CAPTIVATING, RIVETING AND DELIGHTFULLY ENTERTAINING !!!
Title: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Box Set
Series: Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Series
Designation: Books 1 thru 3, Standalone, NO cliffhanger but Epilogue of third book sets up first book of new series, Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance
Author: Cynthia Luhrs
Reading Platform: Kindle Edition
My Rating: Five Delightfully Entertaining Stars*****
Wow! I'm totally smitten with Cynthia Luhrs and the Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Series! Several days ago I happened upon a free download from Amazon for a time travel romance entitled A Knight to Remember. Well, that got my attention. I adore time travel, completely smitten with medieval English knights, totally enamored with any genre that contains romance and always a sucker for a free read. Admittedly, I'd never heard of Cynthia Luhrs but at the time, it had 56 reviews with the majority of them being positive. I even read the free sample which never includes much but does give me a general feel for the author's overall style and flow. I can generally glean sufficient information from the first few pages, allowing me to make an informed decision about the book. Obviously, I was duly impressed and decided to give Cynthia Luhrs an opportunity to entertain me for a few hours. And that she did! I totally loved it and was absolutely overjoyed to learn that there were two more books already available in the Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Series so I raced back to Amazon to check them out. And blessed be, I couldn't believe my good fortune when I discovered I could purchase the entire series in one convenient collection. Well, I quickly one-clicked and began a most wonderful weekend on an adventure with the remaining two Merriweather sisters. And best decision - EVER! I loved the second and third books even more than the first and now, I'm a Cynthia Luhrs fan for life! In fact, I enjoyed this series so much, I want to share the love so I'm taking the time to leave a review for each of the three books as well as the entire collection. This review is for the Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Box Set which includes Books One thru three, A Knight to Remember, Knight Moves and Lonely is the Knight. Personally, I believe each of the books could probably be read as a standalone but why would you when you can get all three in one fabulous and very economical collection? However, the author does a fabulous job of giving ample backstory in the second and third books so the reader can easily follow along without confusion. None of the books end in a cliffhanger per se but the author does set up the next story at the end of each book. I found each of the books to be imaginative, exciting, fast-paced, easy to follow, exceptionally well-crafted and edited with the perfect blend of danger, drama, adventure, suspense, angst and sweet romance. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with his and her perspectives from the two protagonists of each story. As the title of the series suggests, each book features one of the Merriweather Sisters as the heroine but as the saga progresses, the primary characters of each book appear in each subsequent release. The hero of each book features a different medieval English knight. In the first book, A Knight to Remember, we have lovely, sweet Lucy Merriweather and handsome, gruff William Brandon, Lord of Blackford. In the second story, Knight Moves, we have feisty, red-haired Melinda Merriweather and scarred, ill-tempered James Rivers, Lord of Falconburg. And finally in Book Three, Lonely is the Knight, we have the youngest sister, brave, resourceful and very beautiful Charlotte Merriweather paired with the handsome, charming Henry Thornton, Lord of Ravenskirk and one of five Thornton brothers, all of whom are also noblemen and courageous knights in medieval England. (And FYI, one of the brothers may have slightly tarnished armor which means he may be a bit of a cad, and we may just meet him in an upcoming story. lol...Yup, I've already checked out the Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Series and itching to get started on it.) Each of the heroines travels 700 years into the past so all the stories include historical elements, not much, but enough to be convincing which I thought were all well done. Historical romance alone has never been my favorite genre, simply because I'm unfamiliar with the correct use of language and terminology but I was able to easily follow the dialogue which I also found to be well executed, realistic and at times, quite humorous. But without a doubt, my favorite component of this entire series is the fascinating cast of characters. I thought them to be intriguing as well as very engaging. If I'm not drawn into a story by its characters, it's usually a deal-breaker for me but I found myself immediately liking all the heroines and having quite the crush on each of the heroes. They were all swoon worthy. I felt all the couples complemented each other brilliantly and thoroughly enjoyed their interactions together. Although this story is classified as a romance, surprisingly, there's very little actual romance, at least the hot and heavy kind. lol... And no sex at all... zip... none...nada. There is a great deal of obvious and very heated mutual attraction and a few steamy kisses between each couple but that's pretty much it. It's just sweet, dreamy romance. Normally, I prefer a little sex to spice things up and was a wee bit disappointed...at first. Generally, I only read romance that at least includes a little sex but I became so engrossed in the story, I didn't actually notice there were no sex scenes until after I finished the first book of the series and the same held true for the second and third. lol... And what does that tell me? That the author did a fabulous job of entertaining me, and without any sex. Color me impressed! There were a few naughty words and I do mean very few; I could probably count them on maybe three fingers through the entire series. So, yes, I would agree with the author's rating; this book is a safe read for young adults, twelve and older. If you're looking for a riveting time travel/historical saga filled to the brim with danger, drama, adventure, suspense, angst, betrayal, humor and sweet romance with a slight supernatural twist, this is most assuredly the book for you. What can you expect from this collection? Beautiful, clever, strong-willed amd spunky heroines-check! No wilting violets here! Handsome, courageous medieval knight always ready to protect their damsel-check! Danger, drama, action, adventure, suspense, a few surprising plot twists, a hint of the supernatural and some very evil villains-check! Humor, heated attraction, and sweet romance-you bet! That and a whole lot more! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
When rating and reviewing a book, there are several questions I always ask. First, did I like this book? Oh my goodness, yes! I truly enjoyed the first book and loved the second and third even more. Would I recommend it? You bet and I am, and I truly believe it's suitable for ages 12 and over. Will I read this author again? You bet! As soon as I finished her first book, I subscribed to her newsletter so I would be informed of all her future releases. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Once I started reading, I simply could not stop. I read long into the night with the hours passing as quickly as the pages. Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read! Now on to Darkest Knight, the first release in Luhrs' Thornton Brothers Time Travel Romance Series! I can hardly wait to see what Luhrs has in store for us next! So in closing, I will simply say; all three books are currently available in one convenient collection entitled Merriweather Sisters Time Travel Romance Box Set and as of August 15, 2016, on sale for only 99 pennies, but I don't know for how long so you better hurry! Best 99 pennies I ever spent and one decision I'm sure you'll never regret!