Bookish Thoughts: Come Back To Me

 

Description:

The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy.

That's exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father's quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He's left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.

William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?

About the Author:

Jody Hedlund (www.jodyhedlund.com) is the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to imagine that she really can visit the past, although she's yet to accomplish the feat, except via the many books she reads. 

My Thoughts:

I've read several books around time-travel, so I thought I had a pretty good idea what to expect . . . But this one was a bit different than the others! I haven't read anything from Jody Hedlund for a while and was intrigued by the time-travel aspect, so decided to give it a go. And I really enjoyed it! 

I will say that I found the beginning of the story a little slow to start. The back cover description gives enough detail/info for the first few chapters to seem a little "eh" to me. I really wanted to get to the whole "going back in time" thing. But, the extra time in the beginning did allow for more character development, and with Marian being as intentional as she is, jumping right into anything didn’t suit her character.  I found the questions she mused regarding an “ultimate cure” to be very astute and I’m curious to see how the possible answers play out in the following books.  This one is listed to be the first in a series, though it stands alone just fine, and aside from a few unanswered questions, is a complete story in itself. 

I would have to do some checking to know for sure, but I’m fairly confident that this is the first story Ms. Hedlund has published that has a contemporary storyline to it, which I found interesting.  She did quite well with both eras, though historical is definitely where her talent with writing shines through.  I greatly enjoyed the trip to the past, seeing it through both William and Marian’s eyes - especially with Marian having some knowledge of the history, but also experiencing it firsthand.

Frankly, aside from the slow opening, the only reason I’m not rating this book higher is because I didn’t particularly like Marian.  I did like her better as the story progressed, but she often seemed flat and dull.  If the story itself hadn’t been so intriguing, I don’t know that I would have finished the book, based on Marian alone.  And while I liked William, I didn’t get to know him super well, with a lot of his perspective involving war or thoughts of wooing his wife.  Which is maybe mostly what men from the Middle Ages would have pondered . . . .

Anyway, if you enjoy novels based on time-travel and are looking for something a little different, I would recommend this book. 

I just had a thought, while I was getting this ready to post . . . isn't it crazy that now, thanks to the internet, social media, blogs, etc. we can share our thoughts on any subject we desire, and people hundreds or thousands of miles away can read them? How wild is that? 100 years ago, the only people who could do that were possibly newspaper reporters . . . .

That to say, thanks again for stopping by and reading some random thoughts from this opinionated book-lover!

Have a lovely day!

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Bookish Thoughts: The Nature Of a Lady

 

"Because it's by naming a thing, knowing a thing, that you come to

understand it.  Only when you see its unique traits can you truly 

appreciate what it is, and what it isn't." - Oliver Tremayne 

Description:

1906

Lady Elizabeth "Libby" Sinclair, with her love of microscopes and nature, isn't favored in society. She flees to the beautiful Isles of Scilly for the summer and stumbles into the dangerous secrets left behind by her holiday cottage's former occupant, also named Elizabeth, who mysteriously vanished. 

Oliver Tremayne--gentleman and clergyman--is determined to discover what happened to his sister, and he's happy to accept the help of the girl now living in what should have been Beth's summer cottage . . . especially when he realizes it's the curious young lady he met briefly two years ago, who shares his love of botany and biology. But the hunt for his sister involves far more than nature walks, and he can't quite believe all the secrets Beth had been keeping from him.

As Libby and Oliver work together, they find ancient legends, pirate wrecks, betrayal, and the most mysterious phenomenon of all: love.

About the Author:

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of numerous novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.roseannamwhite.com.

My Thoughts:

What can I say about another excellent book from one of my very favorite authors? Probably just that, it was wonderful! I loved this story! It's probably one of my favorite reads of the year, so far.  So rich in history with characters I adore, it doesn’t get much better for this reader than one of Roseanna M. White’s books. 

One of the things I greatly enjoyed about this book was the beautiful setting!  Ms. White has such a marvelous way of adding details until it’s almost as though I can smell the flowers blooming and feel the spray of the surf.  I loved getting to experience the Isles of Scilly through newcomer Libby, as well as through the eyes of Oliver and Mabena, natives to the islands.  The islands almost seemed a character in and of themselves, at times.  I also enjoyed Libby’s love of nature and science and how Ms. White used her perspective to show us a different way to see the world.

There are some quirky characters who add colorful life to the island, including Fitzwilliam Gibson and Oliver’s Mamm-wynn, whom I fell in love with.  Being that this is the first book in a series, I’m hoping they might make a special appearance in the future stories, as well.

The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing.  It’s always interesting to me, reading about investigations prior to the “connected generation” where we have everything at our fingertips.  I love the old ways of problem solving and sleuthing, reminiscent of some of the stories I grew up with.

I’ve said before that my favorite Roseanna M. White novel is whichever I read most recently, and I’d say that’s true of this one, too.  If you’ve never given her books a go, I would highly recommend this one! (or any of them, really.  But the beginning of a series is always a nice place to start.)

*My thanks to the author for my copy of this book!  I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way.  All opinions expressed are my own.    

Thank you so much for stopping by! Thankfully, with a functioning computer, I'll hopefully be able to post a little more frequently. I also have a backlog of reviews awaiting my spare time (which isn't as often, with a 14 month old roaming around), so you'll probably see several pop up for a couple weeks.

As always, purchase links are below! I so wanted to include more quotes from the book, but I also don't want to spoil anything. Does anyone else like the Kindle specifically because you can highlight things?

Have a lovely day!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

The Story Graph