Monday, December 29, 2014

Book Review: Beyond by Maureen A. Miller

BEYOND (BEYOND Series Book 1)
By Maureen A. Miller
Publisher: Maureen Miller
Published: Dec. 24, 2013
ASIN: B009EEN2OE

Amazon Synopsis:

It is the day after Aimee Patterson’s high school graduation. College beckons, as does her dream of becoming an engineer. On an early evening walk, her cocker spaniel charges into the woods on the other side of the pond. Aimee trails after him, and in the stillness of that forest the unthinkable happens. She becomes paralyzed and watches in horror as her hands vanish before her eyes. 

Waking to the sound of voices, Aimee realizes that she has been kidnapped. Little does she know how far away from home she is, though. In an attempt to flee her captors, she launches from their confines only to freeze at the view outside the window. The sky is black and filled with stars, and in the distance is a familiar blue globe. The planet Earth. 

A group of humans forced to flee their planet after an epidemic destroyed their civilization now travel the galaxies in search of an antidote. Retrieving samples of plant life from every solar system, on this occasion Aimee was accidentally seized instead. 

Aimee must learn to avoid the advances of an awkward young scientist who seems intent on dissecting her, as her own fascination turns to the exotic young warrior, Zak. Having fallen in love with Zak, she is now torn with the decision to return to Earth or live beyond the stars. 

Book Links
Website  *  Amazon  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Just after graduation Aimee Patterson takes her dog out for a walk on their large property when he runs off into the forest. She runs after him only to see him standing stock-still looking up at the sky. She goes to get him and he runs back the way he came. She turns to follow but now she can’t move.

When Aimee wakes she finds herself on a spaceship headed away from earth. The people are humanoid, and friendly. They say they will return her to her home as quickly as possible, on their next round past her planet 5 earth years from now!

In the time that Aimee is gone from earth she has many adventures, and makes many new friends, including one special one, Zak. She almost gets killed too by a scientist who wanted to dissect her.

I liked the way Aimee’s romance with Zak developed in this story. It wasn’t all at once. And while it did have a lot to do with physical attraction, it wasn’t totally physical attraction. It was built on their interactions with one another, their experiences together.

The descriptions of the various plants, animals and environments were well-described, making them easy to visualize. I would definitely have liked to have seen that sumpum standing on its back legs!

Action, adventure, clean romance. There is a lot to offer in Beyond. The pacing is moderately-fast. The closure on her five-year absence but that would be my only real critique. Otherwise I thought that Beyond was a fun science fiction read. I gave Beyond 4 out of 5 stars.


Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller's first novel, WIDOW'S TALE earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. Working in the software industry for fifteen years in a job that required extensive travel, Maureen chose to write during those lengthy airport layovers. Escapism at its best. Five novels were produced in those years of travel. 

Recently, Maureen branched out into the Young Adult Science Fiction market with Beyond and the 
BEYOND Series. She is having fun keeping her head in the stars! 

When she's not writing, Maureen enjoys supporting other authors. She is the founder of
www.JustRomanticSuspense.com, and its offspring, www.JustContemporaryRomance.com andwww.JustParanormalRomance.com.

Author Links
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