angegilbo's review against another edition
5.0
Any fan of the Tudor period will love this funny and interesting take on it. I pray this is the start of a new series!
danlewisfw's review against another edition
5.0
This book was A lot of fun! I dont know why but I kept imagining the marvelous Mrs Maisel as the main character, as in it was her or someone just like her on this adventure. The book starts off with our heroine having a migraine headache and stumbling through a portal to Claise France during a large event there and as the title has indicated was during the reign of Henry VIII. Many dangerous and entertaining things happen from here on. I could not put this down it was just too entertaining. I never got annoyed about plot holes because if there were any the writing was good enough that I did not notice them. That just does not happen so bravo MaryJanice Davidson. If the author does happen to read her reviews I just have one thing I would like to say, please write a sequel, please write a sequel, please write a sequel.
littleredhat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Whilst suffering a migraine at an English Renaissance Faire, American ex-pat Joan Howe takes an experimential new pill, and finds herself at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Not a recreation... the real event!
This kickstarts a series of adventures back to Tudor times, where Joan, hired by scientists of debatable ability, sanity and morality, is sent to retrieve other "losties" - fellow 21st Century people hurled back through the centuries. She winds up meeting, and intervening in, the lives of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. But can Joan keep her head - literally! - whilst finding her losties... and just maybe, whilst finding love with her handsome Tudor companion, Thomas, or charming scientist, Warren?
This was a really funny sci-fi romp, and it was amusing to see how an American author views England and our society. (We all have expensive Tudor family heirlooms in our attics, you say? Ours must have been stolen, then! 😄) Even the title has a very American feel! Joan has the classic heroic tragic past, but is far from a Mary Sue - proving funny, fallible and relatable. If, like me, you have a knowledge of Tudor history, you're likely to enjoy the alternate timeline hints and "what ifs" posited through the plot, and some brilliant twists are worked in, too!Â
The romance aspect is sweet, but not overdone - never quite turning into a full-on Mills and Boon story, which is good. Although Joan is a perfectly capable solo heroine, I was rooting for my preferred couple right from the start. And kudos to Morgan Hallett for performing both the Midwestern USA and regal English accents so well!
This kickstarts a series of adventures back to Tudor times, where Joan, hired by scientists of debatable ability, sanity and morality, is sent to retrieve other "losties" - fellow 21st Century people hurled back through the centuries. She winds up meeting, and intervening in, the lives of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. But can Joan keep her head - literally! - whilst finding her losties... and just maybe, whilst finding love with her handsome Tudor companion, Thomas, or charming scientist, Warren?
This was a really funny sci-fi romp, and it was amusing to see how an American author views England and our society. (We all have expensive Tudor family heirlooms in our attics, you say? Ours must have been stolen, then! 😄) Even the title has a very American feel! Joan has the classic heroic tragic past, but is far from a Mary Sue - proving funny, fallible and relatable. If, like me, you have a knowledge of Tudor history, you're likely to enjoy the alternate timeline hints and "what ifs" posited through the plot, and some brilliant twists are worked in, too!Â
The romance aspect is sweet, but not overdone - never quite turning into a full-on Mills and Boon story, which is good. Although Joan is a perfectly capable solo heroine, I was rooting for my preferred couple right from the start. And kudos to Morgan Hallett for performing both the Midwestern USA and regal English accents so well!
lilyreadsromance's review
2.0
This book is not bad, let me start with that first. It dealt with time travel to the time of Henry VIII. It was at least, pitched to me as a romance. It wasn't. The romance was barely there. It was more of a chick lit book, the journey of Joan Howe (with a mysterious sad past that I was surprised to learn about) to rescue 21st century girls that got accidentally suck into these time portals back to 1530s.
So yeah. We met Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Cromwell, and more, I think. I love these historical aspects of the book, but not much when it was the rehash of things I've already known.
So yeah. We met Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Cromwell, and more, I think. I love these historical aspects of the book, but not much when it was the rehash of things I've already known.
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