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The Cotswolds Time-Slip Series #2
Play for Time
What if the future hangs on your ability to play for time…
When Tom Brookes and Beth Sawyer accidentally bumped into each other on the 15:15 train from Paddington to Cheltenham, neither of them expected it to be the start of a journey that would throw their normal lives so spectacularly off-course.
In Play for Time - Book 2 in the Cotswolds Time-Slip Series - Tom and Beth struggle to adjust to life in a sleepy Cotswold village while trying to rein in a toddler whose astounding abilities are seen as a threat by the all-powerful Guardians. With spies reporting on the family’s every turn, what follows is as unpredictable as the knife-edge climax.
Play for Time continues the story of an extraordinary relationship between two people who should never have met.
When Tom Brookes and Beth Sawyer accidentally bumped into each other on the 15:15 train from Paddington to Cheltenham, neither of them expected it to be the start of a journey that would throw their normal lives so spectacularly off-course.
In Play for Time - Book 2 in the Cotswolds Time-Slip Series - Tom and Beth struggle to adjust to life in a sleepy Cotswold village while trying to rein in a toddler whose astounding abilities are seen as a threat by the all-powerful Guardians. With spies reporting on the family’s every turn, what follows is as unpredictable as the knife-edge climax.
Play for Time continues the story of an extraordinary relationship between two people who should never have met.
- GenresTime Travel
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2022
35 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Jan Turk Petrie
14 books25 followersJan Turk Petrie is an award winning writer who lives in the Cotswolds area of England (UK).
She is the author of twelve novels including:
The fast paced, Nordic thriller series: the Eldísvík Trilogy,
'Running Behind Time' and the three other volumes of her bestselling Cotswolds Time-slip Series
'Too Many Heroes' - a noir thriller set in London England in 1952.
'Towards the Vanishing Point' - a tense, domestic drama mainly set in the 1950s
'The Truth in a Lie' - Jan's first contemporary novel dealing with family dramas and relationships.
''Still Life with a Vengeance' - a contemporary story of a woman whose rock star husband is accused of rape.
Jan's latest novel - 'Falling Apart' a dystopian triller full of twists and intrigue.
A former English teacher with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, Jan has also penned numerous, prize-winning short stories.
She is the author of twelve novels including:
The fast paced, Nordic thriller series: the Eldísvík Trilogy,
'Running Behind Time' and the three other volumes of her bestselling Cotswolds Time-slip Series
'Too Many Heroes' - a noir thriller set in London England in 1952.
'Towards the Vanishing Point' - a tense, domestic drama mainly set in the 1950s
'The Truth in a Lie' - Jan's first contemporary novel dealing with family dramas and relationships.
''Still Life with a Vengeance' - a contemporary story of a woman whose rock star husband is accused of rape.
Jan's latest novel - 'Falling Apart' a dystopian triller full of twists and intrigue.
A former English teacher with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, Jan has also penned numerous, prize-winning short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 2, 2024
Apologies, I read all four books in rapid succession and didn't write a review of any of them so I'm not sure what happened in which book.
To recap. In summer 2020 Tom Brookes accidentally time-travels back to 1982. When he attempts to return to 2020 he inadvertently brings backs Beth Sawyer, an aspiring young actress.
Now parents of a small toddler called Ollie, Beth and Tom are living in a quiet Cotswold village, trying to live a normal life. Unfortunately, Ollie has inherited Tom's time travelling abilities and without any understanding of what he is doing has travelled on his own.
The time-travel Guardians are watching Tom closely and he knows they will take Ollie away if he can't stop him from potentially creating anomalies in the time stream.
Ollie is an absolute delight, the author has done a really good job of portraying a precocious child with an adult vocabulary.
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
To recap. In summer 2020 Tom Brookes accidentally time-travels back to 1982. When he attempts to return to 2020 he inadvertently brings backs Beth Sawyer, an aspiring young actress.
Now parents of a small toddler called Ollie, Beth and Tom are living in a quiet Cotswold village, trying to live a normal life. Unfortunately, Ollie has inherited Tom's time travelling abilities and without any understanding of what he is doing has travelled on his own.
The time-travel Guardians are watching Tom closely and he knows they will take Ollie away if he can't stop him from potentially creating anomalies in the time stream.
Ollie is an absolute delight, the author has done a really good job of portraying a precocious child with an adult vocabulary.
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
August 19, 2022
Another excellent addition to her time hopping saga. Tom, Beth and their new family feel increasingly exposed to harm from the Guardians who police the barriers between times. I am left keen to read the third instalment of this gripping and fascinating series.
June 7, 2022
Tom and Beth’s time-traveling continues in this fast-paced sequel to “Running Behind Time.” Their son, Ollie, has inherited the the time-traveling skills of his father and grandfather, leading to confrontations with the Guardians.
June 17, 2022
The follow up to Running Behind Time could easily be read as a stand alone book as the author skillfully reacquaints us with the key players and we have the delights of finding out more about Ollie, Beth and Tom's little boy and his remarkable powers. The narrative also deepens the idea of The Guardians and their time travelling and mind reading abilities. As Ollie is such a special little boy, it is no surprise that the narrative is often seen from his view point, written beautifully as if from a child's point of view. We discover more about Tom's background, his mother and father and his life before he met Beth. The build up to the show down with some of The Guardians is excitingly written and kept me turning the pages, desperate for the resolution. As always, Jan Turk Petrie's prose is a delight to read, with just the right amount of description and some great observations and turns of phrase.
October 10, 2022
Ever wondered what a child born into a slip time world could be like? Well, in Play for Time, we find out. This novel in the series by Jan Turk-Petrie portrays an extraordinary family of four, particularly a boy gifted with foresight and intuition, who can pre-empt dangers ahead.
From start to finish, the story carries the reader on a journey of suspense and brinkmanship – as characters teeter on the point of annihilation. Within the transtemporal scenario are three strong characters whose lives evolve in fear of the all-seeing Guardians. However, the controllers of the time slip characters, Beth, Tom and little Ollie are real people with real feelings, and therein lies the sheer ‘pull’ of the storyline. Will they, won’t they beat the machinations of the powerful Guardians? Their race against danger reaches a pinnacle in London, when Tom and Ollie are transported back to the 1930s to prevent disaster. Can they, afterwards, return to pandemic England?
In this arresting and provocative novel, the author brings our imagination to a point almost beyond belief. But we do believe, and therein lies the power of the story.
From start to finish, the story carries the reader on a journey of suspense and brinkmanship – as characters teeter on the point of annihilation. Within the transtemporal scenario are three strong characters whose lives evolve in fear of the all-seeing Guardians. However, the controllers of the time slip characters, Beth, Tom and little Ollie are real people with real feelings, and therein lies the sheer ‘pull’ of the storyline. Will they, won’t they beat the machinations of the powerful Guardians? Their race against danger reaches a pinnacle in London, when Tom and Ollie are transported back to the 1930s to prevent disaster. Can they, afterwards, return to pandemic England?
In this arresting and provocative novel, the author brings our imagination to a point almost beyond belief. But we do believe, and therein lies the power of the story.
December 7, 2024
Cotswolds time-slip follow-on - Book 2 of the series
Play for Time is a good follow-on from the first book. We have the usual peril, mild and otherwise and the unusually mature Ollie figures strongly as a strong, if small personality.
Somehow, knowing there are two more books in the series, you expect all that main characters to evolve, certainly....... but definitely survive. It's a good, pleasant read with the time-slip as an interesting twist which drives the story. No, I'll not spoil it by revealing what happens!!!!
A good read, well written. Not overly literary in style, it's a perfect and relatively undemanding read which you can enjoy without guilt or undue puzzling over the plot. I suspect the seeds of the next book are planted and growing in the plot here. We'll see!!!
A good 4-star read. I'll read something else now and come back to the next book later..
Play for Time is a good follow-on from the first book. We have the usual peril, mild and otherwise and the unusually mature Ollie figures strongly as a strong, if small personality.
Somehow, knowing there are two more books in the series, you expect all that main characters to evolve, certainly....... but definitely survive. It's a good, pleasant read with the time-slip as an interesting twist which drives the story. No, I'll not spoil it by revealing what happens!!!!
A good read, well written. Not overly literary in style, it's a perfect and relatively undemanding read which you can enjoy without guilt or undue puzzling over the plot. I suspect the seeds of the next book are planted and growing in the plot here. We'll see!!!
A good 4-star read. I'll read something else now and come back to the next book later..
August 30, 2023
This second Cotswold book continues the time travel mystery in a satisfying way. The baby, Ollie, takes on a major role. At first his grown-up attributes were a littlr hard to accept but he grew into the plot in a plausible way. While I've enjoyed the story, I'm less than taken with the personality of Tom. He seems thick at times for a genius and invariably immature. The one without superpowers, Beth, runs circles around him.
September 27, 2022
A very clever boy
This is the sequel to Running Behind Time which I loved. Although good, this book didn't have any cliff hangers which keeps you wanting to read more like the first, but it has a good enough story that will make me read the third if there is one
This is the sequel to Running Behind Time which I loved. Although good, this book didn't have any cliff hangers which keeps you wanting to read more like the first, but it has a good enough story that will make me read the third if there is one
June 17, 2023
intriguing
This is a new author for me and now I read the first 2 in this series and will embark on the 3rd right away. I enjoyed Ollie’s part in the book and how the parents had to cope. Interesting take on a time slip series.
This is a new author for me and now I read the first 2 in this series and will embark on the 3rd right away. I enjoyed Ollie’s part in the book and how the parents had to cope. Interesting take on a time slip series.
October 24, 2023
Play For Time (The Cotswold time-slip series Book 2)
Yes Tom and his son Ollie can pass through time. The only thing is Ollie is still a baby. He talks very well and he knows things. His parents try to entertain him as much as they can so other people don’t see his talents.
Yes Tom and his son Ollie can pass through time. The only thing is Ollie is still a baby. He talks very well and he knows things. His parents try to entertain him as much as they can so other people don’t see his talents.
August 15, 2023
Other times are exciting
This is a bit soapy, with just one explosion. even a quaint country place has seen some active history. Trains are usually safe.
This is a bit soapy, with just one explosion. even a quaint country place has seen some active history. Trains are usually safe.
January 25, 2025
A good exciting second book in the time travelling series. Believable characters, interesting plot lines.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews