On a lonely cliff beside the vast blue sea there is a house.In the house there lives a girl, and in the girl there lives a dream.Soon she’ll be as free as the fishes that swim beneath the water. But until then she bides her time and lives quietly, her every move ruled over by an uncaring, heartless stepmother.The hope for freedom is all she has to hold onto. So close she can almost taste it. But … she can almost taste it. But when her stepmother’s estranged younger brother comes to stay, he presents a mystery that lures her in.
The girl doesn’t understand that beneath the allure of the unknown sometimes all we find are horrors. And in searching for the truth, her heart is in danger of falling like a rock to the bottom of the deep dark sea.
Beyond the Sea is a standalone Gothic Romance set in modern times.
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“If I pit my demons against yours, will they obliterate each other so we can both finally be free?”
Styled as a modern gothic story, Beyond the Sea does not disappoint. One of my favourite books is Jane Eyre and for me, L.H. Cosway has produced a modern equivalent. Bold statement! But I stand by it. To be clear, Beyond the Sea, is not a retelling. It is just quintessentially gothic in its narrative, characters, setting and themes.
And I adored every minute of it.
Plan to spend the day reading this book because once you start, you won’t want to put it down. Addictive and enthralling, Beyond the Sea is told from heroine Estella’s point of view. Through Estella, Cosway takes the reader on a captivating journey of shattered innocence, alluring romance and revenge. Drawn to the contradiction of darkness and light she sees within the story’s hero, Noah, Estella is awakened to truths about the shadows that haunt her within his family’s home. More importantly, Noah challenges the darkness that cocoons Estella and dictates her every choice. Together they must fight the demons of the past if they have any hope of a future together.
With a dash of the ghostly supernatural, Beyond the Sea is romantic, atmospheric and utterly unforgettable. One of my top reads of 2020 and now a forever favourite.
Beyond the Sea is a modern gothic romance. Just what happened to the children within the walls of Ard na Mara is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; seeking an answer will keep you turning the pages, and thinking about the characters long after the mystery is solved and the book is finished.
LH Cosway has the ability produce a truly emotive story, without it being overly heavy. Beyond the Sea is intense, but not depressing. It is serious and sometimes heartbreakingly sad, but with moments of humour to stop it from becoming overwhelmingly bleak. Cosway’s signature lyrical style develops and maintains the sombre mood that is characteristic of the Gothic genre, but it is her characters that steal the show. The main cast of Beyond the Sea is so real on the page. The story proves that stereotypes only tell half the story: the wicked stepmother, Cinderella, the mysterious ‘bad boy’ brother, and the extremely sick and wheelchair-bound mother; these definitions are only surface level, there is so much more to discover.
To write any more may spoil the story, and it’s one that needs to keep its mysteries until they are naturally uncovered. I will say this though, because this is a make or break point for me in my reading, regardless of the trauma and heartbreak the characters endure, it is a wonderfully beautiful ending with a true HEA.
Beyond the Sea by LH Cosway is a beautifully well written modern romantic gothic that will probably not receive the recognition it so deserves. Do yourself a favour, grab a copy, but leave plenty of time to read it (as you won’t be able to put it down). You won’t be sorry.
I can’t recommend Beyond the Sea highly enough. It’s one of those books that just has to be experienced.
Dark secrets exposed so happiness can be found!
I have always loved gothic tales! My favorite reads often veer toward the gothic.
The moldering Victorian house overlooking the stormy Irish Sea, mysterious dreams that seem to speak of the echoes from past tragedy, mysterious, broody hero who confuses and fascinates our heroine. An unhappy present. The feeling that our heroine has that her father’s curse has passed on to her at his passing. A wicked stepmother. A frail, broken old lady who may not be quite the victim she seems.
Estella is merely biding her time under her step-mother’s roof until she finishes school so she can collect her inheritance from her late father.
So she is stuck living with Vee (stepmum) and Sylvia, Vee’s mother. She pities Sylvia because she is trapped in this house with the daughter who seems to hate her and she is suffering from late stage MS, so her body has trapped her there. Vee seems to hate her, but that is just one mystery in this dark home.
To her surprise, Vee has a younger brother who comes to stay with them. Noah brings more secrets to the party.
There are secrets all around Estella.
And Noah’s arrival starts the unravelling of the twisted web around this cursed family.
Loved, loved, loved!! We learn all the secrets this moldering home has been hiding.
Everything I had hoped it would be, like Miss Haversham in Great Expectations, or Wuthering Heights. Except this has a happy ending for our hero and heroine. So mayhap more like the Barbara Michaels or Phyllis Whitney or Mary Stewart novels I grew up reading, but with a modern twist.
Estella’s life is lonely. She longs for life after high school. Living with her stepmother who is nothing but nasty to her is slowly wearing on her. When her stepmother’s brother returns she meet the elusive and confusing Noah. These two have both suffered and need love.
This is a dark story but so worth the read!
5 “I’m Yours” stars!
Estella Shannon is an 18 yr. old girl living in a small coastal town in Ireland. She lost her dad a couple years ago, and was now at the mercy of her cruel stepmother who seems to find joy in her misery. She is in her senior year at an all girls school, and can’t wait till she graduates so she can finally be free to have the life she wants. She considers herself a good, kind person, and believes in the principles of right and wrong. Then she meets Noah Dylan, and he challenges her thoughts and makes her feel emotionally exposed and vulnerable.
Noah is the dark, sexy, mysterious brother of her stepmother that unexpectedly returns home to stir up trouble. He’s intense with questionable character, and is a complete wild card. She’s enthralled by his bizarre behavior, and can’t help being drawn to him. Time spent with Noah was always quite the experience, and exhilarating. Being in his presence was an alluring thrill where she existed in the moment. Even though she’s suspicious of his kindness, he soon gains her trust. She was leery of him, but also insanely attracted . Could she allow herself to have these feelings, and give in to temptation? He took her out of her comfort zone and made her feel alive. It was an all consuming once in a lifetime feeling that terrified her and made her secretly crave the danger and unpredictability that surrounded him. As they develop a bond and undeniable connection the shadows in his eyes begin to mirror her own. Will they be able to overcome the past to finally have the future they both deserve?
Beyond the Sea by L.H. Cosway is a alien burn, friends to lovers, Gothic Romance set in modern times. It resembles a Cinderella story, but with a complicated bad boy full of surprises. It’s another example of the unique worlds this amazing author creates. This book was original, captivating, and addictive. It’s an emotional unforgettable love story full of mystery, suspense, chemistry, vengeance, mischief, secrets, and supernatural moments. It’s about the light and dark, good and evil, and the journey to happiness.
Wow – this is a compelling novel. It’s a little different from what we have seen from LH Cosway in the past, a little darker and grittier, but it is so well-written and emotional.
Estella is living sort of as a modern-day Cinderella, but more of the Grimm’s fairytales type than the Disney type. She is 18, living with a wicked, alcoholic stepmother that mistreats her. Her father loved her deeply and was loved, but that love died along with him. She lives in darkness – no love, no hope, nightmares and mistreatment. But her faith and her religion help her make it through.
Noah is her stepmother’s younger brother. He is dark, mysterious, and Estella is drawn to him to help him find light and get them both out of the darkness that mires them down.
Angst abounds in this book, and along the road that they travel, Estella gets stronger and more confident, and Noah comes out the other end definitely transformed.
This is much different from your typical LH Cosway books. Much different, but an engaging and consuming story.
Wow! LH Cosway never fails to deliver something new and fresh! I never know what I’m going to get when I jump in! This slow burn romance was filled with the dark but she managed to maintain her usual humor with the characters. Loved it!
LH Cosway surprised me once again with this PERFECT GOTHIC ROMANCE.
BEYOND THE SEA is a suspenseful, thrilling and poetic story, with mysterious elements. We read it with a constant feeling of anxiety, each word evoking an atmosphere of horror and dread.
Estella, our heroine, lives in an old house named ARD NO MARA. A “victorian residence sat close to the precipice of a cliff on the east coast, overlooking the vast Irish sea”. An old house inspiring feelings of uneasiness and CREEPINESS, with horrific legends and maybe some ghosts haunting its walls… The characters seem trapped in it. It perfectly sets the scene for a thrilling and frightening story.
ESTELLA is a VIRTUOUS and pure young woman, studying in a convent school with nuns. She’s 18, an orphan, living with a CANTANKEROUS STEPMOTHER (Vee) and her mother (an old and sick woman) in their family residence.
Like a modern Cinderella Estella is mistreated and has to obey. She’s not happy and has frequent nightmares and visions, as if a ghost was haunting her spirit.
NOAH (Vee’s little brother) appears from nowhere. He’s in his twenties, cynical, witty, MYSTERIOUS, DARK, a tortured soul… He never really answers questions, he has a lot of SECRETS and sees himself as a demon, the creation of evil deeds. He’s kind of an antihero but it’s impossible to hate him. He’s generous and patient and sometimes charming with our heroine. He’s oddly nicer with his cold and bitter sister than with their poor mother. He’s nice but also threatening with the inhabitants of the town, they seem to like him and dread him too. We wonder who’s the real villain of this disturbing tale…
It’s hard to understand Noah, he has so many secrets and we don’t have his pov so it’s really frustrating. Estella doesn’t know what to think about him. She’s attracted to him, an innocent angel feeling lust for a demon. She attempts to figure out what is right for her heart.
Near the end we have the revelations we desperately waited for… And they are… really surprising and atrocious, it broke my heart and i cried so much. And i admire even more LH Cosway for this beautifully orchestrated twist.
BEYOND THE SEA is a story of beliefs, of curses, of revenge, of lies and of Love.
Like the old house, the world where Estella lives is rotten, haunted by the past and dark secrets, full of cruel people.
The author delivers high level emotions such as anger, sorrow, terror and an intense and powerful love.
LOVE between Estella and Noah blooms slowly through the pages. They try to resist it, but this kind of pure love is stronger than beliefs and fears. They are two angels deserving their HEA.
Their love is their reward, their miracle, their salvation.
Gothic romances in general are an interesting read for me but it’s highly unlikely that I would pick one because they’re my cup of tea. But if they’re interesting enough I would read one because I’m a bookworm and very rarely pass on reading a book especially if it’s written by one of my favorite authors. So enter L.H. Cosway’s Beyond the Sea, and yes I wanted to read it. There are several things that didn’t really appeal to me, for one the lead character is Estella (I love the name) is living with her stepmother who basically mistreats her but she has to stay until she finishes high school and gets her inheritance from her departed dad. I don’t really like the wicked stepmother trope but its not a deal breaker because as I read further, you actually get a sense that there’s more to her stepmother’s bad behaviour. Now Estella and Vee(wicked stepmom) plus Vee’s mom all live together in an old, Victorian house by the sea. Enter Noah, who happens to be Vee’s very much younger brother who also has that dark, dangerous and charming air about him. Enough to both repel and attract our heroine, classic gothic romance! But again there’s more to Noah than what is obvious. As you continue reading, the attraction between the two develops despite the fact that Noah could by a psychopath which basically give Estella headaches because there is no logic to this attraction! This book doesn’t just give us an unlikely romance, Beyond the Sea also gives us a family mystery that needs solving and a possible ghost within the house itself. Trust me, it looks and feels like the usual Gothic Romances but L.H.Cosway adds something extra to it, keeping a reader guessing what is the real story behind this family and is there really a ghost behind Estella’s dreams.
FIRST GOTHIC ROMANCE EVER & I AM 100% IN LOVE!!
Beyond the Sea is what I could only imagine as the perfect modern-day gothic romance. This story was everything and MORE!
Estella is 18 years old, innocent and kind but has been dealt an awful hand in life especially at such a young age. Her mother died when she was a baby, her father died a couple years ago and now she is trapped in a house with her wicked stepmother trying to hold out just long enough to escape for college. Haunted by dreams that seem to come not only when she is asleep but also when she is awake. Estella does not know how much more she can handle but all that changes when her stepmother’s brother comes to town after being gone more than a decade.
BEYOND THE SEA is a Modern Gothic Romance. I have not read one in a while, but enjoyed reading this one. It takes place in a centuries old house that surely is cursed. It sits on a lonely cliff beside a vast blue sea. The story is about a lonely and sad girl who lives in this house with her wicked stepmother and this woman’s old and sick own mother. Estella has horrid nightmares about living there, but dreams of leaving and never returning. But when the stepmother’s estranged younger brother comes to stay, the girl named Estella has her world completely changed.
The much younger brother is named Noah. He is twenty-five to her soon to be nineteen. He is the most handsome man that Estella has ever seen. She knows he is forbidden, but he has made it crystal clear he is not her uncle and never will be her uncle. There is an attraction between these two that is hard to deny. He is a bad boy and surrounded in mystery. She is warned to stay away from him. Too bad what the heart wants just doesn’t care. When they met, the demons in his eyes recognized the demons in hers. If they pit ones demons against the others, will they finally be free. There are horrors and evil mysteries in that house that will try to tear them apart.
Outstanding Story & Listen Beautifully Haunting!
Beyond the Sea
A Modern Gothic Romance
By: L.H. Cosway
Narrated by: Shelley Atkinson
Consider me wowed, this is one powerful, mind-blowing story that captivated my mind to the point where I could not tear myself away from it. The story is original and unique, it is beautifully written with interesting and compelling storylines. It is a step away from my usual genres but I loved every minute of it. The characters are complex and well developed, they are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. I adored the lead character, Estella, an eighteen year old girl, losing her Dad in an accident when she was sixteen she is left living with her not so nice stepmother, Veronica aka Vee. Her life resembles Cinderella’s without the sinister stepsisters or the Prince Charming. Estella is set to inherit some of her fathers money when she finishes school so she is just biding her time and has plans to leave and live her life. Veronica’s mother also lives in the house, she is wheelchair bound and needs constant care. A big part of the story is the house, it was Veronica’s family home, an old seaside Victorian, I’d like to say there was a charm about the house but it was quite the contrary and Estella could feel it, there is an eeriness lurking within the walls. Estelle is thrown for a loop when Vee’s mysterious younger brother, Noah, shows up. She does not know what to think but she is intrigued by him, heck I did not know what to make of him either. L.H. Cosway keeps you wondering, she brings you to the edge of your seat at times and you’ll feel goosebumps on your skin as well as a chill up your spine. The story is cleverly plotted and there is never a dull moment, there is plenty of drama, a bit of angst, mystery, some mind blowing twists and turns that you never see coming, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt and heart-wrenching moments and a surprising and unlikely romance. I can not praise this book enough, it is a hauntingly beautiful story and I would recommend to anyone who loves great books, this is definitely one of them. L.H. Cosway, thank you for this amazing story, the journey and the emotional rollercoaster ride, I loved every minute of it and every word.
I listened to the Audible edition, Shelley Atkinson is a fabulous narrator and voice artist. She brings the characters to life, gives each their own voice and personality. She does a great job portraying each character, capturing their persona and humanizing them with their emotions which can be heard in her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this great listen
I will just start off, as I am sure I have started off other reviews, by saying I love LH Cosway. She has a way with words and characters that I just connect with. This story is unlike any other book this author has released and also happens to be my first Gothic romance. I loved reading about these terrible and complex characters. Not everyone was awful though. Estella, the heroine, was sweet and really grew into herself as the story went on. But honestly, the terrible characters were my favorite. I loved reading about them and how they became who they were now. There were a couple surprises that I guessed early on, but this did not detract from the story for me. As always, LH Cosway tells a unique and interesting story – this one filled with suspense, romance, death, love, and some truly terrible families.
With certain authors come certain expectations; sometimes they live up to it, and at times, they don’t. In the case of L.H. Cosway, I’ve come to expect a level of creativity and originality that I crave in a genre that’s teeming with new reads every single day. Her newest release, Beyond the Sea (which had the song by the same title playing in my head as I began reading this), is touted as a modern Gothic romance, and by God, that was exactly what I got and then some. I confess that I was a wee bit wary because I’d read another book a couple or so months ago that had the same dark feel, and it was also penned by a go-to author, but it disappointingly fell short, leaving me wondering if I’d mixed up the author with someone else. Thankfully, Cosway offered up something new and I reaped the rewards, relishing every turn of the page as I was further drawn in by the story of Estella Shannon and Noah Dylan. In a world where good romances are commonplace, extraordinary ones like Beyond the Sea deserve to be relished and revered. Five-plus stars!
5 stars!
After her father’s passing, Estella is left with her cruel stepmother and living the life of a modern day Cinderella. She has hopes of leaving but she must finish school first if she wants access to the inheritance she’s been promised. Until then, she’s biding her time and doing what is asked of her. However, when her stepmother’s younger brother comes for a visi, things start to change. Nobody could have known the affect Estella and Noah would have on each other, least of all them.
“I planned for everything, but I didn’t plan for you.”
I was blown away by this book. It drew me in and before I knew it, I was completely hooked. It’s different than what I expected from this author and I loved this change of pace. The whole story is so well done. The emotion is powerful, the plot is original, and the love is believable. The characters made me feel so much and I was invested in them and their romance. Honestly, it consumed me and it still has me in its clutches.
Estella is a such a good girl but even she isn’t perfect and her imperfections make her a believable character. She tries to be the best she can, holding on to her strong faith but she still has darkness that seeps in. She is trying to make it to the end of school and is merely existing. It’s not until Noah enters her life that she really starts living. There is something about him that draws her in. He is mysterious, intriguing, and makes her think in new ways. He is the black sheep of the family and has his reasons for being back, but he doesn’t expect Estella and she has a greater impact on him then he could have imagined.
Noah and Estella have a connection and I felt if from their first meeting. There is a push and pull that is believable and the tension crackles around them when they are together. Even when they try to stay away from each other, they can’t seem to do it.
“I was an outlier. Something he hadn’t planned for.
Despite this separation, the tension mounted between us. Each day it thickened and evolved. Whenever we were in the same room, there were so many words left unspoken. I felt them drift on the air, like little ticking time bombs waiting to explode.”
Even with all of the tension, chemistry, and attraction between them, it is a slow burn romance. Estella and Noah take their time and let their friendship grow so that when they actually come together, it’s beautiful and solid. Yet, they have much to face and it is heartbreaking. The emotion pulled at my heart and I hurt for them. I felt their pain and tragedy and just wanted to take it all away.
“If I pit my demons against yours, will they obliterate each other so we can both finally be free?”
Both Estella and Noah are well developed characters. They are complicated and emotional making them endearing, relatable, and real. They challenge each other and I love that their differences don’t break their connection. They accept each other no matter what and that they don’t give up on each other.
It’s not just Estella and Noah that made this story so good, it’s everything. There are all kinds of surprises and nothing is as it seems. The minute you think you figured something out, something new develops and you are left questing everything again. You realize there is always more than one side to every story. Good guys and bad guys, and everyone in between play a role and your jaw will drop with certain discoveries.
There’s more darkness than light in this story, and I like the depth that’s shown in the characters as well as the plot and flow of the book. The pacing is done in a way that lets the anticipation of what is to come grow. It’s mysterious and captivating, I was desperate to discover the truths and I couldn’t put it down. I had my theories and though some of them were right, I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. The epilogue is the perfect ending to the story and a much needed happily-ever-after for these two wonderful characters.
“You’re not a mistake. You could never be a mistake because you’re mine. We were always meant to find each other.”
Overall, Beyond the Sea is a tragic but beautiful love story of two broken souls who find each other when they least expect it. It pulled at my heartstrings and still hasn’t let me go. I loved it!!
I don’t have much experience in the gothic romance stories, but I am a big fan of LH Cosway and decided to give this a shot and I’m so glad I did, because once I started reading this book I found it incredibly hard to put down.
The story has a bit of Cinderella feel to it, with Estella stuck living with her not so warm and inviting and caring stepmother Vee, along with Vee’s mother Sylvia (who herself has debilitating health issues). Estella is shocked to learn that Vee has a younger brother Noah, who is coming to stay at the (crumbling and moldering) family manse.
As much as I enjoyed the chemistry between Estella and Noah, I also wanted to know all about the secrets that were slowly being revealed: why did Vee seemingly hate Estella so much? Was the house cursed? Or is it the family who’s cursed? And then there are the secrets that Noah brings along, like a beloved yet worn blanket.
The world building is fantastic, it’s easy to visualize the crumbling Victorian home, the blatant apathy radiating from Vee’s pores, especially towards both Estella and her own mother, the mystery behind Noah’s appearance, and the connection that formed between Noah and Estella. A well written novel, one I most definitely recommend and I hope that LH Cosway decides to write more gothic novels down the road at some point.
I loved this book! When I first heard that LH Cosway was writing a modern gothic romance, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this book was a wonderful read, with fascinating characters, and a great story line.
What a story!
Not every fairytale is of the happy kind.
Estella lived with her wicked stepmother for years, longing to the day she would be able to leave for good.
But what she didn’t know was all the lies swirling around her.
She had a ticket to her freedom, until Noah showed up and turned her life upside down.
Beyond the sea is a dark story – a painful story, but still I want more.
I want Noah’s POV (even if it would break me to read it)
LH Cosway is a wonderful storyteller! I was drawn in from page one and found myself unable to put the book down.
The characters were interesting and mysterious and the story atmospheric and engaging. The book is entirely from Estella’s point of view which added to the tension as the plot played out and motivations are revealed and twists uncovered.
Beyond the Sea is different than most of the books I read, but it was so well done I loved every minute of reading it.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.
This book is amazing! It is a modern gothic romance that gave me the same feelings/mood of some of the great gothic novels of past centuries. I loved Estella and Noah! My heart broke for them and Vee, My goodness what they went through. The descriptions were amazing and really let me sink right in with the atmosphere and absorb all the emotions. This book has everything from loss, despair, and loneliness to love, acceptance, and forgiveness. The intrigue really grabs you from the start. The ending is so perfect and is exactly what needed to happen. The writing is wonderful and something I will read again and again. I was given the opportunity to read a copy of this book.