She’s a no-holds-barred, kick-butt, don’t-cover-the-ugly-parts archaeologist. History wants to teach her a lesson. Adventures are launched with a parlor and a sword. Caitlin Benoit assumed the next destination would be her time, her world. Instead, the stone thrusts her further into the past and onto a different continent. Now in 1831 England, she’s discovered by William, the Duke of Lancaster. … Duke of Lancaster. By sheer luck, he’s willing to allow her into his manor.
While she fights to gain a footing in this new time, Caitlin discovers the stone also ripped John from Charleston. Everything she thought she knew about how the stone worked is false, and neither of them understand how to escape the grip of the past.
As they work to uncover the mystery of the stone, an acquaintance of the Duke plots an intricate scheme certain to destroy them all. She and John must solve the puzzle, in an unknown amount of time, or risk getting stuck—or buried—in 1831.
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***** A Fine, Book, Indeed!
This well written book explores several avenues. First off, it’s about Time Travel. But not the usual sort, where one time period is mentioned. Right off the bat, we are introduced to Caitlin––a clever, snarky, no-holds-barred kind of modern 2020 bi-racial gal, who happens to not only been placed in 1800s England, she’s just come from 1850s Antebellum America, where she’d hung out with slaves and a man named John, who was also sent to her new British ‘home’. How did that happen? That’s the big question that she and John are constantly asking themselves. Although we soon find out it’s all because of a series of special transporter rocks with magical capabilities, we still don’t the why of it.
For me, the fine descriptions played a large part in my enjoyment of the book. After Caitlin suffers a foot injury, she is rescued by the kind duke, William, who brings her back to his estate, in order to take care of her. The author’s lovely details of his grounds, his enormous abode filled with paintings and fine furniture all reminded me of the “Downton Abby” series, which pleased me to no end! It even talked about Mary, the maid, who had all the trappings of how the servants would behave in stark contrast to the upper-crust visitors and their noblesse oblige attitudes.
Yet as lovely as all those renditions were, if that was going to be the entire meat of this story, I knew I would probably start to itch for something more to happen. To my delight, I got my wish. First off, having Caitlin as bi-racial and sharp-tongued made for some very interesting ways she held on to her own worth as a strong woman in a past time when that was never even considered, much less tolerated. Secondly, as her relationship with the kind William continues, it becomes obvious that his brother Patrick and other political higher ups and wannabes are perfectly capable of and willing to put Caitlin in danger. Not only that, she discovers that there are other ‘travelers’ from other times also there, threatening to harm her. Will she come to a disastrous end or will she be able to return to her modern life? You’ll just have to read the book to find out! Definitely recommended!
Melody Ash Richly Detailed Time Travel With Mystery & Romance.
Northern Echoes (Web of Echoes Book 2) by Melody Ash is an intriguing story of a woman archaeologist who’s inadvertently thrust back in time. This story begins where Book 1 apparently leaves off, and Caitlin Benoit finds herself swept from a Civil War Plantation to 1831 England, literally at the feet of William, the Duke of Lancaster.
There’s the temptation of forbidden love and Caitlin could easily fall for William, which she does her best to evade. And then there’s John, who’s shows up in 1831 London from the Civil War Era as well, adding another puzzle to the plot.
Richly detailed, I love the historical information very skillfully threaded into this story, which kept me reading until the very end. The author is obviously a history buff, and with its elements of mystery and suspense, as well an absorbing dose of romance, I really enjoyed the story, and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
I highly recommend it!!
A Captivating Time Travel
“Northern Echoes” by Melody Ash is a spellbinding time travel novel that takes place in 1831 England. It immediately hooked me when Caitlin Benoit found herself in historical England instead of back home—United States in 2018—after time traveling from a South Carolina slave plantation, the prior time period she had been thrust into. William, the Duke of Lancaster, finds her on his estate, confused and unusually dressed for 1831. Seeing that she has an injured ankle, he takes her to his home, the elegant Chatling Hall.
Caitlin evades the Duke’s questions about where she is from, fearing he will judge her insane. Caitlin must adapt quickly to her new surroundings, enlisting the help of a servant. Shortly after arriving, she discovers John, a man from the slave plantation, has somehow also been ripped back in time with her. In order to bring them back into the places and years where they belong, she must first figure out how the rock with the symbols on it that initiated her time travel works.
Despite Caitlin making embarrassing errors in etiquette, the Duke is drawn to her and finds her charming. His family members, however, believes she aspires to become his wife. Caitlin is attracted to William, but forces herself to control her emotions because she knows she must leave. The plot thickens when Caitlin learns of schemes and dark secrets swirling around in Chatling Hall, but she is determined not to interfere to avoid the unknown butterfly effect. Will Caitlin be permanently stuck in 1831?
This story is a wonderful blend of romance, suspense, and mystery. The author’s knowledge of that time period is well detailed in every scene. She did an exceptional job in bringing the characters to life. I found this book so exciting and engaging that I intend to read the first book in the series and all those that follow. I highly recommend “Northern Echoes”!
Northern Echoes (Web of Echoes, Book 2) by Melody Ash.
I’ve loved time travel since fourth grade when Madeline L’Engle whisked me into the Tesseract with Meg Murray and her brother Charles Wallace in a Wrinkle in Time. From Somewhere in Time to Outlander, a good time travel lures me in and keeps me reading.
I’m not a fan of lumping time travel into science fiction or paranormal. A good time travel presents an almost believable element within a great historical or contemporary storyline. The challenge is finding a “good” time travel story. One that presents an almost believable trigger or portal, accurate historical description or a feasible future, and respect for paradox possibilities—a touch of romance is icing on the cake.
Melody Ash’s Northern Echos pleasantly surprised me with her richly-drawn characters, accurate description of life in 1831, nail-biting suspense, action with built-in drama, and a touch of star-cross romance.
Though Northern Echoes is the second book in this author’s series, Web of Echoes, I had no problem jumping into the story without a long drawn out backstory explanation. The action started on page one and the characters easily stepped into their roles.
Caitlin Benoit is an endearing 21st century archeologist thrust back to the 1800s, first to a Civil War era plantation—the storyline of book one, which is now on my to-read list— then into 1831 London, where women had few rights and we’re totally dominated by males. That in itself presented a fun paradox.
Enter William, Duke of Lancaster, who could easily steal Caitlin’s heart—a twist of forbidden love she tries hard to avoid—and John, who found himself unintentionally thrust into 1831 London via Caitlin’s coattails, adding another touch of intrigue into the mix.
Overall, Melody Ash’s Northern Echos lured me in on page one and never let go. I love the way each time she is thrusts into another era, a new standalone book is born to the series. I highly recommend this story and I look forward to reading book one as well as any additional tales this author adds to this series.
Northern Echoes (Web of Echoes, Book 2) by Melody Ash was an unexpected delight.
I have to be honest. I was expecting a standard, contemporary time travel novel much like those in the genre with people whisking between times and racing against time to get from one place to another. But this novel surprised me in that it allowed the reader to really steep in the time zone and experience life in 1831. Don’t get me wrong – there was suspense, romance, drama, and all kinds of fun thrown into the mix. But the focus on the historical setting fully satisfied my fascination for times gone by.
I’m a Downton Abbey, Sherlock Holmes, and Pride and Prejudice kind of guy, who not only enjoys “visiting” the old British castles and families, but who loves a mysterious chase through foggy streets of London. This novel was right up my alley in that it combined the essence of both – the tour of an elegant British country manor as well as the intrigue of secret meetings in foggy early mornings.
Caitlin Benoit is a likeable, feisty archeologist who finds herself flung back in time in this book, the second edition of the series. Book two works perfectly as a “standalone,” although now I’d like to go back and read book 1, where Caitlin is deposited on a plantation and lives with slaves in their cabin. Talk about a switch in environment, right?
I enjoyed Caitlin’s adaptation to the restrictive world of 1831 where she also met and almost fell for William, the Duke of Lancaster. As hard as it was for her to limit her bold and sassy self to the male-dominated world she landed in, she managed to do it with style. Kudos to her and to this author for a truly delightful tale.
Northern Echoes is a riveting story of a woman archaeologist living in a Civil War Plantation, who to her utter surprise, finds herself somehow back in time in 1831 England. How did that happen? Some magical capabilities of transporter rocks? At any rate, “She wasn’t here to change the past. She was only here to escape it.” There she fights a sudden temptation to fall in love with William, the Duke of Lancaster.
On the other hand there’s John, who like her is transported to 1831 London. Neither of them can figure out how to escape being trapped in the past, The romantic tension between them is palpable, as is the yearning to go back to her own era. “What she needed was a pair of scissors and a pack of ice. Tylenol would certainly help. A trip home would be better.”
The historical backdrop is well researched and transparently woven into the plot, giving more depth to the mystery and the unraveling romance. Throughout the story, I found Caitlin an endearing character that held my interest at every twist. “She already toyed with time, no sense in tempting fate.”
Five stars.
I found this book to be fascinating. While I don’t usually read books in the time travel genre, this one came highly recommended to me and I’m so glad it was.
I found the historic time period to be very well done and I became thoroughly engrossed in the book. It’s very well written and I found that I couldn’t put it down. My congratulations to the author for writing this very well done book!