Kin is a secret agent, a time traveling agent who gets stranded in the 1990's. He is from 2142. He decides to go on with his life, marrying and having a child. The Temporal Corruption Bureau finds him and wants him to go back, but he has a family now. If he runs, he becomes a fugitive like the ones he is here to apprehend. It's a story of time travel, but mostly of family. I loved the interaction between the characters but mostly the love. I received this book from Net Galley and Harlequin- Mira for a honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions expressed are my own.

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars, rounded up.

I know I'm not the only one who finds novels about time travel utterly irresistible. It's not the science of time travel that fascinates me, although I'm always drawn in by the possible paradox of running into yourself somewhere in time. For me, it's more the thought that one single action, even the smallest gesture, can set off a chain of events that could change the world as we (or the characters) know it.

In Mike Chen's new novel, Here and Now and Then, Kin (short for Quinoa—when he was born the world was obsessed with naming babies after food) is a special agent for the Temporal Correction Bureau (TCB), in the year 2142. When a simple mission back in time to the 1990s gets botched, Kin finds himself stranded in the San Francisco suburbs—for 18 years.

After his initial panic gave way to acceptance, Kin realizes that he must live his life in the here and now of the 1990s, even if it isn't quite his real here and now. So he finds himself building a life—working in IT; keeping his marriage to Heather, a driven, science fiction-obsessed attorney, on track; and trying to maintain his relationship with their teenage daughter, Miranda. It's not all that difficult, but through the years he struggles with memory loss, debilitating headaches, and blackouts—evidence his brain is destabilizing due to all of the time travel.

Kin tries to write off his episodes as PTSD, but as they increase in frequency and intensity, they take their toll on his marriage and his relationship with Miranda. When the TCB's retrieval agent finally locates Kin, and readies to bring him back to 2142, Kin isn't sure he wants to leave the life he has known, even if he knows he never should have had it in the first place. And when he returns to his present-day, Kin is shocked to find he had a completely different life he left behind. How can he return to his "old" life when his wife and daughter are back in the past?

"Did a missing past even matter anymore compared to human touch in the here and now?"

As Kin tries to re-acclimate to his life and those in it, he longs for his daughter. When his efforts to keep in touch with her across the years inadvertently put her in danger, Kin realizes the only thing he can do is travel back in time to save her, even if it means the end of his life and the end of his relationships in current time. It will take courage and strength he's not sure he has anymore, and the luck of time, which he hopes is on his side one last time.

I thought this was a fun, poignant book, full of suspense and emotion. At times it got a little too technical for me (science is so not my thing, even if it's fictional science), but the story had so much heart, and you wanted to root for everyone, even if that meant not everyone would get what they wanted. Kin is a terrific character, even if you wanted to smack him sometimes so he'd just say what he was feeling.

Here and Now and Then is an enjoyable addition to the time travel genre. But even if you're not a time travel fan, there's enough emotion, heart, and character development to sink your teeth into. And who knows? Maybe it will even get you thinking about who you'd travel through time for!

NetGalley and MIRA provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

As someone who is not typically a sci-fi reader (due to my my confusion over almost all things science) I found this book to be the perfect way to explore some sci-fi/time travel topics while keeping me in my comfort zone of a good story about personal relationships and how they change and are tested.

From the first chapter, the writing was engaging. I kept promising I'd put the book down "after just one more chapter," but the action kept pulling me in. I was initially worried that the world building would get too technically detailed for me, but there was an excellent amount of details as to how things worked without losing me in jargon.

All of the characters were well developed. Kin was an interesting protagonist to follow, especially to get a look inside his mind as his world completely changed... twice. His relationships with Heather, Miranda, Markus, and Penny all felt authentic. It would have been easy for some of these characters to be looked at as victims, and others as "others" or villains, so making them all characters I was interested in was a real accomplishment.

I had no idea where the story would end up going. I spent so much of the story obsessively turning the page that I reached about 75% before I even wondered what might happen in the end. When it did come, it was completely satisfying. Everything wasn't tied up in a perfectly neat bow, there were still some lingering questions, but I could close the book feeling a sense of contentment with the characters and the story.

I requested this from Netgalley because I love time travel stories and because it was an imprint of Harlequin/Mira and I was confident it was going to be more of a relationship story than a hard-sci-fi story. Which I love both but I was looking for the relationship story this time around.

And that’s exactly what I got with this book.

Kin Stewart ex-time traveler, stranded in the past is rescued and returned to his future, leaving his past family behind.

<b> Kin </b>- I enjoyed Kin. I liked him and I liked how he couldn’t just walk away from his past and that he also couldn’t easily walk away from his future either. I liked the relationship between him and Miranda. I like the little things that were included that are typical dad things- like Miranda not wanting to tell her dad about soccer so she didn’t disappoint him and the wife playing interference. It was such a parental feeling thing that made them feel like a family.

<b>Miranda</b> - Felt like a teen, and then later a young adult who was very hurt by her feelings of abandonment and was acting out. I enjoyed how smart she was and the whole Sarah Connor thing was a treat.

<b>Penny</b>- With just a simple little token the author managed to endear us to her before we got to really know her. She was probably the hardest character to sell in this story just for the simple fact of who she was in the future, and I thought she was the best. I loved how this character was vulnerable, how she was strong and how she fought to be in Kin’s life. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted them all to be happy.

I did wish in some ways for more or a connection with Miranda’s mom I kind of felt like she was out of sight out of mind to Kin, but for me it was a minor thing especially if it meant having more of Penny.

This story was very smoothly paced, while it wasn’t full of action or overloaded in time travel stuff there was enough to make it work. It was the characters that kept me coming back, combined with enough suspense and wondering how he was going to fix things kept me flipping the pages. I ended up bingeing this over a couple days, it was very readable and I was left with a nice ‘all is right in the world’ feeling on completion. This one of those cozy down under a blanket books
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Very enjoyable, full of feels, and a lot faster-paced than I was expecting.

Also, I think I’m going to start saying things are very <i>Crown</i> and try and get that into the mainstream.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin/Mira for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Chen does a fine job with Here and Now and Then. The debut novel holds interest and is a warm-hearted adventure.

This reminded me a lot of all the best parts of The Time Traveler's Wife - a predicament of being thrust around in time - stuck in one place, having to make a new life in another. This is a heart-wrenching, beautiful piece of prose. There isn't a lot left to the imagination if you read the flap, but I don't consider that a bad thing per se.

Here and Now and Then was such an incredibly fun and fantastic thrill. I'm not one to commonly pursue time traveling plots. But something about this synopsis had my interest peeked. And from the synopsis this book took off at the speed of light. And oh my, what a wild ride it was.

Kin has a wonderful family. A beautiful, incredible wife, Heather, and a daughter he adores, Miranda. The only issue with this little equation is the fact that he is stuck in the wrong era. Kin's true identify is that of a Time Travel agent from 2142 with a pretty wonderful life. So when his co-worker, Markus, travels to another time to retrieve Kin, Kin's life basically implodes. I'll skim on further details. But you have to know more, trust me.

As I stated above, I don't often pursue stories revolving around the theme of Time Travel. I don't get down on Dr. Who, it just isn't something that I pursue when deciding what to read. That being said, I was pleasantly surprise how much I took to this story. I think the main reason being, time travel, isn't the main theme or idea. Furthermore, the story didn't focus around the space age technology that might have evolved in the year 2142. While it was mentioned and discussed, it wasn't one of the main focuses, the details were minor compared to what I had anticipated. For me, I think this helped me connect with the story.

Mike Chen also did a wonderful job creating a family dynamic. I truly felt Kin's connection to his daughter, Miranda. You felt for Kin when he realized the fatal error in his ways with the whole situation. The desperation that leaks from the page knowing that there isn't too much Kin can do. And the intense desire to ensure Kin's daughter's safety and future remain ideal. Chen had me vibing with Chen's feelings, which wasn't what I was expecting surrounding a story about time travel. Chen also did superb with the characters. Penny might have been one of my favorites. I don't know many woman in this time nor past times who would stand by someone so completely. Penny is the quiet heroine. Look out for her compassion and understanding, it is inspiring.

Overall, I think that Here and Now and Then is a story that will reach many readers. I think the time travel plot alongside the family aspect makes this story a home run. You should totally check this story out.

NetGalley, as always, I appreciate the advance copy. Thanks to the publishers doing the approving. This was a 5 star read in my book!

This was an exciting and thought-provoking story of a man from 2142 getting stuck in the past and living a new life only to be forced back to his time after 18 years. How do you leave the life you've made and the loves you have found and go back to a time and the people who have disappeared from your memory? What do you owe to the ones you have left behind in both lives? When danger threatens someone dear in the past, that question gets answered.

A fun timey-wimey sci-fi adventure. Bit of family drama, but of parenting drama, lots of sci fi pop culture references.

Not without faults but all in all a good read.

The synopsis sums up everything, and that can be both good and not so good. There was no room for surprise, not much emotion from my side either - I felt a bit detached from the characters and I was left wanting more. But the overall story was entertaining and I liked the ending.

Kin Stewart is a time-traveling secret agent. Or at least he was until he ended up stranded in the 90s. With no way to get back to his home base in the 22nd century, he sets himself up with a new life in the past. He marries Heather, and they have a daughter, Miranda. But the TCB (Temporal Corruption Bureau) finds him - it's been two weeks in their time, but eighteen years for Kin. He doesn't want to go back, but he has no choice. When he returns, so do his memories, and his love of his fiancee, Penny. Now Kin has two lives to worry about, and when his daughter becomes a threat to time-space continuity, he has to find a way to save her.

I loved this novel. I loved it right from the beginning. Even when I had a few doubts about Kin and his motivations, I stuck with him, and I wasn't disappointed. This book reminds me a lot of Star Trek and Doctor Who, especially TNG (The Inner Light comes to mind) - the kind of story that has a lot of heart and great character development, but also has the cool time travel stuff too.

I'm not a sci-fi kind of reader, but Mike Chen's Here and Now and Then opened my eyes to the thrilling and fun world of time traveling spies! What makes this debut novel so great though is not just the thrilling suspense, but rather the warmth, love, and humanity that crosses time. Chen does a great job humanizing our future, as well as adding a few fun tidbits (like the museum that allows our future family members a chance to discover an ancestor through their social media - YIKES!) I couldn't put this one down and I look forward reading more of Mike Chen's work!

Kin Stewart is an everyday family man: working in I.T., trying to keep the spark in his marriage, struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Miranda. But his current life is a far cry from his previous career…as a time-traveling secret agent from 2142.

Stranded in suburban San Francisco since the 1990s after a botched mission, Kin has kept his past hidden from everyone around him, despite the increasing blackouts and memory loss affecting his time-traveler's brain. Until one afternoon, his “rescue” team arrives—eighteen years too late.

Their mission: return Kin to 2142 where he's only been gone weeks, not years, and where another family is waiting for him. A family he can’t remember.

Torn between two lives, Kin is desperate for a way to stay connected to both. But when his best efforts threaten to destroy the agency and even history itself, his daughter’s very existence is at risk. It'll take one final trip across time to save Miranda—even if it means breaking all the rules of time travel in the process.- Goodreads

Wildly creative. I was extremely impressed with this book from the moment I began reading nothing prepared me for the emotions I felt while reading.

This book is unlike any science fiction book out there. If it wasn't for the whole time traveling aspect of it, it would be considered science fiction. Obvious? Yes. But what specifically I mean is although the time travel is the thing that is holding the book strong, it isn't the most important aspect of it nor is it the biggest. It's the foundation for the book and it grabs your attention but it doesn't keep it.

What keeps your attention is Kit. Talk about a man, who is confused as all crap but only wants to do what is right and protect his family (both of them). His range of emotion and sometimes desperate measures pulls at your heart string or at least it did mine. I got so frustrated when it seemed like everyone was against him. They were completely unsympathetic for an error on their part. The entire time I was like really, you expected him not to live a life? 18 years sent by.

Beyond this, not a whole lot happens in this book. As previously mentioned, the time traveling aspect is a foundation and its the pink elephant in the room but there are only two situations where time traveling actually happens. Did I want more? No. It was the perfect amount for what I believe the novel was trying to get at. 

But what was the novel trying to get at? Family, love and what a person is willing to do for the family they should have technically never had. 

Overall, a smooth novel with some great transitions. Emotionally charged, amazing detail and a cute minor romance. 

4 Pickles

Here and Now and Then was a perfect mix of family drama and sci-fi adventure. Kin and his predicament caught my interest from the first chapter and held it throughout. The time travel elements were well thought out and blended seamlessly into the tale. I was never left questioning the viability of anything that took place. Kin was an engaging character--as a reader, I desperately wanted him to succeed--and overall this book was a real page-turner that was hard to put down at the end of each reading session. I would definitely want to read more from the author in the future, and I recommend Here and Now and Then to fans of time travel works and lighter, genre-bending sci-fi tales.

Thank you to Harlequin-Mira (U.S. and Canada) and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kin is from the future. He's a corruption officer, sent to fix timeline inconsistencies and keep everything on the straight and narrow. No changes to major historical events mind you, but just enough to keep thinks ticking as they should.

When his method of returning to 2142 breaks in a botched assassination, Kin has no options left but to get on with life in the past.

When another officer from the bureau comes back for him and helps send him back into the future, it's evident how much time has passed - 18 years in the past, but only mere weeks in the future. Kin is forced to leave his family behind with no goodbyes, and sent back to the future to live his proper life.

A story of love, Here and Now and Then transcends time itself to show the lengths that we will go through for love. The time travel stuff isn't too out there so it's a good starter book into the genre for those who might be wigged out by the premise. Give it a go, it's a powerful story.

Y'all, I have a special place in my heart for time travel and I love reading about future tech. It's the reason I love Black Mirror so much--seeing possibilities.

I don't read nearly enough speculative fiction and Here and Now and Then has given me the nudge I needed.

One of the things that made this book so enjoyable for me is that there is plenty of technology involved, but we don't get bogged down in specs and the kind of extraneous detail that sometimes makes my eyes glaze over.

I think it works so well because although time travel is the glue that holds the story together, I would consider it the B plot. 

The A plot is more about family and relationships, love and sacrifice, and all the joy and pain that comes with it.

The cast of characters are strong enough that I really cared about all of them. The empathy I felt made Kin's mission feel as important to me as it was to him, and that is a rare treat.

This is a fast paced, fun read, but it's also touching and evocative.

Here and Then and Now is another debut novel that is just superb. The writing is on point and the dialogue is seamless, and despite it's future/past setting, it's quite believable.

5/5 stars. Expected date of publication is January 29th, 2019.

I received an ARC from MIRA Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine.

This beautiful, literary, genre-bending sci fi novel about a time traveler and his love for his daughter hits shelves in 2019 and I cannot WAIT for the rest of the world to read it.

Thank you to Harlequin-Mira (U.S. and Canada) for allowing me to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about family, what we are willing to do for love, what a parent is willing to do for their child AND it is a story about time travel!

Kin is a man suddenly returned to his life in the future after years of being stuck in the past. His emotional struggle is compounded by the realisation that his daughter's life follows a tragic path following his departure and he is determined to alter that for her regardless of the dangers.

This is not a science heavy book full of technical concepts you need to understand to enjoy the story. I love time travel books and always look forward to seeing how the author addresses life in the future: is it fantastical enough without being too outrageous. This book makes the transition between the years reasonable and not distracting to the overall story line yet interesting enough that the little glimpses of futuristic pieces unfold like small surprises within the overall story.

I found it funny that in 2142 there is a fast food museum everyone loves going too.

I like the "Tent Pole Protection Board' that lists historical figures and events that cannot be altered regardless of morality. A simple but effective way of dealing with the standard time travel conundrum about 'going back to kill Hitler' or changing other historical events debate.

I liked how the time travel police are even a secret to those living in 2142! Like the concept of time travel is too futuristic even for them to consider.

This is an entertaining book that is basically about relationships and the things we do for those we love: regardless of the risk. The ending was nicely done and did not take advantage of the time travel aspect to make it too outrageous. Overall and enjoyable read!

This was the time travel book I didn’t know I was waiting for. All anyone wants is for thier kids to be ok. When innocuous advice like “follow your heart” threatens to destroy the future a time traveling dad will do anything to save his daughter.

Thank you for the early copy.

I picked this up because of the beautiful cover and I wanted a quick read. It was an well done novel. I recommend this for fans of adult fiction.