The Celtic Deception
Traveling through time, battling with Romans, this novel should have been an easy slam dunk for fans of historical fiction. (It’s not) Andrew Varga’s The Celtic Deception is full of potential for its thrilling actions scenes but falls flat when it comes to the characters. This is the second book in the Jump in Time series, and one I read through Netgalley. The book follows Dan, a teenage boy who every female in the book falls head over heels for. With the use of a time rod he is able to have the ability to jump through time and travel back in history whenever there is a “glitch” that needs to be fixed. This book takes place a few months after the last one, and Dan is having a difficult time. His Father is in a coma because of Victor, an ambitious fellow time jumper who seeks to control who time jumps. (Also, he wants world domination- because bad guy!) Thankfully Dan isn’t completely alone, his plucky friend Sam is also on his side and together they form a plan to travel back in time to try to find answers and allies in order to stop Victor.
Oh did I mention Sam is a girl? And girls aren’t supposed to be able to time jump? And she keeps telling Dan she isn’t interested in him and has no desire to be with him….(I bet you can guess what happens in the end, no female no matter what they say can resist the Mary Sueness of the intrepid main character!)
The books really picks up and the parts I most enjoyed was everything I learned about history! Sam and Dan land in (what they soon figure out!) the Celtic island of Angsley in 60 CE. What should be a simple get in and get out mission soon becomes dire as they are thrust in middle of the Celtics fleeing their homes. (Strategic fleeing they say!) The Romans are on the warpath and are slaughtering, enslaving, and raping anyone who gets in their way. Dan and Sam must find the glitch and fix it before the Romans catch up to them.
When I say the writing and characters fell flat, I mean it really fell flat. There is one sentence that really stood out to me. Dan sees a pretty girl with a guy he thinks is unattractive. His inner thought: “what is a babe like that doing with a guy like him?” (You see what I mean now y’all?)
We also get some assault scenes, because what is a historical fiction by a male author without them! Don’t worry though! Heroic and noble Dan gives one of them his cloak. (Eye roll)
By the end of the story our hero Dan is incredibly rich and able to take Sam on a trip and send her lots of money. (Did I mention she comes from a broken home with a creepy step dad? Because of course she does) I have to wonder if Andrew Varga has actually ever had a female read his book. It could have hugely benefited form sensitivity readers. The plot and concept was great, but the characters and all the dialogue was so badly written. (I am not going to compare it to fan fiction, because I have read some fantastic fan fiction!) I know it seems like I hated this book, when really I enjoyed the battle scenes, and everything I learned. It is just I couldn’t get back the unrealistic nature of the characters and how they were written. I would not recommend this book.
TLDR: Great concept, poorly written females, mary sue main character, fantastic battle scenes
The Cover
This is probably one of the worst book covers I have seen in a while. If you google fantasy or Celtic font types, the cover font is one of the first to pop up. There is a ton of green on the page, and you really lose sight of the title and everything else with all the green. There is no symbolism, no hint of what the book is about. We do get a full lipped female cast in shadow on the front, which makes little sense to me. The main character is male and his is the only view point we see. The females get little attention in this book, unless they are fawning over Dan or banding together to fight for him. Instead of a bad Photoshop job, I would loved to have seen an illustrated scene of Dan and Sam in the boat on the way to the island. Budget aside, even a boat in the water with the island in the background would have been a better cover.
It should be noted that I am coming from a graphic design and art history background, and it always sucks to see books that are good have bad covers. (Though I guess in this case the cover matches the book!)

“The Celtic Deception” is a fun YA read that blends history and fantasy. I haven’t read the first book, but I found this story easy to follow. Seventeen-year-old time jumper, Dan, comes home to an unwelcomed visitor who was responsible for his father being in a coma. I was immediately drawn into the story. Although the visitor had taken something that seemed so important, Dan was carefully trained by his father and was prepared for that. Soon, Dan and his jumping partner, Samantha, need to make a jump to fix history. I loved the time they went into 60 CE when Romans dominated, and Celts were on the run or fighting back. The relationships they developed in the Celt tribe had me rooting for them, even against all odds and history. A read meant for teens, but adults can appreciate it too. I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of the reality of a historical moment and time-traveling teens trying to survive while not changing the past that would affect the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The Celtic Deception is a thrilling trip back in time! Although there is a book prior to this one; the reader is not lost. Andrew Varga has written enough background so the reader knows the history of the characters. In addition, Varga has interwoven historical facts with fiction to create a very interesting story. I would definitely recommend this book to adult and young adult readers.

Beware some spoilers …
Time travel stories are my favorite and this one did not disappoint! I haven’t read book 1 of this series; that did not matter. I was sucked in from page one and on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Enjoyed all the characters, especially Atto. The pub going up where Atto built the monument was perfect.
Really like that the travel rod aids in speaking and understanding the language of where/when travelers land. I assume it also translates modern phrases like “What’s up?” into verbiage appropriate for the era.
Sad that Dan’s dad died. I hope it’s fake and he comes back in a future book (I mean Dan didn’t id the body, it could happen) to help get revenge on Victor.

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review “The Celtic Deception“ prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

The Celtic Deception by Andrew Varga is the second book in the time-jumbo series. I absolutely loved the first and the second was also a terrific read.

Once again the publisher’s blurb was excellent:

Dan Renfrew hates that he’s a time jumper—seventeen-year-olds should not be stuck with the responsibility of saving history.  But with no one else stepping up to stop Victor Stahl’s plot to take over the world, Dan and his time-jumping partner Sam have no choice but to jump back into history again. They land on the Celtic island of Anglesey in 60 CE, hoping to find answers on how to stop Victor. Their task isn’t easy. Everyone seems to be hiding something, from the druids who rule Anglesey to the Celts who take the time jumpers in.  With two Roman legions intent on wiping out everyone on the island drawing closer, time is running out for Dan and Sam.
This is an absolutely marvellous time travel story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has been superbly researched so the historical aspects ring true and seeing through the eyes of a young people from this day and age is very insightful. Just love the characters, particularly Dan and Sam. The pace of the story is excellent and the reader’s interest is continually captivated.


Highly recommended read for those who love time travel.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from Imbrifex Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheCelticDeception #NetGalley

If you like adventure and time travel then this book is for you. I had such a good time reading this book that I want to go And read more books with the same premise.

If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Intrigue, romance, mystery, history. This has it all! Looking forward to the next one!

Varga sends his teen protagonist on another dangerous and immersive adventure in history, this time during the conflict between Romans and Celts. Full of historical detail and thrilling escapades, The Celtic Deception is a great time. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

The Celtic Deception (Book 2, A Jump in Time Novel) - Andrew Varga

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Andrew Varga is an historian as well as an author. This is his second novel, the first being “The Last Saxon King”.



Dan Renfrew is once again by himself, just hoping and praying his Dad would awake from his coma and tell him everything was going to be okay. Tell him everything he hadn’t about time jumping and Victor Stahl. And hopefully he could slowly build something with Sam.

Yet once again the fragile peace he had built for himself is once again shattered by Victor Stahl. Forcing Dan to give his father’s time jump device to him, and falsely promise to never again jump or intervene in any glitches in time.

But the second Victor and his goon left his apartment the first thing he did was call Sam and tell her everything. Then the spare time jump device Dan has, warms up indicating there is another glitch in the time line. So off he and Sam go, back into the past to fix the glitch and see what trouble Victor is causing now.

Dan and Sam find themselves thrust amongst the Celts, fighting the Romans, fighting for the survival of their kind. Yet, as much as Sam and Dan would want to help the Celts win, history wrote that the Romans brutally slaughtered them all. So, as they find their way trying to discover the time glitch, getting to know these people, it becomes ever harder not to interfere.



“The Celtic Deception” although short was a very entertaining and pleasurable read. I loved how although it was a young adult adventure story it still had lots of historical facts all throughout the story. For me it just made it that much more engaging and enjoyable. There was also a nice little twist at the ending and I really hoping for a lot in the next instalment of the series.

3¾ stars
This was an interesting and captive book. While Dan and Sam are trying to fix history's glitches, they have a greater worry at home! But being in the past has its own predicaments.
The history involved in the book itself is an interesting read.
The editing errors in the book are the only think that dropped this below 4 stars.

This was another great book in the A Jump in Time series by Andrew Varga. My 14 year old son and I listened to the first book together on audiobook, and he eagerly devoured this second book in the series, where our main characters, time traveling teens, were sent back about a thousand years earlier than the first book, to the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. He thoroughly enjoyed this one, though his favorite so far was the first in the series. This book is best when read after the first one in the series. I love the combination of history and time travel - everything to catch and keep a teenager's attention. We are looking forward to seeing what Dan and Sam get up to next!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t realize this was the second in a series when I requested it. The story line was easy enough to pick up, but the dialogue felt forced and awkward. It’s an interesting concept and the main characters are likable, but something is just a bit off. I didn’t love it, it didn’t hate it, it was just okay.

The Celtic Deception is the exciting sequel to the Last Saxon King. Time jumpers Dan and Sam head back to the time of the Druids, as they try again to right history. The stakes are even higher this time as Victor's plan for world domination threatens to wipe out billions of people. The Celtic Deception does not leave any room for a deep breath throughout the entire story. As the Romans invade Wales and try to wipe out the Celts, Dan and Sam try to fix another glitch created by a stranded time jumper while also protecting the Celts who are fleeing to Druid Island. In their own/modern time, the fight continues against Victor's machinations and dealing with the repercussions of the injury he caused in the first book. Good news- there's a third book planned!! I can hardly wait to read it and see where these two time jumpers end up!

Bottom line: This was a fun, informative, engaging, and easy read. I'd recommend for age 12 on up. I'm ... well above that age and enjoyed it very much, and I think my 13-year-old would have also if I'd shared it with him.

Even being book 2 in a series, this was easy to jump into and navigate without having read book 1. That being said, having read it, I want to go back and read book 1! I may do that with my son.

The main character is a teenaged boy and kind of cringy at times, but in a realistic way, so it's just part of reading about teen protagonists. His female best friend is kind of the mother/ cool head of the pair. I wouldn't really say that I like either character, but I enjoy reading their story and I don't dislike them.

The plot moves at a mostly steady pace, with good speed to keep the reader interested but not overwhelmed. Even during slower-paced times, there's always forward momentum and something to engage the reader.

It was fun gaining a bit of historical knowledge while reading a fictional story. The characters from the time in history really won my heart, and the glimpse into their lives makes me want to know more about their culture. I also want to know the characters themselves, and I'm sad that no only are they fiction, even if they were real, they'd have died nearly 2,000 years ago. Atto, always in my heart.

The most disappointing thing is that there aren't yet more books in this series for me to read. I finished this one and now have to go backward, read the first one, and then again I won't have more in this series. I hope there are many more to come.

Some readers may prefer that the history branch out into other areas of the world, but I'd be perfectly content staying solely in European history, even just that of modern-day UK. There are plenty of stories to tell, and I personally love the history of the region.

One thing I would love, to enhance the experience of the book, is an excellent audiobook narration of it, complete with accents. I can't get accents right in my head, let alone if I tried to produce them with my mouth, so I'd love if someone else would do that for me to enjoy! : -) Or maybe there already is an audiobook! I need to check.

Anyway, I really look forward to reading more in this series and I'm so glad I came across it.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book, however it was a pretty high bar set by the original in the series. this one is set in Celtic Britain, around the year 60AD, when the Romans destroyed the College of the Druids. The protagonist has to fix the glitch that has altered history, and we follow his journey with his friend, Sam, as they face dangers both from the modern and ancient world. One of my favorite parts of the book was when they built the trebuchets and tried to sink the Roman boats trying to cross the English Channel. I look forward to seeing what comes next in this series and hope to not have to wait a whole other year to read it! This is an excellent series for kids who like action-adventure and history.

The Celtic Deception was a bit confusing for me. Though I liked the story and the plot, I found myself having to go back and reread to understand what was happening. I think it's because I haven't read the first book. I'm going to get that one and then see how I feel. I did enjoy the book itself, however, and the characters were likable.

4.5/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second entry in Andrew Varga’s Jump In Time series. Dan and Sam’s story continues on from the Last Saxon King. What a great mix of history and fantasy! Good character development is continued with their next jump back in time and it is a really fun, fast read.

Dan Renfrew & his time jumping partner, Sam, are teens from our time who are descended from a long line of secret heroes who correct glitches in the time continuum of the past to ensure that our present is kept safe.
This time, Dan & Sam’s adventures take them to a period that less is known about. A time when the Celts and Romans are clashing over territory in what is now known as the U.K. They easily find each other and then join a group of Celts progressing east away from their homes, running from the advance of the Roman forces. Their group has been trying to get to the Island of the Druids where they hope to be safe with other fleeing Celts.

Once on the island, Dan’s tattoo gives him away as a time jumper - one of the Druids is also a time jumper who has been stuck in this time for a while. He has risen in the ranks such that he can have underlings check all the males coming onto the island for the time jumper tattoo. As it turns out, this Druid was the cause of the time glitch. He was trying to contact other time jumpers. He is able to give Dan and Sam (and the reader) a little more information about the jump rods.

Since less is actually known about this time in history, it is difficult to know how accurate it is; but the fantasy aspect makes up for lots and the story is very entertaining. The interactions with the one Celt couple (Atto & his wife) are a little contrived, but forgivable as they help move the story along.

A very good second entry to the series. Can’t wait to read more!

The Celtic Deception
Jump In Time #2
Andrew Varga
This is the second book in the Jump In Time series, while I recommend reading them in order this book does stand well alone. The premise of this series focuses on Daniel the descent of time jumpers; they travel to the past to fix anomalies in time that portend to change history. Once Dan has jumped to the past he must remain there until he repairs the past and sets it on the right course.
In the first book Daniel walks in on an attack on his father. Before losing consciousness his father passes on the responsibility of time jumping to Daniel. He is transported to 1066 where the Vikings are destroying England in the north and the Norman army is making preparations to attack the south. While Dan struggles to keep the past on the correct path a band of malicious self-serving time jumpers determined to change past events impend him.
In book 2, The Celtic Deception Daniel’s father is still in a coma. Seventeen-year-old, Daniel and Sam jump to 60 AD Wales. The Celts are escaping the looming attack of the Roman army committed to destroying their way of life. As Daniel fights for his life, he accidentally creates a new glitch in time. Sam searches for the original glitch. Both young men wonder if they will ever see their time again.
Victor Stahl is the evil bad guy in this series. He demands Daniel and Sam pledge their fidelity to him or their jump sticks so they can no longer time jump. A stranded time jumper created the glitch in time in hopes of being rescued.
The characters of Daniel and Sam complement each other. The first book ended rather brusquely leaving unanswered questions. The same thread continues in book 2. This is what connects this series. I doubt we have all the answers until the series ends. The plot is a mixture of historical fact and fiction, history, and sci fiction. The target audience for this book in my opinion is 13 and higher. I highly recommend this series.
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I actually recieved this book as a review copy. Now, I have to get the first in the series and am hoping that there are many more to follow.

This author does an excellent job of giving historical facts that make the story all the more believable! From the first page until the last I was totally invested in the story and the characters.

A pair of teenagers connected only by their time-jumping abilities who met in a previous time jump. Not only must they survive the Roman attack on the Celts but they must also fight a much worse enemy in the form of a powerful man who is also a time jumper.

With all the twists and turns in this story there is so much to love about it!

I absolutely cannot wait until another book comes out and I will be looking into purchasing the first in the series.

I reviewed this on Goodreads and went immediately to Amazon to pre-purchase both books. Please tell me that the third in the series and the continuing story of Sam and Dan will be out before the end of next year! This is such a fun and enjoyable book - I can't wait to introduce my kids to it.

Andrew Varga is a master story-teller!! And this book show-cases that story-telling ability.