Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
It has been a year since I read the first book in this series, Lost in Time. Long enough that I had forgotten about the cliffhanger ending that irritated me so much! And although it is clear there will be at least one more book in the series, this one wrapped up the current story arc well – the next book will take off in a slightly different direction, and follow up on the adventures of some of the secondary characters.
Lew – who is from 2016 and got accidentally drawn back in time to 1919 while following his sister Mira – and Alec – the Detective Inspector who was inadvertently drawn into Lew’s world of magic and secrets while investigating a series of grisly London murders – are once again the main characters in this book. The Creature who left a string of bodies behind turned out not to be fully destroyed as they had all hoped. It was merely injured, and dormant, and its presence drew a Hunter from the Outlands to draw it back across the Border.
Fenn was the Hunter – a being of considerable power who was clearly more expert dealing with the energy of the Border than anyone in the human world. To some he appeared male, and to others she appeared female, and they were evasive about their gender – this was just one of many ways they were completely alien to the early 20th century Londonites they came across. Fenn spoke English, reading the minds of those humans he interacted with, and when they were found by Alec’s group of police and discovered that they were also trying to apprehend the Creature (Carnas, to Fenn), Fenn decided to work with them. The humans were somewhat reluctant to join forces, but could only acknowledge Fenn’s greater power and expertise. There were secrets on both sides, and it became increasingly clear that those secrets could bring down the entire operation.
This book is once again primarily a fantasy/adventure, and there is even less romance than there was in the first book. Lew and Alec are an established couple, and I really enjoyed how the focus became more about how they thought about their relationship. How could it work between them when Lew could only tell Alec minimal amounts about his life before he went back in time? How could Alec trust Lew, for the same reasons? How was the fact that Lew was a Worker, and responsible for maintaining the Border, allow him to fully open himself up to Alec? I also enjoyed the interactions between Fenn – not quite human if you looked closely – and the rest of the group interesting, especially in regards to their gender, or lack thereof.
I still had some quibbles with the writing – this time it was primarily the names and pronouns. Sometimes first names were used, sometimes last names, and though the distinction made some sense – for instance, they were Lew and Alec when they were by themselves or with close friends, but Tyler and Carter when interacting professionally, or with others. It did not help that many of the names could be first or last names (Will Grant, for example). I just found it to be unnecessarily confusing, and it literally took me until half way through the book before I consistently had them all straight! I do not like working that hard to read for pleasure.
I am really looking forward to the next book, when the focus will move away from Alec and Lew. I hope it won’t be another full year though…
Cover art by Written Ink Designs fits well with the previous book in the series. It was easy to imagine the Creature hiding somewhere in this alley.
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Book Details:
Richard “Tank” Martin was a big boy from the start. Born weighing over 11 pounds, he didn’t stop growing. When he was in middle school, a football coach took him under his wing and finally explained to him the mystery of calories in, calories out and from then on it was all good for him. At least he thought. Being called to meet with his platoon sergeant and told that he was now part of the Army’s overweight program, sent him into a spin that only his crews can help him out of.
This story throws the reader right into the action with an emergency in space, in the first person POV of crewman Alex Harris. He’s part of the bio-tech staff on board the spaceship. Earth was dying so they sent people into space to reach a new planet, New Earth, for a chance to save the human race from extinction. On the way to the planet, something goes horribly wrong, killing almost everyone on board. The only other survivor is Commander Luke Belka.
Devon loses his job at a tech support company and almost the same time he loses his life partner when he finds out he’s been cheating on him. He takes his few possessions and meets a really cute redhead on his way into his new apartment. The redhead is Johnny, who has a touch of brogue in his voice and a glint of gold in his eye. Fun and mischievous, Johnny leaves Devon desiring to learn more about the Irishman. He gets his wish when Johnny tells him he’s a leprechaun but Devon hesitates to go any further with him. He really needs a job and he has revenge against his ex on his mind. After an accidental encounter with the ex, Devon takes Johnny up on his offer to show him how a leprechaun can grant three wishes. He chooses a new job, revenge on the ex, and to meet the man of his dreams. 
Captain Mark Thomas’s world has been tossed on its head: A long overdue but still unexpected divorce. A promotion out of left field. Last-second orders to a ship where careers go to die. As the dust settles in his new home, he barely recognizes his life, but he sure recognizes the loneliness creeping in.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 