Wow this was such a fascinating read. It was engaging, and I couldn’t put it down. Great for YA or adult readers!

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVED this story. The back and forth and romance was absolutely captivating. I loved how Marian was introduced slowly into medieval times. It was gradual and almost magical.. As for the time travel, I had a hard time keeping up with the ideas and it seemed a little far out. I would have preferred a magical thread for time travel that is not explained than trying to explain it scientifically.

I had trouble getting into this story.
It started off with Marian Creighton wanting to continue her Father's research on the Holy water. The goal was to find the holy water to cure her sister. The story shifted and it turned into wanting to stay in the past because she met someone. This complete shift in the story didn't set well with me.
I hope the rest of the series ties up all loose ends.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My first book by Jody Hedlund. Reminds me of the show Outlander in that a woman from modern times travels back in time. Marian Creighton, her father and their friend Harrison are trying to find a cure for a disease that her sister Ellen has and that killed their mother. Could it be that Holy Water from the Tree of Life truly heal someone of all ailments? Marian's father believes it will and when he slips into a coma after drinking some Marian comes to England to investigate. After Marian tastes a sample she crosses back in time to the Middle Ages where she tries to find the original spring. In the Middle Ages we meet William Durham a nobleman who offers Marian protection....as his wife. If you like time travel, Middle Ages, a little bit of the supernatural, romance, adventure, sword fighting, and intrigue then join the adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to book 2, Never Leave Me.

Come Back to Me
by Jody Hedlund
Pub Date 01 Jun 2021
Revell
Christian


I am reviewing a copy of Come Back to Me, through Revell and Netgalley:



Marian Creighton a research scientist always believed that her Fathers quest would lead to the cure for every disease, despite how crazy it sounded. Even if the quest did stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. Her father has left that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.





A valiant night William Durham, comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?




I give Come Back to Me five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

While searching for her missing father, Marian accidentally goes back in time and falls hard for handsome knight William Durham.

I've read and enjoyed a number of Jody Hedlund's books - mainly the YA ones - and when I saw that her newest was a time travel romance (a favorite genre), I jumped at the chance to get an ARC from the publisher. But, well ... I honestly didn't like this book very much.

The romance moved too fast and wasn't based on very much. The characters didn't take very much time to get to know each other before rushing headlong into a serious relationship. Some of it was influenced by the circumstances, but I still think they could have gotten to know each other better and focused less on the heat.

What's more, the only characters who were three-dimensional were Marian and William. The others were pretty flat, and I especially didn't that William's kids were among the two-dimensional characters because the kids shouldn't be afterthoughts in a relationship.

Lastly, the time-travel theory was the wildest, most unbelievable theory I've ever encountered. Kudos for creativity, but it was too far-fetched for me to appreciate it.

So, yeah, I didn't like this book much. I suppose there were a few good points - the settings were interesting and I liked William's sister. But I will stick to Jody Hedlund's other books, which I liked a lot better. Perhaps if you take a chance on this book, you'll find you like it. But it isn't for me.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for sharing them.

Jody Hedlund just proved she can write in any timeline and she will shine. This book has all of of favorite things from a Hedlund book -- sigh-worthy romance, historical intrigue and characters you can't help but cheer for. And a touch of humour of course :) when reading a timetravel book, I am always intrigued how the modern character will survive in a historical character, and how the historical characters will deal with modern ideas... it these always add flavour to the story.

*Warnings*
#1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You’ll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which may mean some spoilers, so watch out.

Stars: 4

Synopsis: Marian Creighton was unprepared for her father’s death...and even more unprepared to travel back in time to the Middle Ages in search of a fantastic cure for all diseases. Will she be able to survive in the 14th century long enough to find her father and the cure to heal her sister?

Come Back to Me was one of those books—you walk away from it pleased, having enjoyed the story if not found yourself lost in it, but once you take the time to think about it, you realize several things were off about it. That’s what I call an enjoyable experience. The actual process of reading the book is five-star—holds your attention, can’t put it down, you read through smoothly—but the book itself was just lacking in certain arenas. Like the ones that keep the book fresh in your mind for months to come, so that you can jump into the sequel with gusto, or ones that make you gush in your review, even if you don’t write it until six months later.

As you can tell, Come Back to Me lacked the gushing-worthy elements. *looks around* See? No gushing. Crazy, right?

What’s crazy is that I think I liked the technicalities of this book the best. The plot, the mechanics, all that. I loved the way Jody Hedlund chose to depict time travel. There are so many options—you can go the Marvel route and be as scientific as possible; the Back to the Future method of sticking with unique but not too complex; or be as fantastical as you can and keep the technical stuff on the level of a children’s show (in other words, call it magic). Of course, when you’re talking Christian time travel, you’ve got a lot of other things to factor in. Namely, God.

Which is why I really like how the Waters of Time series focuses on real history and Christian mythology while weaving in a bit of quantum physics to make things seem a wee bit more realistic (the physics don’t come into play until the second book, though). It was the perfect balance, and the way Hedlund wrote it was both a little fantastical, a bit scientific, kinda spiritual...and, in the end, almost believable.

The plot was good—if not a bit cliché in some areas (the ones not involving time travel)—and the pacing as well. The beginning was weird, though. Slow, because we didn’t meet Will (or at least travel back for more than a minute) until way later, but also really fast, because a lot transpired within just a few chapters. After that, things flew by (which is not necessarily a bad thing, I suppose).

The touch of suspense was lovely, playing into a lot of the loose ends that are left for the sequel, so suffice it to say that once you finish this book, you’ll be ready for the next one.

All this said, Hedlund’s writing wasn’t up to par with some of her other works. First of all, I was missing the flavor—especially in the contemporary scenes, which read like historical scenes. Hedlund really struggled to get out of the 19th and 14th centuries, and it showed. There were times when I had to pause and remember Marian was a female pharmacist (which, if you consider Linnea from The Heart of a Cowboy, isn’t that big of a deal) to remind myself that this was a present-day time travel novel.

She also seemed to be doing more telling than showing, and I feel like there was some emotional connection or theme or character arc that was missing.

On that note, why do I feel like she tries to do something different for each series? And I don’t mean in terms of plot, setting, and characters. I mean, she found something that worked. The Bride Ships. That was series was perfect. I didn’t realize how much I loved it until I started reading her new series—the Colorado Cowboys and this one. It was the perfect balance between passionate romance, inspiring faith messages, and engaging plots. But the beauty of that series...the quality of the romance, the depth of the characters, the power of the themes...is exclusive to that one. It’s as if she decided to cull all that from her other series, leaving them hollow in comparison. She found something that worked...but she hasn’t kept doing it.

Maybe that’s a little harsh or I’m just not able to see the good parts of these two series like I was the Bride Ships.

Either way, I know the characters in Come Back to Me were just not on-par with most of Hedlund’s others (Bride Ships or no). Will had potential, but the story obviously wasn’t about him, because he had very little screen time and seemed to be almost disregarded. As if he were only there for the plot and the romance, not to have his own story, his own experiences, and his own character arc.

Such blatant inequality. *shakes head*

But then…Marian didn’t really have much of an arc either. For all of her problems, all of her doubts, all of her struggles...she doesn’t really experience much change. None of that is ever really dealt with.

It could be that this was a plot-driven novel and that the characters were just there to move the plot along (newsflash: only works with mysteries)...or it could be that the book was simply to short to deal with all of that. I don’t know. I just know that these two didn’t reach their full potential, which is always a shame.

Neither did their romance.

Now. Before I go into that, I will say that certain aspects of their romance—i.e., the physicality of it—have been dissed by many reviews of this book, some calling it “Christian erotica.” That, my friends, is actually a thing (don’t ask me how...it just is...it’s a case where the rose isn’t necessarily defined by its name). And this...this is not Christian erotica. Not even close. I have read way more passionate Christian romances and, worse, I have read Christian romances that are way more focused on physical attraction than this one.

So if you have been turned away by such reviews, let me assure you that they don’t know what they’re talking about (no offense). Yes, this romance does get a little physical, but like I said. This ain’t nothing. And, yes, it is a marriage of convenience, so you’ve got that to deal with (I’m beginning to hate MoCs, by the way, so I’m not gonna comment on that). However, I will say that this romance wasn’t purely physical. There was great potential for this deep and abiding emotional and spiritual connection between Will and Marian...but guess what.

The same thing happened to the romance that happened to the characters. There wasn’t enough time for development, apparently, and I feel like so many scenes weren’t written. Scenes in which Will and Marian got to know each other and grow alongside each other. Scenes in which their romantic relationship—basically their marriage—became part of their individual arcs and vice versa. Scenes in which they bonded over something others than being stuck with each other. I mean, there was like one scene. And I loved it. And I wanted it to go on forever.

But it didn’t. So we were kinda left with just Will going on about how purty Marian was. Which, yes, is annoying. But at least there was potential for more. I feel like so many other romances—even and especially Christian ones—don’t even have potential for more. Allow me to direct you to my review of Hooked on You by Kathleen Fuller and my review of Never Miss by Melissa Koslin. The foundation of the romances in these two books literally was just physical attraction. At least in Come Back to Me, I felt like there was this unseen something lurking in the shadows that was the backbone of Will and Marian’s relationship. We just...didn’t get to see it.

Dude, this was like a Christmas present that your forgetful aunt wrapped fifty times and you eventually just left there half-opened. That’s exactly was this was like.

Okay, seriously, though, no one forgets that they wrapped a present. Forty-nine times over.

Lastly, there was the faith elements. Marian and her dad are scientists...and Christians. And the entire plot of this series revolves around supernatural occurrences. So naturally, you have two elements that seem to contend (I personally don’t think science and God contend...God invented science, after all, but that’s a discussion for something other than a book review). Despite that, I feel like all of that...all the spirituality...was glossed over. Marian believed in God and she believed in science (perhaps a little more so) and that was that. Until her dad dies suddenly and she gets swept into the mystery of time travel. Then it seemed like she started doubting God and having some spiritual struggles. But guess what. None of that was ever dealt with or resolved. There was no substance to her faith—only a thin shred of belief and nothing more. Most of that is due to what I stated above—she had no arc.

As for Will? Pft, nothing. Poor dude didn’t get nothin’ outta this book but grief, bless him.

So the depth of Christianity in here was (1) God created the Tree of Life and (2) Will’s sister is a nun. That’s basically it. And here I was hoping for some great theme about trusting God and following His will for your life...or taking the Gospel to all time periods...or being a light to others...or having faith during the hard times...or something.

On top of that, what did she give me? A birth control comment. I’m beginning to think that Hedlund is pro-birth control. Personally, I don’t appreciate that. At all. But at this point, I’ve complained about enough stuff. This honestly reads like a negative review, so I’m sure you’re asking yourself why the heck did Grace rate this four stars?

Like I said. Five-star experience. I enjoyed reading this book. I couldn’t put it down. I breezed through it so quickly that apparently I missed all the good stuff. I mean, if y’all want more positivity—I liked the historical elements. Gotta love insurrection and peasant uprisings, am I right? I’m right. Fighting for social justice is always a fan-favorite. And I was super excited for the sequel when I finished this, so that’s a good sign. Hungry for more, right?

Long story short…if you just want an entertaining and unique read, then, dude, this is perfect. But if you’re like me and you want to become invested and involved in the characters and you want a story that leaves an imprint on your heart, then may I direct you to another novel? (I may? Ooh, goody! I’ll leave a recommendation for you in the comments, then!) So, yeah, it was a five-star experience reading a three-star book. So here we are with four stars and a much longer review than I’d anticipated. This is why I warn you people. I ramble. They call me The Rambler. Oh, I’m The Rambler. I ramble on and on and on and on.

And, yes, that is a parody of The Wanderer by Dion. I’m so glad you noticed. *winks*


Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Well. This book is certainly different than others I've read by this author.
I found myself pleasantly surprised.
You see, this is a time travel novel...but it's rather different than any I've read.
Marian's dad is in a coma. With no logical explanation. Then, his apartment and his lab are ransacked, and it seems quite likely that someone is after his research...only what was his latest discovery?
As she looks into it, it seems possible that as his body is laying there in a coma, he is actually off exploring in another time.
Marian decides to investigate, and finds herself...in another time.
The way they time travel....well, fascinating. :)
Even though time travel is not my favorite genre (is it even a genre?!), I still really enjoyed this novel, and will definitely be reading its sequel.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I am a connoisseur of historical fiction and this scratched the itch for more of those books. It combined my favorite elements history and romance with time travel woven in. The time travel element was not the typical vehicle of time travel and that was intriguing to me. Normally I’m not into the medieval stories but this was sooo good. I love when I’m into a story and I feel what the main character is feeling. I definitely felt all the feels that Marion was going through. Very interesting story!

Come Back to Me begins the Waters of Time series. It is, also, gives more proof that Jody Hedlund can write any genre and still write a fabulous tale. This time, her talents tackles a beautiful time travel story of love, mystery and suspense. I thought every single page was captivating. I had no problem spending the day with Marian and William. It is a beautiful and inspiring read. I loved it!

Come Back to Me is getting a very well deserved five plus stars from me. I highly recommend to for readers who enjoy reading time travel stories and historical romance. I can not wait to get my hands on book two from the Waters of Time series, Never Leave Me.

I haven't read a lot of Hedlund's work before, so I thought, based on the premise of "Come Back to Me," that I would enjoy taking a risk on a new series of hers. The basic premise of this series is connected to the Tree of LIfe, the fabled tree that was in the Garden of Eden, There are waters that have been collected from around the tree, giving them healing properties. Obviously there are many who want to get their hands on such an object, and Marian Creighton's father was one of them. When he ends up in a coma after drinking from a vial said to have this special water in it, she becomes the person left to solve the riddle.

Through a series of wild events, Marian begins to have visions of a stately knight on a horse. (Yes, it's really a knight! ;) ) William Durham, to be precise. He is a valiant man who seeks to help Marian on her quest, but even Marian isn't sure what's happening. Over time, a relationship blossoms and Marian must face the greatest challenge of her life--to leave William to return to her time, or remain with William as his wife.

I am not a typical reader of time-travel stories, but this one was well written with lots of twists and turns. I would think if you were an Outlander fan ( which I haven't read, so I can't judge the similarities consistently) that you would enjoy this unusual book, the first in a new series.

I was an early reader, thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This book was entertaining and it held my interest till the end.
I would have liked to know what happened to some the modern time characters and what happened to her dad.
The time travel aspects were fun, but a little confusing. Some of it didn’t make sense to me.
All in all it was a fun read though.

I was completely captivated by Come Back to Me by Jody Hedlund, the first time travel novel I've ever read! I don't usually like fantasy or scifi themes in novels, movies, or TV so it was a wonderful surprise to enjoy this so much.

The premise: Holy water connected to the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden is believed to contain miraculous healing properties. While researching a cure for his daughter Ellen's genetic disease, Marian Creighton's father suddenly slips into a coma. Marian investigates her father's medical condition and discovers foul play may be involved. After she samples the holy water, she has experiences in medieval England involving a brave and handsome knight that seem far too real to be dreams, but it's not possible to travel to another time, right?

As a Christian fiction novel, this is genre-busting for featuring a time crossing plot. It's also unique since it includes some steamy scenes filled with romantic longing within the context of a marriage of convenience. I was happy the novel ended the way I hoped it would and am excited book 2 in the Waters of Time series will be published in January 2022!

Thank you to Revell Publishing for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.

Oh my goodness, I almost don’t where to begin with this phenomenal book. This time travel story is a definite must read. I was so enthralled with this story, it was totally unputdownable, a read in one sitting book. Present day and 1381 England, this Middle Ages tale had me hooked.

Marian Creighton is a scientist and she is trying to find a cure for her sister Ellen’s illness. But when Marian’s father falls into a coma and Marian travels to England to find out why, she starts having visions of another time. William Durham is a knight in 1381, and rescues Marian from being beaten and offers to protect her as his wife. Marian agrees to it, but is determined to find the cure to bring her father out of his coma and for her sister Ellen’s genetic disease. But Marian is falling for William Durham as he is a man of valor, and that storyline turns this time travel into a romantic love story. Marian must decide, does she want to stay in the past with WiIlliam or does she want to return to present day? This story is so well written, and absorbs you so far into the pages that you forget you are in present time reading about the past. The historical details, mystery and suspense of the story were so amazing, that it played out like a movie in my minds eye. This time travel is escapism at its best.

I am usually not a fan of time travel, but this book is so well written that it could become a new favorite genre to read. Thank you Jody Hedlund and Revell Publishing for this amazing read. I thoroughly enjoyed every flip of the page of this story. I highly recommend this book. Wow! Just Wow!

Having read every book Jody Hedlund has written I will admit to you time travel books back to the middle ages is not the first type of book on my list.
But being that I really enjoy this author's books I figured why not give it a shot? And give it a shot I did. Well I started reading and reading and found just could not stop.
I was mesmerized by the words as I was reading in this book.
Many of the historical details in this book are actual though it is a historical fiction book we can learn a lot of fascinating details.
Spanning modern times to the middle ages we find our self in danger of not being able to return to modern times unless something of great importance is found in time.
A modern woman finds love when she travels back into the middle ages. Will this be able to be sustained before death comes calling?
Fascinating book I found myself drawn to. I look forward to continuing this series with the next book.

Pub Date 01 Jun 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I was unsure when I first started this book, I'm a BIG historical fiction reader and not so much on modern day but because it was set in England and I LOVE Jody Hedlund's books so I jumped in and ended up loving it as much as I do the other books she has written! I will not do a 'spoiler alert' just give it a try, it was amazing and I'm excited for the next one!

Scientist Marion Creighton is urgently called from her home in the USA to Canterbury, England, with the news that her father has fallen into a coma.

When she arrives, she finds he has been researching the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden. Apparently, he believes seeds from the original tree made it to England, where they were planted and grew and “tainted” a long-forgotten well which provides water with miraculous healing powers.

Clues suggest her father has somehow travelled back in time to find the source of this healing water, in order to heal Marian’s sister from the genetic disease which killed her father. Marian has a couple of strange experiences which leave her wondering if her father was right …

She finds and drinks some of the healing water, and finds herself in 1381, with one week to locate the source of the water so her father’s friend, Harrison Dunham, can give future-Marian the life-giving water and bring her back to the present.

Yes, that’s getting a little convoluted. While I was fascinated by the concept of time travel in the novel, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the practicalities. Specifically, that Marian is physically alive in both timelines, and time moving forward at the same pace. This could be because I see time as linear something physicists are apparently debating). Also, she believed her father was missing in time and that she could “wish” herself to a specific point in time. Why didn’t she try and find her missing father?

Anyway, if you’re prepared to accept the premise, then the practicalities might not matter. But this was a sticking point for me. Another sticking point was that Marian travelled back to 1381, yet had no communication problems with the locals. Considering the differences between modern British and American English (or even modern London and modern Yorkshire English), I found this a little hard to believe. Finally, I wasn’t impressed by the instalust. Yes, I like the hero and heroine in a romance to be attracted to each other, but that attraction has to be based on something.

However, I was impressed by the underlying research and the way the author seamlessly included real-life events like the 1381 Peasant’s Revolt and even an earthquake into the plot. And while I don’t believe the claims about the Tree of Life, I do believe the accounts of miraculous healings.

Overall, Come Back to Me was an intriguing story, and one that promises to be continued in a sequel. Recommended for fans of time travel fiction.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

The romantic chemistry in this book was amazing! I’ve read some of Jody’s other medieval books so I loved that this played off the world she’s researched so well plus had a contemporary element to it.

Marian is a research scientist trying to find a cure for the hereditary disease that killed her mother and is threatening the life of her sister. Her father has also done research but Marian thinks his theories are a little out there and he is in England and she is in the US. When her father suddenly falls ill, she rushes to his side and finds herself embroiled in his research and also is hounded by people wanting to get their hands on his research. This all evolves into a time travel situation and is a unique take on time travel among the time travel novels I have read. It's an interesting story and I recommend it.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion