Anne Kelleher

I had a lot of feelings about this book, but I think the ending was what convinced me to give the book 4 stars. This book is set in America, but it is future America. This isn't immediately apparent when you start the book because this America, but what if it was like the Dark Ages in Europe and no one remembered when America was... America? So this book is alt-history, but one of the things that really irked me about the book was the fact that words like "senator" and "mayor" became "senador" and "mayher" respectively. I understand why the choice was made: to indicate that the ideals of America are half-remembered like if someone described how it worked through a telephone with a bad connection, but it makes for a cumbersome reading experience. I had to restart this book three times before I got past it. I really like when authors take the magic is really advanced science approach , which really meshed with the world-building. I really appreciated the plot. People who you think are the good guys turn out to be not so good. People who you think are the bad guys, may have a point. There are twists. So many twists, but I won't spoil them. One last thing, I wish this weren't the cover art. It feels extremely misleading. The cover says high fantasy, but it is really a dystopia with high fantasy overtones. I feel like the cover should be grittier, because this is a gritty story.






… (mehr)

SENSUALITY RATING: No PROFANITY; Yes SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS though very mild in nature and in the realms of marriage; No Euphemistic "CODE WORDS

GENRE: Historical Romance; Reincarnation; Time travel; “Somewhat but no completely” a Clean Romance

SETTING: 21st and 13th Century ENGLAND; Time period of the Normans and their enemy the Welsh.

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER: LADY ELEANOR DE LAMBERT-simple; quiet; fearful; submissive but passionate.

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: LORD RICHARD DE LAMBERT-warrior; mean streak later to become gentle; intelligent and appears to learn quickly.

SYNOPSIS: de Lambert had no respect for anyone. It was easy for him to take up his sword and kill anyone, any age. All the people feared him including his wife who he preferred in rags. But, things changed when he woke up from being near death.

WHAT I LIKED: His being cautious to show her love. Hugh shed tears for him.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Paragraphs that should have been chapters; holes or inconsistencies in the plot.

OVERALL RATING: (3) stars because poorly written. There were paragraphs where there should have been chapters. Inconsistencies in the plot as in how did he learn a language he never knew so fast. Some holes in the plot such as Prince and Hugh in a hostage exchange. More could have been written about his personal relationship with many of his people.… (mehr)

In all honesty, I didn’t expect much from this book. I purchased it from Bookbud for 99 cents. I had no expectations. The only reason I purchased it was because I felt like reading a book where someone from the here and now goes back in time.

All I can say is that I am glad I succumbed to my own wanting, and I am glad it was this book I decided on. Why? Because I thoroughly enjoyed it, that’s why.

From the start I found I liked the main character and was drawn into his story. When he went back in time, there was nothing about the situation that I couldn’t easily accept. And why not just accept the transition, we all know it’s not possible to really travel back in time. This is fantasy and it is a story, it’s not reality, and I for one am happy to accept whatever the author suggests on how it happened. This meant that I could relax and enjoy the journey. And I did.

And once back in the thirteenth century, I felt the author did a great job in showing how the character coped and adapted. I think about how I would react and believe it would be the most difficult thing to accept and blend in to.

Anyway, the book was well written. The characters likable, or not likeable, whichever the case may be. 😀 And, I felt a 21st century reader could get a decent glimpse of life in the 13th century.

I will be looking for other books written by this author. Recommended.… (mehr)