Some lives end unfinished, and some transcend time. After a horrific incident, Swayze finds herself trapped between two lives. Patchy memories and fear for her own safety thrust her into a gut-wrenching journey to uncover the truth. Will she let her dreams slip away to seek retribution and find the missing pieces to a puzzle that existed a lifetime ago? “I’m not going to watch you self-destruct. … to watch you self-destruct. I’m not going to watch you fall in love with another man.”
Or will she discover the only truth that matters?
Epoch pushes the boundaries of what we believe and what we know. It redefines fate and proves that the only thing separating the heart and the soul is an infinite timeline.
“I think a part of you will be mine to love in every life.”
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The second book in this duet was amazing and confirmed for me that Jewel is one of my favourite, instant-one-click authors! You will love this duet!
Okay, so it’s been 3 days since I finished reading Epoch and I still don’t think I’ll be able to review this book and give Jewel the honor and respect she deserves, but I’m going to try…this is my 100+ star review:
“What if the connection we have transcends time?” “I think a part of you will be mine to love in every life.” “I don’t need you to love me back …. in this lifetime.”
What a beautifully written book! Transcend and Epoch take you on an awe-inspiring journey of emotions and “feels.” There are no words to express the love I have for Jewel and her gift of putting words on a page that evoke such a myriad of emotions. She touches my soul and breaks my heart and makes me feel emotions that I didn’t even know existed. She shatters me and crushes me in the best possible way and then makes my smile and cry the happiest of tears! I’m so very grateful and thankful that I live in a time where I can experience this awesome woman’s gift!
Dare I say this is her best work ever?! I’m not sure, because I’ve said that after reading every single one of her books and I’ve read them all. Her storylines, her characters that burrow deep within your heart and soul, the emotions she drags out of you – she blows my mind every.single.time! Griff, Swayze and Nate’s characters will remain in my heart forever – I honestly can’t remember feeling so connected to characters as I am to these 3 souls. It makes you believe in fate, in love, in the belief that there is a reason and a season for everything and everything works out for the best. I woke up in the middle of the night for the past 3 nights thinking about them! What does that say?! Talk about a book hangover – I’ve never had one like this before!
“But my heart….it never let you go.”
I’m not giving anything away about the storyline for one reason and one reason only – YOU MUST READ this duet! Please don’t read the spoilers and go into these books with no pre-conceived notions, and plan to read them in one sitting. Everyone must read this woman’s work! Do yourself a favor and buy Jewel’s books – all of them – and prepare yourself to be moved like you’ve never been moved before. Thank you Jewel for touching my heart and moving me to tears…..again!
Just when I think Jewel E. Ann cannot make me love her anymore than I do, she writes a duet that will probably live in my heart for years to come.
I’m an emotional person by nature, like I cry at commercials. I’ve cried reading books before, but not as much as I did reading Epoch. Before you continue reading this review, if you haven’t read Transcend, you really should not be reading this review or Epoch.
How Transcend set the storyline and all the pieces, Epoch will eviscerate you, will question everything, when you think you know, you really don’t know shit. Even now as I am trying to formulate a coherent review, my tears a still flowing down my face.
I started Epoch late Thursday night, I was at 40% on Friday when I was told I should really be at home to read the rest. The first 40% was pretty difficult so I heeded the warning. Since Friday was Good Friday, I decided to give my heart and eyes a rest. Saturday came, and I decided to read a rom/com before I would pick up Epoch. I started reading and kept finding myself putting it down everytime tears started to flow. I was so upset. Again, picked up my Ipad read a few more chapters, again, tears were flowing. Wash, rinse, repeat. At 70% I couldn’t read anymore, my heart and my emotions truly could not handle the words. They were just so powerful, haunting, heartbreaking, you name it, I felt them.
On this Easter Sunday at 6 a.m. this morning, I told myself I was going to finish Epoch even if it killed me emotionally. As mentioned above, I’m a crier, I big enough to admit that I wear my emotions. I do NOT have a poker face. Jewel E. Ann has officially broken me in the best possible way. I want to shout through the rooftops about her stellar writing. If you have read a Jewel E. Ann book, you know she has a way to bring lots of funny, yet thought provoking moments, sexy times galore. While Transcend was the WTH, Epoch was the WTF and Holy Shit what is she doing to me? If you love angst and having your heart rip out of you, then please read this duet because it will do all of that and then some.
You see how vague this review is becoming? I have to keep it vague, you need to experience it for yourself and read both books with an open mind because I am sure there will be some people that won’t get it and that’s fine. We all don’t read the same thing or get the same message.
Thank you Jewel for doing it yet again lady. I am in awe of you. You pulled off an epic duet with Transcend and Epoch (you see what I did there?). What I will advise to anyone wanting to read this is that you do it at the comfort of your home. I don’t want you to blame me when you’re at work or commuting home and you start the ugly cry.
I don’t think I can review this book because my emotions are so RAW!!
Just know that this duo is one of those books that you will love forever!! It will be a top read and I can’t do this review any justice cuz I don’t want to give spoilers…
Talk about wanting to give a book bazillion stars!!!
LOVE your words Jewel E. Ann!!
What If…
I started reading Epoch with a very sketchy thought.. honestly I totally forgotton the whole story Transcend for a second.. Each chapters went through like pages of personal diary.. YES, the emotions are raw beyond gritting, my heart is so swollen hard with the possibility of thousand stabbing.. I cant take it.. I cried of hurt and pain..
Do you believe in Reincarnation? I do, when you wonder what kind of life that you had before.. I thought of Swayze journey, it wasnt happened jusr like that.. its somehow entwined so complicated between her, a grocery guy and an anatomy professor..
Epoch is the definition of selfless love… the reason for letting go.. wasnt because out of love but to be happy again..
Jewel, your duet was beyond my expectation.. Transcend and Epoch were a journey of re discovery… I cried, scream out of frustration, loathed… and consuming love.. You are the master of word manipulation.. My love for your words.. your story had fooled, love, deny, cherish, hope and faith.. No soul ever vanished forever.. certainly not with Swayze..
ONE BILLION STARS!!!
Epoch = Epic That is all. Okay, that’s not really all, but that’s all you really need to know. Really.
But let’s get down to the nitty gritty, shall we. When I finished Transcend I was left on edge, like pretty much everyone else who’s read it. I was so anxious about what was to come that I swore I was going to go right to the end of Epoch as soon as it hit my Kindle, because I *needed* answers, and I needed them ASAP. But I am pleased to announce that is not what I did! I was able to control the urge to skip ahead, and I read the conclusion to Swayze’s story without spoiling it for myself. You’ll notice I said Swayze’s story, with no mention of Nate or Griffin. Even though those 2 are an integral part of what made Transcend and Epoch one of the most amazing, unique, and intriguing duets I’ve ever read, it really was Swayze’s story. And what a story! I loved every single heart-wrenching, stomach-clenching, tear-inducing page of it. And I’m going to be reading it again, and again, and again.
I am so in love with this book, with these characters, and with this story. So in love. I had theories and ideas after finishing Transcend, about what I thought was going to happen, what I wanted to happen in this book. And Ms. Ann took those theories and ideas and threw them right out the window. She took everything I thought I wanted and made it even better, made it even more than I could have ever imagined. She took Swayze, Griffin, and Nate, (and me!), on one hell of a roller coaster ride of emotions and feelings. It’s one I still don’t think I’ve come down from, 3 days later.
I just want to gush over this book, but some of the things I want to wax poetically about would be spoilery, so I will refrain. And when I say “wax poetically” I really mean freak out and rave and babble on incoherently. Because that’s just what Epoch has reduced me to- a stuttering, blubbering mess of feels. I want to talk about how my heart was lodged in my throat. How there were times I needed someone to hold me. How I had to set my Kindle down and walk away. How I thought my heart was going to burst with happiness. How completely and utterly captivated, enthralled, and totally mesmerized I was by the story Ms. Ann weaved. I want to shout it from the rooftops for everyone to read this duet. Everyone needs to experience this experience. I’ve never read anything like this before, and I don’t think I ever will. Swayze, Nate, and Griffin will forever be in my heart.
Where do I begin, but to say I was so enthralled from the very first chapter of Epoch that I had to pace myself. I wanted to absorb every word and make thoughtful notes for my review so that I could attempt to convey everything about this book and duet. But my words could never begin to describe the awesomeness of this story or its characters. How do you put into words a book that captures you and doesn’t let go, characters that feel absolutely real and emotions that are so deep they are off the charts? I can’t really. My vocabulary is small and this story is huge. I have never highlighted a book so much. It’s a testament to the powerful writing. It’s so much more than a love story. And that’s saying something because the love story is epic. I loved the angst without the drama. I don’t write that lightly. It’s not a comfortable place for me, but I’ll gladly go there with the sweet anticipation of the reward that’s on the other side. As I sit here with tears in my eyes, a tight chest and a smile that can’t be contained my final words are these: this isn’t just a story to be read, it is an experience I’ll never forget.
5 stars just aren’t enough for, what may be for me, my favorite Jewel E. Ann work to date. I was like Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after finishing Transcend, internally whining to myself like a petulant child impatiently waiting for Epoch. The story is one I haven’t read before and one I won’t soon forget. I found my self highlighting so many of JEA’s words, she makes you think outside the box, pushing your emotional buttons…and boy is it a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved Swayze, she is one tough bird, She made me smile, sometimes she frustrated me…but she had this internal need to know the details, so that made things ok for me, and I ached for her…like my emotions were so out of whack my head hurt and my eyes were red and swollen. Griffin, the Grocery Store Man, he was close to man perfection..I just loved him…then I hurt for him. And Nate…ugh…this guy has been through a lot…losing his best friend as a teenager, then a widower with a baby…and finding his BFF Daisy living in Swayze…I am not sure I have fully recovered, it’s been 24 hours and I am still thinking about this book…A top favorite of this year and an all around favorite for me.
It’s almost been 24 hours since I finished Epoch and I’m still finding it hard to put it into words what’ve just read and experienced. Still in awe and I’m going to try to explain this state I’m in emotionally cause reading Transcend and afterwards Epoch was pulling out emotions I didn’t expect. Epoch was pretty spectacular. Out of this world.
I simply loved and adored Swayze, Griffin and Nate. That’s it. These characters had my heart and support in Transcend and I held on for dear life and cheered them on in Epoch with all I had. I was emotional invested in all three of them. They had embedded themselves in my heart. The situation they were in was unimaginable and so were the choices they all faced. Nate and Griffin are two men that love. Omg do they love. It’s intense and it’s everything. The same can be said about Swayze. She loves so fiercely and wants to do the right thing given her circumstances. They’re the most difficult choices of her life.
The roller coaster ride Jewel E. Ann took me on was indescribable. Tears, snot and a heart that hurt. That was pretty much how I felt throughout most of Epoch. It was excruciating at times but all worth it cause Jewel E. Ann owned me. With her brilliant and unique storyline and mesmerizing prose she owned me. I knew and anticipated that Ann would test me and she did. Her storytelling is brave and captivating. She ventures into topics I usually don’t give a second thought and turns it into magic. She had me spellbound. All I can say get ready to be blown away by Epoch. It’s so much more than EPIC.
5 BadAssDirtyMoreThanEpicStars
5 +++ Stars!!
After the ending in Transcend (Transcend Duet #1), I didn’t know what to expect when reading Epoch. I went in with an open mind and trusted the author to tell the story the way she saw it. Not the way that readers wanted.
Now that I’m finished, Epoch was written perfectly!
Jewel E. Ann wove a story as beautiful as Swayze handled the life that was given to her. She didn’t freak out over what was happening. She investigated her feeling. She rolled with the Highs and kicked the Lows. But not once did she give up on finding her true happiness.
Not going to say it was smooth sailing for anyone involved in the story. Not going to say that lines weren’t crossed. Not going to say that my heart felt like it was going to explode. Not going to say that tears won’t be shed.
What I will say though, this is not a typical cookie cutter romance book. It will have you second guessing a lot of things you were raised believing.
But in the end, you will find peace in knowing that in life, everyone will find their true love. It might not be the one you are pinning for but that true love is out there!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
I’m at a loss for words on this one. The magnitude of amazingness encapsulated within the pages of this one, I’m speechless. But I’ll try…..
REVIEW: 5 Unforgiving Stars
“Don’t lose yourself in search of her.”
Me: “Oh, hey there.”
*pats bench*
Me: “Come sit down with me”
*grabs hand* *stares down at hands* *rubs hands slowly*
Me: “I need to let you know….”
*slowly makes eye contact*
Me: “YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS BOOK IN ONE PIECE.”
“I know, I know….shhh. Shhhh, calm down.”
*pulls head to shoulder/rubs hair*
I didn’t believe this book would affect me quite like this. I know. It doesn’t make sense, right? I mean, this is Jewel E Ann. She writes these epically charged romances that leave you reeling while you’re trying to find your footing, but she makes you hold on tight and then puts you back together. You may have some pieces of your heart tragically repositioned, but I can promise you one thing: YOU WILL NOT COME AWAY UNSCATHED. This one was definitely the angstiest book I have ever read. And one of the most painful.
I just feel like, I dunno….I need to prepare you. I did not survive this book in one piece. I physically ached while reading this one. And, believe it or not, I was ill while reading this one as well. My stomach was in knots and I couldn’t calm down. The pacing. The shaking. The breathing. It was all sketch. The emotional turmoil that I felt while watching this story unfold was unlike anything I have ever felt before. Because it wasn’t just emotional. It was the physical side of it, it was mental aspect of it; it was soul altering in every way. What I mean when I say that is, I felt this book. I tasted the raw grittiness that she gave us while telling Nate, Griffin, and Swayze’s story. But there was more to it. This wasn’t just a triangle. Nope. This was, in all essences, a true quadrangle. There was so much more going on; each element had it’s own arc in the storyline. And adding all of these differing, but completely connected emotions and characters and nuances to tell this addictive story? It had to be exhausting for Jewel!
“Remember when you were mine?”
The pain felt by all persons involved was palpable. I felt all this as if I was going through all the pain she was living. Swayze was living this pain. I felt the confusion and the fear, the questions and the unknown closing in on me as well. The what-ifs. The why-nots. This was a tough read. If you think about it, there was absolutely NO easy way out of this situation. Not one avenue was easy. One person, at the minimum, was going to be hurt. The predicament causes the pain. Not the misdirected emotions. There is only truth in love. No discrepancies are allowed or accounted for there.
This was a full-bodied exercise in FATE….granted, an otherworldly fate, but fate nonetheless doing it’s job. Not always does a story turn out the way we wanted or thought it would, but the fact that you know the author will take you on this heartbreaking journey and you just know you can trust them with your heart implicitly? Yeah, that says something. Jewel is that one. Jewel is one of a few. Jewel always affects me. Always.
I wish I could read this all over again for the first time…..to feel this one for the first time. I’ve never read this much angst. Ever. When I felt so invested in each character indivisible, and as a couple, I didn’t know how far I would actually make it given all the ups and downs of this one. I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same again after this book. It reached deep down inside, into my soul…..it dug out the pain, slowly and methodically. It broke me.
I will say this: I don’t know if I’m heartbroken because of how it ended…..or simply because it ended. What am I supposed to do with myself now?
“Don’t steal anything from the past or borrow anything from the future.”
~BEE
Wow, it was beautiful and heartbreaking and I love it! Eh… such an amazing journey and I’m honestly speechless right now…
Epoch
Jewel E Ann
Reviews on goodreads. Amazon. The book addicts.
I need a switch to cut my brain off !! I stayed up way to late because my brain just would not cut off !! First I had to know what the H happened and second when I knew I couldn’t stop thinking about it !!! This book took me for a ride !!! So many emotions and back and forths.. it kept me wanting more till the end !! A fabulous work !!!
That ending !!! Eeeekkkk like for real my mouth was hanging open! Eyes bugged out !! It’s soooo good!!!
You continue to blow my mind with the greatness you write !!
Omg! This duet killed me. I loved everything about it! Even the angst that had me holding my breath! It was an amazing story that held me still for 2 days! The idea of fate and reincarnation made this tale something everyone wants. Even if you don’t believe in that. I loved it!
I loved the concept of soul mates in this story.
I’m going to struggle to write the review that this book deserves. If I could give a bigger rating than five stars for this book I would. Two qualities I love when I read a book is to feel all the emotions and to not predict where the story is heading. This book ticked both boxes in abundance.
Epoch is the second of the two books in this duet and you must read Transcend first. Transcend had me hooked from the very first page and I loved story line… it was very thought-provoking and so different to anything I have read previously. Epoch continues where Transcend ends, telling us about the unimaginable lives of Nate, Swayze and Griffin but for me the emotions in this book stepped up a notch and I felt them so fiercely, that they actually broke me.
This duet is the first work I have read by this author and won’t be the last. I felt she had the most amazing way of writing this incredible story. The feeling of angst lasted throughout each and every page. The story had so many paths that it could have taken and I could never work out which way it was going to go. The one time I thought yes this is it, I had it wrong. There was one point in the book when Jewel E Ann grabbed my heart right out of my chest and didn’t give me it back. I cried buckets of tears and even hours after finishing this book, I know my eyes still show what I went through.
I have two pieces of advice – First of all please read this amazing duet, you won’t be disappointed. Secondly go in blind, don’t read spoilers, as I would love you to experience this outstanding story as I did… not knowing a thing about it.
I couldn’t put It Down! I was so invested in Nate, Swayze, Daisy and Griffin. My heart ached for each one of them along the way. The fate, the longing, the heartbreak. It’s all there messing with your emotions! I was happy how their story came to a close.
Adored this book. The characters stayed with me long after I read the final page. Highly recommend. This duet had my heart in pieces.
I think this is my favorite duet this year. I’m giving it a standing ovation along with an epic slow clap. Seriously, I can’t get over the whole storyline. I loved everything about this duet. I didn’t care that I was frustrated at times because I didn’t know what what was going to happen but it was so worth the wait. I was at the edge of my seat till the end. Gah, the roller coaster of emotions with this one. I just can’t get over it. Hands down a must read!
Epoch is the fantastic conclusion of the Transcend duet. As Swayze’s emotional journey to find the answers from the past continues, her relationship with Griff and Nate is fraught and heartbreaking in this hauntingly beautiful story of love, loss and friendship. I loved it so much and I highly recommend! Books 1 & 2 are a duet follow on whereas book 3 is set a few years after.