Review: Great time traveling adventure!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2014
review posted on: [...]and[...]*Received from Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an honest opinion.“Hands of Time” by Irina Shapiro was an enjoyable story! At first I was worried about how convincing the time traveling would be and how effect it would make the story. Ms. Shapiro handled it very smoothly. It wasn’t hocus-pocus or anything that I found myself doubting. Ms. Shapiro presented a very complex story. She has Valerie Crane heartbroken and distraught. We learn that she is coming from a failed marriage and worst her ex-husband is getting married to his very pregnant girlfriend. Valerie’s situation is heartbreaking. She travels to a little village in England with her older sister Louisa. When Valerie is transported to 1605 and finds herself in the middle of an England that is dealing with religious persecution. She also meets two very handsome brothers-Alexander and Finlay Whitfield.The love triangle between the two brothers Alexander and Finlay Whitfield was well played out! Both brothers were fantastic and even though I was hoping she would pick a certain brother, ultimately the correct choice was made. The love triangle added to the suspense of the plot. I will say that I was a little surprised with how well Valerie took her time travel. She was more analytical then emotional about it. The Whifield brothers were also very accepting of a random stranger showing up at their castle door. They welcomed Valerie into their home and into their lives.Although the main focus is Valerie, Louisa still remains a large part of the story. It is evident how worried she is about her sister and her sudden disappearance. Throughout the story I kept wondering how the author is going to resolve this conflict. Either she has to time travel back to the future or her sister somehow has to make her way to the past. Ultimately, the author handled this situation with a cleaver solution.The tension of the time due to religious persecution was very subtle and the author didn’t minimize its significance to the time period nor did she focus on it too much on it. It was an obvious conflict during this time. It was interesting to see how a present day character finds themselves observing life in the past. I thought it was particularly funny when she was offered tea and she was hoping for a cup of Starbucks. This story was very original all the different aspects of the plot moved very smoothly. This is a definite enjoyable read and the cliff-hanger at the end left me wondering what would happen next and how the author will resolve that conflict. Overall, this was a fun and interesting story. The plot was original and the characters were interesting. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Ms. Shapiro is both a convincing and engaging storyteller.