Tuesday 12 September 2017

A Promise to Keep by Loretta Livingstone

Book Two in the Out of Time series



Amazon UK £2.99 / £10.00
Amazon US $3.80
Amazon CA $22.76

This title is shortlisted for the September Book of the Month

Timeslip
Contemporary / 1200s
England

There is an introduction which gives a resume of what happens in Book One, then a one-page prologue, both of which concern Marian Hart. Chapter One begins with Shannon Hart, her daughter, the heroine of the book. Thinking a quick trip to the 12th century will be an adventure, Shannon disobeys her mother’s instructions and steps through the beech tree into the past and promptly sprains her ankle.

The next two chapters concern Giles and his wife Isabella who are genuine medieval characters with complicated and dangerous lives. For me this proved a very mixed beginning and by the time I reached Chapter Four I had almost forgotten Shannon.

However, we and the characters remain in the 12th century where Shannon adopts the name Rohese, suggested by her aunt Hildegarde, the local Abbess. She too is a traveller from the future. If you are a fan of time- slip ploys, then you will thoroughly enjoy this story as Rohese, full of 2012 bounce, collides with the not-so-gentle gentlemen of 1197.

The mix of medieval speech patterns with modern slang is fun or mildly disorientating, depending on your point of view, but the medieval world is nicely described, well researched and the characters, especially the abbess, are entirely believable. If you want an enjoyable romp with a modern take on medieval life, then read A Promise to Keep. It will not let you down.

© Jen Black



Loretta Livingstone: a guest on Let's Talk of Many Things Blog talking about those embarrassing book signings.

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4 comments:

  1. Thank you so much, Jen and Helen - I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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  2. I forgot to say (lol, cos I was too busy telling people about it everywhere else) THANK YOU for shortlisting it for Book of the Month - what a huge thrill it was to see that. I'm a bit soggy-brained atm because I'm dashing about promoting both posts everywhere I can thank of, haha. It'll be a wonder if I don't get my posts all mixed up.

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  3. Great review, Loretta! I'm so pleased for you! I read this book too and really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next one!

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you, Heidi, I'll try not to keep you waiting too long. Thanks so much for stopping by. :-)

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