Time-travel, vampires and unstoppable romance!
Iolanthe (who prefers to be called Io, thank you very much) really, truly hasn't had the best of times lately: she's lost her flat and her job in short succession, no thanks to the men in her life.
Visiting her beloved cousin Gretl in Austria for
a prolonged vacation seems like the perfect idea to get back on her feet, right? She can relax and…mehrTime-travel, vampires and unstoppable romance!
Iolanthe (who prefers to be called Io, thank you very much) really, truly hasn't had the best of times lately: she's lost her flat and her job in short succession, no thanks to the men in her life.
Visiting her beloved cousin Gretl in Austria for a prolonged vacation seems like the perfect idea to get back on her feet, right? She can relax and unwind, and maybe she can even take enough excellent pictures to start a new career as a professional photographer. (A girl can dream!)
Shortly after she arrives, Io and Gretl visit the GothFair that has set up shop close to Gretl's home. There, they meet Imogen, an old friend of Gretls... And fair, pale Imogen doesn't look a day older than when Gretl saw her last, 12 years ago! Io is fascinated by the ethereal woman and asks her for permission to do a series of portrait pictures. Little does she know that Imogen and her brother are more (way more!) than what they seem... (And so is she, herself!)
When Io decides to take some pictures in a small forest that's supposed to be haunted, she is catapulted back in time into the 18th century, where she meets dashing Baron Nikola Czerny - who unfortunately thinks she's a whore, since she is dressed in revealing 21th century clothes...
My review:
Let's get the cons out of the way first, shall we? ;)
Sometimes Io's flippant, super-colloquial way of speaking gets a bit too much - especially after she finds herself in the distant past and everybody around her keeps (understandably) misunderstanding her. It makes her come across as juvenile and annoying, on more than one occasion. Who talks like that ALL THE TIME? She can also be rather demanding and surprisingly dense, which is slightly off-putting.
Also, her unique gift/talent could've been explained and developed more, to play a more integral part in the story.
For my liking, the book is just a bit on the short side. It feels like the story got cut off at a certain point, with numerous stray threads still dangling. I would've loved to read more!
On to the pros! :)
Io is definitely not your typical delicate, frail damsel in distress - she's a confident, spunky, independent modern woman, a kind of heroine I thoroughly enjoy (even if her strength and independence is a little bit overdone here).
Nikola is a likeable hero: intelligent with a great sense of humour, swoon-worthy good looks and a much more mellow, pleasant personality than he sometimes lets on... (Just look how he treats his scatter-brained subordinates - all bark and no bite!)
The story doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a witty, light-hearted romp through time, peppered with jokes and tongue-in-cheek plays on the stereotypes we all know from other supernatural romances. And speaking of romance, Katie MacAlister has a knack for writing scenes that make your heart skip-skip-skip a beat! ;)
All in all, I would definitely recommend this novel! And don't worry, even if you haven't read any of Katie MacAlister's other novels, you should still be able to enjoy this one.
