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Indigo #1
Indigo
What would you do if you suddenly found yourself mistress of an 18th-century plantation?
Esther Rubens is looking forward to getting to know her new community in South Carolina and repairing her troubled marriage. But as soon as she arrives in Charleston her life begins to diverge from the idyllic picture in her mind. Her physicist husband, Melvin, is arrested for driving while black, she inherits a strange English property from a cousin she didn't know existed, and she learns that her great-grandmother Sophie, a brilliant scientist kidnapped by the Nazis, discovered the secret of time travel of all things.
Intrigued by Sophie’s cryptic journal Melvin begins to experiment with time travel, but his anger at the police makes him careless. The process backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. Attacked by an unknown assailant the moment she arrives, she seeks protection at an indigo plantation belonging to a dashing planter with a dangerous secret, negotiating a deal that guarantees her safety. But she soon realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. What she discovers on the plantation is far more horrific than anything she could have imagined. Overwhelmed, she attempts to flee just as the planter’s mysterious, handsome brother arrives from England seeking refuge—and offering an opportunity that’s too compelling to turn down. But can he be trusted? And are the two of them strong enough to vanquish the evil that’s pervading the lowlands? Only time will tell.
The first title in the Indigo series.
Esther Rubens is looking forward to getting to know her new community in South Carolina and repairing her troubled marriage. But as soon as she arrives in Charleston her life begins to diverge from the idyllic picture in her mind. Her physicist husband, Melvin, is arrested for driving while black, she inherits a strange English property from a cousin she didn't know existed, and she learns that her great-grandmother Sophie, a brilliant scientist kidnapped by the Nazis, discovered the secret of time travel of all things.
Intrigued by Sophie’s cryptic journal Melvin begins to experiment with time travel, but his anger at the police makes him careless. The process backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. Attacked by an unknown assailant the moment she arrives, she seeks protection at an indigo plantation belonging to a dashing planter with a dangerous secret, negotiating a deal that guarantees her safety. But she soon realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. What she discovers on the plantation is far more horrific than anything she could have imagined. Overwhelmed, she attempts to flee just as the planter’s mysterious, handsome brother arrives from England seeking refuge—and offering an opportunity that’s too compelling to turn down. But can he be trusted? And are the two of them strong enough to vanquish the evil that’s pervading the lowlands? Only time will tell.
The first title in the Indigo series.
452 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
About the author
Paula Berinstein
67 books359 followersPaula Berinstein is the author of the Amanda Lester, Detective middle-grade/YA series, which features a descendant of the Sherlock Holmes character Inspector Lestrade and is set in the English Lake District.
She is also the author of the Indigo (time travel) and The King's Alchemist (historical fantasy) series for adults.
From 2005 to 2012, Paula produced and hosted the popular podcast The Writing Show (http://www.writingshow.com). She holds degrees in English literature and librarianship from UCLA.
She is also the author of the Indigo (time travel) and The King's Alchemist (historical fantasy) series for adults.
From 2005 to 2012, Paula produced and hosted the popular podcast The Writing Show (http://www.writingshow.com). She holds degrees in English literature and librarianship from UCLA.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 1, 2020
“Indigo” is a gripping time-travel story that heats up when Esther Rubens is whisked back to 1750 Charleston, South Carolina through a portal. After being attacked by an unknown assailant she stumbles onto an indigo plantation looking for help from the owner Daniel Peacock who hides a dangerous secret. Negotiating a deal that will ensure her safety until she can find and understand how to operate the portal that brought her to this time period, Esther finds herself falling for Daniel’s good-looking enigmatic brother Jesse and caught up in the deprivation and cruelty that the plantation's slaves faced.
Weaving together time-travel, history and romance in a well-written plot intensity and suspense mounts as Esther fights the small-mindedness of an era that’s racist, intolerant and suspicious. Building on an atmosphere of discontent with not only Esther’s failing marriage as well as Melvin’s dabbling with her grandmother’s research into time travel, the action picks up with an explosive laboratory experiment that propels her into the past and an assault. The mystery of her grandmother’s research and an invisible portal in the woods is amplified when she and Jesse decide to use it to help some of the slaves to freedom. But Paula Berinstein’s creativity never stops with a link to Nazis, and a negotiated pregnancy as the story progresses to a surprising ending.
Among the compelling and multifaceted characters involved are twenty-seven year old Esther (Shapiro) Rubens whose calm, organized, determined and logical but also impulsive; social climbing, greedy, unpredictable and selfish slave owner Daniel Peacock; and his secretive, observant, protective and kind-hearted brother Doctor Jesse Peacock. But it’s the abusive, intolerant and mean-spirited Anglican minister that adds a cold chill to the plot.
At times it seemed the number of issues covered was overwhelming, even to the inclusion of a Nazi link. Introducing Esther’s mother so far into the story did add a different dimension to the story but many questions about what happened to her and whether or not she kept her promise to her native lover were never resolved. Timing was off in places like the birth of the baby because of the ending, but I felt that should be left to creative licence.
All in all, I enjoyed “Indigo” and hope Paul Berinstein will venture into adult fiction again in the future.
Weaving together time-travel, history and romance in a well-written plot intensity and suspense mounts as Esther fights the small-mindedness of an era that’s racist, intolerant and suspicious. Building on an atmosphere of discontent with not only Esther’s failing marriage as well as Melvin’s dabbling with her grandmother’s research into time travel, the action picks up with an explosive laboratory experiment that propels her into the past and an assault. The mystery of her grandmother’s research and an invisible portal in the woods is amplified when she and Jesse decide to use it to help some of the slaves to freedom. But Paula Berinstein’s creativity never stops with a link to Nazis, and a negotiated pregnancy as the story progresses to a surprising ending.
Among the compelling and multifaceted characters involved are twenty-seven year old Esther (Shapiro) Rubens whose calm, organized, determined and logical but also impulsive; social climbing, greedy, unpredictable and selfish slave owner Daniel Peacock; and his secretive, observant, protective and kind-hearted brother Doctor Jesse Peacock. But it’s the abusive, intolerant and mean-spirited Anglican minister that adds a cold chill to the plot.
At times it seemed the number of issues covered was overwhelming, even to the inclusion of a Nazi link. Introducing Esther’s mother so far into the story did add a different dimension to the story but many questions about what happened to her and whether or not she kept her promise to her native lover were never resolved. Timing was off in places like the birth of the baby because of the ending, but I felt that should be left to creative licence.
All in all, I enjoyed “Indigo” and hope Paul Berinstein will venture into adult fiction again in the future.
April 17, 2021
As the book opens, Esther and Melvin Rubens move from California to South Carolina. Their troubled marriage is not helped when Melvin is arrested for being black. Then Esther inherits a crumbling English property from a cousin she didn't know existed, goes to England, and finds her great-grandmother Sophie’s journal.
Esther returns to South Carolina and Melvin attempts to figure out the time travel experiment in Sophie’s journal. It backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. She must survive there, and in the process she is attacked, marries an obnoxious homosexual indigo plantation owner, falls in love with his brother, and discovers there are Nazis in her history (or future as she is in 1750). Nazis? Well, yes, but to say any more would ruin the book for you.
At first, this novel seems like it will be a classic tale of a woman popping back in time and falling in love. Indigo is so much more than that, though. The twists of the plot continued to surprise me all the way to the end (and not just the Nazis). The various settings are well researched and well described: modern Charleston, England with its stately home, 18th century Carolina, and even the Cherokee camp. The character of Esther is wonderfully complex. She is idealistic, out to fix racism, anti-Semitism, and feminism at a time when it wasn’t clear there were even two sides to those issues. She wants to start a family, be a good hostess for her husband, and be able to live openly with her lover. All those things are difficult for her in very surprising ways.
Overall, this book was one I couldn’t put down. I loved the plot twists and complex characters. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series!
Esther returns to South Carolina and Melvin attempts to figure out the time travel experiment in Sophie’s journal. It backfires, killing him and throwing Esther back to 1750. She must survive there, and in the process she is attacked, marries an obnoxious homosexual indigo plantation owner, falls in love with his brother, and discovers there are Nazis in her history (or future as she is in 1750). Nazis? Well, yes, but to say any more would ruin the book for you.
At first, this novel seems like it will be a classic tale of a woman popping back in time and falling in love. Indigo is so much more than that, though. The twists of the plot continued to surprise me all the way to the end (and not just the Nazis). The various settings are well researched and well described: modern Charleston, England with its stately home, 18th century Carolina, and even the Cherokee camp. The character of Esther is wonderfully complex. She is idealistic, out to fix racism, anti-Semitism, and feminism at a time when it wasn’t clear there were even two sides to those issues. She wants to start a family, be a good hostess for her husband, and be able to live openly with her lover. All those things are difficult for her in very surprising ways.
Overall, this book was one I couldn’t put down. I loved the plot twists and complex characters. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series!
April 27, 2020
A gripping story from beginning to end! What a talented writer! I loved her use of time travel! Well done! I will be reading more from this author!!!
April 27, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I have read several of Paula Berinstein's books and am always so impressed with the amount of detail she puts into each of her stories. You really feel like you are there in the book, seeing everything unfold. This was a fabulous read and I can't wait for more!
April 15, 2020
I won this as a Goodreads Kindle book and it was a wonderful read. Loved the setting of the South and how that played into the story. Truly a lovely read.
February 22, 2021
5 Cranky Stars
This book was a really good book. Esther and her husband Melvin just moved to Carolina for new jobs but Melvin isn’t very happy. Esther learns that she just inherited a piece of property in England from an Uncle she never met or heard of. Esther doesn’t even know much about her grandmother until she goes to visit the property in England. She finds a book, a diary of sorts, reads all the entries and about time travel and how that may explain why the women in her family don’t necessarily die from breast cancer, even though it runs in the family. She takes the book back home with her so she can show her husband, who by the way is a Scientist. He gets happy about the discovery and they get heated in the moment. The next morning Melvin is off early to work at the University and Esther goes later that morning to try to get her job and goes looking for Melvin. She finds him in the lab with the book they start to argue and then BOOM. Esther ain’t in Carolina anymore, well not this century anyway.
The year of our Lord, Seventeen hundred and fifty. That’s where Esther woke up. She met Daniel, an esteemed gentleman who offered to marry a widow after she told him about her newly founded estate in England. But nothing ever goes to plan or is as it seems. Enters Daniels brother Jesse. Can you guess what happens when he’s asked to stay on Daniels plantation?
Esther Daniel and Jesse put up good fronts in front of everyone and lead their “owns lives” in private. Esther soon finds out she is not the only time traveler and has run-ins with some mean people. Esther becomes pregnant and her baby gets taken…...or does he/she. Really good book. I would recommend this book to others.
This book was a really good book. Esther and her husband Melvin just moved to Carolina for new jobs but Melvin isn’t very happy. Esther learns that she just inherited a piece of property in England from an Uncle she never met or heard of. Esther doesn’t even know much about her grandmother until she goes to visit the property in England. She finds a book, a diary of sorts, reads all the entries and about time travel and how that may explain why the women in her family don’t necessarily die from breast cancer, even though it runs in the family. She takes the book back home with her so she can show her husband, who by the way is a Scientist. He gets happy about the discovery and they get heated in the moment. The next morning Melvin is off early to work at the University and Esther goes later that morning to try to get her job and goes looking for Melvin. She finds him in the lab with the book they start to argue and then BOOM. Esther ain’t in Carolina anymore, well not this century anyway.
The year of our Lord, Seventeen hundred and fifty. That’s where Esther woke up. She met Daniel, an esteemed gentleman who offered to marry a widow after she told him about her newly founded estate in England. But nothing ever goes to plan or is as it seems. Enters Daniels brother Jesse. Can you guess what happens when he’s asked to stay on Daniels plantation?
Esther Daniel and Jesse put up good fronts in front of everyone and lead their “owns lives” in private. Esther soon finds out she is not the only time traveler and has run-ins with some mean people. Esther becomes pregnant and her baby gets taken…...or does he/she. Really good book. I would recommend this book to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2021
Read my full review on Rosepoint Publishing.
After Esther and Melvin, a mixed race couple, move from California to South Carolina, she inherits an English property from a distant, unknown cousin in England. After inspecting the crumbling estate, she comes home with her great-grandmother Sophie’s well-documented personal and scientific journal.
Sharing with Melvin that Sophie’s journal had chronicled a time travel experiment, Melvin jumps at the chance to travel with her, but something goes terribly wrong and he is killed in the same incident in which she discovers herself in 1750 South Carolina and the victim of a violent attack. She is rescued by indigo plantation owner Daniel Peacock and following a period of recovery from the attack, agrees to marry Daniel. She hopes to safely find the time portal to return to her own century. Then she meets Daniel’s brother, Jesse.
Now it’s gets complicated with the storyline adding multi-layers to the plot. There is the plight of the slaves, the barbarism of the eighteenth century. Issues run from racism, anti-Semitism, hidden agendas, and treachery to deadly conflict.
Esther’s character is smart, educated, and eager to right wrongs. Daniel is a greedy and vile character. Jesse is soft-spoken, gorgeous, and hot.
The twists start coming and eventually introduce a thread to the Nazis. Huh? So much going on! Threads are introduced, then put on the back-burner or left open-ended, sympathetic characters fleshed and then sacrificed.
The author’s writing style is unique, utilizing colloquialism and modern slang with a lapse from time to time to involve eighteenth century diction. The final twist in the conclusion is a douzy. 3.5 stars
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and these are my honest thoughts.
After Esther and Melvin, a mixed race couple, move from California to South Carolina, she inherits an English property from a distant, unknown cousin in England. After inspecting the crumbling estate, she comes home with her great-grandmother Sophie’s well-documented personal and scientific journal.
Sharing with Melvin that Sophie’s journal had chronicled a time travel experiment, Melvin jumps at the chance to travel with her, but something goes terribly wrong and he is killed in the same incident in which she discovers herself in 1750 South Carolina and the victim of a violent attack. She is rescued by indigo plantation owner Daniel Peacock and following a period of recovery from the attack, agrees to marry Daniel. She hopes to safely find the time portal to return to her own century. Then she meets Daniel’s brother, Jesse.
Now it’s gets complicated with the storyline adding multi-layers to the plot. There is the plight of the slaves, the barbarism of the eighteenth century. Issues run from racism, anti-Semitism, hidden agendas, and treachery to deadly conflict.
Esther’s character is smart, educated, and eager to right wrongs. Daniel is a greedy and vile character. Jesse is soft-spoken, gorgeous, and hot.
The twists start coming and eventually introduce a thread to the Nazis. Huh? So much going on! Threads are introduced, then put on the back-burner or left open-ended, sympathetic characters fleshed and then sacrificed.
The author’s writing style is unique, utilizing colloquialism and modern slang with a lapse from time to time to involve eighteenth century diction. The final twist in the conclusion is a douzy. 3.5 stars
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and these are my honest thoughts.
April 23, 2021
Rating - 3.5/5
The story starts on a gripping note when Esther suddenly inherits a quaint mansion worth a fortune from an unknown cousin. Puzzled and excited, she decides to travel to England and view her newly acquired estate. As expected, she gets amazed by the grandeur of her palace. Here she finds a diary of her great grandmother scribbled with the formula of time travel. From this point, all the story of inheritance fades in the shadow, and a new storyline emerges. So all this built-up only to find a diary? I was a bit disappointed here as I coveted to stay on this storyline.
Slowly the story loses its pace and gets ensnared in a plethora of topics. The author picked up so many issues without resolving anyone satisfactorily. There is romance, murder, medical science, Catholics, Jews, Slaves, women upliftment, abolitionists, discrimination, homosexuality, and Nazi connection too.
An essential part of any time-travel story is the incongruity of lives between current and past. If not explicitly told it is the 18th century, there is no way to guess it other than the mention of slavery. It is strange when one more person traveled in her jeans and outfit, 1750's guys are not baffled by it or are afraid of it. In the end, when the mysteries unfold, it is done in a haste. In a spur of the moment, Esther understands everything. The story runs at a fast pace but gets slow down in between, resulting in a jarring experience.
In a series, it is acceptable to leave a few threads open to cover them up in a sequel. But leaving many loose ends has resulted in a mediocre end to an otherwise excellent story. Irrespective of some flaws, I enjoyed reading it and will wait for a sequel. I appreciate the author for her noteworthy, and lucid style of writing.
The story starts on a gripping note when Esther suddenly inherits a quaint mansion worth a fortune from an unknown cousin. Puzzled and excited, she decides to travel to England and view her newly acquired estate. As expected, she gets amazed by the grandeur of her palace. Here she finds a diary of her great grandmother scribbled with the formula of time travel. From this point, all the story of inheritance fades in the shadow, and a new storyline emerges. So all this built-up only to find a diary? I was a bit disappointed here as I coveted to stay on this storyline.
Slowly the story loses its pace and gets ensnared in a plethora of topics. The author picked up so many issues without resolving anyone satisfactorily. There is romance, murder, medical science, Catholics, Jews, Slaves, women upliftment, abolitionists, discrimination, homosexuality, and Nazi connection too.
An essential part of any time-travel story is the incongruity of lives between current and past. If not explicitly told it is the 18th century, there is no way to guess it other than the mention of slavery. It is strange when one more person traveled in her jeans and outfit, 1750's guys are not baffled by it or are afraid of it. In the end, when the mysteries unfold, it is done in a haste. In a spur of the moment, Esther understands everything. The story runs at a fast pace but gets slow down in between, resulting in a jarring experience.
In a series, it is acceptable to leave a few threads open to cover them up in a sequel. But leaving many loose ends has resulted in a mediocre end to an otherwise excellent story. Irrespective of some flaws, I enjoyed reading it and will wait for a sequel. I appreciate the author for her noteworthy, and lucid style of writing.
May 25, 2021
3.75 time travelling stars
I received This book in exchange For an honest opinion
It's been a while since I read a time Travel Historical novel... And I have always found The subject fascinating. Adjusting from present to Past with all The knowledge you carry and dealing with Past beliefs and very different ways of life.
This book has that right along with very well researched plantation lifestyle in 1750. It's very detailed and It makes The reader Feel there in the moment . But It's not only that, We have romance, murder, science, racism, bigotry, Even nazis...
There's plot twist after plot twist which makes It quite an interesting read.. However It also becomes Too much ground to cover... Jumping from one thing to The next.
Being a series It's understandable to have loose ends that will eventually be tied up in The end But I found this particular ending not quite as impressive as I was led to believe It would be.
The writing is fluid and rich.. The characters are complex and appealing...f
Overall I did enjoy It, Even If I thought At times that perhaps There were many plotlines afloat.. I would be interested to see Where It all ends up.
I received This book in exchange For an honest opinion
It's been a while since I read a time Travel Historical novel... And I have always found The subject fascinating. Adjusting from present to Past with all The knowledge you carry and dealing with Past beliefs and very different ways of life.
This book has that right along with very well researched plantation lifestyle in 1750. It's very detailed and It makes The reader Feel there in the moment . But It's not only that, We have romance, murder, science, racism, bigotry, Even nazis...
There's plot twist after plot twist which makes It quite an interesting read.. However It also becomes Too much ground to cover... Jumping from one thing to The next.
Being a series It's understandable to have loose ends that will eventually be tied up in The end But I found this particular ending not quite as impressive as I was led to believe It would be.
The writing is fluid and rich.. The characters are complex and appealing...f
Overall I did enjoy It, Even If I thought At times that perhaps There were many plotlines afloat.. I would be interested to see Where It all ends up.
September 15, 2020
Immediately, the first chapter sinks into the story with a quick introduction of the main couple and an explosive event that gets things going. If sci-fi, thrillers, mysteries, historical-fiction, love stories and of course time-travel are your favorite genres to read, you will fall in love with Indigo.
There are twists and turns with the unexpected events that keep this story churning. With all of the excitement of time-travel and love matters Indigo is an incredible fantasy. There is no loss of depth and real-life issues as well, making this a riveting and enthralling adventure.
Indigo is an absolutely wonderful read to cozy up with. I love time-travel and historical-fiction, who doesn’t? But this one surely is a wild but also very romantic story to be taken away with. I especially loved the history involved giving this fantasy loads of real life feeling with intense and real life situations.
There are twists and turns with the unexpected events that keep this story churning. With all of the excitement of time-travel and love matters Indigo is an incredible fantasy. There is no loss of depth and real-life issues as well, making this a riveting and enthralling adventure.
Indigo is an absolutely wonderful read to cozy up with. I love time-travel and historical-fiction, who doesn’t? But this one surely is a wild but also very romantic story to be taken away with. I especially loved the history involved giving this fantasy loads of real life feeling with intense and real life situations.
April 5, 2020
Interesting concept
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (thank you!)
I’ve read a number a time travel books over the years, so the concept of this one intrigued me. I thought that parts of it were well done, especially descriptive, even. Then there were parts that seems hastily thrown together or back explained. There were a number of times that the reactions of one character or another didn’t really seem realistic. Also, trying to tackle racism, anti-semitism AND feminism all in one novel is a bit much to bite off. When I read the author’s bio at the end, it made more sense, this being her first adult novel. All of that said, it was an ok book to spend some of this time we all have on our hands these days.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (thank you!)
I’ve read a number a time travel books over the years, so the concept of this one intrigued me. I thought that parts of it were well done, especially descriptive, even. Then there were parts that seems hastily thrown together or back explained. There were a number of times that the reactions of one character or another didn’t really seem realistic. Also, trying to tackle racism, anti-semitism AND feminism all in one novel is a bit much to bite off. When I read the author’s bio at the end, it made more sense, this being her first adult novel. All of that said, it was an ok book to spend some of this time we all have on our hands these days.
August 13, 2021
The story starts out innocently enough - Esther wanting to repair her failing marriage, and a mysterious inheritance. The plot quickly picks up as her husband's experiments with time travel propel her backwards to a time when slavery was common, and social norms were much different from today. The characters were all interesting, with their own complexities. This isn't a simple time-travel romance, but an engaging, complex read that will hook you from the start. Highly recommend if you're interested in a romance with a twist.
Read
January 14, 2021I am not rating this because after 25% in I decided to stop reading. This just was not a book for me.
March 17, 2022
Thank you to the author for this copy in return for my honest review.
Time travel romance with a difference, lots of trial and turbulence which kept me reading, even though I was in a reading slump, just wanting to know the ending. It has good plots, great imagination and the ending was unexpected.
All in all, I was excited that this is a time travel romance as I had enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I did placed a high expectation on it which I shouldn't have. Also with my current long drought of reading slump that didn't help as much. As Goodreads have pointed out, there are many good reviews of this novel so if you are not as nitpicky as me, go ahead and read this novel!
Time travel romance with a difference, lots of trial and turbulence which kept me reading, even though I was in a reading slump, just wanting to know the ending. It has good plots, great imagination and the ending was unexpected.
All in all, I was excited that this is a time travel romance as I had enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I did placed a high expectation on it which I shouldn't have. Also with my current long drought of reading slump that didn't help as much. As Goodreads have pointed out, there are many good reviews of this novel so if you are not as nitpicky as me, go ahead and read this novel!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews