“In one and the same fire, clay grows hard and wax melts.” - Francis Bacon
Valda is finally free, but her secrets have revealed new puzzles. Hatch and Dirk have been taken. Worse, Oz seems to have abandoned them.
Now, with Andreas at her side, she will wage a war she never wanted to fight against an organization she knows nothing about to save the men she loves.
The answer everyone wants is housed within her mind. Now, if only Valda knew what the question is. No matter what, she will do whatever it takes to save them. They didn’t give up on her.
She will be damned if she will lose them now.
The epic conclusion to the Time Captive trilogy. Brace yourselves, it’s going to be a wild ride.
**Please note this is a reverse harem and the author suggests you always read the forward in her books. This is the third and final book in a trilogy.
I love books. Not just a little bit, but a lot. Books were my best friends when I was growing up. Books didn’t care if I was new to a town or to a class. They were always there, my trustiest of companions. Until they turned on me and said I had to write them.
I can tell you that my own personal happily ever after included writing books. I’ve always said that an HEA is a work in progress. It’s true in my marriage, my friendships, and in my career. I am constantly nurturing my muse as we dive into new tales, new tropes, new characters and more.
After seventeen years back in Texas, we relocated to the Pacific Northwest in search of seasons, new experiences, and new geography. I can’t wait to discover what life (and my muse) have in store for me.
Maybe writing was always my destiny and romance my fate. After all, my grandmother wasn’t a fan of picture books and used to read me her Harlequin Romance novels.
Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, friends to enemies to lovers, you name it, I love them and love to write them. I started with Earth Witches Aren’t Easy, the first in the Chance Monroe trilogy, but my characters and I have traveled a long way since I created that urban fantasy world.
One of the series I hear my readers recommend the most is the Untouchable series followed in quick succession by the Vandals, and that just delights me. No lie, whenever one of my readers brings up my wolves, I do a little a fist pump.
I’m active on social media, and I love hearing from readers. Feel free to tag me with a question about any of my books, or just say hi!
Even though the first two books of this trilogy were fast-paced, and this is the concluding story, ‘Fast Forward’ has even more action (if that is possible) but is all about what family does for one another – and how far you will go to protect each other and the family unit.
Valda is out of the memoriam. The men are fighting to save all their lives. The “army” that stands with them has become part of their circle and each and every one of them would die to protect Valda and/or Hatch, Dirk, Oz and Andreas.
I’d have to say the actual mayhem occurred in the previous two books. Fast Forward is about how Valda and her guys…well, save the world and each other; even MORE mayhem. LOTS of action and interaction with the ‘bad’ guys, but I loved reading about how these five people had grown close and finally, as one unit worked so well to fight for each other and what they have come to mean to each other.
Great conclusion to this trilogy! My heart was jumpin’ all around while I was reading it. And the guys were so protective, and dare I say it, adorable. Now I think I’d better hide before they read that last line…
This book was the most magnificent finale to the Time Captive Trilogy!!
After years of fighting to stay alive in a world riddled with deception, death and destruction, Valda and her crew may have escaped the fire only to be locked in a new hell - scattered and separated while they fight across the globe for one another, is time their enemy or their ally, and can anywhere be safe if your own mind may not be?
The Pirate and The Protector. The Healer. The Priest, and The Scientist. For them, it's always come down to "Together or Not at All."
But what will they do when Together or Not at All... could mean making the choice between saving the world, and saving each other?
The twists, turns and power moves in this book were incredible, and I truly don't think I've ever read a character like Valda Bashan before! I loved seeing her, the men and their evolution culminate in this beautiful, pulse pounding finale!
Thank you to Heather Long for complimentary eARC. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review. With Andreas at her side, a recovering Valda is racing to find Dirk and Hatch while mourning Oscar's abandonment. She is still recovering from the Mermoriam, and needs to find her strength to find and save her men... Valda shares the narration duty with her men, and this is all in first person. A lesser writer would have to make more of an effort to designate who was speaking. Ms. Long is able to use a unique and clear voice for each character. Valda turns the trope of the Princes working to save the Princes on its outdated head. She must find her men. It is easy to see Valda giving that classic Ripley line from Aliens “Get away from them, you b----.” This strength and the passion behind create the kind of heroine who is deserving of the love of 4 good men. As much as she shines, her men, Dirk, Hatch, Oscar and Andreas, are textured characters. While they each portray a type of hero – Hatch is the rogue, Oscar the tactician, Andreas the brave knight errant and Dirk is the dangerous, angry Byronic hero – they also alter and twist those roles into something new. Within this otherwise soft sci-fi, some of the tech has a hard sci-fi feel. The tech never becomes plot armor, never sinks down to the point the author has to create some piece of tech to save the characters. Not quite deus ex mechina, but close. The tech is stable throughout all of the novels. There is a certain sly humor buried in the book in some of the best insults encountered between the pages of a book. Readers should plan to use them in the out-of-books life. A thin thread of lessons learned in 2020 -reactions to a pandemic, the resulting anti-science dogma and the dangers of a computerized world runs almost undetected as you read. I love 99.9% of the book. I could have honest done without the epilogue. It felt sort of unnecessary when it is easy to guess what Valda announced. 5 stars out 5
I received a complimentary eARC and I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review. “In one and the same fire, clay grows hard and wax melts.” - Francis Bacon
Valda is finally free, but her secrets have revealed new puzzles. Hatch and Dirk have been taken. Worse, Oz seems to have abandoned them.
Now, with Andreas at her side, she will wage a war she never wanted to fight against an organization she knows nothing about to save the men she loves.
The answer everyone wants is housed within her mind. Now, if only Valda knew what the question is. No matter what, she will do whatever it takes to save them. They didn’t give up on her.
She will be damned if she will lose them now.
This is the epic finale of this series and when i say epic i mean EPIC!!!!!!!!! This book is actioned packed as the previous two books were and i dare say that its even more packed! Its all about Valda and her men and how they will do anything for each other and at the same time they will do everything to save the world. I loved this book and how emotional and how strong and how filled with love and anguish and tears and laughter it was all at the same time...each page was a revelation to the story.
I have to admit that i felt like there was much more left to be said and at the same we got all that we needed to have for the story to end. I feel sad that this story had to end. I hope at some point we get to see these characters again .
Valda is out of Memoriam but Dirk and Hatch have been taken, Oz left, and Valda is being hunted by a corporation that wants her back inside. But that's not the answer. There are problems to be solved and there's not a better mind than Valda's. She will find the solution to save the world but even more important to her, she will find a way to save her men. They spent years saving her, she won't stop until she returns the favor. She now understands the life she wants. Balance. Focusing on her experiments is no longer her most important objective. Love is.
This series has been the most original and complex Sci-Fi RH's I have read. It's also been the most difficult to connect to the characters. Valda is brilliant but unemotional. Her clinical approach removed her from the passion expected in a love story. Andreas was conflicted, filled with guilt, making him difficult to embrace and I never connected with Oz. Hatch and especially Dirk have always held the appeal for me. However, Valda finally embraced her human side in this book, making her more relatable and Andreas finally gave in to his passions. Still, he and Oz don't hold up to the other two in my heart. Dirk and Hatch stand tall among men. They compliment each other beautifully and could fill any desire a woman could dream up.
This was a fitting conclusion for the series. Intelligent, well thought out, and complex. I expected nothing less for the sci-fi I read.
In this action packed finale Valda is free but with a number of puzzle pieces that just do not fit. With Andreas by her side, she regains her strength but worries about Hatch and Dirk, who are missing and Oz, who just seemed to have disappeared into thin air. The dystopic world brought on by a virus that sent scientist into hiding and doctors floundering is still a mess and someone still wants Valda - or at least control of her mind.
I had been looking forward to FAST FORWARD for awhile wondering where Dirk and Hatch were and why Oz left. All these questions are answered and even more that we didn't expect comes to light. Amazingly well written action scenes as well as a steamy romance with just the right touches of naughty temptation.
FAST FORWARD is the perfect finale and does not end abruptly giving readers questions about this woman and her harem's (did I forget to mention this is a reverse harem) future. We get to read a page of Valda's notebook and see what the future hold for this family and maybe just a glimpse of what the new normal might look like for us. (though hopefully not with the devastation but with the bright outlook on things that really matter - love, hope, home, family.)
This is the finale of the Time Captive trilogy and. to get the full impact, should be read in order - Paused, Rewind and then Fast Forward.
When we last left Valda, she had awoken to find, Dirk and Hatch were taken and now missing, and Oz was going to leave her to pursue his life again. With her compound destroyed she returns to the island where she was 'born' to recover in a way only she can. Oz leaves her in Andreas' care and goes off to do whatever he needs to do. Let me just say that was a bit of a surprise.
Once Valda awakens, Andreas has a much better understand of who and what Valda is. Still she has recovering to do before they can go after Dirk and Hatch. Once Andreas sees she can undertake the journey they make a call from Campbell's yacht. They discover that Blossom Foundry has he men in England and Smithson would do anything to get what he wants.
Hatch and Valda seem to have an unusual connection, one they will have to investigate further once they are all together again. The only problem is that it exhausts Valda. So even though Andreas doesn't quite believe what she says she saw and heard, he doesn't want her doing it again.
England is where all of this will come to a head. Valda has questions she needs answered and frankly she has no intention of giving in to Smithson.
This is the perfect conclusion to this awesome trilogy. There is romance, lots of action, and that sizzling heat as only Heather writes it.
Don't miss this book it was definitely worth the wait!
What an ending!! Grab your tissues because this book will bring out all the feels!
At the end of Rewind, Valda is left to heal with Andreas' help after Oz walked away and Hatch and Dirk had been taken. This book picks up right where we left off and follows their journey back to each other again while Valda struggles with the notion that it's up to her to save the world. One of my favorite lines from the book is "I forgot the most important part of saving lives is valuing the life I have." Valda realizes that while she still wants to help save everyone, she wants to live her life as well. Wherever they go and whatever they do they will do it all together! The world is broken around them but their love and family is a thing of beauty.
In this book you will find twists and turns, ups, downs, healing, and so much love. It will keep you on your toes wondering what is going to happen next. These books are unique and wonderful. Read Valda's story. It's lovely and Fast Forward is the perfect ending to the Time Captive Trilogy.
Save my soul, I loved this book. It was the perfect ending to the trilogy.
After years apart, and the guys fighting to save Valda, they escape only to be separated again. I did not think my heart could take it. But they kept fighting for each other and found their way back. They stuck with her and she realized that in the end, they meant more to her than her work. For a while I was worried she would go back in, but I am so glad she didn’t.
The men in Valda’s life each bring something special to her life and the story, but I have to say: Hatch is my favorite. There is too many reasons to list why…he just is…lol
The book had me at the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down. From the moment I received it, it was all I wanted to read. I am thrilled that they found their happy ending and had kids together.
Thank you Heather for introducing me to these characters and making my life a little bit brighter and better. You are an amazing author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
What an Emotional end to a fantastic trilogy! Heather Long continues to bring us great stories with strong female characters with just enough sass, snark and vulnerability that keeps me coming back again and again. Fast Forward picks up where Rewind ended. Valda is back at her mother's lab where she was born and raised. While she heals after being in a coma for 5 years, Andreas watches over her and learns more about her mother and the work she was doing. With Dirk and Hatch being taken and Oz all but abandoning them all it's up to Valda and Andreas to find their missing family save themselves and possibly save humanity. Twists and turns and an ending taken from a page from Romeo and Juliet makes for a great story of love, survival and perseverance. Highly recommend this series to everyone who loves their romance with a twist. The entire series is on kindle unlimited, you won't be sorry!
What a fitting ending for this story. I loved the main characters Valda, Oz, Dirk, Hatch and Andreas and how they worked together as a family of sorts. I loved how their characters evolved and how they work together to save themselves and the world. This story was full of action and suspense as well as plenty of emotion and romance as they battled to overcome the Blossom Foundry and their agenda and save themselves and the world in the process. I highly recommend this story. I love Heathers stories. They always take you to such interesting worlds, characters and storylines.
I love this group, I just can't help feeling their story was cut to short. I absolutely loved the first two books. This one was also very good I'm just not the biggest fan of the ending I feel like there was so much more to tell about them. I say this just because I love reading about Valda and her guys. Heather Long is definitely one of my favorite RH writers, what I love the most is the relationships she writes between all of the main characters.
This addition to Valda and the guys’ story was a perfect (and beautiful, crazy, startling) finish to this trilogy. I ran a complete gamut of emotions while reading it, including being absolutely shocked, which doesn’t honestly happen often. I was NOT expecting them to agree to that solution. I’m so glad I read this trilogy, and absolutely recommend.
WOW! What an ending! It picks up where the last book left off and takes you on a journey until they're all back together. The journey though is full of surprises, twists and of course love! Be prepared for your jaw to drop, saying holy cow, to smile, and just enjoy this thrilling conclusion. It's story that was definitely worth the wait and I highly recommend reading, and the first 2 if you haven't already.
This book hits some solid truth into how corporate run the things in our lives. Love the characters and the storyline. Good series for anyone to read. Thank the writer for giving the story closure and brief glimpse into their future. Good writer
I liked it, probably only giving it 4 stars honestly because I loved the build up to this finale, but I wanted more about the outside world since they are out and Valda is healthy but it seemed to focus primarily on the relationships instead.
I have to say, if you didn't read the first 2 books in this series, you missed a lot, but this final book...my goodness!! I know the hangover I'm going to have will be long, but so worth it!
Oh my goodness! This book is packed full of action. Valda has so much to overcome, needing to move on and save her men. It was an absolute perfect finale to a series. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Valda is not a warrior but her brain is wonderful and thanks to her secret knowledge she managed to save the day and save her guys. I liked her ice-cold and logical interaction with the bad guy.