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Mine Through Time #2
A Flicker in Time
Boston, 2010. It’s been over a year since Emily Willburne discovered she had the power to travel through time - then sacrificed it forever when to rewrite her family’s fractured past. But just as Emily laments her lost potential, her ancestor and former time-traveling companion Will reappears asking for help - stealing Emily away on an assignment that could restore the ability to travel between the centuries for both of them.
Boston, 1889. Lady Sylvia Ross is on the run. The beautiful British aristocrat witnessed her husband kill a man for a device she later fled with - and she has no idea of what it does or why he’d go to such murderous lengths to safeguard it. In fear for her life, Sylvia promises to hand the device over to a kind, handsome stranger, Will, and his odd companion, Emily - but only if they escort her to America’s wild frontier first, where she hopes to reunite with her disinherited brother James.
Will knows he’s meant to marry a woman named Sylvia one day. But this couldn’t possibly be her - she’s already married, and their paths are bound to diverge soon. Emily knows that this time is only an adventure for her - but it could turn into a heartbreak waiting to happen when Sylvia’s devastatingly attractive, aristocrat-turned-gunslinger brother enters the mix. Amidst their romantic woes, Will and Emily will have to contend with kidnapping, coercion, and a complex time travel conspiracy that spans the centuries …
A Flicker in Time is the second fast-paced tale of time travel and romance from Kate Serzenta - part of a must-read series perfect for fans of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler’s Wife and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
Boston, 1889. Lady Sylvia Ross is on the run. The beautiful British aristocrat witnessed her husband kill a man for a device she later fled with - and she has no idea of what it does or why he’d go to such murderous lengths to safeguard it. In fear for her life, Sylvia promises to hand the device over to a kind, handsome stranger, Will, and his odd companion, Emily - but only if they escort her to America’s wild frontier first, where she hopes to reunite with her disinherited brother James.
Will knows he’s meant to marry a woman named Sylvia one day. But this couldn’t possibly be her - she’s already married, and their paths are bound to diverge soon. Emily knows that this time is only an adventure for her - but it could turn into a heartbreak waiting to happen when Sylvia’s devastatingly attractive, aristocrat-turned-gunslinger brother enters the mix. Amidst their romantic woes, Will and Emily will have to contend with kidnapping, coercion, and a complex time travel conspiracy that spans the centuries …
A Flicker in Time is the second fast-paced tale of time travel and romance from Kate Serzenta - part of a must-read series perfect for fans of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler’s Wife and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 12, 2025
33 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 29, 2025
A Quiet Dance Through Time
A Flicker in Time by Kate Serzenta is a thoughtful, emotionally layered story with a strong central concept. It explores time travel in a grounded, character-driven way, focusing more on the emotional and psychological impact of choices and second chances than on the mechanics of the genre. I went in not realizing this was part of a series, but to Serzenta’s credit, it works well as a standalone. The book gives enough background to follow the story without confusion, and the characters are fleshed out enough to feel real even without prior knowledge of their history.
That said, this one just wasn’t quite for me. While I appreciated the emotional depth and the writing itself is polished and engaging, the tone and pacing didn’t fully land. It’s more introspective and slow-burning than I expected, and I found myself wanting a little more momentum or unpredictability. The relationship dynamics and internal struggles take center stage, which will definitely appeal to fans of character-first storytelling—but I was hoping for a bit more edge or urgency from the time travel premise.
There’s a lot to admire here—especially for readers who enjoy a reflective, heart-driven narrative with a bit of magical realism. It’s clear Serzenta has a strong handle on her characters and the world she’s building. It just didn’t quite resonate with me personally
A Flicker in Time by Kate Serzenta is a thoughtful, emotionally layered story with a strong central concept. It explores time travel in a grounded, character-driven way, focusing more on the emotional and psychological impact of choices and second chances than on the mechanics of the genre. I went in not realizing this was part of a series, but to Serzenta’s credit, it works well as a standalone. The book gives enough background to follow the story without confusion, and the characters are fleshed out enough to feel real even without prior knowledge of their history.
That said, this one just wasn’t quite for me. While I appreciated the emotional depth and the writing itself is polished and engaging, the tone and pacing didn’t fully land. It’s more introspective and slow-burning than I expected, and I found myself wanting a little more momentum or unpredictability. The relationship dynamics and internal struggles take center stage, which will definitely appeal to fans of character-first storytelling—but I was hoping for a bit more edge or urgency from the time travel premise.
There’s a lot to admire here—especially for readers who enjoy a reflective, heart-driven narrative with a bit of magical realism. It’s clear Serzenta has a strong handle on her characters and the world she’s building. It just didn’t quite resonate with me personally
February 7, 2025
This series is so funny and take a nice turn in the time travel stories. I enjoy follow Emily in her new journey, in this book we get to know her much and she even have an love interest. This time Emily and Will have to save an lady for her husband. And Lady Ross is such a figure, it took me some time to really get used to her. But James is one of the best characters, I really love see he flirting with Emily and try to understand her. Who does not like an sweet cowboy? These too were so sweet. Really curious to know how will develop their connection in the next book.
March 13, 2025
This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.
A whole year has gone by since Emily discovered she could time travel, embarked on an adventure across time to save her family, and sacrificed her power forever. Or so she thought. When her ancestor Will returns asking for her help with a new problem to solve in 1889. This time, their adventures will take them all the way to the frontier as they attempt to save a beautiful British aristocrat looking for her rogue brother as she flees her violent husband. A husband who is willing to kill over a mysterious device which might just hold the key to restoring Emily and Will's time travel abilities for good...
Picking up soon after the events of the previous book, this exhilarating sequel to Time Watcher is sure to keep readers turning the pages well into the night. The stakes are high and the protagonists swoon-worthy, with familiar faces making a comeback and some new favourites being introduced. This series is comfort reading at its best, artfully combining adventure, humour and romance.
Emily's growth as a character is just delightful, and all her interactions with other characters are laced with sarcasm and heart. Lady Sylvia Ross and her brother James are fantastic additions to the cast, and the touch of cowboy life that our heroes get to experience works beautifully to provide opportunities for depth and growth. The nefarious antagonists are just as mysterious and unsettling as one might expect them to be, implementing a plan that is sure to keep readers guessing alongside the protagonists.
A Flicker in Time manages to balance breathtaking adventures and a compelling mystery with lively character interactions, well-researched historical settings and moments of deep connection. Readers who enjoyed the previous book in the series will not be disappointed with the direction in which A Flicker in Time moves the story. If anything, they might be upset at not having another time travel adventure to dive into right away with Emily and Will.
I received an e-arc of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
A whole year has gone by since Emily discovered she could time travel, embarked on an adventure across time to save her family, and sacrificed her power forever. Or so she thought. When her ancestor Will returns asking for her help with a new problem to solve in 1889. This time, their adventures will take them all the way to the frontier as they attempt to save a beautiful British aristocrat looking for her rogue brother as she flees her violent husband. A husband who is willing to kill over a mysterious device which might just hold the key to restoring Emily and Will's time travel abilities for good...
Picking up soon after the events of the previous book, this exhilarating sequel to Time Watcher is sure to keep readers turning the pages well into the night. The stakes are high and the protagonists swoon-worthy, with familiar faces making a comeback and some new favourites being introduced. This series is comfort reading at its best, artfully combining adventure, humour and romance.
Emily's growth as a character is just delightful, and all her interactions with other characters are laced with sarcasm and heart. Lady Sylvia Ross and her brother James are fantastic additions to the cast, and the touch of cowboy life that our heroes get to experience works beautifully to provide opportunities for depth and growth. The nefarious antagonists are just as mysterious and unsettling as one might expect them to be, implementing a plan that is sure to keep readers guessing alongside the protagonists.
A Flicker in Time manages to balance breathtaking adventures and a compelling mystery with lively character interactions, well-researched historical settings and moments of deep connection. Readers who enjoyed the previous book in the series will not be disappointed with the direction in which A Flicker in Time moves the story. If anything, they might be upset at not having another time travel adventure to dive into right away with Emily and Will.
I received an e-arc of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
January 21, 2026
Despite confusion, I liked this enough to find the first book of the series.
February 21, 2025
I do love time travel books and Kate Serzenta’s “Time Watcher” and “A Flicker in Time” are two of the most imaginative I’ve read in a while. The manner of time travel always interests me. Rather than a portal or an accidental crossing, Serzenta has her characters operate with watches and with a rare fluid.
If you like hair-raising tales of time travel interspersed with sweet stories of love, I think the “Mine Through Time” series might check off all your reading requirements. The characters, despite their differences in travel preferences from “normal” people, are relatable and appealing. I read night and day and enjoyed every minute.
The stories take place in a variety of time periods, from President Lincoln’s day to the present. Not everyone who time travels in these stories is a nice person. Villains can time travel, too, and show up when you least expect it.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books for the review copies of “Time Watcher” and “A Flicker in Time.” This is my honest review.
If you like hair-raising tales of time travel interspersed with sweet stories of love, I think the “Mine Through Time” series might check off all your reading requirements. The characters, despite their differences in travel preferences from “normal” people, are relatable and appealing. I read night and day and enjoyed every minute.
The stories take place in a variety of time periods, from President Lincoln’s day to the present. Not everyone who time travels in these stories is a nice person. Villains can time travel, too, and show up when you least expect it.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books for the review copies of “Time Watcher” and “A Flicker in Time.” This is my honest review.
September 23, 2025
What a really fun and novel read!
Such a fun escape into an intense world of time travel, following the lives and different times of four main protagonists, Emily, Will, James and his sister Sylvia.
The thing that really drew me into this book, is the clever intricacies of their time travel and how they used it to their advantage, in ways that I wouldn't have thought about. It proves the author has really put a huge amount of thought into it.
Emily is a bit 'modernly casual' (for lack of a better description) which initially was annoying, but it does show contrast to the other three without having to make them all sound 'old-timey'.
I read book 3 first which I really enjoyed, then book 2 which I loved even more. Book 2 I feel is the best of all three.
Looking forward to more from this author.
Such a fun escape into an intense world of time travel, following the lives and different times of four main protagonists, Emily, Will, James and his sister Sylvia.
The thing that really drew me into this book, is the clever intricacies of their time travel and how they used it to their advantage, in ways that I wouldn't have thought about. It proves the author has really put a huge amount of thought into it.
Emily is a bit 'modernly casual' (for lack of a better description) which initially was annoying, but it does show contrast to the other three without having to make them all sound 'old-timey'.
I read book 3 first which I really enjoyed, then book 2 which I loved even more. Book 2 I feel is the best of all three.
Looking forward to more from this author.
May 13, 2025
‘You two had conspired?’
I absolutely love this series! In the second Mine Through Time book Will pops up in the future to ask his great----granddaughter to help him with a problem. He needs a lady’s escort to accompany him across the country with a British aristocrat on the run from her murderous husband. And is it merely a coincidence that her first name is Silvia, like the Silvia he’d gotten a glimpse of on the family tree in the future? Not to mention she might be in possession of exactly what they need to secure the ability to travel through time forever...
I absolutely love this series! In the second Mine Through Time book Will pops up in the future to ask his great----granddaughter to help him with a problem. He needs a lady’s escort to accompany him across the country with a British aristocrat on the run from her murderous husband. And is it merely a coincidence that her first name is Silvia, like the Silvia he’d gotten a glimpse of on the family tree in the future? Not to mention she might be in possession of exactly what they need to secure the ability to travel through time forever...
January 28, 2025
A great time travel read through 3 different time zones. Each one will be a very different journey as they try to deal with what is going on. Journey through the times and see just where it will lead you
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I was caught up in the new times they go to
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I was caught up in the new times they go to
February 18, 2025
This is a great read. I'm really not much for fantasy but this book has been very interesting. Can you imagine traveling through time and seeing your ancestors? It would be amazing!
July 11, 2025
I liked some of the story. The writing was hard to follow at times.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews