Romance Junkies review of The Bride of Time

Title: The Bride of Time
Category: Paranormal
Reviewer: Chrissy Dionne
Author: Dawn Thompson
Publisher: Dorchester
Release Date: July 29, 2008
ISBN Number: 0505527286
Author Homepage: http://www.dawnthompson.com/
Format: PRINT

Rating: 5 blue ribbons

London, 1903
Tessa LePrelle escapes the drudgery of life as a scullery maid one day a week by visiting a small gallery where she’s become enamored with the paintings by Giles Longworth. Remarkably she even resembles the model who sat for the painting titled THE BRIDE OF TIME. When she’s accused of stealing from her employers, Tessa is forced to flee - even though she’s innocent.

She has no idea where she’s going to go but before leaving town altogether she can’t resist one more visit to the gallery for a final look at the paintings - only when she arrives there it’s to discover that the paintings had been sold and the Bobbies are hot on her heels. She escapes capture but her race to leave the city proper proves to have some unexpected results. The London fog is known for being unpredictable but she never dreamed that once the thick fogs cleared she’d find herself in another time and place - almost a hundred years earlier.

Mistaken for the new governess, Tessa is picked up by a coachman and transported to Giles home where she encounters the man she’s been so fascinated with since she first viewed his paintings and self portrait. Unfortunately, their first meeting leaves much to be desired and it’s obvious that there’s more than meets the eye going on - and his young ward, Monty, whom she’s supposed to be overseeing seems to have some hair-raising traits that are cause for concern.

Giles is already under close scrutiny due to his eccentric behavior, his sister’s suspicious death and the recent string of animal deaths in the area. He’s at a loss as to what to do with Monty, the boy is part gypsy and Giles doesn’t even pretend to understand his issues. In addition to the troubles with Monty, he’s immersed in trying to complete a painting the Prince Regent has commissioned - unfortunately the woman he’s been hiring as models from the local brothel aren’t the ideal ‘Bride of Time’ - but when Tessa arrives then he knows he’s found the perfect model. That is if he can get her to agree to pose for him.

The late Dawn Thompson tells a startlingly intense tale with her novel THE BRIDE OF TIME. Giles is a tortured man who’s dealt one harsh blow after another and all he really wants to do is paint. Tessa is an honest young woman who finds herself in a unique situation. I was fascinated by the portals that allow time travel and the mystical element that seemed so prevalent throughout the storyline. Giles and Tessa’s romance develops gradually and it’s fraught with problems due to Monty’s troubling behavior. Ms. Thompson writes beautifully using words to create storylines that readers can visualize as they read her unique tales.


SNIPPET–
A painting Tessa’s noticed in a local shop on one of her days off as a scullery maid proves to be the foundation for a unique love that transcends time.

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