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September 12, 2025
I need to preface this review with a disclaimer. This book is not, on its surface, a genre I frequently read. Not the time travel part, I read about as much of that as anyone, probably. Not the alternate history - the changes are minor enough that it’s basically modern fantasy, but set 375 years in the past. Not the strong female lead - again, I read about as much of that as anyone, certainly more than most men do. I don’t read a lot that’s romantic - and, yes, I’m carefully avoiding mislabeling this as romance, I recently got lectured - so I’m not necessarily the intended target audience. But I started a much earlier draft on a website that it’s no longer on, and I read the rather turbulent companion novel when it was published, and here we are. Reading it in advance, no doubt in part because I reviewed the companion novel.
Izzy’s story… were I asked for a single word to describe it, I think I’d go with “rich”. Rich in detail, rich in exuberance, rich in color, rich in characters. There’s a joie de vivre to the narrative that sweeps you along, even in the darker moments, a kind of grandeur of the pen, not in the sense of aristocracy, but almost as if the golden age of Hollywood were resurrected as a writing style. I don’t hear music when I’m reading, but it still somehow feels as if there was an orchestral soundtrack. It whirls you through the events of the story, and tugs you along with the protagonist’s outrage, her infatuation, her resolve, her defiance, her optimism.
It’s not a short read, but it feels like it is, because it rarely lets up. Even the protagonist’s moments of relaxation don’t let the reader escape to reality. I found myself wanting to scroll back to check on a name from time to time, but also reluctant to stop long enough to do so. And so, I didn’t. But there was never a time I remained perplexed. The context always emerged quickly, and I remembered without the retread.
Is the genre one I would have typically picked up? Maybe, but probably not. It could be considered historical fantasy, which I do read, but it isn’t really positioned as such. There’s some adventurous aspects, but the interpersonal elements dominate, and while I read a fair amount of heavy literature, it’s rarely the upbeat romp that this is. But having started, I was absolutely here for it.
There are times when I was concerned that this would be a retread, as it is concurrent with Anne’s story, but the intersections are never redundant. If anything, there remain parts of the story, here and there, that are not revealed through either character’s perspective. But this story is not over. It ends with a tease of a new adventure, and I’ll be honest, I’m already a bit frustrated at the wait ahead.
And, of course, that brings us to the companion novel. Read it. But read this first. Well, no, if you’re reading this before it comes out, read that first, you won’t really regret it, but I feel like some of the things I got because of Anne’s story would have been better as revelations reading that, then coming back and reading this again. Yeah, they’re like that. There’s a world of difference in the writing styles, but they each fit well with their focal protagonist. The details in each play off of each other, and there are so many of them. Not that you need to read both, but come on… why would you not?
Izzy’s story… were I asked for a single word to describe it, I think I’d go with “rich”. Rich in detail, rich in exuberance, rich in color, rich in characters. There’s a joie de vivre to the narrative that sweeps you along, even in the darker moments, a kind of grandeur of the pen, not in the sense of aristocracy, but almost as if the golden age of Hollywood were resurrected as a writing style. I don’t hear music when I’m reading, but it still somehow feels as if there was an orchestral soundtrack. It whirls you through the events of the story, and tugs you along with the protagonist’s outrage, her infatuation, her resolve, her defiance, her optimism.
It’s not a short read, but it feels like it is, because it rarely lets up. Even the protagonist’s moments of relaxation don’t let the reader escape to reality. I found myself wanting to scroll back to check on a name from time to time, but also reluctant to stop long enough to do so. And so, I didn’t. But there was never a time I remained perplexed. The context always emerged quickly, and I remembered without the retread.
Is the genre one I would have typically picked up? Maybe, but probably not. It could be considered historical fantasy, which I do read, but it isn’t really positioned as such. There’s some adventurous aspects, but the interpersonal elements dominate, and while I read a fair amount of heavy literature, it’s rarely the upbeat romp that this is. But having started, I was absolutely here for it.
There are times when I was concerned that this would be a retread, as it is concurrent with Anne’s story, but the intersections are never redundant. If anything, there remain parts of the story, here and there, that are not revealed through either character’s perspective. But this story is not over. It ends with a tease of a new adventure, and I’ll be honest, I’m already a bit frustrated at the wait ahead.
And, of course, that brings us to the companion novel. Read it. But read this first. Well, no, if you’re reading this before it comes out, read that first, you won’t really regret it, but I feel like some of the things I got because of Anne’s story would have been better as revelations reading that, then coming back and reading this again. Yeah, they’re like that. There’s a world of difference in the writing styles, but they each fit well with their focal protagonist. The details in each play off of each other, and there are so many of them. Not that you need to read both, but come on… why would you not?
December 28, 2025
I received this as an ARC from the author. All views expressed are my own.
Historical fantasy with significant levels of spice.
This was just a purely fun story to read!
I won’t pretend, there were some things that bothered me a little, which I’ll elaborate on later, but those are mostly attributable to personal tastes. Other than those, this was highly enjoyable and definitely makes me want to check out the other half of this story.
Things to know before we jump in:
This is a story told in parallel. We only get events from Izzy’s point of view, but Anne’s point of view is available and would likely shed some light on various questions you may have while you’re reading (I certainly have a few).
I, perhaps, would have benefited from what Yospe said at the end, that she wasn’t going for historical accuracy as such, but rather, historical plausibility. Because I definitely had some minor issues related to that while reading throughout.
That said! Let’s jump in.
Izzy is kidnapped by her sister, Anne, to go on a summer adventure. Fun, right? Except that Anne doesn’t tell her the part where it involves time travelling back to the 17th century. Hijinks ensue.
I’m not great with secondhand embarrassment, so I did have to put down the book from time to time, but other than that, Izzy navigates the 17th century reasonably well. It was both funny and fun to see her navigate the time as a Black woman who had very vocal opinions and a strong personality.
Also, if book boyfriends are your thing, Lieutenant Commander Coventry will absolutely be your thing. Like, really, you should read it just to check out this guy. Green flags all the way.
Yospe does a good job of making this lighthearted and interesting from beginning to end and, I have to admit, it was gratifying on multiple levels to see her put paid to a fair amount of the misogyny that was prevalent in that time, whether diplomatically or otherwise.
One of the more interesting/frustrating aspects of this was the fact that Izzy, or Lady Isabelle, had what I would call a layperson’s knowledge of the 17th century. Which is to say, not a lot. This made her, by turns, nonchalant or strongly firm takes on what was going on around her to be difficult to navigate, at times.
Here’s the thing. I love a good time travel story but I am also a firm believer that every small action you have can lead to massive changes thereafter. And the, ah, lackadaisical approach that Izzy took to that concept was very tricky for me to come to terms with at various points. Yes, nominally, it’s fairly isolated since they were at what would become Bermuda, but even so.
All in all, though, I’d recommend it to my more spice-loving, romantic type readers for sure.
Historical fantasy with significant levels of spice.
This was just a purely fun story to read!
I won’t pretend, there were some things that bothered me a little, which I’ll elaborate on later, but those are mostly attributable to personal tastes. Other than those, this was highly enjoyable and definitely makes me want to check out the other half of this story.
Things to know before we jump in:
This is a story told in parallel. We only get events from Izzy’s point of view, but Anne’s point of view is available and would likely shed some light on various questions you may have while you’re reading (I certainly have a few).
I, perhaps, would have benefited from what Yospe said at the end, that she wasn’t going for historical accuracy as such, but rather, historical plausibility. Because I definitely had some minor issues related to that while reading throughout.
That said! Let’s jump in.
Izzy is kidnapped by her sister, Anne, to go on a summer adventure. Fun, right? Except that Anne doesn’t tell her the part where it involves time travelling back to the 17th century. Hijinks ensue.
I’m not great with secondhand embarrassment, so I did have to put down the book from time to time, but other than that, Izzy navigates the 17th century reasonably well. It was both funny and fun to see her navigate the time as a Black woman who had very vocal opinions and a strong personality.
Also, if book boyfriends are your thing, Lieutenant Commander Coventry will absolutely be your thing. Like, really, you should read it just to check out this guy. Green flags all the way.
Yospe does a good job of making this lighthearted and interesting from beginning to end and, I have to admit, it was gratifying on multiple levels to see her put paid to a fair amount of the misogyny that was prevalent in that time, whether diplomatically or otherwise.
One of the more interesting/frustrating aspects of this was the fact that Izzy, or Lady Isabelle, had what I would call a layperson’s knowledge of the 17th century. Which is to say, not a lot. This made her, by turns, nonchalant or strongly firm takes on what was going on around her to be difficult to navigate, at times.
Here’s the thing. I love a good time travel story but I am also a firm believer that every small action you have can lead to massive changes thereafter. And the, ah, lackadaisical approach that Izzy took to that concept was very tricky for me to come to terms with at various points. Yes, nominally, it’s fairly isolated since they were at what would become Bermuda, but even so.
All in all, though, I’d recommend it to my more spice-loving, romantic type readers for sure.
October 27, 2025
Dealing with time travel can be tricky. There is always the possibility of either being heavy handed and preachy beating folx over the head with how messed up the past is for women, queer folx and people of the global majority. Or some authors ignore it entirely, fully coaching the story in the realm of fantasy asking the reader to ignore the injustices of the past and only consider the more superficial elements of the time period.
This story is very expertly balancing between the two. We see and understand Izzy's horror at discovering the intricacies of the 16th century from lack of sanitation and indoor plumbing to slavery. Once the shock of finding herself in a different time period and subsequently marooned in Bermuda when her sister Anne (the bitch captain) makes some interesting and dangerous choices. Izzy is able to adjust to her surroundings and bring small amounts of the liberties she's enjoyed as a woman from the 21st century to the 16th century nibbly skirting dreaded accusations of witchcraft.
Izzy dives headlong into a historical romance believing she would only have a week or two on the island. When her departure is delayed her growing fondness for Lieutenant Commander Coventry is truly beautiful to watch.
The only question I had left at the end was about the old family journals that Anne had on the ship. She tells Izzy to look at them that it's actually Izzy's handwriting in them implying that they were always meant to take this journey together. However, Izzy is too haunted by the idea and never looks at them. Even the few times she goes back to the ship and loots Anne's accumulated wealth and cargo. So we never find out what was written in the journals and if her actions change the course of history at all.
This book is also deliberately from Izzy's perspective in her story. However, there is also a version of the story from Anne's perspective which I'm very excited to dive into. Often with these types of books I find myself wondering what the other character is doing for those large swaths of time that we don't see them. And with this dual authored masterpiece we have that opportunity!
There is some open door spice though it doesn't take place until later in the book and is quite tasteful. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this time travel historical romance. While I don't know if it's happily ever after, because it is implied that there's another book in the works. But there is definitely a happy ending.
This story is very expertly balancing between the two. We see and understand Izzy's horror at discovering the intricacies of the 16th century from lack of sanitation and indoor plumbing to slavery. Once the shock of finding herself in a different time period and subsequently marooned in Bermuda when her sister Anne (the bitch captain) makes some interesting and dangerous choices. Izzy is able to adjust to her surroundings and bring small amounts of the liberties she's enjoyed as a woman from the 21st century to the 16th century nibbly skirting dreaded accusations of witchcraft.
Izzy dives headlong into a historical romance believing she would only have a week or two on the island. When her departure is delayed her growing fondness for Lieutenant Commander Coventry is truly beautiful to watch.
The only question I had left at the end was about the old family journals that Anne had on the ship. She tells Izzy to look at them that it's actually Izzy's handwriting in them implying that they were always meant to take this journey together. However, Izzy is too haunted by the idea and never looks at them. Even the few times she goes back to the ship and loots Anne's accumulated wealth and cargo. So we never find out what was written in the journals and if her actions change the course of history at all.
This book is also deliberately from Izzy's perspective in her story. However, there is also a version of the story from Anne's perspective which I'm very excited to dive into. Often with these types of books I find myself wondering what the other character is doing for those large swaths of time that we don't see them. And with this dual authored masterpiece we have that opportunity!
There is some open door spice though it doesn't take place until later in the book and is quite tasteful. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this time travel historical romance. While I don't know if it's happily ever after, because it is implied that there's another book in the works. But there is definitely a happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2025
This is SUCH a unique story in the best of ways. 21st century New England girl goes (slightly against her will) to the 17th century Bermuda and starts fixing everything she touches and falling in love with the highest ranking military hottie on the island, as one does. The locals are not use to lady’s like Izzy (black, fabulous, knowledgeable about handwashing) but they /mostly/ all come around to her charm (and money). There is action, lies, love, and the invention of the sandwich. What more could you ask for? This is a side-by-side story with Anne’s POV in a separate book, so there are things we just don’t know from Izzy’s side alone. But nothing that was so huge or annoying I felt I HAD to stop and go read the other book.
Izzy and Ian are so cute!! Very good communication considering their 300+ year time difference. I really love how Ian picked up saying things she taught him like “hi”. It felt like a secret code between the two of them. There were so many great side characters. The staff at the inn, the island upper class, various shop keepers, they all had life in them and served a purpose. I hope we see some of them again.
characters 4.5/5
This book is heftier than most romances at 600 pages, and each page is used to its full potential. There are a few more action/violent/intense scenes and the rest is honestly pretty cozy in the best way. The next book is well set up without feeling like I’ve been robbed of the ending of this story. There is enough historical detail to keep you wrapped up I in the world without being over the top and boring (or off putting for anyone who isn’t a history nerd). I forgive the use of the word corset instead of stays 😘
Story and writing 4.5/5
The yearning is here!! I’ve seen the author describe it as a fast love, slow burn story and that’s 100% what it is. It feels appropriate both for the time period and the characters. Despite Izzy basically begging Ian to just go on and have her he will not relent. It’s hilarious. But oh boy he does know how to treat a lady (eyebrow wiggle here). The build up is great and the pay off is worth it. I really can’t wait to see their relationship grow (and see what sexy times they get up to).
Spice 5/5
Izzy and Ian are so cute!! Very good communication considering their 300+ year time difference. I really love how Ian picked up saying things she taught him like “hi”. It felt like a secret code between the two of them. There were so many great side characters. The staff at the inn, the island upper class, various shop keepers, they all had life in them and served a purpose. I hope we see some of them again.
characters 4.5/5
This book is heftier than most romances at 600 pages, and each page is used to its full potential. There are a few more action/violent/intense scenes and the rest is honestly pretty cozy in the best way. The next book is well set up without feeling like I’ve been robbed of the ending of this story. There is enough historical detail to keep you wrapped up I in the world without being over the top and boring (or off putting for anyone who isn’t a history nerd). I forgive the use of the word corset instead of stays 😘
Story and writing 4.5/5
The yearning is here!! I’ve seen the author describe it as a fast love, slow burn story and that’s 100% what it is. It feels appropriate both for the time period and the characters. Despite Izzy basically begging Ian to just go on and have her he will not relent. It’s hilarious. But oh boy he does know how to treat a lady (eyebrow wiggle here). The build up is great and the pay off is worth it. I really can’t wait to see their relationship grow (and see what sexy times they get up to).
Spice 5/5
October 9, 2025
I really enjoyed this story. I love the time travel aspect and how Izzy was for all of it. She found ways to bring her life into the past and had an amazing romance. There were also some very spicy smutty scenes that were scattered throughout the story. Overall I would love another story from both Anne and Izzy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews