I Reach Through Time and Touch the Other Side

by Sophia Deri-Bowen

Ari Rosenberg dreams about a special room, one that shouldn’t exist, and certainly not in his house. But when he wakes, he finds the room is real, and it’s the doorway to another world. In that mysterious space, he meets Kimi, a visitor with his own door into the shared room. After a rough start, they forge a friendship that sparks with attraction and turns to romance, leading them to try to find a way out together, into one time or the other.

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Fiction, Erotica, Science Fiction, Short Stories

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2011

About the author

Sophia Deri-Bowen is a proud native Philadelphian who packed up her life and moved to Wales not too very long ago. She's still not quite sure how she managed it, but she now lives and studies in a beloved new country. Time not spent digging out from under a pile of research goes to rugby union (both playing and watching), knitting, and rambling as far and wide as possible. She is perhaps slightly too obsessed with old boats, the Welsh language, and finding a place that has a decent Belgian beer on tap.

Visit Sophia's blog at http://sophiaderibowen.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Feliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quiet book that went pretty straightaway from A to B, without much fuss. The rough start which is mentioned in the blurb wasn’t really all that rough, merely a misunderstanding, which was settled easily enough by two reasonable guys who talked things through instead of just retreating into their respective corners to sulk. Both Kimi and Ari were likeable, straightforward characters; both were given enough background to make their mutual interest credible. There was a lot of world to create and a lot of goings-on to explain. ( Kimi’s origin was a bit of a surprise for me, and a pleasant one, at that, although I felt this could have been worked out some more).

Most of the story takes place in either Kimi’s or Ari’s house or even just in that one room. I liked the way how they started out narrow, in their secret room, and got bolder, exploring more of their respective worlds, until they were ready to actually share a life. This was a beautiful allegory to the “ideal” development of a loving relationship, having them go from mutual attraction to “consummation” and then commitment. Very cleverly done.

It bothered me a little that many things in this book just fell into place, like the conversation conveniently skipping over bigger events and circling around their day-to-day lives instead, or the way they dealt with Ari’s sickness, or how all of Kimi’s legal issues were solved with just one scratch of the pen.

The way this was written, it appeared very clear that the author had herself a good old time playing God with her guys. Although it’s Kimi and Ari talking and acting, the author’s hand is always there, palpable and still barely visible as if the guys were puppets whose strings occasionally flashed in the stage lights, disrupting the illusion of the dolls having a life of their own. This oldfashioned writing style fit the story fine, though, since it was a modern fairytale and obviously never meant to be taken literally. If you can go with the flow, you’ll have yourself a good old time alongside the author, just like I did.

Read the full review at reviewsbyjessewave.com

[Bookbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

*sigh* Where are those 1/2 Stars when you need them. I didn't LOVE this story but I definitely LIKED it more than a 3. I liked the premise of a room, that can't possibly exist, just... appearing, and that it leads to a different place and time. We unfortunately learn very little about Kimi's "world"; I would have appreciated a little more world-building. Also...I felt a little let down that we discovered nothing about the reason for the "room" and who was behind its creation.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this story...great set up and interesting plot, and I loved both characters. I thought the whole concept of this room suddenly appearing behind a room connecting Ari and Kimi was very interesting. It had me hooked and I spent the rest of the time worrying that the room would disappear or something tragic would happen. I won't spoil the ending, but I really enjoyed it.

[Nightcolors · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.