Book 70, 2025

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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I had so little of my “work” book left to read that I brought it home and finished it this evening. The book was River of Dreams by Jenny Lykins, and it’s a time-travel romance from the “Time Passages” line. Main character is Brianne Davis.
When Brianne’s friend, David, asks her to go to a séance with him, she never anticipated that he would be taken over by the spirit of a man who had lived in the 1830’s and loved Brianne then. Griffin claims that Brianne was once his beloved Amily, and he begs her to return to him. After a freak lightning storm catapults Brianne back in time and into Amily’s body, she must learn to navigate life without any of the familiar trappings of her modern world. And she must also come to grips with the fact that Griffin is already married...to Amily’s cousin Florence.
This was beautifully written—not funny, but poignant and evocative. Amily and Griffin are already falling in love, although neither of them will act on it out of love and respect for Florence. It was interesting to read about Brianne learning to make her way in this strange new world, pining both for Griffin and for the life she left behind. I found some things rather predictable, but other plot points were surprising. I finished the book wondering why the author chose to introduce a villainous character or two (or three!), when it seemed that the star-crossed romance was fraught enough without adding villainy to the mix. Characters were three-dimensional, and the plot advanced at a steady pace. I do have one burning question: What became of Amily while Brianne was in her body in the past? I thought perhaps they switched bodies, but no mention was ever made of that. Hm.
Favorite lines:
♦ Men. Someday scientists would discover that testosterone causes brain damage.
♦ “If you believe I could ever forget you, ever for one moment not want you, then you do not fathom the depth of my love for you.”
♦ “I think there’s some kind of chemical reaction that impairs the brain when testosterone mingles in the same air with silicone.”
Overall, a wonderful story of love transcending time. Four stars.