Sandy M’s review of One Magic Moment (De Piaget Series, Book 12) by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance published by Jove 3 May 11
Could y’all hear my heartfelt and happy sigh out there when I turned the last page of this book? I always have the best time when reading Lynn Kurland. She has a seamless way of bringing the past and the future together with characters who are so personable and charming, it’s like you’ve been best friends forever. You want to be there for them, give a shoulder to cry on, share in the laughter as well as the sadness, cheer them on, and revel in their happiness when it finally comes.
I wish I had the time to sit down and read all of her time travel books back to back, only because when so much time passes between books, some of those very important and salient moments are dim and sometimes forgotten from two or four or more books ago. And it would also help to keep all the characters straight. There are a wide variety of family on both sides of the timeline in these books that it’s difficult to remember them all. But it does come back to when you meet them again, if it’s their turn for an appearance or two.
So all I can say with regard to John de Piaget before One Magic Moment is that he is talked about, the son and brother who left home one day and has never been seen or heard from again. Some of his family assume and hope he did go to the Future, but they just don’t know. Luckily, John did make it and he’s been living a solitary but comfortable life in the English countryside where he doesn’t have many folks around to ask questions he doesn’t want or can’t answer due to his time traveling circumstances. He now owns a small garage in a small village and life is pretty good. Until the day she brings her car in for some work. That’s the day that everything changes for John, despite his efforts to keep away from her and keep his secrets safe.
Tess has inherited a castle, which is a dream come true, considering her love of things medieval. She’s an expert in that field, especially the politics of the day, teaching, giving lectures, and holding events in her new home. She’s still somewhat melancholy over the loss of her sister Pippa, who now lives in 1241 with her husband, Montgomery de Piaget. When she meets the new garage owner, she’s either seeing double or this man is related to her brother-in-law. Since he obviously is hiding his past, Tess says nothing and figures they won’t cross paths all that much anyway.
John pretty agrees with that – the less he sees of anyone, the less they can find out about him – but every time he turns around, he and Tess do cross paths. And then John finds himself offering to help out or take Tess places. He knows he should keep his distance, but this is the first woman in the Future he’s found interesting. And annoying but sassy. Definitely intelligent. Then out of the blue, little out-of-the ordinary things begin to pop up to make John suspicious and has his instinct kicking into high gear. Some things a man never forgets, and though John doesn’t need a sword to survive in today’s world, he still listens to his gut when needed. Someone is stalking Tess, and he’ll be damned if he’ll let anything happen to her. Not after finding her after all this time.
But the culprit has an agenda, and the next thing John and Tess know, they’ve been forced back to medieval times – John’s home that he hasn’t seen, along with his family, for a lot of years now. And I have to say, these scenes, especially with John and his family, are some of my favorites in the book. It’s an emotional reunion with his brothers first and later with his parents. And now Tess is getting a whole new outlook on all things medieval, not sure if she’d be able to live in this time like her sister has chosen to do. But can she leave John, knowing he’ll now want to stay with his family after being away from them for so long? She can’t ask him to return to her time and leave his life and loved ones all over again.
And when the danger also follows them to the past, John has to finally be honest with Tess, tell her everything that’s happened and admit his feelings for her. This is where my only little nitpick comes in. Even after John has told her how he feels in no uncertain terms, Tess still has doubts – about John, about his option of staying or going, about his feelings. That just doesn’t make sense to me. Especially because she returns his feelings and tells him so. I would have preferred her embracing those feelings and working with the man to figure out the best thing for them to do together. That finally comes, of course, but it just should have been a little sooner. If John hadn’t made his feelings so clear, that might have made a difference to me. But the man couldn’t speak any plainer than he does.
I do enjoy the twists Ms. Kurland always works into her storylines, and this book is no different. We learn how it comes to be Tess inherits her castle and all the little side bits that go with it and other elements in the story. Everything is sewn together nice and neat after a surprise or two, and it amazes me every time how she does it.
If you’re a Lynn Kurland fan, this book will hit the spot. If you haven’t read her yet, well, I don’t know that this would be the best book to start with. Starting at the beginning would be a little daunting 🙂 but at least read Montgomery and Pippa’s story, One Enchanted Evening, to become oriented with their families. Other members of the families you’ll just have to catch up with as you read other books. No way around it. But I know you’ll have fun doing so.
Grade: A+
Read C2’s review here.
Summary:
There’s no time like the present . . . if you’re running away from the past.
Tess Alexander has it all: family within reach, work she loves, and the chance to live in a perfectly restored medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the new owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister . . . eight hundred years in the past. She’s determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, yet she can’t help but wonder about the mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic . . .
As far as John de Piaget is concerned, he has no past; it’s safer that way. The last thing he needs is the nosey medieval studies scholar from the nearby castle dredging up ancient history—his ancient history. But from the moment he lays eyes on Tess, John can’t help but wonder how he ever took a decent breath without her . . . or how he’s going to protect her from the treachery that threatens both their futures.
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Other books in this series:
