Synopsis:~

Love arrives at the most unexpected time . . . 

1821: Elias Roch has ghastly luck with women. He met Josephine De Clare once and penned dozens of letters hoping to find her again.

2021: Josie De Clare has questionable taste in boyfriends. The last one nearly ruined her friendship with her best friend.

Now, in the wake of her father’s death, Josie finds Elias’s letters. Suddenly she’s falling in love with a guy who lived two hundred years ago. And star-crossed doesn’t even begin to cover it . . . 

Necee’s take:~

“Cadwallader Manor will provide sanctuary while I toil to recover myself. From where I sit, the moors do not seem as desolate a place. Sheep graze across their slopes. Mist skirts the ridges and ravines. Yes, I shall endeavour to find peace here.”

Oh, how I loved the scenery and the descriptions in this dear book. Cadwallader Manor does a nod at “Jane Eyre” and I kept waiting for Mr Rochester to make his appearance. I could imagine myself right there with Josie De Clare. I loved the writing style…so refreshing, heartfelt and sweet. This is not a light read as Josie is grieving over the death of her father, breaking up with her boyfriend and in the midst of being on pause in her life. However, the story of Josie De Clare’s journey was captivating.

“Loss changes our perspective of the world, exposes its instability, and leaves us to gather the pieces of our broken selves and stick them back together.”

This is a metafiction story… Which basically means contemporary meets history in this story within a story. So that may sound confusing, but it made for a refreshing read that was filled with heart, longing and pure magic in writing. The story bounces around a lot because of the different time periods and viewpoints. However, similarities between the characters, both dealing with grief in different ways was intriguing and inviting.  I did find myself slowing down about midway through, but once I delved back in I was caught up again. Some things will drive you nuts, like why is a girl caught up in a romance from years ago with Sir Elias Roch? However, once you understand how well they relate and the mutual struggles with grief, I think, like me you will be captured by Josie’s transformation. The romance was beautiful, too.

“So many people waste time waiting for good things to happen to them. But sometimes we need to make good things happen. And when we finally start doing that, we often see there were good things in our lives all along.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Caroline George is a multi-award-winning author of YA speculative fiction. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in publishing and public relations, and now travels the country, speaking at conferences and writing full-time. A Georgia native, Caroline aspires to one day host The Great British Baking Show and delights in being best known for writing the phrase, “Coffee first. Save the world later.” Find her on Instagram @authorcarolinegeorge and Twitter @CarolineGeorge_. 

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