Musing and Realizing

The Portal: Only an Ocean Apart is a distinctly original journey into where life on Earth began and where we go after death. Based on scientific theory, combined with faith that humans can connect across alternate dimensions, Dean Hamilton’s first novel reads more like reality than fiction.

After the tragic death of his parents at sea, wealthy socialite and playboy Cole Hollingsworth is set to take over his father’s publishing empire, but when childhood schoolmate Lindsay Featherstone, now an accomplished researcher and oceanographer, reenters his life, Cole’s world, along with everything he knew to be true about his life, love, and second chances, is about to be turned upside down.

Who is Lindsay, really? What does she want with Cole? And, perhaps most intriguing of all, has she found the key to all of life and death, and the mysteries of the afterlife, in the deepest reaches of the ocean’s floor?

The pair embark on a journey to find out the truth about Cole’s parents. What they discover along the way will not only transform them but will trigger the beginning of a global transformation humanity could not have possibly foreseen.

It was a hell of a ride for me. You know, I was pretty much not interested after reading the first chapter. Because Cole was just not my favorite. So I postponed it to read later. But as it was an ARC from NetGalley, I am pretty much always scared that I will forget to read it and it will be archived. So I just picked it up the day before the day before yesterday.

And yeah, I liked it when Lindsay was introduced. She was really good at keeping secrets. Now no spoilers here but Cole had a publishing business inherited and he was about to get swindled. But what plans did Lindsay have for him? That was the total plot.

I have to say I liked how Lindsay and Cole interacted. It was good to read though they were sometimes really stupid. And Cole was slowly changing. His dreams were really good to decipher while reading.

I am really conflicted about whether to give a spoiler.

Haha, I will not. The most awesome thing for me in the book was Lindsay. I just liked her. She was behaving in weird ways to keep secrets, I get that. So I totally love their relationship.

The end was too good.

Like the total, there was a portal, Cole’s parents, and finally, Cole took ownership of his major shares in the company. Good for him.

And like that, I can also say that he will go in search of Lindsay in the second book. It’s not a spoiler people, you can read the second book’s description.

Also, I read thirteen chapters in the second book now, so I can say that I’m really invested in the series.

More book 1 spoilers in the second book’s review. Haha.

5 STAR RATING – AWESOME READ

The Portal: Only an Ocean Apart by Dean Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. I was not that invested in the first chapter but from the second chapter, it grew on me. Mostly because the plot was just to my liking. I loved the whole book.
I can say that the characters aren’t perfect but yeah they are good. And the portal things, that was written very well. I was really imagining that stuff. So I’m very excited to read the second book.
Great plot and it is a well-written book. Can I say, I love Serena? I liked the total journey to the portal. Lindsay was something I never expected while reading. Because I really couldn’t figure out what the characters would do or face next.
Excited about book 2!


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