Author: Lurlene McDaniel
Release Date: August 9, 2011 (hardcover)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 240
Source: Copy provided by publisher
Overall: 3.5 Stars
Summary:
What's Happened to Me?
Sarah finds herself in a strange place, and she can recall only one thing—her name. A young man, Heath de Charon, explains to Sarah that he found her unconscious on the grounds of his family's estate and has been caring for her. Sarah is thankful, but when she starts hearing voices that whisper for her to come back, she is confused, and desperate to find out where she really belongs.
When the Clock Chimes
Drake Iverson lands a summer job on Sandstone Mountain. There are no computers; he has to do all the work by hand in a large leather-bound book. He doesn't mind, as long as he can be near Gina, who is pretty and kind. But when Gina falls ill, Drake is asked to leave. He is determined to find out what happened to Gina and to uncover other mysteries he encounters on Sandstone Mountain.
The Mysteries of Chance
Dylan Sorenson offers his help to a girl who seems to be in distress. The girl, Maura, explains that she's simply overwhelmed by the heat and quickly runs off. But Maura is soon drawn back to Dylan and a friendship and budding romance begins. However, Maura doesn't reveal the whole truth about herself, and Dylan has secrets of his own. Can their relationship withstand the deception?
My Thoughts:
Out of the many novels Lurlene McDaniel has written, I had only read Heart to Heart before now. I practically cried the entire time I was reading it but I loved how McDaniel could easily evoke such deep emotions in no time at all. Keeping that in mind, I was looking forward to reading Reaching Through Time, hoping to find another story I could lose myself in right away.
I’m not always a huge fan of anthologies or novellas because I always seem to find that as soon as I finally get into the story, I’ve reached the end. While I love how they can be fast-paced, there’s usually a sacrifice when it comes to developing the characters more. Reaching Through Time is composed of three novellas, and in each one, time is of the essence. They’re very much individual stories, not interconnecting ones, so I was always interested to learn what was going to happen next!
It’s rather difficult to talk about each story though because there were little unexpected twists discovered and I feel like I could easily give something away by mistake! So I’ll just tease you by saying that you shouldn’t read the plot description (or judge the cover!) and simply take each story by face value only, thinking they’re strictly romance tales. Lurlene McDaniel really does go beyond writing quick tales of love! If I had to order them though, I liked “The Mysteries of Chance” the most, then “What’s Happened to Me?” and finally, “When the Clock Chimes.”
If you enjoy reading Lurlene McDaniel’s novels, then I’m sure you already have Reaching Through Time on your to-read list. It's a quick contemporary read, with hints of the paranormal in each story, and I seemed to finish the novel in no time at all!
Thanks so much to Random House Canada for sending this review copy!
I’m not always a huge fan of anthologies or novellas because I always seem to find that as soon as I finally get into the story, I’ve reached the end. While I love how they can be fast-paced, there’s usually a sacrifice when it comes to developing the characters more. Reaching Through Time is composed of three novellas, and in each one, time is of the essence. They’re very much individual stories, not interconnecting ones, so I was always interested to learn what was going to happen next!
It’s rather difficult to talk about each story though because there were little unexpected twists discovered and I feel like I could easily give something away by mistake! So I’ll just tease you by saying that you shouldn’t read the plot description (or judge the cover!) and simply take each story by face value only, thinking they’re strictly romance tales. Lurlene McDaniel really does go beyond writing quick tales of love! If I had to order them though, I liked “The Mysteries of Chance” the most, then “What’s Happened to Me?” and finally, “When the Clock Chimes.”
If you enjoy reading Lurlene McDaniel’s novels, then I’m sure you already have Reaching Through Time on your to-read list. It's a quick contemporary read, with hints of the paranormal in each story, and I seemed to finish the novel in no time at all!
Thanks so much to Random House Canada for sending this review copy!
