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A Portal in Time
When we are inexplicably drawn to love and a particular place, is it coincidence, or have we loved before? Enigmatic and spirited Anna Lucera is gifted with an uncanny sixth-sense and is intrigued by all things mystical. When her green, cat-eyes and long, black hair capture the attention of a young lawyer named Kevin Townsend, a romance ensues which leads them to the hauntingly beautiful region of California's Carmel-By-The-Sea where Anna is intuitively drawn to the Madiera Hotel. Everything about the hotel and Carmel-By-The-Sea heightens her senses and speaks to Anna as if she had been there before. As Anna's memory unravels the puzzle, she is drawn into a past that's eerily familiar and a life she just may have lived before.
- GenresRomance
198 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2013
4 people are currently reading
547 people want to read
About the author
Claire Fullerton
5 books421 followersClaire Fullerton is the multiple, award-winning author of Little Tea, Mourning Dove, Dancing to an Irish Reel, and A Portal in Time. Her books have been Pulpwood Queens book club selections, and her 18 book awards include the IPPY Silver medal, and the Literary Classics Book of the Year. Claire contributed to the book, A Southern Season with her novella, Through an Autumn Window. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and multiple anthologies. She hails from Memphis, and lives in Malibu, CA. with her husband and 3 German shepherds. She enjoys reviewing books for the New York Journal of Books.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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January 25, 2014 Inspiration for a novel can come from the most unusual of circumstances, and the idea for “A Portal in Time” is no exception. In the year 2000, my husband and I took a trip up the California coast to Carmel-by-the-Sea on the hauntingly beautiful Monterey Peninsula. As it was our one year wedding anniversary, we had reservations for the weekend at Carmel's historic, La Playa Hotel-- a hotel we'd never stayed in before. Everything about the lobby of the antiquated hotel piqued my interest, and as my husband checked us in, I let my imagination roam free, taking in every inch of the opulent lobby with its travertine floors, sand-stone fireplace, and sweeping Mediterranean tiled staircase. I explored a particular hallway looking at architectural maps of various stages of the hotel's growth that hung beside sepia tinted photographs of people in period clothing. By the time my husband came to find me, I had already envisioned myself living in a house of this exact constitution, wearing a dress exactly like the one I saw in one of the photographs. Next, I started thinking of what it was like to be alive at the turn of the 19th century, living in a house by the sea along with how it would feel to have it as the setting of my life. I decided I would love it-- that there would be a fabulous, interesting, fully-realized life at play with myself at the center of a thriving artistic community and oh the thrill of the environment.
But it occurred to me that life is life, and things happen to people unwittingly, and the story of people’s lives tend to happen in increments of cause and effect no matter where one lives.
My eyes kept returning to the lobby’s staircase, and I wanted to climb them to their top. When I did, I was drawn to a wooden cathedral door at the end of a long hallway. I stood looking down the hall thinking, “If this were my house, the master bedroom would be at the end of this hall with a bay window overlooking a garden.” I could feel myself standing before the window as if I were looking at my garden, then I started asking, “Now why would I be here looking out the window?”
“A Portal in Time,” my paranormal/historical novel, is the explanation of an entire imagined life that brought me to that window at the top of the stairs in Carmel’s La Playa Hotel. I decided the story would be best told in oscillating time periods in order to lend an eerie, mystical feel. I like to give my readers an experience by taking them on a journey. I want them to see and hear and feel everything for themselves by giving them a specific reality, and in this case, the reality is “A Portal in Time.”
From Amazon.com
Reminds me of a Jane Austen novel set in beautiful Carmel by the sea...
By Amazon Customer on January 23, 2014
Format: Paperback Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very charming debut novel with engaging characters, sensory-rich detailed settings, and a well-crafted plot. The story moves effortlessly between two time periods one hundred years apart with two different casts of characters who share a mysterious bond. The author captured the essence of time periods and kept me both entertained and guessing till the very end.
But it occurred to me that life is life, and things happen to people unwittingly, and the story of people’s lives tend to happen in increments of cause and effect no matter where one lives.
My eyes kept returning to the lobby’s staircase, and I wanted to climb them to their top. When I did, I was drawn to a wooden cathedral door at the end of a long hallway. I stood looking down the hall thinking, “If this were my house, the master bedroom would be at the end of this hall with a bay window overlooking a garden.” I could feel myself standing before the window as if I were looking at my garden, then I started asking, “Now why would I be here looking out the window?”
“A Portal in Time,” my paranormal/historical novel, is the explanation of an entire imagined life that brought me to that window at the top of the stairs in Carmel’s La Playa Hotel. I decided the story would be best told in oscillating time periods in order to lend an eerie, mystical feel. I like to give my readers an experience by taking them on a journey. I want them to see and hear and feel everything for themselves by giving them a specific reality, and in this case, the reality is “A Portal in Time.”
From Amazon.com
Reminds me of a Jane Austen novel set in beautiful Carmel by the sea...
By Amazon Customer on January 23, 2014
Format: Paperback Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very charming debut novel with engaging characters, sensory-rich detailed settings, and a well-crafted plot. The story moves effortlessly between two time periods one hundred years apart with two different casts of characters who share a mysterious bond. The author captured the essence of time periods and kept me both entertained and guessing till the very end.
August 24, 2014
This book is a pleasurable read that captures the reader's attention from beginning to end. The characters are well developed and the two time periods of the book's stories are set up most believably. The narrative is vivid and aptly describes the beauty of Carmel-by-the-Sea. I loved the dialogue, especially as it set the tone of the early 1900's in San Francisco. Truly a wonderful book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romance.
February 3, 2015
There’s something about simple stories with a natural element of fantasy interwoven in the narrative. When written as such, these stories make magical elements something almost believable. Actually, it’s easy to believe in magic under the right circumstances. “A Portal in Time” creates just that effect – rather like Steinbeck ghostwriting a Diana Gabaldon novel.
Claire Fullerton’s novel, which tells the story of Anna and Valeria (two women from distinctly different points in time) and how they came to fall in love with the respective men in their lives, is set in California’s beautiful Carmel-By-The-Sea, a town known for its rolling waves, misty mornings and quaint cottages. For those who have visited the charming community, Fullerton’s short novel will whisk you back to those memories in a comfortable narrative befitting a cozy town. Her tone and pace find a rhythm quite close to the soul of the artistic folk who reside there.
Fullerton’s novel, like Gabaldon’s “Outlander” or Janeen O’Kerry’s “Queen of the Sun,” explores the wonder of time travel through romantic eyes, but Fullerton spends less time on the “portal” and more on the lives of these two women and the men they love.
A great read for those looking for something short and fun, for fiction by authors who reside in the Monterey Peninsula, or something a bit romantic to read over the weekend.
Claire Fullerton’s novel, which tells the story of Anna and Valeria (two women from distinctly different points in time) and how they came to fall in love with the respective men in their lives, is set in California’s beautiful Carmel-By-The-Sea, a town known for its rolling waves, misty mornings and quaint cottages. For those who have visited the charming community, Fullerton’s short novel will whisk you back to those memories in a comfortable narrative befitting a cozy town. Her tone and pace find a rhythm quite close to the soul of the artistic folk who reside there.
Fullerton’s novel, like Gabaldon’s “Outlander” or Janeen O’Kerry’s “Queen of the Sun,” explores the wonder of time travel through romantic eyes, but Fullerton spends less time on the “portal” and more on the lives of these two women and the men they love.
A great read for those looking for something short and fun, for fiction by authors who reside in the Monterey Peninsula, or something a bit romantic to read over the weekend.
November 14, 2014
A Hauntingly Beautiful Read … A PORTAL IN TIME begins with a puzzle and ends with a shock. The story in between tells of two women, both artistic and strong-willed, who share a mysterious bond in time as well as a peculiar affinity for a lovely and haunting strip of California coast called Carmel-by-the-Sea. The author weaves a tale finely drawn, meticulously researched, and beautifully descriptive that draws the reader in from page one and does not let go until the final dramatic revelation.
February 27, 2021
Romance is normally not my thing and I’m not actually sure how this one ended up in my library, but if it’s a good story, well written and engaging any kind of story can be a pleasant experience.
Unfortunately that’s not the case with this one, the romance between pretty, well off, white young people felt superficial instead of deep and heartfelt and the supernatural fantasy element was neither interesting nor well developed.
The narration by Gabriella Muttone is probably one of most annoying I’ve ever encountered and added heavily to the 2 star experience.
Unfortunately that’s not the case with this one, the romance between pretty, well off, white young people felt superficial instead of deep and heartfelt and the supernatural fantasy element was neither interesting nor well developed.
The narration by Gabriella Muttone is probably one of most annoying I’ve ever encountered and added heavily to the 2 star experience.
July 20, 2021
I really enjoy time travel stories but I'm not sure how to categorize "Portal in Time". The author wants us to believe that there is a "past lives relationship" between the two couples who end up in Carmel, CA. in the years 1907 and 2000. Maybe--Who knows. There were some similarities and the "feeling" of being somewhere before. I'm not sure the ending sentence validated anything. I felt as though the "past lives" segment could have been further investigated and explored.
I enjoyed the book but, for me, there seemed to be something "missing".
I enjoyed the book but, for me, there seemed to be something "missing".
May 2, 2016
A Portal in Time is set in the same location, the beautifully described Carmel-by-the-Sea, but two different time periods. It tells the story, in alternating chapters, of Anna and Kevin in the present and Valeria and Anders from the past, and how both couples meet and fall in love. The story opens with Valeria walking onto the beach, ‘listening to the fury of the wind as it intermittently drowned out the pulsing rhythm of the sea.’ And as she faced a particular spot in the water she declared it a portal in time.
Anna and Kevin are visiting Carmel, where they married, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. The hotel where they are staying intrigues Anna, with the old photographs lining the walls and the beautiful star shaped stained glass window. It was once a house and the original owner and designer was a painter by the name of Kristiansen.
In 1902 in San Francisco, Valeria Sienna is overjoyed when her father, Domenico, agrees to allow Anders Kristiansen to call upon her. Although Anders is from Norway and not Italy, as Domenico would have preferred, he is more open-minded than many men of his generation.
Anna’s and Valeria’s stories are interwoven seamlessly and, although so far apart in time, they are bound together. Both are strong-willed with artistic talents. The language and lifestyle for both periods is written realistically, the descriptions vivid and easy to picture, full of beauty and colour. I love the historical details, the element of the paranormal and the fact I didn’t know where the story was ultimately going, even though the connecting thread was there to see. An enjoyable debut.
Anna and Kevin are visiting Carmel, where they married, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. The hotel where they are staying intrigues Anna, with the old photographs lining the walls and the beautiful star shaped stained glass window. It was once a house and the original owner and designer was a painter by the name of Kristiansen.
In 1902 in San Francisco, Valeria Sienna is overjoyed when her father, Domenico, agrees to allow Anders Kristiansen to call upon her. Although Anders is from Norway and not Italy, as Domenico would have preferred, he is more open-minded than many men of his generation.
Anna’s and Valeria’s stories are interwoven seamlessly and, although so far apart in time, they are bound together. Both are strong-willed with artistic talents. The language and lifestyle for both periods is written realistically, the descriptions vivid and easy to picture, full of beauty and colour. I love the historical details, the element of the paranormal and the fact I didn’t know where the story was ultimately going, even though the connecting thread was there to see. An enjoyable debut.
November 16, 2014
This exceptionally well written romance takes place in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Carmel-By-the-Sea. I could not put the book down because I had to find out what was going to transpire next. So, read it in 2 nights. I love the way the author told two love stories alternating them seamlessly and how they each were related over the centuries was a really unique and very interesting view at the nature of spirit. This had terrifically written dialogue and the writer really gives you all the pleasures of the senses in descriptive details without every tiring you. Felt much like watching a great movie instead of reading! Highly recommend this and cannot wait for another from this new author.
September 12, 2015
A very captivating read. Claire Fullerton takes you on not one but two lovely journeys. I thoroughly enjoyed how these two stories, thus from two different time periods, flowed so well together. It was definitely a page turner that I did not put down. Both stories kept me wanting more, with the bond they shared and the suspense of what will come. I do have to say I wanted more at the end. It does not end with a cliffhanger, but I just wanted more, maybe I'm just greedy. lol
I received this copy for an honest review.
I received this copy for an honest review.
April 17, 2015
This comment applies to the audio version of the book.
I usually like this type of story, but the narrator in the audiobook made for a VERY poor listening experience. And, unfortunately, I did not find the story entrancing enough to get past the narrator.
I usually like this type of story, but the narrator in the audiobook made for a VERY poor listening experience. And, unfortunately, I did not find the story entrancing enough to get past the narrator.
June 9, 2015
One of the few books I couldn't finish. The longer I listened, the more lost I became. It is more confusing than I want to follow.
March 29, 2017
A beautiful story, artfully woven between two time periods, A Portal in Time is also a portal for the reader to a gorgeous setting and a haunting romance.
Despite the century between the lifetimes of the main characters, this book slips seamlessly from era to era. Claire Fullerton lends a unique and lovely voice to two distinctly different courtships, contrasting late Victorian and contemporary romance and binding them together with a thread of perennial love. Neither time period overshadows the other; instead, they fuse into a seamless and nuanced tale of love, triumph and tragedy across lifetimes. And although this type of story has the potential to become overwrought with connections and coincidence, Fullerton maintains a light but firm touch from start to finish. As in Dancing to an Irish Reel, she writes in such a way that you want to linger over every word like a glass of fine wine. A Portal in Time was every bit the delight I expected and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys tales of enduring love.
Despite the century between the lifetimes of the main characters, this book slips seamlessly from era to era. Claire Fullerton lends a unique and lovely voice to two distinctly different courtships, contrasting late Victorian and contemporary romance and binding them together with a thread of perennial love. Neither time period overshadows the other; instead, they fuse into a seamless and nuanced tale of love, triumph and tragedy across lifetimes. And although this type of story has the potential to become overwrought with connections and coincidence, Fullerton maintains a light but firm touch from start to finish. As in Dancing to an Irish Reel, she writes in such a way that you want to linger over every word like a glass of fine wine. A Portal in Time was every bit the delight I expected and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys tales of enduring love.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews