I love to read, mostly historical fiction with a little historical romance and some ghosty stories thrown int.
Summary: When Alexandra Lind is unexpectedly thrown several centuries backwards in time, she lands at the feet of Matthew Graham – an escaped convict making his way home to Scotland. Matthew doesn’t quite know what to make of this concussed and injured woman who has seemingly fallen from the skies – what is she, a witch?
Alex gawks at this tall, gaunt man with hazel eyes, dressed in what (to her) mostly looks like rags. At first she thinks he might be some sort of hermit, an oddball, but she quickly realizes the she is the odd one out. Catapulted from a life of modern comfort, Alex grapples with this new existence, further complicated by the dawning realization that someone from her time has followed her here – and not exactly to extend a helping hand. Potential compensation for this brutal shift in fate comes in the shape of Matthew – a man she should never have met, not when she was born three centuries after him. He quickly proves himself a willing and most capable protector, but he comes with baggage of his own, and on occasion it seems his past will see him killed.
Alex finds her new situation desperately exciting, but also longs for the structure of the life she used to have. Can Alex get home? And does she want to? – Amazon
When I started this book I was so excited. I loved Alex and Matthew. They were working together to survive in the moor, and their friendship really grew due to the struggles that they faced. They had each other’s back and I liked that. Some of the events became a bit repetitive, and the writing was jumpy, but I was genuinely interested in their story, which was developed very well. The story of Alex’s friends and family was a bit confusing at times, but I couldn’t wait to find out how it all came together.
The first thing about this novel that got me worried was the use of the f-bomb. I do not like this word in a novel, it is completely unnecessary in my opinion. But it popped up once, and then a few more times, and then I got a break, and than BAM, there it was again. It just didn’t fit the scene or the characters and was jarring and distracting. For a book that I really love, I could get past that, maybe, but it will definitely lower my rating.
A little less than half way though this book, when Alex and Matthew’s surroundings changed, this book changed. I mean drastically. It was like another author wrote it. Matthew changed his whole attitude towards woman, he became a pig. Alex turned into a brat. Their behaviors became even more repetitive and had no point. The dialogue became forced. The plot became choppy and disjointed. The new characters were flat. At one point it stopped being a “now and then” plot, as there was no more story to Alex’s family at home.
I don’t know why I kept reading. I probably should have quit, but I just kept hoping that it would become as good as it was in the beginning. I read to the end, and the flaws continued to out weigh the storyline. When I first posted about this book, I had such high hopes. I had plans to read the whole series (3 books currently). But when I finished, I couldn’t even bring myself to read the bonus first pages of the next book.
On a positive note, Ms. Belfrage did a wonderful job with her descriptions. She developed the moor, and the lifestyle, and the setting beautifully. I had no problem “seeing” the characters, and their surroundings. She included details about little things, such as earlobes, and horses and clothing, that I really enjoyed.
FRIDAY FINDS, is a weekly meme that showcases new bookfinds for the week. Books can be new purchases, library loot, or just books added to your TBR pile or wish list. Did you find any new (or new to you) books this week? Head over to Should Be Reading and add you list.
For the past few months I have been thinking about starting a weekly post highlighting my wishlist additions. My book wishlists are out of control. I have some on amazon, some and goodreads, and a few jotted down on my Evernote app. I even take pictures of books I might be interested in out in the “real” bookstores to look into at home. So, you can imagine how happy I was when I saw this meme on Monday. I must have been living under a rock, because I have never seen it until now. I kept careful track this week a have ended up with a good selection of wishlist books.
Do any of these look interesting? What’s new on your wish list this week?