Reviews (XXVIII)

Amazon.com

Not An Ordinary Paranormal Romance 

 5 stars

April 22, 2014

R. E. Wood "R. E. Wood" (Pa) 

This review is from: Shadows of the Past (Kindle Edition)

Carmen Stefanescu weaves a story that ties a tragedy from the 1400's to a present day couple. Justice and closure take half a millennium to come to fruition.

Genevieve is a child that meets a harsh set of circumstances in the 1400's. Everyone she comes to care about meets with a horrible fate. Each time it seems she's found some semblance of happiness it's torn away. Under the most bizarre happenstance she finds her true love.

Moving forward 500 years we meet Anne. Her unsettled life is haunted by feelings and visions she tries desperately to unravel. The knocks in her love life come together as she fights through this ghostly mystery. I don't want to issue spoilers.

This book has elements of romance and horror that made it a fun read for me. I lean toward horror, usually, but found this tale captivating. It certainly moves along with well-crafted prose and finishes with a satisfying ending.

Buy link:    Wildchildpublishing.com

           Amazon.com

Reviews (XXIII)

Susan Day  (on Dec 16, 2013)

rated it 5 of 5 stars 
 

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu brings together two very different lives of two women. Both are our heroines - one from the 15th Century and one from our modern day. Their lives are intermingled around tragedy, boundless love and the power of good magic.

The story tells the tale of a young nun's difficult life and the contentment she finds living under the protection of a convent. Genevieve decided to join the convent because there were so little choices for young women on their own. Her life there was blissful to begin with but things don't go well when the kind hearted Abbess who has sheltered and nurtured Genevieve is replaced by a wicked, soulless creature whose jealousy and persecution of the young nun is relentless. Things are further antagonized when the beautiful Genevieve falls in love with a man who the evil Abbess has intentions of seducing herself. The man is himself a man of God and this adds to the drama of the tale.

Anne is our modern hero. She's a successful business woman who is trying to repair a damaged relationship. She heads her family's business and is intelligent and articulate. Although worlds apart, the lives of the two women are intrinsically woven together in this charming book.

Meanwhile, Anne is trying to reconnect with a past lover on a hiking holiday. Unbeknown to her she finds herself in the same mysterious forest that has haunted Genevieve. Ghosts and spirits haunt her sleep and visions worry her waking hours. They are her 'Shadows of the Past'.

Ms Stefanescu is able to bring her readers two different stories and lace them together to produce an intriguing and interesting tale. I was able to appreciate the both worlds represented here and I easy became entranced with the suspense and mystery evoked in this absorbing tale.

I am giving this five stars and I am looking forward to reading more from Carmen Stefanescu.

Reviews (VIII)

February 20, 2013 - by Sheri Boston (http://sherismuse.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-shadows-of-past-by-carmen.html) 

Title: Shadows of the Past
Author: Carmen Stefanescu
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Pages: e-book, 231
Genre: Paranormal, Historical
Source: Author

Overview:

Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest? Or will evil win again? 

My Review:

I don't normally read historical books, but, the author contacted me noticing my interest in paranormal novels and asked if I might give her book a try. Her brief description interested me and I gladly accepted. I must say I was pleasantly surprised! The book goes back and forth between Anne and Genevieve, past and present, and weaves a mysterious story. Genevieve's life is so full of tragedy and loss. It's heartbreaking to read at times.  

And don't let the cover fool you. The small touches of romance here and there are, as she explained to me, just very sweet and nothing steamy. The bulk of the story is Anne trying to piece together her strange visions and finding out what happened to Genevieve and Andrew! :) The two intertwining love stories are more like a happy little bonus to the exciting story.

Carmen Stefanescu does such a great job with descriptive details and you can easily picture everything she's laying out before you. Even though it isn't normally my type, I mostly have a hard time with how people, well women especially were treated historically. Especially back in the 15th century which was Genevieve's time period. Still I enjoyed reading it and I want to thank her for giving me the opportunity to read it! It's worth the read, funny enough the mysterious historical side of the story is what grabbed me the most. I just had to find out how Genevieve's tale ended.

 4 out of 5

Bookworms!