I did not enjoy the first one so this was a little hard to get through. I had no problem with the story, it was just the writing style was difficult. This made it hard for me to get to know the characters. This wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t for me.

It's great to have a new historical time travel series coming out to fill the gaps between Outlander books and tv seasons. I think this series is coming out at the perfect time and will have a great audience.

I was hoping for more in this second installment . The fist, A Murder in Time, was so much better. In A Twist in Time, the story picks up with the exact same set-up -- but now Kendra seems to have no desire to return to the present. Even the mystery itself was lame. DNF but may pick it up again another time.

Received from NetGalley
Completed 2/7/17
452 page ebook

This series is enjoyable as a historical murder mysteries, but I still have a huge issue with it being marked as "time travel". Other than her initial jump from her present to the past, there is no actual traveling through time, therefore, this series shouldn't be considered time travel. It drives me nuts because while I do like the series and characters and the stories, if I had to say that I liked it based on it being a "time travel", I couldn't, because it's not one. It's historical murder mystery.

But, as a historical murder mystery the series is a good one, the characters are good, and the stories are good. Kendra still thinks, and sometimes behaves, as a 21st century woman which gets her into trouble, but it provides for some comical moments as she hates how women are treated and she strives to figure out how she fits in. I've read the book and the next and I will continue to read the series, because I am invested in the characters, even though it's not time travel! :)


Setting = B+
Plot = B
Conflict = B
Characters = A
Theme = B

After finishing this book, I have to say that the first was better. This one took me so long to get through because there wasn't a lot of plot development moving the story forward. Basically the main characters attended balls and talked to people the whole time. Unlike the first one, this book featured one murder and I think that really slowed down the story. I did get annoyed with Kendra constantly bringing up the fact that she isn't from that time. Its like, 'Ok. We get it. You're stuck here. Deal with it.' I also think that from the way she was acting people would be way more suspicious of her. She didn't try to blend very much. Anyway, all in all, I enjoy the mystery and I will probably keep reading the series if the author keeps writing more books.

Oh my. This book had so many twists and turns that I didn’t know what was up and what was down. It kept me going till the very last word. I loved the storyline with its ever growing details.. I highly recommend this book.

"When Kendra Donovan’s plan to return to the 21st century fails, leaving her stranded in 1815, the Duke of Aldridge believes he knows the reason―she must save his nephew, who has been accused of brutally murdering his ex-mistress.

Former FBI agent Kendra Donovan’s attempts to return to the twenty-first century have failed, leaving her stuck at Aldridge Castle in 1815. And her problems have just begun: in London, the Duke of Aldridge’s nephew Alec―Kendra’s confidante and lover―has come under suspicion for murdering his former mistress, Lady Dover, who was found viciously stabbed with a stiletto, her face carved up in a bizarre and brutal way.

Lady Dover had plenty of secrets, and her past wasn’t quite what she’d made it out to be. Nor is it entirely in the past―which becomes frighteningly clear when a crime lord emerges from London’s seamy underbelly to threaten Alec. Joining forces with Bow Street Runner Sam Kelly, Kendra must navigate the treacherous nineteenth century while she picks through the strands of Lady Dover’s life.

As the noose tightens around Alec’s neck, Kendra will do anything to save him, including following every twist and turn through London’s glittering ballrooms, where deception is the norm―and any attempt to uncover the truth will get someone killed."

Would it be THAT bad to be stuck in the Regency?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I had the chance to read the first book in this series and was so excited to see this book on the list and even more excited when I was granted permission to read it. I was worried that it wouldn't stand up to the quality of story as the last book, I was worried for nothing, this book was great!

I loved the character development from the last book to this one, I loved that all the characters I liked were there and thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of their stories. I love time travel books and love the difference between past and present times, I like the see the contrast between the two. Kendra is a great character, the past is pretty lucky to have an FBI profiler stuck in the past. Thrilling story with a satisfying ending.

Will definitely be looking for more books from this author. Cannot wait for the next book in this series

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, and I was curious to see how this one would turn out. For those that have not read the first book will I just explain that in the first book FBI agent Kendra Donovan traveled back in time to 1815 and ended up at the Aldridge Castle where she ended up catching a serial killer. And, now she seems to be stuck there. After solving a murder in the first book, was Kendra sure that she had done what she was meant to do and could go home again. But, unfortunately, it seems that she is either meant to do something more or perhaps she will never get back to present time. Thankfully, she doesn't have to just sit and wait for something to happen because, Alec, the Duke of Aldridge's nephew, becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. Now she must help him by figure out who killed the woman that was once Alex's mistress.

The first book was a blast with Kendra trying to blend it, but at the same time wanting to catch a murderer. Now, in this book is the cat out of the bag and Alex and the Duke both know that she is from the future. And, as much as I enjoyed this story, especially, when Kendra forgets and says or do something a woman from the 21-century would say or do, was this book just not as good as the first one. I liked the book, I liked how Kendra both tried to adjust to the time, but at the same time can't really seem to do so. However, the first book was much more interesting when it came to both Kendras's adjustment to the 19-century as well as her trying to solve the serial killer case. This case, well, it just didn't thrill me as much, a lot of suspects that needed to be questioned over and over and I felt that the story never really got as suspenseful as the first book. It's a good book, and I love how the Duke always tries to pry some information from Kendra about the future.

I hope there will be more books telling Kendra's story. If you like strong women in your mysteries and you like time travel, with some romance and just the right amount of humor, this is the book for you. Kendra is a contemporary FBI agent who is still trapped in 1815 England. This is the second in what I hope becomes a long series. The writing, the setting, the sights, the sounds all come together in perfect harmony. While this book can be read out of order, to get the most out of them, read them in order. You won't be disappointed.

DNF @ 53%

This is book 2 of a series. I read book 1 and it was just okay. So when I started reading this book I was hoping for more. Instead what I got was the exact same set-up and story. The only difference is our lead lady is already in the past and doesn't travel there.
I suppose this is why I don't read a lot of murder mystery as the murder cases themselves rarely keep my attention. It's the people and the happenings around them that does.

For the second time this year a time traveling book has annoyed me by how little the main character seems to want to go home. It's mentioned in passing once or twice about her thinking about going home (and she makes one 'attempt' near the beginning of the book); but overall it just feels like she's not too concerned about it.
This really bugs me. if Gabaldon got anything right with Outlander it's that at least Claire had a major desire to go home for a long time!

Overall if you love the whodunnit part and don't mind a Victorian setting you might like this. Otherwise I'd pass, skip and jump to something else.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley,

A Twist in Time is the second Kendra Donovan mystery and picks up where she is left at Aldridge Castle in 1815 after her failed attempt to return to 21st century America. Her confidante and former lover, Alec, has been accused of the vicious murder of Lady Dover, his former paramour. In this novel, Kendra uses her skills as an FBI investigator to try to clear Alec's name, but she finds her efforts somewhat stymied by society's restrictions of members of her class and sex. The plot progressed rather slowly in the middle of the book, but the premise is a good one and full of surprises. The characters are well-developed and generally likable. I haven't read the first book in the series (though I plan to go back and read it now), and while I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read it, I was able to follow the plot easily enough without it. That said, I think reading the first book would shed more light on the relationship dynamics between Kendra and Alec. Overall, I enjoyed the book and plan to read the next installment in the series.

Very enjoyable read with well developed characters that is a skillful blend of mystery and time travel. Recommended.

Kendra Donovan is smack dab in the middle of a massive dilemma. Should she continue to try to return home to 2015 or remain in 1815. Both choices have benefits and disadvantages.

In 2015, she is a member of the FBI and is quite the accomplished, independent woman. Oh, and of course in 2015 she can vote and interview witnesses and/or suspects without a man or chaperone present! Should she remain in 1815, she is romantically involved with the handsome, wealthy Marquis of Sutcliffe, Alec. However, she is considered quite the oddity due to her peculiar behavior. And she must adhere to all the rules of the Ton.

I do love a good time travel romance and “A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan #2)” by Julie McElwain is just that! Lady Dover has been savagely murdered and Alec finds himself the primary suspect. It is up to Kendra to clear his name.

I enjoyed the details of London life in 1815. However, they were not so thorough as to bore the reader. Excellent mystery with lots of twists. Occassionally, it was a bit hard to keep up with the titles… lots of Dukes, Marquis, Countesses, etc., but not so much that I did not enjoy the book.

I have not read the first novel in the series, “A Murder in Time” but plan to soon! This novel stands on its own and not having read the first did not seem to hinder my enjoyment of the second. A few tidbits of info were interspersed throughout so that did not happen.

Release/Publication Date: May 2, 2017

Genre: Thriller, suspense, crime, murder, romance, mystery, time travel

Cover: Perfect.

Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!

Rating: 4 stars

A very clever slant on time travel
Sequel to murder in time it did not disappoint
Former FBI agent Krendra Donovan who in the previous book finds herself trapped in the 19th century tackles another case.
Her relationship with Alec is at the centre of this case as she investigates the murder of his former lover of whom he is a suspect.
A clever twist on a murder investigation by a person used to 21st century tools having to rollback to complete basics and intuition.
Well researched
A real page turner can't wait for the next one in the series.

Long time readers of my blog know that I love time travel novels. I personally feel like I was born in the wrong era so I compensate by reading books on time travel and hope that I stumble upon my own vortex and end up in the castle of an insanely handsome duke to be, who just happens to be single and makes me a duchess and showers me with glittering jewels, titles, lands, oh and love of course!

Wow, I digress…I got wrapped up in that daydream a little too much I think haha!

In the spirit of my daydreaming, I picked up the latest Kendra Donovan novel which just so happens to have striking similarities to my daydreaming :).

When Kendra Donovan’s plan to return to the 21st century fails, leaving her stranded in 1815, the Duke of Aldridge believes he knows the reason—she must save his nephew, who has been accused of brutally murdering his ex-mistress.

Former FBI agent Kendra Donovan’s attempts to return to the twenty-first century have failed, leaving her stuck at Aldridge Castle in 1815. And her problems have just begun: in London, the Duke of Aldridge’s nephew Alec—Kendra’s confidante and lover—has come under suspicion for murdering his former mistress, Lady Dover, who was found viciously stabbed with a stiletto, her face carved up in a bizarre and brutal way.


Lady Dover had plenty of secrets, and her past wasn’t quite what she’d made it out to be. Nor is it entirely in the past—which becomes frighteningly clear when a crime lord emerges from London’s seamy underbelly to threaten Alec. Joining forces with Bow Street Runner Sam Kelly, Kendra must navigate the treacherous nineteenth century while she picks through the strands of Lady Dover’s life.

As the noose tightens around Alec’s neck, Kendra will do anything to save him, including following every twist and turn through London’s glittering ballrooms, where deception is the norm—and any attempt to uncover the truth will get someone killed (summary from Goodreads).

I have conflicting opinions about this book which makes it hard to review. On one hand, I didn’t care for the perpetual telling and pointing out of the similarities between the past and present, or constantly being reminded that though time had passed, some things never changed. I felt like I was constantly being told and reminded that Kendra didn’t belong in that century but yet things weren’t really THAT different when you looked at them with a different perspective. I figured that out on my own so having the writing point it out all the time got annoying fast. But like with the first book, I just tried to accept it and move on, but unlike in the first book, this time I found it more irksome.

Then I still didn’t feel any chemistry between Alec and Kendra. I am not really sure why, but I just don’t feel like their love/attraction is any great shakes. I felt like Kendra spent a lot of time saying how she didn’t feel comfortable in the time period and like she didn’t belong, but yet she loved Alec….??? The only thing that I felt like she loved was the job. She is clearly an independent minded, career woman and I felt like the author spent a lot of time creating that persona, and then trying to add Alec in just didn’t work for me. I hoped the romance would improve in this novel but it didn’t. It felt unnatural and just off. And the same goes for him….he was like I love her but I don’t know why….and frankly I don’t know why either. I never got the sense that they were passionate about each other in the way that they both describe independently, so the romance rang false for me. But like the constant telling of things, I just accepted their flimsy romance and moved on.

And while I know this will sound stupid and petty, I feel the need to just put it out there–the name Kendra does NOT work for me in any way–present or past. It’s too modern of a name for the Regency era and stands out like a sore thumb and as for the modern era, it sounds too juvenile for an FBI agent. For some reason it just grates on my nerves. I would have preferred something like Elizabeth or even Angela…something that could have worked in both periods or shortened in a nickname to suit both. I know this is a small criticism and it probably sounds petty but it just bothered me.

So enough of the things that weren’t working for me, and on to the things that I liked.

The meat of the novel was really in the mystery. McElwain shines when it comes to writing a complex mystery and steering the reader down possible roads and then quickly diverting them to something completely different. A different suspect, a different motive, just all kinds of different things which I found exciting and it always kept me on my toes. I love that many people had motive and means in this novel. There was a lot of speculation cast on the Weston family and frankly everyone had motive and I loved trying to figure out who had more motive and the temperament for the murder.

But I think my favorite aspect of the novel was the victim. In many of the Regency/Victorian era murder mysteries that I’ve read the victim and their lives are scarcely examined or looked at beyond them obviously being a victim of a crime. Rarely do the ‘detective’ look at the victim’s lives or dealings or even their personalities. Mostly the investigation centers around motive and potential suspects or clues rather than the victim. In this book, the victim is unlikable and vicious. I could almost understand why someone would kill her in a rage and I LOVED that about this book. Her personal life, lifestyle, and motives were a significant part of the mystery and because of that I felt more invested in the story and mystery itself.

So there you have it…..a split on this one. There were things that I loved and things that just didn’t work but I’ll be honest, my dislikes didn’t hamper my reading. I was invested in the story and read it quickly. I found myself reading at every opportunity, so to me that’s the mark of a great read. Not to mention I spent a lot of time thinking about the suspects individually and trying to figure out who had the best motive and how everything fit together. And I especially liked how the mystery was solved.

Initially I would have said three stars for this one, however, I still felt like there were enough things that I liked about it to justify a four star rating. So I decided to split the difference and go with a 3.5 star rating. It’s a good story and it has unique qualities that set it apart from other Regency era mysteries, the profiling of the suspect being one of them. I would still recommend this series to friends even if there were things I didn’t like…..there’s always room for improvement in everything isn’t there :).

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan #2) by Julie McElwain

Kindle, 452 pages
Published April 4th 2017 by Pegasus Books
Original Title
A Twist in Time
ISBN 1681773643 (ISBN13: 9781681773643)
Review copy provided by: Author/Publisher in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: Historical fiction, thriller, mystery, detective novel, time travel, Regency era

Memorable lines/quotes: NA

While I did not read the first book in this series, I felt like there was enough information to catch me up. I saw lots of reviews that remarked on the first book being more on a rated "R" scale, and I was glad to find this second book was a little tamer. I did not like Kendra's frequent use of foul language, it was almost like the author felt that her use of swear words in her own head was needed to keep her separated from the historical time period - like cussing made her a modern woman. I thought the book could have done without that. I'm glad to report that there were no graphic/sex scenes.
Compared to reviews of Kendra's character by readers of book one, I think Kendra is more likable in this book. I think less attention was placed on her personally than what I saw in reviews of book one.
The mystery was engaging, and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing throughout the book. I'm interested to see if the next book is more focused on a new effort to return to her own time, or if that aspect is going to be postponed for a bit.
I think readers of crime fiction would like this book - it is historical, but there's a significant emphasis on Kendra trying to implement some modern CSI stuff without revealing too much knowledge or changing history.

This book brought together excellent elements - historical fiction, mystery and murder and so very surprisingly nice time travel! totally unexpected, fabulously interwoven into a tale of murder. Very cleverly done.

Kendra works at Quantico in present times. Through a phase of the moon and being in a specific spot at a specific time, she is inadvertently thrown back in time to 1815 to the Duke of Aldridge's castle. Fortunately for her the Duke himself was a man of science and though skeptical, and unbelieving he was willing to listen to Kendra and to what had transpired. He couldn't quite figure things out but he was at least a willing listener! In 1815 most people would have had Kendra burnt at the stake for being a witch if they knew what had happened.

Thrown headlong into a murder investigation (her second) the Duke's own nephew is the prime suspect in the murder of a lady. To clear his name and to help the Duke, Kendra is seconded for service. She has to play a low key in the investigation as women are expected not to even glimpse a dead body, let alone a gruesomely murdered one like the current investigation.
Without modern forensic methods Kendra has to depend on common sense and a series of deductions to catch the murderer.

The bit of romance thrown in adds to the spin of the story and all together it is a very interesting book. I liked all the characters each very different to each other and all trying to get to grips with the very modern woman in their midst!

Goodreads and Amazon reviews up on 5/5/2017. Review on my blog first week of August 2017.

It's like a lovely blend of Outlander, Criminal Minds, Downton Abbey, and Sherlock. If that doesn't hook you, I don't know what will.

I loved this 2nd Kendra Donovan novel. In this one, former FBI agent Kendra is still stuck in 1815 after accidentally traveling there. Her lover, Alec is under suspicion for the murder of a former mistress, and she is determined to find the murderer. This one had great characters, an engrossing storyline, and a great setting! I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with Kendra.