"A wonderful first novel...Ridgway spins an intricate narrative in elegant prose that combines the best of various genres - spy thriller, historical romance, science fiction, fantasy. Throughout, her juxtaposition of past and present is dazzling and often amusing...The River of No Return has the feel of an instant classic." - Washington Post
"A highly entertaining romp; her historical details are accurate, and the character are believable. Fans of Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series should enjoy this time-traveling romantic adventure, which may also attract readers who like historical fiction with a twist." —Library Journal
“In her stellar debut, Ridgway manages the permutations of the time-travel trope with originality and aplomb.” —Booklist
“Ridgway offers a well-crafted blend of science fiction, romance, mystery, and historical fiction.” —Publishers Weekly
"Bee Ridgway's deliciously fun debut covers ground similar to smart bodice rippers such as Outlanders and Discovery of Witches." - All You
"[A] passionate, thought-provoking and consistently fun debut that's best described as a Regency romance wrapped in a spy novel covered in science fiction." - Shelf Awareness
"Verdict: Buy, and make sure to start it on a day you don't have to go to work." - Book Riot
"The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway is teh kind of book that is meant to be read under the covers with a flshlight." - Chicago Reader
“A compelling race through time in a historical world turned upside down—the Regency as you’ve never seen it before. Take one nobleman and one gently born lady; add time travel, intrigue, a vast conspiracy, and a wicked way with words; shake; and serve.” —Lauren Willig, author of The Pink Carnation series
“While on its shining surface The River of No Return is a fantastical time traveling page turner, it is also a novel that takes on complex issues of culture and nationalism and how or memories form us. And it is a riveting love story to boot. Bee Ridgway is a treasure and her debut is a triumph.” —Jennifer Gilmore, author of Golden Country and Something Red
"The only thing more fun than reading this book would be to actually travel through time yourself. Erudite and beautifully crafted, The River of No Return is at the same time a lush, riotous fantasy. Ridgway's ingenuity and charm are apparently without limit."
—Heather Love, R. Jean Brownlee associate professor in the humanities, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Feeling Backward
"The River of No Return is an innovative and sophisticated first novel. At the heart of this entertaining story—set primarily and convincingly in Regency-era England—is a serious and timely question: what does it mean to be on the winning side of history?" —William Galperin, Professor of English, Rutgers University, and author of The Historical Austen
"I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what else Ridgway has in store and hoping that it will be as delightful as her debut." — Susie Bookworm
"I've never read a book quite like The River of No Return...Stunningly original and full of a cast of fascinating characters." — Lovely Books Blog
"Be warned. I lost sleep over The River of No Return, and you probably will as well. Once you start, it's hard to walk away." — Bookshelf Fantasies
"It's difficult to write a book that is so completely captivating, yet Ridgway accomplishes it like an expert." — S. Krishna's Books
"The River of No Return is a unique time traveling story with a beautiful romance and nothing less than page-turning intrigue that had me swooning." — It's a Book Life
"I heartily recommend Bee Ridgway's The River of No Return to fans of Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy, Jennifer Lee Carrell's Interred With Their Bones, historical fantasy, time travel novels, and even Regency romance...It's a deep and nuanced novel which belnds genres and blurs the lines between them. And it is, above all else, an enthralling story." - The Bookwyrm's Hoard, 5 stars
"Since Ridgway is a professor of history at Bryn Mawr College I expected meticulously researched Regency England (which is delivered), but what I didn't foresee was a swoon-worthy romance playing a strong role. I'll take an addition like that any day." - Book Harbinger
“[A] novel that fans of hardcore fantasy and literary fiction alike can get behind. The River of No Return is a gorgeous, sweeping debut that is easy to get lost in.” - BookPage
“I was spellbound by this book. Hands down one of the most captivating books I have read in a long, long time.” - Bossy Italian Wife
Literate time-travel exercise by English professor and debut novelist Ridgway. No, it's not the river plied by Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum, but instead the river of time that we're talking about. Nicholas Falcott, nobleman and cavalryman, is in big trouble with one of Napoleon's dragoons one minute and recovering in a London hospital nearly two centuries later, where a mysterious stranger--always a mysterious stranger--tells him, "You are in the care of the Guild." As though in some witness protection program, Nick will be assigned a new time and place and name and given what he needs to live comfortably; the stranger informs him that he himself "jumped from Aachen in 810 and landed in 1965" and, for complex reasons, hasn't been able to go to Germany since. Yet time has a way of moving on its own; as another mysterious figure, a Russian named Arkady, tells Nick portentously, "Volga: the Queen of Rivers. Mississippi: the Father of Waters. Amazon: the River Sea. The river of time is a thousand times greater than these. As wide and deep as the universe itself." So it is, and though Nick is practical-minded enough to demand that Arkady "[s]top speaking in metaphors," he goes with the flow anyway. Not much happens for all that, but Ridgway's talky narrative is smart and often funny--and, of course, ends with enough of an opening to permit a sequel or two. It's not especially distinguished, but bookish fantasy fans who make it a point to keep up with Doctor Who will like this one.
