REVIEW: Timeless by Michelle Madow

Name: Timeless

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: November 14, 2012

Pages: 230, Paperback

Source: eARC for review from author

Rating: 3 Teacups

IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME.
In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together. 
In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path. 
Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make things worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help.
Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began …

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

To be honest, Timeless, the last installment in this fun, time travelling romance saga, felt like a complete add-on story. It didn’t feel like it was connected quite correctly with book one. All of the characters were of course, the same, but the ending with Remembrance was fine; Timeless's plot felt like an extra story that wasn't necessary. There was a major change in topic in a way, as well. While the first book was solely focused on reincarnation and loosely based off of Taylor Swift's music video, Timeless was a completely different story. It was more like a murder mystery to me. Nonetheless, while the plot didn't make much sense, it was still entertaining and intriguing.

Another problem I had with Timeless was the shift in character. Chelsea, Lizzie's ex-best friend, becomes her worst enemy after what happened in book one. In book two (ish, more like a novella), the story is told from Chelsea's point of view, talking about her wrath and anger towards Lizzie. In Timeless, Chelsea changes dramatically in her role AGAIN. It made Vengeance (book two) seem utterly pointless. Why couldn’t she just stay as Lizzie's enemy? Or friend? CHOOSE A SIDE, CHELS.

The last main problem I had was the ending-- it didn't end too abruptly, but it was rather simple. Drew, Lizzie, and Chelsea are jumbled up in this big time-travelling mess and all too soon and easily, they solve the problem just by negotiation. I would have loved to see more action! I was left a little disappointed.

Despite all of the problems I had with Timeless, I still had fun reading it. I was never bored, and it kept me amused. I liked the happy ending, and it definitely leaves the reader with a smile on their face. I definitely have to thank Michelle for writing such a cute series inspired by Taylor!

3 Teacups for Timeless!

*Thanks to Michelle for providing me a copy for an honest review!*

Mini-REVIEW: Vengeance by Michelle Madow

Name: Vengeance

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: December 8, 2011

Pages: 66, Paperback

Source: For review from author

Rating: 3 Teacups

How far would you go to get revenge?
When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy. 
Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay? 
Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.
*Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.

[summary from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Being a relatively short story from Chelsea's-- Lizzie's best friend-- point of view, it was fun and interesting to see the story her way. I think that the overall plot was well-paced and while it was a little mediocre and not over-the-top-exciting, Vengeance was an adequate read that fits between the first and last installment in the Transcend Time series.

Aside from the competent plot line, I think that this story was entirely negative. Let me explain. Chelsea, as mentioned before, is Lizzie's best friend. I'm not going to spoil anything, but she is extremely angry with Lizzie, and basically, this entire story illustrated Chelsea as an unfaithful best friend, as well as cruel. All Chelsea wanted was to get back at Lizzie for what she did. It really downplayed Chelsea's character, and made me hate her more than I did before. However, I think that this was Madow's intention, so it's actually good that I hated her.

The story doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, but the reader definitely wants to know more by the end. In my opinion, I think that Vengeance is a completely necessary read, even it's a novella/short story. It would have been great if it was longer! In all, Vengeance was a satisfying read that wasn't too little, but wasn't too much, either.

3 Teacups for Vengeance!

*Thanks to Michelle Madow for providing me with a copy to review!*

REVIEW: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Name: Remembrance

Author: Michelle Madow

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: July 25,2011

Pages: 314, Paperback

Source: Received for review from author

Rating: 3.5 Teacups

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Being a huge Taylor Swift fan, I jumped at the chance to read a story that was inspired by her music video. I mean, how cool is that?! The plot sounded interesting, the cover was beautiful, and I'd just heard too many things about this book! That's a major MUST for me! I'm glad to say that it was definitely enjoyable, but unfortunately, there were those problems that definitely brought this book down a notch.

To start off with the enjoyable things, the book was really addicting, like really addicting. Maybe it was because of it's light, fluffy, easy nature, but I found myself speeding through this book because it was just pure fun to read about! I constantly wanted to know what happened next, even if it was a little predictable. Madow has a flowy way with words; the storyline was just very easy to get through! This was the main reason why I liked this book so much--YAY! However, the good stuff pretty much stopped there.

The concept of time-travel itself was really cool at first, but it kind of just fell off for awhile. Is the main genre of the book supposed to be time travel, or romance? The time travel was forgotten in the middle of the book. I was a little disappointed. Events started to get a little repetitive as the story progressed towards the middle, but it was still fun. Things just could have moved along a bit quicker!

The romance was also a little awkward-- awkward as in cliché. It wasn't TOO bad, but there was the whole "new guy moving into town, trying to stay away from the attractive/painfully mediocre girl, because it's dangerous" thing. I didn't mind it too much--I was still able to enjoy the story-- but it lacked a little bit of originality.

That being said, while Remembrance definitely had it's flaws, I'd say it's still a really entertaining read. I thoroughly adored it and will be continuing with the series! I can't wait to read more about this time-traveling romance. If you're in dire need of a cute, easy, romantic read, Remembrance would be a great pick!

3.5 Teacups for Remembrance!

*Thanks to Michelle Madow for providing me with a copy for review!*