Ekstasis

Review by D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.

Ekstasis - The Return of the Sovereign Heart offers a spiritual journey with the first book in the Ekstasis magical realism romance series. It follows the trials and experiences of spiritual seeker Mona Devek, who publishes a fictional story that changes atheist reader David Wilkins, shaking him from his grief over the loss of his beloved family.

Mona's publication not only transforms David, but leads him into a new venture as he decides to make a movie about her story. When he discovers that Mona's journey has taken away his ability to meet and interact with her, he faces yet another shock...and a revised purpose in life.

M.I. Dugast crafts an outstanding story of reincarnation, recovery, discovery, and spiritual survival that operates on many delightfully unexpected levels.

On the one hand, it's a concurrent survey of two disparate individuals who find their destinies unexpectedly entwined. On another level, it's about trauma and healing from losses that provides quite involving descriptions which (it should be cautioned, and is consequently marked as trigger warnings at the start of the book) sometimes embrace graphic violence and horror.

Readers who expect a spiritual journey alone may be surprised by the concurrent reflections and revised experiences a host of characters face as they consider the purpose and possibility of new life approaches and meanings: "The visions at the millennium and, much later, her experience with Cillian, had been the last times she had felt something close to what she was feeling in the present moment, although this was very different. Not only was it more intense, but there seemed to be a distinct echo to it—a reciprocity. The thought sent her head into a vortex of activity that seemed to have a life of its own, contracting and expanding, like breath, like heartbeats—paving a way to a new life, her inner being whispered. 'Yes! I really am wholeheartedly ready for a new life!'"

From hyperdimensional doors to the concept of David as a host who carries a destiny beyond his understanding, Dugast crafts a metaphysical tale replete in thought-provoking considerations of what it means to adopt a new lease on life.

Readers who enjoy uplifting metaphysical and spiritual sagas will find Ekstasis - The Return of the Sovereign Heart filled with characters and choices that enlighten, delight, and ultimately lead to love.

The unusual blend of romance and enlightenment creates a story that blossoms with inspiration and meaning. It's especially recommended for spiritual readers who enjoy fictional accounts of journeys towards enlightenment.

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Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ekstasis - The Return of the Sovereign Heart" by M. I. Dugast. 4 out of 4 stars

"Man is Divinity incarnated in a masculine body. Woman is Divinity incarnated in a female body. The Human body is God-made. One of the finest and most intricate vehicle through which one's soul can experience life, and recognize another in the same light, to unite in true Love." This quote by Master Ishwa, a spiritual leader in Ekstasis - The Return of the Sovereign Heart, sums up the book's essence.

Ericka was different right from childhood. She didn't act like other normal kids, made poor grades in school, heard voices in her head, and had another self — her camera self. It didn't help that her parents didn't have a close relationship with her to understand what was happening. A horrifying experience when she was fifteen made her discover her camera self, which became her haven but made her best friend distance herself. Having one bad relationship after another didn't help. When she finally got married and started having children, she thought she had found the true love for which she craved. But her quest to discover, explore, and develop her spirituality made her husband turn against her. What was wrong with her? As she tried her best to follow her spiritual guides to find her true love, events turned in a way that got even her spiritual guides worried.

M. I. Dugast does an exceptional job writing a book within a book. With the lives of the characters intricately interwoven, he still makes a whole lot of sense with it. There is so much revelation, power, and light embedded in it that anyone who reads it will be changed. It's the kind of fiction that makes you wonder if it's fiction because you can see yourself in it, it tugs at your heart, and you almost forget it's just a novel in your hand. But it's more than a novel. Have you ever wondered about who or what you are, whether there's more to you than the physical, how to find meaningful, heartfelt relationships, or just what to make of this planet of ours called earth? This is the book for you. Within its fictional walls are facts you can research and explore. In-depth, free-minded reading will open your eyes to them.

I didn't care so much about all the scientific data explorations the author outlined, but it served to lend a sort of mystical reality to the book. It looked like the book was about a whole lot of things, and I believe that any one of those things could stand out for any reader, depending on their desire. The book written within the main book had two endings that reflected the writer's life; that was a big wow for me. In the midst of it all, the author did an excellent job of bringing out one message — there is only love; love is all that is real, and it is far more than the mere emotion that many think it is. Love is a pulsating force field that can connect hearts, souls, and spirits, transcending beyond even death. How the author managed to write over a thousand [kindle] pages of mystery, fantasy, and adventure and still minimized the errors to 3 typos was a feat I loved. So, I'd rate it 4 out of 4 stars. There wasn't anything I disliked.

Though it's a spiritual book, it's not religious in the sense of promoting one religion over another. Any mention of religion reflects the characters' path in discovering their spirituality. It's not centered on morality; if that's what you're looking for, you won't find it there. I recommend it to readers who love romance, mystery, and science fiction. Spiritualists can also gain some insight from it.

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Ekstasis - The Return of the Sovereign Heart contains two interesting plots; one happening in real time while the other is narrated as a story. David was a successful movie actor and director but the loss of his wife and son left him devastated. However, with too many sad memories to battle with, he felt it was time to switch career and embrace architectural design. As he boarded Air France Flight 72, en-route Los Angeles, it presented an opportunity to read a great book.

Characters in the book include Ericka, Jenny, Francine, Jacques, Carole, Martha, Marc, Rosaline, Marcelo, Simone, Ted, Elma, Leela, Frashad, Raja-Manu and many others.

Ericka wasn't considered attractive and even her parents thought she looked like a boy. Her situation was made worse when she couldn't make good grades at school and was left at the mercy of her father's constant rage. As if that wasn't enough grief already, Ericka suffered a rape incident. Despite all the setbacks she suffered while growing up, Erica wasn't deterred and with her spiritual guides, she was able to rediscover her true self.

At 808 pages, this book is indeed quite voluminous, but one would hardly get tired of reading as each turn of the page brings something new and interesting.

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