Merely A Matter of Time: A spellbinding enemies-to-lovers time time jump romance set in the Regency era

by June Harrington

They’ve accidentally travelled two centuries.
But will the Regency era turn rivalry into romance?

Lucy Bright and Francis de Montmort never intended to (literally) blow up their life’s work and get thrown back in time, but that’s what they’ve done. Now, trapped 200 years in the past with a broken time machine and potentially evil snuff box, the pair must navigate Regency society, including the ancestors of their present-day peers, without triggering a further catastrophic sequence of events.

However, a handful of overly-eligible daughters, a magically-enhanced horse race, and a demon in a cable-knit cardigan are complicating everything. It will require Lucy and Francis’s combined intellects to get them both home – and without breaking time itself. But even as they work towards that shared goal, a question arises. Can they maintain their carefully constructed composure as colleagues, or will their rivalry soften into romance? And will what happens in the past, stay in the past?

They must navigate danger, entitled dukes, and a dastardly snuff box. Welcome to high society and low shenanigans.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Time Travel, Fiction, Adult, Fantasy Romance

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 2, 2027

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the feeling of being alive.

June Harrington’s debut is a tour de force. Her writing channels both Brigitte Knightley and Alexandra Vasti. It’s beautifully descriptive and transportive; witty with the perfect mix of cheeky and clever; achingly human and tender and vulnerable.

Merely a Matter of Time is a period piece of a sort—it’s a serendipitous historical romance in the vein of Jane Austen, but make it magical and scientific and contemporary in how it reads. Laboratory explosion sends bickering colleagues to the 1800s and hijinks abound.

Harrington’s themes here mean so much more, though. I took emotional trauma straight to my chest over the beautiful impermanence of it all. It’s a story about love but also so much about time and what we do or don’t do with it; about missed connections that are actually, maybe, not missed much at all, in the end.

About now and tomorrow and yesterday and two hundred years ago and forever.

You will fall in love with Lucy and Francis from chapter one. And the journey you’ll go on, with them? Extraordinary.

also:
🧤 fake relationship but make it siblings
👒 pining, patient, persistent love that follows and waits
🏠 a perfect prattish prince of an MMC with a shit-eating grin and a penchant for flirting
🍏 brilliant idiots, idioting in love
🕰️ maddeningly perfect, soft, glorious hair (his)
👗 he unties her stays
🍓 “there’s only ever one moment”
🌧️ ILY but make it “I hate you”
🧺 found family that lasts lifetimes
🐦‍⬛ humor speckled with innuendo
🐎 accidents, but make it serendipity
🪲 bugs and beetles and frogs and crows
🧪 copper and verdigris
🦢 Dearly Beloathed meets Emily Wilde meets Jane Austen
🛶 the rain of 2005 P&P & wet linen of 1995 P&P but make it Sense & Sensibility coded

Quite literally everything about this story works, brilliantly—from chapters in the present-past to flashbacks (forward?) that will make you ache and cry happy (sad?) tears.

All the stars. One of the best books I have ever read. Go preorder it, please.

Thank you Tor / Wildthorn for publishing this, and letting me read it early. (& being the first to review it?? so cool.)

[Courtney « semi-ia dealing with health nonsense »]

Another Dramione trad publication. This one started as Love and Other Historical Accidents. That one was always on my TBR and I never got around to it so I'm going to just read the trad pub and see how that feels. I need it to not flop as hard as Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

[silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis de Montmort is the only man ever

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How ironic that a book about time travel should leave me feeling completely disoriented upon finishing; I was so absorbed in every facet of this story that the outside world no longer existed. The science and magic of time travel were so flawlessly incorporated into the worldbuilding that it only seemed natural (you could not convince me that it's not accurate). The dichotomy of settings in both modern day and early 1800s, provided so many opportunities for period appropriate jokes and banter. To go from, "He was tall, dark, and eating a donut." to, "He did a lot of things like poetry. Especially when the occasion called for sensible prose." requires a precise melding of humor and depth.

While Francis and Lucy embody "two idiots in love", their years-long friendship and partnership is evident in their synchronicity and wordless communication. The side characters are wonderful, and by the end I was fully endeared to them all. Martin and Grix are my favorites, for reasons I shall not disclose to avoid spoiling anything. Suffice it to say: each character provides the scaffolding and the optimal conditions for their romance to bloom at preciously the right moment.

I cannot recommend this book enough. The writing is beautiful, the romance slow but inevitable, the humor impeccably timed, and the details immaculately crafted. Come for the accidental time travel, and stay for the opportunity to escape from our world into one that is infinitely better.

Merely a Matter of Time releases on February 2, 2027. Thank you Tor/ Wildthorn for gifting me with an eARC (via Netgalley), all thoughts expressed are my own.

[Brenda]

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what all other rom-coms wish they could be. Witty, endearing, and of course, magical.

I'm not really sure how to describe my experience reading this book, other than pure elation. It ignited a spark that has only been struck a few times in the past, usually by the well-known culprits such as How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. That warm, buzzy, soul-scorching feeling that makes me think maybe love really is just around the corner, if only we're willing to go barreling around it and straight into a hot man holding coffee and a redeemable amount of emotional intelligence.

The chemistry (literal and metaphorical) flew off the page. Mix reluctant co-workers with sharp retorts, sarcasm, impressive alternative world pseudo-science, and the Regency era, and you create an addictive story that it is physically impossible to put down. I honestly don't want to say much more, as I think it is truly a story you must experience with little pre-knowledge to enjoy it's full, timeline-sweeping effect.

Every single element of this book sang, as I now do it's praises.

Perfect for lovers of:
- 2000s rom-com-worthy yearning
- Magical mishaps
- Regency era-vibes
- Time travel and all its reprecussions, both sincere and silly

All in all, unknowingly requited love remains on top of the trope pyramid, as does June Harrington reign in regard to my new favorite authors!

Thank you to Wildthorn & NetGalley for the ARC! :)

[RavenCantRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merely a Matter of Time

A fun, whimsical and romantic swoon fest full of yearning and miscommunication!

I am a fan of the authors previous online works so I was very excited to read this novel and enjoyed it so much!

Historical romance and I don’t always get along because of the historical nature of it aka the men are usually very misogynistic and get on my nerves and never deserve the women that love them. However, because this is a contemporary romance that’s been sent back in time, we get the most respectful and kind yearner of a man in Francis. I just absolutely fell in love with him.

Lucy, however, does drive me a bit nuts in her refusal to ever have an actual productive conversation about anything outside of their work and the miscommunication in this book drove me CRAZY!!! Did I still love it? Did I still eat it up in the end? Of course, absolutely I did. But in the moment I was pulling my HAIR OUT! If I go bald, I place full blame on Lucy.

The writing style is so fun and flowery, reminiscent of India Holton and and Brigette Knightly, that is to say it might not be for everyone but I loved it!

Thanks Tor/Wildthorn for the e-arc, all opinions are my own!

[tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

right so I cried at the end

[Alicia - midnightmomreader · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Review of an advanced readers copy from Netgalley!

Oh the yearnnnniiiiinnnnngggggg. 🫠😍🤩 What a delightful little read. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this ARC. Still one of the best love confessions!

[Katie Pint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apologies in advance for this absolute ramble. I couldn’t wait to collect coherent thoughts before screaming from the rooftops about this absolute perfection of a novel!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early release.

Holy Moses, I don’t even know how to articulate my thoughts on this book. I inhaled it in 2 days (which is fast for a mother who works full time!) This book for me was the elusive unicorn; that feeling that every reader chases of being completely consumed by a story that they forget they are even reading. Every moment I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.
Every character, even the minor ones, felt fully fleshed out and had a necessary role in the plot’s progression. The writing was so seamless - I can’t say this enough - that I became fully absorbed, transported into the story - and intelligent, heartfelt, and funny. So often a scholarly romance falls flat with the intellectual bits, or otherwise shares too much detail to remain captivating. This one straddles that line perfectly. Did I understand every term? No, but there were enough context clues that I never felt like I had to think on the interpretation.
I adored every relationship and character. I loved that there was conflict without a villain; that more or less everyone was a decent person trying their best to live a good life. Difficult decisions were made with consideration, mistakes were owned up to, everyone communicated well with the information they had. It was incredibly refreshing! Particularly Lucy and Ned’s separation. How often in life does a loving relationship simply run its course? More often than not, in my opinion, and being able to feel the love and grief from both of them was heartbreaking in the best way. Martin (Martin!) and Grix have my whole heart! William and Daphne gave me butterflies. Edward was a true, good man - his acceptance of the situation and his final words to Lucy (that if things had been different, he would have loved to make her happy) made me swoon. Being with the Honeyfields reminded me so much of my own family that I found myself tearing up at their goodbyes (which I rarely do while reading). The familial relationships, personalities of each member, and the love they all shared was palpable.
And then there was Lucy and Francis. I genuinely cannot form my thoughts about them. I’m truly overwhelmed by the feeling they have coaxed out of me. My heart feels full and hopeful and they reminded of the magical moments when love is finally shared in the open. When everything glows and you can’t wipe the smile off your face. What brilliantly written characters! Their history, and the progression from rivals to friends to lovers was perfection. Looking at Francis through Lucy’s eyes after finding out he has always loved her felt like my own discovery. How many times have I looked back on situations after a revelation with new perspective? Lucy was so utterly relatable and flawed while still being nothing but admirable. Francis…I can’t even. We have all known a Francis and it was so rewarding to witness, as Lucy put it (paraphrasing), the boy rung out of the man. Her admission that it had to have all happened the way it did for them to end up there was a reminder I need often. Sometimes pain is unavoidable on the path to what is meant to be.

Maybe if I waited to write this it would have been more coherent and organized, but I couldn’t stand to share my thoughts with any less feeling that I had directly upon finishing. I wanted it to keep going and going and going, but it truly ended perfectly. I can count on my hands the number of 5 stars I’ve given and this was an EASY 5 stars for me. I will absolutely be looking for more works from June Harrington! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early. I will carry this story and its characters with me for quite some time.

[Carrie Everette (a_spine_line) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! A HOT NEW BOMBSHELL (for favorite book of all time) HAS ENTERED THE VILLA! If you think I can be short with this review, you would be wrong 🙃

June Harrington is one of those debut authors whose stories need to be told. Her writing is exquisite. I am half convinced she HERSELF invented time travel and she is actually Jane Austen masquerading as someone else. If you love Brigitte Knightley's brand of hilarious witty banter and slow burn idiots-in-love, then inject this book into your veins (also, if BK gave us Onion Boy, Harrington gives us Strawberry Boy™️).

In Merely a Matter of Time, Lucy and Francis are research partners who inadvertently find themselves thrown back 200 years to 1810. Stuck in the past while puzzling through how to get home, they meet a variety of loveable characters--and work through their tenuous feelings for each other. Honestly I thought I would expire from so many swoon worthy moments. Between their miscommunications and desperate mutual yearning I felt like I'd put my heart in a blender (compliment). This story has such heart...and the theme work. WOW. There's so many gorgeous ideas about life, and whether our paths are the result of merely choice, or destiny.

Harrington has taken great care with the world building in this story. The magic system is unique and well thought-out. There are some cinematic scenes involving magic that I'd give anything to see on the big screen. I will say, there is a lot of science jargon especially in the first chapter--but do not be intimidated! Think Project Hail Mary. As long as you understand the basic concept of what they're doing (going back in time), you don't need to get bogged down in the science-y details.

Harrington also expertly weaves in several flashbacks that show SO MUCH about our characters in only a few pages. It's masterful. Also, her characters feel SO REAL. The problems and relationships described in this story are why people read literature. I adored Lucy. My little control freak who guards her heart so closely. I loved watching her heal and lean into the uncertainty of love. Also, Martin. I couldn't help but smile when he was on the page. I actually need him to follow me around in my real life and say encouraging things like 'splendid! What a folly you've all made!' to me.

...and my favorite. Francis de Montmort. This glasses-wearning, french-speaking ROMANTIC. Oh my gosh the pompiest MMC who is so gone for Lucy. He stole my heart from Chapter 1. He is up there in the yearner hall of fame; think Mr. Darcy levels of pining. His longing also is made even more delicious with the backdrop the regency era--because this really is a modern romance with all the swoon-worthy elements of historical romance. We have Francis helping Lucy with her stays, declarations of intent in the pouring rain (AGAIN DID I SAY MR. DARCY!?), subtle touches, chivalry, picnics, horses, candlelit dinners...need I go on!? If you are a romance reader, this is an absolute MUST read.

Merely a Matter of Time publishes next year on 2/27/27! Thank you again for the opportunity to read prior to publication. All opinions are my own.

[Rebekah W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I think about my perfect ingredients for a comfort read, it's equal parts impeccable plot and storytelling, distinctive, compelling characters, a hard-won payoff, a romance that spans days, years, eras, and dimensions, gorgeous prose that feels like a modern day classic, and jokes full of wit, charm, and sexual innuendo. Merely a Matter of Time isn't Merely a Debut Romance Novel by June Harrington. It's isn't Merely a Perfect Novel. It isn't Merely my Personal Catnip. It's Everything.

I devoured this book the moment it was in my hands despite being in the middle of some hideous plague. Being sick had nothing on my ability and will to inhale Merely a Matter of Time. Historical Romance has become one of my favorite genres, and the idea of a contemporary fantasy romance (because there has to be a little bit of magic to time travel in a wormhole, probably?) where the main characters accidentally go back in time to the early 1800s makes for the most impeccable plot. The situational hijinks of contemporary characters in the past worried about effecting the future is just… so insanely silly in the perfect way. “You’re wearing ye olde pyjamas.”

Now let’s talk about my loves. Lucy Bright is, to be incredibly corny, a star. She’s compassionate and empathetic and hyper-competent. She fucking conquers time travel (or half of time travel). She’s just so damn perceptive but also a total fucking idiot. I love her. And John Francis Fitzalan de Montmort is just like his name, pretentious, long (shaped), and pure camp. A modern and regency era rake. With an sublayer of the most tortured yearning of all time. He’s the definition of he fell first. June says it better, “He had an aura of untouchable superiority, paired with profound unconcern about his own excellence.” These two are just profoundly perfect together, and I won’t go any further on this because you should experience their chaos spoiler free.

Some hyper specific tropes you’re going to encounter in Merely a Matter of Time:

🦢 I said this but I must reiterate that HE falls first, in every timeline
🦡 A slow burn that spans decades, centuries
🐷 Taylor Swift level of masterful easter eggs. The he shouldn’t go to France altered my brain chemistry.
🐀 (pretend that’s a mole) Compelling, perfect side characters. Martin & Grix are everything to me.
🐬 Verbal assault as a form of foreplay
🦢 Fisticuffs for honor
🦡 Accidental regency era historical romance
🐷 Enemies to rivals to partners to lovers
🐀 The two most observant characters of all time being totally incapable of self reflection, communication, or reason (aka idiots in love)
🐬 Is this science or is this made up? I'm too stupid to know
🦢 Actual bombs instead of love bombs
🦡 Readers in ovulation phase beware: he’s very good with kids

TLDR: If you told me June Harrington was one of the greats of the histrom genre (think Loretta Chase), or a time traveling classic novelist who wanted to land in 2026 because it’s easier for women to write romance novels with sexual innuendos (think Brontë’s or Austen), I wouldn’t bat an eye. MAMOT is a perfect book that is going directly into my top 5 comfort reads of all time. A book to be read and reread, by everyone, everywhere, all the time.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I read the eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

This is an unbelievably good time travel romance. I ADORED this so much. Lucy and Francis are great characters and their chemistry together is fantastic. The wider cast of characters were memorable and at times genuinely funny. I really liked William and Cassandra - and of course Professor Martin and Grix.

I think I very much appreciated the back and forth of timelines, seeing those moments in their history that make the romantic tension between them entirely believable. Francis is a man drowning in desire and yearning and I loved watching it.

The magic system is robust and there are paragraphs where the explanations are kind of obtuse, but I think I grasped the whole of it by the end. The overall setting is also fun - a magical version of England where magicians and alchemy have always existed is a great way to make this kind of story work.

My only wish is I would have liked to see what happens Next in this tale. It’s quite open ended at the end, which makes sense, but I would have enjoyed seeing more of this story play out upon the page.

-

As for other matters, yes I’m aware of what this was before it became a published novel, but I do believe in my heart that this can easily stand away from its first iteration. It certainly feels like it could exist in that place, but it also feels separated enough that it can be its own thing, quite healthily. If the publisher keeps up the current marketing with this book, it will be a benefit to this novel to divorce it from its origins. It doesn’t need its past to stand on its own legs.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

June Harrington’s Merely a Matter of Time is a cozy romcom with a whirlwind of time travel. We start at modern magical London and end up in the 1800’s.
The shenanigans, the angst, the drama. Gosh this book has it all. But wait my most favorite of favorite things: THE BANTER. Y’all the banter in this book is by far the best I’ve read in years.

So let’s see we have:

✅ Slow Burn
✅ All of the banter
✅ Rivals to colleagues to lovers
✅ DILF moments 🥵(he’s just the babysitter but 🪭)
✅ Found family
✅ Idiots in love

We have all these amazing things AND well wrote with great depth side characters too! There’s a particular tiny terror named James that holds my heart.

The way Harrington wrote our main characters Lucy and Francis. There were times I wanted to throttle Lucy, times I wanted to smack Francis upside the head, times where I wanted to give them gigantic hugs, these characters were so relatable. The chemistry? Off the charts. Again shall I bring up the banter? The writing itself is lyrical and hilarious. We have some classic P&P writing, I mean we have quotes like this: “Desiring him was a form of self-harm. He’d make an exquisite injury.” I mean swoon?

The story revolves around Lucy and Francis who work together on a time travel device. They accidentally send themselves to the 1800’s. While there they get into all kind of hijinks and drama trying to get home.

A fabulously great time! I cannot recommend this enough! Thank you to Tor/ Wildthorn and NetGalley for the arc.

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to travel backwards a week and meet this book for the first time again. You know that feeling at the end of a good book where you pick it right back up and reread bits immediately? "Merely a Matter of Time" caught me exactly like that.

Lucy and Francis, colleagues in a temporal research department in a magical museum's basement, have hurtled back two hundred years. They've got mud, mayhem, bonnets, and social calls ahead of them in the past while they try to figure out how to get home. Not only is the world-building lovely, but "Merely a Matter of Time" truly shines through the characters. After falling through time, Lucy and Francis are immediately embraced by the community they find themselves in. I fell as much in love with the side characters as I did with Lucy and Francis—especially Martin and Grix.

Add to all of that the gorgeous prose. The story would have always swept me up, I think, but the language? Ah, that made me fall in love. June Harrington knows her way around a phrase. Banter is all the richer for how beautifully the scenes are painted. And make no mistake: this banter is excellent. These two are clever, playful, and flirty. I dare any reader to not be at least a little charmed by the back-and-forth between Lucy and Francis.

It's a witty, wonderful love story that reminded me in the best ways of all the fun I had years ago reading Connie Willis's "To Say Nothing of the Dog." I can't wait for this book to come out so that I can curl up in a chair on a cool winter's day and fall in love with it all over again.

Brilliant.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start. Jen and Rebekah recommended this book SO hard that I was like: ok I’ll request it. Surely I won’t get approved.
Wrong.
Went into this almost entirely blind except for: peak yearning alerts.
What ensued can only be described as a flash in the pan 24 hours of magical book consumption. I was consumed by the book. I devoured the book.
I was dreaming about the book when I wasn’t reading. (See: the 5.5 hours of sleep my brain permitted)
This book jumps from present times, to earlier in the characters lives, to centuries prior, without ever leaving you confused about “when” you are.
The reluctant professionalism in the face of what is very clearly two people who are in orbit of each other romantically, but totally out of sync was so excellently done.
The angst. Shakespearean tragedy levels.
The yearning: Mr. Darcy, who?
An entirely different relationship to the main characters making you ALSO angst riddled and tearful? How?
June Harrington’s prose is absolutely delectable.
The pacing of this story is utter perfection.
The side cast of characters - I would die for them.
If you love historical romance this is for you.
If you love time travel - this is for you.
If you love intricate magical/ scientific systems that will bamboozle you - this is for you.
Oh and I had to bite my blanket to stop from laughing bout loud 40% of the time.
Brilliant.

[Maggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I loved this book!! It was so incredibly magical and cosy and the world building/magic building was so interesting. I love how we get little insights into Francis and Lucy's history and the way it shows how much they mean and have meant to each other for so long. I am so obsessed with their connection and their friendship (and I love how they started out as academic rivals :)). We love a man who falls first and hard and though it's single POV (tragic!), the pining and yearning is immaculate. Like, there is nothing better in a friends to lovers romance than that.
Not only was I swooning, but I was giggling and laughing so much. There was the fact that they were obviously not from that time, which caused some funny moments, or accidental moments had me kicking my feet for what was to come (you'll understand), and there was so much banter all around.
I absolutely LOVE all the side characters btw, especially Grix and Martin. They added so much character and fun to the story!
And I really like the time travelling and how that is explained and worked out, aside from the other magical and technological aspects. It's exactly how I love time travelling stories to play out!

Oh and I'll convince you with two words to read this: sleepy groping. Amazing.

Thank you Tor Books for the ARC!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing, for the ARC of this book.

I am absolutely in love with this book. It took a brief moment at the beginning to wrap my head around the world where these characters live, but I quickly realized how much I adored Lucy and Francis, not to mention the sweet, mischievous, funny, brilliant supporting characters. I also really loved June Harrington's writing. When a book makes me pause to reread a sentence or a section simply because the language is so beautiful or so wonderfully describes something, I am reminded of the joy of reading. Merely a Matter of Time had me remembering that every few chapters. It is truly just a lovely story with so much delicious yearning.

Lucy and Francis are time travel researchers who have worked together since university trying to stabilize their proposed method which combines science and magic. When their test accidentally sends them back 200 years, they struggle with social norms of the early 19th century, as well as the feelings they've both kept buried for as long as they've known each other. A horserace, a few frilly bonnets, and a wily elderly cousin may help tear down walls, but neither science nor magic can alter the course of true love.

[Amber McIntire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. What a breathtaking book. To start, the writing was impeccable. Smart, witty, well-formed, and stunning. Every word choice was deliberate and charged with emotion, it was a genuine privilege to read.

I knew before the first chapter was over that this was going to be a five star read. The characters immediately pulled me in and had me rooting for them and also, ripping my hair out. Lucy and Francis have the sweetest friendship and most lovely on page chemistry, it was aching at times because their emotions felt so real.

This was the slowest of burns done incredibly well. There wasn't a single aspect of it that felt rushed or forced. The picture that gets painted takes you back to 1810 England in the most luscious, beautiful setting. It was like I stepped into an Austen movie

I didn't want this book to end, I laughed, and cried and then cried some more. I know this will be a book that I will recommend over and over. That being said, infinity and a half stars, highly recommend. It was so lovely.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor publishing group for the eARC, it was an honor to get to read this book early, all opinions are my own!

[00jess00 · Rating 5 out of 5]

June Harrington’s Merely a Matter of Time gives “right person, wrong time” a whole new meaning.

Lucy Bright and Francis de Montmort are arcane researchers experimenting with the concept of time. A laboratory accident sets them on a journey that is both heartwarming and hysterical. An adventure dosed with an extra helping of banter, miscommunication, and yearning.

All of Harrington’s characters are so endearing and loveable. I couldn’t help but have a soft spot for each of them. Lucy and Francis’ relationship is a slow-burn that sparks and ignites. Harrington intricately weaves in bits of the past through their (new) present, carefully crafting the bond that ties these two together. The fondness of Cousin Martin and Grix had me feeling like I was family too.

This was a really fun read that was beautifully written; poetic prose and crafted comedy. I had so many highlights reading this. It was hard to choose my favourite quotes. Among the many:

“Desiring him was a form of self-harm. He’d make an exquisite injury.”

“If hunger was adequate proof of love, I would starve at your alter”.

Thank you to June Harrington, Wildthorn, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

[illiterateaura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming read.

This felt almost like a portal fantasy, because I was completely transported to 1810s Derbyshire: the countryside horse rides, picnics, and manors were wonderfully described.

Lucy was an intelligent and sincere main character. I adored her dynamic with Francis, who felt similar to Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle (vain, flirty, and competent). Lucy and Francis’s personalities played off of each other beautifully, and their banter was excellent.

In fact, the whole cast of characters was delightful. Martin and Grix were favorites of mine, in particular.

I’m not usually one for time travel novels, but this one was well-executed. The prose was witty and humorous. The flashbacks provide enough background information without disrupting the main narrative, although I could’ve done with fewer in-depth academic descriptions. After a certain point, they started to distract me from the heart of the story.

MERELY A MATTER OF TIME is perfect for readers looking for a slow burn, cozy romance with lots of banter and yearning.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the free eARC.

[ChrissyKReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect debut 😭

I loved EVERYTHING about Merely a Matter of Time.

Lucy and Francis have palpable chemistry. Their romance developing while searching for a solution to their time traveling mishap was so sweet and had me screaming "JUST TELL HIM ALREADY".

The time traveling gave me the spinnies, but made for such a beautiful story!

The found family was incredibly heartwarming. The side characters were charming. Highly highly recommend. I just finished and feel like my heart is full of a ball of light 😂😂 This will be a new comfort read!

🦢 slow burn
🍓 academic rivals to friends to lovers
🫖 time travel (don't think too hard)
🦢 found family (you will cry)
🍓 regency time period (bonnets)

Thanks to Tor/Wildthorn for an eARC 🫶

[mrsbluestocking · Rating 5 out of 5]

June Harrington is an absolute FORCE to be reckoned with. This debut encompassed everything that I enjoy about reading, beautifully wrapped up in a pink satin bow.

There is nothing I love more than when I can discern an author's voice across the pages of their own story. Harrington's voice is witty, descriptive, and lyrical. It felt like I was plopped right into 1810 alongside Lucy and Francis.

Lucy and Francis are STELLAR. The yearning and ache between these two were palpable through the page. The slow burn, the He Falls First, the utter RESTRAINT THIS MAN POSSESSES.

This debut is going to be so hard to top. It is whimsy and magic at its best. I laughed, I cried, I YEARNEDDDD for our characters. Ending this review with one (of MANY) of my favorite quotes:

“There’s only you.”

[aishareadstoomuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merely a Matter of Time
June Harrington


Two smart colleagues who work in a dingy lab trying to figure out how to time travel safely, but end up ‘blown up’ and sent back in time to the 1800s? Sign me UP.

Lucy and Francis have history, you know that one boy that was a prat in school– yea that’s Franics. Lucy, she’s the SWOT, so of COURSE they end up researching and working together as adults.

Their banter is A+ so of obviously when they get thrown into the past and end up at a garden wedding their competitive attitudes forces them into a fake sibling relationship. Everyone in Derbyshire loves them and their ‘quick’ reconnaissance to fix their time travelling device gets upended.

Enter dinner parties, fake cousins that seem to know more than they're letting on, ancestors of people they know in their timeline AND the funniest miscommunication you’ll ever read.

June gives us snippets of their past life in between their present predicament and every memory gives you history, yearning, and ANGST that may make you cry.

This was an amazing debut book. The humour alone should lock you in. The intelligence of the FMC and MMC makes you want to open a book on time travel and the yearning just pulls at your heartstrings.

If you’re a lover of:
⏳Time Travel
👫Rivals - Colleagues - Lovers
🐌Slow Burn
🗝️A lil HisRom setting

This book is soooo for you and you should go pre-order it ASAP. Oh, and grab some strawberries to munch on while you google what a snuff box looks like. IYKYK.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Tor Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC!

[Morgan Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75🌟
This was such a witty and fun read! I went in blind and totally loved it - magic and regency vibes?!? Yes pls! The writing style reminded me of The irresistible urge to fall for your enemy, which i loved.

The banter and hijinx was everything I wanted and never knew I needed! We have two brillant rival to best friends arcane scientists who end up time traveling to the 1800s for the absolute best summer in the British country regency vibes. While brilliant, our MCs Lucy and Francis, may be the world's worst communicators and are blind to eachothers affections, hilarity ensues. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, Tor and netgalley for this arc opportunity!

[Jane (a.rogue.librarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

full review to come.

Wow this book was EVERYTHING. The perfect historical romance for those who love wit, banter and YEARNING. I'm telling you, Francis and Lucy were some of my favorite characters I've ever read about. June's writing was so beautiful and fun and witty. I found myself highlighting so many lines, it felt like I was highlighting the whole book. I laughed, I cried. My fingers tingled with all the anticipation and YEARNINGGGG. A magical time traveling story set in 19th century England? say less.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sweet book - I would classify this as a historic fiction with a dash of romantasy. Throw in some enemies to loves, fake siblings and you've got yourself a really lovely book about Lucy and Francis. They have known each other most of their lives, and work together and after an accident in their laboratory get transported into the 19th century where magic exists. I love the world that June Harrington created - the ye olde descriptions with a pinch of magic. I wanted to shake Lucy a few times (#iykyk) but overall the story was very well written.

[KrstyCrgr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merely a Matter of Time is the melding of two academic minds, a dash of the otherworldly, and time travel to the Regency Era, making for one whip-smart adventure. June Harrington’s writing is for readers who want it all: science, protoscience, magic, romance, regret, historical settings, escapades, and threats of a paradox. Merely a Matter of Time is a comprehensive guide to my literary wish fulfillment.

[kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was remarkable.

I finished this book over a week ago and still struggle to articulate how intensely I love it. June Harrington is the master of yearning and will undoubtedly be the next big writer of our time. She has the incredibly rare ability to so seamlessly interweave the deepest emotions with comedic relief. Her banter is unmatched, and the way she writes pining has me actively clutching my chest while reading. This story actually, genuinely changed my life.

Francis is undoubtedly THE book boyfriend of our time. The side characters in this story are so ridiculously beautifully fleshed out that I can hardly pick a favorite (OK, fine, cousin Martin, but Ned is a close second), and Lucy is the kind of main character whose actions perfectly fit her character development, even when they have you screaming at the book.

I love this world, its magic, its people, and its themes. The love confession is the most intensely romantic thing I have ever and probably will ever read. An exquisite read from beginning to end, written for those willing to suffer just a bit for their happy endings.

[Anna-Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect.

—

This was better than I even expected, and I had high expectations.

Time-travel done in ways that not only make sense, but question the fallacies. An amazing romance. Rich and interesting characters. Well-paced in all departments. The prose is tight and beautiful.

Also, Martin and Grix are divine and deserve the world.