The River of no return by Bee Ridgway

Reviewed by Desere


The year is 1812, Lord Nicolas Falcot is about to die on the battlefield. Then suddenly as the hand of death is about to strike the hand of fate intervenes and Nick finds himself very much alive and well living 200 years in the future.

He soon learns of the secret time traveling organization The Guild responsible for "saving" him, the only rule in exchange for the life saving deal, tell no one. As Nick starts his new life and keeps his secret under wraps his heart constantly reminds him of the one he left behind, Julia.

The arrival of a sealed envelope brings about a whole new game and a whole new set of rules, as Nick and Julia 's lives once again intertwines, but what will happen when the real secrets are revealed.

Those who know me well , know that when it comes to historical reads am not a very big fan, but every now and then I do find one that either the cover or the blurb grabs my attention, as was the case this time around. I took one look at the cover and fell in love with the mystery, and when I read the back it really got me thinking ' Time traveling in 1812? Really? Now that 's something I want to know about!'

What I found was really a truly remarkable read, fascinating characters and exquisite historical detail all wrapped up with a stunning string of secrets. Now normally I would go into vivid detail but with this read I think it essential for all reading fans out there to sit down and really take this all by reading it for themselves, so instead of my normal review lines am going to wrap this up in as a neat as possible.

The characters were all really written well, I particuarly loved the character of Nick, the poor man goes from about to die to living in a whole new world to back to his old life and trapped between saving the new world or sacrifising it all in the name of love. I loved how the author let his uncertainly and fear shine through but no so much so that he appears to be one of those " Too weak to stand " types of hero's , those I really do loath, so nicely done Bee.

The descriptions of both the new and old worlds were simply breathtaking , I was transported back with heart-stopping clarity and brought back again with a bang! The book was so much more than just a series of characters living between the past and now, the secrets are what made this read.

From the how is this possible to the who was that and the why 's it all was brought together with remarkable talent, I look forward to what this author has to offer up next.

And of course my review is vague but as I said you want to , no make that you have to read this, got get a coy now!

4.5 star review
" The here and now is all that matters, right?" 

**Now available at Penguin Books South Africa 

The Chatsfied ~~ Short Reads : The Couple in the dream suite by Marguerite Kaye

Reviewed by Desere

World world one just as many other wars of our time, caused loss, confusion, tragedies no one ever wants to speak of again and countless broken hearts.

In this short read, author Marguerite Kaye adds in her two cents for the brand new Mills and Boon The Chatsfield series, and took me not only on a journey of love but one of healing during a time the world seemed at it's cruelest.

The read tells of Justin and Vera, they both have love and lost a piece of themselves during the war, and it seems one magical night will help them both to simply forget it all for a few hours. But once morning light comes Vera is all about forever, only Justin pushes her away, and it seems that happy ever after for these two will never happen.

I really loved the character of Justin, he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which after what he has gone through is completely understandable. In my line of work I deal with war hero's suffering from the very same each and every minute of every day, so I am always a little skeptical to read romance books that have a relation to PTSD.  I always fear I will not pick up on the full impact it has on a person's life, or that the author will not let me in on the very raw heartache and despair that the men and woman from war have to face when the war ends.

I am delighted to say the author totally nailed it all, I felt Justin's anger, hurt and despair and it crawled deep into my soul. I wanted to grab him, hold him tight and just help him. And Vera oh my Vera was such a stunning character that totally amazed me with her strength.

I am taking away a message of life is cruel and unkind, and most of the time we never understand why it happens. But there is always hope and a chance for healing, but you need to let that one special person in to your world of darkness in order to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

I recommend this read for anyone and everyone who loves a good romance set against a stunning roaring twenties backdrop setting. It was all simply magically brought to life !

4.5 star review
" The dreams within a suite takes a step outside the doors"