Click here to buy this book! Amazon Lulu Romeo Publishing Company Category:  Romance Publisher: Romeo Publsihing Company ISBN-10:  0615147305 Type: Fiction Pages: 360 Copyright: June 2007 ISBN-13: 9780615147307 Romeo Montague dies for Juliet and awakens in this age on a volcano in Hawaii, where he meets a wise Zen Master. So is the premise of James Edwards' new time-travel romance novel: "Romeo and Juliet: A Modern Day Sequel." In the story, Shakespeare's Juliet has reincarnated as a famous actress who falls in love with Romeo in an Internet chatroom. The story draws on themes from Zen Buddhism, Hollywood narcissism and new-age philosophy as the two star-crossed lovers recall their past lives in Egypt and Atlantis and overcome many obstacles to meet again. Romeo Montague dies for Juliet and awakens in this age on a volcano in Hawaii where he meets a wise Zen Master. So begins the opening premise of James Edwards' time-travel romance novel: "Romeo and Juliet: A Modern Day Sequel". Sadly for Romeo, there is no sign of his beloved wife Juliet. As the years pass his memory of her fades. Yet one day, he logs into an Internet chatroom and meets a beautiful young actress by the name of Emma Gallant, who we find out later is Shakespeare's Juliet reincarnated. As James Edwards spins the hot cyber-romance around Shakespeare's famous soulmates, he draws on themes from Zen Buddhism, Hollywood narcissism and new age philosophy. Explaining why he decided to cast Romeo and Juliet in a kinky cybersex scene, the author explains, "I wanted to place significant social barriers between them, as it was in Verona, Italy. This is essential to present the Buddhist concept of sameness, which states that an individual will go through many lifetimes meeting the same people while working out the same karma." The villain of the novel is none other than Shakespeare's character, Cousin Tybalt, who is reborn as Johnny Perfection -- Hollywood actor, cad and general nemesis of Romeo. Johnny Perfection enlists the help of a dubious hacker named Fat Sam, who destroys Romeo and Juliet's Internet accounts, thus separating them again. Romeo must recount his past lives in ancient Egypt and Atlantis, as he searches for his online lover who he comes to realizes is Juliet Capulet. As the story climaxes, Romeo is comically portrayed as both a Hollywood stalker and the legendary romantic simply seeking his wife from Verona, Italy.   Excerpt Romeo had lost almost eight hundred years in his chase for Juliet, years he could have spent with his beloved, lifetimes they could have been born into together. By cheating death and clinging to his wife, he had only grown more distant from her. He was not of this age. He didn’t belong here. He came from another time. His old life was long gone and the Juliet he had once kissed on that moonlit balcony in Italy was now dust in the wind.

Romeo and Juliet: A Modern Day Sequel
Romeo and Juliet, the tale of star-crossed lovers and a romance that we all have read about it in our lives yet do we really know the story. What happened after rebellious Romeo is dead? Did Juliet really die?

Romeo is dead and knows life cannot go on without his Juliet. The problem is that instead of joining her in heaven he is stuck in a world between death and the afterlife which somehow put him in the 21st century. It is a stranger that tells him that like him his Juliet has been reincarnated but into someone that he doesn’t know. This makes his job harder for as the years go by he starts to forget what he has been searching for in his new life on earth. So it comes as a surprise when he meets a young, talented actress name Emma Gallant.

Romeo see’s Emma for who she reminds him of which is his Juliet. Emma has the same qualities that made him fall in love with Juliet like peace, love for things and a love that he hasn’t felt for years. Emma is a whole world apart from the Hawaiian Romeo who knows peace because of his time with a Zen Master. Now that he has come to know Emma, he is determined to somehow find a way to meet her. However, just like ancient Verona there is a Tybalt and a Paris that interferes in their romance in the 21st century. Can Romeo get to Emma or will it be too late? Will they always be the star-crossed lover?

Have you ever found a book that meets all your expectations about a play that some teachers made you read whether for a passing grade or to act out. Well this reviewer fell in love with this book. James Edwards did a beautiful job in this modern tale of Romeo and Juliet. As a reader that loved Romeo, it was interesting to see this Romeo as a monk, and the past lives of the star-crossed lovers. Even Emma, who is a young actress looking for stardom, was refreshing to read and how she had mistakes in her life. The thing I liked the most was that it was just about Romeo and Emma. It was the past lives of them that lured me in. James Edwards has a remarkable imagination and is a great storyteller from ancient Egypt to the pharaohs, to showing us a small glimpse of Atlantis. Each story and romance between Romeo and Emma with their past lives was intriguing.

Reviewed by: Lena C.