By Sarah M. Eden
Published by Shadow Mountain
Description from the Publisher:
In 1793, a storm propels Lili forward through time, kindling a love that transcends the ages.
Fleeing the clutches of Robespierre’s revolutionary Tribunal in France, Lili Minet makes a desperate escape on a ship headed to England, but her dangerous flight takes an unexpected turn when a violent storm catapults her off the ship and eighty years into the future, leaving her stranded in the unfamiliar world of 1873 England.
When lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce rescues a woman from the tumultuous sea, he does not anticipate her silent, cold response to his gallant efforts. Though he is wary of this woman and her odd behaviors, he finds she is just as wary of him. And he can sense that she is not telling him something of great import to her. Only Armitage’s grandfather, a man seasoned by the mysteries of the sea, can seem to penetrate Lili’s defenses to offer her support. But as Lili heals from the physical and emotional wounds of her ordeal and Armitage continues to offer light and safety to her, a tender friendship blossoms between the two.
Yet the shadow of danger looms as the threat that chased Lili from France all those years ago reemerges in her new present. Together Lili and Armitage must navigate the challenges of a romance that grows to defy the boundaries of time and the perils that reach across the decades to ensnare Lili. As the storm clouds gather, Lili and Armitage face the ultimate test—discovering whether their bond is strong enough to rewrite the pages of history itself to save them and their love.
My Review:
Neither time traveling nor the French Revolution are things I ever seek out in a book; they're not just big draws for me (and in some cases, they can be big turnoffs). However, Sarah Eden's researching and writing are always superb, so I figured I'd at least like this book--but I more than liked it. I really enjoyed seeing Lilli and Armitage fall for one another. I also loved Armitage's grandpa and the people in his village. There were a couple of twists that I did NOT see coming at all. I do feel like it wrapped up a bit quickly--I have to be careful here so I don't give anything away, but the last 20% of the book could have had a lot more added to do it without bogging it down. I wanted more details there of what happened and how! There is at least one more book to follow this one, so I'm sure some of my questions will be answered there, but I still would hae liked a bit more to explain how certain things were brought about in this book. My one other quibble with this book is the amount of French it; of course it SHOULD have French in it, given that Lilli is French and parts of it take place in France, and there were times when I could get the gist of what was being said just from context...but for obsessive readers like me, who have to go translate every French passage because we want more than just the gist of what is being said, it kinda disrupted the flow sometimes. Not a huge problem, but just something perhaps to be aware of if you're a similar sort of reader.
All in all, 4.5 stars and I'm very much looking forward to the next book!
I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
