The Maid of Sherwood Forest by Sian Ann Bessey

The Maid of Sherwood Forest (A McQuivey's Costume Shop Time Travel Romance)
By Sian Ann Bessey
Published by Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: November 4, 2025

Description from the Publisher:
Mariah thought Robin Hood was just a legend—until time pulled her into his world and the outlaw stole her heart.
Nothing about Mariah Clinton’s passion for archery or her work as a sous-chef in contemporary London prepares her for the moment she’s pulled into another time—and another life. One minute, she’s stepping into McQuivey’s Costume Shop to rent a medieval gown. The next, she’s standing in a castle kitchen in twelfth-century Nottingham—with no idea how she got there or how to return to modern time. Forced to pose as a kitchen servant, she must draw on ingenuity and courage to survive in a world in which she shouldn’t exist. But when her skill with a bow draws the attention of outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she’s swept into a conflict that is more dangerous—and more thrilling—than she could ever have imagined.
Robin Hood has spent years outwitting the sheriff, protecting the innocent, and keeping his men one step ahead of Prince John’s reach. But when he crosses paths with a mysterious archer who shoots like no woman he’s ever met, he knows she’s hiding something. Her words, her ways, even the fire in her eyes—none of it belongs in his time. Yet the more she stands at his side, the harder it becomes to imagine Sherwood Forest without her.
Mariah is torn between a past she understands in modern-day London and an uncertain future with an outlaw who has stolen her heart. But as the sheriff’s grip tightens and betrayal looms, one truth becomes clear—some choices are impossible to undo, and love, once found, is not so easily left behind.

My Review:
I have always loved Robin Hood, so I was totally excited when I saw Sian Ann Bessey's latest book would be a Robin Hood retelling...and I was even more excited once I started it, because it is terrific! I love how there were some nods to traditional Robin Hood versions but also unique elements. I really enjoyed how much we get to see of "Marian" and how she's a fully-developer character, not just Robin's love interest. I also really liked Robin and seeing his concern for others. The romance was sweet and satisfying, the side characters added humor and wisdom, and the entire book was just a great read. I would totally love to see this developed into a spin-off series with Will Scarlett, Little John, and others as main characters in their own books. Highly recommend!

4.5 stars.

I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Echoes of the Sea by Sarah M. Eden

Echoes of the Sea (Storm Tide #2) by Sarah M. Eden
Published by Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

Description from the publisher:
A modern-day London actor is hurled back to 1803, where a love that defies the centuries awaits.
For Kipling Summerfield, the glamour of Hollywood is becoming a distant memory. After losing the role of a lifetime, he’s forced to take a lesser job as a historical reenactor on England’s Guilford Island. But a sudden storm changes everything, casting him into the ocean—and into the care of a mysterious lighthouse keeper. Kip assumes everyone he meets and the island’s historical setting are just an elaborate performance—until he meets the captivating Amelia Archibald, whose quiet strength feels too real, making him question everything about Guilford.
Amelia has spent her life as an unimportant poor relation and is now trapped by her late grandfather’s will on an island she loathes because of her great fear of the sea. When Kip stumbles into her world, his strange ideas and warm presence are both a disruption and an unexpected light.
As Kip and Amelia work to save Guilford Island, an undeniable connection blooms between them. But when Kip uncovers the truth about where—or when—he is, he must make an impossible choice: rise to meet the expectations of Amelia’s world and build a life worthy of her station or walk away from the love that has redefined his very existence.

My Review:
Time travel is not my favorite trope, but I was totally pulled in by this story. I thought the whole storyline with Kipling thinking everyone was extremely in character all the time at a historical reenactment site was quite clever and unique--a good reason for him to be unaware that he'd even time traveled for a good portion of the book. It was a fun twist that made a not-so-favorite trope totally work for me.
I really liked Kipling and Amelia. They were both vulnerable but strong; they faced hard things but didn't get bitter and grumpy; they just kept trying t figure things out and move forward. I also really liked how kind they were to each other. They could tease each other (and there were moments that totally made me laugh out loud) but were also gentle and supportive of each other, and that was just really sweet. I absolutely loved them together. Secondary characters were also endearing; I like how the community came together to help Amelia and how they also gave some really good advice to help Kipling and Amelia think about things a bit differently.
Two quibbles with the book: I didn't feel like the reason Amelia's grandfather was so cruel was adequately explained...and I want to know what Kipling's tattoo looks like, not just that he has one!
This was a pleasure to read. Highly recommend! 5 stars.

I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A Time Traveler's Masquerade by Sian Ann Bessey

A Time Traveler's Masquerade (A McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance)
By Sian Ann Bessey
Published by Shadow Mountain

Description from the publisher:

 
Romance blossoms when Isla Crawford steps into McQuivey’s Costume Shop in London and is swept back in time to 1605, where she and Lord Bancroft attempt to thwart Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot.

One moment, Isla Crawford is inside McQuivey’s Costume Shop trying on a Jacobean-style gown for the parliamentary Autumn Ball, and the next, she is standing in an unfamiliar garden, barefoot, coatless, and at the mercy of a fierce storm. Confused, she seeks refuge in a Tudor manor, where she discovers that she has inexplicably traveled back to 1605, mere weeks before the culmination of Guy Fawkes’s infamous Gunpowder Plot.
Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, finds his orderly seventeenth-century life disrupted when a mysterious woman appears on his sister’s doorstep during a storm. Intrigued by the stranger’s quirks and bewildering speech, he feels compelled to protect her and heed her warnings about a fatal plot against Parliament. As Simon is drawn into Isla’s dangerous scheme to stop the evildoers, he can’t help but also feel drawn to her.
With seemingly no way to get back home, Isla uses her twenty-first-century knowledge of the past to try to thwart Guy Fawkes and his coconspirators without altering the course of history forever. She and Simon must race to unravel the threads of the treasonous plot even as they wonder how their hearts will navigate their deepening connection and the seemingly insurmountable four centuries that separate their lives.

My review:
Heading into this book, I knew next to nothing about Guy Fawkes (I had heard of Guy Fawkes Day and knew that Fawkes was a villain, not a hero), but I also knew that Sian Ann Bessey's books are awesome (I've read several and they've all been four or five star books), so I was quick to snap up the chance to read this one. I enjoyed learning more about Fawkes and his plot as well as the Jacobean Era in general. Isla and Simon were fantastic leading characters. I found myself really appreciating that they quickly came to trust each other and that Simon's family was accepting of Isla, too; while some skepticism certainly wouldn't have been unreasonable, it was kind of a relief to have them quickly accept Isla and all work together, with the conflict in the book not stemming from internal issues but rather from external. The romance was sweet and the plot was engrossing.
4.5 stars--and I'm so eager for the next book in this series to come out!

I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Tides of Time by Sarah M. Eden

The Tides of Time (Storm Tide #1) 

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.

Blog Tour and Giveaway for Just in Time: The Rescue Begins in Delaware

The Rescue Begins in Delaware (Just in Time Book 1)
By Cheri Pray Earl and Carol Lynch Williams

Premise:
Dover, Delaware 1776: George and Gracie need to rescue their parents. Instead, they find themselves time-traveling into the middle of the American Revolution. Not only that, but one of the twins changes into an animal with each time travel. This time Gracie is a horse. They end up helping Caesar Rodney make his famous ride into Philadelphia to vote “yes” for the Declaration of Independence. But time is running out to rescue their parents.  

My thoughts:
This was a fun book to read; although I read it by myself, I can easily see this book being one my children will enjoy in next year or two. I particularly liked the historical information--I'd never learned about Caesar Rodney's hurried ride from Delaware to Philadelphia, so that was interesting to learn a little about him and his efforts to support American independence. I think my kids will find that interesting but also be really pulled in to the time travel and mystery elements of the story. Good start to a series; I look forward to reading the rest of the books.

I read a copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

About the Authors: Cheri Pray Earl graduated with her master's degree in creative writing from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1995 and has taught creative writing and literature courses for the BYU Honors Program and the English Department for more than 25 years. She was awarded BYU Honors Professor of the Year in 2005 which she brags about every chance she gets. Cheri writes the middle-grade novel series, Just In Time, with Carol Lynch Williams and published a non-fiction children’s book for American Girl in 2009, co-authored with the late Rick Walton. But in real life she writes young adult and adult novels. She won her first real writing contest, the Utah Original Writing Competition, in 1994 for her YA novel, Flat Like Me, and took Honorable Mention in 1997 for her YA novel, The Swan. She’s currently working on an adult mystery novel and a contemporary adult novel. Cheri’s most recent children’s book, Mr. Dietsche, is a middle-grade novel based on her childhood in Dodge City, Kansas that her agent, Steve Fraser from JDLIT, is this very minute shopping around. That’s Secret Agent Steve. See more of Cheri's stories at dustingforfingerprints.wordpress.com 

 Carol Lynch Williams is the author of more than 30 books for middle grade and young adult readers. Her novels include The Chosen One, Never that Far, Messenger and Never Said. Her most recent book is the novelization of the movie Once I Was a Beehive. Carol has an MFA from Vermont College in Writing for Children and Young Adults and teaches creative writing at BYU. She runs Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, a week-long writing conference for the not-faint-of-heart writer (www.wifyr.com). As well she is a mentor for those who want to write for kids and teens. Her best creative effort, however, are her five daughters.

Find the book here:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43895093-george-and-gracie-just-in-time
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Begins-Delaware-Just-Time-ebook/dp/B07ML8WJBD/

Connect with authors here:

Twitter Cheri Pray Earl 
 Twitter Carol Lynch Williams 

Check out the blog tour here:

Feb 18: Bloggin' Bout Books / Peggy Urry Writer

Feb 19: Min Reads and Reviews

Feb 20: LDS Writer Mom

Feb 21: My Book a Day

Feb 22: Literary Time Out / The Bibliophile Files

And finally, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway here:
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Hourglass

Hourglass
By Myra McEntire
Egmont, 2011. 390 pgs. Teen fiction

For several years, Emerson Cole has seen ghosts from the past, and she can't figure out how to make it stop. When Michael Weaver arrives from an organization called Hourglass, Em is eager to find out that she isn't alone in the world--other people have strange abilities as well--and impressed by Michael's dashing good looks. But it turns out that Michael isn't only there to help her; he also needs her help to travel back in time to prevent the death of a man who never should have died--and he insists that their task leaves them no room for romance. Em has to not only prevent the plans of a murder but also convince Michael that their connection is one worth bending a few rules for.

This book has some minor flaws that will be easily overlooked by most readers, who will be drawn in by Em's feistiness, a quick-moving plot, and the romance. The ending was a bit rushed, but it's good enough to tide readers over until the next book in the series. This is a good sci-fi pick for readers who don't really like sci-fi, since you can just kind of gloss over the time travel details (which aren't too heavily described) and enjoy the rest of the plot. There's a little bit of language, but overall it's pretty clean.

4 stars.

Ruby Red

Ruby Red
By Kerstin Gier
Henry Holt and Company, 2011. 330 pgs. Teen fiction

Gwen's family has a history of time traveling, and everyone thinks that her cousin Charlotte will be the next time travel, but it turns out to be Gwen instead. Charlotte, in anticipation of her role, has been given all sorts of training to help her blend in when she visits the past as well as an introduction to the secret society that protects the secret of their time travel and the machine that lets them control where they travel. Gwen doesn't have that training and is somewhat at a loss as to what is expected of her. She has a time-travel companion, handsome Gideon, who quickly makes it clear that Gwen is not his type and pretty much beneath his notice, and her mother warns her not to trust anyone, so Gwen is pretty confused as to what's going on and who is even telling the truth.

This is an exciting start to a new series; I like the time-traveling elements (although, I'm not quite sure I understand all of it, so I hope Gwen gets enlightened a little more in the next book so I can understand more as well), and Gwen is a good protagonist. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

4.5 stars. A really, really little bit of language, but otherwise, this one's clean.