Veronica Wolff: Beyond the Bounds

 read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240939555-beyond-the-bounds

blog post for first book:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2025/10/veronica-wolff-across-pressing-dark.html

Beyond the Bounds is the follow up to Across the Pressing Dark a young adult time travel romance set in Scotland (1600s).  This book picks up directly after the end of the first book and should be read in order.  

After Finishing up the first book (that ended on a cliffhanger) I have been looking forward to reading this book to finish up the story, I pre-ordered the book and I read it over 2 days once I received it.

Rose and Callum are separated through time Rose in present day Scotland with her mother Janet and Callum with the enemy in the past things are looking bad for our MMC... just when we think it's the end for him and the enemy is looking for Rose (who they shouldn't be able to find since she was sent to the future) someone comes out of the hut but it's not Rose, it's Janet.

Janet is just as unlikeable (if not more so) in this book as she was in the first book, she stole the items that Rose had collected to return her to the past to be with Callum and has returned to the past 19 years have passed in the future so for people of the past even though it's only been a few months whispers surround her due to her drastic age change discussing witchcraft and dark magic.  The end of the last book thinking that maybe Janet has turned a new leaf and is wanting to mend her relationship with Rose and actually help her for once we now know that she is even more ruthless than ever and that extends to her treatment of Callum she keeps him alive but as a prisoner for her own needs.  

Callum has found that the magic that flows through his clan members has woken up inside of him he has been having vivid dreams and he can see Rose in many of these dreams especially true when he escapes from the Campbell's clutches only to wind up being captured by a trio of witches set on getting rid of him.  

When Rose finally is able to return to the past she finds Callum in an even worse situation than she left him... will they ever be safe?  Will they ever be able to get away from everyone that is after them and live a quiet life together?  Maybe they could even return to her future and live out the rest of their lives with all the luxuries of the modern world, would Callum be able to get them both to the future?  Or would they be separated forever?  

Additional problems arise when the Campbells find them again and things get even worse when the Laird declares that Rose should marry his awful son Hamish... That's a no from Rose how is she going to get out of this she came back to be with Callum and things are worse than ever and now her conniving mom is there with her she can't trust her and she seems to be on a power trip... why can't things just be easy for them?  

This was a quick read that finished out the storyline.  I felt the story flowed well but some of the magical elements are just told as "this just happened because... Magic" with not really more of an explanation.  I also struggled with our leads at times because while in dangerous situations they stopped a few times to kiss/cuddle/more when they should have kept moving I get that they want to be together but when you are in enemy territory being hunted you don't have time to do these things it was pretty frustrating and had me shouting at them to stop and be careful/move on before they are caught.  

The author did a really good job with all the enemies and making them really unlikeable as people.  

I liked that Callum got a bit of time with a fellow clan member who was able to teach him and keep him a bit more grounded during dangerous situations when his magic was close to out of control.  

Our couple goes through a lot of hardships and you wonder if they will ever be able to truly be together with all these enemies against them?  Who knew that being born in different centuries wouldn't be the biggest thing keeping them apart!  

*strong FMC  *Time Travel romance  *young adult  *Scotland  *Outlaw MMC 

*no spice (kisses & brief mentions) 

*Slow burn  *American FMC  *Ancient Magic  *Cinnamon Role MMC

*Highlander MMC  *Touch her and 💀  *happy ending

Veronica Wolff: Across the Pressing Dark

ARC read 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239608133-across-the-pressing-dark

Rose is 19, she is visiting Scotland for the first time with her Mother Janet and instead of enjoying herself and touring the school campus where she wants to eventually transfer to as a physics student she has spent her time running after her mother and paying for damages... some trip this has turned out to be to top it off she didn't even get to go on the campus tour because her mom ran off (again!) and she got a lead for where she was.

Running after her mother she ends up at an old Inn where she ends up having some unexpected visitors to her room, and not just the lady who drinks too much and can't remember which room is her own, she sees what she believes is a ghost only he doesn't frighten her one might say his presence is even calming but who is he and what was his fate?  

Rose has always taken care of others (especially her mom) and she's a hard worker helping on her grandfather's farm she was looking forward to this trip for many reasons including maybe even meeting additional family... her mother is from Scotland after all.  Finally deciding she has had enough of her mother's antics she ends up doing what she is there to do touring the area which leads her to a grave yard and a broken down castle which might have been impressive at one point but now is just broken down piles of rubble with ... is that a pit in what would have been the dining area?

Taking the scenic route does have it's drawbacks when she ends up lost, not being able to find her way back she ends up wandering around the forest and right into a hut opening the door she blacks out only to awaken in a totally different century, long gone are modern day luxuries she is in 1622 and the ghostly male that visited her is now very real and in this hut along with an older woman who clearly can't stand her and she has no idea why she doesn't even know anyone here or how she managed to open a door and slip through time.

With no one to help her navigate this new world she has to rely on her wits (which at times get her in trouble with her modern day thinking) as she works to figure out how to return to her own time she only manages to grow closer to Callum the young Scotsman who she had felt so connected to even prior to flying back in time.  The closer she grows to Callum the more she wonders how she will ever be able to leave him, maybe she can take him back to the future with her?

Rose finds herself in the middle of a war between a powerful clan who will stop at nothing to get rid of their enemies entirely, ancient magic that she knows very little about and has no good way to ask for help with this since speaking of these things in this time period could potentially be deadly and she is also is struggling with living under the same roof as the older woman who doesn't like her at all... seriously what is this woman's problem?  

I really enjoyed this book even before I read it I was intrigued Time-travel in Scotland with a handsome highlander, yes please!  sign me up.  The book does have some similarities to the Outlander series but it had enough differences to make it unique and I enjoyed the mistake by the magic element that led to our FMC traveling back learning more about her past and her mother in the process. 

Rose and Callum form a close bond that she finds to be even closer than anything she has in her modern time and even a kitchen girl being with the handsome blacksmith/stable boy could lead to danger for both of them in this time.  

I did have a hard time with our FMC sometimes because while she was a smart physics student she also struggled at times with reading the room... you aren't in your own time and don't have as much verbal freedom or any freedom at this point back in time she became a servant to the laird of the castle (yes the one that is in ruins in modern time), her mouth got herself and more often Callum in trouble on multiple occasions throughout the book.  

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series! 

*strong FMC  *Time Travel romance  *young adult  *Scotland  *Outlaw MMC  *no spice (kisses only)

*Slow burn  *American FMC  *Ancient Magic  *Book Sirens  *ARC  *Cinnamon Role MMC

*Highlander MMC 

Vanessa Rhoswen: Destiny Redeemed

 Book 2 Reborn Villainess read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236182758-destiny-redeemed

This book starts where the last book ends (so make sure you read them in order) -->  

This book is the 2nd half of the story following Lady Ilyana D'Arcane in her attempts to right wrongs from a past life and forge a new path for a brighter future for herself and her family.  From the first book we learn that Ilyana had been working on multiple schemes all to get what she wanted for herself in her previous life she had wanted to be with Noah (the prince's cousin)... Noah wanted to be with another woman through a series of events Ilyana ended up essentially getting rid of her rival which led to what she thought she wanted (being Noah's wife) but when things were discovered about her and her father's involvement in all their shady dealings it led to her father's death and her families banishment from the kingdom where they lived in exile (see my book 1 review for a bit more details on this).    

In order to change her future in this time line, she knows how rare it is to get a second chance and even though she thinks of confiding in some people that this is her second time living some of these events she decides it's best to just not mention it who would believe her anyways when she thinks about it it sounds just wild her whole family died including herself in this past life and now she's back even she has a hard time believing this past life existed.  

Ilyana focuses on building her businesses and being more independent with her divorce from Noah granted by the Queen herself it leaves her a free woman again she's happy to see Noah go after what he wants... the woman he wanted to be with to begin with and seeing that relationship blossom even with the other noble families gossiping about her and her mother not speaking with her she has been in worse situations... she can get through this too.

What Ilyana doesn't expect in this new time line is to grow closer to the Prince (Anderic Voltaire) he never really paid much attention to her in her last lifetime but now he is everywhere she wants to be and seeing way more than she wants him to see, how can she move about as freely to continue to protect her family if she has this irritatingly handsome man actually noticing her and everything she's doing?

When the dangerous events that led to her families downfall still start to happen Ilyana realizes the time has come that she might just need to break down her walls and confide in someone she never thought that she would confide in but it might not be that bad... the Prince already holds her heart.  

Can Ilyana and Anderic work together to save the kingdom or will it be too late?  Can a former Villainess get the redemption that she longs for?  

I really enjoyed this series, while this second book starts off slow after getting away from the initial battle scene and focuses on Ilyana and her business savvy nature it begins to pick up the pace and sparks fly between her and our Prince!  

The second book continued from the where the first book left off and didn't have a time travel element but just the day to day struggles to make sure that history didn't repeat itself you continued to see Ilyana plotting and redirecting to reach her new goals of keeping her family safe and out of exile and I loved her relationship with her loyal maid Laurel at this point they were friends more than employer and employee.  

Had to overlook some of the fight scenes due to the fact that she was not truly trained for battle but appeared to be able to handle herself against multiple enemies without any real difficulty, but I loved the story line and that our lady was truly trying to make changes to be a better person and right all of her past wrongs.  

If you enjoy historical romance with a time travel element don't miss this one!  

*historical romance  *Time travel romance  *slow burn *some spice  *Medieval romance 

*Independent fierce FMC  *handsome prince MMC  *Warrior MMC *banter *Indie author  

*Happy ending 

My blog post for book 1:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2025/02/vanessa-rhoswen-villainesss-redemption.html

N.L. Silver: Echoes of Us

Read in 2025   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235531962-echoes-of-us

Ashley is living her best life (almost) she has a job she loves working with people who need help dealing with their grief, her husband is super handsome, caring and so smart best of all they are expecting their first baby and she already loves this baby so much... but (yes there is a but) she can't help but feel that her husband is maybe hiding his true self from her at times he feels a bit distant and while she is helping all of these people at work she can't seem to help her husband who needs her at home.

Cole Westwood has been dealing with grief for awhile now it hovers over himself and his family like a blanket that they can't get out from under, losing his twin brother Dale changed his life and he doesn't know how to deal with this loss.  He always felt as if he was the inferior brother in their parents eyes (especially his overly critical mother), he looked up to his brother and went to him for guidance on decisions but who can he go to now that he's gone?  

Back to Ashley feeling like she doesn't know all there is to know about her husband Cole after an old college friend comes over and basically says that she doesn't know the real Cole she thinks that maybe it would be best if she had a little bit of time away from Cole.  She goes to stay with her parents at her child hood home and makes a wish before she goes to sleep about how she wished she knew Cole prior to his grief when his brother was still alive it would help her understand him better.

Ashley wakes up in the past but it isn't the past that happened in her own timeline, the one that she so clearly remembers like it was yesterday (because it was).  In this timeline she is back in college after a bad break up to a guy she no longer cares about (but prior to her relationship with Cole... in fact in this time line does she even know Cole?).  How is she going to get by without letting on that she has different memories?  It's not like she can really tell anyone she is from a different future timeline.    

Luckily her friend Sarah is there with her when she wakes up to help fill her in that they need to get back to school... not the school she originally remembers going to, in this timeline she lost a bet with Sarah and they both have been attending Yale.  While there she runs into Cole and as a surprise his brother Dale is there as well.

Ashley then struggles with reminders of the future (or alternate reality) that may never happen the loss of her relationship with Cole and the loss of their baby that in this time line hasn't even been a thought yet since Cole it turns out is the campus playboy making his rounds to parties and getting with any woman he feels like which of course tears Ashley's heart apart a bit more each time she sees him and these different ladies.

Dale on the other hand is the thoughtful, kind, considerate, intelligent basically this truly amazing all around guy --> all of these things that she loved about her husband previously, while Cole is charming and acts like he doesn't care about much of anything he also is a bit manipulative and plays head games with her pulling her closer only to push her away again.   

Ashley in this timeline at her new school manages to get into a summer physics program being led by Dale and spending more time with him it's hard to overlook that he is everything that she is missing from her old life with her timelines Cole.  

Ashley finds herself drawn to both men for different reasons and there comes a point where she doesn't know how to deal with her emotions in this new timeline, everything so far she has tried to do has gone wrong and if Dale's car accident is still in the future of this time line can she help prevent Dale's death?

There were some typos and some repeat sentences but it didn't take away from the story, I found myself drawn to the characters and wanting to see how things would play out for Ashley and the brothers who will she choose safe choice Dale who is sweet, caring and loyal or Cole who is kind of a hot head and likes to play games but seems to be only because he is having a hard time keeping his walls up when it comes to Ashley he has armor up with those around him that show him as a careless playboy but Ashley sees him for who he is warts and all (don't worry, he doesn't have warts of course he is a flawless, handsome hard body) but she still is drawn to him even with seeing his flaws and that means a lot to someone who has always felt like he wasn't good enough compared to his brother.  

There are still some left over questions that leave room for a sequel and I would love to arc read for the next book in the series.   

*arc read  *time travel romance *alternate reality (like sliders) *love triangle  *single POV from FMC

*Indie author  *First book for this author  *miscommunication/no communication  

** my own personal opinion I was rooting for Dale and Ashley for this time line --> Team "Dashley"

Annie Truro: Again

 Read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59520819-again

Maddy is in her 40's she's set in her ways and while she has an ok life it's nothing she pictured for her future when she was younger it feels more like life has been happening around her she's not going after  what she wants and it's been like that for years.  She's in a job that doesn't really give her any sense of fulfillment, a relationship where the guy is super nice but they really don't have much in common and she should have ended it years ago... but Paul is stable and at this point they have been together forever, she can't just break up with him now it would crush him.

When Paul gets a job that takes them across the country from Colorado back to her hometown on the east coast she is happy to be closer to her good friend Franny but old emotions come into play while the tragedy that involved a train derailment and the death of two of her high school friends has always been at the back of her mind it comes to the front of it after returning home.  A lot has changed (new buildings on top of where things used to be... like her condo is where the mall was, and her high school was knocked down years ago) there is something comforting in the fact that the old record shop that she used to go to with her friend is still around it was close to her high school and holds a lot of good memories.  

Andy and Darcy died during their senior year of high school a tragic event that really effected everyone in town it's been years but Maddy still remembers the event and how she felt like it was yesterday.  Maddy had a big crush on Andy and she never got to tell him... after the move she finds an old note from Andy (in a jacket pocket) she had never read the note before in this note Andy professes his love for her, what if she had been with him the night of the accident what if they had been given the chance to be together? 

While on break from her work from home job she takes a trip down memory lane at the record shop in the back of the shop she hears a weird sound like an air conditioner is starting up not thinking anything of it at first she soon finds that she's back in the late 1980's in her 18 year old body and reliving her high school days, she walks to her old high school (which is not demolished in this time) and sees Andy very much alive and at first she thinks she's dreaming or maybe hallucinating as anyone would probably think at first... time travel that's just like the plot of a movie, or a book not real life.  

She can't resist going back to the record shop to use the portal and finds herself addicted to being able to see her friend Andy again, if there is any way to prevent his death she's going to try.  She finds that she's not the only one who can use the time portal at the record store another man about her age has been using it as well... wait is that her old lab partner Charlie from high school?  He was also a foot ball star and class clown, he has his own reasons for going back in time and is surprised to see that there is another person able to use the portal.

Maddy and Charlie end up meeting up to talk about their experiences (because who else can understand what has happened better than someone else going through the same thing).  They get invited to join a government project by the young record shop worker who is obsessed with the idea of time travel portals but has never been through one himself (this is heavy to the plot in the beginning --> middle but kind of fades out).  

Maddy and Charlie face the dilemma anyone in their situation would face if given the opportunity to go back in time, if they make a change to the past (even if it's small) it could potentially cause a bigger ripple effect to their future selves and they have been returning to their future selves every time after going back to the past trying to never stay too long.  If Maddy were to change a larger event (that effected so many people) like the train accident would she be the same person in the future, would she even have the same relationships?  It's a big risk especially for someone who has spent so long playing things safe, will she be able to sacrifice the life she knows to change the past?  Also is it even possible since there is a theory that the past doesn't like to change course once it's already on that path.

Maddy and Charlie naturally get to know each other better through their shared time travel experience and you start to see some changes with how Maddy sees her current life and how it could be different, they also struggle with multiple memories from what happened in their original time line, what happened when they went back in time as adults in their younger bodies and how time fixed itself by creating reasons for those changes (I felt that was a nice touch to kind of make up for the fact they were time traveling which was the actual reason for the change).    

I really enjoyed this book for the most part, there were some more dense sections where they were talking about the "time travel theory" with the government study and it got a little repetitive since it was a bunch of "no one really knows how this works or what happens" I also kind of felt that while the book was heavy on the study towards the beginning it dropped off and never got picked back up so it was an unfinished situation in the book.  but I love the idea of being able to go back and have a do over.  

This book had a few typos (but nothing that really took away from the story) and kept me turning the pages wanting to see if she could take the plunge and make the changes needed in the past to save her friends lives which would ultimately cause a huge ripple effect to her whole life, has going to the past all these times like she has been led to her being brave enough to face an unknown future?   

This book is filled with 80's nostalgia tons of bands are brought up --> records, tape cassettes, the fashion it's a time capsule and it really gets you thinking about how you would feel if you had the opportunity to go back in time to your high school days, would you try to change things if you could?  

What is your favorite time travel romance?  Have you read this book?  what did you think?

*Time travel romance (going back to relive own life in high school)  *multiple points of view  

*sapphic relationship representation (small scenes)  *happy ending and sad moments  

Aurrora St. James: The Earl's Timely Wallflower

 Taken By destiny Book 1 read in 2024, this is a trilogy and I would recommend reading them in order. 

Lily Bennett is a modern day woman who finds it hard to find a true place to call home she lives in Kentucky in a run down apartment, she is single, and has a lackluster job, her parents have passed away and she had been taking care of her younger sister but now she's grown up and living her own life.  Her brother is in the military and often has been away on lengthy missions, either way she has found herself in broken relationships with both of her siblings but she wants to mend this and move forward she misses them both and decides that she is going to make steps towards bringing the trio back together when she finds an unusual ornate clock at work (at a book shop) she attempts to fix the device when it transports her back to Regency England (1813).

Completely unprepared for the trip she's wearing modern clothing and ends up almost getting run over by a carriage she falls and hits her head, thankfully the lady (Violet) in the carriage feels horrible and takes her to the home she lives in with her older brother Gabriel Hawthorne Earl of Rothden.  The earl is of course very handsome and Lily notices this immediately. 

Gabriel has decided to host one last house party before returning to London, he isn't looking forward to going back and dealing with the season's activities which involve a lot of women (and their mom's) after him to choose them as a wife... most of them don't care about him as a person just his title and his money, but he does want his sister to have a suitable match.  Now he has another guest Lily she is beautiful although maybe she hit her head too hard because she starts talking about being from the future!  what? Well he is a gentleman and he will take care of her while she is under his roof.

Some extra drama occurs when Gabriel's Ex mistress arrives to the house party unannounced and attempts to get back in his good graces and cause issues between Gabriel and Lily.  

Gabriel is a true gentleman and is really supportive towards Lily but what if she finds a way to return to the future?  Where does that leave him?   Lily is now struggling and torn between wanting to return to the future (if she even can) and reunite with her brother and sister or stay in the past where she is falling for the Earl and loves his sister as well.  

While I did enjoy the book I did find it odd how easily those around Lily  accepted her story of being from the future and time travel, I figured there would have been a bit more drama there.  The story kept me wanting to read more and I read the other two books in the series after.  

Have you read anything by this writer?  what would you recommend?  What is your favorite time travel romance?

*time travel romance  *historical romance  *found family  *supportive side characters 

*feels kind of insta love  *Some spice  *Slow burn  *Earl  *happy ending  *dual POV

*a bit of some magical elements happening with one of the Earls friends

Trigger warnings: Self doubt and insecurity from female lead (low self esteem)

**possible spoiler:  *some people found the ending lacking since Lily spent the majority of the book wanting to go home and see her brother and sister again but at the end decided that they would be ok without her* 

Belle Ami Tuscan Time

 Lost in time series book 3 read in 2025 --> I would recommend reading these books in order there is a lot to the story line you might miss if you start out of order.  

The third and final book in this time travel romance series follows the last friend Gabriella as she remains in the modern world waiting for her friends to show up at the museum and beginning to worry as it's well past their meeting time as she's wondering if she should wait longer or just head back to her friend Emily's place to wait for them she ends up getting pulled through the 3rd painting in the series by Marco in order to now become part of the plan to save Marco and Iris from an evil countess set on destroying them and their love by keeping them apart.  

Following in line with the first two books Gabriella lands back in time (1902 Italy) where she is very near the edge of a cliff where the most handsome man she's ever seen rescues her after she falls over barely holding on to a branch.  Jack manages to pull her up and bring her back to his aunts home that she runs essentially a bed and breakfast out of... drama starts right away when the chef is too drunk to work thankful for rescue modern day chef Gabriella gets to work in the kitchen creating fabulous meals and making everyone wonder where she came from... of course she can't tell the truth so she plays up that she has a bit of memory loss.

Jack and Gabby are attracted to each other but Jack has big issues his evil cousin talked his father into disowning him while he was abroad and now holds his title the Earl of Witton and Marquis of Bainbridge, he needs money to fight his cousin to get back what is rightfully his by birth.  He turns to the idea of marrying a wealthy lady in order to make this happen and even makes the offer for Gabby to be his mistress... she of course is horrified by this and as she should turns him down flat.  

Jack's aunt Kitty has invited several guests to her Villa including the young lady (Cynthia) that Jack is considering for marriage her aunt (by marriage) who is very clearly up to something, Iris (undercover again) with her American friend from the second book Constance, and Gabby's friends Emily and Jenee plus their husbands and an art expert who is helping with the search for the final remaining painting that Iris and Marco need to obtain to end their curse and finally be together.  

A lot of the story takes place at the Villa so there is not as much history as the first few books and a lot of the book has the lead characters fighting their attraction and running away from each other (more or less) because of his current financial predicament.  When Gabby magically finds the missing painting by master painter Marco, Jack now has to figure out what to do with this find selling this painting could mean that he would be able to follow his heart and possibly marry for love instead of money... what to do?    

Some drama at the end and I felt that everything was wrapped up pretty quick but I enjoyed the series over all.  I liked that the ladies we started out with at the beginning of the series ending up finding each other again even though they were back in time.  

What is your favorite time travel romance?  

*time travel  *insta love/lust  *Brooding MMC  *happy ending  *chef   *some spice 

 *house party (kind of they are at a villa together)  *scholarly (Jack has a passion for archeology)

Belle Ami Paris Time

 Lost in Time Series Book 2 read in 2025

While this book is potentially a stand alone it's better to read the first book if you are planning on reading this as there is additional history as to what is happening and how three paintings by famous Renaissance painter Marco Allegretto become cursed and turned into time portals and the love story between Iris (the time traveler who wrote the famous book our 3 friends love) and Marco.  

Jenee Lazaar is a successful dermatologist who lives in Los Angeles (in modern times) taking a trip to New  York to meet her online besties for the first time she ends up at the Metropolitan Museum of art where she ends up being pulled into the second of these time portal paintings while standing in front of it waiting to meet back up with her friends.  Moments after being pulled into the painting she is no longer in New York she is a bit disoriented and even though she lived in Paris for many years... she has been pulled to Paris from the past (1900) even worse she has landed in the middle of chaos as there has just been an explosion and as a doctor she is compelled to help those around her including performing the new (for the time period) method of CPR on American heiress Constance. 

Xavier Doumaz a police detective is in the area and is he seeing things or did this beautiful woman just appear right after the bomb went off?  Xavier has been investigating a terrorist cell and has to rule out that Jenee might be involved she is wearing odd clothes, and has no forms of identification or money and the story she tells as to how she got there and where these items are seem pretty shady... something is not right with her story.

While he shouldn't get involved with the suspect Xavier and Jenee are insta love drawn to each other and have a brief interlude prior to Jenee finding a hidden photo of his wife and child in his drawer... instead of asking about this she believes him to be playing the field and cheating on his wife she leaves him a nasty note and meets up with Constance who had requested her presence at her home the day after Jenee saved her life.  Constance gives her a job as a companion, Constance has an assistant Violet who lives with her Jenee feels she looks very familiar but is unsure why.

Xavier and Jenee from here end up running into each other on several occasions and continue to fight their attraction (but not that hard), there continues to be a general miscommunication/no communication situation.  Xavier lost his whole family in a fire a few years prior and has been grieving but finally feels like he's coming back to life again after meeting Jenee even if she did steal money from him and leave him the morning after an amazing night.

Jenee gets pulled into the drama of helping Iris (who is disguised as Violet in this time) and Marco regain control of the painting and therefore gain control of the time portal.  The evil guy from the first book has popped up in this book as another wealthy evil gentleman kind of reminding me of a super evil dramatic version of the Lemony Snicket character Count Olaf since Iris and Jenee know who he is he just has a different name and he continues his killing spree into the second book.  How can they defeat this evil time hopper once and for all?  If he is still in the picture will Iris and Marco ever be able to be together again?  

While I enjoyed the story I felt there could have been a little more time for the couple to get to know each other and actually "fall" for each other and more information on Xavier's investigation process, there are a lot of historical sites and several famous people that make cameo's in the book and as a reader while that was fun a few times I felt maybe that part of it took up too much of the book in exchange for less actual plot.  

This book does set up for book 3 for Iris and Marco to find the final painting and return it to it's rightful owner (them).  there is a happily ever after for our couple and I enjoyed that Jenee and Emily were able to reconnect at the end of this book.  

I plan to finish out the series by reading the last book 

Have you read this series?  How did you feel about this insta love trope?

*time travel  *romance  *historical  *some spice *Insta love/lust  

*Trigger:  discussion of death/loss of family, friend  *murder mystery

Vanessa Rhoswen: Villainess's Redemption

 read in 2025:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223731812-villainess-s-redemption

I saw this book in a few of the face book groups I belong to and the plot seemed interesting, I've recently started getting more into time-travel romance and I wanted to support more Indie authors this year and this fit for both of these.  

The story starts off at the end where Lady Ilyana D'Arcane and her family have been sent into exile after her father was executed.  It's not completely clear at first what happened leading to this noble families ruin but the other exiled people consider Ilyana to be a traitor and therefore considered to be the worst of the worst among the criminals that live on the outskirts.  Part of the punishment involves her older brother working in the mines where the workers are treated poorly and left to die when they collapse.  Ilyana and her family are barely surviving while living on food scraps in a small poorly crafted hut.  

Long gone are the luxuries of their past and how she wishes more than anything at this point she could go back and earn forgiveness and make better choices she would be kind and caring and wouldn't  scheme to be higher position.  As if things couldn't get much worse... they do.  Ilyana ends up working in her brother's place at the mines after he has been beaten and is in poor health he needs to rest in order to be able to go back to work.  When her shift ends she finds the military at her home where she witnesses the remainder of her family get executed (her mother and her brother) before they deliver a fatal blow Ilyana makes a wish to change the past... as she is stabbed things go dark and she wakes up 2 years prior on her wedding day.

Ilyana knowing this is her chance to change her future and save her family she makes plans to change what she can to avoid the tragic fate that she just escaped.  After her time in exile she is no longer the pampered princess who looks down on everyone around her and uses her intelligence for evil scheming it's time to make better choices, be a better person and hopefully if all goes well she will be able to live a peaceful life with her family as far away from her previous life as she can get maybe she could be a farmer or a cook.  As the reader you learn bits and pieces of what happened previously throughout the book as Ilyana is now working hard to change her future.  

Ilyana faces many challenges on her journey to become a better person including making others see that she has changed starting with her lady's maid that she has previously treated terribly she needs all the support she can get in this new time line.  Ilyana has the advantage of knowing the future but sometimes changing minor things cause other situations to change and how will she navigate these new situations without causing more problems for herself and her family... come on! she really is trying to do the right things this time and change her evil ways why doesn't anyone trust her?  Lots of mystery in this one as Ilyana frequently discusses being an evil schemer in the past prior to her ruin but only some of these previous schemes are revealed in this book.  

This book kept my attention it was a really cute quick read and I enjoyed the witty banter between our lead lady and our leading male (who of course is handsome and powerful), there were twists and turns and the book ends in a cliffhanger that has me looking forward to the next book especially since we don't quite have the full story yet.  This felt like reading a light novel and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.  This was an easy light read with humor and would recommend to anyone looking for that type of book!  

Some typos/repeat sentences in places but I didn't feel like it distracted me too much from being able to enjoy the book.  

Do you enjoy light novels?  which one is your favorite?  How about fantasy novels?

*witty banter  *enemies --> more  * fantasy  * time travel *reincarnation *mainly one POV from our lead lady  *felt like a YA type book 

*not spicy  *slow burn  

Belle Ami London Time

 Book 1 of 3 Lost in time Series read in 2025

Emily Christie is originally from London but moved to New York for an amazing job working for a fashion magazine.  The story starts with Emily having a girls weekend with her two best friends who she met online and bonded with over food, wine, being single and a book they all loved about a time traveler who ends up back in the 1500's where she runs into Renaissance artist Marco Allegretto he is so taken with this sultry red head (Iris Bellerose) that he is instantly in love with her and paints a series of 3 paintings with her as his muse "the three stages of love."  What is even more mysterious about this book is that no one knows the author it was found in an unused part of a Villa in Italy recently... but how romantic if this was a real story.

While in New York Emily gets 3 tickets to see an exhibit of these 3 mysterious paintings while they are available for viewing, no one knows who the lady in the painting is or why she has been disappearing from all 3 paintings over time.  When Jenee and Gabriella (the two friends) go off to view different parts of the museum Emily sits to enjoy the 3 paintings and unbelievably ends up sucked into the painting itself invited by Marco himself.  

Emily lands back in the late 1800's London but fortunately ends up getting rescued by the handsome Colin Remington (heir to the Marquess of Danbury) funny thing is she has met Colin before as he is the man of her dreams.  Emily gets taken in by a lovely couple the Carmichaels (they were in the carriage with Colin on the night she landed back in time) who are well off financially and recently out of mourning the loss of their only daughter Daphne, who could have been Emily's twin and also was Colin's fiance.  Colin has remained close to the Carmichaels since the tragic loss of Daphne, in fact he's closer to them than his uptight/stuffy father.    

Emily then finds herself in the midst of 2 different mysteries there is a Jack the Ripper type serial killer running the streets and getting more and more violent with their kills and while the last victim was the Carmichaels daughter Daphne shortly after Emily arrives another victim is discovered.  Colin has been working as a detective and trying hard to solve this series of crimes.  Maybe Emily could help solve this crime... in fact she is determined to help find the culprit with or without Colin's help.

While getting closer to the Carmichael's and falling for Colin she faces facts that she may be stuck in this time forever never getting home... and the longer she's there the longer she feels that might not be the worst thing if she could stay forever with the man she's falling in love with.  She also adores the Carmichaels and has found a friendship with her lady's maid.  Also with time travel there is a worry that she might not end up back home but instead in in another time where things could be worse.  

The 2nd mystery is the dreams she has been having that feel so real with Iris Bellerose the time traveler from the book and Marco where they come to her telling her their story from the book she loves is real and they are in danger from an evil time traveler and in need of Emily's help to be saved.

I received this story during a stuff your kindle day and I wasn't disappointed I enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to reading the next two in the series about the other two friends.  

There was a lot going on in this story but I felt the author did a good job of making it really feel like Marco could be a real Renaissance master artist.  Emily spent a good majority of the book pretending to have amnesia due to being afraid to admit to the unbelievable truth of being a time traveler... once she spills the beans though the story progresses pretty quickly.

*possible spoiler:  I felt it was fairly easy to figure out who the bad guy was in the story early on.

Do you like time travel romance novels?  which one is your favorite?

*historical Romance *time travel *insta lust/love *mystery/crime *some spice

Trigger warnings: mentions of SA, gory crime scene descriptions