Book Review: A Time Traveling Romance With Pirates and a Ghost
A Turn of the Tide (A Stitch in Time - Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong(KLA Fricke)
A Turn of the Tide is the third book of KelleyArmstrong’s “A Stitch in Time” series, the “stitch” being a time portal betweenmodern and Victorian times, a room in Thorne Manor, England (now kept locked!).The first two were fun adventure-romances, linked by the women of Thorne Manor.These women also have “second sight,” the ability to see and communicate withghosts, and to lay to rest the spirits of those who have been murdered bynaming aloud their killers. (There’s a catch, which plays a part in the plot,which is that if the person calling aloud the name the murderer gets it wrong,dire consequences ensue for the ghost.)
This third “Stitch” novel features Miranda, a Victorianwoman writer of “risqué pirate adventures who, having learned about the wondersand liberation of the 20th Century, decides to embark upon her own time-traveladventure. Miranda’s plans go astray when the “stitch” lands her not in moderntimes but a century earlier, in the late 1700s. She encounters the loveinterest, a French expat named Nicolas, on the run from the French Revolutionand repaying the locals who have given him shelter by acting as a Robin Hood, stealingfrom a corrupt lord and fencing smuggled goods on the village’s behalf. Almostimmediately, before the couple can even begin to get to know one another, chemistryignites.
This is where my interest bobbled. I feared I was in for therest of the book being the typical Romance attraction/pulling back two-step. Ienjoy a love story as the frosting on a compelling plot with strong ideas, butnot the entire central driving force of the book. However, I’d enjoyedArmstrong’s other books and found her writing to be both pleasant and engaging,so I kept going.
Very soon, the story deepened. Not just in revealing the charactersand their backstories but more serious themes. Armstrong is an author who sneaksin notions like compassion, altruism, and hope—not to mention a frankdiscussion of contraception and women’s sexual pleasure, this from the characterof an 18th Century Frenchman! I loved that although Mirandaconsiders herself experienced and knowledgeable, having experimented with sexwith several lovers (none of whom has had a clue, as one might expect from Victoriantimes), she is amazed and delighted by Nicolas’s sensitivity and amatory expertise.Once they decide to become intimate (cue: consent!), he refuses to haveintercourse because he does not have condoms (I think they were made of sheepskinat this time), so he proceeds to make love to her (and teach her how to makelove to him) without risking pregnancy. As a reader who is concerned aboutthe depiction of consent, birth control/disease prevention, and frank discussionsabout pleasure, I give A Turn of the Tide high marks. Yes, one mightquestion the historical accuracy of the knowledge and attitudes, but it is importantthat these topics not be shoved under the rug (or in the closet, as the casemight be).
The story becomes emotionally even deeper with anothercomplication. While hiding out from the evil lord on Nicolas’s old ship, Mirandaencounters the ghost of the former cabin boy. Nicolas had no idea the boy wasdead or how he died. This mystery becomes an important driver of the plot. Moreimportantly, Miranda’s compassion for the suffering ghost and her determinationto free him elevates and ennobles her character. And ultimately sets the book severallevels above a typical time-travel romance.
The set-up for subsequent volumes involves adelicious twist on the “stitch.” I can hardly wait.
