The Beginning of Always

The Persistence of Memory #3

by Karen Janowsky

When gods and superheroes fall in love, it takes gods and supervillains to keep them apart.

Powerful alliances from both Daniel and Nina’s pasts are about to rip apart the fabric of time. Dark, tragic days loom close as those plans come to fruition. Meanwhile, Nina and Daniel struggle to explore the boundaries between passion and possessiveness, duty and desire. They are gambling with much more than their future together. This is a race for the survival of history, itself, and their pasts are about to catch up with them.

History is about to end before it has begun

205 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2020

About the author

Karen wanted to be an author and/or Wonder Woman when she grew up. One of those jobs was already taken, though. She lives with her husband, son, and six cats in Maryland, where she teaches college literature and writing.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main thrust of this addition to the series is sex, fumbling sex, more sex and fumbling to ask for sexual experimentation. The passion between Daniel and Nina, while having lasted through so many lifetimes seems so awkward that I did not believe in it and struggled through it all to get to the rest of the story.

Karen Janowsky has let the fantasy superhero theme take a backseat to the overabundance of sex and for me, it just missed the mark of entertaining reading. For me there was no “magic,” just clinical sexual exploration, almost a how to for beginners.

This just wasn’t my cup of sexy tea.

I received a complimentary copy from Karen Janowsky ! My review is voluntary and honest.

Series: The Persistence of Memory - Book 3
Publisher: Mill City Press (February 27, 2019)
Publication Date: February 27, 2019
Genre: Fantasy Erotica
Print Length: 205 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT AN SATISFYING ENDING.


You can also read my review at Discover Elysian


Caution: this review may contain outbursts of emotion

If you want to honor all the deaths you’ve witnessed, do it by remembering to live.

When gods and superheroes fall in love, it takes gods and supervillains to keep them apart.

Powerful alliances from both Daniel and Nina’s pasts are about to rip apart the fabric of time. Dark, tragic days loom close as those plans come to fruition. Meanwhile, Nina and Daniel struggle to explore the boundaries between passion and possessiveness, duty and desire. They are gambling with much more than their future together. This is a race for the survival of history, itself, and their pasts are about to catch up with them.

History is about to end before it has begun


I don't know where to start. I just feel so sad that this is the end. After following Daniel and Nina's journey from the beginning, where they just neighbors and strangers to each other. And now I'm here, crying because their story has finished. That I can't know more of how they're doing. I didn't think that I'd feel so devastated but SAYING GOODBYE IS SO HARD.


The Beginning of Always was a great finale. I loved every part of it. Though please keep in mind if you want to read The Persistence of Memory series that they're a character-driven story. So if you're looking for detailed and mind-blowing problems, this series may lack them. BUT if you're looking for amazing characters with romance and superpowers, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU.

“Wisdom, duty, and love must be balanced in equal measure. You’ve shown perhaps a bit less wisdom with that one, and more love, but it is acceptable. It is…human.”

The half of this book mostly telling of the relationship between Daniel and Nina. And you know, I'M LIVING FOR IT. At the first book, I was looking for more explanation about the problem hey're facing. But now, I was just “yeah, give me all Daniel and Nina scenes, GIVE THEM ALL TO ME.” Yep, that's how trashy I am for them. Like how many other couples must have been through, they also have different opinions and argue about it. I love their dynamic, how they solve the differences, how they support each other, how they fight for each other.

Both characters were well-developed. They became the best version of themselves because of each other and what have they been through together. Finally, it took three books for me to like Daniel completely without any doubts. He grew to be more understanding, strong, and just overall a gentleman. And Nina, my girl, she was awesome, kind, loving, and powerful as always. That moment when she felt the pain of losing someone hit me right through my heart. It was just so sad, my heart breaks for her.


While half of the book discovering the romance of Daniel and Nina, the other half is how the characters trying to find a way out to stop the danger. They weren't detailed enough but when the things get real, Janowsky didn't joke around. Everything was written beautifully. I'm satisfied with how everything turned out. From the way the action scenes happened, how the characters acted, and what becomes to all of them. Some were heartbreaking but I think that is the best way to end this series.

One at a time, she held them in the palm of her hand, spoke their names, and told them she loved them before putting them down. Each friend was a lesson and a blessing.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Beginning of Always. I still can't fathom the fact that this is where I have to say goodbye to the characters. They're all amazing and has become something that is dear to me. Everything wrapped up nicely with great writing, awesome superpowers on display, great twist, and swooning romance. If you love stories about heroes, adventures to find artifacts, an awesome squad with a cup full of romance, you may want to read this series.

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[Amanda Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of the Persistence of Memory series brings more action and definitely more steam to the story. There seemed to be a lot of jealousy and passion in this one. This had the most sex of all the books, which i'm not against. I feel this book was more about Daniel and Nina and their relationship with the action being the secondary. This had the perfect ending.
I think the second one was my favourite of the series but I found myself enjoying all three books.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Beginning of Always is the final book in Karen Janowsky’s The Persistence of Memory series, and it was an enjoyable ending to the series. Although it was enjoyable, I’m going to be honest and say I wanted more from this one. However, this is a reflection of my expectations and feelings towards the series, and I’m sure there are many people who will be satisfied with the ending.

From the start of the series, the thing that grabbed me the most about The Persistence of Memory was the superhero and mythology element of the series. I love such stories, and it was always these aspects that grabbed me the most. Although I enjoy a good romance, the romance in this one never really grabbed me. I was never as invested in the relationship between the leads as I had expected to be, meaning the parts of the series focused upon the romance did not grab me as much as the action.

With The Beginning of Always, the story focuses mostly upon the romance. There is a bit of action, but for me it wasn’t enough. I liked seeing the way things came together, I really enjoyed some of the details that came to light, but it felt like it happened much to quickly. It made up a very small amount of the stories, and I wanted more from it. The rest was focused upon the romance, and things felt too clinical for me to be truly invested.

Overall, The Beginning of Always was an enjoyable end to the series, even though it wasn’t quite what I had expected. Those invested in the romance in this series are sure to have a lot of fun with all the things that play out in this one.

[Maggie Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

After reading Book 1 and 2, I couldn't wait to read Book 3. Gods and Goddesses, Time Travellers, Battles against evil, and 2 brilliant characters, Nina and Daniel. Putting them altogether, Janowsky created a great read. Although I'm not against sexual behaviour between 2 characters who dearly love each other, alas, I did think the author sometimes went overboard - it didn't need some of the sexual literature to make it a great story - that is my opinion. I'm sure, readers who love that kind of thing, will be rushing to buy it when they see my review. 😁 The ending to the story is perfect.

[Amy Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation

Janowsky writes a great series of stories, and this one is no exception. I read books 1 and 2 prior to this, and enjoyed the depth of characters, and growth of the superheroes. Book 3 is wonderful, and lends to more growth of characters, and more battles and struggles. I also like the title of this story, The Beginning of Always, and that definitely fits the story. Battles between good and evil, while dealing with struggles that lend for great storytelling. I'd like to say this is my favorite, and I think it's because of the progression of the stories for Daniel and Nina, and how it's written. A great story, look forward to more from Janowsky and about Daniel and Nina.

[A.L. Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I read the first book...Amazing. Time to read the second book, but I decided just out of curiosity to read the reviews for books 2 and 3. Well, when I read the reviews to book 3 and saw that it had a lot of sex in it....book 2 had to wait! Yes, I am a freak. So what! This was a great read with wonderful characters, a great storyline, and it leaves you needing a cigarette after each chapter...even if you don't smoke! 2 thumbs up to this author!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the use mythical characters. The book is suspenseful, action packed, tear jerker, intriguing, romantic, page turner. The author kept my attention to the end.
If you're going to start reading this series you should probably start read the series from book 1 as the story line will make more sense.
I highly recommend this book and series.
Will read again/
**Please Note** In my opinion, this book and this series is for mature audiences. This is my note not the authors.

[K. L. Laettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one the best

I loved all of The Persistence of Memory books. and this one delivered the same awesome flow as the rest. Looking forward to seeing what this author has up her sleeve next, I am sure I won't be disappointed.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Déjà vu, the first book of the series we see Daniel Hecht, a war hero and team leader of an underground group of superpowers misfits, finds himself strangely attracted to a new recruit, Nina Asher, after meeting her for the first time. Other than the strong pull they feel toward each other, they have something else in common as well; Nina has no recollection of her past, and Daniel is missing memories of several decades of his life. As they work together to unlock an ancient myth, they experience strange flashbacks from their pasts. To save the world, they must recollect their earlier lives.

Readers hooked on the romantic struggles of Daniel and Nina in Déjà Vu will ecstatically devour the second installment in the series, All Our Yesterdays. As memories of their past lives resurface fully, Nina and Daniel join forces to destroy a secret weapon capable of mass destruction. Daniel’s earlier convictions shatter as someone from his past whom he loved dearly returns. The time to save the world is running out, and the couple is unaware of the ultimate sacrifices; they’re required to make for the sake of their love.

The third installment, The Beginning of Always, sees the couple overwhelmed with intense emotions of desire, passion, jealousy, and possessiveness while fighting to save the world. The main draw in the series is Daniel and Nina’s passionate longing for each other and the sense of melancholy, which is an integral part of their love.

The melancholy dominates all three books in the series and gives the story a haunting feel. Janowsky has this ability to create a gripping narrative which is rich with details and shines with romantic intrigue. Classic themes of love and sacrifice add emotional vigor to the theme. The fantasy element is light in the story with romance taking the centre stage.

The characterization is thorough with Janowsky giving a clear and recognizable voice to several secondary characters including those with barely any presence in the story; Ishtar and Nimbanda. Janowsky paints a convincing portrait of the misfit superpowers, who with their humane afflictions struggle to attain order in a world full of chaos. The last two books in the series are heavy on intense love making, which slow down pace of the story sometimes. But fans of romance will love the couple’s sensual journey of discovery, which is erotic without being crass.

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s official...the Emissary and Lionheart are ready to devote to themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. No longer immortal, Nina has been permitted to live out the rest of her life as a human who will die almost the instant that Daniel’s life ends, and they will be joined in the underworld together for eternity. But there is still work to be done before they can live (and die) happily ever after.

As Nina grapples with her newly acquired mortality, Daniel’s overprotective nature prompts a demotion as leader of the team. With Paul still on the loose and plotting to reset time to before Daniel’s capture by the Nazis, their distractions put themselves and teammates in danger with deadly consequences. Nina too faces a major opponent from her past, keeping her at bay while Paul makes his move to turn on his time machine and fulfill his personal mission. Doing this will make Daniel and Nina forget the other ever existed. In this conclusion to the Persistence of Memory trilogy, both Daniel and Nina have a tough choice to make: abandon the life they have built together or fight for it at all costs.



Opinion:
The Beginning of Always wraps up the trilogy in a tight, conclusive ending for Nina and Daniel. The two are ready to devote themselves to as normal a life as possible, which includes partaking in Daniel’s Jewish marriage ceremony, an act that will literally free Nina from the thorny bracelet that remains dug into her wrist until the ritual is complete. But Daniel’s best friend, Paul, stands in the way of all of that, and it turns out he’s got a very personal and poignant reason for his actions.

I found this book to be a satisfying conclusion to the series. Much of the action is replaced by deep, human conversations about devotion versus respect, to honor versus obey, romantic versus unrequited love, and cultural religion versus spiritual religion. Pretty deep themes for a story about superheroes, but Janowsky crafts very realistic characters despite their sensational situations, giving them humanity and depth that keeps you rooting for them until the final pages, even if the ending does linger for longer than it needs to. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I highly recommend finishing what you started.

[Lex Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authoress Karen Janowsky wraps up The Persistence of Memory trilogy with “The Beginning of Always.” As Nina and Daniel explore the boundaries between passion and possessiveness, duty and desire, Daniels old friend (Paul) and his powerful alliances are still trying to bring about the end of the world. The final cards in the race for the survival of history, itself, are about to fall and history is about to end before it has begun.

Starting a trilogy or series at the end is a risky business. In the hands of a less talented writer, the reader will struggle to identify characters and past actions with the current situation, creating such a sense of confusion that most readers will simply give it up. Karen Janowsky is a very talented writer, and I had no problem identifying with the characters or the storyline. Janowsky’s use of dialog that includes references to past acts, characters, and the story was exceptionally well done and clever. Listed in the “contemporary fantasy fiction” and “paranormal & urban fantasy” categories is certainly correct for “The Beginning of Always” but additional categories and genre come into play. For starters, Ms Janowsky’s writing style has strong tendencies toward the literary. Mixing a literary style with paranormal urban and contemporary fantasy fiction, science fiction, romance, and erotica complete with colloquial terms would be impossible in the hands of the aforementioned less talented writer; Karen Janowsky makes it look and read easy and that’s not all. Janowsky puts icing on this cake with discussions of profound subjects that include devotion, respect, cultural versus spiritual religion, and the beginning, ending, and meaning of life and death. “The Persistence of Memory—The Beginning of Always” is a story I won’t soon forget. It’s a masterpiece brought to you by a masterful author/artist.

[Pallavi Sareen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing after the first two books were so great. The entire Persistence of memory series tells the story of Nina and Daniel as they struggle through lifetimes to be together. They are passionate, they save the world, they have a team of superheroes and what not.
This book, being the final book had so much potential. The fantasy factor of the story itself was going so great with gods and super villains but the one thing that really bothered me about this book was the part which I enjoyed in the previous two books – Nina and Daniel’s relationship. At some point, the repetitiveness of their passion, desires and jealousy became boring. One would think that after so many lifetimes they would be over it, yet that is not the case.
While they are fighting to save the world and have been fighting for so long to just be with each other, in this book, there was an excessive amount of them being together and a very less amount of the rest of the story.
In this book, romance and erotica took the forefront which is something I didn’t enjoy much. Because being the third book, I expected more plot, action and a higher dose of fantasy in this. Moreover, I accept that Nina and Daniel are the main characters but I really wanted to see more of the secondary characters.
The book is often slowed down with chapters added just for portraying Nina and Daniel’s sex life which is fine until it is repeated too many times in the book while the story itself gets a lot less space. So while I think Janowsky has a really good writing style, she went a little overboard with the romance on this one while she should have been a little heavy with the fantasy parts. Other than that, the series itself is a wonderful one and something that I would recommend to the readers.

[Cardyn Brooks]

Nina and Daniel and the W.I.S.E. team can't seem to catch a break.
Bad people who do bad things with evil intentions, fanatics who do bad things for delusional reasons, and misguided people who do bad things with good intentions--plus supernatural elements, paparazzi and more challenge them in various ways. Simultaneously. While navigating their messy personal lives. Yikes.

Unlike books one and two of this outstanding The Persistence of Memory series, book three does not work as a stand-alone. It requires readers to have read the previous books in order to understand the interweaving story threads and the complicated alliances and tensions between characters.

Book four is on its way!

In the meantime, here's the author's recent workshop for the second annual The Write Women Book Fest on writing fight scenes and sex scenes:
https://karenjanowsky.com/karen-talks...

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3-The finale takes us through many locations around the world to continue the fight against the evil that has infested the world. We also get to see the villain revealed. This was the perfect ending to the series. The author delivered an entertaining multi-genre trilogy filled with lots of sex. There was time taken to develop the story and the characters. The author did a good job of showcasing the characteristics of each player and not just telling of who they were. It showed in their actions and reactions. She brought me into each scene with descriptive language and attention to detail. (full review on blog)

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

After how much I enjoyed the second book this trilogy I had high hopes for the finale. Sadly, this one was not as enjoyable. I felt that the action and superhero aspects were lost and the author focused more on romance. I've got nothing against romance, but a little less in this book would have been nicer.

It was a semi-satisfying conclusion to the series. I did enjoy seeing how the author wrapped up the plot lines but I wish there was more substance to this book aside from romance. I'm sure many will be satisfied with the ending, but I was expecting more after book two.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Rob Horner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beginning of a New Career

Karen has wowed me from the first book in this series. Her alternate history feels right for the characters who inhabit it, and her fresh mixture of action, myth, and yes, romance comes together beautifully. Brava, Karen.

[Liza Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superheroes & Mythology

When a superhero falls in love with a goddess, what could go wrong? This is a steamy romance packed with a lot of action.

A sweet and heart-felt story about love, friendship, and secrets. It is a very entertaining read.

[Coco.V]

🎁 Books 1 -3 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (2/15/2021)! 🎁

[Laura Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review on LitPick: https://litpick.com/review/persistenc...