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Border Magic Series
Lost In Time
Lew’s life is pleasantly boring until his friend Mira messes with magic she doesn’t understand. While searching for her, he is pulled back in time to 1919 by a catastrophic magical accident. As he tries to navigate a strange time and find his friend in the smoky music clubs of Soho, the last thing he needs is Detective Alec Carter suspecting him of murder.
London in 1919 is cold, wet, and tired from four years of war. Alec is back in the Metropolitan Police after slogging out his army service on the Western Front. Falling for a suspect in a gruesome murder case is not on his agenda, however attractive he finds the other man.
They are both floundering and out of their depth, struggling to come to terms with feelings they didn’t ask for and didn’t expect. Both have secrets that could get them arrested or killed. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures, and illegal sexual desire, who is safe to trust?
London in 1919 is cold, wet, and tired from four years of war. Alec is back in the Metropolitan Police after slogging out his army service on the Western Front. Falling for a suspect in a gruesome murder case is not on his agenda, however attractive he finds the other man.
They are both floundering and out of their depth, struggling to come to terms with feelings they didn’t ask for and didn’t expect. Both have secrets that could get them arrested or killed. In the middle of a murder investigation that involves wild magic, mysterious creatures, and illegal sexual desire, who is safe to trust?
Audiobook
First published January 31, 2017
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About the author
A.L. Lester
27 books152 followersWriter of queer, paranormal, historical, romantic suspense. Lives in the South West of England with Mr AL, two children, a badly behaved dachshund, a terrifying cat and some hens. Likes gardening but doesn't really have time or energy. Not musical. Doesn't much like telly. Non-binary. Chronically disabled. Has tedious fits.
For updates, giveaways and general shenanigans: My newsletter and a free novella - my facebook group - twitter - instagram - tiktok.
I also write higher-heat contemporary MM romance as Frances Fox.
For updates, giveaways and general shenanigans: My newsletter and a free novella - my facebook group - twitter - instagram - tiktok.
I also write higher-heat contemporary MM romance as Frances Fox.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 20, 2021
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Lost In Time takes an interesting premise including time travel, Lovecraftian critters wreaking havoc in post WWI London along with a homosexual slant only to fail on almost all accounts. The reasons for this are many and range from a very poor grasp on the English language, a superficial understanding of the period in question that results in at least one anachronism, to the strange lack of focus on the part of the narrative to the very thin relationship between the main characters.
It is extremely unfortunate that this novel just so happens to contain a monstrous creature that is referred to as 'it' given that the author does not seem to know the difference between 'it's' and 'its'. Time and time again, the possessive case was spelled as the contracted form of the verb 'to be'. I counted 43 such instances. While not as egregious but very much part of the same sloppiness is the confusion between 'who's' and 'whose'; which goes to show that homophones are simply too great a hurdle for some.
While this may seem a petty point, it did much to hinder this reviewer's reading experience. Were I, or anyone else, to submit a paper with such grave and recurring errors, there would have been repercussions. Anyone with any literary ambitions whatsoever should not make such mistakes.
Putting aside such lingustic flaws, the novel follows Lew, a dabbler in what is essentially magic who is forced to use his skills to find his sister who through similar powers has disappeared. This lands him in Autumn of 1919 in a London that is still recovering from the war. And almost immediately, just as Lew is beginning to gain his bearing in these entirely new surroundings, the narrative fast forwards. Thus the reader misses some crucial character defining moments that would surely have made its cast more rounded. It is during this interlude, for example, that Lew becomes a regular at the infamous public baths where meets his occasional lover who also turns out to be a magic user, or 'worker'. The choice of omitting important events from the actual front stage of the narrative happens near the end with equally less than impressive details.
Given that this is an historical novel, the period reconstruction is of the utmost importance. And overall, it is fairly accurate. Unfortunately, the novel is more interested in using real life events as place holders than actually delving into the era. This is something of a double miss given the time travel angle. The potential for exploring the post-WWI England through the eyes of a gay man from the early 21st century is almost limitless. Lew's sense of dislocation is aluded to plenty but oddly enough it is rarely connected to his sexual orientation. In fact, Lew seems more upset over the lack of smartphones than over the draconian laws that would land him in jail merely for acting on his homosexuality.
It is also worth mentioning the one anachronist that while a detail did the story no favors and could have been fixed very easily. At one point Lew comes across a copy of The Beautiful and Damned. In 1921. Unfortunately, said novel was first published in book form in 1922.
As for the characters themselves, Alec, Lew's supposedly love interest, is the one member of the cast who does come across as rounded. A war veteran who upon returning resumed his job as a policeman, he has a personal history that is entirely believable as is a heavy dose of internalized homophobia. If taken on their own there are no great issues with these two main characters, their relationship is practically non-existent. For the longest of times they do not even interact, at all, and even when they do, there is no reason to infer any emotional connection. There is plenty of screaming, acting out, suspicion all around as Alec has plenty of reasons for suspecting Lew may be involved in murder. But it makes little to no sense that Alec should take Lew's lies as a personal insult given how little interaction they had up to that point. Their relationship comes across as forced and very much imposed by fiat.
The one thing Lost manages to do with some competence is spin a mystery/thriller. And even this, at the very end, is almost destroyed as the narrative's scope goes entirely amiss.
I would like to conclude this review with some very helpful links:
http://its-not-its.info/
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usa...
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercis...
Lost In Time takes an interesting premise including time travel, Lovecraftian critters wreaking havoc in post WWI London along with a homosexual slant only to fail on almost all accounts. The reasons for this are many and range from a very poor grasp on the English language, a superficial understanding of the period in question that results in at least one anachronism, to the strange lack of focus on the part of the narrative to the very thin relationship between the main characters.
It is extremely unfortunate that this novel just so happens to contain a monstrous creature that is referred to as 'it' given that the author does not seem to know the difference between 'it's' and 'its'. Time and time again, the possessive case was spelled as the contracted form of the verb 'to be'. I counted 43 such instances. While not as egregious but very much part of the same sloppiness is the confusion between 'who's' and 'whose'; which goes to show that homophones are simply too great a hurdle for some.
While this may seem a petty point, it did much to hinder this reviewer's reading experience. Were I, or anyone else, to submit a paper with such grave and recurring errors, there would have been repercussions. Anyone with any literary ambitions whatsoever should not make such mistakes.
Putting aside such lingustic flaws, the novel follows Lew, a dabbler in what is essentially magic who is forced to use his skills to find his sister who through similar powers has disappeared. This lands him in Autumn of 1919 in a London that is still recovering from the war. And almost immediately, just as Lew is beginning to gain his bearing in these entirely new surroundings, the narrative fast forwards. Thus the reader misses some crucial character defining moments that would surely have made its cast more rounded. It is during this interlude, for example, that Lew becomes a regular at the infamous public baths where meets his occasional lover who also turns out to be a magic user, or 'worker'. The choice of omitting important events from the actual front stage of the narrative happens near the end with equally less than impressive details.
Given that this is an historical novel, the period reconstruction is of the utmost importance. And overall, it is fairly accurate. Unfortunately, the novel is more interested in using real life events as place holders than actually delving into the era. This is something of a double miss given the time travel angle. The potential for exploring the post-WWI England through the eyes of a gay man from the early 21st century is almost limitless. Lew's sense of dislocation is aluded to plenty but oddly enough it is rarely connected to his sexual orientation. In fact, Lew seems more upset over the lack of smartphones than over the draconian laws that would land him in jail merely for acting on his homosexuality.
It is also worth mentioning the one anachronist that while a detail did the story no favors and could have been fixed very easily. At one point Lew comes across a copy of The Beautiful and Damned. In 1921. Unfortunately, said novel was first published in book form in 1922.
As for the characters themselves, Alec, Lew's supposedly love interest, is the one member of the cast who does come across as rounded. A war veteran who upon returning resumed his job as a policeman, he has a personal history that is entirely believable as is a heavy dose of internalized homophobia. If taken on their own there are no great issues with these two main characters, their relationship is practically non-existent. For the longest of times they do not even interact, at all, and even when they do, there is no reason to infer any emotional connection. There is plenty of screaming, acting out, suspicion all around as Alec has plenty of reasons for suspecting Lew may be involved in murder. But it makes little to no sense that Alec should take Lew's lies as a personal insult given how little interaction they had up to that point. Their relationship comes across as forced and very much imposed by fiat.
The one thing Lost manages to do with some competence is spin a mystery/thriller. And even this, at the very end, is almost destroyed as the narrative's scope goes entirely amiss.
I would like to conclude this review with some very helpful links:
http://its-not-its.info/
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/usa...
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercis...
April 23, 2019
2.5*
Bloody cliff hangers, I hate them with a burning rage hotter than the sun. This book finishes with two of them - the paranormal element with a deadly creature on the run and also the potential relationship between Alec and Lew.
Other than that, it's an intriguing story with its alternative reality London setting and the odd dislocation in time of one of the MCs in a post World War I setting.
I liked a lot of the narrative but there's an awful lot of setting up going on in this book and no real conclusions for anything which left me a little frustrated and sometimes the historic aspect of the story felt rushed or events just popped in to try highlight the "history".
One example being the Sidney Street Siege which oddly I know quite a bit about from my day job creating content for the new UK Police Memorial Trust's digital version.
I'm not sure why Sidney Street was picked as an event involving "creatures" given it was a straight-up anarchist revolutionary conflict between Latvian criminals and the Met Police which resulted in the deaths of three policemen, one gang member and a poor fireman who had the house collapse on him.
Hopefully book two will be out soon and we'll get some further movement on the main thrust of the otherworldly elements. There was a sneak peek at the end of this one and Fenn from The Gate makes another appearance.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Bloody cliff hangers, I hate them with a burning rage hotter than the sun. This book finishes with two of them - the paranormal element with a deadly creature on the run and also the potential relationship between Alec and Lew.
Other than that, it's an intriguing story with its alternative reality London setting and the odd dislocation in time of one of the MCs in a post World War I setting.
I liked a lot of the narrative but there's an awful lot of setting up going on in this book and no real conclusions for anything which left me a little frustrated and sometimes the historic aspect of the story felt rushed or events just popped in to try highlight the "history".
One example being the Sidney Street Siege which oddly I know quite a bit about from my day job creating content for the new UK Police Memorial Trust's digital version.
I'm not sure why Sidney Street was picked as an event involving "creatures" given it was a straight-up anarchist revolutionary conflict between Latvian criminals and the Met Police which resulted in the deaths of three policemen, one gang member and a poor fireman who had the house collapse on him.
Hopefully book two will be out soon and we'll get some further movement on the main thrust of the otherworldly elements. There was a sneak peek at the end of this one and Fenn from The Gate makes another appearance.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
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October 30, 2021Spookily in time for halloween...the whole trilogy is now out at Audible! If 1920s London, murder, time-travel, grumpy detectives, the blues, magic, gay romance, m/enby romance, tea and elves are your thing, you can find them here!.
March 11, 2017
“Lost in time” is about Lew, whose sister accidentally traveled back in time and he used magic in order to go and find her. He landed in 1918 where he met Alec, his mission might have only been to find his sister, but he ended up helping Alec with a series of mysterious murders and maybe he even started developing feelings for the detective.
That’s the plot of the book or at least what I think this book was about because I had great difficulty understanding what was going on with “Lost in time”. The story lacks focus and most of the time, especially in the beginning I couldn’t figure out what kind of motivation, thoughts and feelings each character had.
The world building needed better development, Lew went from 2016 to 1918 and yet there wasn’t much description of each era in order for the reader to feel how different Lew’s life had become and the same goes for Alec too. There were many time jumps in the story and that took away our chance to form a picture of the daily life the main characters had. The magical elements of the book also needed more development, it took me a while to figure out how the “Pull” worked or what the “Border” was.
The romance in this story was nonexistent, even though this was supposed to be about Alec and Lew for the most part of the book they don’t even interact and for some reason we see Lew being friends with benefits with another guy. The first time Alec and Lew express some kind of attraction to each other is at the very end of the book in what I think was a very inappropriate time.
I also expected more suspense from this book, I almost forgot that Lew was searching for his sister because we don’t see him worrying and searching for her much. Out of the blue the problem about Mira’s disappearance got resolved without much explanation on how that happened. For a while the murders managed to create a bit of suspense, but what could have been a great action scene full of violence and struggle gets skipped completely and instead the reader is told that the problem with the murders got resolved too.
Overall, I felt that instead of a fully developed plot we got random pieces of Alec’s and Lew’s life that when they were put together in this book they somehow managed to tell a story.
I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that i received.
That’s the plot of the book or at least what I think this book was about because I had great difficulty understanding what was going on with “Lost in time”. The story lacks focus and most of the time, especially in the beginning I couldn’t figure out what kind of motivation, thoughts and feelings each character had.
The world building needed better development, Lew went from 2016 to 1918 and yet there wasn’t much description of each era in order for the reader to feel how different Lew’s life had become and the same goes for Alec too. There were many time jumps in the story and that took away our chance to form a picture of the daily life the main characters had. The magical elements of the book also needed more development, it took me a while to figure out how the “Pull” worked or what the “Border” was.
The romance in this story was nonexistent, even though this was supposed to be about Alec and Lew for the most part of the book they don’t even interact and for some reason we see Lew being friends with benefits with another guy. The first time Alec and Lew express some kind of attraction to each other is at the very end of the book in what I think was a very inappropriate time.
I also expected more suspense from this book, I almost forgot that Lew was searching for his sister because we don’t see him worrying and searching for her much. Out of the blue the problem about Mira’s disappearance got resolved without much explanation on how that happened. For a while the murders managed to create a bit of suspense, but what could have been a great action scene full of violence and struggle gets skipped completely and instead the reader is told that the problem with the murders got resolved too.
Overall, I felt that instead of a fully developed plot we got random pieces of Alec’s and Lew’s life that when they were put together in this book they somehow managed to tell a story.
I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that i received.
February 28, 2017
2.5-Thrilling but Limited Time Travel\PRN\Crime w\ Hint of M\M.
[Thanks to the author and Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program for a free copy in exchange for an honest review]
This debut had many genres I like - time travel/historical, paranormal, crime thriller and m/m romance - that were decently mixed in to make an entertaining enough read. Despite issues with depth and errors, I did like the thrill of the story that took me back in time, much like one of the MCs.
A.L. Lester wrote an intriguingly mysterious opening that drew me in; and then continued at a good clip with short chapters and action that kept things moving, while also unveiling this world and its characters as I went. The story is told from the alternating third-person pov of both MCs (Lew and Alec). To her credit, Lester did a nice job of building things up through their eyes; yet in a number of ways that final step was not taken.
I enjoyed the time travel, although broadly explained, like much of the paranormal elements. Lester depicted it like what I’ve dreamed it would be like to travel back - the disorientation, figuring things out, surviving; and as Lew was experiencing it, I was vicariously doing the same. There could have been more depth by juxtaposing this with more of Lew’s modern past, or seeing more on page about how he adapted early on; but enough was there to get a sense of it.
The time travel brought along a pleasant historical element. I had to overlook a few inaccuracies, as well as some inconsistencies and other errors, but I appreciated how Lester set the scene with her descriptions of locale and use of events and phrases from the time.
Plus there was the thrill of the story, which came from several paranormal aspects, including supernatural powers and a Lovecraftian creature - all decently thought out, but it could have been more robust. At first it was good that it was mysterious as I tried to figure things out along with the MC. Yet as it continued to be revealed I also felt the MCs knew things while I was left in the dark, making it unnecessarily unclear or confusing.
With the creature came the thrill and horror of the crime, which had a good pace and kept me engaged. But at the end, I felt cheated. There was such a nice build up that I was disappointed when what could have been a thrilling climax was inexplicably done off page.
Finally, there was the developing m/m romance. It was fine that it never took center stage; but alas it was really only an attraction in this first book, as the two MCs kept their desires, if mentioned at all, solidly repressed due to the times. I got to know Alec more, due to more page time. He became more human to me after one nice chapter that shared his past and engendered sympathy. There was also one electric scene when Alec hugged and consoled Lew after an attack; and my heart went out to them. But again it fell short with the characters not developed and the relationship and gay issues in these times not explored in as much depth as I would have liked.
I enjoyed this mix of elements; yet with each more potential could have been mined, which is where I hope book two will take me next.
[Thanks to the author and Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program for a free copy in exchange for an honest review]
This debut had many genres I like - time travel/historical, paranormal, crime thriller and m/m romance - that were decently mixed in to make an entertaining enough read. Despite issues with depth and errors, I did like the thrill of the story that took me back in time, much like one of the MCs.
A.L. Lester wrote an intriguingly mysterious opening that drew me in; and then continued at a good clip with short chapters and action that kept things moving, while also unveiling this world and its characters as I went. The story is told from the alternating third-person pov of both MCs (Lew and Alec). To her credit, Lester did a nice job of building things up through their eyes; yet in a number of ways that final step was not taken.
I enjoyed the time travel, although broadly explained, like much of the paranormal elements. Lester depicted it like what I’ve dreamed it would be like to travel back - the disorientation, figuring things out, surviving; and as Lew was experiencing it, I was vicariously doing the same. There could have been more depth by juxtaposing this with more of Lew’s modern past, or seeing more on page about how he adapted early on; but enough was there to get a sense of it.
The time travel brought along a pleasant historical element. I had to overlook a few inaccuracies, as well as some inconsistencies and other errors, but I appreciated how Lester set the scene with her descriptions of locale and use of events and phrases from the time.
Plus there was the thrill of the story, which came from several paranormal aspects, including supernatural powers and a Lovecraftian creature - all decently thought out, but it could have been more robust. At first it was good that it was mysterious as I tried to figure things out along with the MC. Yet as it continued to be revealed I also felt the MCs knew things while I was left in the dark, making it unnecessarily unclear or confusing.
With the creature came the thrill and horror of the crime, which had a good pace and kept me engaged. But at the end, I felt cheated. There was such a nice build up that I was disappointed when what could have been a thrilling climax was inexplicably done off page.
Finally, there was the developing m/m romance. It was fine that it never took center stage; but alas it was really only an attraction in this first book, as the two MCs kept their desires, if mentioned at all, solidly repressed due to the times. I got to know Alec more, due to more page time. He became more human to me after one nice chapter that shared his past and engendered sympathy. There was also one electric scene when Alec hugged and consoled Lew after an attack; and my heart went out to them. But again it fell short with the characters not developed and the relationship and gay issues in these times not explored in as much depth as I would have liked.
I enjoyed this mix of elements; yet with each more potential could have been mined, which is where I hope book two will take me next.
January 9, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
2.75 stars
Just so we are abundantly clear, this is a paranormal book that has a prologue set in the present (well, 2016) and spends the rest of the 20-odd chapters mostly in 1920 and 1921. Paranormality is most definitely a starring trope—it is what is responsible for sending our main character Lew into the past and what draws a small cast of side characters together to battle a very paranormal enemy. For the most part, this concept was pretty well communicated by referring to the people who can DO paranormal things as Workers and when they use paranormal energy, it’s called Pulling. The capitalization kind of helps even as it annoys my inner copy editor.
Despite having such a concrete concept about the paranormal, none of the characters who are capable of doing the Pulling know much of anything about it. Even the de facto expert got cold feet when he discovered people died inexplicably while Pulling, so most of the information he’s able to provide comes with the huge caveat that A) his information is decades old and B) he quit Pulling long before he became proficient. How lucky, then, for our MCs that this particular character is able to provide just the right information just when its needed. In a nutshell, these Workers know they have to keep the Border between the world of humans and the world of not humans in good repair, which requires Pulling energy. They seem to know that it’s dangerous and that the non-humans can/do kill Workers, but that’s about as far as things get developed/explained in this book.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
2.75 stars
Just so we are abundantly clear, this is a paranormal book that has a prologue set in the present (well, 2016) and spends the rest of the 20-odd chapters mostly in 1920 and 1921. Paranormality is most definitely a starring trope—it is what is responsible for sending our main character Lew into the past and what draws a small cast of side characters together to battle a very paranormal enemy. For the most part, this concept was pretty well communicated by referring to the people who can DO paranormal things as Workers and when they use paranormal energy, it’s called Pulling. The capitalization kind of helps even as it annoys my inner copy editor.
Despite having such a concrete concept about the paranormal, none of the characters who are capable of doing the Pulling know much of anything about it. Even the de facto expert got cold feet when he discovered people died inexplicably while Pulling, so most of the information he’s able to provide comes with the huge caveat that A) his information is decades old and B) he quit Pulling long before he became proficient. How lucky, then, for our MCs that this particular character is able to provide just the right information just when its needed. In a nutshell, these Workers know they have to keep the Border between the world of humans and the world of not humans in good repair, which requires Pulling energy. They seem to know that it’s dangerous and that the non-humans can/do kill Workers, but that’s about as far as things get developed/explained in this book.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
January 13, 2018
In A.L. Lester’s The Gate, the free prequel to Lost in Time, Matty returns to the farm and his brother Arthur, who is ill, after a long absence. Matty sees the state his brother is in—disturbed sleep, piles of books, notes, and papers everywhere—and throws himself into working the farm and caring for Arthur. As Arthur gets worse, he makes Matty promise to keep the Gate shut and destroy the books. Matty happens to discover a book that Arthur had marked, which contained an archaic form of English, plus odd notes that his brother had written.
As days go on, Rob, a friend and farm hand, and Matty become close. Then, on a particular evening, Rob tells Matty he’s found something strange in the barn.
And now I have to stop, because if I go any further, I will give the plot away. What I will say is that The Gate is a well written, too short but tempting story. I was very interested to see where it would lead. What it leads to is the intriguing novel Lost In Time. I usually don’t go for fantasy, sci-fi and mystery rolled into one, but I have to say I’m hooked!
In 2016, the world has split. The Border is a protection against the Outlands, where creatures seeking energy lurk. The Border is power and danger; if misused, a person could find themselves in situations beyond their control. Certain humans have an ability called the Pull, and are known as Workers. Workers keep the Border repaired.
Mira is a Worker and has big dreams of being a jazz singer. She has an opportunity to get a job doing just that, and uses her Pull and a book of spells with the intent of getting the job, but the ritual goes awry.
Lew Rogers is Mira’s foster brother. He also has the Pull, and is a Worker at the Border. When he finds his sister is missing, with the intent to find her, he follows the ritual as precisely as he can. Lew finds himself in the year 1919, and knows pretty quickly that something is amiss. After a freak accident, he takes the name of Ellison “Lew” Tyler, and is offered a job as a photographer by Callum McGovern, who is starting a newspaper. Lew knows he doesn’t have the experience, but it eventually leads him to photographing for Scotland Yard, and gives him even more of an opportunity to search for Mira.
Alastair “Alec” Carter has returned from several long years of war. He took the position of uniformed constable, and was promoted to Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. He becomes involved in a strange death at a hospital for Servicemen, and is attacked by something beyond reality. When a vicious murder occurs, Alec watches closely as Lew photographs the body, and, from Lew’s reaction, Alec gets the feeling that Lew knows something. The more Alec pursues Lew, the more he finds himself entangled in a world beyond belief. But even though Alec and Lew have some explosive moments, they also find a forbidden attraction between them.
I didn’t know if I was going to actually like this story, but A.L. Lester had me from the start. I couldn’t put this book down, and I want more. The only way I can describe it is that it’s a modern-day London in the early 1900s fantasy, sci-fi and mystery. The author gives a solid look at the backgrounds of both Lew and Alec. They are strong characters who have somewhat of a rocky beginning, and develop a gradual interest in each other. And, they both have their concerns about not revealing their attraction.
There are so many interesting secondary characters—Mira, Talley, Kelley, Archie, and Grant—who each bring an interesting aspect to the storyline. I highly suggest reading The Gate first, as it’s a short novella that introduces the mysterious Gate as well as Matty, his brother Arthur, Rob and Lin of the Frem, and opens the door for Lost in Time. A.L. Lester also provides a sneak peek at the next installment, Holding the Border, and I can’t wait to see where it will lead and who is willing to stay in the 1900s.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
As days go on, Rob, a friend and farm hand, and Matty become close. Then, on a particular evening, Rob tells Matty he’s found something strange in the barn.
And now I have to stop, because if I go any further, I will give the plot away. What I will say is that The Gate is a well written, too short but tempting story. I was very interested to see where it would lead. What it leads to is the intriguing novel Lost In Time. I usually don’t go for fantasy, sci-fi and mystery rolled into one, but I have to say I’m hooked!
In 2016, the world has split. The Border is a protection against the Outlands, where creatures seeking energy lurk. The Border is power and danger; if misused, a person could find themselves in situations beyond their control. Certain humans have an ability called the Pull, and are known as Workers. Workers keep the Border repaired.
Mira is a Worker and has big dreams of being a jazz singer. She has an opportunity to get a job doing just that, and uses her Pull and a book of spells with the intent of getting the job, but the ritual goes awry.
Lew Rogers is Mira’s foster brother. He also has the Pull, and is a Worker at the Border. When he finds his sister is missing, with the intent to find her, he follows the ritual as precisely as he can. Lew finds himself in the year 1919, and knows pretty quickly that something is amiss. After a freak accident, he takes the name of Ellison “Lew” Tyler, and is offered a job as a photographer by Callum McGovern, who is starting a newspaper. Lew knows he doesn’t have the experience, but it eventually leads him to photographing for Scotland Yard, and gives him even more of an opportunity to search for Mira.
Alastair “Alec” Carter has returned from several long years of war. He took the position of uniformed constable, and was promoted to Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. He becomes involved in a strange death at a hospital for Servicemen, and is attacked by something beyond reality. When a vicious murder occurs, Alec watches closely as Lew photographs the body, and, from Lew’s reaction, Alec gets the feeling that Lew knows something. The more Alec pursues Lew, the more he finds himself entangled in a world beyond belief. But even though Alec and Lew have some explosive moments, they also find a forbidden attraction between them.
I didn’t know if I was going to actually like this story, but A.L. Lester had me from the start. I couldn’t put this book down, and I want more. The only way I can describe it is that it’s a modern-day London in the early 1900s fantasy, sci-fi and mystery. The author gives a solid look at the backgrounds of both Lew and Alec. They are strong characters who have somewhat of a rocky beginning, and develop a gradual interest in each other. And, they both have their concerns about not revealing their attraction.
There are so many interesting secondary characters—Mira, Talley, Kelley, Archie, and Grant—who each bring an interesting aspect to the storyline. I highly suggest reading The Gate first, as it’s a short novella that introduces the mysterious Gate as well as Matty, his brother Arthur, Rob and Lin of the Frem, and opens the door for Lost in Time. A.L. Lester also provides a sneak peek at the next installment, Holding the Border, and I can’t wait to see where it will lead and who is willing to stay in the 1900s.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
December 14, 2019
Wow what a read ... time travel, fantasy, murder, M-M romance .... everything I like rolled into one book! I ploughed through this in a past-midnight readathon (kept meaning to put it down but just couldn't LOL) even though the next day was a working day. The plot is presented through both MCs POV; we even get some perspective from the malevolent creature from the other dimension! there's a solid plot, great pacing, several nasty murders (by the creature) and believable attraction between the MCs.
Want to read
March 4, 2021Ugh - I absolutely can NOT buy anything else right now. But this series is hitting Author’s Direct at $7.99/ea. I want to grab it soon. So this is my reminder. 😉
February 1, 2018
When his foster-sister disappears after attempting to “magic” her way into her dream job, Lew tries desperately to find her. But when he attempts the same spell that she did, he finds himself back in time–in 1919 England to be exact–and still with no clue as to where Mira might be. He can only hope that she is stuck in the past as well, since he has no idea how to get back to 2016. With no money, no friends, and no identity, Lew has to struggle his way thru post-war England to find Mira–or at least not get thrown in a mad-house and/or arrested for acts that are most definitely not legal nearly a century before his time. Oh, and he also might have unleashed an man-eating monster on unsuspecting London. Oops.
I love time-travel. I adore historical England. I…meh this book?
Look, I am not saying this is a bad story. It is competently written, there are some scenes that are real fun to read, and it's a time-travel story that doesn’t spend its whole length trying its utmost to NOT DO ANYTHING INTERESTING because that might change the future (or keep the reader awake). But for a lot of it I couldn’t help feel that this isn’t the story the author wanted to write. That what they wanted to write was the story that comes after this one–and they kinda just had to get a lot of this whole set-up out of the way first. Nearly almost the whole of the first half of this book could have been done as summary or exposition…or something, because it dragged. Mostly because there was little character interaction, and hardly any (key) plot movement. And while my favorite part of time-travel is the whole acclimating to a new time period portion, I didn’t mind that the author chose to skip a lot of that. Except it didn’t just go right for the meat of the story, it meandered around in scenes that could have easily been tackled in a paragraph or two.
Things do start to pick up once Detective Alec Carter and Lew start to interact–and the creature finally takes center stage–but by then I was left totally uninterested in the characters themselves. Especially certain ones that are later used to try and tug on the heartstrings. If the story wanted me to care about their welfare, it really needed to have put more time into them. Because, yeah, while people dying is bad…if you want to me care, even a little, you have to give me a reason more than “that person over there loves them.”
While I can’t say this book is bad, I can’t say it was good either. It is very much a shoulder-shrugger. This was not at all helped by the fact that the book just kinda ended. Stopped. Resolved nothing at all. And that I didn’t care that there is no real ending–it didn’t make me angry, didn’t make me long for the sequel–is a testament to how little this book had an impact on me.
It is a book that does no harm, but doesn’t offer many rewards either.
2.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I love time-travel. I adore historical England. I…meh this book?
Look, I am not saying this is a bad story. It is competently written, there are some scenes that are real fun to read, and it's a time-travel story that doesn’t spend its whole length trying its utmost to NOT DO ANYTHING INTERESTING because that might change the future (or keep the reader awake). But for a lot of it I couldn’t help feel that this isn’t the story the author wanted to write. That what they wanted to write was the story that comes after this one–and they kinda just had to get a lot of this whole set-up out of the way first. Nearly almost the whole of the first half of this book could have been done as summary or exposition…or something, because it dragged. Mostly because there was little character interaction, and hardly any (key) plot movement. And while my favorite part of time-travel is the whole acclimating to a new time period portion, I didn’t mind that the author chose to skip a lot of that. Except it didn’t just go right for the meat of the story, it meandered around in scenes that could have easily been tackled in a paragraph or two.
Things do start to pick up once Detective Alec Carter and Lew start to interact–and the creature finally takes center stage–but by then I was left totally uninterested in the characters themselves. Especially certain ones that are later used to try and tug on the heartstrings. If the story wanted me to care about their welfare, it really needed to have put more time into them. Because, yeah, while people dying is bad…if you want to me care, even a little, you have to give me a reason more than “that person over there loves them.”
While I can’t say this book is bad, I can’t say it was good either. It is very much a shoulder-shrugger. This was not at all helped by the fact that the book just kinda ended. Stopped. Resolved nothing at all. And that I didn’t care that there is no real ending–it didn’t make me angry, didn’t make me long for the sequel–is a testament to how little this book had an impact on me.
It is a book that does no harm, but doesn’t offer many rewards either.
2.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
February 28, 2017
Great concept, unsatisfying execution. So many things I love to read about here: magic, historic London, police procedural, slow-build sexual tension between two men. But the pacing in this book was off-track from beginning to end. I also found the recurring grammatical errors distracting: constant substitution of "it's" (it is) for possessive "its", occasional similar problem with "who's"/"whose".
The chief pleasure of a time-travel novel, it seems to me, is exploring the differences between cultural periods through the eyes of an outsider. Lester made the mistake of skipping two years ahead from Lew's arrival in the London of a century ago, so that when the plot really gets rolling, he's already gotten over his culture shock. Not that he seemed to have much of it to begin with. Even after two years, I think he would be slipping up at key moments with misunderstandings of period slang, historical-political references, or social mores. It might also take him longer to get used to being closeted, coming from 2016, and he would be expected to feel more fear and anger about that sudden limitation.
Alec was a better-developed character, and the main reason I kept reading. I could empathize with his loneliness and yearning to break out of the constraints of his social role.
I have no problem with slow-build attraction over the course of a series; the two MCs don't have to get it on in Book One. Anne Perry's early books in the Inspector Monk series are a great example. However, the emotional spark between Lew and Alec wasn't introduced till halfway through, another instance of a pacing error, in my opinion.
Finally, I wish there'd been more of a mystery about tracking the Creature. The reader knew from the beginning what was killing people. Not enough suspense.
The series has potential that I hope will be developed in the future books. A pleasant read but not completely fulfilling.
The chief pleasure of a time-travel novel, it seems to me, is exploring the differences between cultural periods through the eyes of an outsider. Lester made the mistake of skipping two years ahead from Lew's arrival in the London of a century ago, so that when the plot really gets rolling, he's already gotten over his culture shock. Not that he seemed to have much of it to begin with. Even after two years, I think he would be slipping up at key moments with misunderstandings of period slang, historical-political references, or social mores. It might also take him longer to get used to being closeted, coming from 2016, and he would be expected to feel more fear and anger about that sudden limitation.
Alec was a better-developed character, and the main reason I kept reading. I could empathize with his loneliness and yearning to break out of the constraints of his social role.
I have no problem with slow-build attraction over the course of a series; the two MCs don't have to get it on in Book One. Anne Perry's early books in the Inspector Monk series are a great example. However, the emotional spark between Lew and Alec wasn't introduced till halfway through, another instance of a pacing error, in my opinion.
Finally, I wish there'd been more of a mystery about tracking the Creature. The reader knew from the beginning what was killing people. Not enough suspense.
The series has potential that I hope will be developed in the future books. A pleasant read but not completely fulfilling.
July 20, 2025
Story: 8
Writing: 7
First MC: 8
Second MC: 8
Secondary characters: 6
Mystery: 6
Sexual tension: 4
Humor: 3
Hotness: 1
Product placement: 3
Ridiculousness: 4
Annoying: 2
Audio: 10
Ending: 3
To re-read: 7
Cliffhanger!
Time travel is always exciting, but here I was deprived of the details on how our MC acclimated to his new surroundings. I wanted to know (yes I know already!) more of the in which Lew found himself stuck in. Other than mentioning he couldn't use his mobile phone there was none, very disappointing. Couldn't explore the differences between his previous life and this one? this is the joy of time travel books/movies. SMH
The book needed to provide more details and background on characters and world building. How did they come to their power? the limitations? I liked the story very much, but found myself wondering how and what. Maybe such answers will be provided in the 2nd book, but will we learn about deceased characters and their motives and backgrounds? If the book was slightly longer with more details it would've improve immensely.
I feel we needed more interactions between our characters, build basis to their future relationships.
There is no romance here just a potential of one. The focus is on the killing and the mystery which we didn't solve yet.
Narrator was good.
Writing: 7
First MC: 8
Second MC: 8
Secondary characters: 6
Mystery: 6
Sexual tension: 4
Humor: 3
Hotness: 1
Product placement: 3
Ridiculousness: 4
Annoying: 2
Audio: 10
Ending: 3
To re-read: 7
Cliffhanger!
Time travel is always exciting, but here I was deprived of the details on how our MC acclimated to his new surroundings. I wanted to know (yes I know already!) more of the in which Lew found himself stuck in. Other than mentioning he couldn't use his mobile phone there was none, very disappointing. Couldn't explore the differences between his previous life and this one? this is the joy of time travel books/movies. SMH
The book needed to provide more details and background on characters and world building. How did they come to their power? the limitations? I liked the story very much, but found myself wondering how and what. Maybe such answers will be provided in the 2nd book, but will we learn about deceased characters and their motives and backgrounds? If the book was slightly longer with more details it would've improve immensely.
I feel we needed more interactions between our characters, build basis to their future relationships.
There is no romance here just a potential of one. The focus is on the killing and the mystery which we didn't solve yet.
Narrator was good.
March 7, 2020
As soon as I saw the blurb for this I thought it sounded like my sort of thing - and I was right. It's a quirky mix of magic, monsters and mystery with a hero who goes back in time to find his missing sister and accidentally introduces something he shouldn't have into 1920s London. One or two reviews have been critical of the romance but I loved the slow-burn relationship between the two main characters, which developed nicely from initial mistrust and antagonism into something much more tender and supportive. My only slight criticism is the ending, which was rather abrupt. Just for myself I'd have rather had some sort of resolution followed by a cliffhanger to get me to read more. I will read more, though, as I really enjoyed the characters and the plot.
March 20, 2019
I've rated and reviewed this and Shadows on the Border together as I believe they should be one story.
August 23, 2020
I started reading this a while ago then put it aside to read some other books, as it didn’t quite grab me enough to continue. I came back to it later, and was able to finish it. It was interesting, and the characters were likable enough, but there were some negatives.
I would’ve liked to have seen how Lew coped with being thrown back into time. How does he get away with being a photographer, without having any developing experience? Even though he states he spent two years searching for Mira, the reader doesn’t get to see that in the storytelling. It’s glossed over. His interest in Alec doesn’t resolve itself until the very end of the book, and we don’t get to see what happens then.
Onto the next book in the series, to see if it manages to hold my interest.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
I would’ve liked to have seen how Lew coped with being thrown back into time. How does he get away with being a photographer, without having any developing experience? Even though he states he spent two years searching for Mira, the reader doesn’t get to see that in the storytelling. It’s glossed over. His interest in Alec doesn’t resolve itself until the very end of the book, and we don’t get to see what happens then.
Onto the next book in the series, to see if it manages to hold my interest.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
February 25, 2017
(A copy of this book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
This story has a great premise, and the author has clearly put a lot of thought into the idea of the Border, and the ways “workers” or users of the Border aim to maintain it. It’s an interesting twist on the usual other-dimensions concept and all the power and dangers that come with it. In this story, two characters end up accidently using the power of the Border to travel back to early twentieth-century London, and of course this has consequences. The danger they brought with them in now wreaking havoc on the city.
This book had a few problems that probably a run through some beta readers or an editor could have sorted out before it was published. I think it needed to be longer than it was, with more balance in the time given to both main characters. There were 4 or 5 scenes that should probably have been full-action rather than summarized. There were also some missed opportunities to heighten the emotional impact of the story, as well: making it clearer at the beginning that Mira was Lew’s sister, for instance, or having Lew acknowledge the lurking danger he brought with him through the Border much sooner and with a greater sense of dread. Giving modern-day Lew an amateur photography hobby would also have helped explain his sudden competency with old cameras- especially with developing the film!
I would have loved to see more of Alec and the cop-drama side of the book, even though I do adore time-travelling drama as well! The chemistry between the cop and the time-traveller was clear and the two of them would certainly make an interesting pair. The romance between them doesn’t go too far in the book, which did disappoint me a little.
Overall I think the book had tremendous potential, and I enjoyed the story very much. The writing probably needed a little more work before publication. There were no fundamental gaps in the story, but the book would have benefited from more careful story-telling. I hear that there is a sequel on the way, and I very much look forward to reading it!
This story has a great premise, and the author has clearly put a lot of thought into the idea of the Border, and the ways “workers” or users of the Border aim to maintain it. It’s an interesting twist on the usual other-dimensions concept and all the power and dangers that come with it. In this story, two characters end up accidently using the power of the Border to travel back to early twentieth-century London, and of course this has consequences. The danger they brought with them in now wreaking havoc on the city.
This book had a few problems that probably a run through some beta readers or an editor could have sorted out before it was published. I think it needed to be longer than it was, with more balance in the time given to both main characters. There were 4 or 5 scenes that should probably have been full-action rather than summarized. There were also some missed opportunities to heighten the emotional impact of the story, as well: making it clearer at the beginning that Mira was Lew’s sister, for instance, or having Lew acknowledge the lurking danger he brought with him through the Border much sooner and with a greater sense of dread. Giving modern-day Lew an amateur photography hobby would also have helped explain his sudden competency with old cameras- especially with developing the film!
I would have loved to see more of Alec and the cop-drama side of the book, even though I do adore time-travelling drama as well! The chemistry between the cop and the time-traveller was clear and the two of them would certainly make an interesting pair. The romance between them doesn’t go too far in the book, which did disappoint me a little.
Overall I think the book had tremendous potential, and I enjoyed the story very much. The writing probably needed a little more work before publication. There were no fundamental gaps in the story, but the book would have benefited from more careful story-telling. I hear that there is a sequel on the way, and I very much look forward to reading it!
October 6, 2021
an audio review
Lost in Time is a wonderfully written suspenseful historical romance with magic, monsters, and time travel. Lew travels back in time to find his sister. He didn't know he'd let in a creature who would go on a killing spree. He meets Detective Alec who suspects Lew of the murders and also has to deal with his attraction for Lew. In a time when loving another man could get you killed Lew and Alec had to be very careful about their growing feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it. It's one not to miss.
Narrator Callum Hale does a marvelous job.
Lost in Time is a wonderfully written suspenseful historical romance with magic, monsters, and time travel. Lew travels back in time to find his sister. He didn't know he'd let in a creature who would go on a killing spree. He meets Detective Alec who suspects Lew of the murders and also has to deal with his attraction for Lew. In a time when loving another man could get you killed Lew and Alec had to be very careful about their growing feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it. It's one not to miss.
Narrator Callum Hale does a marvelous job.
March 4, 2017
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in return for an unbiased review.
I liked the premise of this book but somehow it just didn't live up to it.
Lew is transported back in time for current day to 1919 looking for his sister. As a year or so passes he does eventualy find her, singing in a nightclub and she has made a life for herself. I wondered then what he would do. Would he try to get back to the 21st century having achieved what he set out to do,. Apparantly not. He stays in 1919 which then goes onto 1920 and 1921. In the meantime a creature has followed him through the void and is killing in London. Lew and his friends try to capture it and send it back to the future.
Alot of the book is trying to capture the creature and then at the end it is about a paragraph and its dead. The reader doesn't know how just that he is. It is a bit of a let down.
Also part way through the book a character starts calling Lew by his last name of Tyler and that confused. I kept wondering who Tyler was. Lastly, there is no romance in this book. It stops before anything can really come between ALec and Lew.
I am not sure whether this is a planned first in a series and the romance will be fleshed out in a following book.
I liked the premise of this book but somehow it just didn't live up to it.
Lew is transported back in time for current day to 1919 looking for his sister. As a year or so passes he does eventualy find her, singing in a nightclub and she has made a life for herself. I wondered then what he would do. Would he try to get back to the 21st century having achieved what he set out to do,. Apparantly not. He stays in 1919 which then goes onto 1920 and 1921. In the meantime a creature has followed him through the void and is killing in London. Lew and his friends try to capture it and send it back to the future.
Alot of the book is trying to capture the creature and then at the end it is about a paragraph and its dead. The reader doesn't know how just that he is. It is a bit of a let down.
Also part way through the book a character starts calling Lew by his last name of Tyler and that confused. I kept wondering who Tyler was. Lastly, there is no romance in this book. It stops before anything can really come between ALec and Lew.
I am not sure whether this is a planned first in a series and the romance will be fleshed out in a following book.
August 27, 2019
4.5 stars
I loved the unusual premise and the historical setting of this paranormal story. The writing was almost dream-like, which meshed perfectly with the slightly strange, compelling narrative.
The only quibble I had was with the pacing, which I thought was odd at times, but overall, I enjoyed this immensely. Thankfully, it's a series, so the story continues, picking up new characters along the way.
I loved the unusual premise and the historical setting of this paranormal story. The writing was almost dream-like, which meshed perfectly with the slightly strange, compelling narrative.
The only quibble I had was with the pacing, which I thought was odd at times, but overall, I enjoyed this immensely. Thankfully, it's a series, so the story continues, picking up new characters along the way.
Read
May 25, 2020The universe-building was interesting. None of the main characters with the powers to Pull and Work energy knew much solid information about the powers they had or the other worlds behind the Border of energy or magic that they can perceive, or much about the creatures that could come through the Border into the human world.
In 2016, Lew goes searching after his foster sister Mira, who has used her powers to try to get herself a perfect job. It turns out she inadvertently traveled through time, and so does Lew, but he arrives in the past a year after she does, in 1919, and is terribly discombobulated and in shock from the trip. Apparently Lew really hates 1919 and the early 1920s, but he seems to mark time for a couple of years and wonder what happened to his sister.
Lew had thought a Creature had also been along on his trip through time, but it's not something he follows up on. He finds a friend-with-benefits, Archie, in 1919 or 1920, who also knows about powers and can use them. Archie doesn't know that much either, though. Things pick up in 1921 or so when Archie introduces Lew to someone who has more of an idea, a retired Worker of power, Kelly.
Meanwhile, Alec, a police inspector, has come back from the war and settled into solving crimes in the Poplar district of London. (I recognized the name of the part of the city from "Call the Midwife.") Alec has an intelligent and pleasant detective sergeant, Grant, helping him, but Grant's lungs were injured by poison gas in 1915, so he can't run any distance or perform other physical exertions along those lines.
Lew was given a job as a news photographer very quickly after he arrived in 1919. He also becomes a police photographer, where his path runs into Alec's. Some bigger events happen towards the end of the book, but things are left unresolved. Good thing I'd gotten the sequel at the same time, so I don't have to wait long to see if things get resolved in that one.
I had doubts about 1918 being the perfect time period for a woman of color, and Mira is described as dark-skinned. She's mixed race, raised by her mother, who was black, and after her mother's death, and Mira's entry into foster care, she is still able to stay in touch with her grandmother, who immigrated from Trinidad. Mira's grandmother had passed away by the time that Mira decides to look for her perfect job. Mira told Lew, when he found her, that she'd had the thought that her dark skin could hold her back in 1918 (!), but she'd appeared in that time right near a place where a blues band was looking for a singer. Also, it seemed like Mira had been much less discombobulated and shocked by her journey than Lew was by his.
Lew apparently had been repressing a lot of Feelings about ending up in the early part of the 20th century, and cries a good deal to let his feelings out when he finds people who would understand his travels and travails. He hadn't seemed so terribly shocked from his own viewpoint after his first couple of months in earlier times, but when it's safe for him to do so, he expresses it all.
I wondered why Lew had let a couple of years drag by before he followed up on finding Mira, and also trying to do something about the Creature. Alec, who doesn't have powers, had been dragged into an investigation about people being killed by a Creature some time before Lew learns about it.
As other readers have noted, I found the pacing odd, but I felt that the protagonists and sympathetic supporting characters were likable.
In 2016, Lew goes searching after his foster sister Mira, who has used her powers to try to get herself a perfect job. It turns out she inadvertently traveled through time, and so does Lew, but he arrives in the past a year after she does, in 1919, and is terribly discombobulated and in shock from the trip. Apparently Lew really hates 1919 and the early 1920s, but he seems to mark time for a couple of years and wonder what happened to his sister.
Lew had thought a Creature had also been along on his trip through time, but it's not something he follows up on. He finds a friend-with-benefits, Archie, in 1919 or 1920, who also knows about powers and can use them. Archie doesn't know that much either, though. Things pick up in 1921 or so when Archie introduces Lew to someone who has more of an idea, a retired Worker of power, Kelly.
Meanwhile, Alec, a police inspector, has come back from the war and settled into solving crimes in the Poplar district of London. (I recognized the name of the part of the city from "Call the Midwife.") Alec has an intelligent and pleasant detective sergeant, Grant, helping him, but Grant's lungs were injured by poison gas in 1915, so he can't run any distance or perform other physical exertions along those lines.
Lew was given a job as a news photographer very quickly after he arrived in 1919. He also becomes a police photographer, where his path runs into Alec's. Some bigger events happen towards the end of the book, but things are left unresolved. Good thing I'd gotten the sequel at the same time, so I don't have to wait long to see if things get resolved in that one.
I had doubts about 1918 being the perfect time period for a woman of color, and Mira is described as dark-skinned. She's mixed race, raised by her mother, who was black, and after her mother's death, and Mira's entry into foster care, she is still able to stay in touch with her grandmother, who immigrated from Trinidad. Mira's grandmother had passed away by the time that Mira decides to look for her perfect job. Mira told Lew, when he found her, that she'd had the thought that her dark skin could hold her back in 1918 (!), but she'd appeared in that time right near a place where a blues band was looking for a singer. Also, it seemed like Mira had been much less discombobulated and shocked by her journey than Lew was by his.
Lew apparently had been repressing a lot of Feelings about ending up in the early part of the 20th century, and cries a good deal to let his feelings out when he finds people who would understand his travels and travails. He hadn't seemed so terribly shocked from his own viewpoint after his first couple of months in earlier times, but when it's safe for him to do so, he expresses it all.
I wondered why Lew had let a couple of years drag by before he followed up on finding Mira, and also trying to do something about the Creature. Alec, who doesn't have powers, had been dragged into an investigation about people being killed by a Creature some time before Lew learns about it.
As other readers have noted, I found the pacing odd, but I felt that the protagonists and sympathetic supporting characters were likable.
January 15, 2018
I love time travel stories, particularly those that involve travel to the past. Add in the fact that post WWI is one of my favourite time periods to read about, and I knew I needed to read this book.
The first thing that struck me when I started reading was the world building. The time period is meticulously researched, and felt very real. I really liked the details, like Lew’s accent being not quite right, something that not everyone would think of, but makes perfect sense with the way language changes over time—no pun intended. The author’s depiction of the setting is very much post war, with the staff shortages after losing men at the front. Although it would have been interesting reading about Lew’s couple of years fitting into life in the 1920s, I was happy to have it just referred to as it’s not the focus of the story.
I also loved the fantasy aspect of the story with the Workers who possess some psychic ability in being able to smooth and block holes in the The Border, which is a kind of otherworld.
The two main characters come from completely different backgrounds and time periods. I liked the way in which Alec is suspicious of Lew, and their friendship takes a while to grow, rather than them acting on their attraction immediately. I thought the author handled that attraction very well by portraying it subtly, which again is what I’d expect from something set in that time period. Alec’s personal history is also very much on par for the time period as a gay man trying to pretend he’s not while trying to live up to expectations of the society, and I really felt for him.
Alec’s reaction after confronting Lew, and getting a glimpse of The Border was very realistic. If he had just accepted all of it in his stride I would have been disappointed.
I also liked the contrast between Lew’s two jobs as a police photographer and taking photos for a newspaper. The author describes the differences between the precision needed for one, and the artistic drama of the other nicely, and the fact Lew has had to learn to use film rather than taking photos digitally as someone from 2016 would be used to.
The supporting characters are well rounded too, and I liked the fact there were consequences in regard to going up against their foe. The Workers have a rich history—I suspect the glimpses of it we see in this story are just the tip of the iceberg. I’m looking forward to reading more about them. I was very pleased to read the beginning of the next book at the end of this one and to learn there is going to be a series. I’m now hanging out for future books, and loved the set up at the end of this one.
I’d recommend Lost in Time to readers who like a good historical fantasy with a dash of time travel, realistic characters, and a story that keeps you reading.
The first thing that struck me when I started reading was the world building. The time period is meticulously researched, and felt very real. I really liked the details, like Lew’s accent being not quite right, something that not everyone would think of, but makes perfect sense with the way language changes over time—no pun intended. The author’s depiction of the setting is very much post war, with the staff shortages after losing men at the front. Although it would have been interesting reading about Lew’s couple of years fitting into life in the 1920s, I was happy to have it just referred to as it’s not the focus of the story.
I also loved the fantasy aspect of the story with the Workers who possess some psychic ability in being able to smooth and block holes in the The Border, which is a kind of otherworld.
The two main characters come from completely different backgrounds and time periods. I liked the way in which Alec is suspicious of Lew, and their friendship takes a while to grow, rather than them acting on their attraction immediately. I thought the author handled that attraction very well by portraying it subtly, which again is what I’d expect from something set in that time period. Alec’s personal history is also very much on par for the time period as a gay man trying to pretend he’s not while trying to live up to expectations of the society, and I really felt for him.
Alec’s reaction after confronting Lew, and getting a glimpse of The Border was very realistic. If he had just accepted all of it in his stride I would have been disappointed.
I also liked the contrast between Lew’s two jobs as a police photographer and taking photos for a newspaper. The author describes the differences between the precision needed for one, and the artistic drama of the other nicely, and the fact Lew has had to learn to use film rather than taking photos digitally as someone from 2016 would be used to.
The supporting characters are well rounded too, and I liked the fact there were consequences in regard to going up against their foe. The Workers have a rich history—I suspect the glimpses of it we see in this story are just the tip of the iceberg. I’m looking forward to reading more about them. I was very pleased to read the beginning of the next book at the end of this one and to learn there is going to be a series. I’m now hanging out for future books, and loved the set up at the end of this one.
I’d recommend Lost in Time to readers who like a good historical fantasy with a dash of time travel, realistic characters, and a story that keeps you reading.
January 13, 2018
When Lew's friend, Mira, went missing he knew he had to find her at whatever the cost. Well that cost was waking up in 1919. Not only does Lew search for Mira but he also finds himself in the middle of a gruesome murder investigation. The attraction between Lew and the lead investigator, Detective Alec Carter, is something neither man asked for but exists all the same. As Lew learns to navigate through the past and Alec learns to readjust to civilian life after four years of blood, mud, and death in the trenches will they solve the mystery, find happiness, and discover a love that is illegal in the eyes of the law?
I want to start off by saying that most of you know I don't do spoilers but I even do less of them when it comes to mysteries and paranormals because even tiny little "throwaway" factors can be huge tip-offs. What I will say in regard to the plot is I found it to be ingenious. I always enjoy time-travel stories more where it happens more due to paranormal/magic than science, I think it just adds a special element that can actually heighten the mystery and even might border on horror.
As for the characters, they intrigued me and kept my interest from beginning to end. I loved Lew's dedication to finding Mira, personally I don't know that I would have been able to keep my focus if I woke up in 1919 nearly a hundred years in the past. As for Alec, despite having returned from four bloody years of war he is able to adjust somewhat "normally" back to civilian life. That's not to say either character doesn't have issues with their circumstances but it makes them that much more rounded and believable.
Finally, I should note that there are some grammatical errors that some might find off putting or have issue with, but for this reader I did not. Perhaps its because I tend to just mentally fix them as I read or perhaps I like to put my focus on the story and AL Lester's Lost in Time kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. I look forward to what this new author brings us next.
I want to start off by saying that most of you know I don't do spoilers but I even do less of them when it comes to mysteries and paranormals because even tiny little "throwaway" factors can be huge tip-offs. What I will say in regard to the plot is I found it to be ingenious. I always enjoy time-travel stories more where it happens more due to paranormal/magic than science, I think it just adds a special element that can actually heighten the mystery and even might border on horror.
As for the characters, they intrigued me and kept my interest from beginning to end. I loved Lew's dedication to finding Mira, personally I don't know that I would have been able to keep my focus if I woke up in 1919 nearly a hundred years in the past. As for Alec, despite having returned from four bloody years of war he is able to adjust somewhat "normally" back to civilian life. That's not to say either character doesn't have issues with their circumstances but it makes them that much more rounded and believable.
Finally, I should note that there are some grammatical errors that some might find off putting or have issue with, but for this reader I did not. Perhaps its because I tend to just mentally fix them as I read or perhaps I like to put my focus on the story and AL Lester's Lost in Time kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. I look forward to what this new author brings us next.
January 3, 2021
I loved this book. I will admit that there was a point in the beginning quarter of the book when I began to get impatient, wanting to get ahead to the really suspenseful stuff that I was positive would come, but that didn't last long and soon I was completely riveted, finishing the entire audiobook in about a day, and immediately starting the next book. I can't say that any of it was predictable - at least I didn't find it that way.
One thing that I really enjoyed was the structure of the book with regard to time passing. Many books take place over a course of days or weeks, each day detailed almost to the minute. This one skips months at a time, goes back again as characters remember/recount something that happened during a period before, describes days and nights in detail as they occur, and occasionally, shows memories of time well before the actual start of the story. And speaking of time, I appreciated how Lew's adjusting from life in 2016 to life in 1920 was handled. The author struck a good balance between not enough detail and so much that it lost the emotion.
A lot of the story is dark, haunting, sad, frustrating, but there's a good amount of dry, darkish humor too. (I felt the narrator's delivery in the audio version made those parts even funnier.) It's not a funny book, but the funny bits made it all the more entertaining. It is very, very light on romance and sex, but I barely noticed, being so invested in the story.
It ought to be said that it is not a standalone. The previous tales, (The Gate/Inheritance of Shadows), provide background that made this one more meaningful, and there is a LOT left for the next book to resolve.
For the audio version, the audio continued to be excellent as Inheritance of Shadows, if not even better. I hope more books continue to come out with Callum Hale as narrator.
One thing that I really enjoyed was the structure of the book with regard to time passing. Many books take place over a course of days or weeks, each day detailed almost to the minute. This one skips months at a time, goes back again as characters remember/recount something that happened during a period before, describes days and nights in detail as they occur, and occasionally, shows memories of time well before the actual start of the story. And speaking of time, I appreciated how Lew's adjusting from life in 2016 to life in 1920 was handled. The author struck a good balance between not enough detail and so much that it lost the emotion.
A lot of the story is dark, haunting, sad, frustrating, but there's a good amount of dry, darkish humor too. (I felt the narrator's delivery in the audio version made those parts even funnier.) It's not a funny book, but the funny bits made it all the more entertaining. It is very, very light on romance and sex, but I barely noticed, being so invested in the story.
It ought to be said that it is not a standalone. The previous tales, (The Gate/Inheritance of Shadows), provide background that made this one more meaningful, and there is a LOT left for the next book to resolve.
For the audio version, the audio continued to be excellent as Inheritance of Shadows, if not even better. I hope more books continue to come out with Callum Hale as narrator.
January 7, 2018
The headline for my review at AMZ was: "Time Travel, Magic, Murder Mystery and Romance...Marvelous!"
This is an extraordinary time travel tale, with a very creative kind of magic. I very much believed in and cared about what happened to the main characters (Lew, from our time; Alec, the detective who quite reasonably suspects Lew may be the source of a number of mysterious deaths)...and "caring about the characters" is my primary criterion for a good read. The period feels right, and it's a well-written romance interwoven with a mystery.
One of the things reviewers of the "first edition" (which I haven't read) commented on, and which apparently resulted in lower ratings, was editing. I read this "second edition" as a proofreader, with neither a request for nor an expectation of a review, and as AMZ will hopefully state, my review is based on a "verified purchase." I didn't read the earlier reviews before starting this one, either. However, for what it's worth, I think if those reviewers read this version they'd find the flaws they were concerned about gone, and might toss in another star or twelve. *s*
Even if time travel normally isn't your "thing"...whether it's traveling by magic or science...give this book a try. It's a great read.
p.s. One reviewer has commented on a cliffhanger ending. I normally get upset about cliffhangers, but I don't think this is quite that. Are all possible issues resolved at the ending? No. But this felt like a complete book, while making it clear there's more to come. I still recommend it.
This is an extraordinary time travel tale, with a very creative kind of magic. I very much believed in and cared about what happened to the main characters (Lew, from our time; Alec, the detective who quite reasonably suspects Lew may be the source of a number of mysterious deaths)...and "caring about the characters" is my primary criterion for a good read. The period feels right, and it's a well-written romance interwoven with a mystery.
One of the things reviewers of the "first edition" (which I haven't read) commented on, and which apparently resulted in lower ratings, was editing. I read this "second edition" as a proofreader, with neither a request for nor an expectation of a review, and as AMZ will hopefully state, my review is based on a "verified purchase." I didn't read the earlier reviews before starting this one, either. However, for what it's worth, I think if those reviewers read this version they'd find the flaws they were concerned about gone, and might toss in another star or twelve. *s*
Even if time travel normally isn't your "thing"...whether it's traveling by magic or science...give this book a try. It's a great read.
p.s. One reviewer has commented on a cliffhanger ending. I normally get upset about cliffhangers, but I don't think this is quite that. Are all possible issues resolved at the ending? No. But this felt like a complete book, while making it clear there's more to come. I still recommend it.
January 25, 2023
I’ve really enjoyed reading some of A. L. Lester’s newer releases over the last year or so, so I was very excited when I got the chance to review the audiobook of their debut novel!
There are lots of different aspects to this story, including a historical between-the-wars setting, a paranormal mystery and a slow-burn queer romance. At the start the different threads felt quite disjointed, but by the second half the story was well underway and it all blended together much more seamlessly.
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
A lot happened in this very short book, and I think that’s where the audiobook format really has its advantages. If I had been reading this myself it might have felt a bit rushed, but the audiobook format slowed the pacing down to the perfect level. There were a few anachronisms and inconsistencies, but on the whole they didn’t impede on my enjoyment of the book.
The book was really well-narrated by Callum Hale, making it an engaging listen, and he brought the different characters to life with plenty of variety between each person.
While this book was a mixed bag for me, I can’t wait to listen to the next two in the series. Lost in Time felt less like the first book in a trilogy and more like the first part of one, longer book, and I’m excited for what happens next!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook for review; all of their audiobooks are currently available on Spotify. All opinions are my own.
There are lots of different aspects to this story, including a historical between-the-wars setting, a paranormal mystery and a slow-burn queer romance. At the start the different threads felt quite disjointed, but by the second half the story was well underway and it all blended together much more seamlessly.
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
A lot happened in this very short book, and I think that’s where the audiobook format really has its advantages. If I had been reading this myself it might have felt a bit rushed, but the audiobook format slowed the pacing down to the perfect level. There were a few anachronisms and inconsistencies, but on the whole they didn’t impede on my enjoyment of the book.
The book was really well-narrated by Callum Hale, making it an engaging listen, and he brought the different characters to life with plenty of variety between each person.
While this book was a mixed bag for me, I can’t wait to listen to the next two in the series. Lost in Time felt less like the first book in a trilogy and more like the first part of one, longer book, and I’m excited for what happens next!
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook for review; all of their audiobooks are currently available on Spotify. All opinions are my own.
August 14, 2018
I've been thinking about how to review this book for a few days now. On the one hand, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the setting, but on the other hand the way it ended pissed me off.
However, I liked the characters, and I thought Alec was intriguing and would definitely want to know more about him. The side characters were really strong too, although hopefully Mira will be developed a bit more because she felt like more of a plot device to me (but sequels, so there's definitely room for her to come into her own a bit later on).
I also loved the early 20s setting. Some reviews have suggested there wasn't enough period detail, but I actually felt that the amount of detailing was perfect. Lester manages to set the scene well without getting too bogged down in detail. Little things like the hats, the motorcycle goggles, and that everyone's stoking their boilers (not a euphemism) really takes you into the time.
For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book, and I got through it pretty quickly because despite its flaws, this story has flow. I'd say worth a read.
However, I liked the characters, and I thought Alec was intriguing and would definitely want to know more about him. The side characters were really strong too, although hopefully Mira will be developed a bit more because she felt like more of a plot device to me (but sequels, so there's definitely room for her to come into her own a bit later on).
I also loved the early 20s setting. Some reviews have suggested there wasn't enough period detail, but I actually felt that the amount of detailing was perfect. Lester manages to set the scene well without getting too bogged down in detail. Little things like the hats, the motorcycle goggles, and that everyone's stoking their boilers (not a euphemism) really takes you into the time.
For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book, and I got through it pretty quickly because despite its flaws, this story has flow. I'd say worth a read.
May 27, 2020
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, but whatever it was I was still surprised. It suck me in from the start even though I didn't understand what happened in the beginning, I just couldn't stop listening. We're treated to a mysterious tale of magic and time travel and we get an interesting peek into life in the time just after WW1, a time period I didn't think I was interested in, but here I was. There is magic and monsters that the MCs don't understand that well, so they try to figure it out and take the reader with them on their hunt for knowledge..
Lew and Alec are both interesting, well rounded characters with both strength and faults, and the secondary characters are very interesting. There is no romance in this book, but there is a promise of something developing between Lew and Alec in the second book. I can't wait until that book is out in audio!
I listened to the audio book and the narration is very good, Callum Hale gives good voices to everyone, though a couple of the secondary characters had the most delightful voices.
Lew and Alec are both interesting, well rounded characters with both strength and faults, and the secondary characters are very interesting. There is no romance in this book, but there is a promise of something developing between Lew and Alec in the second book. I can't wait until that book is out in audio!
I listened to the audio book and the narration is very good, Callum Hale gives good voices to everyone, though a couple of the secondary characters had the most delightful voices.
November 28, 2021
Lost in Time is the first major novel in the Border Magic universe, and as such it introduces the reader to a side of the world that goes unseen by most. Lew is a "worker", someone who helps keep the magical Border intact, lest the monsters lurking on the other side break through. Lew unexpectedly discovers there is more to the magic when he falls through time in an attempt to locate his beloved foster sister. But Lew isn't the only one who crossed the Border when he fell through time, and he must not only navigate an unfamiliar London, but must do so while tracking a deadly Creature. This is a spooky yet believable take on historical fantasy. The magic involved is simple and ordered, and the concept of the boundary between worlds a classic. The historical setting of post-WWI London adds to the "fish out of water" experience of the 20th century Lew and his closeted Detective Inspector counterpart. The audio of this book is very well-done and highly entertaining.
Disclaimer: I received an audio copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I received an audio copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
May 14, 2020
I truly enjoyed this story. I loved the Universe created by the author, and I love the characters. The fact that the story is happening just after the end of the WWI is a plus :P
The relationship between Lew and Mira is lovely; and having him follow her to the past just shows how deep their feelings are. Well, okay, he wasn't aware that he was following her into the past, but still :P
The concept of the Border and the creatures following them into this dimension is fascinating, and I want to know more. And I love how people from this time kept popping up, knowing all about the whole thing *laughs*
And, of course, there is also the potential for a romance between Lew and Alec. At least, by the end of the book, we know they will be working together.
Callum Hale does a great job with the narration, but there are some issues with the editing, as chapters 14 and 22 are both twice in the audiobook.
The relationship between Lew and Mira is lovely; and having him follow her to the past just shows how deep their feelings are. Well, okay, he wasn't aware that he was following her into the past, but still :P
The concept of the Border and the creatures following them into this dimension is fascinating, and I want to know more. And I love how people from this time kept popping up, knowing all about the whole thing *laughs*
And, of course, there is also the potential for a romance between Lew and Alec. At least, by the end of the book, we know they will be working together.
Callum Hale does a great job with the narration, but there are some issues with the editing, as chapters 14 and 22 are both twice in the audiobook.
December 8, 2022
Magic exists but is dangerous. Our hero follows his sister back in time to post world war 1 London England. He must try and blend into his new environment while searching for his sister if she is in the same situation. How to get home and was there something else that followed them through the other planes of existence.
This story introduces the characters, creates their world with a slow burn potential M/M romance. The story ends with several cliffhangers regarding the relationships , can they return home, do they want to? What has their magic caused.
I found story fast paced, characters relatable, I was put off but some of the strong arm tactics of the police but was reflective of stories from the period.
Needed a little more spark for me but intrigued enough to try the second story and hopefully see some conclusions to the story threads
This story introduces the characters, creates their world with a slow burn potential M/M romance. The story ends with several cliffhangers regarding the relationships , can they return home, do they want to? What has their magic caused.
I found story fast paced, characters relatable, I was put off but some of the strong arm tactics of the police but was reflective of stories from the period.
Needed a little more spark for me but intrigued enough to try the second story and hopefully see some conclusions to the story threads
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