Book Review: Overseas by Beatriz Williams

Title: Overseas
Author: Beatriz Williams
Read By: January LaVoy
15 hours and 49 minutes, Published by Penguin Audio and Putnam
Beatriz’s Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
January’s Info: Website
Buy The Book: Amazon Buy The Audiobook here.

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. (Summary provided by Putnam.)

Overseas written by Beatriz Williams and read by January LaVoy was my first complete audiobook to listen to in years! I think the last time I listened to one all the way through it was on cassette tape, so it’s been a while. I was hesitant to dedicate the time it takes to listen to an audio book, because I can read two books in the time it takes to listen to one audiobook. However, I’m really glad I took the plunge into audiobooks with Overseas (pun intended). LaVoy’s performance of the book was wonderful. She is a skilled voice artist, and she played all characters in the book to perfection.

Overseas is a sweeping romance that seamlessly takes readers between 2007-08 U.S. and 1916 France. The characters had me from the first page. With Kate Wilson, Williams has created a multifaceted heroine who will intrigue readers. Kate is career minded, thoroughly modern, and courageous. All elements I look for in a romantic heroine. Hurray for a strong, female protagonist! Julian Laurence is pretty much the perfect man. He is handsome, smart, and Emily Post would thoroughly approve of his manners. He is a man from another era: dashing and romantic. If the other qualities I mentioned aren’t enough, he’s also a poet. Get ready to oooh and aaah over Julian. He is that good! I’m pretty sure Carly Simon wrote Nobody Does It Better about Julian. Maybe Julian had a brief stop over in in 1970s? Just sayin’…

I love books that incorporate time travel well, and Beatriz Williams’s approach to time travel was wholly unique. I was not expecting the reveal that explained how the time travel was possible, and it left me wanting a spin off novel surrounding the character that made the reveal. I can’t give the character’s name obviously or that would be a big spoiler. Suffice it to say this particular character intrigued me greatly.

I was enchanted by the world Kate and Julian inhabited, and I found myself listening to the book for hours at a time. I simply had to know what happened next. Between LaVoy’s spellbinding narration and Williams’s excellent plotting and character development, I was hooked. I really hope Beatriz Williams writes another book in the world of Overseas. It was one of those books that made me sigh when I finished it, because I didn’t want it to end. Readers who enjoy stories of romance against the odds such as The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger will devour Overseas by Beatriz Williams.

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FTC Disclosure: I purchased the book reviewed from Audible. Also, if you purchase books by clicking the Amazon links throughout the site, I get a small commission.