Book Review: "Into the Lure of Time" by Vera Bell
Wander through the rolling Irish hills and bustling streets of D.C. in this time traveling historical romance!
A year or so ago, I reviewed author Vera Bell’s debut novel Through the Veneer of Time, the first in time traveling romance series Always and Forever. The series follows the parallel stories of Siena Casey and her husband Ryan, and Neave McConway and her husband Aedan. Through the Veneer of Time introduced readers to these parallel timelines, one in 16th-century Ireland, the other in the early 21st century.
Siena seemingly has a perfect life: great job, great husband, great friends. But what happens when, through past life regression, she experiences flashes of another life, that of a golden-haired Irish noblewoman? And, how will experiencing a horrible and traumatic assault affect both Siena’s and Neave’s lives and their relationships?
Bell’s sequel Into the Lure of Time explores the complex and complicated emotions and situations resulting from not only personal traumas but also from situations out of these brave women’s control.
Synopsis
Into the Lure of Time picks up a couple of years after the events in Through the Veneer of Time.
In the first book, muralist Siena Forte Casey connected with the past through vivid dreams and visions. Throughout the course of the novel, she learns more about her connection to the 16th-century Irish noblewoman Neave McConway through past life regression. The novel’s climax saw Siena survive a brutal assault by the devil incarnate while working on a museum mural.
Among the verdant rolling hills of Ireland, Neave McConway, daughter of a noble house in 16th-century Ulster, Ireland marries her love, Aedan, the King of Tyrone. For a while, they share halcyonic days…until the threat of Aedan’s enemies presses on them. Like Siena, Neave suffers a horrific experience that changes her life forever.
In Into the Lure of Time, both Siena and Neave struggle with the complex and complicated emotions and situations in the aftermath of their assaults.
For Siena, her relationship with Ryan is tested as he works in Texas while she must remain behind in Washington D.C. The lovely woman continues to reconcile with her assault, but she suffers from PTSD and finds solace only in her dreams. Jealously vibrates beneath the surface, causing her to commit an unimaginable act with the potential to forever ruin her relationship with Ryan.
In Ireland, Neave and her husband Aedan contend with similar tensions - Neave remains behind while Aedan travels from Ulster to London to reckon with Queen Elizabeth I as the queen seeks to extend her power and influence. Jealousy and distrust underscores the tension caused by distance, and a key miscommunication leads Neave to suspect something deeper lies between the English queen and the Ulsterian king.
Both women make decisions that could forever sever their relationships with their husbands and cast them in the role of villain. Is there a chance for redemption? Can Siena and Neave right their wrongs and overcome their internal struggles and demons to find happiness?
Review
Vera's brilliant storytelling comes out in full force again in this exceptional and dramatic sequel. The author explores and examines Siena and Neave's motivations and flaws through a gripping psychological lens, something not often utilized in fiction. As a result, both women feel real, as they stumble through their decisions, even as readers may look on with horror from a distance.
Perhaps more importantly, Vera offers a realistic but also empathetic portrayal of sexual assault-related PTSD and how it can affect both platonic and romantic relationships. That’s not to say that Vera generalizes this, far from it. Rather, through deep research and clear understanding, she treats the subject with respect, allowing readers to engage with the characters and develop a measure of both sympathy and empathy for them. And at no point does Vera engage in victim-blaming, something that I’ve read in other novels that cover similar types of assaults.
In terms of world-building, both Washington D.C. and Ireland come to life as living, breathing, vibrant locations. The nation’s capital brims with life, an artistic and cultural center of the country. Ireland, with its complex geopolitical situation and stunning vistas, feels both otherworldly and tangible at the same time.
Readers will once again fall in love with Vera’s crisp and vivid prose and ability to evoke a wide range of emotions from anger and disbelief to joy and grief. The characters - protagonists, antagonists, and secondary/tertiary ones - come alive, almost as if we know them in our own lives. It’s a true talent to devise characters that leap off the page and ingrain themselves in our imaginations.
Solid and riveting at its core, Into the Lure of Time will resonate and reverberate with readers who experience Siena's and Neave's stories for themselves.
Thank you to Vera for allowing me to beta read this novel and for an eARC as well!
Book Summary
Title:Â Into the Lure of Time
Author: Vera Bell
Publisher: Timebound Publishing, LLC
Publication Year:Â April 2024
Page Count:Â 378pp