Michele Kallio

Although historical novels are not my usual genre of choice, I found myself fully engaged in this book from the first page! The chapters shift between the mysterious interconnected lives of two women, centuries apart, and their love affairs. The book contains history, mystery and romance and I was impressed with the author’s writing ability as well as her knack of clearly moving between the two parallel stories. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I also became fascinated with Tudor history by reading this book and ended up doing hours of additional reading on the internet about the life and times of King Henry VIII and his wives. The book is quite long but was almost impossible to put down and I read it in all my spare time over five days. My only gripe was that my arms grew so tired! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read.… (altro)

Michele Kallio’s Betrayal is a haunting novel based both in present day New Brunswick and in Sixteenth Century England. Modern day Lydia is an intelligent, kind, and beautiful woman that leads a great life with her Physician boyfriend. Raised by her cold father, Lydia never knew her mother or her mother’s family. After her father’s untimely death Lydia begins having nightmares that seem all too realistic. In her dreams, Lydia finds herself in the body of Elisabeth, a lady’s maid to Lady Anne Boleyn. Lady Anne happens to be the mistress (and later wife) of King Henry VIII. Believing her dreams to be only nightmares, Lydia ignores them for as long as she can. However, Lydia soon starts experiencing waking dreams and begins having strange sensations of deja vu. The more she finds herself in Elisabeth’s world the more Lydia realizes that there are more to her dreams than meet the eye. Could they be trying to tell her something about her past or is Lydia going insane?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of Michele Kallio’s Betrayal. Kallio did a terrific job in creating not one, but two different worlds. Lydia’s life in modern day New Brunswick is very realistic. Kallio painted her setting in a way that made it very easy to imagine. I could visualize the restaurants, buildings, and scenery described. Reading about Lydia’s adventures in Bar Harbor made me want to research the town. (It is real and looks just as beautiful as Kallio described!) It was the infusion of little details (like those mentioned above) that made Betrayal feel complete. I was especially fond of the historical aspects of the novel. Kallio’s knowledge of sixteenth century England was definitely noticed and appreciated. Everything was well researched, from the various Sixteenth Century social stations and popular style, to religion and politics.

Betrayal opened my eyes to a whole new world of dreams and the meanings behind them. In the book, Lydia first starts seeing a Psychologist specializing in dreams. After hearing her speak on a tape recorder about her dreams, the Dr. feels that they are more than typical nightmares. Fearing that they are occurring because of a repressed memory, the Psychologist requests to hypnotize Lydia. Lydia must decide if she really wants to know more about her past and if she is ready to deal with the consequences of what remains hidden.

Betrayal easily switches between the lives of Lydia and Elisabeth. I was surprised at how flawlessly each new chapter changed gears. While reading about Elisabeth I found myself speculating on what would happen next with Lydia. Furthermore, while reading about what Lydia was going through made me think about Elisabeth and her world. As the book progressed, the story of the two women seemed to converge. I feel that Kallio did a terrific job in meshing her two storylines together.

Michele Kallio has a gem in her novel, Betrayal. Imbedded in it you will find a great deal of history, romance, mystery, and suspense. I recommend Betrayal to anyone looking for a great read! Good luck putting it down!… (altro)

When I had finished the stack of galley's I was reviewing I was able to return my attention to Michelle's novel “Betrayal” and was instantly captivated all over again. Michelle skillfully combines current day with dream sequences relating to life the 1500s. The characters are well portrayed and the storyline is believable.

The lead character Lydia Hamilton seems to have an idyllic life working and living with her boyfriend Dr. Dan Taylor that is until she begins to have a recurring dream that haunts even her waking hours. The dreams take Lydia to the 1500s and into the court of King Henry VIII. Dan doesn't understand how tormented Lydia is by the dream which is now causing a rift to develop between the couple. He insists Lydia seek the help of Dr. Alan Stokes a psychologist and specialist in dream interpretation. With Alan's help Lydia is able to recall more details of her dreams bringing to light names and locations that the dream plays out.

Lydia is contacted by her estranged family by whom she learns of her mother’s death, a mother she had thought dead since she was a child. Lydia is drawn to England to the home of her family in the hope that she will be able to bring sense to her dreams and put an end to them once and for all.

Michelle Kallio, retired medical office manager, former teacher and librarian draws her reader in and keeps their attention with her talented writing. She has combined mystery and proven historical facts into an amazing read that I very much recommend. Pick it up, make a cup of tea and read the book. You will be glad you did.… (altro)

A wonderful story similar to those of Barbara Erskine, but with a different twist. The historical segments flowed well and appeared extremely well researched. I came to care about these characters and be interested in why they were having an effect on the present time. I had a little trouble with the "present day" segments in that although they carried and were the basis for the story, the characters seemed weak and lacking somehow. I would have liked to see more emotional strength from all of them. Maybe more interplay between them and less "place" description as well. Still, I would recommend this book to those with an interest in a historical novel with a twist! I really enjoyed it!… (altro)