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Twice a Hero: A Novel
MacKenzie “Mac” Sinclair is cursed. So is the whole Sinclair family. Ever since her great-great-grandfather Peregrine returned from an expedition to the Maya ruins with half of a mysterious pendant–and without his partner, Liam O’Shea–they’ve been haunted by misfortune.
That’s why Mac’s beloved grandfather wants her to undertake a solo expedition . . . to return the pendant to the ruins of Tikal and to find a way to atone for whatever part Peregrine played in Liam’s disappearance. But when Mac braves the hot, steamy, primitive jungle, something extraordinary happens: she blunders into the arms of an eerily familiar explorer.
Now she’s in for more adventure than she bargained for. Because she’s found Liam O’Shea . . . alive, well, and seductively real. In the year 1884.
That’s why Mac’s beloved grandfather wants her to undertake a solo expedition . . . to return the pendant to the ruins of Tikal and to find a way to atone for whatever part Peregrine played in Liam’s disappearance. But when Mac braves the hot, steamy, primitive jungle, something extraordinary happens: she blunders into the arms of an eerily familiar explorer.
Now she’s in for more adventure than she bargained for. Because she’s found Liam O’Shea . . . alive, well, and seductively real. In the year 1884.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 1997
14 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Susan Krinard
76 books330 followersTrained as an artist with a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Susan Krinard became a writer in 1992 when a friend read a short story she'd written and suggested she try writing a romance novel. A long-time fan of science fiction and fantasy, Susan began reading romance -- and realized what she wanted to do was combine the two genres. Prince of Wolves, her first romance novel and one of the earliest to feature a werewolf hero, was the result. Within a year Susan had sold the manuscript to Bantam as part of a three-book contract, and the novel went on to make several bestseller lists.
Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment", with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cat Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts.
Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment", with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cat Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 2, 2009
A time-travel romance. Its a generally hard premise to write about without making it too neat or too sappy or too sad or too something. Like most of these types, there is some magical article (a Mayan stone, in this case), that allows the heroine to travel to the past, meet some arrogant chauvinistic SOB who we end up liking anyway, undergo some time-paradox dilemma until she decides to take the ultimate sacrifice and leave him. Of course, its not a romance if she doesn't get her man, so this is where the stupidity really happens in full throttle.
Actually, throughout this book, both the hero and heroine's lives seemed to hint that they could have ended up in either time, since neither had pressing family issues or historical impact. I think it was just convenient that Liam gets to take a vacation from 1884.
Overall, the characters were great and so was the story. There was a draggy part with the complexity of some type of slave trade intervention, but luckily, it was only slightly detracting from the story. I wish Mac's ancestors actually had a love story or were at least more likable. Neither of them were likeable until miraculously, both of them became perfect Samaritans, secretly or not, saving people's lives. There was just not enough depth, but that may just be to keep it at a reasonable length.
Actually, throughout this book, both the hero and heroine's lives seemed to hint that they could have ended up in either time, since neither had pressing family issues or historical impact. I think it was just convenient that Liam gets to take a vacation from 1884.
Overall, the characters were great and so was the story. There was a draggy part with the complexity of some type of slave trade intervention, but luckily, it was only slightly detracting from the story. I wish Mac's ancestors actually had a love story or were at least more likable. Neither of them were likeable until miraculously, both of them became perfect Samaritans, secretly or not, saving people's lives. There was just not enough depth, but that may just be to keep it at a reasonable length.
July 5, 2018
Mac, our bookish and solitary leading lady, is tasked by her dying grandfather to return a broken necklace - the remnants of a Mayan expedition gone wrong - to the place it was found, and clear the name of an ancestor accused of killing his best friend. At the temple, however, she finds the situation even more confusing, as she stumbles back in time, and straight into the arms of the man who was supposed to be dead. (And, gasp, he's hot!) Now Mac must complete her task, and find her way back to the future... without messing up too much of the past!
It's my first impression of the romance genre, and I came away with a clear and distinct feeling: this was really, really fun.
It's my first impression of the romance genre, and I came away with a clear and distinct feeling: this was really, really fun.
May 5, 2025
It's a late-90s romance. Which is to say Mac consistently thinks of herself as unattractive because she has short hair and small breasts and is consistently described as "lean" and "like a jungle cat", Liam is a chauvinistic prick and efforts are made to explain why he is this way but they mostly boil down to "because it's 1883, duh", Mac's clearly stated to work at a museum and know a ton of stuff about Mayan civilizations but all she does in Guatemala is follow mysterious native guides around and get caught in the rain, Mac and Liam fight constantly and it's meant to be slap-slap-kiss romance but it's mainly slapping, and even at the very end of the book he's still calling her a "termagant", allegedly with affection.
October 18, 2023
atrocious editing of the Kindle version
The story was ok, and might even have been good with a feisty heroine and a virile exciting hero, had it not been butchered by the worst editing it has been my misfortune to have ever seen!
There were spelling errors and wrong letters and names on every page, in fact several on each page. This accounts for my dismal one star rating. My sincere apologies to the author, as I think this is not entirely her fault.
Any future readers please avoid the Kindle edition.
The story was ok, and might even have been good with a feisty heroine and a virile exciting hero, had it not been butchered by the worst editing it has been my misfortune to have ever seen!
There were spelling errors and wrong letters and names on every page, in fact several on each page. This accounts for my dismal one star rating. My sincere apologies to the author, as I think this is not entirely her fault.
Any future readers please avoid the Kindle edition.
March 29, 2021
Plodding narratives; glib dialogue; I didn't even finish it, it was that bad.
April 21, 2022
Good
It was good but wish the end was longer but otherwise it was a good book it kept me wanting to read more
It was good but wish the end was longer but otherwise it was a good book it kept me wanting to read more
July 18, 2024
Good
Very good story but one of the worst examples of many typos. As someone else said there are many typos but you can make it through them to get the story.
Very good story but one of the worst examples of many typos. As someone else said there are many typos but you can make it through them to get the story.
October 21, 2010
MacKenzie Sinclair... works in a museum, cares for her ill uncle, reserved, tall, small breasted, feels unattractive... and promises her uncle that she will go on an adventure to the Mayan temple where her great, great, grandfather Perry Sinclair betrayed and may have killed his partner Liam O'Shea - and the family has had bad luck...
She goes to the temple, and follows a somewhat mysterious guide deeper into the jungle to a smaller tunnel... and with the pendant passed on by her uncle, and with the matching piece she finds inside the temple, she tumbles through time into Liam O'Shea's time - 1884...
and Liam is chauvinistic, demanding, attractive, unbelieving, crusader for chinese women smuggled into the us for sale, and angry at great great... Perry... He has a great deal of trouble with Mac's independence. He is a self made man, with a sister/mother betrayed by his father and a sister who died on the streets... he has it in his mind that he must marry Caroline, his ward who is about to turn 18... he does not love for her, but she encompasses gentle womanhood, and he wants to protect her... Perry has other plans, loving Caroline himself (and Caroline is mac's great, great, so she knows they belong to one another).
Perry left Liam in the jungle... and in Mac's history he died in the jungle... Mac saves his life, and they travel back to San Francisco to prevent Perry from influencing Caroline... Perry & Mac work together to get Liam to see how he truly feels towards Caroline, and towards Mac...
and ultimately, Liam comes to see Perry's love for Caroline... and follows Mac back to the temple to join her as she returns to her time... having set up a trust of his money to be claimed when they return... ahhhhhh...
She goes to the temple, and follows a somewhat mysterious guide deeper into the jungle to a smaller tunnel... and with the pendant passed on by her uncle, and with the matching piece she finds inside the temple, she tumbles through time into Liam O'Shea's time - 1884...
and Liam is chauvinistic, demanding, attractive, unbelieving, crusader for chinese women smuggled into the us for sale, and angry at great great... Perry... He has a great deal of trouble with Mac's independence. He is a self made man, with a sister/mother betrayed by his father and a sister who died on the streets... he has it in his mind that he must marry Caroline, his ward who is about to turn 18... he does not love for her, but she encompasses gentle womanhood, and he wants to protect her... Perry has other plans, loving Caroline himself (and Caroline is mac's great, great, so she knows they belong to one another).
Perry left Liam in the jungle... and in Mac's history he died in the jungle... Mac saves his life, and they travel back to San Francisco to prevent Perry from influencing Caroline... Perry & Mac work together to get Liam to see how he truly feels towards Caroline, and towards Mac...
and ultimately, Liam comes to see Perry's love for Caroline... and follows Mac back to the temple to join her as she returns to her time... having set up a trust of his money to be claimed when they return... ahhhhhh...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2011
MacKenzie Sinclair comes from a long line of adventurers, but as her grandfather imparts on his deathbed, there seems to be a curse on the family. Mac is given a Mayan talisman and sent to some ruins in Guatemala to see if she can try to atone for it. However, what she gets is sent back in time to fall in love with the man she's supposed to be atoning to. The Mayan talisman as means of time travel is as good a one as any I've seen in a Time Travel Romance, and more realistic than most. Mac's reactions at finding herself unexpectedly in the past, and the amount of time it takes our Hero to believe her are more realistic than many I've come across as well. The whole thing is just very believable, which is rare in this genre, so I give the author much credit for that. The suspenseful sub-plot was intriguing without overshadowing the romance and chemistry of the two main characters. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the Hero's complete unwillingness to believe in the competence of a female, even while being drawn to Mac's feisty independence. I'm aware that the guy's a product of his time period and don't fault him for coming into the encounter believing women are for looking pretty and having something to protect, but when faced with Mac's ability to take care of herself on multiple occasions, he still treats her as one of the empty-headed fluff balls he's used to. It's irritating.
Overall, though, the story kept me turning pages and for the most part was enjoyable.
Overall, though, the story kept me turning pages and for the most part was enjoyable.
April 24, 2015
Another great read. Can your family really be cursed or is it something else all together. Mackenzie needs to go take back a pendant that her great great grandfather took so that there can be piece as a man went missing never to be seen again. When Mac gets to the place she finds the missing man but he is still young what is going on. He went missing 1884 so how is this possible. Can Mac makes sense of this. I loved it
December 26, 2014
Twice The Hero was a good read. What's life without taking a few chances or having an adventure or two? Life has been unkind to one woman, but it's time for her to step out of her cocoon and spread her wings. Unfortunately her plans goes array with the discovery of bones. AS one would say, then fate steps in and the adventure begins.
Recommended read.
Recommended read.
June 27, 2010
If you're a great lover of amazing time-travel romance novels, I highly recommend this gem of a book. I picked it up for 50 cents at a used book store, and I force all my friends to read it. BEST. BOOK. EVER.
January 22, 2017
I absolutely loved this historical romance/time-travel book. It had wonderful characters. The plot had lots of twists and turns. I was actually disappointed when it ended. I would have liked an Epilogue. A great read!!!
November 24, 2007
Really liked all the twists and turns ., Read it in two days
March 15, 2010
I never felt a connection to any of the characters.
December 12, 2009
The best worst romance novel of all time. Hurray!
December 3, 2010
Fast paced, and time jumping. Much fun. Amused with the whole plot line.
February 28, 2016
I'm not giving anything away buy and read.
March 18, 2020
One of my all-time favorite time-travels.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews