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The Romantic: A Love Story (Forever Poetic Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Felix Alexander (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 30 ratings

Book 2 of 4: Forever Poetic

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"An interesting premise, but also incredibly sad and thought provoking." ~Writer's Digest "Beautiful, visual, and sensual." ~J.R. Biery The Romantic is a love story about friendship, passion, and the echo of unrequited love. Hadriel Alighieri has harbored a secret love in his heart for his entire life. It began in his youth, when he fell in love with his best friend, Sophia Paula. After Sophia leaves for America and is later betrothed to Joshua Abrams, Hadriel is devastated, but he is a hopeless romantic. In the winter of his life he is haunted by the memory of Sophia Paula. When the Angel of Death comes for Hadriel, the journey begins. From his deathbed, he travels to the day he fell in love. He retraces the steps of his life in search of his unrequited love. For she too harbors a secret love in her heart. But what begins as a journey to fulfill a promise turns into a discovery of the only emotion that defines our lives. Did she wait for him? The Romantic is an intelligent, poignant novel about romantic love, missed chances, and a life lived in search of the happiness that comes from finding one’s other half. Hadriel Alighieri is struck by Sophia Paula’s beauty the moment he sees her—though he’s only twelve years old, it’s love at first sight. When Sophia’s father asks Hadriel to teach Sophia to play the piano, Hadriel jumps at the chance, and over the next six years the two become best friends. Hadriel harbors his deeper feelings until the time for his mandatory military service comes, but his profession of love doesn’t go how he hopes—and as the years pass, both Sophia and Hadriel search for love with others, but never find it in as true a form as they had for each other…. I liked how the novel begins with Hadriel looking back over his life, in the presence of the angel of death; it gives the book an immediate touch of sorrow and heartbreak, as well as some mystery. The reader wonders just what happened to Hadriel and Sophia, and will find out as the story weaves on. I also liked how the author slowly begins to introduce Sophia’s perspective, so that she becomes not just Hadriel’s love object, but a fully developed character in her own right, with her own regrets. And for me, there’s just as much sorrow in Hadriel’s relationship with Celeste—both he and Celeste have pasts too colored by their first loves to truly move forward. The plot moves slowly but beautifully, in large part due to the author’s descriptive, lyrical writing style—lines like Hadriel being “the ghost of her [Sophia’s] heart” are lovely and bear repeat reads. I’d recommend The Romantic to readers who like novels that deal with the complex themes of love, life, and how the choices we make reverberate through both. ~Kelsi Grace, Vantage Point Book Reviews Use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature and begin reading The Romantic: A Love Story (the second book in the Forever Poetic series) today!

Editorial Reviews

Review

***OnlineBookClub.org's Review of The Romantic: A Love Story***Romance novels are everywhere. Given that love is such a powerful and universal longing that can both heal and prey upon vulnerabilities, this isn't remotely surprising. The upshot, though, is that the ubiquity of romance novels tends to cheapen them and eventually leads to the "if you've read one, you've read them all" school of thought. For this reason, when a romance comes along that manifests something unique, its points of excellence become extraordinary and even its areas of mediocrity transform into excellence.

In Felix Alexander's The Romantic, the reader shares the story of Hadriel Alighieri, who made the mistake of falling in love as a boy. Throughout his life, his love haunts him and makes it impossible to truly love another woman despite how much he wants to. His passionate nature and emotional sensitivity ache for true love, but the lack of fulfillment eventually lead him to his own destruction.

From beginning to end, The Romantic is told in an almost lyrical cadence. At first, it feels a little awkward, but soon it becomes natural and then beautiful. In places, it becomes poetic and seductive, with skillful turns of phrase that present common description or narration as artistic masterpieces.

This style becomes more refined and feels more like the inner workings of the main character's mind.

The plot may be ordinary, but the overall impression of the book is fantastically unique. If anyone is considering reading it, I encourage you to read at least a third of the way in before making an assessment. Allow prose to transform into poetry, and know that the book gets better and better with every page all the way to the last one.

From the Author

***TheLatinoAuthor.com Review by Corina Martinez Chaudhry and Lucia Salinas***This is a book that goes beyond the realm of the living and truly captures the essence of a true love story. It is a story about Hadriel Alighieri's life and the love he has for one woman - Sophia. It captures all the emotions and directions that Hadriel's life takes in trying to obtain this woman's love and yet she is always out of reach. The author does a fantastic job of taking you into the character's head and he makes you feel the emotions and sadness, yet the adrenaline rush of a true love.
Hadriel's life starts with the meeting of the girl he befriends and how he falls in love with her. Most people think they will get married and end up together and yet there are many twists and turns as there would be in any person's life. This makes the story more powerful. Hadriel finally gets the courage to read Sophia a poem that he specifically wrote for her. In this poem he discloses how much he truly loves her and this becomes the catalyst that will spin this love story in a direction the reader wouldn't have thought possible.
The author takes you into the head of the characters and allows you to feel and think like them. Throughout the story, the author does an amazing job of capturing the essence of what life can sometimes bring and he shows how the characters choose to handle the situations that come their way.
The characters each embark on journeys that create havoc, distance, emotions, solutions, and yet the book is centered on the one true unifier - LOVE.
The book is written in third person and this allows the reader to see the overall story of each of the characters, but yet he does an excellent job of driving the reader back to the characters with great dialogue. The story flows magically and is an easy read. The plot is not complicated, but is powerful and effective.
The author also does a great job of keeping you in suspense regarding what happens to Hadriel and Sophia. Just when you think that is all is great in 'Kansas' the author pulls you in another direction. The ending is quite spectacular and totally unexpected. If you are a romantic at heart, then this book is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it!

From the Inside Flap

Review by Sleepy Bookworm - 5 starsThe Romantic is a story that is more original than the title would suggest. The protagonist, Hadriel, is on his deathbed when he travels back tothe time his unrequited love for Sophia began. He met the object of hisaffection at the age of twelve, and has never been able to forget her.Now he has the chance to restart a journey that takes him from SantaLucia to Chicago. On his way he learns important lessons about himselfand the world, but the one question that matters is: Will he get thegirl?

The writing style is vague and poetic, perfectly settingthe tone but losing a little in key details. As such this is a whimsical tale in which you gain your understanding as much from what you feel as what you read. The word choices are particularly beautiful and the flow is effortless. The author is a master at depicting emotional turmoil.Hadriel is a well-defined character, and events present him withunexpected and interesting challenges that will keep you turning thepage The Romantic is a fairly short read but substantial enough tojustify the price. It is a true exemplar of the poetic love story.

From the Back Cover

"I adored the end of this book...sheer poetry." ~Teresa L. of The Online Book Club

About the Author

Felix Alexander (1976-Present) is a Mexican-born, American-raised novelist and poet of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.

Acclaimed by readers for his poetic prose, his indie releases include:
*Dear Love: Diary of a Man's Desire, a collection of love letters and poems;
*The Romantic: A Love Story;
*Shadows of Time: The Amulet of Alamin, an epic historical fantasy;
*The Secret of Heaven, a mystery novel (Book 1 of the Aiden Leonardo Series);*The Secret of Scripture, a mystery novel (Book 2 of the Aiden Leonardo Series);
*The Last Valentine, a romantic mystery (A Labyrinth of Love Letters novel);*The Last Love Letter, a romantic mystery (A Labyrinth of Love Letters novel);
*Her Punishment, an erotic novelette;
*Her Awakening, an erotic romance novel;*Romantic Musings, a collection of love letters and poems.

Being third-generation military, after a grandfather and uncle who served in the Korean War and Vietnam War, respectively, Alexander is proud of his service in the U.S. Army and grateful for his experience.

After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, his third year served in South Korea, he embarked on the long and arduous journey of a writer. Having made a name for himself during his tenure serving his country, he vowed to himself and his fellow soldiers that he would answer his true calling.

When not spending time with his children, a son and daughter, he volunteers to promote literacy among youth with Villament Charities and the VM Mag (vmmag.org), and then he journeys through the portals in his extensive, personal library. When he returns, he immerses himself in his writing, and pursues the scent of his muse.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MNM3K3M
Publisher ‏ : ‎ ForeverPoetic (August 11, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 11, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 527 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 302 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1500760994

Customer Reviews:
3.8 30 ratings

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Felix Alexander

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Felix Alexander (1976-Present) is a Mexican-born, American-raised novelist and poet of Spanish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican descent.

Acclaimed by readers for his poetic prose, his indie releases have garnered him a little praise and a small, but loyal audience.

Being third-generation military, after a grandfather and two uncles who served in the Korean War and Vietnam War, respectively, Alexander is proud of his service in the U.S. Army and grateful for his experience.

After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, his third year served in South Korea, he embarked on the long and arduous journey of a writer. Having made a name for himself during his tenure serving his country, he vowed to himself and his fellow soldiers that he would answer his true calling.

He lives in Chicago, IL—to be close to his children—a son and daughter. In the evenings he journeys through the portals of his extensive, personal library. When he returns, he immerses himself in his writing, and pursues the scent of his muse.

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3.8 out of 5

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Vermont Reviewer

Tragic Love Story Your First Love never forgotten "The Romantic" a great read

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

A wonderful tragic love story. Characters who are so real, I thought I knew them. I felt myself becoming involved in the story and wishing I could warn the characters so that they could change their ways. Some great lines from the story. "For the heart will be tested during the journey of life, and if it is true, it will find the one person it is meant to love." "In essence, life is a buffet and love is the main course." Professor Aziz. The author Felix has a wonderful way with words. He pulls out all the emotional stops and goes straight for the heart.
"His ignorance proved fatal to their future, because a man cannot truly love a woman until he gets to know her first"
I really enjoyed this story and wished there had been a different ending. Will look for more from this gifted author.
some great turns and twists kept this story moving until the end.

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Alicia Rowe

Very non-traditional romance

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023

Born in Santa Lucia, Mexico Hadriel had always been a hopeless romantic. After falling in love with his childhood best friend, and his advances spurned, he travelled to Chicago to begin his life. Here he will have three great loves, but will any of them stick? The angel of death has come to collect, but Hadriel has made a final request to see if his love waited for him.
I received a physical copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have to admit that I spent a fair amount of time judging the character for his 'poor pitiful me attitude' while chasing women that were in relationships with other people then not respecting the one he actually ended up in a relationship with. I didn't see him as a hopeless romantic for a large portion of the book, and I'm not sure that I do now that it is over. But, everyone has their own opinions on that.

This book is set after the main character's death as he is with the angel Adriel as they review his life. For the most part the book acts like it is set in present tense while it reviews events with only occasional references to Hadriel and Adriel's conversations. I will say that with the amount of Catholicism in the first chapter paired with the fact of an angel being portrayed I was a bit concerned. I don't read religious books, as you well know, but I was needlessly worried for once. While these are both aspects the main character doesn't seem to be religious nor is it a prominent feature in the work after the story leaves Santa Lucia.

There is a lot of cheating on partners in this book, which I can't say I loved. But, the book was well written and I was largely interested to see if he actually got any of the girls her pursued. I won't ruin it and tell you what happens, but it isn't a traditional HEA (Happily Ever After). The bittersweet notes of this story will stay with you, no matter your opinions of the characters within.

I can't say that I had a favorite character in this book. But, you can't win them all. If you are a lover of music there are numerous songs in this book, sometimes spanning multiple pages.

If you're searching for a very non-traditional romance of sorts look no further because this definitely fits that bill. I have just learned that this is book two in a series by this author called Forever Poetic. This book can absolutely be read as a stand-alone without having to read others. Everything is tied up by the end.

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kwestrope

Rambling, confusing story

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

The first few pages and the last few pages of this book pretty much tell the whole story. What is in between is a rambling story that jumps all over the place. The writing is often hard to follow as the author uses periods in place of commas, many incomplete sentences, and the odd, random “dictionary” words which detract from rather than add to the story. This book needs some editing, for sure. Then, perhaps, it would be worth taking the time to read. I couldn’t make it through the whole thing and ended up skimming to the end.

In the author’s defense, though, I did enjoy reading some of the historical details about St Lucia.

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RavenMadArt

The First Romance Novel I've Finished

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

Romance novels are one of my least favorite genres; only because, I've tried to read them in the past, and became bored with them. I would lay them aside, not even halfway in, regretting only that I could not finish what I'd started.
I took a chance on this book, as it was being offered for free. I was very, very skeptical. I had a bit of a slow start, but, that pace sped up quickly. I read large chunks at a time. The best thing for me, is that I became an onlooker, as it were, away from reality, watching a play. The story is wonderful. The only negativity that I experienced while reading this book was that the typos brought me out of the story to remind me that I was reading a book; and, then, I would have to make my way back to the intimacy from which I had been plucked.
If you like romance novels, try this one. I think what made it stand out, from my previous attempts at reading this genre, is the story itself. I envisioned the main character to be the author--sensitive, creative, romantic. The story, to me, is of a boy/man longing for a "one true love," versus, longing for a sexual conquest.
I wanted to give five stars for the story; yet, I only give four, due to the typo interruptions.

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Louis Fabian

Beautiful just beautiful!

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

What a wonderful love story! It makes you fall in love over and over again. I've never seen such love that Hadriel has for Sophia, that even in his deathbed the memory of Sophia is so vivid. This book will take you to a wonderful journey of a one sided love, a young boy who fell in love with her bestfriend and the only girl who stole his heart and ran away with it. He grew old loving her and wondering if she has ever loved him in return. Beautiful just beautiful!

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The Romantic: A Love Story (Forever Poetic Book 2) Kindle Edition

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