As false accusations of witchcraft consume Salem Village, eighteen-year-old Poppy Seabrooke, a true witch, is content to stay away from the hysteria and more importantly from the relentless advances of Angus Wolfe, a powerful warlock masquerading as Salem’s pastor. When Poppy uses her magic to help a young boy, she is arrested. Angus is the only person who can help her, but, in return, she must promise her hand in marriage. In desperation, Poppy’s grandmother sends her two hundred years into the future to hide. Poppy finds herself years from home in the middle of a strange place called Montana where rooms light up without candles or sorcery, steam puffing dragons roar across fields on tracks, and cows sprout horns as long as tree trunks. And while Poppy hides from the man who turns her heart cold as ice, she discovers the man who can set it on fire.
Cade Tanner has always lived fast and hard, and he prefers it that way. The last thing he needs is a girl to distract him from running the cattle ranch his father left him. But Poppy, the sweetly innocent beauty with the soft smile and dark eyes, who seemingly fell from the sky, is tough to ignore. But Cade soon finds that falling for Poppy comes with a dangerous price.
Tess Oliver is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Custom Culture series and a large collection of other romances. She is well known for her relatable characters who "become your friends" as you journey with them and for intriguing stories that will have you "devouring her books in just one day". Tess has been featured on USA Today's 'Happy Ever After' site, and in publications including Glamour UK and Elle UK magazines.
This was such a great story! The premise was definitely unique, time travel with a twist. Poppy is an 18-year-old who lives with her grandmother and her sister in 1692 Salem. When Poppy is accused of witchcraft, her grandmother – a witch – sends her 200 years into the future to keep her safe. But instead of ending up in a future Salem, Poppy ends up in 1892 Montana.
Poppy is such a great character. She is innocent due to the time and place she grew up in and curious about the new world around her. It was really fun to watch her explore each new thing she discovered. Everyone seems to fall in love with her, even when they are trying hard not to. Caden is also a great character. I loved him. He has a roughness to him that makes him irresistible, but can also be so sweet. I enjoyed both of their points of view throughout the story.
As far as historical fiction goes, this did not disappoint. The author's writing and language seemed realistic for the time periods within the story and really helped to bring the story to life.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this more than Camille! An ending like this had, has a way of instantly connecting you with the characters, making you feel what they feel, even more so than a happy ending. I still prefer happy endings, but this is only book one, so there is time for that later.
I can tell Tess Oliver likes her men a little bit naughty, a little bit cocky, but with a heart of gold. Cade and Nathaniel are very similar in that sense. And I cannot blame her for that. They are amazing characters. I think I might prefer Distraction over Camille, because Cade is just amazing. He really broke my heart in the end.
"Cade grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. "You are right here forever, and no magic tricks or sorcery can pry you from my heart.""
I always enjoy a good time travel story, seeing someone try to find their way in a new time, as an outsider. Its like us, the readers, looking into their world of magic from the outside, and it helps us relate to the character because we are outsiders too. And I especially enjoyed the fact that Poppy time traveled and is still in our past. I thought she would time travel to our present day, but she ended up in the old west and that just made the story more interesting. Seeing two different historical time periods in the same book.
Angus is a truly menacing villain and I was dreading his reappearance for the whole book. Just waiting for him to arrive and ruin everything for Poppy (love her name btw!) and Cade. This book was sooo sweet and romantic and I can only imagine what will happen in book 2! Its gonna be awesome because Poppy will be fighting for Cade, and Cade is gonna do something awesome like overcome magic for her! Haha, cannot wait!
I have a few more books by Tess Oliver on my Kindle and I will have to move them up my TBR. I already loved her Camille series but I always feel like I need to read at least two stories from an author to really confirm my sentiments. Now I know for sure she is awesome. :P Thank you so much Tess for this book, which she gifted to me!
A masterfull set-up for the trilogy. And great marketing - this is one of the best $.99 bargains out there - obviously priced to drive the reader into the trilogy. But even if you never read the sequel, you can't go wrong on the price!
This book was interesting because it takes the heroine forward in time - from 1692 to 1892. What's neat is how the author shows the reaction of the heroine to the change from repressive Salem, MA at the witching time, to the wide-open spaces of Montana, 200 years later. I haven't seen this done before, and I enjoyed it.
The characters are either very likable or easy to detest. Most have some depth but are a bit short on complexity, which is why I gave this well-written and edited book 4 instead of 5 stars. However, the author has an opportunity to round out the characters in the upcoming books of the trilogy - it'll be interesting to see if she can do that.
It'll also be interesting to see if the heroine stays in 1892, goes back to 1692, or goes further into the future - with or without her true love.
This first book is adequately ended, but does a near-perfect job of setting the reader up to run out and buy the sequel, as soon as it's available. I certainly will!
I really fell in love with this story and the characters: Poppy, Cade, Jacks, Nonni, Mari, and Libby. It would be scary to go from one era to another; not knowing what to expect and to see things that you never thought imaginable. Tess Oliver did an excellent job bringing me into the story and holding me there.
Wow, one of the best books I have read in awhile! I could not put it down. Once I started I could not stop until I read the last page, now I anxiously await the next book! Awesome. Thanks Tess for a wonderful journey!
The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I was given a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Poppy Seabrooke is an eighteen year old who lives with her grandmother, Nonni and little sister, Mari. Poppy is a witch and will use her magic when she is not suppose too. Poppy lives in Salem, MA. in 1692. Although Poppy only uses her magic for good things her grandmother has told her more than one time not too.
One day Poppy and Mari are on their way home from town and they see some boys picking on another little boy. Poppy wants to help the little boy so she uses her magic to save him. Then she is arrested and thrown in jail for using her magic. While in jail Angus, a warlock and a very powerful one at that wants Poppy all for himself. He visit Poppy in jail and makes a deal with her. He tells her he will get her out of jail if she will marry him.
Poppy doesn't want to marry him but she doesn't see any other way. Her grandmother finds out about the deal she made with him and uses her magic to send Poppy 200 years into the future. Poppy is supposed to end up in Salem 200 years from now but instead she ends up in Montana in 1862.
Cade Tanner and his friend Jacks find Poppy after she lands in Montana. Cade takes her home and his family take her in until her grandmother can come and get her and take her home. Cade and Poppy know that she will not be staying long and they both know better than to fall in love with each other but they do anyway. Who can control love?
I never expected Distraction to be as good as it was. I love reading books about Salem witches but Distraction was way different than any I have read so far. In the beginning I thought Poppy was a little immature but she grew as the story progressed. She turned out to be a very nice young lady. Everyone liked her right off the bat. Who wouldn't like her she is so sweet of a person.
Cade, now there is a cowboy if I ever saw one which I haven't. I'm just saying. I loved how Cade talked always joking or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he was being sarcastic. But oh well I still liked him and I bet any of you ladies out there would too. Hey you want to meet Cade? Well then go get yourself a copy of Distraction and meet him. I can't wait to read the next book in the series Unbreakable.
I just love a good paranormal romance and when mixed with historical fiction you cannot help but have a winning combination. "Distraction" is a wonderful tale that shows just how merciless people were in sacrificing women's lives and happiness during the Salem Witch trials all for personal gain.
Poppy and her sister Mari live with their grandmother Nonni after being rescued from an orphanage. They truly are witches but not the bad sort. They use their powers to help others. Unfortunately, the evil minister, Ethan Wolfe has designs on Poppy and will do anything to get his hands on her including having her arrested and charged with being a witch. Of course the slimy dog will make the charges go away and keep her sister Mari from being charged as an accomplice if Poppy enters a blood pack and agrees to marry him.
Poppy agrees just before her grandmother comes to rescue her. When Nonni finds out about the pack, she catapults Poppy into the future 200 years to 1892. Poppy discovers a whole new world, with more freedom and conveniences for women and the man she has been dreaming of all of her life. However, good things don't last forever and Ethan eventually shows up. What will happen to our heroine and will she have to do the unthinkable and marry the flea infested dog, Ethan? You have to read the first book in this brand new trilogy to find out.
I really enjoyed this story. Tess Oliver masterfully builds two separated and distinctive worlds: 1692 and 1892. Both were totally rich with the language and cultural norms of the times. I also loved the characters of Poppy and Cade. Additionally, the character of Ethan was so vile he made my skin crawl. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen with the story and these characters. Who knows maybe I cannot catapult. myself into the future to read the next book!
Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Tess Oliver just keeps getting better and better with every book. This book was really good. Poppy Seabrooke is an eighteen year old who lives with her grandma, Nonni, and sister, Mari. Poppy and Mari used to live in an orphanage after their mothers death, their grandma came and got them. Their grandma is a witch, a good one. There are however bad ones, and Angus Wolfe is one of the worst, he's a warlock, one of the most powerful ones. Angus won't stop troubling the other poor towns folk until he gets what he wants and he wants Poppy. When Poppy gets accused of being a witch Angus makes a bargain with a bad price, the price, Poppy marrying him. When Poppy agrees they do a blood pact, when her grandma comes to get her the only way to help her escape is to send her 200 years into the future, to 1892. When Poppy is sent there she meets Cade Tanner, who saves her life. What they least expect is falling for each other, they both know that she will be leaving soon and that they shouldn't. But what happens when someone comes to get her and bring her home that she isn't expecting? Will she agree to something that she knows is wrong or choose to stick up to what she believes? This book was soo good, I absolutely loved it. Tess Oliver is one of my favorite authors and she is really good with doing her research for her books that take place in the past. She really knows how to stick with the dialogue in that time period. Everyone who is a fan of hers should read this book or those who like witches. I'm waiting anxiously for the next boom to come out.
I won this book for free from the Goodread's First Reads giveaway.
This book took me by surprise. My actual rating would be more of a 4.5/5. I believe the target audience for this book is young adult but I feel it can be directed at any age from 16 and higher. I can see many adults really enjoying it as I did. "Distraction" is the first book in this new trilogy.
Most books that are centered around a witch as the main character would likely be foolish! Not the case here! I loved the main character, Poppy, who is a half witch- half mortal. I also really enjoyed Cade's cowboy character and think the author did an awesome job with all her characters! You get a very good insight into all their lives and most are very relatable. This book takes place in two different time periods; the late 1600's and late 1800's. Therefore it is considered a historical fiction, time-travel and romance novel. The author has a very smooth writing style. The book was easy to follow and kept me intrigued. The plot is explained very well above by the author. I also read other reviews on here and Tess Oliver seems to be an extremely well-liked writer!
As long as I can purchase a physical hard copy of the next book in this series than I for sure will; I am not a Kindle fan and am hoping never to be one. The ending of this book left me wanting more! I think many people will enjoy this book and I strongly recommend it!
Poppy is a witch living in Salem when it was a bad time to be a witch in Salem. She also had to deal with the unwanted advances of powerful sorcerer Angus Wolfe. When she is arrested for using her magic Angus swoops in and she promises to marry him. Her Nonni sends her 200 years into the future so she can hide and she ends up at a cattle ranch in Montana. Poppy doesn't really understand everything around her and she wonders when Nonni will come and find her but Cade Tanner is a nice distraction from her worries. When Angus eventually finds her will she be able to save herself and Cade?
For me this book was better than a 3 but not quite a 4. I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters....I thought the bad guy was appropriately chilling, the good guy was swoon inucing and the main character was cute, sassy and you didn't get too frustrated with her.
But...I thought maybe it dragged on just a bit too long and my copy on the Nook had a few too many errors.
Overall, very good and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Distraction is a beautifully written YA paranormal / time-travel romance. Poppy is an 18 year old witch who is sent 200 years into the future to escape an evil warlock. The future, in this case, is 1862. While there, she ends up falling for a beautiful, bad-boy cattle rancher. The romance is sweet and passionate, but still suitable for teenagers. I've always loved Tess Oliver's writing. She has a way of drawing you into the story, and just like with her other books, I couldn't put this down. This is a series, and it ends in a way that makes me want to read book 2 now!
This was one of those books where you kind of feel like the author has that mysterious Author Checklist on how to be cookie cutter and cliché. Aside from that, it was a kind of cute story, just one you've probably read many times before with a different title.
I really would like to say 3 1/2 *. The most aggravating factor is that it finishes pretty much mid sentence. Beyond cliffhanger! The story was weak in some places and predictable in others.