Book Review: Once Upon a Remembrance by Grace Brannigan

This is a lovely romance with the extra element of the perplexities of time travel.

Once Upon a Remembrance (Women of Strength Time Travel)
by Grace Brannigan

• File Size: 427 KB
• Print Length: 275 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Questor Books (August 10, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008WBSWY0

Genre: Romance, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: August 10, 2012
Once Upon a Remembrance: Book 1 Women of Strength time travel trilogy: Photographer Isabeau Remington travels to 1894 Virgina and falls in love with a man she must ultimately leave behind when she returns to her own time...but things are not always as they seem.

Modern day photographer Isabeau is pulled from the present time and thrust back into the year 1894 in Virginia. She must help save Hawk Morgan, a man threatened by a killer, a man endangered by his own erased memories. Hawk must survive in 1894 so his present day ancestor Pierce Morgan, will be alive in Isabeau's future.

Isabeau begins to fall in love with Hawk Morgan but with both their future's uncertain and a killer on the loose, neither one of them may have a tomorrow to look forward to.

Review:
Isabeau has arrived at an estate known as Hawk’s Den to do a professional photography shoot with her boss.  She is looking at the antique Morgan family Bible when she becomes disoriented.  Suddenly she finds herself hiding on a ship. She believes she has been kidnapped until the settings, clothing and characters around her convince her that she is in 1894 instead of 2012.

Isabeau has been summoned to the past to help save Hawk Morgan. He has escaped a couple of attempts on his life but Isabeau is to help protect him with her special gift. Isabeau does manage to warn him and save his life.  That doesn’t mean that he or his right hand man, Malry, will trust the mysterious stowaway, especially when she claims to be from the future.

Hawk is a wealthy shipper who is kind to his family, staff and orphans.  He was attacked and beaten and suffers from amnesia.  His long time friend, Malrey, and his strange aunts have had to refresh Hawk’s memories. They have reminded him that he has a fiancé even though he can dredge up no recollection.

Isabeau helps to protect Hawk from danger but fails several times to protect herself. As they travel to New York Isabeau and Hawk try to resist the dynamic pull between them. Slowly Hawk begins to regain his memories until he makes a remarkable discovery. Now things are more twisted than ever.  Hawk wants them to make a commitment but Isabeau is frightened that she could be whisked away at any time.

The characters are well developed, warm and honorable.  I enjoyed the conflict of a strong, modern woman fighting to save a strong, old-fashioned man. There is plenty of suspense with startling time travel, numerous murder attempts, muggings and more. The romance grows nicely and builds as the reader waits to see if it can become a love to survive the separation of time. Ms. Brannigan’s writing has a certain elegance that fits the time period. It flows well and the package of characters, plot and smooth writing make this an engaging read sure to please romance and time travel fans.

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A new view for Isabeau:

Looking around, she knew the simpler pleasures were not meant to be ignored.  It had taken this cataclysmic event to open her eyes. Location 1285.

Emotions for Hawk:

Heat and want and emotion became tangled in his mind, until feeling was the only thing between them. Location 1801.

Thank you to Ms. Brannigan for sharing with a Guest Post and Giveaway. Blog Tour through Lace and Lavender Book tour.

This was set in Virginia for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also add it to my New Author challenge list.