For those who have not read the previous book, DO NOT READ THIS, please. And my main recommendation is to read the two books in a row, because if not many things are forgotten.

This book the the sequel to Uninvited. I loved that book and was anxiously waiting for this one. I enjoyed the jumping right into things style instead of the usual constant recaps to refresh memories of the previous book. Reread the first one if you can't remember! The storyline in this book felt far more involved and out there than the last. I LOVE sci-fi/fantasy so I didn't mind. I was happy to see Aerin and  Olivia's romance continue through this book. I recommend this book, but only after reading Uninvited first. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish, it just didn't capture my attention. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

This review is going to be weirder than usual for me, in addition to the common mistakes in my writing. I started reading this book quite eagerly, because it was the continuation of the Uninvited book, which I quite enjoyed despite being science fiction-themed, not my favorite.

I remembered something about a couple reuniting after having been through a traumatic situation when they were teenagers. Something about an alien force that was pushing one of the two women, Aerin, into an unknown but unstoppable situation. The other woman, Olivia, also seemed like her pear should be helping Aerin in her quandary. And I also remembered that the ending was very abrupt and gave no answers. So when I saw this one I was really glad and thought that the answers were going to come.

I started reading and when I was going through a quarter of the book I realized that I didn't understand almost anything, there was no way to make sense of many of the things that were happening. I even thought about leaving it unfinished. But I convinced myself and finished it, with more effort than I would have liked.

So, for those like me who were waiting for answers, I do not know if all are given. For those who have not read the previous book, DO NOT READ THIS, please. And my main recommendation is to read the two books in a row, because if not many things are forgotten.

This book should not be read as a stand-alone. It is a continuation of the first book, "Uninvited", and picks up right after the conclusion of the first. In fact, it reads very much as if it was one large novel that was divided. Be warned.
This one carries us along with the main characters from "Uninvited", Olivia and Aerin, and we get to see them striving hard towards a future as a couple. There are shades of other-worlds-string-theory "science", so it gets a bit odd at times and I regret to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did "Uninvited", no matter how much I enjoy other-worlds stuff in my fiction.
I hate giving two stars, but for me, it really was just okay.

Sorry, Ms. Ester. It's not you, it's me.

This book picks up where Uninvited, the first book in the series left off. After surviving a harrowing experience at Seneca Lake, the two women pick up the pieces and move forward with their relationship and with their day to day lives. But then Olivia discovers that Aerin is keeping secrets from her, and things may not be quite so normal after all, will their delicate new beginnings be over before they even start?

I didn't remember much from the first book but it definitely helped to have read it and I would definitely recommend starting there, unlike other series I don't think this book can stand alone. This is the continuation of Aerin and Olivia's story. I really enjoy Esther's writing style, the descriptions are always immersive and capture all the senses. This isn't too heavy on the science fiction side of things but it's really fascinating and has a great balance with the romance. Usually I don't like reading the continuation of a romance but it really worked here, and the author kept the tension and my attention throughout the book.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been looking forward to reading Convergence by Jane C. Esther. I enjoyed reading Uninvited, the first book in The Portal series last year and have been anticipating this second novel ever since.

The second book is a fitting continuation. It begins right after the first book ends. Olivia and Aerin are hopeful that the events they just experienced at Seneca Lake will be the last time they have to deal with aliens and the people who are trying to make a portal for them to come to Earth. Unfortunately one of those people, Stanton, is not giving up, and he has the power and means to force Aerin to help him.

I really enjoyed this story. It brings back all the characters we got to know and love in the first book with the addition of a couple of new characters. It still has that creepy, sci-fi feel to the story. I liked seeing Olivia and Aerin working toward being a couple again since it is so obvious they belong together. Of course, that is not a given outcome considering all the forces at work in the tale.

Ms. Esther has created another well written novel that gives us that scary other-world /aliens-among-us feeling mixed in with a really sweet romance. It is also a story that will hopefully make us think about how we treat those around us, especially those who some may think of as “different”. There are many depths to the overall story that I hope you’ll find as you read.
I will mention that this is not a good stand-alone novel. You really need to read both books in order if you want to understand the story. Fortunately, both novels are very good, and I can recommend both of them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections: http://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

Okay, so I wasn't too high on the first book in the series - but I did enjoy some of the science fiction elements in it even if the personal journeys of Aerin and Olivia were a bit of a mess. They were compelling but hard to like or enjoy. And I feel like its the reverse this time. In this follow up book, Aerin's and Olivia's personal journeys and their rekindled relationship were much clearer and more defined than in the first book. The Sci-Fi stuff, though? Not so much.

In this book we delve heavily into what I thought was time travel, and even into string theory (the concept of different versions of ourselves out there - sometimes they can converge into our own). So, I think Esther wanted to merge time travel with extra dimensional travel and aliens, and what came out of it was less a mystery and more a jangled mess. At least to me. This series will let you know that sometimes stuff gets weird and that's an okay think, but some times it left me more confused than the characters in the book.

I'd say if you enjoyed Olivia and Aerin in the first book, this is a good pickup because it does show them in an actual relationship - even to the point where at the beginning they were always horny for each other. To an unusual extent. The book doesn't explain why, exactly, but let me come up with reasons for it - which was a fun thing to explore for a bit while the plot moved along. Overall though, its still messy and hard to follow, just like the first book, but for different reasons. I am glad that lesfic authors try their hands at harder scifi because it doesn't often happen, so I am hopeful this could start a trend in authors trying their hand at it more often.

3.75 Stars. Weird but good. This is the second book in Esther’s Portal series. I do want to first mention that I would highly recommend reading book one, Uninvited first. These two books are completely connected by basically having one long story that was cut into two books. It has been a little over a year since I read the first book and it took me a little bit to remember what was going on and the characters. Had I not read book one, I think I would have been too lost and confused to really enjoy this.

This series is definitely weird. It is sci-fi and really oddball at times, but it is more sci-fi lite so I think readers who are not big sci-fi fans could still enjoy this. Personally, I did not know what to think of the first book and I struggled a bit. However, I did see potential in the premise so I’m happy to say I thought this second book was much more enjoyable for me.

Looking back on my old review of the first book, I noticed I had trouble liking one of the mains so it was affecting if I wanted to root for a HEA for the romance. In the past year, I had forgotten about not liking the character of Olivia so it was almost like I went into this book with a clean slate. While she was still mildly annoying, she was so much more palatable in this book. And because I was enjoying both mains, I felt like the chemistry between them was much more believable than the first time around.

This book ended up having a bit less science and aliens than I expected. It was still there but this story was more about if the characters could make a relationship work, and also trying to save a teenager from homophobic extremist parents. I love sci-fi, but the romance and the everyday life scenes that could be in a regular romance or contemporary fiction book, were much more enjoyable than discussing a piece of alien tech. The change of flow this book had really worked for me and I enjoyed it much more.

The way the book ended, it very well could be the last book of the series. Esther gave it a satisfying enough ending, but also left it opened enough that she could come back and write a book three at any time. The more time spent away from Stanton and the portal stuff, the more I enjoyed this book. I hope if Esther does write another, it will be about using the alien powers for good, almost superhero-ish. I could see that being a really fun read.

If you’ve read the first book in the series, I would absolutely recommend reading this one. I thought it was much better and I’m hopefully others will enjoy it more too. If you are new to the series and want to try something a little weird but totally different, give book one, Uninvited a read first.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Olivia and Aerin is heading back to Indiana after surviving explosion. As Olivia and Aerin trying to build a life together they still have unanswered questions about what really going on.

Olivia feels as though Stanton knows more then what he saying and when Aerin decides to meet him he explain what he really going to happen that it’s been centuries in the making. I like all the characters they all have a role to play in this and wether what happening is good thing or be a disasters.

I won’t go into details because I tend to spoilers lot. This was a good read. I can totally see this a movie.