Beyond Time Series by Elizabeth Marshall
Self-Published (2011)
Ebook, 105 pages
Paranormal Time-Travel Romance
Haunting Grace, Changing Grace and Saving Grace are three short stories that together comprise a novella. At the time of writing this review, they are all free to download on Kindle (UK), so I thought I’d give them a whirl. As they are all essentially three parts of one story, I’ve found it easier to review them as one. Each are a quick read, and I read each in the space of an hour. So if you fancy something a little bit different one evening, they’re worth picking it up.
The stories follow Grace, a woman escaping her manipulative and abusive vicar husband. Grace is a brave women with a sad past, who also begins to wonder if she’s starting to lose her mind when she begins to see the ghost of local legend Robert Hamilton. The three stories follow her starting anew, being haunted and afraid she’s losing her sanity, so hold onto your hats… a bit of crazy time travel.
The writing did feel a bit clumsy at times, the flow not always as smooth as it could have been. But by the second story this had either improved or I had got used to the author’s style. It made me wonder if this was perhaps the author’s first piece of writing, as it did just feel stilted in certain sections.
Haunting Grace builds the tension quite nicely, you get a real sense of spooky mystery around the ghost that is plaguing Grace and her loneliness. Changing Grace moves on as she comes to terms with the hauntings, but more and more begins to question her sanity.
She was going to have to register with a doctor; there was nothing else for it. [...] She couldn’t possibly be allowed to roam the streets in this condition. She was a danger to herself and everyone around her.
You feel sorry for Grace, but also a little irritated by how everyone else seems to willingly accept the hauntings and also the belief that Grace is somehow going to travel through time.
Then of course comes Saving Grace and we’re transported to the 17th century. Enter the real Robert Hamilton and the anticipated love story. The love story was nice, even if the chemistry was perhaps not as smoking as I would have liked. I enjoyed seeing Grace get her happy ever after. Although, perhaps there is a subsequent story planned but I felt somewhat disappointed about how the threads regarding Grace’s daughter were left.
VERDICT:
The stories were an ok read, but if I’m honest not the best I’ve ever picked up. I enjoyed the ghostly aspects of the narrative. Normally a lover of time-travel romances, I felt this aspect was under-developed. Overall I felt like it just needed stepping up a gear and the writing could have been smoother. But never-the-less I did not begrudge my reading time either.
RATING: 
ELIZABETH MARSHALL ONLINE
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter
BUY YOUR COPY
4 Comments
This sounds like an interesting series, I like the combination of paranormal/ghost and time travel – although I can be very picky about the science in time travel romance, I do find it somewhat frustrating (I did in The Time Traveller’s Wife). I looked at the author’s website and it looks as though this is part of a bigger work. Would you read more? I’ve downloaded them, can never pass up a freebie!
Reply
The science in the time travel wasn’t really touched at all, it just kind of was if you know what I mean?
I probably would try something else by the author, but I do hope her writing style improves as she progresses otherwise I might not.
Reply
This looks like pretty decent writing for a freebie. I’m a bit so/so on time travel stuff. Don’t mind some of it, but others I didn’t like. I mean, I think I’m one of the few who didn’t like Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
I might give these a whirl. *goes to download them*
Reply
I must read a Diana Gabaldon especially as I love time travel so much. I did have some problems with these as you can tell from my review, but they’re worth a download
Reply