I initially started reading this book over ten years ago when I was still in high school. At the time, I hadn't gotten very far into it when I had to return it to the library and soon lost the name of the book. Recently the storyline was on my mind quite a bit but I still could not remember the name of the book which is when I searched Google and was able to find it. Now that I'm older, I think this particular book is something that I can appreciate because I don't need a book to be purely about romance in order to old my interest though I still do very much enjoy books that are mostly about romance.

This book was a fascinating mix of magic, time travel, love, history, and adventure. It is about a young woman from California at the turn of 2000 named Robyn who finds herself jilted by a man named Collin who was leading a double life in Wales when she visited him as a surprise. She soon finds herself taken under the wing of the man's sister Joanna and her young daughter Joy. While out hiking one morning, Robyn comes across a young man named Edward dressed as a knight on horseback and she wonders if he's either from a local Ren Faire or has completely lost his mind from the way that he talks. She soon finds herself needing his help when black riders on horses appear seemingly out of nowhere. Then after coming to her rescue, he rides off and disappears, leaving Robyn wondering if she dreamed it all up.

When she learns that Edward is under a displacement spell, she wants to help him find his way home though the plan doesn't go as she had hoped and is thrown back into the 1460's around the time of the War of the Roses. At first she just wants to get back to her own time but over time, she makes friends in unlikely places, an Irish ladies' maid who is an interesting mix of servant and friend and tossed into a world where people can be killed for even a hint of witchcraft or treason.

Robyn soon finds her way in this strange world and with the help of those she has come to care for, she finds her way to Edward and trying to protect the Mad King Henry while also trying to help out the ancestors of Jo and Joy.

Will she succeed in helping those that she cares for and get back to her time or will she fail? You'll have to read the book to find out. ( )

Terug in de tijd. Helemaal mijn ding!! ( )

Ik had me erg verheugd op dit boek, maar het is me erg tegengevallen. De personages komen niet echt tot leven. Ik voelde geen klik tussen de heldin Robyn en ridder Edward. In feite vond ik Robyn zwaar irritant en onsympatiek. En het gegeven dat Robyn door terug te gaan in de tijd direct de taal sprak (plus alle mogelijke dialecten) van alle plekken waar ze kwam was me wat ál te gemakkelijk gevonden! De schrijver had zich wel verdiept in de geschiedenis; de historische gebeurtenissen en de gebruiken uit die tijd werden uitgebreid en - naar mij dunkt - correct beschreven (bijv. de kleding, de toernooiregels, het voedsel). Maar toch maakten die het verhaal voor mij niet levendiger. Dit was deel I van een serie, maar ik geloof niet dat ik nog aan deel II ga beginnen. ( )

A lot of history, but then it was written by a university history teacher. I'm a terrible student though and really not into history lessons, so I skimmed and turned pages over the day to day life and living to get on with the good story stuff. ( )

This was a book for a long Thanksgiving road trip, and I was so disgusted from it from the get-go that I almost didn't read it through.

This is a time-travel fantasy/romance. A modern Hollywood executive takes a walk in the Welsh countryside and comes across a knight on horseback and falls in love with him immediately. He saved her from a band of rogues, and then they part ways. She then has to find a way back through the glitch of time to find the knight again.

Unfortunately, this entire novel is based on the plot point that the heroine, Robyn, has no idea who Edward the Earl of March really is. I do because I read many books on the War of the Roses. But Robyn insists on being ignorant because she doesn't want to know what happens to him (well, duh, he's definitely dead). Enter the witches who can send her back in time! Oh, and she is very "modern" and kind of stupid, leading her to immediate accusations of witchcraft, and then into the bed of the same reincarnated boyfriend who just manipulated her in the future (YA RLY). The displacement spell enables her to immediately understand any and every language of the time period, and write and read it, too. I want some of that. Oh, and EVERYONE loves Robyn and is instantly loyal to her - except for the bad guys who just wants to torture her for kinks, but they like her in their own way. Mary Sue to the rescue!

If I can completely ignore the heroine, the book is good. The writing is excellent and provides wonderful details on everyday medieval life and actively fights against stereotypes. I loved that aspect of the book. I just wish I could hit Robyn upside the head. I mean, she gets the chance to go back to the future (ha!) and she buys some smart things like bug spray, painkillers, and a history book (which she refuses to read, but some other medieval bad-guy person does *facepalm*) and... and... TAMPONS.

There is a second book that I already own, but I don't think I can bear to read it. I'll just skim through and hope Robyn finally gets burned as a witch, though she'll probably just mope and meddle with history some more. Sigh. ( )