A Thief in Time

A Thief in Time #1

by Cidney Swanson, Maria Marquis (Narrator)

Halley, who covers house-sitting jobs for her self-absorbed mom, has Hollywood dreams, but no real life. That is, until the day a job for her mom leads to a tumble back to London in1598, where Halley meets a hot, rich earl named Edmund, and accidentally brings him to the 21st century.

Her dull summer just got a whole lot more interesting as she tells Edmund to keep his hands off tech he doesn't understand, and a deadly sword he can't use in public. All while trying to keep from falling in for him, which definitely can't happen.

Now, Halley's job is to get Edmund back where he belongs--while preventing a very scary professor from suspecting she messed with his time machine. If the evil scientist finds out about Edmund, Edmund's as good as dead. And what might that do to history? Plus, Halley would be next in line...Summer's not boring anymore.

Halley just needs to keep from getting killed, save Edmund (and history) before it's too late, and not fall for a guy who can't stick around. No matter how much she want him to.

A Thief in Time is a sweet, clean, time-travel romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers, packed with danger and historical detail.

Genres: Time Travel, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Historical

Audible Audio

First published November 16, 2016

Reviews

[Samantha Fabris · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I'm cranky this week and I'm probably going to be more mean than I need to be.

The romance was lacking. The science of the time travel at the end makes zero sense (not that I'm a time travel scientist or anything), it was just a convenient way to tie things up. The bad guy was evil for no apparent reason.

Don't even get me started on Halley's life goal and why she needs a bunch of money. I just can't.

It felt awkward all the time.

The cover and title are so cool. Why was it so not cool?

I am still so cranky.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to get A Flight In Time to review. Cidney Swanson is one of my favorite Young Adult writers. Come to find out she lives in a nearby Oregon town. She's lucky I don't have a car! And that I have social anxiety that keeps me from seeking out people I don't know. Still, her Saving Mars series is my favorite series for young adults and up. I wish she could write more of those as it really helps the me I was as a pre-teen/teen. There was very little out there in the sci-fi realm that had strong female leads. Please read the series if you get the chance. Her Rippler series is good, too.

But back to A Flight in Time (book 2). Here is a comment I made under A Thief in Time (book 1):

Oops, somehow I am reading book two that isn't on GoodReads yet. Maybe I should see if I got it? I am 37% into A Flight in Time. Now I feel confused as to what to do.

Then I realized that at one point or another I did get book 1. It was $.99 at the time. Somehow it got marked "Read" so I never saw it in my "Currently Reading" shelf. So I stopped reading book 2 and started reading book 1. This series may soon rival Mars in favorites!

A Thief In Time is very exciting. The main character, Halley, is quite the character. I love the depth of spirit she shows in spite of a less than ideal upbringing. Ms. Swanson built her so well that I felt she was real. I love her friends and how it is they found themselves in the enviable position of having access to a time machine.

By the way, I love the names of the characters. Good nods to science!

I want to put more here but I don't want anything to spoil a future reader's experience with that book or the next.

So, those who follow my reviews know how I hate cliffhangers. This was not that. But awfully close. No one was left in danger. But I was so in love with the characters and the time travel adventures that I was so happy I had the next book downloaded and ready to go.

~~~~
Since I can't find the place to review book 2, A Flight in Time, I will put it here and move this part to that book when it is live on GoodReads. Right now it is $.99 on Amazon whereas book 1 is $3.99. Both are well worth the money!

I will give this five stars also. My biggest problem was the names when I read #2 first. After getting to know everyone in #1 I still had that problem. I expected to see a little more about Halley and her life. So it was a bit of a shock to start reading about her friend, Jillian. Her life wasn't as interesting or as full of challenges, as far as I was concerned, but she has a sciencey mind and is working towards her own goals. That warmed me to her.

I must admit that I couldn't quit reading this book--another 4 AM sleep time. The book was full of anxious moments, 'how were they going to get out of this?' kinds of questions sailed through my head. And lots of time travel!

AND that ending!!!! I can't wait to find out the resolve for that. Still, not a cliffhanger. Just a little something to have Cidney Swanson fans waiting with bated breath!!!

[Marjolein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is amusing enough (I always like people from the past getting stuck in our time), but it felt a bit chunky. I wouldn't know anyone who would judge someone by the latin names of their muscles, for example, and that took me a bit out of the flow while reading. I also had a bit of trouble connecting with Halley and the trouble with her mother, it all seemed a bit overdone (not the claim her mother puts on her, but the reaction didn't click for me). Edmund was fun though.

[Susan Saltos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it a 2.5, if I could. For some reason I just couldn't get into the story. It wasn't bad, but it could have been so much better. Edmund didn't say much at all except "thees" and "thous" and they were in love with each other? Why? They didn't really know each other. The whole trying to get into the Disney special club was really stupid in my opinion. She thought if she joined a special Disneyland membership club, where her "dad" took her as a kid, she could find her dad again. Um, sorry, unless dad has a slew of kids and lives right next to Disneyland, he's never going back to that club again. And if he HAD a membership when she was 7, that doesn't mean 10+ years later he still would. Kids grow up, so if he had a membership, it was because he had other kids he took there. They're bound to be her age or older so he'd have no reason to have a Disneyland membership anymore. She'd never find her dad that way and pinning her hopes on finding him that way was absolutely ridiculous, especially since she didn't even know his name. How about demanding a name from her mom in the first place? Which, when she did finally confront her mom, she did get the truth. How about hiring a private detective? Much cheaper than that Disneyland membership club most likely.

[Kendra Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on reading it. I read approximately 1/3 of the book, but I just could not find it in me to care about the characters or the plot. It gets 2 stars for being vaguely interesting, but it was not enough to make me want to finish, and it's rare I don't finish a book.

Part of the problem is that I was expecting to see more of an exciting journey through time. I was hoping for excitement and adventure and all I got was angst and drama.

Mostly, I read about the whiny angst of a girl with terrible parents. The other main POV character is an Elizabethan noble, and while the writer went to great pains to write his language and mannerisms appropriately for the era, I felt that it was more of a hinderance to understanding him rather than improving the story. Finally, the villain of the story is self-righteous and arrogant, but just not interesting. I neither hated nor loved him. He was just there as an obstacle and he was boring.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't leave a lot of reviews, but for this book, I decided I needed to leave an honest review. I picked this up on one of the BookBub freebies and had it in my Kindle library for a little over a year before I picked it to read. I had skimmed through a few reviews and was afraid I would end up regretting the time spent reading it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was much better than the reviews I read and it was a fairly quick read. I was glad it did not trick me with a cliffhanger ending that left me needing to buy another book to find out how it ended like some freebies I have read. The main characters were definitely likeable and the antagonist kept us guessing most of the way. The ending kept me somewhat surprised and a nice ending.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the characters, the plot and the writing. A little suspense, emotions, sweetness, some humor, great personalities, and a good ending. I do like the concept and how well this was written. I would say this falls in the time-travel lightly. The fact is there, but there isn't much travel in the time. Great for the rainy/lazy day read or for something to pass the time. Have fun.

[Emery Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Cidney offered me an advance preview of her latest novel, I jumped at the chance. Long-time readers of this blog might remember my reviews of Cidney's Rippler and Saving Mars series. Her talent is on the level of authors like Suzanne Collins and John Green, and this new release does not disappoint.

Like John Green, Cidney's books always follow a formula. Hers include a strong female main character, a fresh science fiction twist on reality, and a romantic subplot featuring an unique love interest.

Main character Halley is well developed, with a strong voice and a variety of character traits and life experiences that make her unique. Her life is difficult, especially her relationship with her mother. Her best friends are distinct characters that stand on their own merits. They come from incredibly different backgrounds from Halley with unique voices and interests of their own.

Edmund, the love interest, stands apart as well. He's driven by responsibility and is determined to fulfill his duties as an earl. His language is unusual for Halley, considering his being from 1598 England. The conversations this "language barrier" leads to are highly entertaining.

Our villain lives up to Cidney's usual high standards. He has strong motivation, convincing internal monologue, and relatable desires. The stakes in this novel are far from contrived for anyone - people's livelihoods and even lives are on the line.

The twists the plot takes are unpredictable and engrossing. The amount of research that went into scientific believability for time travel and historical accuracy for 1598 England is clear. Every character stays true to their motivations and is attempting to do what they believe is best and right. Of course, this gets more complicated as motivations shift and characters' desires clash. At times even the reader is left torn as to what should be done. Just when you think you know where the story's going, Cidney surprises once again.

In short, this work is yet another modern masterpiece from the marvelous Cidney Swanson. Five out of five stars.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Dana Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love time travel books but this one was just okay. too much about Halleys past problems than it was about the from the past Earl. wish she would have time traveled back to be with him. might have a different opiniin of this book. maybe...

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting approach to time travel & theory

3 froends, all recent grads pd a fine arts high school. One has some paintings to sell & another some friit sculptures to sell on a Friday; one has an art show of her tapestries opening on Sunday & the 3 of them are prepping the exhibit on a Saturday. Two of themaee from.well to do families. The 3rd has a narcissitic mother who is always complaining about & to her daughter, & has a house and pet sitting business. In the middle of the art sale, the poor one of the 3, Halley, gets a call from her mother that she needs Halley to watch over the current housesitting job so she can go to a payimg gig, not just another one with free food & lodging & use of the pool. Her friends take over to sell her paintings if they can, & she gets a tour of the house & her responsibilities, which supposedly end at 6:45 pm or possibly earlier. The basement is off limits. Just as Halley had predicted earlier that dau, it was indeed "earthquake weather," & a 6.6 quake centered not far away, but not in the ocean, occurs, & Halley has to make rounds of the house. Since the power went out briefly, she has to make sure the alarms are reset. She hears an alarm going off & finally pinpoints it as in the forbidden basement. She checks for fire & pinpoints the alarm as in an area with a couple large Tesla coils by the looks of them, pn a platform woth a computer on top, and a prompt about resetting the system. She hesitates but decided it's likely safer than ignoring it. As she waits, she notices an album of people in period dress from various eras, with a man who appears to be the professor in a simple robe. She's standing in the middle of the coils when suddenly, she experiences some odd sensations, falls annd gets the wind knocked out of her, and finds herself looking into the eyes of a gorgeous man who speaks oddmy & is in elaborate period dress...Tudor era/Elizabethan. He aids jer as he can, tells her what year she's in, & she recalls briefly seeinf the date, year, and location on the computer just before the odd sequence of events. She suddenly realizes she may be there for afmgrs. Since her interest is period costumes, she is familiar with details of history, suddenly realizing that for this era, she is practically naked. Thensuddenly, she feels herself beingnoulled, about to fall, & grasps the arms of the man who has helped her, & they both end up back in the 21st century.
The book focuses on her dreams, her issies with her mother, her relationships with her friends, trying to acclimate Edmund, the guy who got dragged back with her, to the 21st century. Theyre faces with several issues, not the least of which is the estate that needs his care back home.
The resolution to their difficulties comes inna rather unique fashion. As for the professor, she sees him return with some loot from the past, which he sells or keeps in his displays, hence the title.
This book is the 1st of 5.

[Carina Ezaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️/5⭐️

Ce mi-a plăcut
- A fost foarte amuzantă, mai ales la început. Am râs o grămadă. Un conte din secolul 16 care vorbește ca personajele lui Shakespeare, transportat în California secolului 21: nu ai cum să nu râzi 😂. Dar a fost și foarte cute, când Edmund se adresa mereu cu lady, mistress și alte titluri de genul.
- Personajele au fost simpatice, atât principale cât și secundare, chiar dacă puțin exagerate
- Se vede că autoarea a făcut ceva research în istoria secolului 16
- Mi-a plăcut că Halley era pasionată de istoria modei (subiect care mă pasionează și pe mine). Nu e genul de hobby pe care îl întâlnești prea des în cărți
- Mi-a plăcut finalul și modul în care s-a rezolvat totul, nu am prevăzut deloc
- Are capitole foarte scurte și se citește super ușor

Ce nu mi-a plăcut
- INSTA LOVE. Asta a cam stricat totul pentru mine. Mi s-a părut că relația dintre ei s-a construit destul de superficial și nu era foarte credibilă.
- Toată drama lui Halley mi s-a părut foarte exagerată, la fel ca și marele ei vis.
- Personajul negativ mi s-a părut foarte meh. Era foarte dubios, dar fără niciun fundal. Zici că era un om de știință nebun din desene animate
- Pe la final a început să mă plictisească, erau foarte multe pasaje care descriau călătoria în timp, pe care le cam citeam pe diagonală. Nu mă dau eu în vânt după detaliile științifice, dar pentru cei pasionați cred că ar fi interesant.

Per total o carte foarte amuzantă, perfectă pentru vară, dar și pentru cei cărora le place istoria. Am început-o pe plajă și mă simțeam ca și cum eram și eu în Santa Barbara, cu personajele 😂

[Carina Shephard · Rating 3 out of 5]

tl;dr- Overall, enjoyed the book, but the MC wasn’t relatable and due to the content level probably would not recommend it.

Things I Liked:
-The thing that struck me most was how well-researched this was. Edmund didn’t feel like a 21st century guy wearing odd clothes and saying “thee”s and “thou”s; he actually felt like the genuine 16th century deal.
-I liked the Danish expressions peppered through the book.


Things I Didn’t Like:
-Halley’s obsession with getting into the Disneyland club. I understand her wanting to find her father, but it seems like there are significantly cheaper and easier ways of doing so, with better results.
- The romance was basically insta-love and felt mostly based on appearance, I would’ve enjoyed it more if it wasn’t quite as shallow. Edmund has some good qualities, but not really sure what he sees in Halley. Personally I think he’s getting the short end of the relational stick.
-Would’ve liked to have seen more actual time travel? “A Thief in Time” was more of a romance book with a dash of time travel than it was a time travel book with a dash of romance.
-Didn’t relate to Halley

Content:
Sensuality: Medium. A fair amount of kissing. I skipped a few pages. Suggestive dialogue.
Language: Medium. Swearing is sprinkled throughout; however, no “harsh” profanities. Also there is quite a bit of places where characters swear but the actual words are not mentioned- “[insert character here] utters a long string of oaths” type of deal.
Violence: None/Mild. A few characters are Tasered and I think one gets shot?

[A Midnight Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice easy-going book in my opinion. I am a fan of YA romance novels, as well as have a fascination with the idea of Time Travel so this seemed the Ideal book.

What I liked: I liked the multiple narrator viewpoints. By having overlapping viewpoints on particular events, the reader has a chance to gain the wider perspective of the story and helps to build in imagery of the scenarios the characters are facing. As well, I thought the continuation of the differences in speech and mannerisms of Edward were well thought out and help to add a light historical side to this book.

What I didn’t like: For a book containing time-travel, I actually felt that there could’ve been more elements of time-travel that the reader could’ve read about. I also felt that the “Thief” element was underplayed and could’ve been explored and used more effectively. This, I felt, took away from the story, and made me feel less inclined to read the rest of the series.

Overall: nice book that was light hearted and easy to get into, but just didn’t connect with it as much as I have with other books of a similar story type.

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing! I've listened to some bad time travel fiction, and this was a pleasant surprise. I have to admit the opening section set in Southern California bored me, but fortunately it was all upwards from there. The standout for me was the sixteenth-century hero, who actually thought, acted, and SPOKE like a sixteenth-century man! He was neither too modern nor fake old-timey but convincingly out of his time. I liked that the heroine was a woman of color, but it was mentioned once and then nothing! I wanted the characters to discuss how such people lived in 1598 London versus 21st-century California, especially considering the interracial relationship of the central couple. The story definitely required some suspension of disbelief, but I know it's a fantasy. The idea that anything travelling through time is copied was novel, but how is the villain not duplicated then? Because he always returns to his own time? only things that permanently leave their time of origin are copied? I thought the heroine's longing for a relationship with her father was moving, and obviously I loved the hero. I'll be continuing the series.

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun time travel romance. Edmund and Halley were in my mind a lot. These two seemed to stay with me. I kept thinking about them on and off every day.
My complaint is the repetition. Halley has problems with her mother. Halley's feelings of not being loved by her mother causes her to say and do things that are annoying. I don't know what word to use. Her childishness and being so self centered on herself was annoying and she was mean at times and blamed it on her feeling so unloved. It becomes a bit much to read all throughout the story. I had to skip over a lot of her forever repeated emotions.
Edmund is from the past and needs to go back. Of course this causes them to feel heartbreak as they are falling in love.
Again, we understand this, but it seems to be repeatedly gone over again and again.
So I did some glancing past pages in this book to get on with the story.
Overall I enjoyed it though. I got this one as an e-book free through Book bub so unless I happen to get the next one in the series free, I won't be reading it.

[Cheri]

YA?

I'm wondering how we arrived at YA. I say this because of the words that are used in this book.
If its classified as YA I'm wondering what that age group would be.
I wouldn't think anyone under age of 17 and that might be a stretch.
We have a mixture of modern day language and mixture of old world language.
A lot of the words that were used must be exclusive to California such as places and street names also beaches? Or at least out West. I know we don't have those names in South or Midwest.
A lot of physics and science words that I'm not sure anyone that's not in advance science classes would even begin understand.
I can see why a pop up box came up asking if I wanted explanations/definitions.
Next some of the words used for clothing accessories etc....I myself have never heard of.
That being said, story line was good, it was wrote well and clean.
I just have doubts about the age group its targeted for and I believe quite a few adults would struggle with it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick review. I loved this! It's a breath of fresh air in the whole "time travel romance" genre, what with the mechanics of time travel in this one and the fact she's not sent back to 1598 for the book, but he's put in the 21st century. I don't think that gives away too much, either.

I'd definitely recommend if you enjoy those genres and like YA. (It's not obnoxiously YA or anything, but there's a big difference between YA and the adult romances.)

It's also nice that it's an English Elizabethan guy who's the "historical hunk" for a change. (I will re-state from my updates, I love the Scottish Highlanders, but it was such an oddly specific sub-genre that seems to dominate the time travel romances.)

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read “A Thief In Time” as part of a book club I participate in - I️ would not recommend. (I finished the book since it is the topic of discussion at our next meeting, but if I️ had been reading it independently, I️ would not have finished the novel.)

The characters and plot are surface level. Overall, the story features a lot of teenage angst and drama and predictable “time traveling romance” themes. Overall, I felt like it was hard to learn to love or hate the characters, particularly because they lacked layers or depth to keep them interesting.

In today’s day and age there are a wide variety of books available to us, and not enough time in the day. I would recommend investing your time in reading another piece.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thief in Time
Cidney Swanson

An intriguing must-read!

I chose to read this book based on its title and cover. I did not read any reviews or even the synopsis before I decided to read it. And I have to say that I am totally amazed at how much I loved it! I can definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for an amazing experience.

[Shalon Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Time Travel Story

Let me start by saying, I love time travel books and I have read a lot of them. This book was a lot of fun. Professor Khan made a great villain, Halley is the kind of girl most people would love to hang out with, and Edmund is ghost chilli hot. I take off one star because there is something, just some little thing, lacking that I can't put a finger on that kept me from being all that emotionally invested in this book. For a fun read though, I highly recommend.

[Carol Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read something good on my Kindle, and saw this author’s name and thought, “Cool! I like Cidney's writing. I’ll read this.” (I’ve read RIPPLER and SAVING MARS.) So I plunged right in and enjoyed a nice, lively, fun, and romantic read about time travel. The characters were great to hang out with, and although a couple things in the end happened a bit too easily, it was overall a satisfactory wrap-up that left a smile on my face. I also liked the twists/end results concerning Halley’s narcissistic mother and unknown father.

[Kristin L Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, captivating and held my interest to the end. There were a few surprising moments. I found myself laughing out loud a few times too.
It drove me nuts that the main character kept fantasizing a certain event. One event that happened in her past she let dictate her future choices. It kept ruining parts of her life and I just wanted to scream "get over it already!" I thought the revelation of that event was pretty funny and ironic.
I read the book within 24 hours because the story line was so good.
I purchased the second in the series within minutes of finishing this book.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light time travel story. Enjoyable although the author, Swanson, chose to reveal a significant truth without providing the reveal scene. We learn about the truth without getting the details of how Hallie learns this truth. Instead, we get the gist of it dribbled out in the aftermath. Since this truth CHANGES her life’s goal, I felt cheated. Others might be ok with this, but Swanson missed an opportunity to include heightened conflict and tension in the story. With that scene, I might have given this 4 stars.

[amanda_coffee_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this is amazing story and can't continue this story with the second book. So let's talk about A thief in time. I thought at first that Halley was all about herself but getting to know her in this story changed my mind. Halley is a young girl goes and does a house sitting job for her mother and ends up getting herself into a mess and ends up with a man from the 16 century. I love this story and can't wait for book two. Recommend this book.

[Geraldine Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully

Enjoyable!! First time reading from this author! I enjoyed the characters and the way the author kept Edmund in character. I have read many time travel stories and am surprised when the one traveling through time is not always surprised or confused at the things they see in the time they call into. Ms Swanson made the story more believable by how Edmund reacted to his surroundings.

[Kita · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression of the story wasn't great - I just couldn't get into Edmond's way of speech and it made it a little hard to follow on, but as we progressed further I fell more and more in love with both Edmond and Halley and by the end I knew that I would do anything for Halley to make her happy.

Halley had her problematic moments, but she is so desperate to be loved that, in my opinion, it's completely forgivable.

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this books. It took me a long period of time to read it because this was my book that I read when I travelled or found myself having to wait somewhere, however as travel has been very restricted over the past year, this book kept getting forgotten about. When I did pick it up to read, I had trouble putting it down.
I would consider reading more of this author's work and maybe I would re-read this one day.

[Keith Bornmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

Great story! It was clean, interesting, creative and satisfying. The author kept me listening all day.

The main character is a young woman whose mother is emotionally disconnected from her. She finds herself in a position to cover for her a one of her client’s home. While there, she discovers a time machine! She accidentally travels to 1598 and problems begin from there.

[Diane Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Thief in Time By Cidney Swanson

Three stars, ok little cute storyline.. Halley had some serious family issues, which affected her life.. House sitting at a time traveler professor which somehow brings back Edmund from the 1500's.. He is helping her get herself together.. But she treats him and her friends badly, trying not to be her mother but she acts like it.. There's a lots of blanks in this storyline including the ending.

[Paulette Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

I love time travel books and I love the one's that has the guy from the past coming to the present. This book had a bit to much technology just a bit to much. But everything else was perfect.. there was just the right amount of romance ,suspense and a little sadness. I'm going to get all that this author writes.