Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance)

A very sweet love story which kept me glued to the last page. Actually when i finished i wanted more. The characters are very sensitive and you will start to love them from the beginning. Heart-touching and great plots that keeps you wanting more. Great read for a quiet afternoon if you want to jump into a great love story.

I enjoyed the romance of this story. I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know how things would end up. The author does a great job of creating characters that you can relate to and fall in love with. I look forward to reading more from her.

I didn't want to stop reading this once I started. I knew it would all work out in the end, but the journey was heart-warming, sweet, and tender. It's the type of romance all women have fantasized about at one time or another. Definitely worth the read.

Enjoyed the book on my Kindle. It is very convenient to click a button on the store and almost instantly experience the purchase being downloaded to my Kindle to read as soon as I choose. Love doing business with the store.

Thank you Helen Scott Taylor for a tender, romantic story. The characters were real. The landscapes were so graphic, I felt I was in England and Cinque Terre, Italy. Oceans Between Us would make a great movie.

I really enjoyed this book. This is a book of tender romance and respect one for the other. It shows the lengths that one will go to for someone that he/she loves.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a clean and light read. This was my first time reading this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The kind of book you read on a lazy afternoon and get caught up in the romance than builds between Maria and Dino. I've read it twice now and sigh in all same places. Hurry and get it

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. The ending was believable and I cheered when the heroine compromised for love. She had a bad experience, which of us hasn't?, and that colored her whole existence. I'm glad she grew herself enough to believe in her partner. They supported each other and that's great to see! I wish it happened more in real life - or at least we heard about it more often!

I really enjoyed this book. It was good clean light reading. I love a good love story with a happy ending. I loved that there was not any bad language or over the top, leave nothing to the imagination sexcapades. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to relax with a good book.

I'm a tad befuddled after reading the last two books by Helen Scott Taylor that I love the heroes, but the heroines have given me a hard time. Just an interesting observation on my end, because in her previous books, I also loved Ms. Taylor's female leads. While I like Maria and enjoy getting to know her, she does toss me into a fit late in the book, but honest heroine that she is, she fesses up and all ends well.

It's Dino, however, who wins my heart early. This handsome Italian opera singer is in the midst of an emotional upheaval, having just discovered his former fiancee gave their son up for adoption without obtaining Dino's permission. He tries his best, but he's told the deed is done, there is nothing he can do or say to get his son back, let alone to even see the boy. Heartbroken, he walks out on his manager, who was behind the tragic manipulation so Dino wouldn't be distracted from his very successful singing career, without a word and ends up in a small Cornwall village at a bed and breakfast that's closed for some remodeling.

Maria is alone at the Crow's Nest, doing all the repainting and other work needed for the upcoming season, while her parents are on vacation. When she answers a knock at her door to find a man so obviously in pain, she can't deny him sanctuary from the storm he's apparently spent some time in. Being the caring nurturer she is, Maria wants to help him through his hurt in any small way possible. As she does so, little by little Dino opens up to her, sharing his devastation and then his determined rejuvenation at Maria's hands. They share a blissful four weeks taking walks along the beach, dancing in the kitchen, just talking, and, of course, making love - though Dino tries to keep his distance in this respect, knowing he has to leave some day soon.

His commitments around the world will take him from England and Maria, not knowing if or when he'll be able to return. It's refreshing that she doesn't know him for the star he is - probably the only woman on the planet who doesn't. Though his manager is a selfish and greedy SOB, he has helped make Dino's super mega career. The man won't leave anything to chance, and when he learns Maria was a distraction for Dino during his absence, suddenly the woman who gave up Dino's son is back in the picture so Dino's focus is on his career and away from Maria. This is the only time I'm a little irritated with Dino. That manager gets too many chances, as far as I'm concerned. He should have been sacked when Dino finds out about his intervention with Rachel's pregnancy. But, of course, if that happened, the story would have ended much sooner. So the manager from hell gets to keep throwing wrenches in everyone's plans. The fact that Dino welcomes Rachel back into his life didn't sit well with me at first, but I can understand why he does it.

I also have a hard time liking Maria's parents. Once back from their holiday, they sit Maria down and pull the rug right out from under her by selling the Crow's Nest instead of retiring and allowing Maria to take over the place. She has no money saved, worked not for wages but room and board and incidentals, her future plans resting on the inn. Then when mama finds out about Dino, she takes matters into her own hands trying to protect her daughter. And then they won't fund Maria's trip to the United States when she discovers Dino does have feelings for her. I wanted to shake my finger at them and give them a good talkin' to! It's Chris, Maria's sister, who comes to the rescue and they make the trip over the pond to see Dino at the Met. Of course, things don't go as planned and Maria returns home broken hearted once again.

But when Dino finally takes control of his life again and gets back to Maria to take her with him for his mother's fiftieth birthday family get-together, she initially reverts back to that girl who is now afraid to travel because of an incident that happened in Austria with an old boyfriend. She overcomes her fear this time because it involves Dino's family. However, once they have a terrific time in Italy and Dino shares his feelings with her, this is where, though she professes her love for him as well, she refuses to travel to America where he'll be making a movie. She wants him to give up his dream for hers. Now, it doesn't take long for her to realize how wrong she is - which is a breath of fresh air over those 50 or more pages it takes most heroines to do this - so my irritation with her is short lived.

All in all, this is one of those lovely happiness from tragedy, love when you least expect it stories. Well, with a mild dose of wake up and smell the coffee too. I thoroughly enjoyed Dino and his zest for living, his love of family, and his need to sing. Their brief affair in the first half of the book is my favorite part, along with their time in Italy in the second half. I can just see that small fishing village in Cornwall and Riomaggiore on the Italian Riviera from Ms. Taylor's beautiful descriptions. This is the type of book to snuggle up on the couch with on a slow Saturday afternoon to lose yourself in heartbreak, romance, and happily ever after.

I got this book and thought, "I don't know about this book, it might not be what I thought it to be." It was much more!! I loved it!! Another one of my vacation & lazy day reads that made me feel happy and elated for the characters!!

The story starts out with Dino finding out some hard news, and needs solitude to think about his past and his future. So he goes to a cottage like home in the coastal region that gives him exactly what he wanted, solitude and time to think, plus much more! When Maria sees this man she knows immediately that something is plaguing him. But she wonders what, so she makes it her goal to figure it out and attempt to fix whatever is plaguing him. They both find that what they thought they wanted is not what they wanted at all. They find dreams, even through all of the bumps in the road.

If you want a heartfelt and lovely book, that makes you smile, this is your book...

After reading Helen Scott Taylor's Unbreak My Heart, I was really looking forward to reading her next contemporary romance novel, Oceans Between Us, which I received as a gift from the author for having reviewed Unbreak My Heart.
Oceans Between Us is a beautiful story of Maria Gardener, a complete girl-next-door and Dino Rossellini, an Italian Opera singer. The beginning of the story was very heart- breaking, as Dino's son is adopted without him being aware of it. It leaves him devastated and he moves to Porthale to find some peace and solace. That is where he comes across Crow's Nest, a warm and homely guest house that belongs to the Gardeners. Maria is so keen on taking care of Dino and making his stay as pleasant as possible. It was very touching to read how much one can care for a someone you don't even know. I don't want to get much into the storyline as I know I'll end up with tons of spoilers! So I will just stick to the tons of other amazing aspects of the book.
I absolutely loved Maria. She was so easy to relate to. Nowadays, most of the leading female protagonists are kick- ass and daring (which is awesome, no doubt), while Maria was so gentle, caring and wonderful. Her simplicity made her so much more desirable and admirable. Dino too was such a great guy. Not just his hot Italian looks, but even as a person, he was simple, down-to-earth and a real sweetheart! Both Maria's and Dino's families- who played such an important role in the story- were splendid and it was so much of fun to read about them. The relationship between Maria and her sister, Christine was so lovely, and so was the one between Dino and his mom. The Italians made such a fantastic family, and were heart- warming to read about. The few secondary characters also made the story more lively, practical and joyous! I loved that both Maria and Dino value their families and have immense respect for them.
My most favorite and treasured part of the story was when Maria and Dino are just roaming in Porthale, which is where they have their first kiss. That was absolutely remarkable!
Overall, an absolutely sweet, realistic and marvelous read, Oceans Between Us is just the perfect book. I took my own sweet time reading this one as I didn't want it to get over! I literally moved at a snail's pace, but I was so excited to move ahead that I was compelled to turn the pages...
Thank you Helen Scott Taylor for being so kind to gift a copy of your book, and for just writing this beautiful story! It is definitely worth a million bucks. :)

Maybe 2 /12 stars

Oceans Between Us -The novel was OK, but not great. I guess I'm in the minority with reviews on this book. I was hoping for something more stimulating.

As the story progressed, many scenes felt unfinished. Then, the next scene begins. There seems to be no transition from one to the next. Basically, I thought many parts of the story were `unfinished'. Overall, not only the story but also the characters were not well developed.

Predictable story. It was not very entertaining or interesting. The conflict within the story could have been handled better - it seemed to fall flat, not exciting. Sometimes there was a lot of `text' that didn't seem to say much to hold my interest.

I did finish the book. At 50% I found myself skimming pages. Nothing much was happening that caught my attention. Again, it was very predictable.

Cinderella Romance? Maybe this is for YA readers? If so, the writer would probably have to rewrite two of the sex scenes - which were relatively mild. Or, maybe not. I don't know what the parameters are for writing YA novels....

Oceans Between Us is a wonderful love story. Every young woman dreams of falling in love with a handsome, world famous singer - and this hero is Italian to boot! I fell a little in love with Dino Rossi myself! I kept rooting for him and Maria, despite the seemingly insurmountable roadblocks that threaten to separate them. You'll gulp back a sigh when he sings a special song for her. I highly recommend this latest story from Helen Scott Taylor. Once again she enriches her work with vibrant settings, this time all over the world, from New York to Cornwall, from Calgary to the Italian Riviera.

Helen Scott Taylor does a fantastic job of taking us along for the ride in her tale of two globe-trotting lovers. I knew I would like Maria from the first time she was introduced (must have been the Led Zeppelin shirt) and Dino comes off as a suave but likable character. Taylor develops the characters from with a personal feel that makes you feel like you know them, even minor characters like Chris. Whether its England or NYC, Taylor captures the essence of the location. Good read!

In the beginning, I was very worried this was the typical "GUY SAVES GIRL" storyline we've all seen and read a million times. However, the book has an unpredictable twist that took me on a romantic retreat every time I picked it up! The author did an incredible job of building out the characters, and I felt like I was right there with Maria and Dino ---watching their story unfold---like a movie playing in my head. I was introduced to Helen's work a few years ago with her book, "Magic Knot" and "Oceans Between Us" was just as commendable. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was a beautifully written romance about love overcoming the past and social status. This book gives the reader hope that love always finds a way to prevail. Sometimes life takes couples down a path that is completely different than what they had planned to walk, this warm romance shows that in the end nothing truly matters but the power of the heart.

When Maria opens the door of her parents' guesthouse on the Cornish coast to a stranger, she doesn't know she's opening the door to a new life. Maria and Dino find an attraction that blossoms to love, except she wants a quiet life and he's an international star. This modern-day Cinderella story will captivate you, with twists and turns worth of Puccini.

If a book can hook me on the first page then I know I'm in for a great read. And Oceans Between us is just that. I was drawn in to the conflict and dilemma that Dino faced in the opening scene and was quickly drawn into this beautiful well written story that I found darn impossible to put down. The tension, the romance, the strong character development, each scene played like out like a movie. Not your average romance. This is much better!

This book was disappointing to me. I had high hopes that I would like it but there was a number of things that I didn't really care for including both of the main characters.

Maria is supposed to be British but the way that she spoke and even the way that her family spoke didn't come off that way at all. Dino's Italian shown through quite often but rarely did any of Maria's family sound the least bit British other than when they said Mum or called the twins poppet.

I don't really have a whole lot to say about this book because while I did finish it, nothing really appealed to me about it at all. The story line lacked an oomph to it and characters were only mediocre at best. I bought this book in a three box set on the store so hopefully the other two books are better.

I think I fell in love with Dino before Maria did! I enjoyed this charming, sensual story from beginning to end; from the first page I connected with the characters and was rooting for them to find a way to be together. A heartwarming, satisfying read.

I read this book as part of a series of Romance Novels. This was fantastic. You find yourself rooting for Maria & Dino. The came together bwhen Dino needed to heal. It was fast paced and I could not wait to see what happened next. I think you will enjoy this. I generally read mysteries, so this was different for me but I really enjoyed it.

Opposites attract in this terrific book! Wow, an incredibly well written tale of two people from different sides of the track- the hero a wealthy Italian, the heroine a penniless servant- but the sparks and the romance fly. Helen Scott Taylor hit this out of the ballpark- a wonderful book sure to be a bestseller. Get it now. I highly recommend Oceans between us:)

From the first few pages I was hooked. Well written, this beautiful story tells about Maria and Dino (two people from two different worlds) who meet and fall in love but are torn apart because those differences. I didn't want to put the book down. I was fascinated. Helen Scott Taylor knows how to tell a beautiful love story. It is just a wonderful read.

Sue

What is not to love in this book? The strong italian hero. The vulnerable empathetic heroine. Their love story swept me away. This book is like taking a romantic vacation with a really hot guy! Fantastic.

Apparently Maria is twenty something woman who doesn't even have money, job, or future planned. She expects Dino to give up his dreams and looks at his career as an obstacle that is keeping them apart but she has no problem wanting him to buy her dream house because she doesn't have any money with the money he makes from his career. When she does get job, she didn't even last for a week before she loses interest and stalks Dino. i couldn't even finish the book without cringing. the only thing i liked about this book was Dino and his family. I can't stand Maria,,,,she irritates me every time she talks..... it never happened to me but i kept wishing Dino would leave and forget about her......i gave this 1 star for Dino.....

The story is about loving someone so much you would do whatever you could to make his/her life easier and make the dreams possible. I was hooked into the story after the first few pages and finished the book in 4hours because I had to see how everything worked out.

Not sure where to start, this was not a "Cinderella" story, there was no changing on Marie's part, Dino did all the sacrificing.
The one big reason I didn't like this story was that a lot of bad stuff happened to Dino and it that short period of feeling depressed he had feelings for her.
Marie was too immature, there was part of the story where she was already saying "Marie Rosellini", she had just met him and he hadn't even said 2 sentences to her yet..very scary and childish for me.
I gave this 2 stars because I liked Dino's family and I wished it had a better ending, at least this was a free download for me.

Only if you are stranded somewhere with absolutely no other options, should you read this pitiful exercise in living happily ever after. It is vapid, silly, and insulting. Imagine a woman wanting to mother and nurse a man because he looks sad, and then having to seduce him because he lacks the will. Yuck.

i enjoyed the characters of Maria and Dino! The tale of two lovers who heal each other is always enjoyed, especially when a hot Italian is involved! The autnor does a great job of keeping you entertained! just the perfect read for an afternoon by the pool!

I bought this book not sure whether I would like it which I didn't - I loved it. Loveable main characters with a hint of a despicable character who tries to break up a romance that is destined to be - I couldn't put it down. I will be buying more of Helen Scott Taylor's work.

I wish someone would have mentioned this in the reviews before I bought this book, so for anyone else seeking this information, be forewarned that there is sexual content in this book. I didn't even read the rest of the book. Once I saw what it was going to be like, I didn't even bother reading the rest of the book. So, if you don't want to subject yourself to that kind of garbage, don't buy this book.