This Time by SW AndersenThis Time by S.W. Andersen is a paranormal romance that will saturate your soul with the deepest longing and just when you feel you will surely break from yearning, it will fill your heart with the profoundest and purest love. Infused with aspects of Native mysticism surrounding souls and dreamscapes, this book is an emotional exploration of the perpetuity of love that neither the constructs of time nor space can constrain.

It is the 1950’s and Abbie and Mary are two young women passionately in love in a time and place where that love is not accepted. Forces conspire to tear them apart, but ultimately unable to bear separation, they flee towards an uncertain but shared future.

Fast forward to 2017 and Dr. Contessa (Tess) Kenner and Elena Jake are two women who have never met, separated by distance but united in their inability to find their one true love. Tess is unable to grasp why, but none of the women she dates can fill that void within her heart. Elena is also unable to find the one woman who can take her breath away and sate her aching desire for true love. Both women are becoming resigned to the fact that they may never meet their respective soulmates however fate could have something else in store for them. 

Tragic events intervene, and timelines intertwine as the fates of these women are bound by mystical forces they can’t comprehend. Can they decipher what is happening to them and will they embrace the bonds drawing them together, or are their spirits destined to wander in loneliness until the end of time?

The Characters

Tess is a no nonsense, practical neuropsychologist. She is successful in her career but lacks any real fulfillment in her personal life. It’s not as though she hasn’t tried, but she just can’t seem to make that deep connection with anyone.  It was initially a little frustrating watching her wrestle with her lack of feelings regarding her girlfriend while still in a relationship with her. But it is also understandable and a little sad when you realize she really is trying to feel something deeper, she simply cannot. Tess redeems herself in other ways as well, especially her very real desire to help people. This made her a much more appealing character and I really wanted to see her find her true love.

I immediately adored Elena Jake. She is a caring and deeply passionate artist with a kind heart that you can’t help but be drawn to. Elena has Native American heritage (part Chinook) and has strong ancestral links to the tribe’s Shamans. She is haunted at night with dreams of the most perfect woman and spends her waking moments pining for her. Unable to find anyone in real life who can compare, and finding it increasingly difficult to separate dreams from reality, she enlists the help of her grandmother Mai to explore the mystical implications of the situation. Like Tess, I found myself really cheering for Elena and hoping she finds her true love as well. 

The Writing Style

The book does not follow a linear timeline and bounces back and forth between different decades as well as within the present.  This could be confusing, but Andersen manages to present the information in a way that still makes sense despite its lack of linearity. In fact, I find that the piecemeal timeline actually adds to the tension and mystique of the story.

The pacing of the story is smooth even though the sequence of events is fragmented, and the language Andersen uses is simply beautiful and conveys so much emotion. The rawness and depths of yearning are so well described I had to stop and take a breath on a couple of occasions. Andersen also beautifully heightens the passion of the moment with her poetic descriptions of desire and fulfillment.

The Pros

This book hit the romantic that is buried in me hard. There is something so satiating in reading about the resilience and power of love to conquer all, and I really enjoyed the spiritual elements that permeated the story.

The Cons

Not a single thing. I mean even the cover is beautiful!

The Conclusion

This book will make you really feel. It will lock you into that emotional rollercoaster through beautiful language, touching characters and a truly heartwarming story. Anyone that wants to read about the strength of love, how it is truly an energy that will never die, a force that spans across eternity, should read this book.

Excerpt from This Time by S.W. Andersen

Those eyes…I paint them, draw them, dream of them. Blue as the summer sky reflected in a crystal-clear mountain lake. I happily dive in, swim in them, bathe myself in the love they shine only for me. I had never worried about losing myself in them night after night, drawing after drawing, but each visit I swim farther from shore, and now I fear I may lack the strength to ever return.

I could drown in them, sink into the depths of blue. It would be a wonderful way to go, but something inside tells me to keep swimming, that I will one day reach the other side and you’ll be waiting for me. No longer just a dream, you’ll pull me into your very real and strong arms, rescue me, yet plunge me deeper still as I finally witness the reality of their true color in the flesh. Air will escape me, as will words, but you will save me again. Your lips pressed to mine, breathing life into me, a life I had always wished for, but never thought I could have. A life with you. Could it be true?

I pray it is. For what else is there to wish for if everything I’ve ever wished for could only ever live in my work and my dreams? So now I prepare to close my eyes, taking one last deep breath before sleep arrives, hoping it carries me to the other side. Then, when morning comes, I awake to find that light and love has followed me home and at last, I would have you, whoever you are.

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9780999061626
  • Publisher: S.W. Andersen Books

S.W. Andersen Online

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