The Summer Solstice: A Hands of Time Novella

The Hands of Time #6.1

by Irina Shapiro

One careless moment. One impossible journey. One terrifying choice.

Nineteen-year-old Cory Hazard’s life is perfectly ordinary, until he finds a strange watch in a fitting room at work and, with one accidental touch, is hurled thousands of years back in time, to Ancient Egypt.

Alone and terrified, Cory finds shelter and hope in the community of Jewish slaves. But survival in this harsh ancient world means playing by rules he doesn’t understand, speaking a language he barely knows, and enduring physical hardships that push him to his breaking point.

As Cory fights for survival under the scorching desert sun, will he accept this new life, or find courage he never knew he possessed in a desperate gamble to return home?

A pulse-pounding tale of survival, identity, and the unbreakable will to return home. The perfect standalone adventure in the Hands of Time series for fans of Diana Gabaldon, Barbara Erskine, and Susanna Kearsley.

Readers love the Hands of Time

“Holy Cow! What an amazing book!! I can’t describe it. I could not put it down. Wow. I wish I could go back in time!! I read this book in 3 hours. I am on to the next book of the series!!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What an awesome story. I literally read it in one day. I couldn’t wait to see what happens. The characters were very likeable and the love triangle sizzled. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good time travel romance.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“If I could rate it higher I would… From beginning to end it sucked me in and I could not put it down. It was filled with history and romance. It made me happy and sad. It made me laugh and cry. It was an amazing story.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I swear I felt every emotion known to humans. This was a beautiful story.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Absolutely LOVED this book!… Very well written with characters that you feel like you have become friends with.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow... amazing story… I became so engrossed in the tale… The ups and downs that tell the story between these characters to the end is riveting.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Love this book!… This was a real page turner. Not your Hallmark love story. I couldn’t put it down.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A beautiful blend of history, mystery and romance! LOVE it!!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent… What a great story. Hate for to end... I don’t know how I’m gonna find another series to replace this one.” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Fabulous! One of the best time travel books I’ve ever read! Very satisfying and the characters are well developed. Love it!” Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“WOW!! Fabulous plot! Shapiro completely outdid herself.

Genres: Time Travel, Historical Fiction

87 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2025

About the author

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.

Follow me on BookBub for discount deals and new release alerts.

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/irina...

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining time travel listening ✨🤔🎧😯🎆

This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 1 of 3

Cory travels through time back to ancient Egypt where he spends three days.

I would recommend this series and author to readers of time travel adventure novels. 2024

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story about time travel....very entertaining.

[Robin Riha · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute!

This was a nice short that perfectly filled the space between longer books for me. Cory certainly learned a lot during his time travel experience. Teens and young adults today don’t seem to learn in school how a very short time ago kids their age were married and responsible for so much. Plus I love the little bit of history that was touched on in this novella. I wonder what year it was? I’d like to see more from Cory since now we know who has the watch.

[Janice A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cory's trip to/from Egypt

Ok, this explains what happened to the lost time travel bracelet but.... What does it have to do with the families living in colonial Jamestown and Williamsburg? What happened to them?

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story add-on to the Hands of Time series. When, in book 5 or 6 ( I don't remember) one of the main characters loses the time travel device whilst briefly in the 21st century for emergency surgery, it was inevitable someone would find it, and humans being what we are, finding something strange with so many buttons, that person was bound to press some. But a young man finding himself in Egypt whilst the pyramids were being built? And a blond blue eyed stranger who doesn't understand a word said to him and speaks in a strange tongue? Imagine how terrifying that would be! It's rather convenient that he happens to be Jewish and the Hebrew he learned as a child evidently hasn't changed much since the time the Jews were used as slaves in this ancient time and is given to a family willing to help him. I enjoyed it anyway. Because I could imagine the terror of this hapless young man and his resourcefulness in managing to get himself out, with the unwitting help of his new friends

[Karren Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started to read this after reading another book, The Passage, from the same author. I didn’t realise this was just a 50 odd page novella. It started quite oddly, he had already travelled back to Eygpt and the descriptions were very minimal.
I find this authors books sound quite exciting, with quirky ways of people getting to travel through time, but sadly I find the actual books fall a little flat. The premise is all there for an adventure but the story lines seem very basic, yes based on historical info as to how we know people lived at the time, but no frills, or thrills really. Almost like a history text book I guess.
I don’t think I will be bothering with anymore. I can’t even say that I am feeling any inclination to go on to the sequel to The Passage and find out what happened next really.

[Dona Garrettson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad to see the focus of this book because I was wondering what happened to the young man who found the time-clock by accident. Nice twists in the story, with a pretty accurate picture of what life was like for ordinary people (or semi-slaves) in the past. Too often, the stories we see are about the "upper classes" (which can vary according to time and location) of the time, and most of us would not have been "upper class" in most settings. A really harsh view of Egyptian life, but one suspects that Cory will appreciate his modern life more now.
(One good part about the Hands of Time series is the realization that even the upper classes faced strong restrictions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. For ordinary families (like Cameron and Jenny in Books 5 and 6), life was even more harsh.

[Evaleen M. Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It

I loved this story of Cory's adventure. What life was like in Egyptian days was veryveducational and interesting. Thank for this Novella. (I was wrong about tHe Broach books. Another author) I did read the four book series you wrote. I am sorry I go from one book to another and my Kindle doesn't really show titles to see every time you pick it up.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow on from the hands of time series, if you remember they lost the watch in a previous book, and this story is about the man that finds the watch and accidentally ends up in Egypt!! I LOVED IT. Although, I didn’t know Novellas weren’t normal sized books, so. I was a bit disappointed when the book ended just as I was just getting into it!

[Karen Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novella finishes Cory's story from the Hands of Time series. The vivid descriptions of the setting took me to ancient Egypt and provided a short history lesson on the building of the pyramids. It shows the difficulties of living with not even the bare basics and none of the home comforts he is used to in the 21st century.

[Lynn Runyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally!

Thank you so very much for letting us know what happened to Cory when he found himself in Egypt! What an absolutely brilliant story line... seem to even leave a bit of What Next as well!

[4366181840542896 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted more

It was just getting interesting when it ended. I was disappointed in the length. I know it's a novella, but, I wanted more.

[Treiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a great read.

I like her stories. Great read on a cold day. I wonder what will happen next for Cory and Scott. Kind of wish Cory took a different option at the end.

[Tialisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love these books. This one in particular didn't include the normal cast of characters but it was extremely thought provoking and informative.

[Wytzia Raspe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all timetravel is fun

You could end up a slave in a country without knowing the language.
The story has a huge Jewish cultural feel. Some of that was interesting to read.
A bit short.

[Noemie Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book so we'll written

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in time travel. I could not put this book down. It pulled me in from the first page.