This book is over 500 pages. I found it fast reading and wasn't intimidated by length. Yet, for its length, I wasn't quite prepared for it to be so predominantly romance. I have nothing against romance and as romances go, this is one of the better I've come across. However, I really wanted to have more information about some of the subplots Beauchamp only hints at and skims over. I understand Time Masters is slated to be a 12-volume series and one would assume the next volume is going to touch on these things in greater detail, but if one is not particularly fond of romance, one might wish to skip book one and wait for the next one.
Kwaku Awahnee yanks Dallan MacDonald out of 1692 Scotland (in the middle of the Glencoe massacre, no less), takes him ahead in time to 3688, and holds him captive in a remote village to train him as a Weapons Master. After enduring ten years of physical and verbal abuse at the hands of Kwaku (whom Dallan calls "the bloody heathen"), Dallan is taken back in time to the 1990s to find his destined mate, Shona, a Muiraran living among humans, and not even aware she is different. I never did quite understand who the Muirarans are. One of the characters says they have always been around, and Beauchamp skillfully taps into legends from throughout history to support this, but I also got the feeling these Muirarans are aliens who are only part of our past because of the ability of some of them to open time portals. The Muiraran mystery is one of the things I wanted to know more about. Who are these special beings and where did they come from? Why are they here and what are their plans for Earth?
Shona has the ability to open time doors. She was kidnapped as a baby and taken back in time, where her kidnapper, Phillip Brennan, leaves her with a childless couple who has no idea where she came from and evidently never catch on how different she is, even though she often goes into "flux" while dreaming, losing her human camouflage to expose her Muiraran appearance. When Shona comes of age, she must be joined with a mate or die. While it sounds corny when I say it, Beauchamp makes it all very believable. Shona somehow made contact with Dallan across time when he was a small boy back in ancient Scotland, and at that time, he gave her his heart. So Dallan will make Shona complete and therefore the best Time Master possible.
Of course, Phillip intends to take Shona for himself, so he can wield her time powers. He hires a tutor to watch Shona and keep her drugged, to inhibit her bonding with Dallan. He also hires some thugs to dispose of Dallan and he even kidnaps Shona AGAIN, as an adult, all in his quest for power. Phillip eventually fails and Dallan and Shona are successfully joined. Since this book is well over 500 pages, it's not really revealing much at all to admit there is a happy ending. The meat of the story is HOW the characters accomplish their goals. At the very end, Beauchamp gives us a glimpse of a frustrated "wraith" who apparently ordered Philip to capture Shona for him, and is completely unforgiving of Phillip's failure. We don't really learn much about this mysterious antagonist. The reader is left to speculate who he is and what evil plans he might have. Surely, we've not seen the end of him.
Another point I wondered about: Dallan and Shona's coupling is believed to be utterly CRUCIAL to the fate of the entire world. However, we never get any more information concerning WHY this particular couple is so indispensable or what dire consequences the 37th century characters fear might take place if Dallan fails to woo Shona. Yet another question we will have to wait for the sequel for.
Well-written. Engaging. Unique and interesting plot, but a bit one-sided towards the romance, leaving some of the subplots under-developed.
I have only given "Time Masters, Book One: The Call" the barest coverage here. I recommend reading the entire book to appreciate it in full.