REVIEW:
Phoebe Matthews’ ‘Déjà vu Lover’ takes place in a current Seattle and an historic Hollywood.April, tormented by a premonition she is convinced might become real, is befuddled from the start. Her best friend and roommate, Cyd and their close but only barely romantic friends Macbeth & Tom all comprise the elements of a family--what April has lacked. She is honestly attached to all. So, the horrible vision with portends of disaster to the only three members of her ‘family’ stops April cold, in the midst of job interviews.
That first vision is barely a taste of what is too come, and soon April is aware of another time. In fact – she is more than aware – she is there! And, the scenes describing this other life are beautifully written and described, so seem utterly believable to the reader. From the milling extras to the rolled up sleeves of the camera man, every detail contributes to April’s new reality; and her new/old love.
The historic setting is enthralling – to say nothing of the man! Matthews’ really nails this, with more than description; conversation and the mores of the day all contribute to the setting. When April’s attentive gentleman Lawrence, starts to select from the menu for her, you’ll have déjà vu yourself. Yet nothing is quite so easy as only making a choice; and you will be as torn as the main character. The intrigue only grows as we realize Lawrence faces problems himself.
The dialogue is snappy and believable. The main character adorable – with an unexpected inner core of strength. Written in the first person and unusually paced, “Déjà vu Lover” is unequivocally intriguing. In this thoroughly unpredictable romance, It just doesn’t matter if you aren’t much into paranormal or not into history – the story will take you there, as magically as it moves April . Treat yourself to a fast and very original read!
- Review by Snapdragon, LongAndShortReviews
REVIEW:
April Didrickson is an unemployed college drop out with three great friends. When she starts to have visions from a past life, they give all the help they can. April believes that she is the reincarnation of a 1920's silent film extra called Silver. It is Silver's life she is seeing.
April is determined to find out about the earlier life she had and the love she lost. When she finds the man who appears to be her lost lover, April struggles to separate the two men. Unsure as to where her feelings are coming from, April follows where she thinks her heart is leading her. But is she just repeating past mistakes?...I enjoyed the idea of learning from your past self not just your past mistakes. April and her friends are a happy and loyal group, it is a pleasure to see people as close as these. I enjoyed the mixture of an unusual story line and the strength of her characters. Ms. Matthews has written a new and amazing story that takes historical romance into a new area.
Hollie
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
POSTCARD:
Would you like a signed picture postcard of Deja Vu Lover? As long as the supply lasts--so get your request in early. Send your name and US address to phoebebks@aol.com.
REVIEW:
From the start, Ms Matthews pulls you into a story that is interesting and well written. Her clever plotting makes the novel plausible and she develops interesting and exciting characters. I like the chemistry between April and her three friends who all play an important part throughout. Great natural dialogue helps to give the reader a real feel for the people and events.
Ms Matthews gives us two love stories, one through flashbacks from the 1920s and the other in the present. She does this successfully and keeps the reader guessing as to the outcomes of both and how they impact April’s decisions.
... This story is a little bit different in so much as it wasn’t clear to me from the beginning exactly who the hero was. The focus is on April and the impact of her previous life experience on her choices. It is about the consequences of those choices.
This is an original, memorable read.
Reviewed by Vasiliki Scurfield, BETWEEN THE LINES
http://blog.lyndacoker.net
REVIEW:
5 Wings from ClassicRomanceRevival
- I was gripped from the start by Deja Vu Lover by Phoebe Matthews, with its clever title, intriguing opening and immediate evocation of place. In this original historical-romance-time-slip, the narrator, April, is used to being classed as a bimbo, but she is far from that. April is a warm-hearted, sympathetic, scatty (she keeps forgetting her umbrella in rainy modern-day Seattle) and charming young woman whom I found very appealing. She is part of a foursome of friends: steady, dependable Macbeth, clever Cyd and charming Tom. She has an on-off relationship with Tom, but both of them are commitment-shy and worried about losing each other as friends if they attempt to become more ’serious’.
- I really enjoyed the fresh, snazzy dialogue between April and her three friends, and the author’s compassionate, insightful depiction of modern relationships between men and women. April meanwhile is disturbed by a vision she has of a two car accident where her three closest, dearest friends are hurt - and where she is driving one of the cars, although she cannot really drive. The visions - or are they flashbacks to a past life? - continue and increase. April lives in modern Seattle but keeps being catapulted back to California in the 1920s, where as Silver (real name Millie) she is an aspiring actress, madly in love with rising star Laurence.
- Faced with these visions, April and her friends do some searching in the library and online to find Laurence and Silver. On one of these searches, April finds another Laurence - a college professor called Graham Berkold who has Laurence’s smile and charm. April finds she cannot resist Graham and, much like Silver/Millie before her, she begins a sensual love affair. At first April is free of her disturbing flashbacks but then they resume with frightening intensity. And soon April is confused. Is she with Graham, or Laurence? Her two lives are starting to collide.
- Laurence and Graham also mirror each other. Laurence, she discovers, is married. So, too, she learns too late, is Graham. Both claim their wives are addicts. Then in another flashback, April learns that Laurence’s wife died and that rumours circulated that Laurence had a hand in her death. Will that history repeat itself in the present? Will Graham be involved in his wife’s death? Are Laurence and Graham to be trusted with Silver/Millie’s heart and April’s heart?
- Macbeth and Tom meanwhile keep looking in on April, checking she’s OK. Macbeth takes her in his car to teach her to drive. Tom, her on-off lover, goes with her to Minnesota to discover what happened in the end to Silver/Millie. The actress, it turns out, died young, in a car crash. Will that tragic history repeat itself in the present, with April?
- Déjà Vu Lover by Phoebe Matthews is a tender yet tough story, full of romantic twists and turns and a lovely, romantic ending. I found myself cheering April on and wishing her really well and happy - which, in the end, she is - and with the right man for her. I am looking forward to reading more of Phoebe Matthews’ books.
- Lindsay Townsend, Classic Romance Revival
