Book Review: “In This Moment” by Gabrielle Meyer (Timeless #2)

Books with wholly unique concepts are rare treats. In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer is the second book in her Timeless series which unites historical romance with a time crossing concept– but this one has a contemporary year setting, too! Read on for more about the book and my spoiler free review.

While this stands alone as Maggie’s complete story, I highly recommend reading book 1, When the Day Comes, to learn her mother’s story and more behind how Meyer’s time-crossing concept works.

Maggie inherited a gift from her time-crossing parents that allows her to live three separate lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. Each night she goes to sleep in one time period and wakes up in another. Until, that is, she turns twenty-one, when she will have to forfeit two of those lives–and everyone she knows in them–forever.

In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of an influential senator at the outbreak of the Civil War, navigating a capital full of Southern spies and wounded soldiers. In 1941, she is a Navy nurse, grappling with her knowledge of the future when she’s asked to join a hospital ship being sent to Pearl Harbor. And in 2001, she’s a brilliant young medical student, fulfilling her dream of becoming a surgeon, yet unable to use her modern skills in her other paths.

While Maggie has sworn off romance until she makes her final choice, an intriguing man tugs at her heart in each era. The mysterious British gentleman. The prickly, demanding doctor. The charming young congressman. She’s drawn to each man in different ways, only complicating the impossible decision she must make, which looms ever closer.

With so much on the line, how can Maggie choose just one life to keep and the rest to lose?

Goodreads | Amazon

In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer has a fascinating concept + compelling heroine! I loved getting another glimpse into Meyer’s story world and, this time, 3 different significant historical eras on the brink of wars. Surprises and twists abound, and I was not quite sure how it would end up until the last few chapters, especially concerning the possible love interests.

I cannot elaborate too much on the various storylines of Maggie’s life because I don’t want to spoil some of the best surprises and constructs of the story. One aspect I can share I absolutely loved is the way the reader sees life through Maggie’s eyes. Like the best crafted stories, this insightful look at a character’s experiences allows the reader to shift perceptions as she learns, grows, triumphs, and even grieves parts of her life that change.

I had to jump on the #BookFaceFriday trend with this one!

This is a historical romance, but I feel that the romance threads are secondary to the overall personal journey Maggie undertakes. A significant part of her journey, through all of her eras, is a gained awareness that God is present and active in every circumstance, even when it’s harder to discern His role.

Maggie has three different love interests: one charming, one brooding, and one enigmatic — except I immediately liked two of them better for her. In other circumstances such a setup could feel like a love triangle (rectangle?), but I never felt that way about the writing of these characters thanks to the sensitive way it is approached and even considered in Maggie’s mind as she lives her days contemplating her different timelines. I was unsure until I was deeply into the story which was going to be favored by Maggie, and I’m quite happy with the ending and the ultimate hero — he is lovingly aware of Maggie at a selfless level the others didn’t quite reach.

If you enjoy historical romances or the occasional mind bending time travel concept, you should consider adding Gabrielle Meyer’s Timeless novels to your reading list.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Review: “When the Day Comes” by Gabrielle Meyer

Welcome to my blog post and review of Gabrielle Meyer’s debut novel with Bethany House Publishers: When the Day Comes. It’s a historical romance which has elements of a split time novel with the same heroine crossing time to be in both timelines — a completely unique concept I found fascinating.

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives.

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy.

Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

Goodreads | Amazon

When the Day Comes has a fantastic concept that plays out in a story of trust, sacrifice, and romance with some great twists and surprises! This novel’s unique setup allows the reader who has always dreamed of living in a different time period to see what it might be like for one person to experience two at once, and to consider the repercussions of choice and the importance of trust in (God’s) bigger plan for all time.

As the heroine also prefers, the 1774 timeline with the impending Revolution, spies, and a sweet (sometimes sad) romance was often my favorite point of view. Libby, thanks to her dual times and her mother’s input, has foreknowledge of the basics of what’s to come, which makes her choices and her part even more interesting as the contrasts between her 1774 and 1914 life continue. Her path in 1914 is more tumultuous but just as riveting, as the different setting (England, mostly) on the cusp of war has its own surprises.

It is a minor part of the story, but Libby’s role in each era explores the traditional role of females in each time — both of which contrast with today’s culture, which I think is neat.

There were a a few things I did suspect about the story’s direction and how Libby’s life would play out, but several, especially near the last quarter of the story, were a bittersweet and pleasant surprise. I’m looking forward to more novels in the “Timeless” series by Gabrielle Meyer — I’m especially excited to learn if future characters will be connected across time with Libby and her family.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.