A Twist of Fate
-
-
4.3 • 3 Ratings
-
Publisher Description
Three years ago, Rosalind Courtenay stumbled from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first, where she has been trapped ever since, leaving her husband and infant son behind. Now she’s found her way back.
The problem, of course, is how to explain her absence to her husband. Does he think she abandoned him? Has he remarried? Is he happy in a new life? Rosalind decides to don a disguise in hopes of answering her questions before showing up on his doorstep. Instead, a twist of fate has her mistaken for her young son’s new governess.
Rosalind has every intention of revealing herself as soon as August returns home from business. Until then, she’ll get to know her son, a quiet child who has inexplicably been abandoned by an endless stream of governesses. That’s when the hauntings begin. Rosalind has finally come home and something—or someone—doesn’t just want her gone. They want her dead.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Armstrong's erratic sequel to A Stitch in Time surprisingly subverts both gothic and time-travel romance tropes, but an inconsistent protagonist and contrived plotting undermine the story. When baker-turned-nobleman's wife Rosalind Courtenay sneaks into neighboring Thorne Manor to retrieve her forgotten wedding band, she's transported from 19th-century to 21st-century Yorkshire. She remains trapped away from her beloved if often jealous husband, August, and their infant son for four years, until a sighting of their time-traveling neighbor, William Thorne, leads Rosalind to find a way to return. She arrives home only to discover that August is convinced she deserted him and her son believers her to have drowned. Rosalind disguises herself as his governess to rebuild their relationship and stumbles into both a tangle of family secrets and a ghost warning her away. To save her family, she must overcome her fears. Rushes of backstory, manufactured obstacles, and overly summarized action undercut the gentle romance. Plucky Rosalind's ultramodern mindset, attitudes, and skills, meanwhile, are difficult to believe in a displaced Victorian, and the lack of psychological realism undermines the novel's tension. Despite a satisfying climax, loose ends leach the joy from this gothic, making it one to skip for all but diehard fans of the first installment.
Customer Reviews
Interesting take on the genre
I read this without having first read the earlier books in the series and was curious to know whether it works as a standalone. It does, however I now know enough about the characters who feature in the first book to wish that I had started at the beginning and learn of their story from their own perspective! Having the choice again I would start with book 1.
Twist of Fate is a very apt title and, being new to the series and concept, I found the first couple of pages a little disjointed (my fault for starting with book 2!). I was also burdened by a worry that this was going to be a historical romance - I should mention that I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan (her Otherworld series remains in my top 5 series of books of all time and I read. A lot!). I was invited to preview A Twist of Fate which was a very exciting prospect - new Kelley Armstrong! - however I don’t do heartwarming and I don’t do romance so I approached the book with little knowledge of the series and a certain amount of trepidation- what if I did not like it and had to write a negative review?!
I need not to have worried! What I found on reading the book was an interesting premise set in a well described setting with characters that I became increasingly fond of as the story progressed. The time travel aspect, which could have been treated as a gimmick, was used well and I particularly liked the juxtaposition between the times with different language being used to clearly indicate the differences in the ‘now’ and ‘then’ versions of the thoughts and speech of the character, often to a (deliberately) comic effect.
I wanted to know how the story ended and read the book quickly as a result, feeling satisfied at the end which I always a good thing! I am interested to know more about the characters and will definitely keep an eye out for the rest of the series!
5 stars as usual
Those of you who have read Kelley Armstrong’s other work know what to expect - a well thought out plot, characters you can’t help but care for, and a thoroughly entertaining read. Those of you who haven’t read any of her other work - do it now, you won’t regret it!
When I originally heard KA was writing a time travel romance series my heart sank - surely it couldn’t be as good as the Otherworld, Nadia, or Cainesville series? I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and I’m very glad I did. It’s not the froufrou vapid nonsense stereotype of the romance novel genre. It’s the same high quality writing, intricate plots, strong female leads, and cast of characters with depth and substance - simply in a different setting.
Very much looking forward to the next book!