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Riley's Journey #1

Riley's Journey

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The research project was only supposed to be for an extended period. No one said anything about forever!

So Riley's journey begins. Unknowingly sent back 40,000 years to be the mate of a man she had never before met, Riley struggles to understand and adjust. Her journey will take her into a world fraught with dangers - a world made more treacherous by savage beasts, primitive Neanderthals, and the incursion of the aggressive Cro-Magnon man.

Surviving alone for five years in this vast wilderness, Nathan, along with his enormous dog, Demon, carve out a life in the perilous environment. Though thrown together by forces beyond their control, love grows between Riley and Nathan - but will they survive?

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 20, 2007

63 people are currently reading
152 people want to read

About the author

P.L. Parker

23 books183 followers
I write stories with alpha males and strong, determined women.

I am a dreamer, an avid reader of fiction, a sometimes gardener and an inept crafter. I live in Idaho. I have three sons, a daughter-in-law, a granddaughter, little grandson and a new great-granddaughter. Over the years, I taught dance but as time passed, I decided to try my hand at a new endeavor - writing. I enjoy life and all its promises.

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5 stars
204 (45%)
4 stars
133 (29%)
3 stars
69 (15%)
2 stars
25 (5%)
1 star
15 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Laz the Sailor.
1,799 reviews80 followers
September 7, 2021
DNF at 50%.

This is often an intriguing concept, but unfortunately I did not enjoy the style or characters. Riley is an educated scientist who is naïve to the point of TSTL - and back in the Ice Age, that will get you killed. She does the same stupid thing over and over. The H isn't much better. The bad guys are stereotypical to the point of humor.

Add in the poorly managed head-hopping and dragged out "romance", I just stopped caring.
Profile Image for Cara Bristol.
Author 108 books941 followers
July 21, 2018
This book falls under the category of "books-I-should-have-read-sooner!" It's awesome. I had it in my Kindle for a while, but it got buried. Riley's Journey is a real gem. It's a time travel romance in which the hero/heroine go back to the time of Neanderthals, saber-toothed cats & Mastodons. Reminds of Clan of the Cave Bear, but with modern protagonists added to the mix. It's really a fascinating read and well done. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Dísir.
1,734 reviews187 followers
December 20, 2017
I've never read a time-travel romance that sent people straight to prehistoric times, but I was chuffed at the prospect of reading about a woman who was sent back unknowingly to be the mate of a man who'd been in the Pleistocene period for 5 years. The unusual premise, while intriguing and offering a fantastic change of scenery and a whole new boatload of perils, falters when it came to the sloppy science and the uneven writing and amateurish dialogue which made the characters a little too preppy and childish at times. That said, I did like Nathan a lot and apart from Riley's uncharacteristic bursts of TSTL moments, I did like reading about a period so far removed from ours.
Profile Image for Helen.
718 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2018
When I got my Kindle, I went through a stage of excitedly downloading lots of free books. Freebies, yeahhh! I rarely do it now because I've discovered that there's a reason why the majority of them are free.... However 'Riley's Journey' was a pleasant surprise and I am definitely ready to spend money on the next two books in the trilogy. I love time travel and have a fascination with the Neanderthal/Cro-Magnon era and this ticks those two boxes. The period is convincingly evoked and the story of survival in a harsh environment is well told in gripping fashion. Be warned it's a steamy tale if that's not your cup of tea but it all feels in keeping with the narrative!
Profile Image for Jerrie Alexander.
Author 22 books362 followers
December 20, 2017
I reaaly liked this book. The research appeared to have been done which brought a realism to the story. Riley's and Nathan's relationship, under such harsh circumstances progressed nicely. Riley was spunky and defiant maturing into a warrior. Demon almost stole the book.

I'm glad there's a second book because I wanted to know more about the other characters.
211 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2015
It's unfortunate I couldn't give this book 0 stars. But, if you've ever wondered how to make bad romance worse, this book is an excellent guide. Start with hackneyed writing, then mix in lazily drawn characters, bad science, time-travel, Neanderthals, and an animal sidekick that even Disney would have called ridiculous. It's the perfect recipe for an awful book.
Profile Image for Twilla Wickedly Sweet and Synful Book Blog.
1,040 reviews13 followers
May 12, 2021
This little gem was so good. It was an epic journey into the past . Filled with action, and adventure. I’d seen this several times but kept overlooking it. There are some great secondary characters as well. This had me on the edge of my seat so many times. I read the whole trilogy in two days. I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Carol.
198 reviews
June 21, 2018
Great Read

An interesting take on the time travel idea!. 40,000 years into the past. How do you cope? Romantic and exciting.! Lots of great detail. Thoroughly enjoyed!
Profile Image for Amy.
159 reviews
September 22, 2023
I mean…. The pov was all over the place and there was excessive use of exclamation marks…. But overall the idea and plot hooked me. I’m in my caveman/survival stories phase. Hah! On the fence about reading more of the series.
Profile Image for Mimi Barbour.
Author 217 books697 followers
December 20, 2017
Riley’s Journey by P.L. Parker and Sandra Edwards was one of the best books I’ve read lately. Just for the fact that it was so different, the characters well-developed and the story well-written, I gave the book 5 stars.
I’ve never wondered what it would be like to live in the cave-man era, but this tale totally put me there. My imagination was fully engaged in the authors’ vision. The setting and realistic people inhabiting the earth at the time worked well. Conflicts kept coming and made me feel involved continuously with the hero and heroine who were forced to rely on each other through amazing adventures. Their love story added another dimension and had me sighing over their antics. Those pages turned too fast for my liking and I reached the end way too quickly. The only consolation - there was a follow-up book called “Into the Savage dawn.”
Profile Image for BattyKat.
121 reviews2 followers
December 20, 2017
I really liked the ideas and challenges presented in this story. I love time travel/historical romance novels, over the typical 'bodice ripper' stories. This had the twist of SURVIVAL.

I liked that I was about 30% or so in before there was any sexual encounter. It gave time to get to know the story and really get into that before the juicy parts take over your brain!

It left me feeling hopeful and glad I got to know the characters just a little bit... and of course left me wanting to immediately jump to the next book!
Profile Image for Denise Weldon-siviy.
378 reviews6 followers
January 24, 2015
Excellent story

This is a wonderfully creative story, well developed with believable dialogue and characters. Why only 4? While the plot is engaging, the sex scenes are rendered in the ridiculously obtuse and overly pompous verbosity of a cheap romance novel. I hope the author learns to approach intimate scenes without a thesaurus. Otherwise this is top shelf fantasy.
1 review
December 11, 2015
Enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this story. Fast paced. I would recommend this book to anyone enjoying stories from the Neanderthal times. I chose this rating because it kept me interested throughout the entire story although some of it is predictable.
20 reviews
January 24, 2021
History is my favorite subject

While a tad off the real history it was a great read from someone who loved the earth children’s series! Buy and experience of I can’t stop reading it!
62 reviews20 followers
December 20, 2017
This was a fun time-travel book. I enjoyed the story, but the sex was too explicit for me...
8 reviews1 follower
April 29, 2015
Fantastic

I really enjoyed this story. A very believable story. I enjoyed the strong woman characters.I liked that they were a strong group.
24 reviews
April 26, 2018
Enjoyed

Very different read but very enjoyable. The characters were interesting and we'll described. I am going on to the next in series. 😀
Profile Image for Chanta Rand.
Author 36 books38 followers
December 20, 2017
I wanted to read Into the Savage Dawn, but I was advised to read this book first and boy, am I glad I did. Into the Savage Dawn is the follow-up to Riley's Journey. When Riley signs on to help with a research project, she has no idea she'll be transported back in time to the time of the Neanderthals! She meets and falls in love with Nathan, a handsome man who's also been transported back through an experiment gone wrong. Together they must fight savage bands of Cro-Magnon men, dangerous beasts, and freezing temperatures. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quality time travel romance that is definitely out of the ordinary. Into the Savage Dawn is next on my list. I've also read Fiona by this author (a time travel romance set in Ancient China). P.L. Parker never fails to entertain me. I love her work.
96 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2021
Riveting

The story of Riley's journey was riveting. She got fooled into time traveling to prehistoric times and met Nathan who had lived there alone for 5 years. There is no hope for returning to modern times.Their world was violent and struggling to survive, Riley and Nathan face many challenges from animals, terrain, weather and primitive groups of humans. The plot ends at a satisfying place, but there is another book coming to tell more of her journey.
Profile Image for Mattie.
Author 4 books53 followers
December 20, 2017
One of the best books I've read in years! I'm so glad I came across this author, and I am immediately purchasing the rest of the series. Although the premise seemed unlikely (girl tricked into traveling 40,000 years in the past to fight with Cro-Magnon man and saber-tooth tigers just to be some guy's girlfriend), the story was brilliantly told. The characters were compelling, the conflict was realistic and kept me in a constant state of crisis, and the romance was a slow-build and completely believable. What a delightful surprise this book was!
Profile Image for Ruby.
289 reviews10 followers
November 15, 2014
The premise was great (one way time-travel portal to Paleolithic era, reminiscent of Julian May's Pleistocene Saga) and I enjoyed the characters. The romance was not rushed and appropriately timed, and developed quite naturally. I only wish we could have met Nathan and Riley's child but perhaps he or she will appear in the sequel? Guess I will find out when I get to borrow it. Definitely a recommended read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Suzy Geyer.
21 reviews
May 3, 2016
Interesting read

Thrown back into the past with no option to return. The world is stone age and fighting Pro Magnum man is a challenge as well as adapting to bitter ice cold weather, hunting animals larger than in the future, and learning to adapt to a life in the wild. It is well written.
Profile Image for Dena.
4,451 reviews12 followers
January 3, 2018
Interesting

I liked the fact of time travel and Riley trying to find her place in a new world. Nathan was intriguing that he survived 5 years and still kicked butt. Riley was a confident and capable companion and I fell in love with her. Demon was interesting and I liked how loyal he is.
85 reviews3 followers
December 20, 2017
This really isn't a romance; at least not a steamy, passionate one. It's more fantasy than romance. I gave it four stars anyway, 'cause, except for the part where you say "leave the cave, already!", it definitely held my attention.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Hamby.
50 reviews11 followers
June 30, 2017
Adventure I

I am vaguely reminded of the clan of the cave bear with this book add in time travel and you have a gem of a journey. I was very impressed with Parker's knowledge of history. Hard to put this one down. Thanks for the sleepless nights.
Profile Image for Bill.
2,434 reviews18 followers
April 21, 2012
This book was shopped originally as a romantic time travel story and does deserve an 'R' rating for that genre (romance). That said, its a good story that sends a couple 40,000 years into the past.
18 reviews
December 20, 2017
intersting enough to finish, but not enough to reccommend
Profile Image for Quirkybookwormkat.
433 reviews39 followers
November 3, 2013
liked it. Didn't really need sex scenes which I skipped over. Favorite character is Demon, of course!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

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