Blog Tour: Under the Same Sky by Genevieve Graham (Review)

Genre:	Historical Romance, Paranormal
Publication.Date	January 3rd 2012
Pages:	336
Published By:	Berkley Trade   |
Website	Genevieve Graham |
	Under the Same Sky - Goodreads
My review copy:	Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Where to get:	Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Chapters

     The year is 1746. A young woman from South Carolina and a Scottish Highlander share an intimacy and devotion beyond their understanding.

They’ve known each other their entire lives.
They live a half-world apart.

And they have never met…

      Maggie Johnson has been gifted with “the Sight” ever since she was a child. Her dreams bring her visions of the future and of a presence she knows is not a figment of her imagination. She calls him Wolf, having watched him grow from a careless young boy into a fearsome warrior, and she trusts him with her life and her heart.

      Andrew MacDonnell is fascinated by the woman who has visited him in his dreams for as long as he can remember, entranced by her beauty, knowing deep in his soul that she is as real as he. Although he doesn’t know who she is, Andrew believes that destiny will bring them together.

     When tragedy and war strike their homelands, both Maggie and Andrew suffer indescribable losses. Separated across an ocean, the bond they share nevertheless grows as they sense each other’s pain, lend each other strength, and embark on a journey of the spirit to find and love one another at long last… 
(Author's website)

Close enough that our minds were like one, far enough that we never felt each other's touch. We were what we had always been.

 Now I lived among the people, I had always been told were savages. The people who, it had been said, killed without mercy and conversed with dead. I should have been afraid.
Instead, i felt envious.

  Andrew belonged, body and soul, to the girl from his dreams. He was hers and she was his, whether they ever touched or not.

   

     Under the Same Sky by Genevieve Graham is a superb historical romance with a unique paranormal twist. From the outstandingly thorough development of characters and plot to the deliciously served historical details, it's a real treat to read. Fast paced, gracefully written and immensely enjoyable, it's a book to devour.

My dreams introduced me to people I had never seen, and took me places I could never have known existed.

    Maggie Johnson, a sixteen-year old girl from South Carolina, has been gifted with a special talent. Like her Grandmother before her, Maggie has "the Sight". She can see things that haven't yet happened, or are happening right now miles away. Her dreams reveal to her what will happen an hour, a day, a week, or even a year before it does. She can also find things that are lost or hidden.

I first saw him when we were children: a young boy with eyes as dark as rain-soaked mud, staring at me from under a mane of chestnut hair. I kept him secret, invisible to everyone but me. He should have been invisible to me as well, because he was never really there, on the windblown land, under the same sky. 

     In addition to her prophetic gift, Maggie can also see someone in her dreams. Andrew, a young Highlander, has been there (in her dreams) ever since she can remember. They basically grew up together and helped each other through difficult times. They are connected in a weird, magical way. Maggie calls Andrew "Wolf", as she doesn't know his real name. Worlds apart, not really knowing anything about each other and yet so madly in love with one another, these unlikely lovers will do anything it takes to finally be together for real. They'll embark on a dangerous journey across the treacherous lands and seas. A journey filled with many obstacles, with dreams as their only guide.

       This book was wonderful. It offered so much more than I expected. Not only it has a great historical background, that is absolutely fascinating to read about (like the battle of Culloden (1746) or the conflict between British-American settlers and the Cheeroke), but also the romance part of the story is simply fantastic. Not in the least cheesy or overdone. In fact, the developing relationship between Maggie and Andrew is very pleasant to read about. Their attraction is genuine. Unlike in many other historical (or not) romances, where the attraction is instantaneous and often deprived of emotional depth, Genevieve's characters fell in love with each other over the course of many years.

All the silent communication from our childhood had brought us to this point. I would never leave him. Wherever he needed me to be, if only if his thoughts. I would give him courage, strength and love. And he would give me the same whenever my mind called to him.

   There's a lot going on on the pages of Under the Same Sky. Surprisingly, only about 40-50% of the book focuses on the love-and-romance aspect of the story, which - if you'd ask me- is really great and refreshing! We actually get to know the main characters, instead of being bombarded with love scenes and constant oohs and aaahs. They truly love and care about each other, but they don't sit around pondering their feelings all the time. There's some real action in this book, most of it quite heart-breaking! Plus the paranormal aspect makes it so much more intriguing and compelling!

      It's a character-driven story and I'm happy to tell you that the characters were really great. Genevieve does an excellent job drawing them. Her descriptions are detailed and rich in flavor, her writing enthralling. Maggie goes through so much! The story kicks-off with the tragic death of her father. Not long after that her mother gets killed by bandits who then kidnap her and her sisters. She's raped and abused, starved, beaten... She witnesses her sister's murder and is then forced to kill a man to defend her life. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound like a typical romance book to me! It was truly captivating, gut-wrenching and profoundly emotional. The story hes so much depth to it, so much meaning, it's breathtaking! It's not your typical, shallow romance. It's a fabulous and brilliant piece of literature, definitely worth reading! The best part? You don't need to be a romance fan to enjoy this book. I'm fairly confident that this fabulous book can be greatly enjoyed even by people who usually stay away from any sort of romance novels. I highly recommend it to everyone!

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About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing