Tag: Time Travel

The Maid of Sherwood Forest + Giveaway

Mariah thought Robin Hood was just a legend—until time pulled her into his world and the outlaw stole her heart.

Nothing about Mariah Clinton’s passion for archery or her work as a sous-chef in contemporary London prepares her for the moment she’s pulled into another time—and another life. One minute, she’s stepping into McQuivey’s Costume Shop to rent a medieval gown. The next, she’s standing in a castle kitchen in twelfth-century Nottingham—with no idea how she got there or how to return to modern time. Forced to pose as a kitchen servant, she must draw on ingenuity and courage to survive in a world in which she shouldn’t exist. But when her skill with a bow draws the attention of outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she’s swept into a conflict that is more dangerous—and more thrilling—than she could ever have imagined. 

Robin Hood has spent years outwitting the sheriff, protecting the innocent, and keeping his men one step ahead of Prince John’s reach. But when he crosses paths with a mysterious archer who shoots like no woman he’s ever met, he knows she’s hiding something. Her words, her ways, even the fire in her eyes—none of it belongs in his time. Yet the more she stands at his side, the harder it becomes to imagine Sherwood Forest without her. 

Mariah is torn between a past she understands in modern-day London and an uncertain future with an outlaw who has stolen her heart. But as the sheriff’s grip tightens and betrayal looms, one truth becomes clear—some choices are impossible to undo, and love, once found, is not so easily left behind.

My Review:

Whoa — just as riveting as the first book in Bessey’s McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance series! And absolutely no worries for readers who aren’t into time travelling in fiction — this one mostly takes place in the historical setting. Of course, there is the whole push/pull with the romance because how could it ever work between a 21st century woman and a 12th century outlaw? Why, exceptionally well, as it turns out, if Sian Ann Bessey is the storyteller!

Loved the unhurried way the story evolves. It’s never boring and there’s always a purpose to every scene but I didn’t feel rushed towards the epic turning point scenes. I just settled in to enjoy every lovely nuance of Mariah and Robin’s story. And, oh my, but did Bessey ever delight with the brazen Robin Hood exploits. So audacious and funny at the same time. I literally cheered a time or two. And the camaraderie between Robin and his men! Priceless!

Then there’s Mariah coming to grips with her altered reality. Well plotted, especially the way the author matches up Mariah’s talents to her circumstances in medieval times. Absolutely brilliant! As is the way she meets Robin Hood for the very first time. Honestly, a dream of a read from start to finish.

Or, in my case, listen, since I enjoyed the audible edition of ‘The Maid of Sherwood Forest.’ I thoroughly enjoyed the dual narration by Elizabeth Knowelden and Thomas Judd. They seemed to relish this story as much as I did and it showed in their performance.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – ebook

Canada – ebook or audible — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Maid of Sherwood Forest, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 13 2025

A Time Traveler’s Masquerade + Giveaway

Romance blossoms when Isla Crawford steps into McQuivey’s Costume Shop in London and is swept back in time to 1605, where she and Lord Bancroft attempt to thwart Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot.

One moment, Isla Crawford is inside McQuivey’s Costume Shop trying on a Jacobean-style gown for the parliamentary Autumn Ball, and the next, she is standing in an unfamiliar garden, barefoot, coatless, and at the mercy of a fierce storm. Confused, she seeks refuge in a Tudor manor, where she discovers that she has inexplicably traveled back to 1605, mere weeks before the culmination of Guy Fawkes’s infamous Gunpowder Plot.

Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, finds his orderly seventeenth-century life disrupted when a mysterious woman appears on his sister’s doorstep during a storm. Intrigued by the stranger’s quirks and bewildering speech, he feels compelled to protect her and heed her warnings about a fatal plot against Parliament. As Simon is drawn into Isla’s dangerous scheme to stop the evildoers, he can’t help but also feel drawn to her.

With seemingly no way to get back home, Isla uses her twenty-first-century knowledge of the past to try to thwart Guy Fawkes and his coconspirators without altering the course of history forever. She and Simon must race to unravel the threads of the treasonous plot even as they wonder how their hearts will navigate their deepening connection and the seemingly insurmountable four centuries that separate their lives.

My Review:

Squuueeeaaalllll!!! Another time travel romance (my second in two weeks…what are the odds?!) And I’m kinda hoping this is a trend because I really enjoy the added angst of trying to figure out how things can possibly end well. I mean, what era will the heroine end up in? And how can there truly be a happily ever after?

There’s all kinds of rules about time travelling that fans of the genre are sticklers about adhering to and Bessey did a great job of sticking to them creatively. Loved the mode of time travel — so clever and deals with a crucial complication that most time travellers have to deal with. Argh — I want to be more specific but I don’t want to reveal anything spoilerish. This would make a great book club selection because it would be so much fun to talk about the speculative side of this novel.

I felt Isla’s culture shock when she shows up in 1605. She’s confused and incredulous and in denial for awhile. Her meet-cute with Simon is anything but cute. Grinning just thinking about the convoluted conversation that takes place. Also swooning over his Jacobean gentlemanly manners while madly anticipating the moment that he finally realizes Isla’s colossal secret.

The historical details around Guy Fawkes and the gun powder plot are easy for non-British readers to grasp which I appreciated. Argh — again so much more I want to say about the ingenuous way the author works Isla into this epic historical event….but, no spoilers. Gah, so frustrating! lol

Perfect balance between the cozy historical details (the clothing! I had to google farthingale…what in the world?! It boggles the mind!) and the burgeoning doomed romance all while a traitorous plot is unfolding all around them. Unputdownable from start to finish!

I enjoyed listening to the audio book narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown and Paul Fox. They helped me settle into the time and place as I visualized the story unfolding around me.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

ebook copy available to anyone with a US Kindle account (.com) 

Canadians will have a choice of receiving an Amazon.ca gift card towards the purchase of an ebook OR an audible copy. Winner’s Choice.

If you would like a chance to win an ecopy of A Time Traveler’s Masquerade, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 3 2024.

The Tides of Time + Giveaway

In 1793, a storm propels Lili forward through time, kindling a love that transcends the ages.

Fleeing the clutches of Robespierre’s revolutionary Tribunal in France, Lili Minet makes a desperate escape on a ship headed to England, but her dangerous flight takes an unexpected turn when a violent storm catapults her off the ship and eighty years into the future, leaving her stranded in the unfamiliar world of 1873 England. 

When lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce rescues a woman from the tumultuous sea, he does not anticipate her silent, cold response to his gallant efforts. Though he is wary of this woman and her odd behaviors, he finds she is just as wary of him. And he can sense that she is not telling him something of great import to her. Only Armitage’s grandfather, a man seasoned by the mysteries of the sea, can seem to penetrate Lili’s defenses to offer her support. But as Lili heals from the physical and emotional wounds of her ordeal and Armitage continues to offer light and safety to her, a tender friendship blossoms between the two. 

Yet the shadow of danger looms as the threat that chased Lili from France all those years ago reemerges in her new present. Together Lili and Armitage must navigate the challenges of a romance that grows to defy the boundaries of time and the perils that reach across the decades to ensnare Lili. As the storm clouds gather, Lili and Armitage face the ultimate test—discovering whether their bond is strong enough to rewrite the pages of history itself to save them and their love.

My Review:

Whoa! Whoaaa! Whooooaaaaaa! Picture me gobsmacked and in a twitterpated state of bibliophile incredulity. I don’t even know where to begin…

I’ve read a lot of Sarah M. Eden’s books – not all, but a lot – and ‘The Tides of Time’ is unlike anything else she’s written. I was enchanted! The language, the descriptions, the flow of the story, the romantic development, the historical details including local dialects. Truly masterful writing.

And such an imaginative approach to a historical novel. Time traveling between two periods in history! The speculative aspects of the story are brilliantly executed and the ending leaves me in hope that this might just be the first in a series. (Please say it is so!)

As always, Eden’s hero and heroine excel at being stubborn and noble and courageous all while being infuriatingly obtuse at times. 🙂 I think what really enhanced Armitage and Lili’s love story for me was the excellent performance provided by the extraordinary Mary Jane Wells who goes beyond mere narration and into the realm of artful storytelling. Hands down one of the best audio books I’ve listened to!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Tides of Time,  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday April 12 2025.

When the Day Comes

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice? 

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives. 

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy. 

Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters. 

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

My Review:

I feel like I’m the last person on the planet to start this innovative series but better late than never, I guess. 🙂 Brilliantly clever time travel theme and the author even manages to include a faith thread! I’m beyond impressed. Especially at the way she developed the time travel elements and still fit the story into the Christian Fiction genre.

I think one of the reasons I hesitated to read ‘When the Day Comes’ is that I hate love triangles and I figured this one would be a doozy but — phew — it really isn’t. However it’s all kinds of complicated and heart wrenching with enough gasp-out-loud moments to give me unsettled nights for a while (I tend to carry my fiction over into my dreams.)

And that’s about all I can say because the things I want to comment on are major spoiler-y so I’ll sum up by saying this novel is unlike anything I’ve read before. Unique and compelling and so, so emotional! Now I’m eyeing book two but there are…yikes, three timelines (!) and I’m not sure my heart can handle that!