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TEMPEST IN TIME

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A #1 Bestselling Time Travel Romance at Amazon and Kindle!TWO BRIDES SWITCH PLACES IN TIME!MISMATCHED BRIDESIn modern Memphis, Tennessee, beautiful, headstrong Missy Monroe has found the perfect fiancé, gorgeous and genteel Jeff Dalton, a man she can control in every way… and who bores her to tears. Meanwhile back in antebellum Memphis, Missy’s distant cousin, shy, demure Melissa Montgomery, has been promised from birth to virile, arrogant Fabian Fontenot, a man whose fierce sensuality scares the starch out of her crinoline. Missy and Melissa plan their weddings in the same house, on the same day, only 140 years apart.TUMBLE IN TIMEWho would think that a misstep on the stairs could lead to such a crazy tempest in time? One minute the brides are descending the stairs to wed their fiancés; the next, they are switching places in time. Suddenly Missy finds herself stuck in a provincial outpost of the antebellum South, as the presumed fiancée of the most insufferable, sinfully handsome man in all of history. And Melissa finds herself thrust into an amazing, bewildering new world… where she is only too happy to exchange her beast of a fiancé for the gallant soulmate who has now replaced him. Will these two switched, mismatched brides find happiness with their destined grooms? Or will the fickle hand of Fate wreak havoc with them once again? Tempest in Time is an all-time “keeper” in the time-travel romance genre, a full-length, hilarious, sexy romp through the past and present that gives new meaning to the phrase, “The first step is a doozy!”Eugenia Riley is the award-winning, bestselling author of dozens of historical, contemporary and time-travel romances, including A TRYST IN TIME, TEMPEST IN TIME, TIMESWEPT BRIDE and EMBERS OF TIME. She has written for publishers including Avon, Bantam, Warner, Harlequin and Dorchester. Ms. Riley's WALTZ IN TIME won her the 1998 HOLT Medallion for Best Book with a Southern Theme. She has numerous romances available in Kindle.EDITORIAL "Eugenia Riley spins a brilliantly woven web, ensnaring readers with her ingenious plot twists, endearing characters and an unforgettable love story. Hurrah for the talented Ms. Riley!" --Romantic Times"Captivating, uniquely written time-travel that will keep you turning the pages. Superb!!!" –RendezvousFive Stars! --Heartland CritiquesNominated as Best Time Travel by Affaire de Coeur and The Talisman!

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

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About the author

Eugenia Riley

78 books100 followers

Eugenia Riley is the award-winning, bestselling author of dozens of historical, contemporary and time-travel romances, including A TRYST IN TIME, TEMPEST IN TIME, and TIMESWEPT BRIDE. She is a #1 Bestselling Author of Time Travel Romance at Amazon and Kindle. She has written for publishers including Avon, Bantam, Warner, Harlequin and Dorchester.

Eugenia is delighted to announce the launching of Eugenia Riley Classics, a new imprint featuring all of your favorite Eugenia Riley historical, contemporary, and time-travel romances, finally available again in Kindle, NOOK, Kobo and at iBooks! Eugenia's currently available e-book list includes: WANTED ACROSS TIME; BUSHWHACKED BRIDE; BUSHWHACKED GROOM; PHANTOM IN TIME; EMBERS OF TIME; A CHRISTMAS IN TIME; LOVERS AND OTHER LUNATICS; TIMESWEPT BRIDE; TIMESWEPT BABY; THE PHANTOM OF THE BATHTUB ; TEMPEST IN TIME; and TWO HEARTS IN TIME.

Eugenia's latest release, WANTED ACROSS TIME, is an April 2013 release in Kindle, NOOK, Kobo, and at iBooks. WANTED ACROSS TIME is a wild and sexy romp back in time to the Wild West, in the tradition of BUSHWHACKED BRIDE and BUSHWHACKED GROOM.

Eugenia is especially acclaimed for her nine time travel romance novels. Her first two, A TRYST IN TIME and TEMPEST IN TIME, were Waldenbooks romance bestsellers in mass-market paperback; both titles sold out of print three times. Three of her time-travels placed on the Ingram's romance list; and EMBERS OF TIME was a top ten bestseller in time-travel at Borders. Eight of Eugenia's time-travels have earned 5 star ratings or better at Heartland Critiques, and all have won numerous high ratings and rave reviews in publications such as Romantic Times, Rendezvous, and The Literary Times. Reviewer Harriet Klausner calls Eugenia "the empress of time-travel romance." She has received thousands of fan letters on her novels, from locations all over the world.

Eugenia is the winner of the HOLT Medallion for WALTZ IN TIME. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, a former English teacher and editor of TOUCHSTONE Literary Quarterly. She lives in Texas with her husband; they have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.

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5 stars
212 (38%)
4 stars
176 (31%)
3 stars
94 (16%)
2 stars
48 (8%)
1 star
26 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Bex (Beckie Bookworm).
2,493 reviews1,593 followers
April 6, 2022



This is an old favourite of mine a time switch romance when two distantly related cousins switch places on their wedding day. Missy is transported 140 years into the past Memphis 1852 and Mellisa to the present 1992. Both girls are complete opposites in temperament missy is a self-centred opinionated harridan and Melissa is a meek mild-mannered lady. Both marriages are more business merges than love matches and neither fiancé is excited to marry their bride. Until that is Jeff meets Mellisa and is instantly taken with her new and improved manner and back in the past Fabian finds he adores and is captivated by this new spitfire version of his fiancé. Then there are the parents who also prefer these versions of their new and improved daughters.

This then is told in an alternate fashion switching equally between each couple. I’ve got to admit though I definitely preferred reading about Fabian and Missy over Jeff and Mellisa as I found the latter couple a bit boring and tedious and definitely over the top.

This book is definitely a product of its time and I remember when I initially read this how taken I was with it. It hasn’t really weathered the test of time and though I still enjoyed it, it certainly didn’t live up to my previous lofty heights.

I also found Missy a lot abrasive and actually quite outrageous and rude she wasn’t always very nice but she was entertaining that’s for sure. Fabian, I actually adored he was my favourite character overall. Mellisa was a bit of a wet blanket and Jeff was so totally forgettable. So despite my average rating, I found reading this again quite nostalgic I just also believe my standards have risen since then this one is actually very typical of many 90’s romances.

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Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
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Profile Image for Dani .
1,073 reviews15 followers
September 4, 2019
I liked the concept and being able to see what was happening to each girl equally. However, the dialogue was SO awkward, especially in regards to how much better everyone liked each girl after the fall. How rude to tell someone you like her better after she’s bumped her head, especially only hours after it happened! You may think it, but you don’t say it.

Of the two cousins, I like Melissa better. Missy just screeched her way through everything and didn’t stop to think of the time period she was in. I know she was supposed to be the self-centered one, but she didn’t even give enough thought to her own preservation and how her outbursts could get her into trouble.

Even though I like Melissa better, the love story between her and Jeff was flat. Missy and Fabian had a fiery start and I could see on the page the evolution of their relationship. I’m willing to check out another one of this author’s books to see if I can get more of that.
Profile Image for Robyn.
38 reviews
June 7, 2018
This book was: v. boring; badly written; had cartoonishly drawn characters; and was rife with the kind of banal racism that inevitably follows from a white author who doesn't know anything about American history diving headfirst into a plantation setting and focusing entirely on white characters and white problems. One star is (at least) one too many.
Profile Image for Janice .
691 reviews8 followers
July 11, 2013
A good book & you can see how the two cousins fit in or not in their different time when they get switched
I have read this book & am at present re-reading it
I do enjoy Eugenia Riley's books
Profile Image for Slytherin Rose.
158 reviews12 followers
December 15, 2014
Genre: Romance/Time Travel
Author: Eugenia Riley
Book: Tempest in Time
My Star Rating: 3 out of 5
Will I read I read it again? yes
Intro: MISMATCHED BRIDES

In modern Memphis, Tennessee, beautiful, headstrong Missy Monroe has found the perfect fiancé, gorgeous and genteel Jeff Dalton, a man she can control in every way… and who bores her to tears.

Meanwhile back in antebellum Memphis, Missy’s distant cousin, shy, demure Melissa Montgomery, has been promised from birth to virile, arrogant Fabian Fontenot, a man whose fierce sensuality scares the starch out of her crinoline.

Missy and Melissa plan their weddings in the same house, on the same day, only 140 years apart.

TUMBLE IN TIME

who would think that a misstep on the stairs could lead to such a crazy tempest in time? One minute the brides are descending the stairs to wed their fiancés; the next, they are switching places in time.

Suddenly Missy finds herself stuck in a provincial outpost of the antebellum South, as the presumed fiancée of the most insufferable, sinfully handsome man in all of history. And Melissa finds herself thrust into an amazing, bewildering new world… where she is only too happy to exchange her beast of a fiancé for the gallant soulmate who has now replaced him.

Will these two switched, mismatched brides find happiness with their destined grooms? Or will the fickle hand of Fate wreak havoc with them once again?

I did like this book. What I didn’t like was Missy. She was a spoiled brat and I really just couldn’t get into her character that much. I was happy that they did find a happy ending.
What I found really sad was that the families and fiancés were glad for the change in them. The mothers were glad that they liked the new version of themselves and didn’t like the old version. I kind of disliked that part of this book.

I was given this book to read and give an honest review. This review is my honest opinion and I have fully read this book.
Profile Image for Christine Mcdanal.
10 reviews3 followers
July 17, 2018
Couldn't finish it

Rarely do I fail to finish a book, no matter how bad, but this is one of those times. One if the main characters has no redeeming qualities at all, so for her love interest and presumed friends to keep making allowances for her seemingly odd behavior is ridiculous. The other main character alternates between intelligence in figuring our her predicament and outrageous stupidity in acting a buffoon over modern technology. Her repeated statements about losing years, when confronted by lacking knowledge of 140 years of development is an excuse that should be intolerable to those around her, yet they continue to shrug it off. The author would have been better off with a laundry list of all the ways things are different now than in the 19th century rather than trying to attach the list to a plot.
Profile Image for Sarah.
555 reviews4 followers
March 5, 2014
I both liked and disliked this book if possible. I enjoyed the whole concept and I loved reading from both Missy and Melissa's POV's, but the one think that stops this book from being a five is that once Missy end's up back in time I have no Idea what she is saying half the time. The Author has her saying just the weirdest things and Some of the phrases I get but others I've never heard in my life and I'm not sure that they aren't made up. Both leading men in this book were pretty awesome. It was wonderful that both girls end up somewhere that they belonged though also sad that no one missed them, not sure if that's a good thing or not. Any who I ended this book with a smile so 4 stars over all.
Profile Image for Helm Ehmy Ilarde.
31 reviews
February 20, 2013
Honestly, I had very high expectations that suddenly plunged down upon reading this book. Though at first everything is funny but when it came to the relationship between Melissa and Jeff I felt so--blah!

The story could have been weaved better, I think. Reading Eugenia Riley's other works at least tell me that. All in all, I give this work 3 stars at most for its hilarious beginning.
395 reviews12 followers
May 13, 2017
I liked Missy and Fabian much more than Melissa and Jeff, who were so boring. Melissa was too perfect and did absolutely no wrong. Jeff didn't strike me as a realistic twentieth century man and looked down upon anyone who wasn't flawless. I'm thinking the Amazon reviewers who read this book grew up on 80's Harlequin books where heroines are perfect, sweet, and innocent, Barbie doormats who don't speak up for themselves and let people walk all over them. Missy is not a bad person, she's the average girl you see in today's world. We've come so far in the U.S. where women don't have to keep their mouth shut, they can do anything a man can do if they choose, and no one will protest. What about Missy, makes her a annoying or a bad person, just because she speaks her mind and goes after what she wants?

The way the switch affected their family, friends, and intended husbands was what bothered me the most. Jeff and Fabian, I can understand their elation at this new woman who captivated them compared to the woman they felt obligated to marry. But to see how overjoyed their own parents were with the change in their daughters and unbothered by the strange thoughts that they didn't miss the way their daughter used to be. How easily these girls didn't miss their real parents at all because they had their ideal parents and someone who understood them was completely unrealistic. It doesn't matter if they got along better, parents know their children and wouldn't just accept that they pulled a complete personality change over a fall. Children love their parents as long as they raised them with love in the house which these two girls definitely had. They didn't have amazing relationships with their parents but they certainly had good relationships with them as shown in the beginning. They may have had their flaws in their parent's eyes but it doesn't mean that given the chance, a parent would choose to replace their child with an ideal one of their choosing. As a parent, you love your child no matter what. As a child, you love your parent no matter what. I don't like how the author chose to convey that Missy and Melissa were much better off switching places by doing that.

I also didn't like how Missy was made out to be this difficult, selfish, and ungrateful, spoiled brat that no one liked. She was a typical twenty-five year old woman brought up with money and there's nothing wrong with that. She may have been a bit blunt at times but that didn't make her a bad person. She was bossy but hello, she was the boss at the plant, if she's not firm, people will think they can walk all over her. She was pushy with Jeff but she was making an effort to have some sort of relationship with him considering they were going to be married and he was pretty much a robot, he didn't show any interest in her to make the best of their situation. He acted like he was the only one who didn't this. She didn't want it either, but she was making the best of it. Missy worked her butt off to make her fathers business thrive, she was honorable in entering a business marriage she didn't want but wasn't going to punish her partner either, she was outspoken and unafraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was amazing and why her own family and Jeff couldn't see that, I don't know. I have a hard time believing that Missy turned out to be this bratty child if her parents are nothing like that. Most kids take after their parents' good influence and they were described as conservative, she didn't take advantage of having money, considering she ran the plan so I don't see where the argument came into play that her good-natured parents spoiled her and she turned out so selfish that no one missed the old her. Not to mention the cruel statement made by people that were supposed to care about her that if Missy was stuck in the past, she did something to deserve it. Wtf???

I enjoyed Missy and Fabian's story much more. They were much more entertaining and real. Their bickering was amusing to see them both try to gain the upper hand. They fought but it made them stronger as a couple in the end. They had to learn to compromise and accept that they couldn't change everything about each other and that that was ok. They didn't have an automatic fairytale, they worked for their happy ending. Melissa and Jeff were a bore. They were the perfect couple, they didn't fight at all, he automatically believed her story, she was the cure to his six year depression, she was a Saint who volunteered everywhere, she could do no wrong in anyone's eyes, he was a perfect gentleman, he always knew exactly how she felt...their story just felt so fake and Disney princess.

Their love story had no depth, nothing to base it on, besides she was his ideal prim and proper lady and he didn't scare her by being too forward in his advances. They were automatically together from almost the entire time Melissa went to the future and shown to have this amazing love that was being threatened by Missy, the villain in Jeff's eyes, as if she had no right to live her life in the time she was born in if she wanted it. Melissa and Jeff aren't characters that I'd ever be interested in reading about, Missy and Fabian however, have amazing chemistry but to have to read about their counterparts all over again, I'll pass. Once is more than enough for me, to see the perfect couple shaming two people for not being perfect but rather human. I can't stomach reading this again.
Profile Image for Debbie Borthwick.
451 reviews6 followers
June 2, 2018
I liked the story-line, but I had a very hard time with Missy, she is a bully and abusive. I've never heard anyone berate people the way she does. I understand the author was trying to show how she grows & changes, but I think it could have been done without her being obnoxious every time she opens her mouth. It was difficult for me to read the book but I wanted to see how the story ended.
451 reviews4 followers
May 31, 2014
Tempest in Time is a book you won't want to put down. It takes place in the 1990's and in the 1840's.
966 reviews4 followers
July 17, 2018
I didn't like this book. I couldn't even finish it.
44 reviews
July 1, 2021
Learning to love your ones true lives...

It seems that love and marriage in any time are not as unfamiliar that you would think. Generations are living their lives with many things that aren't as different. This story was an amazing embrace of the civil war and the 20th century. The sex was great and that both groups learned some retrained attitudes in becoming trust ing with their lives. I truly enjoy this author and have many of her books. Trust me you will enjoy reading more and more and more ......Thank you for hours of delight in every novel.mjm
Profile Image for Daenerys Targaryen.
916 reviews4 followers
January 19, 2022
It had the potential for a great storyline but a few things here and there caused me to rethink this. May be it is my 21st century sensibilities but I didn't like the fact that Missy an opinionated and strong 21st century women saw a slave trading house in the past and didn't have anything to say or think about it. I generally liked the banter of Missy but this one fact kind of put a dampener on my enjoyment of this book.
Profile Image for LaGina.
2,051 reviews41 followers
May 30, 2017
I havent read a time switch in a while so I found this very enjoyable and a great way to take a break from what I normally read. If you like time travel then I am sure this will be one that you can get into.
The only draw back was that Missy was a little whiny for me but it didnt stop me from finishing the book.
734 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2018
I love time travel and Eugenia Riley has once again woven a wonderful exciting story about traveling in time.
Missy and Melissa have everything. Both are rich, pampered women who are marrying men their parents are totally excited about their daughters marrying.
Neither one really loves or is terribly happy with the arrangements.
Don't miss this story!
Profile Image for Auj.
1,663 reviews117 followers
April 27, 2019
It was a really cute, unique time travel romance. I liked Missy a lot more than Melissa. Even though Melissa was angelic, she was kind of boring. Missy was super high-spirited, but could be mean at times. Omg she called everyone names. Also I loved the Fabian-Missy romance, and would have originally liked the book better if it had just focused on Missy's story.
47 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2019
Amazing! Could not put it down!

I absolutely loved the book. The parallel story lines, 1852 and 1992, were great. I loved the suspense and character interaction. After
the midway point I literally could not put it down. If you enjoy time travel, this is an amazing book. I will be reading more Eugenia Riley very soon!
7 reviews2 followers
January 28, 2021
Couldn't stop reading

I love time travel romances. This one rates at the top of my list. The duel story lines were beautifully written. I think I only stopped reading to sleep and take a shower. I loved the story and how it was presented. Everyone who enjoys time travel romances will enjoy this book.
1,097 reviews2 followers
March 24, 2017
I will admit that time travel stories are one of my favorite types of books. Loved this book. This one had more things going on than some of the others I have read. As you can see from the cover that two brides time travel. Just imagine the problems the two brides have when everybody doesn’t know that they switched places. You may need tissues for this one. I sure did.
Profile Image for Shelley.
391 reviews37 followers
December 6, 2018
This was the first romance novel I read when I was around 13. It started a long love affair with this fantastic genre. I will have to read it again as an adult and see how differently I feel. It will always have a special place in my heart and thinking about it brings back a lot of memories.
Profile Image for EvilAntie Jan.
1,584 reviews13 followers
January 11, 2019
In and Out of Time

Wonderful plot and characters await anyone who reads this novel. Talk about opposites attracting , this is a classic with 140 years separating them. Another amazing read.
140 reviews
August 28, 2023
I loved it!

I love time travel and I loved the the way the author blended the two stories together. I would have loved to read an extended epilogue on this story to see how they fared. I highly recommend this author and this book.
Profile Image for Tracy T..
1,023 reviews24 followers
October 26, 2016
I really enjoyed this time travel novel. I like the back and forth between centuries. There was a lot of dialogue between all the characters. The passion and sex scenes were nice and Steamy.
Profile Image for Bowags12.
654 reviews50 followers
June 7, 2018
What a fun read

I usually stay away from these books but the story revolved around 2 different woman and how they changed and those around them.
Profile Image for kelly newland.
2 reviews
September 6, 2018
Wonderful

I am rarely disappointed in any of the books written by Eugenia Riley. And this is is one of those times I am not . It was a wonderful read as usual. Thanks
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