Review: A Time Apart by Rebecca N. Caudill

A Time Apart by Rebecca N. Caudill
Book One of The Macauley Series

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Olivia Donnelly has spent her whole life obsessing about how she will die. When tragedy strikes, reality comes crashing down and she’s forced to confront her fears head on. Hoping that a move across the globe will help her to cope with a devastating loss, she arrives in Ireland a broken down shell of a woman looking for a second chance at life. 

Almost immediately Olivia is drawn to places she’s never been, and to a man that she’s never met. When she crosses paths with the mysterious and frustratingly private William Macauley, her life is thrown into turmoil unlike any she has ever known. The two couldn’t be more different – she’s human, he’s a vampire – but Olivia can’t get him out of her mind. Having acknowledged her overwhelming desire for William, now she must come to terms with how her feelings for him will greatly alter her future. 

Olivia’s understanding of life – and death – take on new meaning as she examines the truth of the person she once was, the woman she was born to be, and how William is the key to her everlasting happiness.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a good start to the story... it feels almost like this is a serial and this was Episode 1. I look forward to where the author takes the series in the future.

So our main characters in this book are Olivia and William. Olivia tries to be a tortured heroine, but she is wealthy and had a good relationship with her mother, so I don't think her childhood was tragic enough to qualify her as a tortured heroine. Sadly, at the beginning of the story, she has lost both of her parents in a horrible accident and she is obsessed with dying. The first approximately 30% of the book is about Olivia and the present and her trip to Ireland to write a book. Olivia has crazy curly red hair, pale skin, freckles and green eyes... very much resembling myself!

The second approximately 30% of the book switches to William and is about both the past and the present. This was a bit confusing for me when we switched POVs abruptly. By the description of William's physical attributes, he is the delectably yummy David Gandy. The description was almost spot on perfect. And anytime I can visualize David Gandy as my main character (having smexytime with a female resembling myself) is a good day. William is also a vampire, and he did something heinous after being turned and has been living with the guilt for over 300 years. So he is quite broody in that aspect.

The last 40% of the book is about William and Olivia coming together in the present. Unfortunately, it felt like the book was on fast forward at this point. There was so much that happened so fast. I would have liked more detail or explanations, or something. William recognizes this is happening, as you can tell my his musing:

Looking back, William could see that it had been too easy for them to jump ahead in their relationship, bypassing the crucial points where normal men and women learned about one another and established common ground.

So the last part of the book culminates with a big event, and leaves us hanging for what is going to happen in the future. I will definitely keep reading because I imagine the future books will have a bit of action and adventure (and hopefully more details)!

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