TRANSCEND (Transcend Duet #1) by JEWEL E ANN

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

“The people in our lives give color to our existence. When we love, we chose to let part of our heart –part of our soul- live inside of another person. Their happiness is our happiness. Their grief is our grief. And when they die…part of us dies too.”

Transcend was everything we love about Jewel E Ann. Her writing is sublime, perfection to the optimum level which meant we could not put it down for love nor money. It was addictive and compelling with characters that are trademark to this Author. We fell in complete book love and the characters immediately stole our hearts. Especially Griffin. Oh dear, that man is luscious; the perfect balance of sexy, cocky, romantic and passionate.  We love our grocery store guy! Transcend is everything we love. It had intrigue, romance, and an otherworldly feel to it; ultimately it was full of high emotion, tension, humour, angst and passion.

‘I’ve never had a love like this to lose before now. How am I supposed to know what this is? Feelings of stupidity and inexperience mix with fear.’

The three main characters; Swayze, Griffin and Nate were written with such love, care and attention. Two very different heroes, but one ultimately stole our hearts and we are both fearing yet eagerly anticipating the final book in this duet. This is not a love triangle per se, as the crux of this story is what may be classed as otherworldly, however, who knows what may come next. We know one thing for sure and that is that our love for Griffin is unshakeable. The crux of the story is fascinating to us and the purpose even more so. Unique and undeniably well written.

‘Griffin is so certain about life, and I’m not certain about anything because Nate Hunt has blurred my reality. My sanity. My existence.’

‘Griffin commands me without saying a word. It’s protective. It’s possessive. It’s lust. It’s love. It’s everything. Cradling my face in his hands, he kisses me. It’s the slow start to a love song. I’m certain every time he kisses me like this I fall in love all over again. This is the kiss I dreamed of from the moment I turned over the receipt and read his phone number under Grocery Store Guy.’’

Griffin and Swayze are in love; they met at the grocery store under cringingly funny and romantic circumstances, which is a scene we would’ve loved to have been privy to. That was the only thing we felt was missing from Transcend as it played such a wonderful part of this story. The defining moment of a love story if you will. Griffin is just about the most perfect book boyfriend; he was luscious with the biggest romantic heart you could wish for. He had us in puddles on the floor!

“I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to convince myself I was too young to really love her. It has to be the trauma of losing her so suddenly at such a vulnerable age. Some people think kids are resilient…But emotionally, I think what happens to us when we’re young changes us forever. A broken bone is nothing compared to a broken heart. One is a scratch. The other leaves a scar on your soul.”

Nate is an emotionally broken single father who seems so vulnerable and lost as he takes care of his infant daughter. Our hearts broke for him as everything unfolded, his story almost running parallel with the romance of Griffin and Swayze. Until they collide and a mystery unravels. What begins as scepticism and disbelief becomes a ray of hope and recognition for a man who has suffered too much tragedy.

“Something’s wrong with me,” I whisper while choking back a sob. There’s a lifetime of concern etched into his forehead as he slowly shakes his head. “No. Nothing’s wrong with you.” It’s too much to hold in. I cover my face with my hands as a cry rips from my throat. Nate pulls me into his chest. It’s warm. It’s comforting. It’s familiar. But mostly…it’s terrifying.

What happens when every day you experience a sense of déjà vu, when you know everything there is to know about someone, yet you’ve never met them? This is the compelling mystery and struggle which Swayze faces in Transcend. Conflicted feelings, over powering memories and connected emotions. The moment Swayze meets Nate she recognises him, but how? Incredible angst and copious twists takes her on a journey that is completely unexpected and infuriating at the same time. We were right there with her needing to find out just what the connection was yet at the same time we wanted to shake Swayze, shouting at her to wake up and realise what she has and what she could potentially lose in her quest to uncover the truth.

‘Griffin has defined love for me in ways I never imagined. I’m not sure I realized his real role in my life until I was faced with the possibility of not having him in my life at all. The day I chased him down the hall to his bathroom, I was chasing the part of my heart that broke off and gave me the middle finger while saying, “I belong to him, not you.”

What a compelling read; we were hooked- furiously turning the pages yet never wanting this brilliant story to end. We had a feeling of dread the whole way through as revelations made our pulse race and our hearts bracing for possible breakage. The last page….oh wow, talk about jaws hitting the floor, we were gobsmacked. Now we’re counting the days till we find out where this duet is going to take us.

“We don’t love with our brains, we love with our hearts. We love on instinct. Love is undefinable and resides in all of us. There are no requirements to love someone.”