Customer Reviews

Beyond Fearless (Beyond, Book 2)

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Beyond Fearless
By: Rebecca York


With a beautiful tropic island as her backdrop, Rebecca York has woven a complex, highly textured novel of dark magic, psychic connections, and fated love that endures beyond the taint of evil.

Anna Ridgeway is making a living with her psychic abilities in a club on the island of Grand Fernandino. She can sense her intense connection to treasure hunter Zach Robinson, but her fears overwhelm her until the moment they touch. That touch transcends time and space, thrusting them into a world where their minds and bodies blend in a truly mystical passion.

But it is those same psychic abilities that have attracted the attentions of another man, one who covets Anna's powers because they will amplify his own to the point where he can dominate all of Grand Fernandino. Raoul's greedy worship of the goddess Ibena is pushing him closer and closer to committing the ultimate crime. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, becoming an unquenchable incarnation of evil.

Only together will Zach and Anna be able to defeat the curse that threatens their existence, and the safety of all inhabitants of the island. The beautiful intimacy of their bond takes them out of the shadows of despair to a love that is truly Beyond Fearless.

When Anna Ridgeway got a gig on the Caribbean island of Grand Fernandino she thought the pay for her "magic" act was a bit high and after she arrived she also had feelings that things were just a bit off. Using her life-long psychic abilities Anna made a good living with her act, only one night in the audience she sensed another whom she mentally connects with.

Zachary Robinson is a treasure hunter. When his crew deserted him, Zach was biding his time yet felt drawn to enter the club where "Magic Anna" was the highlighted act. Quite soon the urgent psychic connection between the two had be consummated by a volatile pull of their physical attraction. Finding a true soul mate should have been a wondrous occasion only several obstacles stood in their way. One man has been searching for Anna and wants her dead; another who practices black magic wants her for his mate and will go to any lengths to make it happen; Zach has found the love of his life will do anything to protect her.

*** Wow - and to think I only had to wait over two years for Ms. York to come out with book two of this incredibly original and absolutely terrific series. I read a lot of books, and let me say that after a year or so, I will often forget the characters and plots, but not so with BEYOND CONTROL (Book 1 of the BEYOND series) - this plot was so impressive, I remembered it all!

Sensual, exciting, fast paced edge-of-the-seat thrills are all contained in this book as York grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let you go. The imaginative plot is terrific with Seth and Anna discovering their mind link actually went back to their childhood even though neither had ever met. There is a solid reason for their connection (I'm not telling) and while Anna had been more aware by using her psychic gifts over the years, she'd always felt a loner. Seth had also been aware that he was `different' but never had he felt so powerful as when he'd connected with Anna. May I also add that the reader will find some really hot and heavy sexual scenes that adds to making their psychic abilities all the stronger.

While this is definitely a stand alone I highly suggest reading book one entitled BEYOND CONTROL as well to see how the two leads from BC fared and reappear in book two, BEYOND FEARLESS. You'll thrill to the excitement and expectation of seeing Ms. York continue her fabulous theme of the Darien Experiment children. It's definitely a sensual romp but add to that the danger and thrills that York weaves seamlessly into the story and you're in for one heck of a ride. The villains, Raoul San Donato, who practices black magic is a powerful adversary as is Jim Swift who wants to kill Anna all of the Darien children.

The intrigue and suspense, and the sensual romance will keep you turning the pages well into the night until the exciting and steamy end and have you wishing, as I do, that Ms. York not make you wait so long for Book three!

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

When her parents die, leaving her with a lot of debts, Anna Ridgeway turns her psychic talent into a way to pay the bills. She has a nightclub act where she can touch objects and tell people things about their lives. When she feels like someone is stalking her in her hometown, she accepts a job on Grand Fernandino, in the Caribbean, to hopefully escape the danger she knows she's in.

Diver Zach Robinson is on Grand Fernandino to dive on a wreck site, and recover valuables that were lost. When part of his dive crew sees an evil spirit at the wreck site, and refuses to go back down, Zach must wait for replacements from home before diving again. While waiting, he attends Anna's nightclub act, and feels an instant attraction to the woman.

While Zach and Anna explore the bond between them, something else is lurking in the shadows. Raoul San Donato, an island shaman, wants Anna for his own, thinking that he can join their powers and become very powerful. But Raoul isn't the only thing standing in the way of happiness for Zach and Anna. Someone else is lurking in the shadows; and that someone wants both of them dead.

Beyond Fearless is a fantastic mix of romance and danger. It continues the fascinating psychic world Ms. York created in Beyond Control. The bond between Zach and Anna is strong and pulls at the reader's heartstrings. Anna is strong and able to care for herself, and Zach is just plain yummy. Watching the two of them come together was a treat that kept me enthralled.

Ms. York's storytelling abilities always pull me in on the first page of her novels and keep me hooked until the last word. Beyond Fearless continued that trend, and is a definite Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read.

Amelia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Palm Beach millionaire Terrence Sanford hires Zachary Robinson, known for locating lost treasures, to find his sixty years old missing brother William who vanished with his yacht Blue Heron off Grand Ferandino in the Caribbean. Zach prefers to use his regular crew as he is uncomfortable with strangers, but has managed to hire two experienced sailors from the local Florida area. However, the diver Jose panics when they enter the sunken Blue heron; later he claims he saw Pagor the war god of the island's Vadiana deities.

Not long after that Zach meets a magician-psychic Anna Ridgeway, who has fled Denver for Grand Fernandino to perform for enigmatic Etienne Bertrand at the Sugar Cane Club and to escape a dangerous situation in the States, but fears the danger followed her. When she and Zach meet, they share an impossible inexplicable telepathic and emotional link that neither can resist. However, Anna's hunch that danger followed her proves true as local shopkeeper and black magic practitioner Raoul San Donato has plans to make Anna his and remove Zach from the triangle.

The second "Beyond" tale (see BEYOND CONTROL) is an entertaining romantic suspense fantasy with plenty of action in and out of the boudoir. The cast makes the story line fun as Zach is a bit of a hermit, Anna is in hiding so she is limiting personal contacts, Bertrand is strangely "off" kilter, and Raoul is a dark magician. Much more romance than fantasy or suspense, sub-genre fans will enjoy this tale from Beyond.

Harriet Klausner

It's all in the power of touch....

Zach Robinson finds himself stuck hanging around the Caribbean island of Grand Fernandino after a dive is interrupted by an islander's fear of Pagor, one of the deities of the Vadiana religion. He is inexplicably drawn to Anna Ridgeway, who is performing her "Magic Anna" act on the island. Dark forces are at work, however, and soon these two "Dariens" will find themselves battling two very different enemies, one who wants the power Anna has and another who wants to destroy the power of all of the Dariens.

BEYOND FEARLESS is the sequel to the spectacular BEYOND CONTROL and features a guest appearance from the two Dariens (the name given to those who have psychic powers that are amplified by their joining) of that tale. BEYOND FEARLESS is easily read as a stand alone as Rebecca York does provide enough of the back history to explain why someone connected to the Crandall Consortium is hunting Zach and Anna. However, the depth of that dislike may seem a bit overdone if one hasn't read the first book.

While I liked the continuity with the first book, I felt like the inclusion of some of the characters seemed almost an afterthought. Raoul San Donato is a phenomenal villain, and it almost felt as if there was too much going on in some places for me to get a true taste of his corruption. I think the storyline would have benefited by being just a tad longer to tie in why so many different people were out to get the Dariens as the plethora of people out to get Anna and Zach is a bit overwhelming and almost unbelievable.

BEYOND FEARLESS is one sensuous and action filled tale. With nary a dull moment, the reader is left anxiously turning the pages to see what will happen next. The haunting mystique of the island provides an excellent atmosphere for such an eerie story. BEYOND FEARLESS is an enjoyable read, although the first half is certainly better than the second.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This author does a remarkable and consistent job of creating solidly plotted stories with interesting characters, settings created in sharp manner to give a pleasant escape break and enough of a reasonable parnanormal spin to make her an auto-buy everytime. What stopped her from getting her usual five stars this time was a vagueness in the plot towards the end that made it seem like the author was tired or "phoning it in". Additonally there was a little bit of a derivitive streak coloring her writing from the "The Game" series of books by Christine Feehan that this author is too good to use. However, always borrow from the best. Still these are VERY small complaints and my recommendation is to grab this book NOW! because I bet we have a new series to look forward to....

If I can give it a 2.5 star

Setting: Modern Times

I would normally say I love this kind of story, but I don't. The writing of the attraction and "love" felt too unreal. It doesn't ring true. It doesn't tug at my hearts like other stories I read. It feel like it's trying too hard to capture my interest.

I tried and tried to get into this book, but, just could not. Finally, put it aside. I have always enjoyed Rebecca York's paranormal romance, but this one just did not do it for me.