Renaissance Faire

Dall and Emily #1

by Jane Stain

When a handsome highlander calls Emily up on stage at the faire for some Scottish dancing, the butterflies in her stomach are not from stage fright!

Jane Stain's Druid series continues with more about the MacGregor Clan!
Druid Magic
Celtic Druids
Druid Dagger
Druid History
Druid Defeat

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Time Travel, Historical Romance, Historical, Fantasy

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2015

About the author

Jane was an actor at Paramount Ranch, California in 1988, doing the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire.

Los Angeles is her home town.

She is in her fifties and has been influenced by the writing of Diana Gabaldon, Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, and many more great authors.

Jane Stain is a pen name.

Reviews

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 1 out of 5]

kindle unlimited, be forewarned, the 'prequel' mentioned at top of listings is actually excerpt of book 1/partial excerpt, and the 1-18 is same book/s, serialized down to 30-40 or so pages each, for those of you, like me, who do not have the wish nor intention to read the same thing over and over, except with added issues of having kindle crash repeatedly with serials as they will with the 1-18 listed.

typo-s, ridiculously stupid and lame, plot holes bigger that whole universe, goofy nonsensical 'clean romance' with such repeated such dreck as 'wet kisses' that sound positively disgusting unless someone is into animals licking you on your mouth.


RenFaire Druids: Dunskey Castle Prequels (Druids Bidding Book 1)
Renaissance Faire: Kilts, Scotland, Highlands, Castle, and Return (Dall and Emily Book 1)
Renaissance Festival: Clans, Gaelic, MacGregors, Warriors, Loch, and Scots (Dall and Emily #2)
Renaissance Man: Scottish Time Travel Romance (Dall and Emily #3)

Kilts (Renaissance Fair #1)
Highlander (Renaissance Fair #2)
Scotland (Renaissance Fair #3)
Highlands (Renaissance Fair #4)
Castle (Renaissance Fair #5)
Return (Renaissance Fair #6)
Clans (Renaissance Fair #7)
Gaelic (Renaissance Fair #8)
MacGregors (Renaissance Fair #9)
Warriors (Renaissance Fair #10)
Loch (Renaissance Fair #11)
Scots (Renaissance Fair #12)
Vange and Peadar 1 (Renaissance Fair #13)
Vange and Peadar 2 (Renaissance Fair #14)
Vange and Peadar 3 (Renaissance Fair #15)
Vange and Peadar 4 (Renaissance Fair #16)
Vange and Peadar 5 (Renaissance Fair #17)
Vange and Peadar 6 (Renaissance Fair #18)

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like to write negative reviews. A review is a personal report....just because I didn't care for a book doesn't mean that someone else won't love it. So keep that in mind as I post my review. I appreciated that the book was clean and that there was no language. It's always a treat to find that and especially in the Highlander books. The story line was cute and I feel has potential. That being said, I felt like I was reading the rough draft. I never felt that the story flowed smoothly. I felt like it jumped from one thing to another so quickly that you never got a real feeling for what was going on. There always seemed to be some underlying conflict that you thought was going to take place but nothing really does. What was the conflict? Who were the real villains? I just felt like there was no real depth to the story line. The idea and story is great! It just needs to have more depth to it. I also didn't like the ending. It just stopped in mid paragraph. I do realize that there are more books to the series but I still would have liked the last event to have some closure. Perhaps the next books get better and all my wishes happen in them :) One should continue to read the series to know for sure!

[Marybeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

What to say about Renaissance Faire by Jane Stain……it was a really hard book to get through. I found the book to be very poorly written, choppy, in great need of editing, and at times just outright ridiculous. When you write you can create anything you want, anything is possible. However, you need to either create the impossible into feeling like it can be real, or just make things realistic. I thought Emily was just a very shallow character who had no substance. Dall was almost just as bad. Their “chemistry” that was so powerful was completely lacking. I personally don’t consider “wet kisses” the idea of the ultimate swoon worthy kiss, or for two people to look at each other and give each other “cat grins” to be romantic or flirtatious. The only reason why I read the entire book was because I was given the book in exchange for an honest review. And honestly I cannot recommend this book to anyone. Maybe if this book went through a major revision it could have some potential of being an okay book.
I have honestly never given a book a 1 start out of 5, but this book makes it my first.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Petula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily is enjoying a summer outing to a Renaissance Faire with her best friend. They decide to go the whole hog and buy period costumes. The experience of the faire is like a dream come true, for a budding drama teacher.
One of the Highlanders she meets is obviously the real deal. The attraction between them is almost instant.
Dall is working at the faire but is actually working for the Druids. This means he must travel back to 16th century Scotland. Emily is determined to go with him.
When working under the control of Druids not everything is straight forward. Even when they have some very handy toys to take with them.
This is a really fun, and different time travel romance. There is no sex but lots of adventure and excitement. The characters are humorous, strong and brave.
This is from a new to me author. One I would gladly recommend for readers of all ages.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story sounded great, but didn't deliver what I had hoped for. The story line was cute and I appreciated the author keeping it clean. Basically Emily is at a renaissance fair and spends an incredible day with a Scottish man named Dall. When he gets her a job at the fair, it allows them to have more time together. Emily has decided Dall must be from the past because he NEVER breaks character. Of course she is proven right and she gets the chance to return to the 1400's with him.
I have read plenty of time travel books, but this one seems even less believable than most. A cell phone app controls movement in time? A little too far-fetched, even for me. There was some tension in Scotland, which I appreciated, but I felt like there was an underlying scheme that was at work....but nope. The book just ends. I get that there is another book, but I would have liked to know whether there was more than just time travel together in their future.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renaissance Faire by Jane Stain has three of my favorite elements:

1) Scotland
2) Renfaires
3) MEN IN KILTS!

I am a little confused as to how Emily came up with the 'theory' that Dall was actually from another time, but that gives me an intellectual excuse to read the book again so soon after finishing it the first time. You see, I'm a little obsessed with Scotland.

I'm definitely looking forward to Emily and Dall's other time-traveling adventures. Enough of the questions about the curses and indebtedness were covered in RF to satisfy a fan of the period and renfaire lifestyle, while enough was left unexplained as to warrant more stories with at least some of the same characters. Ms. Stain has actually done one of the better jobs I've seen (or is that read) at this. There's nothing more irritating to me as a reader of series fiction than to have an overly abrupt ending. Some authors explain too much. Some authors explain too little. Ms. Stain gets it just right!

Druids had never seemed to me to be such a technology-embracing folk, but who am I to say? One thing I'm definitely looking forward to finding out is why Emily and Dall alternately seemed to forget some of their relationship and closeness when they went from the other's time 'back' to their own.

I do so appreciate the absence of excessive physically romantic or sexual scenes in this sweet romance.

Do you like books set (at least partially in Scotland)? You will like Renaissance Faire. Do you like reading about or attending renfaires? You will enjoy Stain's Renaissance Faire. Do you like men in kilts? You will LOVE RF!

(Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author and publisher in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)

[Oshun · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was free on Kindle and I was stressed out and anxious. So, I read the whole thing. Whew! The 23-year-old heroine felt like 16. Her parents treated her that way also. She had a sidekick girlfriend who was in at least half of book, and in almost every scene in those parts, without any serious attempt at characterization. Well, the books was not strong on characterization in general. It relied on time travel without any plausible structure and rules liable to change at any moment. (I like time travel and am not a stickler for airtight theories, but this one didn't make me suspend disbelief).
Her parents were totally inconsistent. They start off completely overly protective and end up plotting with a stranger from another time and place after one phone conversation to spring a surprise wedding on their daughter. Who wants a surprise wedding? Seriously! I always thought surprise offers of an engagement ring were iffy!

I found bothersome typos and I am very good at ignoring typos when I am having a good time! It had a cliffhanger of an ending--adding insult to injury--thanks, but no thanks! I barely made it through this one!

I think the author honestly could try a little harder to find a story to which she can commit. And develop characters who can make the reader care what happens to them. A setting the author seems to know relatively well (throwing her a bone here!) and a sloppy attempt at a plot is not enough for even a formula romance. One needs better developed and more memorable characters and their choices need to matter more.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily and Evangeline (Vange for short) both graduated from college and are home, living with their parents for the summer before they start their teaching jobs in the fall. They both love renaissance fairs and drive 2 hours to attend, the first weekend that it begins. Shortly after arriving, there is a weapons demonstration. Emily’s attention is immediately drawn to one handsome man in a kilt. There is instant chemistry between them. When Dall sees Emily, he invites her to join him for the day and makes her his dance partner, teaches her some weapons usage and eats all his meals with her. Near the end of the day, he invites Emily and Vange to stay overnight with one of the fair girls and come to the fair for the remaining 5 weekends. He finds both girls a job and makes all the arrangements. As Emily “hangs out” with Dall, she realizes that he is the only Scotsman that never breaks character. The rest slip into their regular accents so she begins to suspect that Dall might be a time traveler. This is a cute, well written Young Adult novel. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily is a college student visiting the Renaissance Faire with her best friend when she meets, Dall a gorgeous man in a kilt. Immediately chemistry between the two is strong and the current between the two is visible to all those around them. A gentleman, a kilt, and a strong Scots accent has Emily hooked. Her suspicions start to arouse and she realizes that he is actually from the past. As time at the fair comes to an end Emily is worried she’ll lose Dall forever, but in a blink of an eye she is swept into the past with Dall.

The story moves along and there is suspense, romance, and mystery. However, I found it very hard to stay connected with the book. The writing style was very different that what I’m comfortable with. I felt like the story was choppy, it didn’t flow as smoothly as it should. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the story and the idea the author has. I just feel like it could have been written more smoothly. I do recommend this book, just be forewarned that the writing style is different.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Becki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Rennaisance Faire is like reading the first draft of a novel. It has a really great plot and the potential for strong, likable characters but falls short of actually following through.

Dall and Emily fall in "love" way too quickly to be believable. Also unbelievable is how fast Emily thinks of and accepts the reason for Dall's behavior as time travel. I mean, usually when someone is acting strange it's because he IS strange. Here, though, it's obviously because he's a time traveler.

A thesaurus would have been extremely beneficial to Stain. Words were repeated over and over and nothing was ever elaborated on. Everything just jumped from one thing to the next with no explanation. There wasn't much character building and you never got a true sense of what the characters were really like. Heck, you never even got a physical description of them!

I do have to say, though, that the story could have been great. If Stain could rewrite/revise the book as if it were a rough draft, I think it could be a hit novel.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a good time reading Renaissance Faire by Jane Stain. I found out much later that I was actually reading several books in one, which I liked. I’m not a big fan of series books in general (I don’t like waiting for the next book to come out to answer my questions!) so combining everything was a great idea.
I liked the writing of the novels. I like history and this era was something I’m not familiar with so it was very interesting to me, learning about clans, feuds, warfare, etc. The story wasn’t exactly gripping but it wasn’t slow either, it kept me wanting to pick it up and read some more. I was surprised with how quickly it began and how Emily came to realize that Dall was from another time. Did I miss something? I don’t care, I’ll still be reading the next set/series of books! Thanks for letting me review this book for free for an honest review.
3 ½ Stars. Clean. Should be listed as YA.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I like the book overall. It felt like the story was a little contradictory. In some ways Emily was very juvenile for a college student. But then when she decided Dall was from the past she prepared very practically for her planned journey to the past.
I am not sure why Dall and later Emily could not remember their journeys in time. There were sort of hints that whoever held the cell phone would remember the time spent in another time, but why? And how do Druids and time traveling cellphone apps work together?
I was surprised by Emily's parents easy acceptance of Dall and his "job" with a traveling Renaissance fair group.

I suppose what I like is the time travel and the love story. It becomes more obvious to me as I write this review that these must be what I liked because as you can see above I had questions and some concerns about the execution of the story.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light fun read that seem to be more in the Young Romance / Teen Romance to me. So there are not adult love scene and would be suitable for a young adult.. I thought. After I go past the young setting, I enjoyed it and it does have some time travel plot in it. Our heroine, Emily and her friend Evangeline are walking through a Renaissance Fair where they buy clothing to fit in with the other "people" there are their to enjoy the fair. Emily meets our hero, Dall MacGregor who appears to be more than just one of the pretend people...he seems pretty real in his Highland ways. Emily and Dall hit is off pretty fast and they start to build on a friendship / love that grows. Emily and Evangeline start to work their part-time while trying to go to college and so that Emily can be closer to Dall it would seem. I enjoyed this book and hope that you do too.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Emily and her best friend Vange go to the renaissance Faire for the first time, they get swept up in the fun and fantasy. They decide to spend their limited funds on garb and are invited into the inner circle of those who make faire their life. That is not all Emily gets caught up in! It is love at first sight between her and a very-in-character man named Dall. Emily and Vange sign up for the season but what Emily gets is a life altering adventure.

I love ren fair and seeing it through the eyes of a newbie was fun. I enjoy a good time travel romance and I got that and MORE in this tale.

I did receive this book in exchange for an honest review.
I will be looking for more to enjoy from this author.

[Cici · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story line. A young woman who is trying to find her way in life. She wants to move on to the next stage. She has had relationships which have not worked. But, she is ready to commit to someone. She finds herself at a Renaissance Faire. And what unfolds is magical. She finds herself falling in love with a hero, one who is stuck in this time period. The heroine figures out for herself what is happening. The hero is a time traveler. And he must return. Does she want to follow him? This is the question. What follows is interesting. A lighter story line. Missing some emotional depth. But, sweet.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given to me for an honest review. Looks like this is a standalone book, but there are many parts to this group of books. Emily sees Dall with a bunch of men pretending they are Scottish at this faire. Dall's accent makes Emily think that he is really from Scotland. Dall takes Emily and Vange up on the stage for a Scottish dance. The more time Emily spends with Dall, the more she thinks she's falling in love. Does Dall feel the same way? This is a time travel book, so who goes traveling?

[Zeinab Dh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this in exchange of an honest review, this was a joy to read, nice story, great characters, I liked the actions the fights and the hunt and also the love,it was nice to read one differently than what I am used to everything was well written captivating and unique in its own way I would recommend this to everyone

[Teri Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun pleasure reading

A pleasant mixture of time travel and romance, set in a backdrop of Renaissance fairs. Not great literature, but enjoyable, sweet, clean, plus I learned a bit about Scotland and her history. I look forward to the next title in the series.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly delightful romantic suspense. Kept me guessing until the end.

[Ann Pratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when I'm reading a book, one word seems to appear in my mind that keeps repeating and indicates overall how the book is making me feel. With this book, one word leapt out at me over and over - whimsical! This story isn't one I'd normally associate with this word, however in this instance, whimsical suits the story perfectly. The timing of reading it coincided with me only now beginning to watching the Outlander television series, and it was hard to overlook the similarity of time travel back that connects a woman of present time, with a highlander of past. However, that is where the similarity ends.

This story is a light hearted story of love, but it is of young love. The story telling made me wonder if it had been written by a very young author, with the language and storytelling that fits usually into novels aimed at teens, and often written by teens. In some ways it took me back to how I felt when I was young, reminding me of that excitement of first love, and how easy it is to fall into the dreamy world of romance and happy ever after. The youthfulness of the story and the style of storytelling wasn't any reason for me to put it down, however, and I did see the story through to the end. Overall, it's a dreamy tale with a happy ever after, and an enjoyable read so long as you let the mature side of you fall away and be forgotten for a while. There's no adult content in it, nor any violence, and I would happily hand this to a teenager to read.

It's a nice story, told with impeccable language that I did appreciate. Four stars from me for this one but I do think that younger readers might love it and rate it higher on their romance reading scale.

[Kristina Applegate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily is a college student visiting the Renaissance Faire with her best friend when she meets, Dall a gorgeous man in a kilt. Immediately chemistry between the two is strong and the current between the two is visible to all those around them. A gentleman, a kilt, and a strong Scots accent has Emily hooked. Her suspicions start to arouse and she realizes that he is actually from the past. As time at the fair comes to an end Emily is worried she’ll lose Dall forever, but in a blink of an eye she is swept into the past with Dall.

The story moves along and there is suspense, romance, and mystery. However, I found it very hard to stay connected with the book. The writing style was very different that what I’m comfortable with. I felt like the story was choppy, it didn’t flow as smoothly as it should. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the story and the idea the author has. I just feel like it could have been written more smoothly. I do recommend this book, just be forewarned that the writing style is different.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Courtney Klein · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly did not like this book. The background concept is there but the execution is not. Emily suddenly decides Dall is a time traveler and starts to "fall in love" after less then a day of knowing him. The other members of the faire know how to time travel and mysteriously put a time travel app on Emily's phone so she can go back to Dall's time. She decides what the heck and goes back to the 1500s but he doesn't recognize her? It just got more and more convoluted that I couldn't even read the last section.

[Lori Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time traveling

If you like fiction stories about time travel, you will enjoy this book. Although it is a bit confusing at times, which required some rereading. Which is why I gave 3 stars.

[Laure Estep · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, lighthearted romantic adventure through time. I'm curious to read more in the series about the druids' purpose in the faire and time traveling. I look forward to more time traveling and adventures with Emily and Dall and the charming cast of secondary characters.

[Char Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed like I was rereading a different book I had already completed...

[Patsy D Forsberg-young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renaissance Faire Review

I enjoy reading about the Scottish traditions. This was a fun book as well as a time travel book. I want to read more from this author!

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hola,

In addition to being rich with good book recommendations and reviews, Goodreads allows readers (and bloggers) to connect with authors who are willing to share their e-books for free! In return, they ask you to write a review on Goodreads, Amazon, and the like. I volunteered to read Jane Stain’s e-book, Renaissance Faire, because I’m a lover of romance and kilts, and it seemed to be a good match.

E-books are a new realm for me. I will admit I’ve been looking into them as an opportunity for publishing a finished novel I have. However, I always do so with trepidation. I often wonder if I’ll like the finished product. Are there editors who would check over my work? How do I put together an illustrated cover? How do I advertise my novel once it’s published as an e-book? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but they apply for when I am reading e-books as well. It’s simply a world I am unfamiliar with and is quite different from the traditional publishing world.

Synopsis: Renaissance Faire, by Jane Stain, is a 204 page e-book following two main characters, Emily and Dall. They meet at a renaissance fair, something Emily and her best friend "Vange" are obsessed with, and Emily instantly falls for Dall, a highlander type with what seems to be a very real Scottish accent. However, Emily quickly realizes Dall's accent and odd ways, are more than an act, they are real; Dall is a true highlander from long ago.
Review: As an easy read, Renaissance Faire goes by quickly, but may also cause the reader to pause throughout the storyline. Though I enjoyed the enthusiasm of Emily, a young lady with a lot of spirit and a positive outlook on finding love, there were many confusing details and moments that prevented me from being immersed in Stain's fictional world.

Here are my thoughts on the plot moments that pulled me from the fantasy of a scottish love affair:
-The author often reused the same phrases such as, ‘sunburned tourists’ in a way that seemed like she didn’t have someone editing for her. It was clever the first time, but unnecessary the second and third times.

-The storyline is unbelievable in a bad way. A girl is actually going to fall head over heels for some Scotsmen she doesn’t know and quickly figure out he is a time traveler (all within the same day)? It happens too quickly and without a hitch. It makes the story seems like a short story but without any padding to make it real.

-The author takes too much time adding details to the main character’s thoughts that aren’t necessary. There is no brainpower needed to figure out what she’s like or what she’s thinking. Honestly, she’s a bit simplistic.

-The characters don’t have much depth. Now, in Stain's defense, maybe she's hoping to further the characters in her sequel, but as for this novel, there wasn't much to them.

-Another out-of-nowhere event, is when Emily suddenly has an app on her phone that allows time travel (along with the weirdness of some “druid” who pops up and tells her about Dall and time traveling). I really don’t like that this turn of events makes zero sense in the storyline. It seems like the author is just jumping from event to event without any logic.

-When Dall and Emily time travel back to his highlander days and a castle (it's confusing whose it is), Dall doesn’t remember anything from Emily’s time, but does remember her. There’s not reasoning to this and the reader is supposed to just play along with it.

-It seems that Emily and Dall return randomly back to the present and then Emily doesn’t remember time traveling. There is no explanation given to this or why Dall originally didn’t remember when going back to his time which leaves the reader frustrated and as if they missed something.

-The author also brings up a few times that if Emily and Dall sleep together, then Emily will be stuck in whichever time she gave "it" up in. This is somewhat explained as not being true, but the author doesn’t touch on it much.

-Then not only is the reader left confused as to whether Emily has come down with the same amnesia Dall has time traveling (only described as being “cursed”), now the two are getting married ! Emily’s parents have no problem with this which is odd. The story basically ends there with hints to a sequel.

Phew. On the flip side, Stain's novel does do a decent job at ye olde Scottish life by using (what seems like) accurate traditional phrases and words that highlanders may have actually spoken. I was able to picture the castle Emily and Dall were in, as well as the trip they took on horseback. I can't say I was completely pulled into the fight scenes, but I appreciate Stain trying to write some conflict into the story.

In summary, if you're up for a light read and quick love story with puppies and rainbows, you may want to pick Renaissance Faire up. If you're a pro reader striving for a true fictional getaway with realistic plot lines, you may want to pass.

Adios!

Sara

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book to read

[megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

I’m really quite torn about this book. I enjoyed reading it for the most part and the idea of it is something I think is quite interesting; however the writing was just very poor and not for me.

The characters are quite one-dimensional and lack any real substance or personality to them. There’s not much description given about any of the characters as well so I was left wondering how Emily and Dall even looked. While the book is very clean and lighthearted, the characters are stripped of realism in many ways such as that the characters never get frustrated with each other or upset ever.

Many aspects of the plot didn’t make sense to me but perhaps some of my questions will be answered in the further serials that the author has been releasing these in. It was a little unbelievable to me that Emily jumps to the conclusion that Dall is from a different time period so quickly with very little information given. And by the ending I was left wondering why they even let Emily travel back in time with Dall or why they even sent Dall away in the first place. Like I said, these questions may be answered in later volumes but as for this anthology, I was left with many questions.

Lastly, it’s just not professional or polished in any way. The grammar errors and spelling errors were pretty bad, including the author not even quoting Shakespeare correctly as well as referring to university/college as “teacher school.” I could go on but you can’t really expect much out of self-publishing/indie writers anyway.

However, I did enjoy it and it was a book that stuck around in my head for the rest of the day and I found myself thinking about it which is always a good thing after finishing a book. I also finished it super quickly because it’s an easy read which is always nice as well.

Likes: Renaissance Fair setting. Easy, lighthearted read.

Dislikes: Not polished in any way. Didn’t make sense for the most part. Characters were unrealistic.

Overall:
Recommend? If you don’t mind books with grammar and spelling errors and are more interested in lighthearted plotlines, then I’d say this book would be a good choice. However if you like more polished, well-written books, this won’t be for you.
Reading the Next One? Most likely not. I’m too much of a grammar freak to be able to overlook poorly written work.

*I received this e-book for free in exchange for an honest review*

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read Renaissance Faire because I love historical fiction, but I felt let down after I finished the book. From the beginning of the novel the reader is thrown into the story without a real introduction or back story of the main characters. On a positive note though, the moment Emily arrives at the fair and has met Dall, she immediately figures out he isn’t from this century. It spares readers from the ten pages of the “you’ve time-traveled spiel” since we already know he’s from the past, which doesn’t happen too often in other time traveling/ fantasy books.

The moment Emily meets Dall, they have an instant romantic connection despite the fact they just met and they fall into another case of the ever dreaded insta-love. It kind of ruined the romantic aspect for me and throughout the novel Emily complains about needing private time with Dall (because she doesn’t want to be separated from him) even though she spends 70% of the book with him.

As far as the writing goes, there is great attention to detail and Stain puts a lot of effort into the historical aspect of the story, making the reader feel as if they’ve traveled to the Highlands themselves. The chapters are a bit choppy and they sometimes stop short and I think this is because it’s a review copy. The dialogue is also weak at the beginning, but does improves over the course of the novel Another downside to the book is that certain things that happen are so unbelievable and unrealistic even for fiction. For example, Emily calls the doctor to get antibiotics because she needs to bring medicine with her when she time travels. But honestly, who the calls the doctor, asks for antibiotics because their traveling to a “third-world country”, and then gets them within the hour? Really?!