Hannah Nelson, a native New Zealander, has been accepted to DePaul University in Chicago. She had been living in Portland, Oregon for several years, and is relieved to be away from the questions surrounding the sudden disappearance of her close friend, Emma. While at her dance studio, housed in an historic building in downtown Chicago, she is drawn to a painting of a handsome man from 1865, and … and as she looks into his emerald green eyes, her world goes black.
Christopher Butler is in Lincoln’s War Cabinet and working with his close friend, Clayton Madden to keep the President safe. Upon returning from Lincoln’s historic Gettysburg Address, he hears a strange noise in his barn, and enters to find a beautiful woman unconscious on the straw strewn floor. He realizes quickly she is the key to his sanity and he will never let her go.
As Hannah navigates her new world and comes to terms with the fact she has been transported back in time, will she allow Christopher to love her?
Will she find answers about what happened to Emma in her own circumstances, and will she find out if her presence in the past will help the state of the future?
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Continuing the Civil War Brides sage. Highly recommended that you read the first 2 in the series in order to get a better understanding of the characters and plot. Theoretically, these could be considered stand-alone, but several plot points are not tied up at the end. Fairly well edited.
Hannah is Emma’s best friend, and has been missing her since she disappeared. One evening, she goes to her dance studio, gets trapped in the stairwell, and finds herself in a room with a portrait of a very handsome man, painted in 1865. Oh well. Instead of finding a way out of the room and back to her studio, she finds her way out and into the stable of one Christopher Butler. The very same Christopher Butler who works with Clayton Madden, Emma’s new husband. Small world right? Except Hannah finds that this small world has taken her from 2018 Chicago to 1863 Maryland. Christopher takes Hannah back to his home in Washington DC, and very shortly is reunited with her friend Emma. And surprise, Emma has a new husband. And don’t forget, Sophie and Jamie are also here (and by that I mean 1863, not Washington DC). Much to Christopher’s displeasure, Emma whisks Hannah away from his home. Very shortly thereafter, (I am talking mere days here) Christopher declares himself and asks to court Hannah. It isn’t long before he proposes, and just after the new year – 1864 – they are married. Just as Emma had done before marrying Clay, Hannah tells Christopher the truth of her origins. He takes it very well. What he doesn’t take so well is her ability to defend herself. After all, the mind-set of 1864 is much different from the mind-set of 2018. Hannah had been engaged in working for a private investigator in her modern life, and she works to use those skills to help Christopher. Eventually, her skills save her and help to apprehend a few of the bad guys. However, by the end, there is still the mystery of what exactly the Cary’s hope to accomplish with their own time traveling. Happy note – Hannah and Christopher are pregnant and Jamie and Sophie welcome their baby. Oh, and we find someone else is also from the future.
Overall, this is pretty interesting. So many things are alluded to, but still it seems no real answers are forthcoming. The inconsistencies between Books 1 and 2 are settled towards the details in 2. However, there was a new conundrum. We are given to understand that the reason Hannah left New Zealand was because she was in foster care and had had a terrible family. Coming to America was her way of starting over and distancing herself (quite literally) from her family. And, the move is what led to her connecting to Sophie and Emma’s family so much that they formed an almost sisterly bond. However, in Book 3, we are told that she misses her family a great deal. So, which is it? Did her New Zealand family give her the creepy crawlies or the warm fuzzies? Again, I don’t care which, just pick and stick. Those things aside, I still want to know what is going on. Why are the Cary’s involved? What are they trying to accomplish? And, how exactly are all these people being brought back in time supposed to help keep things correct? I guess only time will tell. Ha. Enjoy.
I have really enjoyed this series! Each book gets better and better! I loved that Hannah gave Christopher a run for his money! She is spunky and does not back down to Alpha Christopher. This book has hilarious moments and tender romantic moments. We get to catch up with the rest of the crew from the previous books. There are plot twist and turns during the backdrop of the Civil War. If you are looking for a great historical romance with a twist this is the series for you! I am
not normally a fan of time travel books but I love this series and can’t wait for the next book!
I forgot how much I love time travel books until I started this series. The third book in the series is Hannah’s story a friend of Sophie, Emma, and Jamie (Sophies husband) who had their stories in the previous two books. Hannah disappears from Modern time Chicago, reappears in the Civil War era. Reunited with her friends, love, laughter and danger abounds. Love this talented, versatile author who is a must read for me. Looking forward to the next book from this Author.