Beyond The Moon

Book excerpt: *Shortlisted for the Eharmony/Orion Write Your Own Love Story Prize What if love could last more than just one lifetime? A haunting and beautiful story of the Great War, time travel - and choosing the impossible In 1916 1st Lieutenant Robert Lovett is a patient at Coldbrook Hall convalescent hospital in England. A gifted artist, he's been wounded in WW1. Shellshocked and suffering from hysterical blindness he can no longer see his own face, let alone paint, and life seems hopeless. A century later in 2017, medical student Louisa Casson has just lost her beloved grandmother. She drowns her sorrows in alcohol - only to fall accidentally part-way down nearby cliffs. Doctors fear a suicide attempt, and Louisa is involuntarily admitted to Coldbrook Hall psychiatric hospital, an unfriendly, chaotic place. Then while secretly exploring the hospital's ruined, abandoned wing, Louisa stumbles across a dark, old-fashioned room. Inside, lying in an old iron-framed bed in the dark, is a mysterious, sightless young man, who tells her he was hurt at the Battle of the Somme - a WW1 battle a century ago. And that his name is Lt Robert Lovett... As the days go by Louisa is increasingly drawn back to the curious room and its enigmatic occupant - and things become stranger and stranger, to the extent that she begins to wonder if she really does belong in a psychiatric hospital. But she and Robert feel a deep and growing connection. Louisa's feelings for Robert pull her deeper into his 1916 world. And meanwhile Robert is also falling for the fascinating girl he can't see, but who's become the light in his darkness. But clouds are gathering. Difficult questions are stacking up, and meanwhile, Louisa is keeping something important hidden. Then the truth comes out. And to save her future with Robert, Louisa must somehow find a way back the past. A past where the dangers of WW1 threaten to engulf them both. Perfect for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Kristin Hannah, Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley, Paullina Simons, Ken Follett and Amy Harmon.