Review: Rock Star Time Travels to the Civil War Era And Finds A Chance for Love
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2013
What would happen if a famous female rock star time traveled to Civil War era DC decked out in all her rocker fashion to the Civil War era?  She'll be mistaken for a drunken loose woman and tossed into a cell, that's what.  Oh yes!  This story started out with quite a bang and I loved watching it all go down.This was the sixth book in the Civil War Brides time-travel series and brought together Rayne Green from the future as the romance interest for Sam Powell who has been a minor character in the last few books.  The series of books are so inter-connected that I would discourage reading them out of order.  They build on each other even if the romance focus shifts to spotlight new couples each time.  There is a nice handy-dandy chart in the front of The Rebel Bride that helps keeping the main players sorted because there are so many of them by now.But onward with my thoughts on The Bride Star...Rayne Green finishes a concert and much to the dismay of her friend and manager, Shaye, she goes off with a questionable guy from their highschool days just to let off some steam.  He dopes her up and plans on a bit more with her in an old abandoned building, but she somehow gets away from him and ends up- in the middle of a street mistaken for a drunken whore?  Rayne is so confused and argues with the police officer who puts her behind bars.Sam gets called away from a visit with his friends to take care of a situation developing with a strange woman at the city jail.  He is shocked by her appearance as she adamantly insists that she is not drunk and most definitely not a whore.  Quincy's wife, Victoria, is there to insist that he bring the woman to her home.  He doesn't understand what is going on with this strange woman, but the moment he sets eyes on her he feels protective and possessive.Rayne reacts badly to the knowledge that she has gone back in time and just wants to go home.  She is taken by surprise when the man who brought her away from the prison wants to see her and seems so attracted to her.  Not that she's indifferent, but nobody has ever wanted her just for herself.  Sam is assertive and insistent that they will be together and won't accept that she wants to leave and go home.  A small part of her will admit that she is conflicted about leaving the past and leaving Sam behind.Sam's position as warden of the prison where high profile prisoners are kept keeps him on his toes as a plot amongst the prisoners seems to be emerging.  He and his friend Laughing Crow along with Chris and Clayton try to work out what is going on.  But even this doesn't keep him from pursuing Rayne and persuading her that he loves her and wants to marry her even in the face of his mother's disapproval.  He must even fight Rayne's own personal issues, her secretiveness and her constant threats to run home whenever he upsets her to get the happiness he knows he has with Rayne.  Rayne, with the help of the wise women who surround her, must learn to really look hard at her past and see herself clearly and maybe think hard about what she really wants before she tosses a true chance at happiness aside.The plot on this one follows true to form with the others in that a woman from the future finds herself in the past and a chance at an alternative future if she's willing to take it.  I love this formula and it never gets old for me.  It was thrilling to return to the plotting and scheming of those who would alter history for their own nefarious purposes too with Rayne and Sam right in the middle of it.  There were some pretty exciting scenes and Sam is such a hero and tough in a crisis.As to the characters, I love how everyone is still so very much a part of the story even after they got their own romance.  It's like a big family and so cute.Like I said, Sam is a big hero type.  He tends to be autocratic and over-protective when it comes to Rayne and she puts him in his place for it.  She challenges him to treat her as a partner.  She wants to prove her worth and feel a part of something.  She is vulnerable when it comes to him wanting her for the long haul.  I liked watching him convince her that she is the best thing in his life and that will never change.Trust me, the girl needed a lot of convincing plus she had a few other issues to work past.  Her rock star status back in the future went to her head and created a primadonna attitude that gave me the urge to pop her in the back of the head when she got so caught up in herself.  She would threaten Sam with 'I'm going home to the future because you don't just roll over and give me my way' card.  He loved her and he was strong enough to not let her manipulate him.  Go Sam!  In fact, one of my favorite scenes in the book comes about when Rayne and Sam have a disagreement.  She refuses to discuss it and runs off to make her way back to the future ignoring that a really worthy man has declared his love for her and committed to her and she him.  She runs to Sophie to get her back through the portal and runs right into a verbal smack down that was long in coming and well deserved.  In the end after several bumps in the road, I think they began coming together as a couple in all ways and not just the hot passionate side that they always had going for them.The end of the book set up the next couple and I confess that I am salivating to read it knowing that it will be Shaye and Laughing Crow's book.  This series has me totally sucked in and I look forward to each new segment. Those who enjoy Time Travel Romance with a little spice and sass to their romantic characters should give this series a try.My thanks to the author who sent me the book in exchange for an honest review.