An engaging time-travel tale that appreciates its characters’ histories as much as ancient Rome.
A psychiatrist and two of her childhood friends unexpectedly travel back in time to ancient Rome in this debut novel.
Nicole has come to her father Dr. Sava’s heavily guarded underground laboratory to inform him of her plans to change careers and leave Chicago for San Francisco. Yet a more significant upheaval awaits the psychiatrist as she is suddenly—and seemingly accidentally—swept up in a wormhole and transported to Rome in 59 B.C.E. Joining her on this sensational trip are her estranged childhood friends and daughters of her father’s partners: Autumn, a soft-spoken redhead, and Brandy, a tough-as-nails Marine. Ancient Rome greets them harshly. They are mistaken for runaway slaves, and their violent capture injures Brandy. In addition, Nicole and Brandy become separated from Autumn. To keep Brandy from succumbing to her wounds, Nicole must toil in the “domus” of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, a powerful general and statesman, and appeal to him for aid. The two are immediately attracted to each other, with Marcus’ imperial manliness tinged by a heartsickness stemming from the horrors seen on the battlefield. But the past is not the only threat to Nicole and her friends. A time traveler opposed to Nicole’s father resides in Marcus’ household, with deadly orders to “fix” the future. Makris’ vivid series opener is full of well-researched hallmarks of the last days of the Roman Empire, from violent crucifixions and bustling markets to urine-soaked laundry. Despite this, the novel is principally an enjoyable, character-driven genre piece. A real-life historical figure, Marcus here is deftly imagined as a sensitive leader, attempting to drink away the nightmares of warfare. Nicole’s desire to help him is a key component of the steamy eroticism they share on the page. Nicole and Brandy struggle as much with their own pasts together as they do ancient Rome. Their shared grief and strained friendship over Brandy’s brother’s suicide are forced to the surface by the necessity of their circumstances. The story employs a slow pace and leaves many questions unanswered. The cliffhanger ending is likely great for the sequel but slightly unsatisfying for this volume.
An engaging time-travel tale that appreciates its characters’ histories as much as ancient Rome.Pub Date: June 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73401-751-9
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Skmakris
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This rip-roaring romp pivots between past and present and posits the future-altering power of love, hope, and forgiveness.
A time-toying spy romance that’s truly a thriller.
In the author’s note following the moving conclusion of her gripping, gleefully delicious debut novel, Bradley explains how she gathered historical facts about Lt. Graham Gore, a real-life Victorian naval officer and polar explorer, then “extrapolated a great deal” about him to come up with one of her main characters, a curly-haired, chain-smoking, devastatingly charming dreamboat who has been transported through time. Having also found inspiration in the sole extant daguerreotype of Gore, showing him to have been “a very attractive man,” Bradley wrote the earliest draft of the book for a cluster of friends who were similarly passionate about polar explorers. Her finished novel—taut, artfully unspooled, and vividly written—retains the kind of insouciant joy and intimacy you might expect from a book with those origins. It’s also breathtakingly sexy. The time-toggling plot focuses on the plight of a British civil servant who takes a high-paying job on a secret mission, working as a “bridge” to help time-traveling “expats” resettle in 21st-century London—and who falls hard for her charge, the aforementioned Commander Gore. Drama, intrigue, and romance ensue. And while this quasi-futuristic tale of time and tenderness never seems to take itself too seriously, it also offers a meaningful, nuanced perspective on the challenges we face, the choices we make, and the way we live and love today.
This rip-roaring romp pivots between past and present and posits the future-altering power of love, hope, and forgiveness.Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781668045145
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A traditional Regency story enlivened by a well-drawn neurodiverse heroine.
A straitlaced earl is undone by an unruly bookseller.
For a small bookshop, Martin House is getting a lot of attention, thanks to Betsy and Constance, the lovely twin daughters of the family that owns it. Now Constance has left her betrothed at the altar, and though she’s trying to avoid further gossip, when her friend Althea Thompson asks for help breaking her own engagement, Constance can’t say no. Oliver Vincent, Earl of Southwyn, suspects Althea isn’t interested in him, but feels he must marry her anyway to preserve their families’ neighboring estates. He seems to be a kind man, but that doesn’t stop Constance from coming up with a plan to drive him away from Althea, which seems easy enough given that he’s notoriously disciplined and unemotional and thus easy to irritate. But as Constance gets to know Oliver better, she keeps experiencing an inconvenient “fizzy pop of attraction,” which is second only to the intense distraction she’s become to him since he first noticed the “teacup-size tempest” around town. After a slow burn, they do finally explore their mutual attraction, but she’s held back by her many insecurities and he’s worried about the future of the community that depends on his estate, so their scorching attachment may need to be permanently shelved. Fittingly for a romance set in a bookshop that does a brisk business in romantic novels, the charming story incorporates a wide range of beloved tropes, including an only-one-bed scene and a virgin hero. The fast-moving plot also includes cameos from the first book in the series, Good Duke Gone Wild (2024), and can be confusing at first, but after a few chapters the book can be read as a standalone. The story is especially strong when it addresses what Constance feels are her many failings; readers will quickly realize they’re actually symptoms of ADHD, which is later confirmed in an author’s note. Despite the classic Regency setting, the language is often surprisingly modern, but fans of bold heroines won’t mind at all.
A traditional Regency story enlivened by a well-drawn neurodiverse heroine.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9781538740507
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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