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Winner of 7 awards including the prestigious Prism Award for Time TravelLondon, September 1888The threat of anarchy hovers in the air as a new kind of evil lurks in the back alleys of Whitechapel.Enter Time Rover Jacynda Lassiter whose job is to find an overdue ‘tourist’ and return him to 2057 before he changes history. But Victorian London is a dangerous place for the unwary. Mysterious shape-shifters haunt the streets, making friend and foe indistinguishable.When a fellow Time Rover is murdered, Jacynda’s mission becomes personal. Dare she trust the two gentlemen who come to her aid, or do they harbor their own dark secrets?In a few days, Jack the Ripper will add to his bloody legacy. But Jack isn’t the only threat in Whitechapel. Unless Jacynda can outwit a madman her Victorian sojourn will rewrite history—and end at the point of a blade.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2006

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About the author

Jana Oliver

47 books2,016 followers
Jana Oliver is an international and Amazon bestselling author who lives in Portugal.

Her novels have won numerous awards, including the Prism Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Supense as well as the National Readers' Choice Award.

Her books include The Demon Trappers Series and Briar Rose (Young Adult), time travel/historical mystery (The Time Rovers Series) and paranormal romance (Tangled Souls).

She is co-author of Socially Engaged: The Author's Guide to Social media, written with Tyra Burton.

She is happiest when she's researching urban legends, peering at old maps and adding to her growing collection of port and Portuguese wines.


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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for Allison.
567 reviews625 followers
March 10, 2017
Alternate Victorian historical mystery with time travel and shape shifters, and Jack the Ripper on top. This was exactly my cup of tea. It did start out feeling like a bit of a mish-mash at some points, but I ended up really enjoying it and the whole series. All of these elements came together better and better as the overall story developed, although it might not be apparent yet by the end of the first book.

In this book, there are three mysteries including the Ripper plot. The paranormal and science fiction elements add just a little more flavor to it as well. There's a tiny hint of possible romance to come, but nothing really developed. This is not a historical romance in disguise, for which I was thankful.

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot compared to many time travel novels I've read where the traveler just pops in and out of other times but the main story is in the present. This one really dwells in Victorian London with all its atmosphere and very real danger to a lone woman investigating murders on the streets of London, rousing the suspicion of the law while she's at it. Jacynda can't avoid getting embroiled in events and lives of the time. And she can't be sure if one of her new friends is the killer she's after.

I like how this doesn't avoid the question of how she inevitably changes history just by being there and interacting with people. And then there's the question of who is purposely messing with history from her own time. I also like that the future time period is not our present, but is far in our future as well. It made for two interesting settings, whenever we did see the future.

This was lots of fun - and I liked the sequels even better, as the time travel aspect gets more involved and the implications more complicated later on.
Profile Image for Sandy.
366 reviews41 followers
February 3, 2011
I’ve struggled to figure out how I should write this review because all I really want to say is that this book is great and that if you like time travel, Victorian London and well thought out characters then you’ll love Sojourn, but that’s not really a review is it?

Sojourn begins in Pompeii on, as Doctor Who calls it, Volcano Day. The top has blown, smoke is billowing, people are screaming and the lava is flowing, and flowing rather too quickly for Jacynda Lassiter’s taste because she isn’t running away in terror trying to escape the catastrophe she’s waiting impatiently for a “tourist” who’s excitedly trying to jot down as much of his observations as he can. Not caring that he’s soon about to become part of his observations. Luckily however after some coercing Jacynda does escape the lava with the tourist in tow and is back at her work place in the year 2057 where time traveling isn’t much of a phenomenon as it is a vacation option. Jacynda’s has had enough with time travel however, it may be fun for the tourist but the constant trips have side effects and she is in desperate need of some R&R among another thing that involves a bed. She doesn’t get that however because there is an overdue tourist in 1888 Victorian London and she’s been assigned to go retrieve him.

What I really loved about Sojourn was despite it being a sci-fi, time traveling story with high tech gadgets and styles a lot of it took place in the year 1888 during the time of the White Chapel murders or more commonly known as the time of Jack the Ripper. There was so much detail that it was obvious that Ms. Oliver had done her research and she did a great job of intertwining her story in such a real point in history that I had really felt like I had traveled back in time with Jacynda.

The story is filled with mystery as Jacynda desperately tries to locate the overdue tourist while battling through Victorian customs, time traveling induced hallucinations and a city cloaked in fear by the grisly murders of a serial killer, not to mention shape-shifters, did I mention the shape-shifters?

They were the most surprising thing in this story, a nice unique addition that made trusting people such a difficult task and kept me on my toes as I constantly wondered if one of the main characters was indeed Jack the Ripper. It was also nice to see that the future wasn’t the only part of the story that had the science fiction aspect and it was a great way to weave the past and future together.

If you are still hesitant on reading this story then don’t the characters are really worth haveing their story read.

4 stars

Would have been five but there were some slow parts in the beginning that had me putting the book down.
Profile Image for Kathy (Kindle-aholic).
1,088 reviews98 followers
February 14, 2012
[writing rough draft of rev, notes]

I'm giving this one a 3.5 . I had fun reading it. I've read the author's Demon Trapper's series (and loved it). This was written before (and I do think that writer's get better the more books they have under their belt).

The characters are well done, and I liked their interactions. Also, the heroine is strong, smart but not invincible. The mythology is a different twist too. All of these are things I'm starting to associate with Oliver's work.

Cynda is a Time Rover in our not too distant future. In the future, time travel is a tourist attraction. There's not a whole lot of time spent in her own era, but you definitely get the feeling that all is not sunshine and puupies. She gets sent to 1888, to find an overdue "traveler". She's is supposed to be there just before Jack the Ripper starts his killing spree, but finds out that she has been dropped into London at the same time as the killings. She meets a doctor who works with the poor in whitechapel who has his own secrets.

This is where the book went in an unexpected direction - and I really liked it. This isn't one of the "time traveler goes back in time to change the past" stories. And honestly, those make my head hurt. I'm happy to say that I could just sit back and enjoy the time differences in this one. I also really liked the hidden shapeshifter society - no not were-anythings. The shifters can change their appearance to look or sound like another person (which has implications of its own).

It was fast-paced (maybe a bit too fast in some places). There were times when I wondered how Cynda was really able to blend as well as she did, but again, the fast pace and next development drew me along so I didn't focus on it too much. I am not a history purist. I'm also not an expert on Victorian London. If you are, you will inevitably find plenty of nits. But then, I also doubt you'd be reading a time travel book in the first place. I thought there was enough detail that matched what I already know to set the stage well and keep me in the moment.

I thought it was a good start and I'll read the next one.

[I received a review copy.]
Profile Image for Rhonda.
Author 106 books243 followers
April 9, 2009
I really enjoyed this story -- time travel, talking spiders, shape shifters and Jack the Ripper. How can that not be cool?
651 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2022
Very well wrought tale of time travel. Jacynda Lassiter is a Time Rover working as escort and retriever of time tourists. This first book has her retrieving a person who's overstayed his time in Victorian England just before Jack the Ripper gets started. The another and another. The company she's working for is doing some illegal things and it appears some rovers are being abandoned. Good start to the series.
474 reviews18 followers
September 4, 2013
First, the good: Jacynda Lassiter proved a capable heroine in the end. I hesitate to employ the overused phrase "strong heroine," partly because that vague term "strong" could mean any number of things to any number of "people." "Capable" is a bit more clearly defined. And Jacynda certainly proved capable of taking care of herself at the climax and seeing to it that the bad guy got what was coming to him. I've seen one too many supposedly "strong" heroines turn into helpless damsels when capability matters most. That didn't happen here.

Yet even though the climax thrilled me, I can't forget that this book tried my patience a number of times. I was interested in Jacynda and her growth from observer to participant, but while she is ostensibly the protagonist, she's absent for a surprising number of pages. I caught myself wondering whether she was really the protagonist at all, and whether she mattered less for anything she had done or would do than for her effect on the Victorian gentlemen Keats and Alistair. Quite a bit of the book was devoted to a subplot in which Jacynda was scarcely involved at all!

The book also had Highlander Syndrome issues: "there can be only one" capable, powerful woman in the story, and Jacynda is that woman. We're told that Lady Sephora is "a remarkable woman" and "one of a kind," but she shows up in only four scenes. Her "remarkable" nature remains what TV Tropes would call an "Informed Ability," something we're told about rather than shown; we never see her in action. Otherwise the female cast of characters is populated by dying mothers and prostitutes waiting for the slaughter. Each time I read a book in which all the central heroine's important interactions are with men, I can't help feeling just a little disappointed. (Perhaps I should cut the novel some slack, however, seeing as this is the first book in a series, and at the end we see the promise of a friendship developing between Jacynda and Sephora in future books.)

But the true test of the quality of any first volume of a series is whether the reader wants to read further. I am interested in seeing what Jacynda does next. So I can say with confidence that, flaws and all, I did like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kasey Riley.
Author 18 books14 followers
February 8, 2022
Great start for a series…but not a cliffhanger

I found the timeline in the first couple of chapters confusing and came close to setting the book aside…I’m glad I didn’t. Once I understood it was part of the plot, it made perfect sense. The characters are well-imagined and wonderfully developed. I could envision the era with all its grit and grime through this story. Well done, well done indeed. I’ll be looking for more in this series…well worth the read.
Profile Image for Diana (DomesticGoddess).
1,457 reviews27 followers
February 26, 2022
4.5 stars.
Well, this was a nice surprise, and just what I needed - something a bit different. Excellent world building, character development and an interesting mystery to solve within a convincing historical context. After finishing this one, which has somewhat of an ending, but doesn’t conclude the story, I immediately bought book 2 (and paid full price, which I rarely do). I highly recommend if you like historical fiction, time travel, shape shifters, a strong heroine and a good detective story.

The time flow you just occupied is one of the most strained. Fortunately, that fragility diminishes as you reach the new century.”

“The physics are rather complex. For an analogy, consider time as individual threads woven into a piece of fabric. Some threads are weaker than others, due to wear or to an issue with the initial construction.”
Profile Image for A.J. Griffiths-Jones.
Author 33 books72 followers
August 11, 2022
Being a researcher of Victorian crime, the storyline was way out of my comfort zone. With Time Rovers, Transitives & a madman in the mix, I had no idea what to expect. As main character Cynda finds herself in the Whitechapel of 1888, expected to retrieve an ‘overstayer’, I began to warm to the plot & accurately portrayed setting, enjoying the quirky interaction between characters & the unusual spin that Oliver has put on a classic murder mystery. This is a deliciously different book. Imaginative, well-written & dark enough to hint at reality, I have found myself converted to a new genre & look forward to more of the author’s work.
Profile Image for Mike.
Author 46 books194 followers
February 1, 2022
While it has a degree of freshness, if this won seven awards I don't imagine the other candidates for those awards were up to much. It's above average, but it's not a long way above quite a low average, and there are enough issues that I can't in good conscience give four stars. It's a high three.

The two completely separate speculative elements (time travel and shapeshifting) are more plot devices than they are fully worked out setting elements, and there's a bit of a tonal clash between the high technology of one and the scientifically inexplicable, quasi-supernatural nature of the other (not that either one is really explained).

The editing errors (including a number of dangling modifiers and some missing words, plus a few vocabulary glitches) are not constant, but they are numerous - see my notes and highlights. They include the common errors of inserting a comma between non-coordinate adjectives and omitting a comma before or after a term of address. There's a scene in which the point of view jumps between two characters over the course of three sentences, which is generally considered a craft error. The author does get a point for (I'm reasonably sure) using the word "sojourn" correctly, to mean a period of time spent in a place, rather than a journey, as I often see it incorrectly used. However, there are a number of other homonym and vocabulary errors.

The 19th-century-London vibe feels just a little off; I'm fairly sure 19th-century British police didn't talk about someone "fitting the profile," for example, and that few people referred to them as "cops".

The characters are appealing enough, and have some depth, but could have more. There's a love triangle (or square, or something), because the heroine is one of those Everyone Wants Her heroines; to be fair, she is a capable character, though rather given to running around at night unarmed and unaccompanied in a bad part of Victorian London. This makes her previous survival as a Time Rover in various historical periods seem less plausible. The fact that everyone notices her makes her unlikely as an agent, too (real-life agents are mostly unremarkable), but that's a genre trope, so I'll give it a pass.

One of the characters is a shifter who refuses to shift, giving no reason much beyond that he doesn't want to, even though he knows it's dangerous for him not to (he eventually does when the situation gets dire enough). It felt like that was more of a plot device than anything, used to build tension, and I felt the same about the heroine's "time lag"; it was supposed to mean she had to stop time travelling, but after it was used for some initial tension-building it stopped being treated as a serious problem, so that the plot could continue to happen.

The future world she comes from is a lightly sketched, prefabricated cyberpunkish dystopia dominated by corrupt corporates, and neither the business model for time travel nor the way it's conducted (drop academics in the past to do research; send experts to retrieve them if they overstay) make a whole lot of sense. The worldbuilding in general is undercooked.

On the upside, it's a longish book, but I was entertained enough to keep reading to the end. There are plenty of worse books, but there are also a lot of better ones.
Profile Image for Karissa.
4,308 reviews214 followers
September 23, 2022
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Time Rovers series. I bought a copy of this as an ebook for my Kindle.

Thoughts: Previous to reading this book I had read Oliver's Demon Trappers series (loved it) and some of her other stand alone books (they were okay). I was excited to start this series and it was definitely worth the read. It's an intriguing story; engaging and very well written.

Jacynda is a Time Rover in 2057. She is involved in tracking down and bringing back time tourists who don't return at their expected time. When she goes back to Victorian London to retrieve a waylaid academic tourist, she is dangerously close to Jack the Ripper's time line. She ends up getting involved with a couple of locals and finds out that her retrieval is a lot more complicated than she thought it was going to be. To complicate the situation even more, back in 2057, things are going belly-up with the company she works for and she may struggle to find a way to get back to her time.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The world-building and plot here are really spectacular. There are so many things going on. I loved the world portrayed in 2057, it's futuristic but believably so. I also love the Victoria England period, so it was fun to spend time there as well. There are multiple plot threads here that were masterfully woven together. The main plot appears to Jacynda's retrieval of her wayward tourist. However, this plot starts to intertwine with what's happening with the time travel company in 2057 and with her discovery of a shapeshifting race that is around in Victorian London.

The characters were very well done too. I enjoyed Jacynda as she struggled to fit into 2057 and very much enjoyed the characters she meets there. Additionally, there are some wonderful characters introduced in 2057 as well. While this isn't a character driven story, I definitely enjoyed the characters here. There is a hint of romance throughout and some fantastic friendships that form along Jacynda's adventures.

Oliver's writing is wonderful and very well-rounded. The action scenes are great, the mystery is well done and there is excellent description. The story is effortless to read and flows nicely. I liked where the story ended and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this first installment in the Time Rovers series. This is an excellent story, with creative world-building and easy to engage with characters. It was a fun and entertaining read that I never struggled to stay engaged with. I am normally not a huge fan of time travel reads, but it really worked well for this book. I am incredibly eager to read the next book in this series!
Profile Image for Reixma.
116 reviews
June 28, 2020
4 *

This book was a book club read for May.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Jacynda, being a time-traveller filling a role similar to that of a travel guide today was very interesting. She's a strong, independent woman who knows how to handle herself, but does struggle with the idea that there are times she has to 'take the back seat' as it were.
The story focuses primarily in the year 1888 before the events of the murders in Whitehall at the hands of Jack The Ripper.
Unfortunately, due to the actions of a time-traveller who has gone astray, the recorded events of this time period are in danger of being altered if Jacynda had not intervened, but some tasks are not without their hazards or risks...

It is very clear that the author has done a lot of research in this subject and has mixed what history has recorded in with science fiction. The explanations of how time travel and the technology used works, and the policies are involved are clear and well written. It does seem that time travel could be a thing that could happen which is very tantalising, providing you are ok with the (quite literal) travel sickness! The ability to pay to go to a time or event to see what really happened is a very fascinating idea!

The behaviours, mannerisms and social etiquettes have been well researched and used in this story and really help to give life to the characters and their reactions to the various situations Jacynda and the other characters end up in.

I could see within the writing style, that this was written by an American by the way some things were described and the use of their words, notably the use of the word for backside which did catch me off guard to the point I had to look up what they meant to make sure it wasn't rude!

The one negative I have with this book is how it starts. It was too full of action and the use of the man characters full first name and nickname being used with no real explanation did confuse me for a bit. It almost felt like I'd missed something.

The book ended well, although with a sort of cliff-hanger, it did seem well finished while leading nicely into the next book which I appreciated.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read historical fiction with a twist.
Profile Image for Bethany.
866 reviews20 followers
July 6, 2018
A solid three stars.
This book was really smooth sailing until around the last third. Honestly it was very easy to put down, but at least it wasn't a chore to pick up either. And I'm sure I've read this book before some years back but I really didn't recall a lot of what happened. Since I didn't remember practically any of the details, I'm not sure how this book will hold up in the test of time. I liked it, but I wasn't blown away by it.
Still it's a good time travel story, and all the pieces came together nicely in the end, with just enough mystery to make you want to read the next book in the trilogy. Although I still hate love triangles. Really hate them. Seriously though I really really hate love triangles. And I would have dropped the book a star just for that but the romantic entanglements were minimal and the plot focused mainly on the time traveling and the missing tourists.
Overall not a great book but not a terrible book. Like I said it was mostly smooth sailing. Not a lot of emotional investment until the end, but it wasn't a terrible ride getting there.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow
Profile Image for Sonya.
116 reviews
February 2, 2022
Although I enjoyed this book there were definitely quite a few things that I found issue with.

It somewhat felt like this was two separate books. The shape shifter aspect and the time travel I feel were playing against each other and were not woven together enough to make a cohesive story. It kind of felt like the shape shifter stuff was just thrown in to give it a more fantasy vibe, which I don’t think was necessary.

The other thing I had trouble with was the time travel in general. Now I’m crazy about time travel, so I tend to be a stickler about the logistics of it, but there were so many things that I just kept saying “but you can travel through time! Just go back and fix it!” Such as Chris’ death. There was an off handed comment about why they couldn’t just go back to before he was murdered and bring him back to 2057, but to me it wasn’t enough. It felt like the author was just trying to dismiss an easy fix. The same thing with our rouge tourists. Couldn’t they just travel back to before they went missing and grab them? It just seemed most of the problems that were set up throughout the book would have been easily fixed with the time travel aspect, therefore making most of the plot kind of superfluous.

That being said, I did enjoy the book and I am interested in reading the rest of the series. I thought the use of language in the 1888 sections was wonderful and really made you feel like you were in that time period. I did wish there was a dramatic change in the language when you went back to 2057 though. I feel that would have set the tone for the two separate time periods even more.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, especially set in victorian times, as well as anyone who loves historical mystery novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Scot.
956 reviews35 followers
February 3, 2022
I give this author credit for attempting to mix together three seemingly disparate story lines. A valiant Time Rover from 2057 named Jacynda Lassiter retrieves time tourists who overstay their allotted tours to different times in the past, but the corporation she works for is cutting quality, safeguards, and staff. She visits the London of Jack the Ripper and while there becomes the romantic crush of both a do-gooder physician, working among the impoverished, and a clever detective. These two men have something else in common, the third component element of the plot: they are part of a secret group of shapeshifters who live among us, govern and police themselves for appropriate behavior, and have the ability to change whom they appear to be with undiscerning Transients, which is what they call their equivalent of Muggles.

I like the historical accuracy of the 1888 London setting very much, and some of the futuristic time corporation struggles certainly resonate with life now. Two weaknesses for me were some logical inconsistencies dealt with too simply with the time travel impact (perhaps all my time spent with the Flash and the Legends of Tomorrow in the Arrowverse has spoiled me here for expecting thought through grounding in this regard) and the same for how shape shifters keep themselves secret.

Also, after more than 400 pages in a novel I want more closure at the end, not just a basic stop mid flow with directions to pick up in volume two. I feel the same way about the final show of the season for an episodic series. There should be a pause, a chance to catch one's breath, an interlude.
Profile Image for Cassandra Stirling.
Author 7 books16 followers
March 31, 2022
T;LDR: Time travel, Jack the Ripper, Shapeshifters (Transitives), and a slow-burn romance mash up in Victorian England for an engaging read in Jana Oliver’s Sojourn.

Jacynda Lassiter is a Time Traveler from 2057, or rather, a time traveling tourist wrangler. She is sent to Victorian England in the days right before Jack the Ripper begins his killing spree to track down a late tourist. What she finds is so much more than she bargained for.

I really liked this book. The plot was interesting, there were multiple plot threads and layers, and the characters felt realistic not only to the time period from which they came, but also to the story itself. For that, I give it 4 stars.

What I liked & liked less
I liked this book quite a lot, even though I found the beginning chapters confusing. There are multiple POVs in this book, some in 2057 and some in 1888. Before you quite understand what’s happening, we’re switching back to another POV in a different space and time.

This book is a mashup of fantasy and science fiction, which caused some of my confusion as well. One chapter we’re talking futuristic gadgets and the next some as not yet defined ‘Transitive’ thing. Once I got going, though, I got into the hang of things fairly easily.

The world building is well done and there are enough references in both settings to show the history and culture were well-thought out by the author. The author smudged some of the conversation in the Victorian age, so if you’re a stickler for that, you may not find it as entertaining as I did.

The characters, of which there are many, are interesting and each one has enough of a buildup for you to care what they are doing and what happens to them. I will say Jacynda’s friend, Ralph, from 2057 seemed to be repetitive in what he thought about and what his scenes covered, which was tedious but not book breaking.

Jacynda is intelligent, determined, and clearly on a mission. She also has no real reason to remain in 2057, which makes it easy for her to do the job she does. She has a good sense of humor and takes her reaction - a talking spider - to too much time traveling in stride.
The do-gooder-doctor is not too good; he has flaws and an interesting backstory. The reason he chooses not to shift shapes is thin, though. I would’ve wanted a bit more backstory there to explain his rebellion against the Conclave (Transitive powers that be). There are some shared later in the book, but again, they are a bit weak.

The clever detective is, to me, the far more interesting man. He’s clever, funny, and can easily blend in to a crowd given his shapeshifting abilities. The author also set up an interesting conflict between the two friends that has some consequences at the end of the book.

The love story/romance was alright. I could see it coming like a steam train pulling into a station and both men’s fascination with her could be put down to how very different she was to the women of their time. So while she’s the ‘love interest’ in the triangle, it’s not only because she’s good looking. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite part, especially as I see shades of the main love interest being too enamored with her and turning into the ‘I can’t live without her’ trope I can’t stand that is prevalent in romance these days.

But, it didn’t quite go there.

The villain I didn’t see coming, although I pegged who it was fairly early on. The reason for why was harder to come by, which was a nice twist, but it ties neatly into the time and place the story is set.

I did not like that deus ex machina of saving her at just the right moment - it felt very convenient for someone who has been having a hard time hearing from her superiors, but eh, it’s not a book killer either.

The story set up the next book in the trilogy and also gave Jacynda a reason to stay in London in a realistic way. And to be honest, I’m interested to see where the characters go next.

To Sum Up (Too Late!)
If you liked the Superpowered books by Drew Hayes, or like an interesting potentially morally gray superhero with a necromancy power set, you’d like this book. The writing had humor, some twists, enough emotional depth to keep me hooked, and sent the hero on a fun, if predictable, journey. Does it An interesting world, dangling threads that didn’t get completely tied off, and a slow burn romance created a fun first novel in Jana Oliver’s Sojourn. I didn’t give it 5 stars because of some issues I found that could have been done better. Overall, though, I liked it enough to be interested in other books written by the author. For this and more, I gave it 4 stars.
Profile Image for Jane Balke Andersen .
468 reviews16 followers
January 28, 2022
I took a chance on this book because I knew nothing about really except time travel…and it was a free ebook.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it an enjoyable read.

Firstly we have time travel, with the book set in 2057 but most of it taking place in the past, the Victorian era - an absolute favourite of mine.

We have a few mysteries to solve, paranormal beings and Jack the Ripper. The characters are well developed, there’s enough flavour of the historical era without being bogged down, plus adventure, danger, a social conscience and just a touch of romance.

I appreciated the way the novel developed and I can imagine that the series could further the complexity and interest it displays here.

Definitely a book for fantasy readers who like history, time travel, and a bit of mystery. Do not expect lots of overly sentimental romance getting in the way of a good story. Its not that kind of time travel.

I will be looking for the next in the series.

Profile Image for Book Monitor.
871 reviews14 followers
January 31, 2022
Cynda is a Time Rover, who works for a Time Travel company as a sort of tourist guide. She is sent to 1888 to collect an overstaying tourist and all sorts of adventures and mishaps occur. There she discovers there are shifters, a mad man and of course Jack the Ripper. Meanwhile things are not going well back in 2057.
I enjoyed this story although it is not as good as other time travel stories (Chronicle of St Mary's for instance), it did have a good story and a lot of action and intrigue. It is at times a bit too implausible and it doesn't really finish, as it leaves everything open for the next in the series which annoys me- why not just put it all in one bigger book and get the whole story out there.
The main characters are all quite appealing and I like the Transitives in the mix, giving a different spin on things.
For me a 3.5 star read. but I will look out for the next in the series.
Profile Image for Joanne.
873 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2023
In the future, time travel becomes a destination for the well-heeled and for researchers wanting to do the ultimate in primary documentation. Companies providing this service employ guides who sometimes have to rescue or remove travelers who overstay their return dates. In this first of a series, the heroine goes deep within Victorian England in the time of Jack the Ripper and must find a missing historian and avoid a killer and face dangers she hadn't anticipated. A well-done and original rendition of the time travel trope. There were slow periods as this is the first of a series and a lot of groundwork and backstories needed to be laid. The narrative speeds up to an exciting end that leaves you wanting more books.
Profile Image for Lori.
118 reviews4 followers
February 10, 2022
Jacynda is a time rover from 2057, her missions are to bring back "tourists" that have stayed longer than their date of return. Her latest mission is to go back to 1888 Whitechapel to aid another rover and bring back a tardy tourist.
Well, the story may sound completely ridiculous but let me tell you this was a totally enjoyable read. Jana Oliver makes you feel like you are walking the dark streets of Whitechapel while Jack the Ripper is adding to his tally of unfortunate victims. Add to that a group of Victorian era shape-shifters, a talking blue spider, and well, you are all set for a very fun story!
Time to get the sequel!
Profile Image for Geraldine M.
254 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2022
Excellent read

Time traveling back to Victorian England and Jack the Ripper. Our heroine is a time traveler known as a Time River and works for a large corporation which sends people to certain eras--for a price. One tourist at a time. But something goes wrong and it is up to her to find the culprit and send them back. The book is quite the read. It is entertaining, scary at times, funny and a little romance thrown in. If you're looking for something different, you're be found it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Arie Lea.
39 reviews
August 24, 2022
This book was unexpectedly great. I truly believed it would be the typical time travel, “change the past” type of book. But it def proved me wrong.
The character development, and getting to know their past throughout the book was tastefully done, it never felt like filler moments.
However, this could just be me? but some moments regarding 2057, and the tech talk had me a bit confused. So I had to read it over once or twice.
Other than that, the relationships built, the bickering (gotta love Alastair and Keats for it), and the twists and turns were satisfying.
26 reviews
February 4, 2022
Excellent. A great page turner with numerous twist.

Combine time travel, shape shifters, Victorian London and a great murder mystery and you get Sojourn. In 2057, time travel has become a “tourism” and Miss Lassiter is an excellent tour guide and escort to the past. On her latest assignment, things go terribly wrong and she is faced with recalcitrant clients and a serial killer. I am looking forward to book 2
52 reviews
January 28, 2022
Ultimate "what if"

This was a roller coaster of a fantasy, containing drama, suspense, and a little romance.
How would you react if faced with a traveler from the future? Would you embrace the possibility?

This well crafted book will keep you up late into the night - who can sleep when he needs to know just what will happen next.
Profile Image for Archee Waters.
65 reviews1 follower
November 11, 2025
i wish i could give this book 6 stars

this isn't just an excellent time travel book, it's also a theory on jack the ripper. the 2 concepts are cleverly interwoven. lots of action and intricate plot line with the added benefit of a side story - shape shifters! it was a feast for thought. very pleased to have found this series.
Profile Image for Elaine.
394 reviews5 followers
November 18, 2025
I really liked this book. It is a unique blend of sci-fi/fantasy and historical fiction. Jacynda is a time Rover who travels from the year 2057 to London 1888, just days before Jack the Ripper begins his killing spree. I found this story to be well written and fun to read and I look forward to reading book 2 and book 3. I would recommend this book to others.
12 reviews
November 21, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Very well written and it has a wonderful storyline. I have always enjoyed time travel books, and this one has earned its place as one of the top ones that I’ve enjoyed. The other thing I enjoyed about this book is that it was clean, with no foul language or sexual innuendos
Profile Image for Rosemary Gillanders.
100 reviews
September 19, 2019
Good book with original twist....

Was pleasantly surprised that this was an Time travel story with an additional twist. I found this book extremely enjoyable and look forward to the other two in the series.
Profile Image for Marijana Stevanovic.
4 reviews
January 27, 2022
Amazing, 5 stars

I rarely do a review of a book but this is truly amazing one. Great storyline, good word building, fine sense of humour... I've never read anything from this author but will certainly continue with this triology.
14 reviews
April 15, 2022
wonderful

I have always marveled at the story of The Ripper. Placing the multiple twists around the story create more intrigue and interest. I will start the next book immediately. Wonderfully written, brilliant pacing and great depth of character development.
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