The Hands of Time Series is now available as a BOX SET, which includes The Hands of Time, A Leap of Faith, A World Apart, A Game of Shadows, and Shattered Moments. The Hands of Time: When a young American woman vanishes without a trace from a quaint fishing village on the coast of England only one person knows the truth, but he remains silent, safe in the knowledge that she will never be found. Meanwhile, Valerie Crane finds herself transported to the year 1605. Terrified and confused, she turns for help to the Whitfield brothers, who take her in and offer her a home. Both Alexander and Finlay Whitfield fall in love with the mysterious woman who shows up on their doorstep, creating a love triangle that threatens to consume them all. Valerie must make her choice, deciding between the brother who will lead her down the path of destruction and one who will give her the love she couldn’t find in her own time.
A Leap of Faith: Alone and bereft, Valerie’s sister, Louisa, makes the fateful decision to follow her sister into the seventeenth century. But, the best laid plans often go awry, and she finds herself on the wrong continent, and in the wrong year. Louisa must cross the Atlantic to get to Virginia, hoping that Valerie is still there in 1620, and face the uncertainty of her situation as she makes the dangerous journey to the New World. Will the two sisters reunite, or will they pass like ships in the night, never knowing how close they came to finding each other?
A World Apart: Reunited with her sister at last, Louisa settles in colonial Virginia, but an unexpected visitor throws life into turmoil once again by offering Valerie and Louisa an opportunity to return to the future. Before the sisters have a chance to make a decision, the unthinkable happens; ripping the family apart, and scattering them over continents and time itself. No one is spared as child is torn from parents, sister is parted from sister, and a devastating famine threatens the colony. The Whitfields and Sheridans must fight for survival and face challenges they never imagined as they are cast a world apart.
A Game of Shadows: It’s 1624, and the Whitfields finally arrive in England, eager to spend time with Louisa and Kit, but their visit is not the happy reunion they’d hoped for. In the meantime in 1777, Abbie and Finn go behind enemy lines to spy for the Revolution, putting themselves in grave danger. The slightest mistake can mean the difference between life and death, and tear them apart forever. Even Finn’s knowledge of what’s to come is not enough to keep them safe from their own carelessness. Unexpected revelations, long-buried secrets, and unforeseen reunions threaten to destroy everything the Whitfields and Sheridans hold dear, throwing their lives into turmoil once again.
Shattered Moments: Murder, blackmail, long buried secrets, and a tender new romance take center stage in Shattered Moments, the final installment of The Hands of Time Series as the Whitfields and Sheridans face their toughest challenges yet.
To write a novel was a dream of mine since I was a child. Life, my practical nature, and self-doubt got in the way, so it was decades later that an opportunity to write finally presented itself. I honestly didn't think I had what it takes to write a full-length novel, but once I faced the blank screen and my fingers touched the keyboard, everything disappeared except my characters and their surroundings, and suddenly I knew that this was what I was born to do.
Since then, I've written many books and have enjoyed some positive reviews, but sometimes, when I stop to reflect, I'm still amazed that I'm living my dream.
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I read the first four of these books separately - I hadn't realised it was a series at first and each time I finished one book I HAD to read the next one straight away. These are just the kind of time travel stories I love. It always intrigues me the ways authors choose their method of time travel and this one is interesting. It is hard to believe that the old man who owns the device (a clock) having seen one young woman disappear 3O years previously, would leave the thing in a place where it could be found and adjusted where some other hapless person could find it, but - it makes a great story! One young woman finds herself in 1602 (or therabouts, I don't quite remember) and is taken in by two handsome, rich brothers. What's not to love!? Her sister finds the clues and determines to find her and, through the Gunpowder plot and tragedy, fleeing to the fledgling colony of Virginia, both sisters and their husbands live complicated lives on both sides of the Atlantic. Negligence with the time travel device, that leads to a son, his wife and her brother almost losing their lives during the war for independence over a century later. These books are full of intrigue, excitement and history. I loved them
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I absolutely LOVED this series! The story line was very well written and the characters were fabulous.
I hated when the story ended ... rather abruptly I might ad. Is there another book in this series??
I can't imagine being an independent, educated 21st Century woman going back to the dirty, unsanitized, no running water, no electricity, no inside toilets, male-dominated, full of religious zealots, women-are-chattel-and-have-no-voice-whatsoever 17th century. I would not do well there. I'd be accused of witchcraft within days!
You will enjoy this series and all the ups and downs of the beautifully written characters. I'm looking forward to the next set of books, The Echos from the Past series. Then I will reread The Wonderland Series and the Hand of Time Series again!
There were definitely parts that I had to skim or skip. I know there are a lot of people who like to read more graphic details - both with respect to sex and to violence. I am not one of them, so I had to give 4 stars rather than 5. I also seriously disliked Louisa Whitfield's character and had trouble reading the segments about her. On the other hand, I do enjoy the time travel aspect, I liked the historical time period elements, and I liked a lot of the characters. All-in-all, I am invested enough that I will continue with the series, as I already purchased the second box set.
I honestly was not expecting this series to be as good and absorbing as it has been. The writing is good with a modicum of typos. It is quite easy to appreciate the characters and come see them as good friends. I was expecting a rehash of other time travel books but the scope of the time spans and the many inhabitants woven into the fabric of this story create a believable exciting adventure that I can recommend wholeheartedly.
I bought these books years ago and just finished rereading them. I had totally forgotten how wonderful they were and would highly recommend them to others. I had other old downloaded books by Irina Shapiro, and subsequently uploaded them again so that I could read more by this author (even though I must have already read them).
The whole concept of time travel and her development of the characters and times is heartwarming.
Loved, loved, loved these books. The characters were three dimensional and interesting. I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what trouble they have managed to get themselves into and how in the world they will extricate themselves. Looking forward to the next installments.
I loved the series and the twists and turns that each book provides. I loved the details of how colonists in colonial times lived. Even the Court of King James was like a world into itself from the "backwater" colony of Jamestown. Also the change of the Virginia colony between the 17th century and 18th century. I want to buy the hard copy of this set to read over and over again.
If you enjoy time travel novels, Irina Shapiro’s time travel books are for you! While occasionally, some characters use a bit of modern jargon, it is rare and could be chalked up to them learning it from the modern characters. Overall, the books are well-written and great for those times when you want to get lost in a book!
Re read this book, as I could not remember if I had finished it when I read it before. Great storyline, interesting characters and some historical parts I had not known were based on true events - like the buggering of men by Buckingham, lover to the king.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
These books are achingly captivating. She manages to portray people in such a way that they become alive in your mind. And then you can't unsee the humanity of that time.. only a great author can do that
Love these books, some of the scenes with the teenagers and their love stories not so much but for the most part the rest of the books had great storylines.
I only intended to read book 1 but I really liked the characters, the plot, their romantic relationship and the lovely writing style that I wasn't ready to let go of it all and was so grateful there were more books in the series. The writing was such that I was fully immersed in their situations, I routed for the lead relationships and I loved the two lead men. The historical details fascinated and entertained as the plot twisted and turned. It was lovely to be able to get back to the books and be immersed in their romances, problems, plots, totally satisfying.
I am an avid reader and time travel books high on my list of favorites. I loved the way this was written, going back and forth with characters, their families and their everyday lives. I did think book 5 was kind of long and drawn out but enjoyed the way everything came together in the end.
Fascinating story of time travel with many wonderful characters and many perils from New York to England to the New World and even the American Revolution! A great read! I thoroughly enjoyed all 5 volumes!
This series is a blatant ripoff of Diana G's masterpiece, only not nearly as good. The writing style is annoying, the dialogue stiff, and the character development non-existent. Don't bother.
I have never paid as much for a set of books before but this was well worth it! I can hardly wait until February for the. Next one! Highly recommended!
I read all five books in the set in order which is the best way to do it. Good story, good characters, good action and plenty of twists. I liked it and would recommend the series.