memorable with their age
difference and clash of goals. Dante's misgivings about Laura's
choice to undergo in vitro fertilization likewise present
marvelous conflict. A Still Point In Time comes recommended.
Reviewed by Cindy for MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“Laura Bouvoire was a successful English professor at the
local university. She was almost guaranteed tenure at the end of
the term. Laura had worked very hard to get there, and was proud
of her accomplishments. Yet she still felt empty and incomplete
somehow. She was forty-three-years-old, single and childless,
with no immediate prospects on the horizon. So Laura made what
she felt was the only decision left to her—she was going to
have in-vitro fertilization, or IVF. She longed for a baby of her
own, and was determined to have one. But there was still that
small piece of her that yearned for something—or
someone—more.
Dante Giovanni was all wrong for her. He was twelve years her
junior, and he was her student for crying out loud! Yet Laura was
drawn to him in a way that she couldn’t explain. And Dante
was drawn to Laura despite his determination to keep his distance.
What started as only English discussions over coffee quickly
turned to a fierce attraction for both of them. When Dante
learned that Laura had gone through the IVF procedure, he was
thrown into emotional turmoil. He was strongly opposed to
anything that wasn’t God’s natural plan. Yet he
couldn’t make himself stop thinking about Laura. And when a
scorned associate of Laura’s began stalking her, he
couldn’t stay away from her either. He wouldn’t let her
go. He couldn’t.
As Dante and Laura each began having dreams and visions of people
in another century, Laura couldn’t shake the feeling that
she and Dante had been reincarnated as past lovers with something
to resolve. She became obsessed with discovering all she could
about these old lovers—Tes and Dylan Gordon. It was no
coincidence to her that Dante and Dylan had the same
initials—DLG—or that she and Tes shared several
physical similarities. The deeper she delved into the lives of
Tes and Dylan, the more certain she became. And when Laura was
critically injured in a car accident that was really no accident,
Dante came to believe that he really had been connected to Laura
before. But this time, he was not going to lose her. He
wasn’t sure his soul could survive again.
A
STILL POINT IN TIME is a poignant love story, set in two
different time periods. Laura and Dante, struggling to find a way
to make their love succeed despite all odds against them. And Tes
and Dylan, struggling to find their way back to each other
through several centuries. Ms. Briscoe found a way to combine
these two couples in such a way that I found myself ready to
believe in reincarnation by the end of the story! That two souls
could continue to find each other time and time again is a
comforting thought.
A
STILL POINT IN TIME is a story guaranteed to give you
“warm fuzzies” for quite a while after reading it!
Marsha Briscoe is an author gifted with eloquence—and
that’s a rare find. I look forward to more from her!”
Reviewed by Tracy Atencio for NovelSpot © August 2004
A Still Point in
Time by Marsha Briscoe
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com
ISBN-Paperback: 1-59374-200-2; ISBN-ebook: 1-59374-199-5
Genre: Reincarnation Romance, published by Whiskey Creek
Press in May 2004
"Laura Ellen Bouvoire
teaches at the Cherokee College. She is happy with her job and
the way her life is going. She is planning for a baby through in-vitro
fertilization and is worried that her time is running out. When
she attends a talk about rebirth, she firmly thinks it is
nonsense and nothing else. But it triggers a series of dreams
where she glimpses the feelings of a woman named TES. Then she
meets Dante and the dreams are more frequent. What is this
strange relationship between her and Dante? And what do TES and a
brooch have to do with them?
Dante Lorenzo Giovanni is studying part-time in Laura's class. He
is working as a mechanic and hopes to become a mechanical
engineer. He has put a terrible past behind him and all he hopes
for is a calm placid life. When he meets Laura, he is intrigued.
He is drawn to her and seems to have no control over his feelings.
He's not ready to believe that they were lovers in the past-life.
Then why can't he deny his feelings for Laura? Why does he feel
that he doesn't want to lose her again?
A Still Point in Time is a romance based on the
reincarnation concept. Marsha has written a very intriguing and
fast-paced book. The deep emotions which the characters face are
sensitive and touching. The book is well researched and so
interesting that the reader cannot let go of the book until it is
read completely. The romance is very sweet and undeniably heart-warming.
This book is very much recommended."
Dee Herga, Reviewer, ©ebook Reviews Weekly, http://www.ebook-reviews.net
_____________________________________________
"Laura Bouvoire is a
forty three year old English professor, in the process of
preparing for an in-vitro pregnancy. She also needs her upcoming
tenure application to be approved in order to guarantee her job.
But her plans are about to hit a few quirks. When her best friend
and colleague, Emily Forley, invites her to a Speaker's Forum,
Laura reluctantly attends.
The speaker is discussing the poetry and art of a Dylan Gordon,
but it's the portrait of Gordon's model that catches Laura's eye...the
resemblance to herself is remarkable. The portrait is just the
beginning...
Laura is also covering a course for another professor who
suddenly took ill. In this class is one, Dante L. Giovanni, an
engineering student. Despite rules against teacher-student
relationships, Laura and Dante are drawn to one another in ways
they don't understand. Laura begins researching all she can find
on Dylan Gordon and begins to make some startling connections.
Can her relationship with Dante survive her discoveries?
Marsha Briscoe's tale of reincarnation is fascinating and well
written. Laura and Dante are torn between facts and their beliefs.
What became of a stolen manuscript, and what further information
could it contain? There's also Jake Stark to deal with, a man who
refuses to take 'no' for an answer. How does he fit in to the
whole scenario?
Ms. Briscoe has you guessing all through the story and you get
deeply involved in Dante's anguish and denial of the facts. Can
he deal with Laura's 'obsession' to find out what became of Dylan
Gordon?
A Still Point In Time isn't your typical paranormal
story. Don't miss out on this riveting tale."
~~Brenda Gayle of The Write Life Style
______________________
"Laura Bouvoire, forty three and single, has too much on her mind to relish attending a Speaker's forum on such nonsense as past life experiences. The college English professor is up for tenure, has inherited an additional class from a critically ill colleague, and most importantly she's waiting for word of her acceptance as a candidate for in-vitro fertilization. She has no interest in the poetry and art of one Dylan L. Gordon or it's portents of recurrent lives. Or so she thought.
Dante L. Giovanni, thirty and
single, raised in the school of hard knocks, is determined to
obtain an engineering degree in order to invent a safe car that
will prevent critical injuries like those that had afflicted his
mother. In addition he is holding down a job as a computer
repairman, to pay off the bills incurred by his mother before her
death. He doesn't have time to write poetry, let alone become
involved with his attractive new English professor. When he
does have free time he devotes it to being a big brother to a
young boy, a victim of child abuse as Dante himself had been.
At any rate he is appalled by Laura's method of conceiving a
child. His strict Catholic faith had gotten him through hard
times in the past and still did.
And yet…..
Dante has a unique perspective on the classic works of literature. Laura is fascinated by him. With encouragement from Laura, poetry and prose begins to pour out of him. The more time she spends with him the more she wants to be more than a teacher to him. However, a relationship would definitely jeopardize her bid for tenure, and it seems like the whole world is watching them.
Shortly after meeting Dante, Laura discovers an antique brooch at a jewelers that calls to her. She realizes that she's seen one just like it on a model in a painting by Dylan Gordon. Having purchased it, she begins to dream about a pair of lovers from the previous century. Believing the lovers to be Gordon and his model, Laura becomes obsessed with learning everything about them. She is rapidly becoming convinced that the unlikely attraction between herself and her student, Dante, is a carryover of a previous existence in which their love had a tragic ending. Is it possible that Dante Giovanni had once been Dylan Gordon?
Dante, stunned by new found
literary abilities and confused feelings for Laura, is also
experiencing dreams of the two lovers. It is just one more thing
he just can't cope with. He chalks it up to fatique. He doesn't
believe in past lives any more than he can believe in vitro
fertilization fits in with God's plan. It's just one more excuse
to run away from the commitment he is terrified to make. Can
Laura overcome all of Dante’s reservations and convince him
that
their love is meant to be?
Ms. Briscoe was quite creative in explaining both of the characters mindsets and emotions, paralleling their past lives, reaching the same point in their relationship through very different means. Dante is a very complex and difficult man, a diamond in the rough, with so many defenses that few women would be willing to breach them. Laura patiently tears down each wall he throws up to bar their relationship, without appearing desperate. While the two struggle to come to grips with their past and forge a future, the past is catching up with them in the form of a villain who is determined to keep them apart for all eternity. This is definitely a selling point for those who enjoy romantic suspense."
~~Leslie Tramposch
Copyright © for ParaNormal
Romance Reviews
__________________________
| "HISTORICAL FIGURES ADD TO ROMANCE |
| A Still Point in
Time is a reincarnation romance by Kentucky author
Marsha Briscoe. The story is fiction although it is
intertwined with the historical figures Dante Gabriel
Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal. Laura is an English
professor at a North Carolina university and is
immediately drawn to one of her students enrolled in one
of her classes. Any relationship of this nature is strictly against university policy. But the bond between Laura and Dante is too strong to deny. There is also the strange mystery of Laura's recurring dreams about a woman from the past and her relationship with her husband. Laura searches diligently for answers. The possibility of reincarnation is foreign to Laura, but the more she researches and the more dreams she has, the more open to the possibility she becomes. Dante, however, is strongly opposed to any such notions, even though he is also having dreams… Briscoe weaves an interesting fictional tale around some interesting historical figures." ~~Kay Vest, Reviewer for Kentucky Monthly Magazine ________________________ |
| "There is much information to process…worth the wait…all the different plot lines and characters come together to form a complex whole. Suspense crescendos as more and more of the nineteenth century people and occurrences parallel their modern counterparts…try A Still Point in Time." ~~Jane Bowers of Romance Reviews Today ________________________ |
| "A Still Point in Time… it's a great novel, well done, solid, head and shoulders above the general run. The author has a good, strong structural sense and a fine knowledge of human motivation, as well as a true gift for pacing. …a writing lesson in itself…solid esoterica…" ~~Jacqueline Lichtenberg of Sime~Gen Reviews http://www.simegen.com/jl/ _________________________
~~Melanie C. Duncan, Reviewer for THE BOOK DRAGON REVIEW http://www.bookdragonreview.com __________ "A Still Point in Time is not a time travel, in the true sense of the word, instead this clever author has surprised us with an unusual twist, and the story is an absolutely delightful read. It has good movement making the reader eager to turn pages. I fell in love with the hero, Dante, particularly enjoying the way his image changed from an almost non-descript person into an enlightened, well-spoken, talented man. I liked the way he and Laura were drawn together, and the conjunction of their dreams. There is such depth to the hero...he is vulnerable, yet strong, and I suppose could be admired for the way he keeps his desires in check. Although at first the age difference bothers him, and her IVF pregnancy is almost intolerable to him, he overcomes them. He is gentle and tender as shown by his devotion to Sammy, and his deep love of Laura, yet he is a manly man.
EB Kapsar _____________________________________________ "...When her best friend convinces her to attend a Speaker’s Forum, Laura Bouvoire little expects a life altering experience. The forum centers on the poetry and art of Dylan Leone Gordon. A slide of a woman stuns Laura. The face seemed familiar, and a brooch worn around the neck captures her attention. But Laura dismisses the incident as she leaves the forum for her doctor’s appointment. At age forty-three, Laura intends to undergo in vitro fertilization with sperm from an anonymous donor. An English professor, Laura also looks forward to when she is approved for tenure, which will assure a secure income to support her child. Laura has an extraordinarily promising student in one of her classes. Dante L. Giovanni, thirty and single, attends night school in quest of an engineering degree while working fulltime during the day repairing computers. His mother’s death left him and his two siblings with crippling financial debt, and he sees a degree as the solution to his financial woes. Laura’s encouragement quickly improves his writing, and Dante soon discovers his silver penned gift. But he resents her suggestions that he forsake his practical goals for a dreamy world of writing. Dante spends his sparse free time in a big brother program to a child that has been victim to child abuse. His devote religious opinions, however, make it difficult to accept Laura’s decision to undergo in vitro fertilization. Shortly after meeting Dante, Laura visits a jewelry story where an antique amethyst broach is displayed. Soon she realizes it is the same broach worn by the model in the paintings by Dylan Leone Gordon. As events unfold, Laura links her present life experiences to a past life experience that bound her through eternity to Dylan, who now is Dante. But Dante’s skepticism does not leave room for reincarnation. Worse, someone else knows of their connection and profoundly resents it. His motivations of jealousy and revenge posed a threat to Laura then and continues to endanger her now. ... A STILL POINT IN TIME provides a marvelous read. Author Marsha Briscoe displays a decided gift for fluidly moving between past and present, weaving a tale of emotional complexity and psychological depth. The past and present merge fluidly in a tale of destiny and desire that will delight paranormal romance lovers. Further, these characterizations are absolutely memorable with their age difference and clash of goals. Dante’s misgivings about Laura’s choice to undergo in vitro fertilization likewise present marvelous conflict. A STILL POINT IN TIME comes recommended." Cindy Penn editor@wordweaving.com ___________________________________ "A
richly detailed and haunting novel with complex
characters, Marsha Briscoe's A Still Point In Time
is a unique taste of paranormal romance you should
not miss. Treat yourself to a mesmerizing and compelling
read!" "A
Still Point in Time is a wonderfully, heartfelt
story that I enjoyed reading so very much. Marsha has
created characters who are unforgettable. The story
unfolded to be one of the best I’ve ever read.
Filled with past lives, of a love that has a chance this
time around, and a bad guy who is out to destroy the love
and life itself to stop their reunion, A Still Point
in Time is a wonderful story and I recommend it!
"~~~Ruth Wells, avid reader and
aspiring author |
Copyright © 2000-2008 Web Master danbug.com