< Unquiet Earth > Denise Giardina

Appalachia has a mysticism that appeals to many people. Fallam's Secret tells a story that contains the mysticism, the grit, and the integrity of an isolated group of people.
A master storyteller delivers an historical novel with a twist-what will become of a modern American woman in Cromwell's England?

Returning home to West Virginia after her beloved Uncle John's death, Lydde finds that he has left her an odd legacy: a note with instructions that lead her to a remote mountain cave. When she falls into a crevasse, she finds she has followed her uncle farther than she thought-to Norchester, England, in 1657. Times are dark: the ruling Puritans have beheaded the king and prohibited song, dance, and even Christmas. Though she passes as a boy with her short hair and pants, local official Noah Fallam is still suspicious of her strange clothing and outspokenness. Luckily, she soon finds her uncle, and another man: the Raven, a bandit who provides for the poor through smuggling and robbery. The unlikely couple fall in love, and Lydde must decide where-and when-she belongs. This captivating story brings us close to Denise Giardina's signature concerns of faith and the way we treat the earth.
Rerations
< Fallam's Secret: A Novel > < Good King Harry (Ballantine Reader's Circle) > freaks

< Eye Of The Storm (Hqn Romance) > Dee Davis

If you enjoyed this book, I would recommend 'Everything In It's Time', also by Davis. I believe it is out of print, but you may be able to find it at a used book store.
What a delightful story. Well thought out, deep characters, an intricate plot and all around enjoyable read. I have a partiality for time travel stories, so this book caught my attention from the first time I picked it off of the shelf. Cara and Michael's story twists and turns, bending back on itself to make for a complete and satisfying reading experience.

One of the biggest potential problems for a time travel story is the element of the travel itself and how the protagonists react to the event. Usually you have either the hero or heroine thrown back/forward in time and the other party has to deal with understanding this anomaly. Ms. Dee avoids this trap nicely. The time travel is integral to the plot, and not just because it throws the lovers together. I suppose fans of time travel and the ultimate paradox of changing history will be leery of this story, since our hero and heroine make no excuses for trying to change the past. Thoughts of how this will change the future are not even addressed, and to me, makes for the weakest link in the story. (You know, the problem that arises when something does not happen, then how could such and such have happened, and ultimately, how could you have been born to come back to the past?)

Loralee, Patrick, Arlee, Ginny, Pete, (even Jack the horse), and all of the other secondary characters are depicted beautifully and add much to the story. I think my biggest reservation with this book is that there is so much depth and complexity to it, that at times it feels like the reader is skimming over some important facts. Some readers might get uncomfortable with the style the book was written, with concurrent threads, switching from one scene to another, all happening at the same "time". Personally, I thought it was well done and was comfortable with it. I would not (and do not) hesitate recommending this book as a good, solid read.
Cara Reynolds' sixteenth birthday is perfect with a new foal, dinner at the Bristol with her parents, and the gift of beautiful silver heart shaped necklace. Then tragedy strikes in the form of car accident, killing her parents. A stranger finds Cara in the blizzard and seeks shelter for them in an abandoned mine tunnel. Michael Macpherson promises to take care of her, but in the morning, he's gone. Over time, doctors and her grandfather persuade Cara that her savior doesn't exist; that he is a way for her mind to deal with the tragic death of her parents. An artist, Cara tries repeatedly to recapture her memories of the mine tunnel called the Promise, not realizing that his promise ties her to Michael, binding their hearts and futures irretrievably.

Nine years later Cara realizes that time shifted that night, allowing two timelines to cross when a wounded Michael appears in her own time. She is from the present; he's from more than a hundred years ago. Someone tried to kill Michael and he knows neither who nor why. He immediately recognizes the subject of one of Cara's paintings, however. And he recognizes the unspoken promise of the two lovers in the mine's entrance. Later, an admirer named Nick insists that Cara sell her paintings of the Promise silver mine to him, but she refuses. When she and Michael return to her studio for a last minute chore before the paintings ship to a gallery in New York, a fire breaks out nearly killing Cara. Struck by the strange coincidences of the evening, Cara and Michael investigate Nick's house. There they find her paintings, and a very old news account of Michael's disappearance and his father's death. His brother Patrick will die as well, if they can't return to the past to save him.

Dee Davis pens an intriguing romance in THE PROMISE. At the heart of Cara and Michael's story lays the Promise, the silver mine that brought the Macphersons the promise of wealth and tragedy. Further, promises made and promises kept bind the hearts of Cara and Michael as they cross timelines. Mystery and love weave a mesmerizing account that culminates in terrific finale. The secondary plotline likewise binds hearts and promises, as the working girl Loralee and Michael's brother Patrick discover love in the midst of danger. Loralee is an especially sympathetic and appealing character guaranteed to capture reader's hearts. Furthermore, THE PROMISE is engaging enough that it is a good choice for romance readers even for those who often avoid time-travel stories. Very highly recommended.
Wow! This book is just wonderful. A fabulous time travel, a wonderful romance, and a heartwarming secondary romance thrown in to boot! Not to mention Ms. Davis' trademark suspense. All of the characters are richly drawn and memorable, especially the hero and heroine, Michael and Cara. All in all, a great read!
Oh, my! This is a sweeping story that tacks you back to Colorado during the silver mining days. A love story about a modern-day heroine who is transported back to the past to be reunited with her love. Truly magical. The cool chill of the mountains, the heart pounding suspense.... Very highly recommended!
The mine called out to Cara from deep in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, near the town of Silverthread. It was rich in ore, overflowing with wealth that could make a family's fortune—or destroy it. In it had begun the weaving of a web of deceit, a murderous tapestry of lies that had meant the deaths of many innocents. But also in its shadowy maw lay the path to redemption and love. Its labyrinthine tunnels held a magic that could draw a woman one hundred years into the past, into the arms of one who could make her life whole. But crossing time was just the beginning. To right the wrongs already done, to paint a new future, one brighter and full of love, Cara would have to unravel its mysteries. She would have to depend upon the rugged man who emerged, trust his vow that he would keep her safe and cherish her forever. Then, and only then, would she truly understand the danger—and the power—of… THE PROMISE
Rerations
< The Promise > < After Twilight > < Dark of the Night (Ivy Books Contemporary Romance) > < Dancing in the Dark > < Midnight Rain > freaks

< The Down Home Zombie Blues > Colby Hodge

< Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband (The Daughters of the Glen, Book 1) > Meloni Cassidy

Rerations
< Everlasting Journey > < Waiting For The Rain > < Heatherfield > < The Curse > < Here With Me (Berkley Sensation) > freaks

< Jail Bertie and the Peanut Ladies (Sweet Meadow Series #3) > Dolores J. Wilson

Is Cassie doomed to suffer the same fate twice? Or is love indeed strong enough to transcend time?
Rerations
< Little Big Heart > < Miracle in the Mist > < Here With Me (Berkley Sensation) > < Eye of the Dream > < Big Hair and Flying Cows (Sweet Meadows Series #1) > freaks

< Highland Guardian (Daughters of the Glen, Book 2) > Marianne Petit

Otherwise, guys don't be afraid to be caught reading this.
A Find Through Time is the best Native American love story I have ever read! If you love time travels, you'll love this one. The hero is to die for! The plot is well written with twists and turns that will leave you surprised until the very last page. For anyone who's interested in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, who's a romantic at heart and loves to read about the Native American culture, you'll find Ms. Petit's book an enjoyable read which will keep you up at night until you finish that last page! I know quite a few guys out there that have read this book and share my feelings, which breaks the perception that romance books are only for women. I look forward to Ms. Petit's next book! Buy it now, you won't be sorry!
Struggling with severed family ties and a love life gone sour, forensic artist Gabrielle Camden immerses herself in sculpting the face of a young Native American woman whose parallel life takes her on an incredible journey back in time to Custer's Last Stand. The path leads her deep into the heart of the Sioux nation to a culture long lost and a love once found.
Rerations
< A Find Through Time > < When We Do Meet Again (Time Travelers) > < A Wish In Time > < Wild Roses for Miss Jane (Time Travelers, 2) > < The Diary of Jean-Jacques Coupier (Time Travelers, 5) > freaks

< Parlor Games > Jordan Summers Julia Templeton

< The Memory of Water > Karen White

The book centers on Laura Truitt and a strange lunar eclipse combined with a comet. Laura travels back to the Civil War era in search of her daughter. Here she meets Stuart Elliott and his family. This book kept me enthralled as Laura attempts to blend with the era she finds herself in and at the same time find her way back to the twentieth century. I had to laugh as Laura stuns and surprises Civil War era men with the independent spunk of a twentieth century woman. This book is a keeper and I will read it again, which I rarely do. Readers who enjoy romance, time-travel and edgy excitement will positively love this book!
While the writing is smooth and competent, the plotting and characterizations leave something to be desired. Laura Truitt, apparently intended to be spunky and forthright, comes across as thoughtless, rude and sometimes cruel, often acting like a child with no social graces. The hero, Stuart, is longsuffering and bland to the point of boredom. Laura's search for her daughter was the most compelling part of the book, yet that did not deliver the emotional punch that it should have. Many of the plot elements seemed contrived. That said, Ms. White has great promise and will hopefully attempt something in the future that is more original and borrows less heavily from those who have gone before (namely, Diana Gabaldon and Margaret Mitchell).
Karen White is a rising star whose first novel was a "grabber" from beginning to end. Current reading tastes don't favor the first person but Ms.White has used this technique so superbly, I can't imagine this tale told in any other format. Nor was there ever a moment during the reading that I was wishing the book were written in other than the first person. Though we weren't in the thoughts of any one but the heroine, Ms. White was still able to develop the hero so well, I "knew" him just as well as I might have had we been privy to his thoughts.

All her characters are very well drawn and the paranormal/time travel element handled to perfection. This is a well-researched book that reflects the authors strong grasp of history--but she weaves it through the tale so skillfully, the action is never halted. From the first moment Linda Truitt stepped over the threshold of that house, I felt like I became her and traveled with her as she searched for her lost daughter and stepped into the turmoil of our country's civil war. I was as torn as Linda was when she couldn't reveal all to the hero for fear of changing history and wondered whether had I been put to such a test would I have had the same strength.

I couldn't turn the pages fast enough but by the book's end-- satisfying ending that it was-- I would've loved 400 more pages so I could continue experiencing the trials and joys Linda faced living out her life in a time long before her actual birth. Instead I closed the book with a sigh and am eager for the next book by this talented new writer.
The main character is Laura Truit --- an educated and spunky woman of the 21st century. Unexpectedly she finds herself flung back into the 1860's. I cried with her, and learned a new perspective of the Civil War. I also laughed with her, got frustrated and angry, and fell in love with the people in her new life. In other words -- I became her and couldn't put the book down. In my opinion, this is true entertainment. Buy it, you'll love it!
Rerations
< In the Shadow of the Moon (Timeswept Series) > < Whispers of Goodbye (Candleglow) > < The Color of Light > < Learning to Breathe > < Pieces of the Heart > freaks

< Tumbling Through Time > Rainy McKnight

First, I couldn't get past the 10th page!!! There was so much backstory thrown in as flashbacks and so much headhopping from one character to another that I got seriously bored and put the book down.
Secondly, this supposedly "modern woman" of 33 years listens to Whitney Houston, which of itself is not a bad thing, but she listens to it ON TAPE. This modern woman wears STIRRUP PANTS AND PEARL ENCRUSTED TOPS, ALONG WITH FANNY PACKS. Call me crazy, but this book seems like a trip down 1980s fashion faux pas LANE. Set in 1998, it does not seem at all modern and the writing was sort of bad. I had those problems with this book, just from reading 10 pages!!! I am sending this book back because I feel robbed.
Just my opinion.
Hello Rainy, I have enjoyed reading your book so far, I'm at the end and I gave it 4 stars because I'm not done, Don't know how it ends lol. But so far it has been a great story. I'm from Wilmington Delaware by the way. I see you are from New Jersey, I have been there before a few times to Atlantic City, It is great there anyway Best of luck to you! -Maryann
This was a very special book to me. It took me back in time also to a city I loved...Atlantic City...Merrilee, a heartbroken modern woman who finds her husband loves another woman, is transported back to the year 1898 and finds a love so incredible when she is rescued on the beach by a handsome widower. These two find the love they had been cheated out of with each other.
Merrilee Hampton's life fell apart when she learned her husband was in love with another woman. But fate stepped in when her best friend, Katie, talked her into a night out for her birthday in Atlantic City.

Taking time out to rest on a quiet beach, she is suddenly caught in the path of a freak whirlwind. When she regains consciousness, she finds she has been transported back in time to the year 1898...where she falls into the arms of her soul mate, a widower by the name of John Grayson.

Two lonely people from two different eras...can they find the love they both so desperately need? Can Merrilee be certain that she will remain in this time period or will she be whisked back to her rightful time?
Rerations
< One Moment in Time > freaks

< News Blues (Love Spell) > Marianne Mancusi

Luckily, she's got her very own knight in shining armor, Lancelot du Lac, on her side. The honorable-to-a-fault and devastatingly handsome champion insists on helping her out, even though she's not quite sure she wants him to. After all, shouldn't he be off romancing Queen Guenevere or something? Will Kat manage to stay out of trouble long enough to get back to her beloved café lattes, cosmopolitans and cashmere? And what will Lancelot's forbidden love mean for the kingdom of Camelot?
Rerations
< A Connecticut Fashionista In King Arthur's Court > < A Hoboken Hipster in Sherwood Forest > < Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband (The Daughters of the Glen, Book 1) > < What, No Roses? > < Sex and the Psychic Witch (The Triplet Witch Trilogy, Book 1) > freaks