Delightful Time Slip
Adventure? Check.
History? Check.
Spiritually connected? Check.
Proper Romance? Three stories?! Check.
Deep insights? Check.
Easter eggs all over the place? delightful check!
If you haven't read the rest of the books then you'll have a lot of exciting surprises and just a little more adrenaline heart stopping moments. Yet, it is a standalone and it's delightful.
If you want to read the books that lead up to it and are either loosely or specifically connected in the book I'll give you the list at the end. There is even more depth and a bit more joy if you read them first. Having read some of the other reviews I came back to tell you that you'll probably really improve your reading experience if you read the others first. Some is getting to understand Roseanna's writing style (she has lovely introspection and thought that would take the blink of an eye, but they're in the middle of conversations and interactions), the other is that you'll have so much backstory that it'll feel deeper and you'll be able to follow it better.
Any time you read time slips you'll have to keep track of whether you're in the 1914 or 1942 characters, so it takes a bit to keep everyone's names straight. Don't worry, it's worth it.
I love that Roseanna had sensitivity readers for how men think, the perceptions of African American's life experiences in history, and the Deaf world. There is a lot to ponder on, so much history to love and weep over, and insight on how we deal with life now. It's so easy to believe we are the right person, and she has such excellent plot twists that you're going to joy as you grip your book and devout it.
These are books I keep in the physical form because my husband and children all read them, so we need to be able to pull them off the shelves at any given time. Digital is all and good for a passing read; but this is worthy of permanent space in your physical bookshelf.
List of pre-reads:
Whisper from the shadows & Code of Secrets
(circle of spies)
The Lost Heiress
(ladies of the manor)
A Name Unknown
A Song Unsung
An Hour Unspent
(shadows over england)
The Number of Love
On Wings of Devotion
Portrait of Loyalty
(codebreakers)
For the record, I've purchased all the other books in each series as signed copies *new* on Roseanna's website because after we borrowed them from the library my husband loved them. (We have read aloud since our courtship while we drive and as a dates, which means nearly 19 years of reading aloud with him. There are few authors he's enjoyed as much as Roseanna, so they are signed to him gifted for father's day and birthdays :D)
I received a complimentary copy this book from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
That pretty much cover's it for legalities on reviewing the book as part of the launch...but it doesn't say that I was absolutely privileged to read the book early and that I am honest enough that had it been a terrible read, or had there been anything I truly didn't like, I would have included it. Period. It pains me to do so because I know it's vulnerable to write books; but readers do deserve to know if an author fudged historical things or wrote poorly. In the case of this book I can totally forgive Roseanna for not including the dredging of the canal during the 1942 part of the book, so I have no negatives to share.
enjoy. truly.
Oy, I had the opportunity to interview Roseanna on IG today, live. You can find it on her instagram as well as on mine.
Spoiler alerts of the review:
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I don't know if you've ever read Lady Susan written by Jane Austen, but narcissism isn't new. There was more than one villain, in Yesterday's Tides, but the one who seems less threatening ends up being pretty awful.
If knowing about the depravity of how the German Nazis treated the French people, be aware it is lightly touched on.
