It was odd for Morna to be watched so closely in the place that had once been her childhood home. She stood nervously inside the familiar walls of her old bedchamber, twisting her head at every noise or possible footstep to make certain no other tourists or castle employees were headed their direction.
"It sure looks good, Morna. You did a really good job of making the outside look like a bunch of the other old books here. Do you have another copy? I want to read it."
A brief moment of terror filled her at the thought of Cooper opening the pages of her book and taking in the words inside. He understood far too much about everything already. The last thing he ever needed to read was every little—and sometimes scandalous—detail of her life.
"Cooper, if ye love me, ye will promise me to never, ever read what I've written. It is meant for someone else's eyes, and those are not yer own. Do ye understand?"
While young Coop usually did the exact opposite of what he was told, she could see by the concerned look in his eyes that he cared enough about her plea to listen to her this time.
"Fine, but I know what that means. It means there's the same stuff in this book as the books that Mom used to read when we lived in New York. I bet you talk about kissing Jerry in there, huh?"
She could live with it if all Cooper thought was inside those pages was a little kissing. "Aye, Cooper. I have kissed Jerry many, many times throughout our lives, and I'll admit some of those are mentioned within that wee book."
"Yuck." Cooper's expression twisted into one of disgust, and he held the book away from him as if he worried the nearness of it might cause him to absorb the words. "You don't need to say anything else. I promise to never read it. But, can I ask you one more thing? Why did you want me to come? Wouldn't E-o be able to reach that second shelf a lot better than I can?"
He surely could have, but outside of Cooper, Jerry was the only other person who knew about Morna's recent endeavor, and she wanted very much to keep it that way.
"Aye, I'm certain he would have had a much easier time of it, but Eoghanan doesna need to know anything about it. I can trust ye to keep a secret, aye? Ye know how the others feel about my meddling. I doona wish to explain it all to them."
If Cooper felt he had an important role to play in anything, he was sure to meet it head-on.
"Of course you can. Don't you worry. It might be a little harder, but I can climb up there and get this book placed just where you want it. How long do you think it will take for her to find it up here?"
Morna couldn't be certain. She would no longer spell anyone to do exactly as she wished them to, but she would do all she could to point the girl in the needed direction.
"I hope not verra long at all. She's here, actually. In the castle at this verra moment."
"Really?" Cooper's voice raised several octaves in his excitement. "Can you show her to me on our way out? I promise I won't say anything to her. Let's just walk by her or something, okay?"
Morna was just as keen to see the woman in person herself. "Aye, fine. Now, ye best hurry before someone finds us." She paused and pointed in the direction of the empty space where she wished the book to be placed. "Ye see there? Crawl up and slip it in place as quickly as ye can. Then, we best be on our way. Magic works best if ye set it and then release it to do as it should."
"Aye, aye, Morna. I am your humble servant, Pirate Cooper."
"A pirate? Have ye moved on from dinosaurs then?"
Cooper's voice, when he answered, sounded astonished and horrified.
"Move on from dinosaurs? Are you crazy? I don't think I could ever do that. But a man has to have varied interests. It makes him well-rounded."
Morna laughed at the verbatim words she'd heard from Jeffrey only a few nights before as she watched Cooper shimmy up the side of the bookcase and slip her beloved story in place.
It contained her every memory, and she hoped that when the lass found it, she would treasure every word. Only time would tell.
* * *
"I think this one is my favorite so far. There's just a feeling to it. I don't know what it is, really. Something magical about it, wouldn't you say?"
Laurel turned and awaited Marcus' response. She could tell by his glazed expression that her usually-patient friend was losing his resolve to indulge her obsession with all things old.
"You've said that about every castle. Each one is more magical than the last. Each new one is now your favorite. I'll be honest, they are all starting to look the same to me—just one big blur of stones and crumbling junk."
While many sites they'd visited over the last ten days had indeed been crumbling, Conall Castle in no way fit that description. Well-tended and magnificent, Laurel could all but see the castle's history swir...
Bethany Claire is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Scottish time travel romance novels in Morna’s Legacy Series.
Bethany’s love of storytelling has been a lifelong passion but, convinced it would serve her best to follow a “conventional” career path, she tucked that passion away and went off to college.
Fast forward four years and about six major changes later, she realized the stories simply were not going to stay tucked away. Months away from graduating with a degree in elementary education, she finally realized writing was the only career that would make her happy.
So one day in the middle of a summer education course, she got up in the middle of class and walked to the registrar’s office and withdrew from the university on the spot. Since then, she has devoted herself to writing full time and is following her dreams.
THIS! This book is my absolute favourite book out of the whole series so far and I doubt that any to come will beat it. Morna is such an important part of these books and to finally get to see her story and her past was amazing! Seeing how she became the formidable woman she is was such a treat and made me love her all that much more. And to find out about Jerry’s past as well was great, his story definitely wasn’t what I expected
OMG - After reading the previous 7 books in the series where Morna is a old woman who loves to make matches across time we now have the origin story. How Morna met Jerry, where she came from, and why Jerry is so insistent on mot being spelled. Bethany Claire does an amazing job of bringing Morna's story to life. It is written as a book that Morna has written for a woman in the present to help her make the decision to go back in time to find love. In addition to Morna's original text, the book is peppered with additional notes from Morna as well as additions from Jerry telling his point of view.. If you haven't read this series, you won't miss anything by starting with this book however, beware - it might make you want to go back and read the other 7 books in this series. Bravo to Bethany Claire - this book has been a long time coming but it was definitely worth the wait.
It is rare for me to stay invested in a series this far in. (I tend to lose interest in a series with lots of books.) But not this series! My interest in each book is as strong, if not stronger, than the last!
I just loved stepping back into time to get Morna and Jerry's story! There was heartbreak indeed but it wouldn't be part of this charming series without a Happily ever after too!
What I liked about the book: • Morna's POV ...finally! ♡It was nice to see Morna and Jerry as a young couple with plenty of romance and drama!
• Morna's family...We finally get to see how Morna ties into the Connalls!
• We get answers as to why Morna doesn't want to go back to her original time...finally!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Love Beyond Reach has become my favorite in the Morna's Legacy series - each of which I loved. I consider myself a hopeless romantic and this new book appealed to everything that I love about love.
They say there are two sides to every story. Love Beyond Reach is a book written about the great love between main characters Morna and Jerry from both of their perspectives. It wonderfully ties in several characters from other books in the series. I enjoyed reading a book about a book. Morna has been like the glue that binds all of the books in the series. So learning about her past, the beginnings of her magic and how she and Jerry fell in love was very exciting.
Morna isn't the only one who can cast a spell.I felt like I was under Bethany's spell while reading the book. I was mesmerized from page to page, chapter to chapter. If you've read the other books in the series, you'll be thrilled with Love Beyond Reach. Even if you haven't read the other books, I certainly feel that this one can stand alone and provide you with an awesome read.
Well done, Bethany Claire. The only bad part about this book was that it had a final chapter. I didn't want it to end. However, the way it ended certainly gives me hope that there are other stories yet to be told.
Worth the wait!! I have been a fan of the Mornas Legacy books since the first page of book 1. The setting and the characters felt like home right away. In each book the mystery of the enigmatic Morna deepens. I couldn't be more happy with this book. What a wonderful mystery unveiled in the most 'Morna' way ever. What poor Morna went through, it just makes all of the other books make so much more sense! There have been so many times that I have hated Morna in the other books, looking at her as this all knowing 'I know what's better for you than you do so I'm just gonna mess with your life to make it the way I want it to' witch. Having Jerry stand by her side in those other stories always bought her some grace with me. I always knew that if he was standing by her side that there was something more than redeemable about her. I am so glad I held on!! Sure, she can be a little pushy when it comes to her family, or a lot pushy haha But getting the backstory made a huge difference. It was absolutely magical in the best way, and it made me want to reread all of the books again when she made her brother promise what would start the whole series off with her nephew Eion. I look forward to more people being added to this wonderful group of characters!
I haven’t read the previous books yet but think that I might appreciate Love Beyond Reach more once I have. I love how it was written as a book meant to help the woman in the next book. It’s definitely left me wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes where Morna and Jerry were falling in love. However, the romance was far from overwhelming. The characters were all well developed and memorable, even minor characters. Morna’s brother, Alasdair, was so caring and protective of his family. Her one-time fiancée Henry had an interesting arc where we gradually discover just how bad he really is. And Mary, the housekeeper, was such a forceful, loyal, and organised person that I just had to like her. I really liked Morna. She may not do things the way she’s expected to, but she follows her instincts and gets things done. I loved how close she was to her family and lengths she goes to protect them. Love Beyond Reach could have been set in any time or place. There is almost nothing that sticks it to 17th century Scotland. Sure, the dialogue has the occasional bit of Scottish brogue, but the setting isn’t developed enough.
Great, great story. It was even better than I expected. This is Morna and Jerry’s story. At the beginning of this book you find out Morna has written her story for the next young woman she wants to help find her true love in the past. However, the story is only from her perspective. Therefore, Jerry writes the story from his perspective. Then the two are put together with “notes” from Morna placed at different parts of the story. Morna and Cooper place the book where the young woman will find the book and read it. There are memorable characters—her brother Alasdair (so supportive of Morna’s magic), her sister-in-law (her friend), her father (unlikable until near the end), and Mary (her closest friend and like a sister). True love doesn’t always run smoothly and Morna and Jerry’s story is no different. They had to overcome many challenges, but were able to finally find their happily-ever-after. I can’t say enough good things about this book. I loved it from beginning to end and loved finding out how it all began. I would recommend this story to everyone. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I plan on going back to read the previous 7 books in this series.
A romance worthy of a series #Romance #TimeTravel #Fantasy
Recommendation: Yes! After almost a dozen other books where Morna is the link connecting those around her to love, it was wonderful to read her origin story. Love Beyond Reach is book 8 in the series and can be read as a stand-alone story, but I would still recommend reading the first 7+ ones before starting this one. Without knowing Morna’s future, her history is not as impactful.
There’s not much to say about this story except, thank goodness. With a beloved character like Morna, it would have been easy for BC to write a story for Morna that was not up to the reader’s expectations. There was nothing about this story that was a letdown. Morna and Jerry had just the right amount of push and pull, with Morna’s family ties finally shown, and even Kip and Mary make a sweet appearance. There’s enough intrigue to make it not just a pure romance novel, and of course, the time-travel aspect was present.
It was wonderful going back to Conall Castle and seeing old friends, especially when they are as sweet as Morna, her brother, Jerry, and Mary.
Audiobook Review: Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear.
A romance worthy of a series #Romance #TimeTravel #Fantasy
Recommendation: Yes! After almost a dozen other books where Morna is the link connecting those around her to love, it was wonderful to read her origin story. Love Beyond Reach is book 8 in the series and can be read as a stand-alone story, but I would still recommend reading the first 7+ ones before starting this one. Without knowing Morna’s future, her history is not as impactful.
There’s not much to say about this story except, thank goodness. With a beloved character like Morna, it would have been easy for BC to write a story for Morna that was not up to the reader’s expectations. There was nothing about this story that was a letdown. Morna and Jerry had just the right amount of push and pull, with Morna’s family ties finally shown, and even Kip and Mary make a sweet appearance. There’s enough intrigue to make it not just a pure romance novel, and of course, the time-travel aspect was present.
It was wonderful going back to Conall Castle and seeing old friends, especially when they are as sweet as Morna, her brother, Jerry, and Mary.
Audiobook Review: Lily Collingwood is, as always, enjoyable to hear.
Finally, I know the story of Morna and Jerry and it did not disappoint. As with the previous books in the series the family bond is powerful and very well written. I feel I am a part of the family and feel their joy and pain. The love scenes between Morna and Jerry are simply beautiful… oh and Grier…. Not a very nice person. Trust me you’ll need to read the book to understand. If you’ve not read the previous books, not to worry. There is enough in this book to give you an idea of the family dynamics and of course it may just make you want to read all the previous books. I love the way Bethany tells the story of witches, time travel, love, and showing how people can be evil for no apparent reason. I highly recommend you give the book and the series a try.
What a story! I've read all of the previous books in this series and this one is about the woman at the center of all of them, Morna, the matchmaking witch. Morna and Jerry's story was full of heartbreak. The evil witch Grier cast a spell on him which really shook things up and devastated Morna. I was emotionally invested in this story and felt each one of Morna's heartbreaks. She is such a good person. Even though I knew that Morna and Jerry end up together, I found myself quite angry with Jerry's character and probably wouldn't have taken him back! Although, to be fair, the poor man was spelled and he would never have done those things otherwise. Both of them go through Hell before they finally have their HEA. Excellent!
Love beyond reach (A Scottish Time Travel Romance): Book 8 (Morna's Legacy Series)
The latest installment of Bethany Claire's Time Travel books is very good. The only thing missing are her list of beloved characters. But since this Is more or less a prequel to Morna's and Jerry's Bed and Breakfast Inn , that is normal. So here we get to see how her early life was and why she truly understands what the ladies and gentleman are up for when she sends them to find their true soul mates. Moran doesn't always do things the traditional way ,but she has great intuition and gets things done.
I loved this book because it explained some things I did not understand in previous books. It gives the reader the story of how everything began and of course delivers another wonderful romantic story......BUT it left me wanting more! I wanted to know what happened to the young lady who found and read the book left out for her to read! What happens to her and the guy she is with! Please, please hurry up and write that story Bethany Claire!!!
Finally we get Morna and Jerry's love story! These books evolved into great tales. I started reading them because they were light, easy and we'll written. The books started to progress into more complicated tales of Scottish folklore and all the players came together in the end. I truly enjoyed these books and I read them all in succession. If I had one criticism of would be more character interactions. Old characters come in and out but they are all so similar that they lose their voice in the next book.
Book 8 of the Morna's Legacy series is one of the best yet. The book is an origins story that gives the reader insight into Morna and her gifts. It also ties current day occurrences in and sets up the beginnings of another story. It was fun to not only learn how Morna began her matchmaking and time travel, but also to visit with characters from other books in the series. This book was definitely worth the wait!
I enjoyed Morna's Legacy very much and I believe it may be the best story as yet. After all, I have always wanted to know what Morna's story had to do with the rest of the characters in previous books. Finally knowing how Jerry came into her life and the connection between the other witch. I did not like the way the story ended however I do understand that the book has to tempt you to want more. So okay Bethany Claire get busy because your readers want more.
I absolutely loved Mona and Jerry's story!. It is sit on the edge of your seat.. bite your nails good! I hate absolutely hate Grier! I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down! I highly recommend it! I just wish they could've had children it breaks my heart but now I at least know why! The characters are all to real. The dialog flowed well. The character interaction was so real.
Great job Bethany! This book is worth the wait to finally find out Morna's story and get an early glimpse of many of our favorite characters. I loved hearing Jerry's side of the tale and can't wait to read Laurel's story. I highly recommend this book and the first seven others if you haven't already had the pleasure to read them. If you love time travel romances, don't miss out on this series.
Love Beyond Reach was well worth the wait. I loved every bit of the story. Morna has been thru so much and yet her love for her family and friends is so strong that it lasts thru decades. She will protect her family and help them in the past, present and future. The sacrifice she gives is the strongest sacrifice of all. Bethany, I can't wait for the next book. I love all your books.
I have been waiting for this story since the beginning! It tells how it all started! Lovely story and so satisfying! Morna has so much to go through! And I loved reading about every bit of it. In fact I m at have to go back and re-read the whole series! Love these characters!
An excellent well written story! I loved reading Morna's story! Grier was not a helpful as would seem but a deceitful and nasty person. Learning the truth can be hurtful but and Jerry learns it in a painful way. The time travel feature is best left for the reader to discover as well as the story because I would hate to spoil it for you. Enjoy! What is to become of Laura?
Another awesome book in the Morna's Legacy Series by Bethany Claire. Love Beyond Reach did not disappoint and kept me turning the pages once again, like the other books in this series. In book #8 we learn how Morna came to be the match making witch we know and love in the previous books. I would recommend this entire series to anyone who loves time travel romance!
What an amazing story - it had to be it was herself's own love story. I was enthralled and yet sad as this series draws to a conclusion - yet it is one that I will re-read (which I never do). Morna is incredible as is Jerry, who knew that Jerry would rock the world of magic with his love of Morna.
And so it began! The story we have been waiting for, the one that started it all, The beloved story of Morna. I am so in awe of this wonderful writer, Her books are filled with love, delightful characters and wonder. Do yourself a favor, read one of her books.
This is part of the Morna's Legacy Time Travel series that I love. There are around 12 books and I love all of them that include people traveling back and forth in time in Scotland. Each book is based on a certain couple helped with love by Morna but they all intact with each other. Some are based more on people moving back in time and some move forward but they all interact together.
Love Beyond Reach is book 11 of Morna’s Legacy series and is very different from all the others so far. It is more of a backstory of Morna and Jerry but, there is still romance and a great many surprising moments. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend the entire series! Now, I’m on my way to get book 12😉
Bethany has done it again! A wonderful story worth reading more than once. After a long wait Morna's story is here, and it was well worth the wait. I enjoyed following Morna and Jerry's story, as she tries to learn her gift of magic and find the one man she knows is meant for her.
I have enjoyed every single one in this series, but this may be the best yet. Finally, we know Morna and Jerry's love story. Very satisfying! Several secrets of other stories now make so much more sense.
I have read all the books in this series and this prequel idea was just the perfect way to tell the beginnings. Bethany Clair's writing improves with each book and this book is really one of the best in the series! I highly recommend this book!
Loved books 1-6. Did not care for 7&8. I’m not sure I understood the purpose of book 8. It did explore her early life and how her relationship with Jerry. But, I did not understand the reason for the book placement and personal notes.