Maggie Armstrong grew up enchanted by her father’s tales of blood feuds and border raids. In fact, she could have easily fallen for the man portrayed in one particular image in his portrait collection. Yet when her father reveals he was himself an infamous Border reiver, she finds it a bit far-fetched—to say the least—especially when he announces his plans to return to his sixteenth century … Scottish home with her in tow.
Suspecting it’s just his way of getting her to accompany him on yet another archaeological dig, Maggie agrees to the expedition, only to find herself transported four hundred and fifty years into the past. Though a bit disoriented at first, she discovers her father’s world to be every bit as exciting as his stories, particularly when she’s introduced to Ian Rutherford, the charming son of a neighboring laird. However, when her uncle announces her betrothal to Ian, Maggie’s twentieth-century sensibilities are outraged. She hardly even knows the man. But a refusal of his affections could ignite a blood feud.
Maggie’s worlds are colliding. Though she’s found the family she always wanted, the sixteenth century is a dangerous place. Betrayal, treachery, and a tragic murder have her questioning whether she should remain or try to make her way back to her own time.
To make matters worse, tensions escalate when she stumbles across Bonnie Will Foster, the dashing young man in her father’s portrait collection, only to learn he is a dreaded Englishman. But could he be the hero she’s always dreamed him to be? Or will his need for revenge against Ian shatter more than her heart?
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It’s been a moment since I’ve read a historical book with a twist. Maggie is definitely a great character for this series. She’s finishing a semester in college, and ends up going back to her dad’s historical time. How crazy is that?! She meets a man she’s seen in a book her dad told stories of over and over and all the adventures begin. It was intriguing and picked up the next book! 🙂
Fans of Outlander will love this trip back in time! A story of adventure, romance, and time travel; many aspects of Outlander are found in the book, but the writer has definitely made it her story. Many young readers will relate to Maggie Armstrong, who has been transported back in time after finding out a decade’s old secret that her father Robert and his best friend Edward kept hidden. Watching her navigate the major culture shock, there were moments that I definitely empathized with her character and the struggles that she was facing while trying to come to terms that everything she thought she understood about her life and the world around her not always true.
The book is not for someone who gives up on reading easily, as there are definitely times that I had to force myself to read, not due to lack of interest though. Many times throughout the book the details become tedious, but that is also a nod to the writer, as there were many times throughout the novel that it was evident there must have been hours of research poured into writing the book. Despite both of these things, it was easy for me to finish the book in a few days and I am very much excited to read the next book in the series!
While this book was full of so many different things I really love the way that the plot ebed and flowed. This writer gave us an incredible well developed story, with fantastic characters, and she really just does a fantastic job of pulling you right in. This book is full of time travel, excitement, enchantment, romance and so much more I just simply couldn’t put it down. With the time travel our heroine has a lot of new things that she has to adjust to, and the descriptions make you feel like your right there with her. But I found myself wondering if I would be able to adjust to everything that she had to adjust to. So if your looking for a great new historical romance with some time travel thrown in, then I highly recommend this one.
Wow! I fell in love with this book right from the start. I am a fan of all things scottish. Trying to read this book with its language was fantastic and gave the book a bit of excitement for me. It was engaging. Time travel is a very intriguing topic for a story as well. Maggie and Will are two very different personalities that come together in this story by a truly different tale. Maggie is basically dragged back by her father and meets Will. The time period is brutal and harsh. It’s safe to say women don’t get a lot of respect. They will face a lot challenges as they deal with clans that don’t get along and other issues. I shouldn’t but I did chuckle at some of the issues being faced and how they were dealth with. The story is very well-written and has a great flow to it. The characters are just that; characters with wild personalities. You should give this book a try. I highly recommend it.
This is a fantastic start to series that I am already loving. 19-year-old Maggie Armstrong gets sent back to 16th Century Scotland with her father and best friend, and finally gets to experience having the loyal family she’s always dreamed of. But family relations aren’t as easy as they seem, and Maggie chafes under women’s obligations in the 1500s. I love that she is a strong, stubborn, tenacious woman, very much her father’s daughter, and stands up for herself and her beliefs no matter the cost. While the life of border reivers can be violent and short, she appreciates the joy, love, and simplicity of strong family ties and protecting your own. This novel has plenty of battles, betrayals, and love stories to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Book 1 is the start of what I expect to be an epic saga, and I am here for it!
I highly enjoyed this book. The premise of the female lead being the child of a time traveler from the past is a new one for me. I feel like the story of her father leaving the 16th Century could be a story all on its own. You can see the author truly researched the time period to be able to bring this book to life. The world building and character progression was good. I can’t wait to read the second book.
Wow. Time traveling romance at it’s best. Maggie is going on a trip with her father, he explains to her that they are going to the sixteenth century Scotland. But she doesn’t believe him, who would? So when they she’s suddenly transported to the past, she’s in for a shock.
I loved the descriptive narrative the author uses to describe the Scottish landscape and culture. Even though Maggie is put in a tough scenario she is resourceful, daring, and adapts quite well. The dialogue in the scenes from the past is written in Old English and is very authentic, making the scenes come to life.
I definitely recommend this book.
The purpose of a historical fiction novel is to transport the reader through time, and this book not only achieves that, it also transports the characters through time and places them where the reader can only imagine. The stark contrast between the grounds of a university and the Scottish border is written with such excellence that I fancied I could smell the heather and see the purples of the fells. The rugged beauty of Scotland is told, not sparing any detail and, like Robert’s desire to return to his homeland, I felt the deep desire to visit the country that has been captured in word more poetically than a picture could ever achieve.
What more can you ask for in a book, but blood feuds, opposing clans and an extended family that was previously unknown to the main character? Having grown up with no family or relations other than her father and her uncle Edward, although he is not technically her uncle, finding such an intricate network of family is bound to be shocking and slightly overwhelming Finding them four hundred and fifty years in the past adds just a little bit more shock to the discovery for Maggie. With such a large family, there is an extensive list of characters and at times I found myself a little lost, especially just after a scene change. That being said, it was only ever a brief moment of confusion as I placed the names and settled into the correct group of people in the right setting.
A tale wherein people are whisked back in time and the reader can do nothing but sit along for the ride is difficult to do right, but this book has succeeded in not only creating a novel that deals with time travel but also that makes it believable in the telling and is next to impossible to put down.
* I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
Maggie Armstrong cannot remember a time when she had not been enthralled by her father’s stories. But what if there “stories” were not actually stories? What if they were happening right now? Well, not quite right now, but… Instead of going with her father on another archeological dig, he takes her back in time to the sixteenth century.
I adore time-travel novels and I am always fascinated with how authors come up with original ideas as to how the time-travel is accomplished. I adored how this story played out. Maggie’s father was born in the 16th Century only to be transported to the future—25 years later, and the reverse happens. Only this time, he is taking Maggie with him.
This novel really captured my attention, and I also highlighted how vastly different this time was to our own. Time-travel always sounds so wildly romantic, but in reality, especially if you are a woman, the past could not have been, well, more in the past. Imagine a world with no woman suffrage, where women’s rights were few, where there were different expectations. Maggie has to come to terms with what has happened, and she has to find away to live in this strange world that her father has taken her to.
I loved everything about this story. The characters were larger than life. The historical setting was masterfully portrayed, and at all times the story seemed plausible. Sometimes time-travel novels can be a little hit and miss, but in the case of Thunder on the Moor it is certainly a hit.
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
If you are an avid reader of my reviews, you might be starting to sense a pattern in that I tend to go into books blind. Don’t get me wrong, I always determine whether or not I am likely to enjoy a book before I agree to review it, but my to-read pile is an ever-growing list, which is written in a messy scrawl on a piece of lined paper, which I am constantly losing. By the time I get to a book, I have long since forgotten the premise of the story and often get a little confused. So you can understand why I had to look up the blurb again when an Englishman in 1513 says the phrase ‘who do I blasted think I am, James Bond?’
I have always found time travel an incredibly romantic notion, especially when the main character meets someone in a time unbeknown to them and falls in love. This book is no different, except it adds in the drama of funding families and the character not knowing who her heart truly belongs to, which only adds to the excitement and joy I felt when reading.
Robert had been dragged into the twentieth century as proof that time travel works, but with no feasible way to return him, Eddie can do nothing but help him in this new world. However, skip forward twenty five years, Eddie has figured it out and Robert has the chance to return home, to his family. The only problem is that now he has a daughter, and he’s not about to force her to travel back in time to the sixteenth century.
Luckily, she comes somewhat willingly, and the adventure begins!
The background that is written in this story, of the beautiful moors and fells, is simply gorgeous to read about and imagine, and this is only the canvas on which the story has been created! Maggie has to adjust to a new way of life, where, as a female, she does not get to join in with the raids, but has to sit back and hope that those she loves returns. She adjusts remarkably well, for although her adjustment is wonderfully believable, there is no way I could deal without a nice cup of tea and a lie in every so often.
I am definitely a sucker for an accent, and the dialogue in this book is written in dialect (gasp!) so you can practically hear the accent in your head as you read. I am particularly partial to Irish and Scottish accents (although don’t tell my husband that, he possesses the most posh, English accent I’ve ever come across) so this was definitely a bonus when reading. Also, I learnt a wonderful new phrase ‘wagging a wand in the water’, which means a waste of time, as the glossary at the back tells me. Shortly after learning this, and clapping my hands in glee at the new phrase, my washing machine beeped and my husband walked into the kitchen to make a cup of tea to find me sorting the washing and muttering ‘I’m wagging a wand in the water, the laundry in this house is never ending’ under my breath. He frowned a little, didn’t bother asking what I was talking about, and proceeded to offer to make me a drink, but not putting enough water in the kettle to fill more than half a cup. Men are so useless sometimes.
Out of this whole book, of which I enjoyed immensely, there was one detail that bugged me. One of the characters goes through a very hard time, in that they get shot with an arrow through the shoulder, nearly pass out from the pain, then proceed to wield a bow and sword in battle not half an hour later, with no apparent difficulty. Later, they are drowned to the point of needing resuscitation, obviously struggle with a foggy head and can’t stay upright without feeling sick, and then a little later are fine to make love in the woods. This all happened within a day and I can’t help but think that maybe they wouldn’t have been able to pull a bow back, or make love after drowning, but you never know. Men are extraordinary creatures, you never know quite what they’ll do next! (Seriously though, who doesn’t fill up a kettle before boiling it?!)
This is a rather long review, but when I get excited about a book, I tend to ramble about it and my husband clearly did not care whether or not Maggie ended up with the slimy man or the dreamboat, so it is you who gets to hear about it instead! I implore you to grab yourself a copy of this book, because it is an absolute delight!
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club. I was under no obligaiton to leave a review.
The past is… Let’s just roll with the idea that Hartley was right. Maggie Armstrong is about to go on a trip of a lifetime, a trip that cannot be found among the pages of a holiday broacher. Oh, no. Maggie is going back in time.
The prodigal son has returned, but he is not alone for Robert brings with him his nineteen-year-old daughter, Maggie. Maggie at last has the family she had always longed for, but although her father rejoices in being back where he belongs, Maggie is left a little bemused. The seemingly far-fetched stories her father had told her were actually true and now she was a part of, living in, that narrative.
I love the whole concept of this novel and the author has skillfully portrayed not only the confusion, the bafflement, and at times the horror of living in this volatile period of history, she has also depicted the majestic scenery and has paid close attention to the history of this era. The attention to every little historical detail meant that, like Maggie, I fell through time.
Maggie’s journey throughout this novel makes her the kind of protagonist that a reader can really get behind. She is, as one would expect, not accustomed to the ways or the traditions of this era, nor does she like having her life dictated, especially when it comes to who she will wed. I have to be really careful as I am always a little nervous that when I love a book as much as this one, that I am going to give away spoilers and the very last thing I want to do ruin the enjoyment of this novel for another reader. So let me finish my review by saying that this is one of the best time-travel novels that I have ever read. It really is a book in a million!
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
5/5 Stars
Thunder on the Moor (Thunder On The Moor #1) by Andrea Matthews
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It was a great book and I’m looking forward to the next one. This is the first book in the Thunder On The Moor Series.
Maggie is the daughter of a 16th century man who was brought to the future. She’s heard what she thought were stories. Only to find out that they’re not just stories. The quote I chose for Maggie is: “Regardless, it would do us all good to get away.”
Robert is from the 16th century and from Scotland. He’s brought from the past to the future. There four hundred years into the future he meets his wife and had a kid. The quote I chose for Robert is: “Have nae fear, laddie, if I’d wanted to kill ye, ye’d be long since gone. Me kin, on the other hand, mightna take so kindly to such as you, so ye’d best be watching yerself. Now I see ye’ve already secured yer own jack, but the rest of what ye’ll be needing is in the car. Get yerself dressed, aye. We have some work to do.”
Highly recommended for Historical Romance lovers.
Is the frist book of the series by Andrea Matthews. Its an interesting read and the time travelling is set in Scotland. Maggie is an all round good character she’s also resourceful and adventuresous. This is a highly entertaining book. A lovely glimsp of history.
This is a tale of Scotland vs England in the 16th Century but with a 20th Century twist, Maggie Armstrong is a strong willed young woman, she takes after her dad for that one, it isn’t surprising because she was brought up on tales of his past, of the Border Reivers and their adventures, including an old picture of a portrait from the time, without knowing exactly how long ago his past actually was. It is summertime and Maggie wants to go to a dig in the USA, but her dad feels that it is time to go to Scotland with her, he says it is to meet his family, but she thinks it is just another archeological dig, but she can’t understand why she has to dress the part as well when they get to their destination. That is until he says that they are going back to the 16th Century and when all hell breaks loose with wind, sparks of light and then a calm which is broken by some scottish voices hailing them from a distance on horseback with an Englishman thrown over one of their saddles.
As the riders approach them, one of the recognises her father and dismounts to give him a bear hug and then she is introduced to them, in all the excitement the Englishman escapes the groups clutches, but he is allowed to go for now, there is more excitement to be had with the prodigal son returning after all this time and as they set off to her dad’s ancestral home, it finally sinks in that Maggie is indeed in the 16th Century and so far, it is just like her father described, the deciding fact is that she sees the spitting image of the man from the portrait in her fathers book, she almost goes to where she has spotted him until her father pulls her back and reminds her of the dangers surrounding her.
As Maggie becomes more acquainted with the immediate family, it is decided that a celebration is in order and the whole of the family is invited and there are a lot of them there, but one in particular catches Maggie’s eye and she catches his at the same time, so they are introduced by a cousin as Ian Rutherford and they spend the evening talking to each other and spending time together, but this doesn’t go unnoticed by her father or her uncle. As time passes, they seem keen on each other and as the time dictates, Ian asks for permission to court Maggie and also to begin the process for a betrothal, this is a bit much for Maggie and she starts to protest as her 20th Century independence balks at the idea of it, however, as time goes on, she slowly comes to the realisation that these two worlds are making it hard to respect the families decisions and this is made even harder when she runs into the dashing Englishman and he introduces himself as Bonnie Will Foster.
As time progresses, Maggie is torn between her feelings for Ian and Will and as the Reiver life throws a tragic event into her life, she is overcome with grief and is pulled every which way she could be as she encounters lies, betrayal and blood feuds rage, but will she be able to overcome the events of border life and make the choices she needs to, or will her heart be broken again and again? This is a tale filled with passion, grief, revelations and danger at every turn, but a page turner for sure.
My first book from this author. I wasn’t entirely in love with this book, I wanted to be. It’s a beautiful set storyline, and the main characters are relatable. I just found it to start slow, and it took a little while to get into. Ready to read book two though!
I love books like this that include time travel where the the main character Maggie goes back in time. And not only is Maggie a time traveler but her Father Time travelled into to future and has been living here for 25 or more years. What a treat! I can tell that the author really put a lot of heart and soul into the book, making sure we could imagine being in 16th century Scotland. The language, the romance, the betrayal all helps to connect you to the story which adds to the enjoyment of the book. There were a few spots that kind of got lengthy but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
Thunder on the Moor by Andrea Matthews
5 of 5 Stars
Thunder on the Moor is an enjoyable and engaging historical romance novel by Andrea Matthews with a time travel twist. Heroine of the story, Maggie Armstrong finds herself transported back to sixteenth century Scotland along with her Border reiver father. Having grown up enchanted by her fathers stories of blood feuds and border raids Maggie is both excited and disoriented to find herself actually in the sixteenth century. However when her Uncle announces that she is to be betrothed to the son of a neighbouring laid she does not care how charming or how handsome Ian Rutherford is, she is at heart a modern women and will not be told who she will marry. Unfortunately Maggie’s refusal could start a blood feud and she realises how dangerous the time period she’s found herself in is. Having encountered betrayal, treachery, and a tragic murder Maggie wonders if she should stay or try and return to her own time despite having found the family she had always wanted. Confusing matters further for Maggie is the arrival of Bonnie Will Foster who is the dashing young man that she has always be enamoured by in one of her father’s portraits. Unfortunately, Will turns out to be a dreaded Englishman who is out for revenge against Ian, but is he also the hero she always imagined him to be.
I was totally immersed in this story and felt as though I had been transported back to the 16th century along with Maggie thanks to the authors wonderful descriptions of both the time period and the Scottish setting.The use of Scottish dialogue between the characters also made the setting come alive, however this did slow down the narrative for me to start with but I soon found I became used to it. I found the family trees at the beginning very helpful and did refer back to them whilst reading. The storyline flowed well making this an easy read and the plot was full of action, drama, and of course romance. I was hooked from page one and fell in love with the well defined and relatable characters especially the likeable Maggie. Obviously well researched, this is a good mix of time travel, history and romance. I look forward to future books by the author.
Wow what a book. It has everything from history, to time travel, to romance and betrayal. The author writes so well you feel you are part of the story. It is captivating and gripping.I loved the mixture of present day and ancient times and how different the way of life was back then.
Maggie has heard her fathers stories about Scotland and his home life all through her childhood. What she doesn’t realise is her father isn’t talking about his ancestors but about his life. He was transported from his home in 1513 450 years ahead and now lives in the present day.
When Maggie gets told her father is returning to his home she thinks its just another excuse to join him on a dig until she finds herself transported back in time to her fathers home.
At first things seem OK. She meets her family and is loving having them all around her. However that is short lived when her uncle informs her she is to marry someone she doesn’t even know.
Now her modern thinking conflicts with her present situation and she doesn’t want to marry him, however refusal will cause a blood fued between the clans.
Add to the mix an English man who has been Maggie’s fantasy for all these years and it is a rollercoster of emotions. Will the English man be her Knight in shining armour, or is he using her feelings to hurt the man she is supposed to marry?Will Maggie end up with her heart broken?
You have got to love time travel! This story follows Maggie and her father. Maggie always loved listening to her father’s stories, so when he decided to go back 450 years into the past, it was exiting to her. Maggie finds one man in her father’s stories intriguing. When they travel back and she comes across him, low and behold he is an Englishman. The characters are well written, and the author does a fantastic job of describing the scenery.
This story is super-duper Scottish, I could literally hear bagpipes in my head the entire time I was reading, which for a while added to the charm but after a bit became an annoyance and had me hankering for shortbread biscuits. Still, Matthews set the scene nicely and really writes some interesting characters.
I thought that the time-travelling aspect was an interesting addition but a bit into the book it sort of became and passing thought that really didn’t add anything and I think that the story could have been set in the past without this element, Maggie could just have been a forward-thinking female with more modern ideals without having actually come from the future. I thought that both Will and Maggie were interesting characters even if there were lots of messy things that got in the way of their relationship and exploring how they feel about each other. I did like the fact that the characters relationships with each other felt realistic and developed in a natural way.
I really wanted to like this story and for the most part, I did, it just seemed that elements of the story that I’d thought would be explored more and wanted to be explored more weren’t. Still, Matthews has clearly done her research and sets a magical scene with her writing. Would recommend this to anyone who loves historical romances that are a slow burn.