Deciding to kill some time during a lunch break, Leah Marks pops into an antique store near her work. She isn't really into antiques, but . . . see: boredom. While there Leah spots a rather neat looking snow globe. While examining said globe, a woman approaches - one Reagan Montgomery.

Leah is quite taken by two things - the snow globe, and Reagan. She's lived something like 35 years without finding much in the way of love, and scoffs at those who hint at the concept of instant-love. So she has something of a problem - she's feeling strange feelings towards Reagan. From glimpses seen through Leah's eyes, Reagan might feel something for Leah as well. Leah acquires two things before she leaves that store - the snow globe, and Reagan's number.

Turns out there's a reason for why Leah and Reagan seem to fall into something like 'insta-love', but I'll let the reader find out what's going on.

The snow globe has a twin, owned by Reagan. Both snow globes have neat little houses in them, quite detailed. While examining the snow globe, Leah sees something she saw while in the store and played off, in her mind, as a trick of the light. Smoke appears to be rising from the chimney in the snow globe. And then . . . a small woman baring a striking similarity to Reagan exists the house. In the snow globe. Leah, as might be expected, is freaked.

One thing leads to another, and Leah and Reagan begin investigating these snow globes. Find some rather freaky stuff. And, eventually, that 'gift of time' part of the title comes into play - both end up sucked into 1907. Roughly around the same area they reside in in 2004, just with a different date.

I'm not exactly when it occurred, but for the longest time I was thinking that this book was falling into the occasional 3 star level. Occasional for Alexander books. Some neat things started to occur, though, and I got pulled into the book. By the end I quite enjoyed it.

Quite strange book. Mix of fantasy/science fiction/romance/historical fiction, etc. Fantasy has to do with the snow globes and the mini people in them; science fiction has to do with the time travel and how the snow globes came to be (though there's a mix of fantasy in there as well).

October 9 2016 ( )