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Wonderland #1
The Passage
Listening 13 hours and 8 minutesIn the spring of 1685, Lord Hugo Everly, ardent supporter of the Protestant upstart the Duke of Monmouth, vanishes without a trace just before the Monmouth Rebellion, leaving future generations forever baffled as to what might have become of him. In 2013, while visiting Everly Manor as part of her job as a location scout for a film production company, Neve Ashley stumbles onto a secret passage that leads her into the seventeenth century and straight into the path of the ill-fated lord. Neve is able to return safely to her own time, but she can't forget the man she met or the fate that's about to befall him. Against her better judgment, Neve decides to go back and warn Hugo of impending danger, not realizing that she's walking into danger herself, for history is never straightforward, and people's motives not always what they appear to be. Taken hostage by the very man she was trying to save, Neve is trapped in the seventeenth century, her fate now intertwined with that of her captor, and the future something that neither one of them could have envisioned.
381 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2015
3150 people are currently reading
2484 people want to read
About the author
Irina Shapiro
124 books1,290 followersTo 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
November 7, 2023
This was ambling along as a nice little time travel story then about the 40% mark it took a turn and wow! just took off! The love story between Neve and Hugo is gorgeous. The historical information is fabulous, you can almost taste the England of the time. especially London. This was an horrific time to live in and comes through clearly.
The author has done a wonderful job of research. When I was halfway through I downloaded the second one in the series and I'm halfway through that now. It's been a long, long time since a series grabbed me like this!
Would highly recommend it to time travel and historical fiction fans!
The author has done a wonderful job of research. When I was halfway through I downloaded the second one in the series and I'm halfway through that now. It's been a long, long time since a series grabbed me like this!
Would highly recommend it to time travel and historical fiction fans!
August 5, 2016
A really great time travel romance. Well written and memorable characters. Recommended.
June 7, 2016
For awhile this was on my "to read" list, but the cover art kind of looked homegrown (sorry) and low budget, and maybe one of those books that is self-published without an editor and without a comprehensive plot, etc. Although I read on the kindle, the cover-art does make a difference in choosing to read books. I was WRONG! This book was FANTASTIC. Fully developed story, characters were multidimensional, pacing fantastic. Excitement and suspenseful. I really, really enjoyed this book. The time travel, this can be hit or miss in some books, sometime the heroine spends an inordinate amount of time comparing and/or complaining about how primitive everything is (no showers, etc). If you read Outlander- you know that Claire- does not spend a lot of time complaining and embraces her new life, I felt that Neve also did the same. It was refreshing. I will be reading Irina Shapiros' books from now on...
August 14, 2018
3.5 stars.
Easy reading time travel romance... with a cliff hanger which will probably have me reaching for the next instalment.. sometime.
Easy reading time travel romance... with a cliff hanger which will probably have me reaching for the next instalment.. sometime.
March 1, 2017
This book was okay but there are a few editing problems in my edition that really annoyed me. It stated that when neeve was in the future she was 25 and it was 2013. It then later said that she was born in 1986 which would have made her 27. Then when she was in the past it said that Jane was 30 and was 7 years older than neeve ..... make your mind up, it's something so simple that should have been picked up in editing.
That said I'm find a lot of books that I pick up at the moment to be very badly edited and just not checked throughly which does ruin the reading experience.
That said I'm find a lot of books that I pick up at the moment to be very badly edited and just not checked throughly which does ruin the reading experience.
June 23, 2019
I really liked this book and am moving forward in the series BUT-- it's super annoying that the main character- Neve- changed ages about 3 times in the month of May or so. She started out being 27 then compared herself to a 30 year old woman whom she said was 8 years older than her thus making her 22 if you do simple math only to say outright not much later that she's 25. If you can't get your characters basic stats right then, well... idk. The story is good enough dont screw it up over something stupid like not paying attention to how old your character is. Damn man. Get with it.
March 12, 2015
A tale of unrivaled love and adventure...
We take a trip in time, following a young girl's bid to thwart history and save a young Lord from a perilous fate! Difficulties arise when the girl tries to account for her knowledge of events and becomes lost in lies that makes the saving difficult. Making matters worse it's not safe for the couple in either time! I am hungry for the next book in the series!
We take a trip in time, following a young girl's bid to thwart history and save a young Lord from a perilous fate! Difficulties arise when the girl tries to account for her knowledge of events and becomes lost in lies that makes the saving difficult. Making matters worse it's not safe for the couple in either time! I am hungry for the next book in the series!
January 14, 2026
MADONCI CHE TRASHATA, ce n’era proprio bisogno!! MAMMA MIA, INDIMENTICABILE
March 4, 2026
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
What a fantastic read! A brand new writer, a brand new series and here we go, I am committed as a fan. Highly recommended with glowing reviews, I can see why this story was so enjoyable. Reminding me of Barbara Erskine and Elena Collins, this book is perfect if you like a time-slip story.
What a fantastic read! A brand new writer, a brand new series and here we go, I am committed as a fan. Highly recommended with glowing reviews, I can see why this story was so enjoyable. Reminding me of Barbara Erskine and Elena Collins, this book is perfect if you like a time-slip story.
September 6, 2025
Even though I don't feel it went into much depth regarding the characters and the storyline was daft but also quite predictable...it was an easy read and I might end up reading the second book in the series! 🤦🏼😂
April 21, 2024
14%: I like the story thus far, but it’s incredibly slow. The book seems much longer than it needs to be to tell the story it’s trying to tell. At this point it could have done with some additional editing to reduce some of the unnecessary length. There is also quite a bit more talk of god than I want. It’s not too bad, but too much for my liking. Though maybe I’m unsure of the genre of book I’ve randomly checked out from the library so maybe it’s appropriate(?).
Still 14%: Ugh. Just read some other reviews and this is the first in a series that requires reading the subsequent books to finish the story. I already think this is too long. I just had an experience like this where I read a trilogy that should have been condensed into one book. I might have to put this down. Idk how much patience I have for filling up my whole week with one story that should have taken a day.
I ended up finishing the book and liking it well enough, though now that it’s been a couple of days I don’t remember enough of the details to remember what was good and bad.
The one thing I remember was the decision to go back to the past with just some weird colored contacts. What? I get the present kinda sucked for him, but seriously you are going to go back, pregnant, risk dying of childbirth living in exile? What kind of stupid decision is that? You couldn’t have spent a few more months in modern times, had the baby in a hospital, then went back to risk all of your lives to maybe be murdered for treason after you had proper pre-natal care. Not that everyone has to have babies in a hospital. But like, to not even be guaranteed access to food. Not food of a certain nutritional value, but food at all because you are hiding from the crown because your bf could be tried for treason. What kind of stupid decision is that?
Still 14%: Ugh. Just read some other reviews and this is the first in a series that requires reading the subsequent books to finish the story. I already think this is too long. I just had an experience like this where I read a trilogy that should have been condensed into one book. I might have to put this down. Idk how much patience I have for filling up my whole week with one story that should have taken a day.
I ended up finishing the book and liking it well enough, though now that it’s been a couple of days I don’t remember enough of the details to remember what was good and bad.
The one thing I remember was the decision to go back to the past with just some weird colored contacts. What? I get the present kinda sucked for him, but seriously you are going to go back, pregnant, risk dying of childbirth living in exile? What kind of stupid decision is that? You couldn’t have spent a few more months in modern times, had the baby in a hospital, then went back to risk all of your lives to maybe be murdered for treason after you had proper pre-natal care. Not that everyone has to have babies in a hospital. But like, to not even be guaranteed access to food. Not food of a certain nutritional value, but food at all because you are hiding from the crown because your bf could be tried for treason. What kind of stupid decision is that?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2015
I really liked this time travel novel. Neve Ashley is works for a movie company. While out scouting a location she finds a passage to the late 1600s. I liked the idea that in this book the passage always worked. She could go back and forth if she wanted to. A good book with some twists and romance.
May 26, 2022
The narrator brought this book to life. I am not much for time travel outside of Outlander, but I am enjoying the series and will continue on with it. I love sociological history and my imagination definitely was piqued.
September 29, 2020
I thought I'd review the entire series here instead of each book as I read them all back to back and there's no way I can remember which is which.
I did enjoy the series. It was sweet and sad at times and I enjoyed it all. BUT....there very little I feel I know a lot about in this life...and the faith, particularly the Catholic faith is the one thing I can honestly say I know more than the average person. I've made it a point to study it for decades now. And that part of this book drove me absolutely nuts!!! NUTS! So, if you can do better than me and ignore anything to do with faith (because it's so incorrect) and just enjoy a good story, you'll like this entire series.
Basically it's a story like Outlander without as much porn or violence....or foul language. Oh it has some just not to the extreme. I think nearly anyone can read this without feeling bad about it....no matter how 'conservative' one might be. If you love time travel series this is a good one. Not a great one but good. My two favorites are Kaitlyn and the Highlander (truly funny!) and The Celtic Brooch series. Both are better than this but this is still very good. Don't let me annoyance at the utter lack of accuracy about the church bug you much. Most won't know as most thing the same errors anyway. And most books have the same or similar rumors. BTW, it's not hard to read about the crusades. Sure it was only one comment but it was so erroneous it almost made me quit. But I have to remember this was just for entertainment. I wasn't looking to learn. And I didn't. lol. But if you care to know the church's involvement in the Crusades was a defense, not an offense. And the evils done during them (and there were several, not one) were not done by the church but by just people. It does us no good to blame the church on things done by governments or individuals. And you'd all be surprised how few were actually tried and killed as 'witches' by the actual church. Most was done by governments or protestant churches. Ok. I'm done. I'll get over it now....eventually.
I did enjoy the series. It was sweet and sad at times and I enjoyed it all. BUT....there very little I feel I know a lot about in this life...and the faith, particularly the Catholic faith is the one thing I can honestly say I know more than the average person. I've made it a point to study it for decades now. And that part of this book drove me absolutely nuts!!! NUTS! So, if you can do better than me and ignore anything to do with faith (because it's so incorrect) and just enjoy a good story, you'll like this entire series.
Basically it's a story like Outlander without as much porn or violence....or foul language. Oh it has some just not to the extreme. I think nearly anyone can read this without feeling bad about it....no matter how 'conservative' one might be. If you love time travel series this is a good one. Not a great one but good. My two favorites are Kaitlyn and the Highlander (truly funny!) and The Celtic Brooch series. Both are better than this but this is still very good. Don't let me annoyance at the utter lack of accuracy about the church bug you much. Most won't know as most thing the same errors anyway. And most books have the same or similar rumors. BTW, it's not hard to read about the crusades. Sure it was only one comment but it was so erroneous it almost made me quit. But I have to remember this was just for entertainment. I wasn't looking to learn. And I didn't. lol. But if you care to know the church's involvement in the Crusades was a defense, not an offense. And the evils done during them (and there were several, not one) were not done by the church but by just people. It does us no good to blame the church on things done by governments or individuals. And you'd all be surprised how few were actually tried and killed as 'witches' by the actual church. Most was done by governments or protestant churches. Ok. I'm done. I'll get over it now....eventually.
December 30, 2020
3.5* - Very creative story telling. This is definitely a "for the fun of it" time-travel, type of read. I am glad that I approached it after some other not so detailed, nor historically accurate, books. If I read this on the heels of a Elizabeth Chadwick, Barbara Erskine or even a Susanna Kearsley book, I fear I may have been a little more critical.
It helps knowing what to expect of Irina Shapiro's writing style. Suspending disbelief and not dwelling on niggling errors is required, like the heroine's and Hugo's sisters age changing several times throughout the story. It really is an excellent romp. I feel like both Neve and Hugo are endearing, their adventures and relationship have so much potential. Hope the next book explores more depth to what makes them think and feel what they do for one another. At times it felt like Shapiro was drawing on Outlander a bit heavily, but it really does stand on its own.
The Audible narration by Eva Kaminsky started off in modern day as a very prim/prissy over the top English-aristo accent, especially for Max. That lasts about the first 1/3 of the book. She does an excellent job of shifting to a more silky voice when Hugo appears on the scene and the narration style improves that way until the end. It appeared she was learning the characters along the way and imbuing them with real personalities.
It helps knowing what to expect of Irina Shapiro's writing style. Suspending disbelief and not dwelling on niggling errors is required, like the heroine's and Hugo's sisters age changing several times throughout the story. It really is an excellent romp. I feel like both Neve and Hugo are endearing, their adventures and relationship have so much potential. Hope the next book explores more depth to what makes them think and feel what they do for one another. At times it felt like Shapiro was drawing on Outlander a bit heavily, but it really does stand on its own.
The Audible narration by Eva Kaminsky started off in modern day as a very prim/prissy over the top English-aristo accent, especially for Max. That lasts about the first 1/3 of the book. She does an excellent job of shifting to a more silky voice when Hugo appears on the scene and the narration style improves that way until the end. It appeared she was learning the characters along the way and imbuing them with real personalities.
June 8, 2025
It didn't work for me. What started out as a promising time travel story devolved into a romance that was just... well, cringe.
MC gets abducted by a 'lord of the manor' type in the 1600s. She gets involved in a contrived, convoluted plot that requires her to play his mistress. He is Catholic, and considers himself married to his wife (the marriage has been annulled). They're on the road, meeting roguish characters of all stripes.
Not bad, right? I would think so, if it hadn't been for how annoying the MC is. This is a woman who is stuck in another time, with zero options, at the mercy of this dude who is most likely going to end up dead, and she makes no attempts to escape. Huh?? Oh also, she works in the movie business (present day), but is as knowledgeable as a history major about everything and everyone during the 1600s. Almost as if the author needed her to know (deep sigh). She rails ineffectually against the inequities of the period, but of course, is falling in love with her abductor, because 'he's not that bad'. Cringe.
Maybe if I read this in the 90s, when 'not that bad' was good enough. Oh, but wait. There are the info dumps that show off how much research the author has done into the subject. These aren't skilfully woven in, however, but delivered in endless exposition that slows the narrative down. Bonus: we also have long internal monologues that go into great depth to e-x-p-l-a-i-n every thought MC has. I mean, give the reader some credit. Please? Also, please move the story along. This book could have been half its length. Easily.
I'm on chapter 27 of 58. And I can't go on. I just don't care enough.
MC gets abducted by a 'lord of the manor' type in the 1600s. She gets involved in a contrived, convoluted plot that requires her to play his mistress. He is Catholic, and considers himself married to his wife (the marriage has been annulled). They're on the road, meeting roguish characters of all stripes.
Not bad, right? I would think so, if it hadn't been for how annoying the MC is. This is a woman who is stuck in another time, with zero options, at the mercy of this dude who is most likely going to end up dead, and she makes no attempts to escape. Huh?? Oh also, she works in the movie business (present day), but is as knowledgeable as a history major about everything and everyone during the 1600s. Almost as if the author needed her to know (deep sigh). She rails ineffectually against the inequities of the period, but of course, is falling in love with her abductor, because 'he's not that bad'. Cringe.
Maybe if I read this in the 90s, when 'not that bad' was good enough. Oh, but wait. There are the info dumps that show off how much research the author has done into the subject. These aren't skilfully woven in, however, but delivered in endless exposition that slows the narrative down. Bonus: we also have long internal monologues that go into great depth to e-x-p-l-a-i-n every thought MC has. I mean, give the reader some credit. Please? Also, please move the story along. This book could have been half its length. Easily.
I'm on chapter 27 of 58. And I can't go on. I just don't care enough.
December 21, 2019
I really liked the sound of The Passage and I did enjoy the story, but I am not sure time travel books are for me. While I love fantasy and historical fiction, I struggle to suspend reality enough to accept that a 21 century woman (no matter how well studied) could blend into the 17th century. The changes in language and manners over the past 100 years would have a modern person stand out in the early 1900's...
But that said, The Passage is entertaining and well written. The main characters are likeable. I'm not sure about the secondary characters yet.
While I didn't LOVE The Passage, I liked it enough to continue onto Wonderland.
But that said, The Passage is entertaining and well written. The main characters are likeable. I'm not sure about the secondary characters yet.
While I didn't LOVE The Passage, I liked it enough to continue onto Wonderland.
March 20, 2015
1685 a wonderful time to travel
Great story of traveling back in time just months prior to a treasonous route against King James. Our fem fatale is smart, of course beautiful and works for a movie company. It's accidental she ends up back in time, meets the lord of the estate and puts in motion that which will maybe affect the present timeline. What story would stand without the jealous relative inserting himself into the mix and wrecking the lords plans of self preservation, and with a baby in the way.....stay tuned it's not over......
Great story of traveling back in time just months prior to a treasonous route against King James. Our fem fatale is smart, of course beautiful and works for a movie company. It's accidental she ends up back in time, meets the lord of the estate and puts in motion that which will maybe affect the present timeline. What story would stand without the jealous relative inserting himself into the mix and wrecking the lords plans of self preservation, and with a baby in the way.....stay tuned it's not over......
May 29, 2017
I liked it but a few things stuck out to me. One, Hugo was a devout Catholic who wouldn't remarry because he didn't believe in annulments but he had no problem taking mistresses and having sex out of wedlock? I also felt there wasn't much relationship development before suddenly they were saying they loved each other.
March 28, 2023
THE PASSAGE (WONDERLAND SERIES BOOK ONE)
Release Date: 04/10/15
Kindle Unlimited: [X]YES [ ]NO
Stand-alone: [ ]YES [X]NO
Author: Irina Shapiro
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spiciness rating: 🌶️/5
POV: Multiple, first/third person
Main Characters: Neve, Hugo, Max
Genre: Time Traveling Romance
Tropes: fish out of water; heroine & hero in danger; slow-burn; betrayal
Review:
First of all, I wasn’t expecting this book to end in a cliffhanger, I wasn’t prepared for it. That being said, I guess I should be glad the series is already complete.
That being said, the story of Neve traveling through time and finding love was very interesting. Some time traveling romance I’ve read focus more on the romance and don’t contextualize the historical facts. I’m not nearly sure what here was true or invented, but all sounded real and that’s the important to me. Well, all but the time traveling.
I was surprised to see that most of the things here weren’t what they seemed, mainly talking about the people. I was negatively surprised by most of them.
Luckily not by the MCs who were good people and they loved and respected each other. Now, there are four more books in this series and I’m sure I’ll go back to finish their journey.
Release Date: 04/10/15
Kindle Unlimited: [X]YES [ ]NO
Stand-alone: [ ]YES [X]NO
Author: Irina Shapiro
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spiciness rating: 🌶️/5
POV: Multiple, first/third person
Main Characters: Neve, Hugo, Max
Genre: Time Traveling Romance
Tropes: fish out of water; heroine & hero in danger; slow-burn; betrayal
Review:
First of all, I wasn’t expecting this book to end in a cliffhanger, I wasn’t prepared for it. That being said, I guess I should be glad the series is already complete.
That being said, the story of Neve traveling through time and finding love was very interesting. Some time traveling romance I’ve read focus more on the romance and don’t contextualize the historical facts. I’m not nearly sure what here was true or invented, but all sounded real and that’s the important to me. Well, all but the time traveling.
I was surprised to see that most of the things here weren’t what they seemed, mainly talking about the people. I was negatively surprised by most of them.
Luckily not by the MCs who were good people and they loved and respected each other. Now, there are four more books in this series and I’m sure I’ll go back to finish their journey.
February 14, 2026
Great time travel book - just a bit long
December 4, 2023
4.5. I actually really enjoyed this book. I feel like books that involve time travel usually end up feeling cheesy and unrealistic but this one was really good.
January 18, 2026
This book came highly recommended and I assumed it was clean. But it is NOT. 😭😭😭
March 11, 2026
Dany - per RFS
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Care Fenici, questo per me è un libro complesso da recensire, non tanto per la trama, tra l’altro semplice e carina, ma per un problema ben più serio. Oramai tutti, di certo io, leggiamo bene la trama e i trope per capire se un libro fa per noi oppure no. I viaggi nel tempo sono il mio pane quotidiano, per esempio, dato che sono cresciuta con Ritorno al Futuro e tutta la fantascienza possibile. Sta di fatto che, in questo particolare caso, nella trama non sono nominate le avvertenze; quindi, pensando che fosse l’ennesima storia su un tema che so piacermi, mi sono accostata alla sua lettura con mente aperta e rilassata. Che errore madornale, ovviamente non mio, ma della Casa Editrice, che meriterebbe una sculacciata sul sedere. Prima di iniziare a narrarvi le mie impressioni, è giusto avvisarvi che il libro contiene scene di abuso sia fisico che sessuale su minori e pedofilia. Temi che, se avessi saputo contenere, non li avrei mai approcciati.
Come sarà chiaro, questo ha modificato la percezione dell’intera storia, facendomi propendere per un voto negativo più che positivo.
La trama del libro, ribadisco, riguarda i viaggi nel tempo, in realtà da un tempo ben preciso a un altro, ispirandosi a un noto libro di Stephen King, tanto da renderlo non troppo originale. La protagonista si chiama Neve Ashley, una bella ragazza reduce di un aborto spontaneo – altro tema sensibile non menzionato – che lavora per una casa cinematografica con il compito di trovare le location adatte ai film in produzione. Ciò la porta nel Surrey a Everly Manor, ospite del Lord locale, a valutare l’adattabilità della posizione. È facile innamorarsi di lei e del suo amore per la storia, cosa che l’autrice, tra l’altro, intreccia nel modo giusto. Gli autori dei libri del genere romance storico tendono, alle volte, a lasciarsi trasportare dalle licenze poetiche a fin di trama, cosa che Irina Shapiro, invece, non fa, risultando molto attinente… forse anche troppo.
Sta di fatto che Neve riesce a trovare un passaggio segreto che collega la chiesa del posto alla stessa nell’anno 1685, quindi in pieno regno di Carlo II, poco prima di una rivolta armata nota come ribellione di Monmouth. Spinta dalla curiosità, e francamente sfido chiunque a non averne, usa il passaggio più volte, dapprima incredula, dopodiché con senso di causa, preparandosi di tutto punto, per dare una sbirciatina. Ed è qui che incontra Hugo Everly, il Lord di Everly Manor, un cattolico in un paese protestante, con un piano rischioso in mente. Tra i due è fuoco fin da subito, Neve non riesce a toglierselo dalla mente, tanto da sfidare il tempo e una storia già scritta per salvare Hugo da un destino crudele.
Fin qui la trama funziona, anzi direi che è stupenda, piena di colpi di scena, e attrazione smisurata, poi cade. Tralasciando la parte sulla pedofilia e gli abusi a danni di minori, che erano decisamente previsti in quel periodo storico, ma assolutamente non necessari da raccontare, succede che i due scappando dalla pseudo giustizia finiscono nel presente. E qui mi fermo e vi lascio continuare da sole. Di fatto la trama funziona, è bella, anche se riduce situazioni complesse in modo troppo semplice, ai limiti del cliché, soprattutto nel cercare a tutti i costi un nemico ben preciso, che per le leggi del multiverso non ha senso che esista poiché non si può cambiare il passato. , ahimè, l’autrice lo inserisce, e fidatevi lo odierete ben presto, più che altro per la sua stupidità. Purtroppo il tutto finisce con un cliffhanger, e francamente non sono certa di voler leggere il seguito. Chi lo sa, il futuro non è ancora scritto!
.
Care Fenici, questo per me è un libro complesso da recensire, non tanto per la trama, tra l’altro semplice e carina, ma per un problema ben più serio. Oramai tutti, di certo io, leggiamo bene la trama e i trope per capire se un libro fa per noi oppure no. I viaggi nel tempo sono il mio pane quotidiano, per esempio, dato che sono cresciuta con Ritorno al Futuro e tutta la fantascienza possibile. Sta di fatto che, in questo particolare caso, nella trama non sono nominate le avvertenze; quindi, pensando che fosse l’ennesima storia su un tema che so piacermi, mi sono accostata alla sua lettura con mente aperta e rilassata. Che errore madornale, ovviamente non mio, ma della Casa Editrice, che meriterebbe una sculacciata sul sedere. Prima di iniziare a narrarvi le mie impressioni, è giusto avvisarvi che il libro contiene scene di abuso sia fisico che sessuale su minori e pedofilia. Temi che, se avessi saputo contenere, non li avrei mai approcciati.
Come sarà chiaro, questo ha modificato la percezione dell’intera storia, facendomi propendere per un voto negativo più che positivo.
La trama del libro, ribadisco, riguarda i viaggi nel tempo, in realtà da un tempo ben preciso a un altro, ispirandosi a un noto libro di Stephen King, tanto da renderlo non troppo originale. La protagonista si chiama Neve Ashley, una bella ragazza reduce di un aborto spontaneo – altro tema sensibile non menzionato – che lavora per una casa cinematografica con il compito di trovare le location adatte ai film in produzione. Ciò la porta nel Surrey a Everly Manor, ospite del Lord locale, a valutare l’adattabilità della posizione. È facile innamorarsi di lei e del suo amore per la storia, cosa che l’autrice, tra l’altro, intreccia nel modo giusto. Gli autori dei libri del genere romance storico tendono, alle volte, a lasciarsi trasportare dalle licenze poetiche a fin di trama, cosa che Irina Shapiro, invece, non fa, risultando molto attinente… forse anche troppo.
Sta di fatto che Neve riesce a trovare un passaggio segreto che collega la chiesa del posto alla stessa nell’anno 1685, quindi in pieno regno di Carlo II, poco prima di una rivolta armata nota come ribellione di Monmouth. Spinta dalla curiosità, e francamente sfido chiunque a non averne, usa il passaggio più volte, dapprima incredula, dopodiché con senso di causa, preparandosi di tutto punto, per dare una sbirciatina. Ed è qui che incontra Hugo Everly, il Lord di Everly Manor, un cattolico in un paese protestante, con un piano rischioso in mente. Tra i due è fuoco fin da subito, Neve non riesce a toglierselo dalla mente, tanto da sfidare il tempo e una storia già scritta per salvare Hugo da un destino crudele.
Fin qui la trama funziona, anzi direi che è stupenda, piena di colpi di scena, e attrazione smisurata, poi cade. Tralasciando la parte sulla pedofilia e gli abusi a danni di minori, che erano decisamente previsti in quel periodo storico, ma assolutamente non necessari da raccontare, succede che i due scappando dalla pseudo giustizia finiscono nel presente. E qui mi fermo e vi lascio continuare da sole. Di fatto la trama funziona, è bella, anche se riduce situazioni complesse in modo troppo semplice, ai limiti del cliché, soprattutto nel cercare a tutti i costi un nemico ben preciso, che per le leggi del multiverso non ha senso che esista poiché non si può cambiare il passato. , ahimè, l’autrice lo inserisce, e fidatevi lo odierete ben presto, più che altro per la sua stupidità. Purtroppo il tutto finisce con un cliffhanger, e francamente non sono certa di voler leggere il seguito. Chi lo sa, il futuro non è ancora scritto!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2018
What to say..... I loved the writing. Irina Shapiro did an amazing job painting the picture for us and taking us through time and elsewhere. The story jumped back and forth between 1st and 3rd pov which worked nicely, however it was primarily 1st pov. I suppose I'm stunned as I put the book down because of 2 things.... one I didn't know this was a series so I fully expected there to be some closure. Imagine my face when there wasn't! Two, it was somewhat of a cliff-hanger, it was 1:23 a.m. when I finished and I just lay there stunned, that was not at all how I expected it to end (or wanted it to end). I thought I would finish the book out feeling like I'd just read a satisfying time piece romance?! No. There was plenty of humor and adventure (relative term of course, not compared to an action book but still) in the book and romance as well. There were no love triangles and plenty of self growth (for more than one character). Max's character took a turn that was a bit of leap, but then again people will surprise you (in both good and bad ways). I was absolutely head over heels fro Hugo and I loved being in Neve's head, she was smart and vulnerable and did pretty much everything in a realistic manner/very believable character.
I very much enjoyed this book and by 1:24 a.m. I had purchased the second book in the series ;) I suppose Neve and Hugo's story is to be continued... I can only pray it goes the way I'd like it to.
I very much enjoyed this book and by 1:24 a.m. I had purchased the second book in the series ;) I suppose Neve and Hugo's story is to be continued... I can only pray it goes the way I'd like it to.
October 5, 2024
Honestly, I found this book really dull even though I love time travel stories. There were so many missed opportunities for conflict to be overcome and real characters developed. Like why does Neve know so much about the 17th century? Being a location scout doesn’t include the knowledge of 17th century linguistics, typical foods and songs (seriously, I found that diddy thing so annoying). I wanted those dynamics and differences of Hugo and Neve figuring out one another explored. I feel like most of the book was about what they DID, like the boring stuff of the moment. We traveled here, we slept here; we woke and went here.
Neve just didn’t seem real to me. It took her so long to realize that being in the 17th century was down right dangerous for women. Like, you haven’t immediately figured out, after essentially being kidnapped, that you have very little control over your life and zero independence?
And she’s cool with returning to the 17th century and having no job? No purpose outside of the home and raising babies? This is not a woman who has worked her whole life, is tired and is counting down the days to retirement. This woman has only been an ADULT for 5 years and in the workforce for maybe 3-4 years. All that new found adult independence and she’s like nah. Medical advances be damned, I’m going back!
Look, I’m not saying that the author couldn’t let her go back and be with Hugo. I just wanted a more realistic portrayal of the characters and their challenges in doing so.
And just one more thing. Towards the end, Neve frets for a moment as they prepare to head to Portsmouth to aboard the ship to France that she hopes they’re not waiting for weeks for the ship so Hugo’s hair dye doesn’t grow out. Really? You just left the 21st century, supposedly squared away your flat, your moneys, created this disguise for Hugo and didn’t think you should have grabbed an extra box or two of hair dye to keep up the ruse in the event of a delay??? Good freaking lord
Ok y’all, I’m done. Sorry, I’m not usually so harsh, but this one irked me. And the amount of 5 stars is truly baffling.
If you want a great passionate romance, read the Fourth Wing series (fantasy + romance). And if you want a romance taking place in medieval Europe, I highly recommend A Daughter of Fair Verona.
Neve just didn’t seem real to me. It took her so long to realize that being in the 17th century was down right dangerous for women. Like, you haven’t immediately figured out, after essentially being kidnapped, that you have very little control over your life and zero independence?
And she’s cool with returning to the 17th century and having no job? No purpose outside of the home and raising babies? This is not a woman who has worked her whole life, is tired and is counting down the days to retirement. This woman has only been an ADULT for 5 years and in the workforce for maybe 3-4 years. All that new found adult independence and she’s like nah. Medical advances be damned, I’m going back!
Look, I’m not saying that the author couldn’t let her go back and be with Hugo. I just wanted a more realistic portrayal of the characters and their challenges in doing so.
And just one more thing. Towards the end, Neve frets for a moment as they prepare to head to Portsmouth to aboard the ship to France that she hopes they’re not waiting for weeks for the ship so Hugo’s hair dye doesn’t grow out. Really? You just left the 21st century, supposedly squared away your flat, your moneys, created this disguise for Hugo and didn’t think you should have grabbed an extra box or two of hair dye to keep up the ruse in the event of a delay??? Good freaking lord
Ok y’all, I’m done. Sorry, I’m not usually so harsh, but this one irked me. And the amount of 5 stars is truly baffling.
If you want a great passionate romance, read the Fourth Wing series (fantasy + romance). And if you want a romance taking place in medieval Europe, I highly recommend A Daughter of Fair Verona.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
I chose this as a badly needed escape read after the recent shit show that was the US election. Time travel romance when done right can be utterly immersive and I oh-so-badly needed the distraction. This was okay but ultimately did not come close to helping me take my mind off my troubles.
Nearly the first two-thirds of the story was solely a time travel adventure--no romance--and wasn’t terribly compelling. The romance didn’t come into the picture until around 60%, and it was snoozily done. No build-up, zero UST, and then suddenly the MCs fell into bed together, had flowery, boring sex, and professed their love. It was underdeveloped and disappointing. The story limped along. Things did get more interesting when the characters returned to modern day. It’s always fun to me in time travel when the traveling goes both ways.
Ultimately though, this fell far short of what I needed and was hoping for. The writing was good and my expectations were admittedly lofty, so three stars seems fair. I won't continue the series.
Nearly the first two-thirds of the story was solely a time travel adventure--no romance--and wasn’t terribly compelling. The romance didn’t come into the picture until around 60%, and it was snoozily done. No build-up, zero UST, and then suddenly the MCs fell into bed together, had flowery, boring sex, and professed their love. It was underdeveloped and disappointing. The story limped along. Things did get more interesting when the characters returned to modern day. It’s always fun to me in time travel when the traveling goes both ways.
Ultimately though, this fell far short of what I needed and was hoping for. The writing was good and my expectations were admittedly lofty, so three stars seems fair. I won't continue the series.
February 28, 2016
Liked the series, but...
There are grammatical errors and other odd mistakes. I liked the story line well enough to read all three books in the series, but there are quite a few mistakes. Some are just word choice like predictive text mistakes. Another, in book three where Max was talking with another character and Hugo was nowhere near, Max was called Hugo. There were also basic grammatical mistakes like using "her and I" on several occasions. These mistakes aren't huge but it reminds me of kindergartners learning to write. They are encouraged to put their thoughts on paper and not to concern themselves with writing conventions. I think an adult author should, at the very least, take some English courses and find a good editor. Or maybe not. It's clearly not necessary in this case since I did pay for two of them.
There are grammatical errors and other odd mistakes. I liked the story line well enough to read all three books in the series, but there are quite a few mistakes. Some are just word choice like predictive text mistakes. Another, in book three where Max was talking with another character and Hugo was nowhere near, Max was called Hugo. There were also basic grammatical mistakes like using "her and I" on several occasions. These mistakes aren't huge but it reminds me of kindergartners learning to write. They are encouraged to put their thoughts on paper and not to concern themselves with writing conventions. I think an adult author should, at the very least, take some English courses and find a good editor. Or maybe not. It's clearly not necessary in this case since I did pay for two of them.
June 3, 2017
This novel is a brilliantly crafted time travel novel, plausible given its parameters and sufficiently intricate and non linear in subplots, intrigues and character development. I have read it several times (a go-to of mine on rainy days) and each time it was just as pleasurable. I felt it was well researched giving the complexities of the historical background adding much richness in flavour and colour. The characters were wonderfully drawn up with strengths and flaws that makes one appreciate the complexities and conflicts that might arise when the main character slips into a past century. A sign of a good read is when after having read it, it stays with you with reflections of what-ifs.
The sequel is just as worthy a read. Kudos Ms. Shapiro.
The sequel is just as worthy a read. Kudos Ms. Shapiro.
May 4, 2018
Intriguing.
I found the thought of a passage into the past intriguing. The period of the story was very violent and I wonder if I would have been as willing as Neve to take a jaunt into the past. There would have been every likelihood of being taken for a witch. There were a few things that I questioned: firstly, at 24 Neve would have looked much younger than that to people of that time period due to better nutrition and health care that we have today; and secondly, the possibility of Max, Lord Everly, standing for parliament doesn't wash. Lords are not eligible to stand for the House of Commons and generally sit in the House of Lords.
Other than that I have to say that it's a good enough story that I will shortly be starting book 2.
I found the thought of a passage into the past intriguing. The period of the story was very violent and I wonder if I would have been as willing as Neve to take a jaunt into the past. There would have been every likelihood of being taken for a witch. There were a few things that I questioned: firstly, at 24 Neve would have looked much younger than that to people of that time period due to better nutrition and health care that we have today; and secondly, the possibility of Max, Lord Everly, standing for parliament doesn't wash. Lords are not eligible to stand for the House of Commons and generally sit in the House of Lords.
Other than that I have to say that it's a good enough story that I will shortly be starting book 2.
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