Heart Of Eternity by N. Jay
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This review is in association with The Review Board.

Heart of Eternity is a book unlike any I have read before. Well-written and crafted, the story of Jay and Naida is richly interwoven with unexpected, insightful doses of abstract spiritualism. Readers looking for a light read should be cautioned to pass this book by; the story’s intellectual examination of light versus dark, healing versus destructive energies – the eternal battle between Love and Fear goes beyond mere archetypes and formula plot structure and takes a much deeper, inspired, almost metaphysical approach to romance.

I appreciated the almost direct opposition between the characters of Jay and Naida and, for awhile, wondered exactly how the two were connected as each character was introduced and brought to life in my imagination.

Jay, full of darkness and not only aware of his destructive choices in life but reveling in them, is an elusive, mysterious figure, embracing risk and danger with more affection and commitment than any of the lovers he takes. We get to know him through the filter of his friends’ perspectives and then, finally, from his unique voice. Even from the start of the story his rigid adherence to living life by his dark rules incited in me an almost motherly instinct in wanting to ease whatever fear lay so deeply entrenched in his heart that he felt the need to behave and interact with such deliberate malice. As such Naida’s reaction to him was more than understandable.

Naida, full of light and a compulsion to heal not just her self but others in need, is a beautiful soul plagued by a cancerous tumor that threatens her life. Eschewing modern medical approaches, she seeks out the aid of her paternal uncle, Zachriel, a mystic and spiritual healer who has always inspired her, their shared unique perspectives on the world serving to have connected them from her childhood. Zachriel takes her into his tutelage and begins to show her how to fight her inner demons to reach her healing center. But in the process of doing so Naida encounters a shadow demon in her heart whose presence blocks her healing energies. Knowing she can progress no further until she finds this man and heals the pain residing inside him, Naida invests all of her energies in this new effort.

The two meet almost by accident or some act of divine guidance and the emotions between them are instantaneous. Naida recognizes in Jay the demon haunting her thoughts and the shadows cloaking her heart. Jay senses in her a woman of uncharacteristic emotional fortitude and strength and this scares him, knowing he cannot break her and vindicate his fear-maligned perception of self. His fear casts them apart as quickly as they come together, as he struggles to put physical distance between them. The darkness in him has a firm hold; Jay wages an inner war as he yearns for the redemption Naida offers and fends off the darkness of his ego.

The finale of the story was shocking but does incredible justice to the power of sacrifice in the name of Love in conquering the error of Fear and ego’s dominion over the human spirit.

My compliments to N. Jay for crafting such a unique emotional connection between two characters brought to vivid life on the page. It is clear she writes from a place of deep personal belief, or at least extensive research. I read this story, imbibing the supporting and deriving abstract concepts with eager relish. N. Jay delivers romance on both the physical and metaphysical levels and does both with astonishing aplomb.

I do have some notable mentions that do affect the rating given to Heart of Eternity.

The text I received to review had “first draft proof copy – not for reprint – Copyrights and ownership defined 2013” in the header of every page. I would have loved to read the actual final draft/copy and been spared some formatting and editing errors.
In keeping with the header the body of the text was littered with unnecessary blank pages. The following are all the unnecessary blank pages, some of which interrupt mid-dialog or descriptive passage. (20, 28-32, 36, 43-44, 51, 71, 73, 78, 85, 88, 92, 94, 98)
There were many editing misses:
Page 29: He had been encouraging her to give in, wearing her down, knowing it wouldn’t take long to have her, He had always been a good player, and he played to the rules exceptionally well. (He had been encouraging her to give in, wearing her down, knowing it wouldn’t take long to have her.)

Page 29: Charlotte had never felt such an essential lust for any man.Their bodies rasped against each other and the abrading sensation as Jay slid his hand on her lips aroused Charlotte even more. (missing a space between sentences)

Page 33: “Through a source, right…? So, by any chance, is it possible for the sufferer to be the healer at once?” she asked cautiously. (this should start a new paragraph) Zachriel picked up a stone from the ground and determined its weight speculatively as he replied, “I knew right from the start that you were strong mentally and spiritually, which is why you have not fainted or felt weak during the remedial sessions, although I have been expeditiously projecting the Divine Energy in you. My dear, you have the potential to become a powerful healer, if that’s what you’re asking. In fact…your receptivity and power of belief reminds me of someone. (missing closing quotation)

Page 37: Ricky knew Jay had done this to save him and it didn’t help to see his friend bruised and bleeding, yes, victorious, yes and_happy[…] (unnecessary underscore)

Page 57: She slowly closed her eyes while wisps of her long, silky, sand y brown hair[…] (extra space in sandy)

Page 57: She had no idea how long she stood there, trying to draw in the tranquillity (misspelled) of the scene that surrounded her, until her (unnecessary word) the old man’s voice rose in her head.

Page 86: Please…do not try to stop me. (missing closing quotation) Naida let her head rest on his knee and implored amid tears.

Page 87: Let go Jay…you have to let go,”. (extra period)

Page 100: “You! (unnecessary exclamation point and subsequent capitalization of the following word) Simply cannot cast off my dark armour and take on the shield of light without going on war with your dark forces!

If the author had submitted a final proof this book would have easily scored a full 5 star rating instead of the 3 I am giving it.

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