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Lapse
Nora knows the rules.
Find the time marker, never reveal the secrets of the universe, don't get involved in the time marker's lives.
However, in nearly every single life cycle, they're paired together, when it comes to Mason, she breaks all the rules again and again.
She found him when he was twelve. In high school, Nora taught him his place in the universe. And their lives were thoroughly intertwined-now more than ever.
Despite her mistakes, Nora's job was easy enough, until everything took a sharp turn. Mason is angry with her, with the universe telling her who she ought to be. Nora knows her role, and what that responsibility means. She isn't about to start questioning why things are the way they are, though in her heart her efforts are beginning to unfurl a fog over her judgment.
To add to their cosmic dysfunction, Mason and Nora are only one time warp away from being discovered by time travelers, who would like nothing more than to see Mason restart a life cycle, or thrown out of time completely...
Find the time marker, never reveal the secrets of the universe, don't get involved in the time marker's lives.
However, in nearly every single life cycle, they're paired together, when it comes to Mason, she breaks all the rules again and again.
She found him when he was twelve. In high school, Nora taught him his place in the universe. And their lives were thoroughly intertwined-now more than ever.
Despite her mistakes, Nora's job was easy enough, until everything took a sharp turn. Mason is angry with her, with the universe telling her who she ought to be. Nora knows her role, and what that responsibility means. She isn't about to start questioning why things are the way they are, though in her heart her efforts are beginning to unfurl a fog over her judgment.
To add to their cosmic dysfunction, Mason and Nora are only one time warp away from being discovered by time travelers, who would like nothing more than to see Mason restart a life cycle, or thrown out of time completely...
252 pages, Hardcover
Published October 22, 2021
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Alex Rodriguez
1 book19 followersBorn and raised in the Chicagoland area, Alex Rodriguez grew up inspired by action packed stories of science fiction and the adventures of superheroes. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Now a Wisconsin resident, Alex enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking her dog Titan, attending writing classes, and discovering new books/TV shows to fall in love with.
An occasional reader, Alex enjoys novels in the realms of historical fiction, romance, sci fi, and YA. She also dabbles into thrillers and fantasy.
Follow her Instagram for writing and novel updates: alexrdt_writes
Or her other Instagram account focusing on her current reads: alexrdt_reads
An occasional reader, Alex enjoys novels in the realms of historical fiction, romance, sci fi, and YA. She also dabbles into thrillers and fantasy.
Follow her Instagram for writing and novel updates: alexrdt_writes
Or her other Instagram account focusing on her current reads: alexrdt_reads
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 13, 2022
4.5 rounded up to a 5. I received a copy of this book from the author which had no influence over my rating. I really enjoyed this story which was a different take on time travel. I appreciated the detail put into the action scenes and started to wonder if . The book was a fast read and I wanted more when it concluded. I hope that Alex writes a part two so I can read what shenanigans the time guards get up to next. I also would like to read a prequel of some of their earlier adventures. The author gave just enough hints at previous events to be interesting without slowing down the overall story which I appreciated.
February 10, 2022
• I was sent this E Book in return for an honest review, thanks again to Alex Rodriguez•
Now, I will start this review saying: this book was not what I expected and not really my cup of tea.
HOWEVER: It was a fast read, one that if I was really into it I could of probably spent just one day reading it.
It follows Nora and Mason, a time guard and a time marker basically on the run from time travellers (including a few other time guards and markers they have met throughout their journeys towards the middle/end of the book) which, normally time travel is a thing I quite like in books and tv series so I really don’t know why I could not get into this. But after the like midway point in the book, I did start to enjoy it abit more so might have just been the whole setting up the story/getting used to the characters..
I would definitely recommend to people who want to read a fast, kind of short book who loves time travellers though- just not for me- sorry!
Now, I will start this review saying: this book was not what I expected and not really my cup of tea.
HOWEVER: It was a fast read, one that if I was really into it I could of probably spent just one day reading it.
It follows Nora and Mason, a time guard and a time marker basically on the run from time travellers (including a few other time guards and markers they have met throughout their journeys towards the middle/end of the book) which, normally time travel is a thing I quite like in books and tv series so I really don’t know why I could not get into this. But after the like midway point in the book, I did start to enjoy it abit more so might have just been the whole setting up the story/getting used to the characters..
I would definitely recommend to people who want to read a fast, kind of short book who loves time travellers though- just not for me- sorry!
June 30, 2022
Oooh, timecrimes!
Well, the title and the blurb were enough to get me interested in this title even if it hadn’t been shared with me in return for an honest review. If I picked this volume up off a shelf at Barnes & Noble (or certainly the library) I’d be tempted to take it home with me, and there’s always something to be said for that. Since I’m on the aesthetics, I’ll also add that I really appreciated the clear, clean layout of this book, the readable typeface, and I always like to see cleverly-named chapters. You might think some of that is to be taken for granted, to which I can only say: “Not necessarily.” Especially on the independent circuit.
I felt that the action scenes moved well and kept me reading, with downtime placed at good intervals. If I’m counting the pages rather than being surprised by how many I’ve read there’s a problem, but not so here. I finished this one up rather quickly, and though going through a book too fast can be lamentable, it does profess to a good story. Time travel stories aren’t easy to write due to the need to keep all your ducks in a row (so as not to create an unintended paradox), but the author laid that all out well here, leaving little (at least insofar as the plot is concerned) to misunderstanding. I can’t say I became heavily attached to Nora (who I would prefer never to cross for her combat prowess), Mason, and the crew, but they were solid enough characters with enough depth to make me want to see their story through.
And that brings me to my first issue—the ending. In order to avoid spoilers I can’t say much, other than to express a certain lack of fulfillment. If this is meant to be book one of a longer story so be it, but I went in without any such understanding, and if it ends here…well, I was hoping for more. We’re not talking about a brick-wall cliffhanger tease here; I was just left turning the page, looking for chapter 31.
Next up—and I can only be so forgiving about this in a fully published work—always make sure to do a careful proofread, and then another by someone other than yourself, before a book goes to print. There were simply too many typos in this manuscript for my taste—I’m always willing to forgive a few just because that’s the nature of the publishing beast, but this book went well over my allowable threshold. Further, a number of passages were a bit difficult to follow along with for grammatical issues and a general lack of flow. This made the whole thing feel like a rushed project to me, which does justice neither for the author's prowess (of which I can clearly see storytelling power here) nor the potential reader base. I consider the third star a bit of extra for the honest attempt.
In short—Lapse is a good story with a clever premise; one that the eye of an editor could do a lot for. I hope it gets another edition in the future with the technical work it needs to really shine. If there is a sequel at some point, I’d be interested in checking it out.
Well, the title and the blurb were enough to get me interested in this title even if it hadn’t been shared with me in return for an honest review. If I picked this volume up off a shelf at Barnes & Noble (or certainly the library) I’d be tempted to take it home with me, and there’s always something to be said for that. Since I’m on the aesthetics, I’ll also add that I really appreciated the clear, clean layout of this book, the readable typeface, and I always like to see cleverly-named chapters. You might think some of that is to be taken for granted, to which I can only say: “Not necessarily.” Especially on the independent circuit.
I felt that the action scenes moved well and kept me reading, with downtime placed at good intervals. If I’m counting the pages rather than being surprised by how many I’ve read there’s a problem, but not so here. I finished this one up rather quickly, and though going through a book too fast can be lamentable, it does profess to a good story. Time travel stories aren’t easy to write due to the need to keep all your ducks in a row (so as not to create an unintended paradox), but the author laid that all out well here, leaving little (at least insofar as the plot is concerned) to misunderstanding. I can’t say I became heavily attached to Nora (who I would prefer never to cross for her combat prowess), Mason, and the crew, but they were solid enough characters with enough depth to make me want to see their story through.
And that brings me to my first issue—the ending. In order to avoid spoilers I can’t say much, other than to express a certain lack of fulfillment. If this is meant to be book one of a longer story so be it, but I went in without any such understanding, and if it ends here…well, I was hoping for more. We’re not talking about a brick-wall cliffhanger tease here; I was just left turning the page, looking for chapter 31.
Next up—and I can only be so forgiving about this in a fully published work—always make sure to do a careful proofread, and then another by someone other than yourself, before a book goes to print. There were simply too many typos in this manuscript for my taste—I’m always willing to forgive a few just because that’s the nature of the publishing beast, but this book went well over my allowable threshold. Further, a number of passages were a bit difficult to follow along with for grammatical issues and a general lack of flow. This made the whole thing feel like a rushed project to me, which does justice neither for the author's prowess (of which I can clearly see storytelling power here) nor the potential reader base. I consider the third star a bit of extra for the honest attempt.
In short—Lapse is a good story with a clever premise; one that the eye of an editor could do a lot for. I hope it gets another edition in the future with the technical work it needs to really shine. If there is a sequel at some point, I’d be interested in checking it out.
April 5, 2022
*a digital copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*
3/5 stars
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this book took me a month to read. i think that is in part because it was only available as a digital copy, which i don't typically read, especially in my free time (when i read). it also wasn't the most engaging read. however, this is the author's first book, so i will be giving them the benefit of the doubt/inexperience throughout this review.
the writing
- i found the writing to be very average and basic. there were a lot of mistakes in terms of sentence structure and grammar. (i'm obviously not even close to an expert, but i have read a lot and this is just my opinion). that being said, it was definitely not terrible and i'm sure it will only improve in future books.
the plot
- the plot definitely had potential, although it wasn't fully developed. it was a very interesting concept and i can definitely see it becoming a series in the future. it even sounds like it could be a tv show!
- however, throughout the book i had the feeling that i was missing some sort of prequel or something. there were a lot of aspects of the time guards and their purpose in general that i was still unsure about after finishing the book. it would have been nice to know a little bit more about this world and how the time-traveling works, etc.
the characters
- the characters, like the plot, were a little underdeveloped in my opnion. they seemed a little bland and kind of each had one main character trait and that was it.
- pretty average, but definitely didn't ruin the story!
other comments
- the one aspect of this book that i really had a problem with was the romance between nora and mason (the main characters). it felt extremenly forced and awkward and i really didn't like it.
beyond that, i don't have much more to say! good job, alex rodgriguez. i can tell that you have a great imagination and i can't wait to see what else you write :)
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bottom line:
- a pretty average read with an interesting plot
- the author's first book
3/5 stars
---
this book took me a month to read. i think that is in part because it was only available as a digital copy, which i don't typically read, especially in my free time (when i read). it also wasn't the most engaging read. however, this is the author's first book, so i will be giving them the benefit of the doubt/inexperience throughout this review.
the writing
- i found the writing to be very average and basic. there were a lot of mistakes in terms of sentence structure and grammar. (i'm obviously not even close to an expert, but i have read a lot and this is just my opinion). that being said, it was definitely not terrible and i'm sure it will only improve in future books.
the plot
- the plot definitely had potential, although it wasn't fully developed. it was a very interesting concept and i can definitely see it becoming a series in the future. it even sounds like it could be a tv show!
- however, throughout the book i had the feeling that i was missing some sort of prequel or something. there were a lot of aspects of the time guards and their purpose in general that i was still unsure about after finishing the book. it would have been nice to know a little bit more about this world and how the time-traveling works, etc.
the characters
- the characters, like the plot, were a little underdeveloped in my opnion. they seemed a little bland and kind of each had one main character trait and that was it.
- pretty average, but definitely didn't ruin the story!
other comments
- the one aspect of this book that i really had a problem with was the romance between nora and mason (the main characters). it felt extremenly forced and awkward and i really didn't like it.
beyond that, i don't have much more to say! good job, alex rodgriguez. i can tell that you have a great imagination and i can't wait to see what else you write :)
---
bottom line:
- a pretty average read with an interesting plot
- the author's first book
April 14, 2022
The idea for this book is really interesting, but I still have so many questions! I thought the relationship between Nora and Mason was dynamic. The ending left me sputtering - I need to know what happens next. I am hoping this is a series and not a stand alone.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews