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Reviews for Love's Reflection

To read a three-chapter excerpt and purchase Love's Reflection, click here.


An "8" from Rob Shelsky© for Novelspot

...In Love's Reflection, Carol North even takes us a step further than just an enjoyable read. Ms. North poses thoughtful questions on what it is that makes us human, what really constitutes humanity. We travel along with Alpha as she learns the world about her. And, we see how humans react. We see them change, and in some cases grow from their interaction with Alpha. Carol North not only provides us with marvelous entertainment in Love's Reflection, she makes us reflect deeply about the meaning of things, like life, love, and compassion.

If you want a fun read (yes -- I know I use the word "fun" a lot here, but what can I say -- it's a  fun book!) then I advise you to buy Ms. Carol North's, Love's Reflection. I found it to be a very enjoyable and absorbing read. I finished Love's Reflection in just one day, because I couldn't bring myself to put it down. I wanted to know what happened next that much!

Carol North has a winner with Love's Reflection. If Ms. North can maintain this high level of writing with her future novels, we have a wonderful new author in our midst. I look forward to reading more by her.  Mind you, I'd quickly exchange all that for just one robot like Alpha…

Copyright 2008 by Rob Shelsky

Read the entire review at Novelspot.com


4.5 Tombstones from Polly at Bitten By Books


Think Tracy and Hepburn. Think Grant and Rogers. Think Data and Tasha Yar. Then, add sexual tension that ratchets up with each page.
Carol North’s Love’s Reflection revisits the romantic comedies of the 30’s and 40’s and does it with panache. With familiar situations enriched with comedic repartee, the plot unfolds as smoothly as a bolt of silk. The secondary cast, namely Robert the balding assistant to Cort, and Frank, the long-suffering agent, are uniformly bland yet serve to accent the development of Alpha’s personality and Cort’s infatuation with Zoe. North includes just enough science to help the reader feel comfortable with the Frankenstein nature of the plot but not so much that one must have a dictionary ready at hand. I found Love’s Reflection a refreshing read, a palate cleansing delight to chase away the ghosts and demons and vamps. When a change of pace is needed, this is the book to pick up.

Read the Entire Review at Bitten By Books



Review by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, originator of the cult classic Sime~Gen Universe ("...Science fiction in the grand manner." --
The New York Times Book Review)) and many other novels and stories.

Love’s Reflection
is a nifty tale of a nerdy scientist who creates a robot to be the woman of his dreams, spitting image of his favorite movie star. Then the robot is mistaken for the star, and the star finds out about it. This is a good read about what defines humanity and individualities.


4.25 Hearts from Night Owl Romance Reviewer Vee

Wounded by past rejection, Dr. Cort Hirsch, a brilliant professor, creates Alpha, a female robot to meet his every need. Making her in the image of Zoe Parker, a movie star who'd publicly snubbed him, Cort purposefully denies her the ability to have sex.

Once she is activated, he soon realizes she is far more human than he'd ever imagined. And the chance that his robot could pass the Turing Test, the ultimate test of artificial intelligence, is within his grasp.

However, the fact that she is the spitting image of Zoe Parker soon causes him problems with her fans and the paparazzi. Just when Cort is about to change her appearance, he gets a call asking if Alpha would be willing to play Zoe Parker's double in a movie she is currently working on...
But danger is afoot and before Alpha can pass the Turing Test and Cort can create a lasting relationship with Zoe, disaster strikes. Now Cort must choose between the project that has consumed his life and Alpha.

Love's reflection is a fun, fish-out-of-water book. It is obvious Ms. North has done a lot of research, which added dimension to the story. I also felt the dialog, particularly Alpha's was excellent.

Read the entire review at Night Owl Romance Reviews.


Robot fans, this one's for you

by Lucas Hyde, author of Hypnosis

If you like stories about robots, look no further. Allow me to reassure you. Love's Reflection is a great read.

Dr Cort Hirsch has dedicated twelve years of his life to creating a robot. His goal is to be the creator of the first robot ever to pass the Turing Test. To this end, he has fashioned the most sexy-looking and beautiful female he can imagine and has kitted her out with learn-by-mimicking, trial-and-error, and deductive reasoning modules, along with a host of other goodies such as emotional and sensory memory responses. The result is a super-human woman with the rational-minded appeal of Startrek's Commander Data, the direct-talking sexiness of Startrek Voyager's Seven, and the endearing naiveté of both. You will love her.

From the reviews, you might not guess how humorous the story can be. I had several laugh-out-loud moments, and there is Dr Hirsch's continual frustration at being outsmarted by his robotic creation. It is a persistently titillating read, and there are some hot scenes. There is also a mystery and, as described, it is a romance. You might have a tear of relief in your eye by the end. Recommended.


Love's Reflection

by Brian Lange, author of The Monster and Me

Love's Reflection is Ms Carol North's first [novel-length] work of fiction, and one would never know it from reading. Her smooth, polished delivery reflects years of professional writing training and practice. The novel starts out fast and never loses your attention. Also, unlike many who go out on the writing limb for the first time, the author easily molds her characters and keeps primary character names to a minimum. This allows the readers to stay up with the story without having to go back and forth to figure out who is who. Her grammar is excellent, and this was a very good book. I'm neither a romance nor sci-fi fan per se, but I did enjoy this book immensely.


Love's Reflection  A "My Fair Lady" for the 21st Century

by Jamie Gregory, author of Occult Crimes Investigation Unit #1: Sorcery Squad

Carol North's book Love's Reflection is an interesting meld of romance and sci-fi, a re-telling of the classic tale of Pygmalion. Dr. Cort Hirsch is the scientist-creator whose brilliant mind has cut him off from a feeling heart. His creation, Alpha, is the robot who is modeled on his dream woman, Zoe Parker, the glamorous but self-centered star of countless romantic movies. But who will be the woman to redeem him?

Carol not only gives us a romantic novel but asks questions about what it is to be human? Is it only flesh and blood that can feel warmth and be motivated to acts of kindness or can a machine  attract a soul? The novel shows how being human is not just a matter of "being human." The author forces us to ponder if perhaps developing our capacity to feel and love is something to aspire toward rather than assume will kick in automatically as we grow up.

This story will appeal most obviously to lovers of romantic fiction. But will, I think, intrigue anyone who likes their fiction to ask those "big questions" that being human is all about.


Attention to Detail

by Robert Coward, poet and novelist. Author of Deathjester: The Legend of Battleblade

Carol North had to go into detail about Alpha's creation, personality progression, and ultimate evolution in order to make this story believable to the point of keeping the reader's attention. Otherwise, it would have been just an attempt at another robot story. However, since she did go into that detail, I found myself engrossed with Alpha's character, as well as the characters that surrounded her to support the plot line. The technical aspects of what was going on with Alpha, and the nature of the other character's duplicitous psyche's, made this an interesting and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it. The book was very entertaining.

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