Forever Lovely

Author: Linore Rose Burkard
Genre: Historical Fiction Time Travel
Series: Forever in Time #2
Pages: 252
Release Date: November 28, 2023
Publisher: Lilliput Press

1819, England

Miss Margaret Andrews' sister disappeared into the future three years ago and Margaret hasn't seen her since. Julian St. John agrees to let her visit, but only for a day, since his wife Claire is about to give birth to their first child. He doesn't know Margaret's real desire is to find a modern invention to bring back with her. A bluestocking by nature and lacking her sister's famous beauty, Margaret knows she must make her way in society by becoming an inventress. But when the tallit, the magical time-travel shawl goes awry, she finds herself alone and stranded in 21st century New York City!

Present Day, Manhattan

Stewart Russell is a grad student studying early British female writers when he meets Margaret at a Jane Austen Society Conference in New York. Margaret is mistaken for an attendee but fits right in. Stewart is thrilled by her knowledge of the writers he's studying, almost as much as her effortless acting with the speech and manners of Jane's day. Until she claims to be FROM Jane's day! Worse, he is a wanted man due to a mix-up, and time is running out.

Margaret longs to keep him safe from the blackguards pursuing him, but first she must convince him she really is from the past. But when she can't even get herself back to 1819, how can she hope to bring Stewart too? It's a race against time and she must find a way--before the unthinkable happens!

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Reviewer: Paula Shreckhise

I really like time travel stories, and this series is so well done. The transition from 1819 England to present-day New York City was smooth, even if the characters saw a bit of trouble. I liked seeing modern-day New York through the eyes of Margaret.

It was so surprising and neat to know that Margaret and Julian plopped right into a Jane Austen conference. The prayer shawl that allowed the time jump had a mind of its own when it became whole again after it had been torn apart. That just made for a logistical challenge.

Because of the conference, Margaret meets Stewart, who is doing his degree in 19th-century female authors. They have much in common, and the shawl does some matchmaking. The shawl works its magic, and it lets people go to the time period they were meant to be in. 

I liked the quotes at the beginning of the chapter, which gave advice from historical figures. This was a fascinating premise. Also fascinating is the lady, a completed Jew (Christian), who makes the shawls and tells the recipient that the Holy Spirit chooses who she should sell to.

Suspend disbelief and enjoy this romantic story.

Through Interviews & Reviews, the author provided a free copy of this eBook. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

All I can say is, I wish I had a time-travelling shawl! I loved this book, and you will too if you adore time-travelling romances with a little bit of mystery included.

In this second book of the Forever in Time series, author Linore Rose Burkard takes the reader on another magical journey through time. This time she plopped her characters into a modern-day Jane Austen Society Conference in New York City.

While Margaret Andrews is absolutely enthralled by all she sees, her "tour guide" to the future, Julian St. John, has already been there, and while he was generally well-versed on what to expect, he wasn't planning to land in New York. They were supposed to appear in Dove Cottage, in Maine, as they always had. So what had gone wrong?

As Julian tries to figure out what to do, Margaret implores him to at least let her see some of New York first before he forces them to return to their time. But then something horrible happens, and Margaret ends up alone in New York without a clue how to get around, get back home, or, as is painfully obvious to those around her, how to talk like she wasn't from another time.

When Margaret meets Stewart Russell, an attendee at the Jane Austen Conference, she feels like she has met a kindred spirit, until Stewart starts acting weird. There is so much more to this story and the magical capabilities of the special shawl that you will want to hunt one down for yourself! This was a fun read that kept me so enamoured that I read it, and then I reread the first book. I really hope there is another one in the works!

I received an advance copy courtesy of the author. All opinions are my own.

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