Secrets in Time

When a man, dressed in 17th century clothing comes crashing over the wall into her garden, Jessica Shepherd isn't shocked, so much as she is upset by the fact that he was trampling her flowers. And because her brother was part of a group of English Civil War re-enactors, she wasn't shocked by his clothes. Then she found out he really was from 1645; a Royalist running from a group of Parlimentary soldiers. He is wounded and Jessica, a pediatrician, patches him up, When her brother meets Nat, he recognizes him and is startled to frind out that this man is really from the 17th century. The drawback is Colonel Nathaniel Preston died at the battle of Chesham Bridge on June 15, 1645. This story is fast paced and interesting. I have never read naything about the English Civil War so this is a new time period for me. I thought all the characters -- the H/h and the secondary characters were all believable from the doctors & nurses at the hospital where Jess worked, to Nat's family in the past. (Yes, Jessica travelled back in time with Nat). I would recommend this book to anyone enjoying romances and/or time travel. The romance was sweet, with only kissing and waking up in bed together; no sex scenes. Alison Stuart is a new author to me and I will be on the lookout for more books by her and more books set in this time period.

Secrets In Time isn't your typical time travel story in that both protagonists get to experience each other's time period in a cleverly plotted storyline where there's a specific reason behind the travel. One man's desire to save his son has him looking to the future and willing to give up all he knows to get him the medical help he needs. Through the use of witchcraft, and a crafty old woman, Nathaniel sets forth a plan that has him landing in Doctor Jessica Shepherd's backyard. His charm and old school gallantry soon has them forming a strong bond that has her doing all in her power to see BOTH him and his son safe in a story that's a bit slow moving in parts but one that you can't put down. Jessica is a strong-willed woman with an ex-boyfriend who won't go away. Her ex has left her doubting that love exists and believing in only what science has taught her. So an unexpected visitor in historical garb falling over her garden wall immediately puts her defenses up. With help from her brother who's a history professor she soon has to accept the truth of time travel and the fear of death that history says will befall Nathaniel. The attraction between them built quickly but believably as his charm and intense nature drew her in. The sexual encounters between them were of a more sweet nature, not at all graphic, but no less satisfying. Her time in the past was fraught with danger as she desperately tried to change fate and save Nat but she faced it with strength and bravery. Once back in our time her fight wasn't over as her ex again decided to cause problems as she continued to show her bravery which made her HEA all the more satisfying. Nat too doesn't disappoint as he shows great bravery in adjusting to modern times. He has an insatiable desire for knowledge so all the new discoveries excited him and made his adjustment fun to watch. His romance with Jess was full of sexual tension from the moment their eyes met and his old world ways of romancing were right out of a romance novel, and though she subtly mocked it, he completely won her heart. Nat always seemed in control, always calm, never showing anger and it made me feel confident that his plan would succeed even when things looked at their bleakest. Nat is a heroes hero and I was completely drawn to him and rooted for his HEA every moment. This story was cleverly written with moments of the paranormal seamlessly inserted into the storyline. This resulted in a bit of head hopping as Nat communicated with his Grandmother who kept him focused on what needed to be done. Some readers might be turned off by this but I enjoyed seeing these extra insights and thought it added to the overall storyline. Likable characters, a sensually satisfying romance, realistic scenes of battle, and a clever mish-mash of paranormal elements and time travel all combine to create a memorable and intriguing story. Add this to another feather in Alison Stuart's writing cap.