Member Reviews

Highly enjoyed this one! It kept me engaged throughout and was a joy to read, would certainly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

This was a very solid debut novel. It’s got several facets - historical WWI backdrop, a romance, time slip and a look into mental institutions. I thought the story was well done, but I did find the story to drag a bit at times and there were some pretty gory graphic descriptions.
3.5 stars

Was this review helpful?

Romance isn’t my usual reading fare. But I decided to give this one a chance because of the time-travel element and the historical time period. World War I has always interested me because it was such a game-changer in warfare.

The book is beautifully written. It shifts between the past, when Robert fights in the war and recovers from his injuries, and the present, when Louisa fights to maintain her sanity in a psychiatric hospital. Overall, I found the historical parts more compelling than the present day ones.

Overall, this is a strong novel.

If you like historical romance, you might enjoy this.
I’ve read it compared to the novels of Diana Gabaldon and Kate Morton.

Was this review helpful?

This was a great debut novel- loved the dual timelines and the attention to detail. WWI, time travel, love story, mental health visibility… this has it all. There is so much heart in this story.

Was this review helpful?

"Beyond The Moon" is a rather mediocre story for me. I didn't really enjoy it and didn't care much for the characters. I really wanted to like it more.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting book and story line, but over al it just wasn't for me. Some of the dialogue seemed forced and I just didn't connect with the characters.

Was this review helpful?

This book was very interesting, but not in my usual genre. This book involved time travel 1916 Lt Robert Lovett is wounded in France and sent to a Sussex England hospital.

Was this review helpful?

Going in, i did not think it was going to be a historical book.
Butwhen i realised, it was interesting and i ended up liking it.

Was this review helpful?

Gorgeous, heartbreaking, emotional, mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful.
I loved this book so much that I purchased the audio book and the paperback just so I could have a copy on my bookshelf, the best book I have read for a very long time!!

Was this review helpful?

In 1916. First Lieutenant Robert Lovett is wounded in France and send to Coldbrook Hall Military hospital in Sussex, England. He’s a talent painter, he’s lost his sight and they believe he’s suffering from shell shock and hysterical blindness. He’s witnessed so many horrific things during the war, a way for his mind to cope, it turns off his ability to see and the doctors doubt his vision will return.

In 2017. Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved gran, when she visits the South Downs Cliffs, has a drink to celebrate her grandmothers life and she accidentally falls part way down the cliff face. Doctors are sure she's tried to commit suicide and Louisa's admitted to Coldbrook Hall a psychiatric hospital. The busy consultants and medical attendants won’t accept they have made a mistake with her diagnosis and she has no family to call for help.

One day she and a fellow patient Kerry are exploring the derelict Victorian Hospitals old wing and it was used as a military hospital during The Great War. Louisa hears someone yelling for help, she discovers an old hospital room and finds a man lying on the floor. Robert tells her he was injured in the battle of the Somme, Louisa knows it happened over a hundred years ago and maybe she is crazy!

Louisa goes back in time as Miss. Rose Ashby, she works as a VAD in a busy hospital in France and luckily she's studied medicine in her previous life. Robert is captured by the German’s and becomes a prisoner of war and he has no idea Louisa is in France and desperately looking for him.

I received a copy of Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor from NetGalley and The Cameo Press Ltd in exchange for an honest review. It’s a story about war and mental illness, you read about the horrors of both and the couple unconventionally falling in love and doubting their own sanity.

I must admit I’m not a big fan of time travel stories, so I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the descriptions of WW I were well written and extremely accurate. Especially the battles, injuries, treatment options and Louisa's experiences as a front line nurse and four stars from me.

Was this review helpful?

This was a very beautiful time travel novel! The romance was very sweeping! I also liked the descriptions of the world war! I recommend this fans of Overseas by Beatrice Williams!

Was this review helpful?

This is a time travel romance novel. When Louisa ends up being committed to a psychiatric hospital because they think she tried to commit suicide, the last thing she expects to happed is to find a man in an old room. She finds Lieutenant Robert Lovett, a man who is out of his time and is experiencing hysterical blindness and has no idea where he is.

Was this review helpful?

Robert Lovett finds himself in a military hospital in 1916, being treated for injuries and suffering from blindness of unknown cause. Doctors suggest it may be temporary or permanent, total or partial, and advise that he focus on his other wounds. Attempting to bargain with God, Robert promises that he will sacrifice eyesight for his painting and art, if only he can physically heal.

Louisa finds herself in hospital in 2017 after rescue from a fall partway down a cliff. Following her grandmother’s funeral, she drank a bottle of cognac and passed out. The doctors, however, insist that she be transferred to a mental hospital, interpreting her fall as a suicide attempt. She is unable to dissuade the doctor.

Both Louisa and Robert, in their separate lifetimes, or struggling to make sense of the situation and determine how to escape and get on with life. Louisa wants to return to medical school; Robert to his platoon at the front. “He belonged to the war. It was his master, and he its servant.” Out with her new friend, Louisa explores the grounds and the ruins of a neighboring wing. Following a man’s voice calling for help, Louisa finds Robert, who has fallen.

Robert is mystified at the appearance of a female visitor at night. Louisa is confused about how he came to be in a closed ward, deciding he is delusional since there is no military hospital in the vicinity. When Louisa returns from going for help for his open wound, Robert is no longer there. Her new friend suggests she’s hallucinating.

As the story unfolds, Louisa and Robert become better acquainted, gradually figuring out how their worlds have intersected. They come to rely on each other, healing each other’s psyches along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book for my enjoyment.
#

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to read this book, but i just couldnt do it. When Miss Casson was being forced in to a pyschiatric hospital against her will and she had noone to fight for her, it just turned me off. My daughter has alot of medical issues and i always fight for her. Just wasnt a book for me. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this - very romantic, and Im always a sucker for a WWI historical romance. Highly recommended

Was this review helpful?

This was an interesting read. If you love historical fiction, then you will enjoy this fascinating read! Get lost in a great book this weekend!

Was this review helpful?

Loved this story & the style of writing used here. Loved how the author pulls you in from page one & makes you feel a part of the story. Highly recommend this book

Was this review helpful?

I received this book from the author a while back, so many thank yous to her for sending me a stunning paperback!

This book was nothing like I expected. It was so well written and I loved the two main characters. It made me keep picking up the book and overall, I just really enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

Wow, this book has a lot going on. We have present day, 2017, past in1917, time travel, WWI and a physician in training with a perfect 100-year-old patient. It took me a bit to figure out where we were, and who we were, but after I got the hang of it, this is a great read with a little of everything. War scenes, quite a bit of historical facts and a bit of romance with a lot of love.
I really enjoyed this author and found this to be a great story. I would highly recommend.
I want to thank Cameo Press Ltd and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest unbiased opinion. This is a 5-star review. Highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Part WWI story of a British soldier and part a modern day battle of a young British woman fighting a deficient mental health system. Their stories intertwine when our modern day protagonist, who is fighting the modern medical system to get out of "voluntary" confinement, finds herself in 1916 and starts questioning her own sanity.

A beautifully written story, Taylor combines a vivid historical telling of the horrors of war with mental illness issues arising in both centuries, then throws in a time travel romance that shows the healing power of love. I'm looking forward to more books by Catherine Taylor.

Was this review helpful?