Title: Telling Time: An Out of Time Story
Author: Pauline Baird Jones
Genre: Romantic Time Travel Adventure
Book Blurb:
The thrilling conclusion to the award-winning romantic time travel adventure series, Out of Time Stories, by USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones
Time and romance collide as the clock ticks down…
Rogue time travelers, Mel and Jack Hamilton embark on a daring mission to identify a malevolent and mysterious force threatening the world.
They aren’t the only ones in trouble. Rita Graven, a time-traveling operative, is on the run from her own team. Her only hope is to ask a handsome stranger for help, unaware that he is a time traveler, too.
In a volatile dance that ripples through time, the group of time-seasoned travelers must cross epochs, with the relentless tick of the clock as their only soundtrack. Can they outwit a future conspiracy designed to obliterate all opposition to their adversary's control over time travel, or will they run out of time… literally?
Get lost in the thrilling conclusion to the award-winning romantic time travel adventure Out of Time Stories series where the future is out of time, and the stakes have never been higher!
My Review:
Telling Time by Pauline Baird Jones is the third book in her Out of Time series. This book is the continuation of the building story of the first two books and shouldn’t be read standalone. With a large cast of favorite characters assembled in the previous books, as well as movement through time and space, there is too much for a new reader to jump in.
Books like Telling Time aren’t snack-sized reads that someone can read in small chunks while going through their routine or multitasking. This book requires a knife and fork to dig into the complex plot. In any chapter, there are three distinct groups with three story arcs divided by airplane icons. The reader must stay on their toes to jump character groups and in some cases eras with the passages. Some of the jumps are labeled but I found it useful to keep a post-it on my eReader with which characters had which clues and which fake names. I started it when the first few chapters were about John and Stella who weren’t mentioned in the blurb on the back of the book. There are also story arcs for fan favorites – Mel, Jack, Alice, Ty, and Ness from the other books in the series.
All these characters are chasing Rita, who they suspect is a time traveler too. She’s a cunning heroine who holds this information close as she learns to trust our beloved group. The regular people in the time period she crashes into fear she’s an alien and there are mysterious men in black chasing her, as if she really were one. There’s a link to Area 51 but only Rita understands what is going on (and readers who know the spoilers). Good thing she runs into our dashing hero, Connor.
Connor, who goes by Red to fool people in his bygone era, reminded me of the swoon-worthy black-and-white movie stars, like Cary Grant or Clark Gable, with his cool demeanor, rugged good looks, and quick thinking. He’s a pilot who left his time period to join the time traveler’s group. Now he’s back in his era, hoping he doesn’t run into himself or his family members who might recognize him. He’s sensitive to the behavior of men in this time period but can’t help the feelings he has for Rita. Until he verifies that she’s a time traveler too, he doesn’t act on his urges to kiss her, creating a plethora of romantic tension.
Their romance is shown in brief swatches across the action of the three groups jumping time and space. I loved the historical accuracy and how it balanced with the imaginative futuristic technology. It was thrilling to read about the villainous Alastor and guess who sent the men in black to chase Rita. Fans of the television shows “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Fringe,” or “Doctor Who” will love this book. I recommend this series as a whole for hopeless romantics who are fans of science fiction, time travel, and page turners.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Author Store eBook: https://payhip.com/b/B3UGL
Apple Books: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6472077468
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1480082
Author Biography:
USA Today Bestselling Author, Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://paulinebairdjones.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/perilouspauline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinebairdjones/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/paulinebjones
Reviewed by: Patty