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Out of Time (Out of Time #1)

by Monique Martin (Goodreads Author)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 1,150 ratings · 236 reviews

Professor Simon Cross has spent his life searching for evidence of vampires and avoiding emotional entanglements. When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his new assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't.

In 1920s Manhattan, they find that are more than mobsters vying for po...more

Kindle Edition, 294 pages

Published February 2nd 2010

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Dec 28, 2010 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ebook, indie, romance

Here's the thing: I turned 40 last week, and while I know that 40 is the new 30, and I'm only as old as I feel, (blah blah blah, whatever else my birthday cards told me,) I look in the mirror, and I see that my hair is turning grey at an alarming rate, I have wrinkles near the corners of my lips where they never were before, and my boobs are hanging about an inch lower than they were last year (dammit.) The worst of it is that my eyes get tired if I try to read half the night; of course, that's...more

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Jan 03, 2011 ~V~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Out of Time is a time travel romance that starts out introducing you to Simon Cross, a professor of Occult Studies, and his assistant Elizabeth West. One evening, while looking through Simon’s recently inherited belongings, they come across a pocket watch that belonged to his grandfather. It turns out that the pocket watch is a “vehicle” for time traveling, and they are both picked up from their safe modern day surroundings in California, and thrust back in time to the summer of 1929 in New York...more Out of Time is a time travel romance that starts out introducing you to Simon Cross, a professor of Occult Studies, and his assistant Elizabeth West. One evening, while looking through Simon’s recently inherited belongings, they come across a pocket watch that belonged to his grandfather. It turns out that the pocket watch is a “vehicle” for time traveling, and they are both picked up from their safe modern day surroundings in California, and thrust back in time to the summer of 1929 in New York City. Once they figure out what's happened, they quickly come to realize that they have only each other to rely on in this brand new time and place. They must soon make peace with the fact that they're stuck for an indefinite amount of time, until they can figure out a way back home. Of course, not only do they not know a single soul, but they have no place to stay, no money, and little do they know that the very thing the professor has been researching all these years is not really a myth, but alive and well in New York City… with them.

This book was such a treat! It was a fun, fast paced read, and I really enjoyed the suspenseful storyline that ensues later in the book. However, it was the bond that Elizabeth and Simon form from being trapped in the past together, that I REALLY LOVED!! Even though they've had feelings for each other, neither of them have ever acted on them, because they worked together. Their relationship was always very professional, but once they're thrown into this impossible situation, and they have only each other to depend on, that working relationship quickly turns into a close friendship. The feelings that they've both been trying to hold back soon come to the surface and turn into a very sweet and loving romance.
I also really enjoyed the relationship/friendship that was forged between Simon, Elizabeth and Charlie. What a great character! He was such a constant in their time there, always such help for those two, I wish we were able to revisit that time and place to see what ever becomes of Charlie.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting new read with a paranormal twist. Monique Martin has woven together a fun adventure with such a sweet love story, that she made it very easy to get lost in time along with her characters! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for anything new that she may put out in the future! :)
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Mar 30, 2013 Sandra rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-friday-book, paranormal-romance, time-travel

I love time travel, mystery, paranormal and romance...so this is my genre, but this book really didn't capture the best of any of these pieces. This book reminds me of The Magic Treehouse series for 3rd graders, and that isn't a good thing. I thought the author did a good job on the backdrop and the period of 1929 and she came close to making me care about the main characters, but it was very cliche. Instead of sprinkling in the paranormal, like seasoning to a good soup and building up to the co...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-slip-travel, historical-mystery, 1920s, adult, romantic, ebook-deals, own-it-e-book

Based on the description, I expected to find Out of Time a combination of time travel and historical mystery with a bit of romance. It is true that these elements are present, but really what I found myself reading was a fairly generic romance that could have taken place anywhere, anytime, with some time travel and mystery thrown in, but not sufficiently developed.

The story starts out in the present, with a professor of the occult and his assistant finding themselves unexpectedly launched back...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Moses Siregar III rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've never read a romance novel before 'Out of Time,' but I'm really glad I gave this one a shot. I enjoyed it from its great premise at the start to its suspenseful finish. I think the strongest element of 'Out of Time' is the writing itself, particularly the dialogue and the characterization of the two main characters (as well as, of course, the romance). Even when there were aspects of the book that I questioned, and that didn't happen often, the strength of the writing and the tension in the...more I've never read a romance novel before 'Out of Time,' but I'm really glad I gave this one a shot. I enjoyed it from its great premise at the start to its suspenseful finish. I think the strongest element of 'Out of Time' is the writing itself, particularly the dialogue and the characterization of the two main characters (as well as, of course, the romance). Even when there were aspects of the book that I questioned, and that didn't happen often, the strength of the writing and the tension in the story always kept me going. I'm going to nitpick some minor points below, but know that I recommend this book without any reservations.

The book has an interesting structure that makes it almost like two books in one with a big turning point in the middle. I'll talk about each half separately. The first half focuses mainly on the romantic and sexual tension between Elizabeth and Simon, tension they are forced to confront when they accidentally travel back to New York City in 1929. On this element, I felt like a fish out of water because I've never read a romance genre story before, but I can say that these elements worked well for me. If you're curious, there is a vivid but tasteful sex scene or two in the novel.

There are a few points I can quibble with in the first half. At the start of the story Simon is painted as extremely cold, but once they travel through time he softens up a lot; I thought there was a slight disconnect around his character early on, but at the same time it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and his coldness reasserts itself later. Another issue I felt early on was that the characters didn't seem amazed enough by accidentally traveling through time, but this issue wasn't handled poorly either. The last thing is (MINOR SPOILER to follow) that the characters end up sharing a small apartment, and it was never properly explained whey they didn't request a unit with two beds or try to find another place to stay (they seemed shocked to discover just one bed); I think this was the only time I felt like the author did something convenient for the story that didn't fully make sense. True, they pretended to be married, but I felt there needed to be a stronger reason than that. I can understand Elizabeth being happy with the arrangement, but it was hard for me to believe that Simon wouldn't try to change it.

The second half of the novel turns into a suspense story involving an antagonist with a paranormal origin. The author did a fantastic job with keeping the tension building and by the end of the novel became a powerful page-turner. For me, this was a nice change of pace because it meant that the whole book wasn't focused on the central romance. I really did like the romance angle, but I still welcomed the variety and the switch to something I was more familiar with. For example, there was a great fight scene and some other violent elements that worked well. Making a romance novel suspenseful is no easy task, I would imagine, since we know something about the ending just by knowing the genre. I also felt the quality of descriptions got even stronger in the second half, and as the story went along I appreciated the writing more and more.

As for my quibbles with the second half of the story, there was only one. A supporting character enters the story very late and while certain elements of this character's introduction were very neatly done, he also ends up becoming a minor deus ex machina that saves the main two protagonists. In my opinion, this deprived the main two characters of the chance to fulfill their own story and achieve their own victory over the antagonist, though on the other hand the main two characters still struggle and make all the efforts they can against a very powerful figure. This sort of thing happens a lot in fiction, though, and it was definitely more of a minor problem than a big one. It was also set up fairly well, because the character had an established connection to someone else in the story.

I hope I haven't come across as too critical because I loved the story, the characters, and the writing. Those three elements are like a holy trinity of good fiction, so I can heartily recommend this one and give it five stars. If there's any other thing that I think could've been done better, I believe the time travel element itself could've been milked a little more; on the other hand, there's a great scene where the characters visit Coney Island and remark about how things were different in 1929 on one particular ethical matter. I thought that was a very nice addition to the novel and, though this wasn't the only good example of this sort of thing in the story, I would've loved to have seen even more about how things have changed since '29.

Because I loved this book, I'll end with some more positives. The quality of the copyediting and proofreading was excellent. The dialogue was outstanding, in my opinion. Simon Cross and Elizabeth West are vivid characters who are going to live on in my memory for many years. Pretty much everything that happened felt realistic and believable, despite the story's fantastical premises; this a mature but fun story. Overall, I think the author displays excellent storytelling skills by constructing the story as she did; it's tight and it pulls the right triggers in the reader, in ways that always felt entertaining rather than manipulative. For me, 'Out of Time' was an outstandingly good read and more than worth the price of admission.(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

I quite liked this book. I got it for free on a Kindle deal, so I didn't have high expectations. I knew the vampire thing was coming because I read the on-line reviews. I thought the writing was good and the characters interesting. I noted the parallel themes of Simon and King both reining in their inner beasts was interesting. I give points for keeping the language clean. I had to take off points for a couple of things, though.

1. I wish the author had been more informative about Simon's resear...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Kribu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel, vampires, romance, paranormal

I've been going back and forth between three and four stars for the rating, but ultimately, I think I've given four stars to books I've enjoyed less, so... rounding it up to four it is.

I'm generally not a romance reader, but I'll make the odd exception, especially when the central romance has anything to do with age gaps or professor/student things, so this one fit quite nicely. Also, while it's definitely a romance-focused book, it did have a pretty decent/interesting time-travel plot in additi...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Regina Meehan-simunek added it

Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery – Monique Martin
This book has it all, romance, friendship, history, mystery and a touch of Bram Stoker. We are introduced to Professor Cross an Oxford educated professor who lectures on the occult. Elizabeth West is his assistant and former student. As each day passes we are right there with them, sometimes at the edge of the seat wondering what next.
Professor Cross is an up and coming curmudgeon. Where Cross tries to keep the world at bay Elizabeth with some...more Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery – Monique Martin
This book has it all, romance, friendship, history, mystery and a touch of Bram Stoker. We are introduced to Professor Cross an Oxford educated professor who lectures on the occult. Elizabeth West is his assistant and former student. As each day passes we are right there with them, sometimes at the edge of the seat wondering what next.
Professor Cross is an up and coming curmudgeon. Where Cross tries to keep the world at bay Elizabeth with some street smarts is warm and friendly. While dropping off the papers she has graded for the professor, Elizabeth comments on the boxes in his study, boxes left to him by his beloved grandfather. One of the open boxes contains a picture that is clearly the professor as a young boy with his grandfather. As they talk and examine a pocket watch and an old ring found in one of the boxes they are transported to New York, 1929 and the fun begins.
They can hardly believe their eyes but there is no doubt they are not in the professors study but in an alley way. They pull themselves together and soon discover they are in New York City. They have arrived during Prohibition, New York 1929. It is a time of Speak Easies and ruthless gangsters. They realize they have travelled back in time and need to figure out quickly how to return to their time. They are staying in the Bowery and as they study the watch and discover when they can return they realize they need money and go in search of work.
On Mulberry Street they watch a stick ball game and meet Fr. Cavanaugh the pastor of the original church of St Patrick. Their search for work is a success as when they meet and befriend Charlie Blue. Charlie runs a Speakeasy, with help from his head waitress Dixie and bouncer Lester. With jobs they have money and time to kill. They enjoy some time at Coney Island and Luna Park, and a walk in Central Park.
But the story doesn’t end there. They have yet to meet the dark side of New York; the cold blooded gangster King and some of his goons. In a few more days they should be able to return to their own time but before that happens they have a Bram Stoker character to deal with.
As the tension mounts time is running out and Elizabeth has gone missing. The professor painfully aware of how much he loves her frantically searches the city. He runs to Mulberry Street for guidance and discovers Fr. Cavanaugh has been murdered. With help from Charlie he hunts down King. There are one or two more nicely added twists before he locates Elizabeth and the battle of love is fought.
With a taste of 1929 New York still on our lips we are brought back to California.
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Sep 20, 2012 Ella Belakovska rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hmm, think I must have missed whatever the other reviewers on here found to enjoy about the 'romance' in this book. While it's fair to point out that I generally avoid the romance genre, I'm not averse to a bit of sexual tension to keep a good storyline bubbling along. Unfortunately, I was already getting a bit fed up with these two characters when one of them did the inevitable 'I cannot let them get close to me because I'm such a terrible person' rubbish. It feels like such a cop out of a plot...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I first read the synopsis for Monique Martin’s “Out of Time” I was a little confused. It’s not all that uncommon to fuse genres but, time travel and vampires?

I have read several time travel novels lately, and lord knows I’m a fan of the pointed tooth, but mushing these two together seemed a little far fetched to me. So… as per usual (or at least it seems so these days) I strapped on my “Negative Nancy” attitude and started to read.

Dear Monique, I apologize for being a moron.

Not only was thi...more When I first read the synopsis for Monique Martin’s “Out of Time” I was a little confused. It’s not all that uncommon to fuse genres but, time travel and vampires?

I have read several time travel novels lately, and lord knows I’m a fan of the pointed tooth, but mushing these two together seemed a little far fetched to me. So… as per usual (or at least it seems so these days) I strapped on my “Negative Nancy” attitude and started to read.

Dear Monique, I apologize for being a moron.

Not only was this book NOTHING like I had originally suspected; I will (begrudgingly) admit I was completely hooked after 1 chapter.

Simon is obsessed with the occult, and as a professor specializing in “the way of the weird” he has plenty of time to dwell on (otherwise) meaningless facts. Elizabeth, teeny tiny and full of fire, is his assistant. Apart they are stubborn, sarcastic, pessimistic and independent, but suck them into a time traveling watch and plop them down into the roaring 20′s, they suddenly become so much more. Clueless as to how exactly they ended up knee deep in gangsters and speakeasies Simon and Elizabeth set off to get answers. Unfortunately answers come at a price. Broke and seemingly alone, the need to find jobs become blarringly apparent, but with no leads and no experience the plate is pretty empty, that is of course until Elizabeth bumps into a friendly barkeep in the park. Will Elizabeth’s new job put food on the table, or make her the lunch? Will Simon ever stop lying to himself, and the most important question…what happens when your obsession becomes your reality and they want your wife?

Like I stated before I was hooked after just one chapter. Throwing a modern couple into the throws of not 1 but 2 major predicaments was a stroke of genre-hopping genius, and to surround it with the angst and hype of the “Bugsy” age made the read even more compelling. But, prohibition and Coney Island aside, the “thing” that really drew me in, was Martin’s characters. Building successful players is no easy feat, but building them in a time that is not their own is a challenge of another nature. Imagine a girl who stands up for equality and basic human rights… now plop her down in an ally where a guy (who apparently didn’t pay a debt he was owed) is being pummeled. Now demand that she walk away. Tricky right? Meshing the complexity of a free thinking woman in an age where women were thought of as dames and cat called on a regular basis couldn’t have been easy. Doing all of this while weaving a spindly tale of love and it’s ultimate evil only solidified the presence of Martin’s natural talent.

Keep a close eye on Ms. Martin my friends cause I see sparkly wonderful things in here literary future.

This one is a keeper folks. Get it, Live it, Love it… pass it on.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: No good can come from a man that calls himself King.(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Sjm rated it 3 of 5 stars

NOTE: This review was first shared on Amazon.com on March 7, 2011.

I was excited to read this book because of the time travel element, and in that respect it did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the romance story line very much, though at times felt it should have taken a back seat to the other action. The writing was very good. I'll be watching Monique Martin to see what else she turns out. Out of Time was a good enough story for me to want to read through to see how it ended, but the best part of...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Carol Kerry-green rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, paranormal, science-fiction-fantasy

When Simon Cross receives his grandfather's possessions (20 odd years after Sebastian's death), one of them is an unusual watch. Simon is a Professor of the Occult and Elizabeth West is his assistant, Simon is fighting against his love for her, he's used to being alone not letting someone into his life; and at the beginning of the novel he is convinced she's going to die. He is having horrible nightmares about her and they all end with her dying. The last time that happened was when his grandfat...more When Simon Cross receives his grandfather's possessions (20 odd years after Sebastian's death), one of them is an unusual watch. Simon is a Professor of the Occult and Elizabeth West is his assistant, Simon is fighting against his love for her, he's used to being alone not letting someone into his life; and at the beginning of the novel he is convinced she's going to die. He is having horrible nightmares about her and they all end with her dying. The last time that happened was when his grandfather. So when Elizabeth turns up at his house with some assignments she's been grading, he's not exactly friendly towards her. However, unsure as always when he's around Elizabeth he offers her a drink and begins showing her some of the things he's received and telling her of the stories his grandfather used to tell him, stories about his adventures.

As Simon is looking at his grandfather's unusual watch with it's dials and phases of the moon on it, a little crescent follows the moon on the watch, just as the moon itself begins its eclipse, in a flash of blue lightning, Simon and Elizabeth are sent elsewhere and elsewhen. Arriving in a filthy alley with a bang, they are both disorientated and bruised. Confused they gradually realise that they have been transported back in time to a period where the cars are all large, the men wear suits and the women dresses - not like Elizabeth's skimpy T shirt and jeans. Finding out they are in New York in 1929, only a few short months before the Wall Street crash is a big shock and it understandably takes them a while to get used to the idea. With no money, and no clothes of the right era, Simon is forced to pawn his grandfather's ring that he was wearing when they came through, they find a cheap apartment and pose as a married couple. For the moment neither one wants to let the other out of their site.

Working out that the moon's eclipse had something to do with their inadvertant time travel, they discover that the next eclipse is scheduled for six weeks time. With little money and the need to survive six weeks before they can go home, they need to find jobs and fast. Elizabeth is young and spunky and hopelessly in love with Simon, who she sometimes finds cold and unaproachable, though underneath that facade she sometimes catches site of his vulnerability; it is she who first finds a job with Charlie Blue the owner of a speakeasy, waiting tables is exhausting work enough without Simon's obvious dislike of it (he can be a big snob at times!) but it's money and eventually Simon too takes a job there playing the piano, a long cry from a university professor and minor English artistcrat:)

At this point the book really takes off, after some heartbreaking times for both of them, they realise their love and that helps them cope with being thrust into a different time period. But not only that, Simon is about to receive the evidence he has spent a lifetime trying to uncover on the occult, when King the local gangster who has Charlie's place in his "protection" turns out to be a vampire who has more than a little interest in Elizabeth.

How they survive in New York, how they deal with their predicament, and whether they manage to return to the future all make interesting and intriguing reading.

I do have issues with this book, which is why I wavered between a three star or a four star rating; I just really wish Simon had been less wet about his love for Elizabeth, I got fed up of his negative thinking and the 'she could never be his' etc.

Other than that and a few other minor quibbles I thought this was an excellent time travel story and one open for further adventures (have just started book two).(less)

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Oct 13, 2011 Sally Bennett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-sally-bennett

This felt like a pretty decent historical romance with the alternative universe and paranormal vampire elements grafted on just because they’re in vogue. They certainly weren’t necessary for the story.

I wanted to like the heroine, Elizabeth West, who falls for the much older Simon Cross (for whom she’s a graduate research assistant), but both the characters are woefully shallow, with conflicting elements of characterization: Is he shy and gentlemanly, or just showing British reserve, or secretly...more This felt like a pretty decent historical romance with the alternative universe and paranormal vampire elements grafted on just because they’re in vogue. They certainly weren’t necessary for the story.

I wanted to like the heroine, Elizabeth West, who falls for the much older Simon Cross (for whom she’s a graduate research assistant), but both the characters are woefully shallow, with conflicting elements of characterization: Is he shy and gentlemanly, or just showing British reserve, or secretly in love but constrained by principle from showing it, or suffering from some kind of attachment disorder? Is she a nurturing do-gooder or a self-centered taker? Why does he suddenly turn into a superhero with anger management issues?

This must be some sort of alternative universe, since he’s a professor of occult studies, but there are no distinguishable differences between our world and theirs . . . until the pocket watch takes them back in time and they (eventually) discover a vampire. Turn the vamp into a Mob boss and take away the time travel, and the story could be much the same. Of course, then you would lose the protagonists’ reflections about how horribly bigoted and insensitive the Coney Island circus atmosphere seems to modern-day observers.

I would have liked the story to focus on one and only one element of the fantastical: time travel, vampirism and lycanthropy, Catholicism and the occult, or magical Egyptian relics. Mixing them all together didn’t allow for developing the fundamental explanations of how anything worked in this alternative reality.

The sexual tension is maintained mostly through innuendo, with the hero and heroine so unevenly matched in terms of age, class, nationality, interests, and character that there’s no accounting for the attraction that supposedly exists between them. Only when the first kiss and the sex scenes actually occurred did I have to give in and believe Elizabeth and Simon were the ones matched up for the romance; until then, I kept hoping one or both of them would fall in love with someone in the past and thereby raise the stakes in their plan to simply return to the future in several weeks.

The writing style is enjoyable, except for occasionally clunky dialogue and overuse of adverbs in place of strong, precise verbs. The author sets the mood well and maintains the point of view pretty well, with smooth changes of scene most of the time. Monique Martin has the potential to tell a great story, and I’ll continue to try her books.
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Aug 24, 2011 Lyndee rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-kindle

How do you even rate these cheesy romances? They're all pretty bad. I finished this one, although I did skim a little. It's a readable book if all you want is a few steamy scenes and little bit of plot, but parts of this book are worthy of an eye roll. You've got your typical damsel in distress who also can hold her own (Sort of. Not really.), there's time travel, and some sexual tension which of course leads up to a great big love scene. Much emphasis is put on the age difference between the ma...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Taylorkathleen rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2011 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well....

I enjoyed it actually. I liked the circumstance of the two main characters Elizabeth and Simon. I enjoyed the fact that he was an English professor of the occult and she his TA. It made it seem more Gothic and exciting.

I must confess I had no idea what could possibly happen, okay the title was some clue but in my mind I imagined time hopping acrosss different ages, the wonderful adventures of Simon and Elizabeth Cross!

It was sort of like this... Whilst it wasn't overly imaginative how th...more Well....

I enjoyed it actually. I liked the circumstance of the two main characters Elizabeth and Simon. I enjoyed the fact that he was an English professor of the occult and she his TA. It made it seem more Gothic and exciting.

I must confess I had no idea what could possibly happen, okay the title was some clue but in my mind I imagined time hopping acrosss different ages, the wonderful adventures of Simon and Elizabeth Cross!

It was sort of like this... Whilst it wasn't overly imaginative how they managed to travel to 1920s New York, it was based on research of the occult so I am willing to let that go.

What intrigued me most was how they reacted to being in another time, their reaction was just so practical! I liked it. They looked at time travel in exactly the same way I would look at it... Where am I going to stay? What will I eat? I need clothes... How will I make money? Time travel in this book is not as romantic as it is in the films!

Anyhow, the book read in two parts. At least to me it did. The romance part of the 'paranormal romance'came first. Simon and Elizabeth realised they were in love. It was rather nice, bit mushy, but it was nice to follow them on their journey as they admitted their feelings for each other. So, after that the paranormal of the 'paranormal romance' came. Turns out there is a vampire on the lose...dum, dum, dum.

I don't want to say too much, but it is actually really clever to cast Simon as a professor of the occult. Once again, he could easily blunder through 1920s with his credientals and research how to kill this darn vampire, who by the way is in love with Elizabeth (Twilight anyone?). But, no in 1920s New York he doesn't have any such credientals so armed with knowledge, but lack of experience that he can't use. Simon has to rely on good ol' common sense!

I like them both, Simon and Elizabeth complement each other. They work well together and the ending is surprising. It's nice to be surprised every once in a while.

I particulary like Simon because like a typical English fellow he coverts a nice cup of tea, however, he gets stressed over being unable to find a nice cup of tea in 1920s New York than he does the impending doom of Elizabeth. Well, no not really, I would though.(less)

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Jul 13, 2011 Emme rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are already several positive reviews of this book, so I won't say a great deal more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Out of Time. Professor Simon Cross(who was channeling Hugh Laurie for me) and his GSI Elizabeth are terrific and fun characters on their own, and together they are sublime. The buildup to their romance was sweet and struck just the right the balance-- they didn't unrealistically, and immediately, fall head-over-heels in love, nor did they consummate their relationship before th...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Loves To Dive rated it 4 of 5 stars

Simon Cross is a professor of occult studies at the University of California; Elizabeth West is his underappreciated teaching assistant. One night, after delivering graded papers to his home, to avoid leaving, Elizabeth gets Prof. Cross to go through unopened boxes and the ride begins. I don't think it would be a spoiler to say that Simon and Elizabeth are transported back in time to 1929 and their adventure begins there. They have to figure out how to get home, how to live while there and how t...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Tammy ~NovelOpinion rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel-romance

A nice read. Entertaining and not too heavy. I always appreciate a story I can read that is light on the violence but big on romance. It is a sort of transition between Horror and Sci Fi to gritty UF and PNR.
Kinda like sniffing coffee beans when sampling perfumes. (It's a chick thing guys.)
So, Elizabeth is secretly in love with her boss, Simon, a Professor twenty years her senior and way too serious.
He is secretly in love with her but he is an uptight englishman who has been having dreams of her...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Kristi (Books and Needlepoint) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs

About the book: Simon Cross was different. He was a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. But it wasn't his profession that set him apart, but that he was a professor of Occult Studies. He took the study of the occult very seriously, as his grandfather had before him; and, even though his introductory class was very popular, his colleagues did not view him seriously.

Elizabeth West had taken his class and had ended up changing her major and becoming his graduate teaching assist...more About the book: Simon Cross was different. He was a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. But it wasn't his profession that set him apart, but that he was a professor of Occult Studies. He took the study of the occult very seriously, as his grandfather had before him; and, even though his introductory class was very popular, his colleagues did not view him seriously.

Elizabeth West had taken his class and had ended up changing her major and becoming his graduate teaching assistant. Little did she know what a life changing event that would be.

Simon and Elizaabeth had an interesting relationship. They weren't really friends and yet they each were harboring an attraction for the other that ran deeper than friendship. It wasn't until they were unwittingly transported back in time before they allowed themselves the freedom to let the attraction shine. (It probably helped that they weren't sure about how to get back. . .)

Going back in time seemed to be an answer to everything they had hoped for, both professionally and personally. They were able to discover things about their area of study that they had only dreamed about. The time proved to be more dangerous than they thought and they wondered if they would be able to reach the day they thought they could return to the present or if they would be Out of Time. (Did you like the way I did that?)

My thoughts: Let me start by saying this was the first book that I read on my new Nook that I got for Christmas - and I am so happy that I LOVED the first book that I read on my Nook! It makes me want to read more on it (because I was a little concerned that I wouldn't like to not have an actual "book" in my hands). This was the perfect blend of romance, paranormal, and - what would you classify time travel as - science fiction? None of them outweighed the others, but blended together beautifully in the story. This was Monique Martin's first novel, but I am hoping for more. I would love to see Simon and Elizabeth go on another adventure together!

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Sep 14, 2012 Alex Albrinck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Simon Cross has problems. His family shuns his beloved, recently-deceased grandfather, Sebastian. He has feelings for his assistant, Elizabeth. And he keeps having nightmares in which Elizabeth dies. Feeling he must be the cause, he keeps her at arm's length.

Then Simon and Elizabeth find themselves transported back in time to 1920s New York City. They determine that they need to survive for several weeks - at a minimum - before they can return to the present. Both manage to find jobs, which mana...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Jo Anne B rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I didn't know what to expect and I am so impressed with it. It was so well written and flowed beautifully that you couldn't help getting caught up in the romance between Simon and Elizabeth. It had everything you could want in a fiction novel- suspense, mystery, romance, time travel, paranormal, religion, history, gangsters, humor, action, and adventure. It had two main characters you really bonded with, endearing supporting characters, and a great sexy, bad villain.

Simon is a...more I loved this book! I didn't know what to expect and I am so impressed with it. It was so well written and flowed beautifully that you couldn't help getting caught up in the romance between Simon and Elizabeth. It had everything you could want in a fiction novel- suspense, mystery, romance, time travel, paranormal, religion, history, gangsters, humor, action, and adventure. It had two main characters you really bonded with, endearing supporting characters, and a great sexy, bad villain.

Simon is a professor of Occult studies and Elizabeth is his graduate teaching assistant. They secretly love each other but seem to not act on their feelings because of their working relationship. They are both so charming that way. One evening, Elizabeth is at Simon's house dropping off graded papers and he shows her his dead grandfather's watch. While studying it they get transported back in time to New York 1929 before the stock market crash. It was so enchanting to read about them stuck back in time, sharing the same bed, finding jobs, trying to fit in, visiting places such as Coney Island. The author really excelled in capturing an old world feel that you felt like you were right along with them and loving the ride.

There is a lot of sexual tension between them and over protectiveness (it was 1929 after all). There are some tasteful sex scenes that fit in very well to the story. My only gripe is that you never really learn why Simon is so reluctant to be involved in a relationship. We are only told that "He was used to being on the inside looking out. It was how he lived. The loneliness had become a welcome companion, reinforcing old memories and keeping him safe from new ones." Why was he so afraid of getting into a relationship? Did he lose someone before? Did he get hurt in the past? He is so uptight and dead set against anything happening between them and we never learn the reason. But who could resist temptation especially if you are stuck back in time with this person? They complement each other well and it works.

They get jobs at the same bar- her a waitress and him the piano player. Of course it is and illegal underground night club that serves alcohol during prohibition. Their boss Charlie is terrific. He was such a well done character and so added to the timepiece. He cared about Simon and Elizabeth, who pretended they were married, even though it wasn't that hard for them to fake.

The antagonist is a gangster King who is very attractive, has ties all throughout the city, and gets whatever he wants. He is seductive, intimidating, and scary all at the same time. He ends up causing some major problems for Simon and Elizabeth and introduces an interesting aspect to the story. While trying to fend off the bad guy, there is an unexpected reunion with another character who provides some explanation, answers, and help to our time travelers. This ties up loose ends on any questions lingering about the antagonist and time travel and something that happened in the beginning of the story. It proves to be quite emotional and fulfilling.

Highly recommended! What a great read! I was so pleasantly surprised at how talented this author proved to be. To be able to wove together all those different aspects together into the same story and have it flow as beautifully as it did takes some major talent. I loved the journey and just wish I could go back in time so i can relive that same feeling I had the first time I read this. As Simon's grandfather said, "Time's odd that way, isn't it? Drags on interminably when you want it to pass, and it's gone in the blink of an eye when you want it to linger."(less)

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Oct 12, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel, friendable

Kindle is opening my horizons and Out of Time is a great example of the wonderful treasures you can find if you get lucky. Despite the 'paranormal romance' subtitle, Out of Time is really more of a time travel romance with a paranormal complication as part of the conflict, than an actual paranormal romance since neither of the leads go bump in the night. But it is a really good time travel romance.

An accidental trip to the past, lands Professor Simon Cross and his graduate Assistant Elizabeth W...more Kindle is opening my horizons and Out of Time is a great example of the wonderful treasures you can find if you get lucky. Despite the 'paranormal romance' subtitle, Out of Time is really more of a time travel romance with a paranormal complication as part of the conflict, than an actual paranormal romance since neither of the leads go bump in the night. But it is a really good time travel romance.

An accidental trip to the past, lands Professor Simon Cross and his graduate Assistant Elizabeth West in New York during the summer of 1929. Being stranded out of time with only each other to rely on, allows the unacknowledged attraction between the pair to come to light and I enjoyed the way their relationship slowly -and steamily - builds into something more. (For those concerned with sensuality level, Simon and Elizabeth's relationship does become physical and the first love scene is descriptive but not as detailed as most main stream paranormal romance and nowhere near the paint-by-numbers descriptions of the more erotic stuff.)

All of the characters in Out of Time are interesting and fully fleshed with interesting back stories - even the supporting characters. But I really loved Simon and Elizabeth. The pair couldn't be more different. From a moneyed background Simon is a man who has held himself back from life and relationships and all of their messy complications and the accidental trip to the past pulls him way out of his comfort zone. Elizabeth's upbringing was almost on the opposite end of the spectrum, but she genuinely likes people and has a talent for relating to others, so she approaches their `ordeal' as an adventure and an opportunity to experience the all that the time has to offer.

Simon of course wants to be careful not to make ripples in time. But since they have to survive until they hopefully will be returned home, Elizabeth wins and they both find jobs and end up immersed in 1920's life - the trials and entertainments of the prohibition era itself add an interesting flavor to their story. But survival is going to be more than just making ends meet until it's time to go home. Simon's prescient nightmares and a more than human monster who has set his sights on Elizabeth add an element of peril to the tale and provide the means to bring about an ending that takes the whole time travel part of the story full circle, which I always enjoy - it just ties things off so neatly.

So I am happy to have stumbled on Out of Time and if it were paper and not pixels it would be going on my keeper pile - I guess I'll have to start a virtual one. But in any case, I certainly will be keeping an eye out for more from author Monique Martin.
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Apr 28, 2011 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure-fantasy, paranormal, all-time-favorites

Wow! This book was so good, I'm struggling to write the review!

The premise sounds confusing, and it doesn't really seem to fit it any one genre (maybe this is why it took me so long to find it?). Is it time travel, or paranormal, or contemporary or historical? Is it suspense or mystery or romance? Is the hero alpha or beta? You'd probably be thinking "WTF? Sounds like it's all over the place!"

Well, this book just flows. The writing is excellent, the dialogue is great, the plot is fabulous. The h...more

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Feb 15, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘Out of Time’ is a time-travel paranormal romance from Monique Martin.

I bought this e-book for two reasons. It only cost me 99¢ on Amazon, and Stella from Ex Libris wrote a smashing review.

Elizabeth West is teacher’s assistant to Professor Simon Cross. Simon teaches classes on the Occult, and for as long as he’s been teaching about werewolves and vampires he’s been hunting for proof of the paranormal.

One day a package arrives for Simon. Inside of which is all the most precious artefacts belong...more ‘Out of Time’ is a time-travel paranormal romance from Monique Martin.

I bought this e-book for two reasons. It only cost me 99¢ on Amazon, and Stella from Ex Libris wrote a smashing review.

Elizabeth West is teacher’s assistant to Professor Simon Cross. Simon teaches classes on the Occult, and for as long as he’s been teaching about werewolves and vampires he’s been hunting for proof of the paranormal.

One day a package arrives for Simon. Inside of which is all the most precious artefacts belonging to Simon’s grandfather, another Occult explorer. Among them is a Scarab ring, and a mysterious pocket watch. On the night of the eclipse Elizabeth drops off some graded papers at Simon’s house, and the two study his grandfather’s prized possessions, with disastrous results . . . suddenly in a whirlwind Elizabeth and Simon wake up to New York in the 1920’s.

Elizabeth and Simon deduce that they can’t get back to the present until the next eclipse, in a month’s time. They make do and get jobs at a local speakeasy – Elizabeth as a waitress with moxie, and Simon as her piano-playing ‘husband’.

But 1920’s New York is a different and dangerous place - prohibition is stifling the city, and mob’s rule. The head-honcho of the big apple is King Kashian – a cool and calculating mobster without a soul . . . literally. For it takes Simon a trip into the past to find what he’s been searching for all his academic life – a vampire.

‘Out of Time’ is a wonderful and eclectic paranormal romance. There’s a little bit of everything to whet your fantastical appetite – time-travel, vampires and spooky premonitions. It’s an absolute feast of fantasy!

Elizabeth and Simon have a very sweet and slow romance. When the book opens and the time-travel begins, Elizabeth and Simon refer to each other as “Miss West” and “Professor Cross” – he’s almost 20 years older than her, and he’s her boss. But these two have both fantasized and lusted after one another in private. Being thrown into 1920’s New York and unsure if they’ll ever get back to their own time brings these two together. I will warn that there isn’t heavy ‘smut’, but there is sexual tension and affection that grows into more.

‘Out of Time’ features one of the best bad guys I've ever read, King Kashian. He’s a mobster vampire with a (small) soul. I loved him because he’s full of gray areas – yes, he’s ‘evil’ but Elizabeth provokes a sort of tenderness and territoriality in him that’s almost sweet. Reading Kashian made me (absurdly) want to read more mobster paranormal romances (a tall order, I'm sure). Honestly, Martin has done such a good job with Kashian – a mobster vampire with a crush, fantastic!

“Don’t be naive. Do you really think all he wants is the pleasure of your company? At worst, he’s a vampire and you won’t live the night. Or he’s a gangster, hardly better. At best, he’s a man whose interest in you goes far beyond dinner conversation, I can assure you. How can you possibly expect me to roll on my back while this creature, this man, goes after my wife!” His expression faltered and he turned away.

I really liked ‘Out of Time’. It’s definitely an eclectic paranormal romance, a bubbling hot-pot of fantasy genres and sub-plots to please and intrigue.
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Apr 23, 2011 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adult Paranormal Romance Lovers

"Out of Time" is a fun little reading ramp about time travels and vampires. Dr. Simon Cross a professor of Occult studies at U.C. Santa Barbara has a teaching assistant Elizabeth West who he continuously fights his attraction to. He asks her to drop off some recently graded student papers to his home and when she arrives, he is opening a package of his grandfather's belongings. An Aunt passed away and made sure Simon would receive the items.

One of the items is an antique watch with a scarab desi...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Debra Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Monique Martin’s debut offering, “Out of Time” is a delightful, sexy romp back in time to the 1920s. The story revolves around “stiff upper lip” British professor, Simon Cross, and his research assistant, Elizabeth West. I’ve worked with university professors for over twenty years and believe me, the character of Professor Cross is pretty spot on although his sarcasm with his students probably would not be tolerated at many universities today. Of course, his brilliance saves him from any rebukes...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Candy rated it 4 of 5 stars

NOTE: There might be a SMALL spoiler where I've starred - skip that paragraph if you don't want to see, but it says it in the description, so...

What happens when you take a little science fiction, mix in some historical fiction, fold in a little paranormal romance and top it with just a hint of mystery? You get Out of Time by Monique Martin. I will tell you that history was NOT my subject in school, but whether or not the author researched the time period or not, she did an amazing job of bringi...more NOTE: There might be a SMALL spoiler where I've starred - skip that paragraph if you don't want to see, but it says it in the description, so...

What happens when you take a little science fiction, mix in some historical fiction, fold in a little paranormal romance and top it with just a hint of mystery? You get Out of Time by Monique Martin. I will tell you that history was NOT my subject in school, but whether or not the author researched the time period or not, she did an amazing job of bringing me over into the story. I was walking around the 1920s speakeasy with the best of them. Perhaps that's the real time travel here?

The writing. Wow. This lady has talent and plenty left over. I got completely sucked into the story through the first half of the book. The words flow towards you like a wave, carrying you off into her imagination. I cannot even begin to explain how much I was impressed with the writing. I can't say that I caught any editing errors either, obviously a book that was professionally (and well!) edited.

The characters of Elizabeth and Simon are so well rounded and well developed that I felt not only their connection but my own connection to each of them. Even the smaller characters were very well thought out. I never felt like we were given too much or not enough information about a character or their background.

I'm honestly a little astonished that this is her first novel. It feels much like the work of a veteran writer. For that reason alone, I'm adding this author to my watch list (plus I want to know what happens to Elizabeth and Simon)

**My only problem with this book was that the third quarter of it seemed to stumble. I'm still not 100% sure what the introduction of a vampire was about. I think the book could have easily done without it. In fact, I think it might have been better for it. I know, vampire fiction is "in" right now. I don't care. I don't think it needed it. He could have easily been any bad guy and I felt it was unnecessary. I hope she dumps that part in the next book(s) but because the professor teaches occult, I know that won't happen. I also think it does the book a disservice because people want to always compare vampire fiction to Twilight and the two don't even compare. This is a maturely written book and Twilight is for the YA set. (Hey, I liked Twilight, but...)

This book is recommended for those that like a good romance with a little historical fiction. I won't compare it to Time Traveler's Wife, but will say that if you liked it, you'd probably enjoy this as well.(less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Dana Griffin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very well written story that kept me engaged.

But I need to put a disclaimer here. Being a lover of time travel mysteries, I purchased this thinking time travel would play a significant part in the story. It does, but it’s minor. Ms. Martin used this premise to trap her characters, Simon, a professor of occult studies, and Elizabeth, his teaching assistant in a situation they couldn’t get out of for six weeks. Both adapted to living in New York City in 1929 without any real issue, other...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think my favorite things about this book are the characters which were very well developed and the descriptions of the environments. In some of the books I've read recently, you have one or two main characters that have great depth but that wasn't the case here. There was a whole cast of characters that you can really care about and understand. They have motivations, cares, and fears. I had fun trying to imagine how each of them spoke. It felt like the main characters were really struggling an...more

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About Monique Martin

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Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.

Monique attended the University of Southern California's Film School where she earned a B...more

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Quotes from Out of Time

“Whenever I'm with you it's as though someone has reached inside my chest, until the pain is almost more than I can bear. And when I'm not with you, I'd give anything to feel that way again." He heaved a deep sigh and continued. "But I...I couldn't go another day as I was."
"And who are you now?" she asked.
"A man hopelessly in love with you.” — 9 people liked it

“That’s God,” he said. “He goes by many names, many faces, but God is simply that—love. I find God in this church, in the faces of my parishioners. One man may find it in nature, in the majesty of a tree or a river,” he said and then looked directly at Simon. “Or another man may find it in a woman’s smile. Wherever it’s to be found, it’s to be cherished. When you find it, you hold onto it and nothing, no force, no evil can take it from you. It’s yours forever. And that, my dear, is something very powerful.” — 1 person liked it

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