Out of Time: A Paranormal Romance: Volume 1 Paperback – 6 Sept. 2011

Simon Cross is a professor of the paranormal; Elizabeth is his assistant. They are looking at some artifacts that were left to Simon by an aunt, when something happens; and they find themselves in New York in 1929. The story revolves around what they do to get back to their own time, and how they fight off the attentions of a vampire.This may sound like a rather bizarre plot, but the story is extremely well written. I found that once I started, I couldn't put the book down and I was gripped almost all the way through. OK, it is a romance and Simon slowly reaches the point where his prepared to admit his feelings for Elizabeth; and there are a couple of pages of quite steamy sex. But I don't see that as an issue, as it fits in really well with the rest of the story.As I got closer to the end of the book, I found myself hoping that the author would actually want to use the basic premise for a few more stories, as I could see it developing into a really good series. I was therefore really pleased to see a short extract from a new book to be issued this year. I can't wait to get a copy!

I admit, I avoided this book initially, thinking that it would just be another vampire romance type book- but it was the time travel side of it that lured me in. I'm really glad I gave it a try- this was a fun paranormal book with a really interesting premise to it.This book sees Professor Simon Cross, a long time lecturer in the occult, and his assistant, Elizabeth West, transported back in time to 1920's New York. Aside from mobsters and the pull of the speakeasies, the two of them find that the city that never sleeps may have something more sinister lurking in its underbelly. Can they make it back to the present day alive?This was a really fun read that had a lot of things going for it, in my opinion. What worked well: the setting. The prohibition era of 1920's New York was just abundant with possibilities and I do feel the author managed to convey this very well- as a reader you can imagine yourself walking the streets very clearly. Also, her character development, aside from the weak and two dimensional `King Kashian' was generally very good and aside from Elizabeth and Simon, I had a bit of a soft spot for Charlie Blue as well. I would have loved to visit his speakeasy!The romance as well between Elizabeth and Simon was also very natural and not rushed and I felt the chemistry was well written and had a nice build up. Neither character was depicted as being perfect and their flaws and uncertainties added a nice dimension to the book.A few niggles though that keep me from awarding this the full five stars: in my opinion there were a few aspects that just didn't tie together fully. Simon and Elizabeth were seemingly quite accepting of their fate that they would be trapped in the past for at least six weeks until the next eclipse and though Simon did supposedly extensive `research' into how they could get back to their own time this was never really elaborated upon very much. He just seemed to spend a lot of time in the library and that's it- whereas Elizabeth was very matter of fact about the whole thing, getting a job and wanting to go and see Houdini live, etc.Also, I really felt that vampires could have been excluded from this book entirely and it still could have worked- there was just so much potential with the setting and characterisation and `King Kashian' seemed a bit bland by contrast. Oh yes- at some point in the story there is a brief mention of the `Weasley Twins.' Obviously completely different characters from JK Rowling's, but still- surely a better name could have been chosen, or maybe the author is just a Harry Potter fan. As an aside, I found this to be absolutely hilarious.I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a bit of paranormal fantasy. I'm really glad that there's a sequel soon to be released to this- I'm looking forward to giving it a try and reading more about Simon and Elizabeth's continuing adventures.

An interesting story, but for some reason I started to lose interest. It seems like there's just too much going on. First of all, there's the time travelling, then the whole 1920's New York gangster speak-easy scene (which is brilliantly written - very clearly drawn, you can almost smell it), there's the romance between the two characters (which unfortunately isn't so good - it has a forced feel to it; as though something doesn't quite ring true) - then there's vampires sprung on you, almost out of the blue (although not entirely unexpected). Although you can see the reveal coming (so much so it's not a surprise) nevertheless, you do feel that vampires on top of everything else is just too much. Gilding the lily perhaps.Then there's some strange Council thing sprung on you. It starts to get quite confusing.I did love the descriptions of 1929 in New York. That part was great writing. It's the rest that just didn't work anywhere near as well. The romance is too unbelievable - I just can't see these two people together - and the whole vampire thing on top of everything else is just going too far.All in all, a decent read, but I couldn't help a twinge of disappointment.

I picked this up for my kindle mainly because it was free. I am very glad I did as it proved to be a very entertaining read. The main characters are likable and the story clips along at a fast pace. The accidental time traveler theme means that the characters can be allowed to have very modern thoughts and principles in a historic setting, as one of my pet hates in historic novels is anachronistic mindsets for the hero\heroine this is a plus for me.The one thing I would say is that it reads almost like a screenplay, there is a lot of action and not much thought to consequences, as though some bits have ended up on the cutting room floor. That is a minor grumble rather than a serious weakness and I will be buying the rest of the series.

Some other reviews say not so goodbut to me it is very interesting andfull of happenings that keeps youanxious to know what will happen next.Easy to read. Highly recommended.Will definitely read the next in the series

I had never read a romance novel before 'Out of Time,' but I'm really glad I gave this one a shot. I enjoyed it from its great premise at the start to its suspenseful finish. I think the strongest element of 'Out of Time' is the writing itself, particularly the dialogue and the characterization of the two main characters (as well as, of course, the romance). Even when there were aspects of the book that I questioned, and that didn't happen often, the strength of the writing and the tension in the story always kept me going. I'm going to nitpick some minor points below, but know that I recommend this book without any reservations.The book has an interesting structure that makes it almost like two books in one with a big turning point in the middle. I'll talk about each half separately. The first half focuses mainly on the romantic and sexual tension between Elizabeth and Simon, tension they are forced to confront when they accidentally travel back to New York City in 1929. On this element, I felt like a fish out of water because I've never read a romance genre story before, but I can say that these elements worked well for me. If you're curious, there is a vivid but tasteful sex scene or two in the novel.There are a few points I can quibble with in the first half. At the start of the story Simon is painted as extremely cold, but once they travel through time he softens up a lot; I thought there was a slight disconnect around his character early on, but at the same time it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and his coldness does (properly) reassert itself later. Another issue I felt early on was that the characters didn't seem amazed enough by accidentally traveling through time, but this issue wasn't handled poorly either. The last thing is (MINOR SPOILER to follow) that the characters end up sharing a small apartment, and it was never properly explained whey they didn't request a unit with two beds or try to find another place to stay (they seemed shocked to discover just one bed); I think this was the only time I felt like the author did something convenient for the story that didn't fully make sense. True, they pretended to be married, but I felt there needed to be a stronger reason than that. I can understand Elizabeth being happy with the arrangement, but it was hard for me to believe that Simon wouldn't try to change it.The second half of the novel turns into a suspense story involving an antagonist with a paranormal origin. The author did a fantastic job with keeping the tension building and the second half of the novel became a powerful page-turner for me. This was a nice change of pace because it meant that the whole book wasn't focused on the central romance. I really did like the romance angle, but I still welcomed the variety and the switch to something I was more familiar with. For example, there was a great fight scene and some other violent elements that worked well. Making a romance novel suspenseful is no easy task, I would imagine, since we know something about the ending just by knowing the genre. I also felt the quality of descriptions got even stronger in the second half, and as the story went along I appreciated the writing more and more.As for my quibbles with the second half of the story, there was only one. (MINOR SPOILER to follow) A supporting character enters the story very late and while certain elements of this character's introduction were very neatly done, he also ends up becoming a minor deus ex machina that saves the main two protagonists. In my opinion, this deprived the main two characters of the chance to fulfill their own story and achieve their own victory over the antagonist, though on the other hand the main two characters still struggle and make all the efforts they can against a very powerful figure. This sort of thing happens a lot in fiction, though, and it was definitely more of a minor problem than a big one. It was also set up fairly well, because the character had an established connection to someone else in the story.I hope I haven't come across as too critical because I loved the story, the characters, and the writing. Those three elements are like a holy trinity of good fiction, so I can heartily recommend this one and give it five stars. If there's any other thing that I think could've been done better, I believe the time travel element itself could've been milked a little more; on the other hand, there's a great scene where the characters visit Coney Island and remark about how things were different in 1929 on one particular ethical matter. I thought that was a very nice addition to the novel and, though this wasn't the only good example of this sort of thing in the story, I would've loved to have seen even more about how things have changed since '29.Because I loved this book, I'll end with some more positives. The quality of the copyediting and proofreading was excellent. The dialogue was outstanding, in my opinion. Simon Cross and Elizabeth West are vivid characters who are going to live on in my memory for many years. Pretty much everything that happened felt realistic and believable, despite the story's fantastical premises; this a mature but fun story. Overall, I think the author displays excellent storytelling skills by constructing the story as she did; it's tight and it pulls the right triggers in the reader, in ways that always felt entertaining rather than manipulative. For me, 'Out of Time' was an outstandingly good read and more than worth the price of admission.

Thank you for the free look into the gripping world of time travel by accident.The main characters were just the right mix of bravery, humour and romance.I would love to read more in this series.

This is an interesting book, wasn't sure if I would enjoy this but hey I was wrong it is a very good book and I had trouble putting it down.Well worth reading

Good series.