Another Chance to Dream

Title: Another Chance to Dream
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: De Piaget (Book 1)
Genre: Historical Romance


Gwen has a large dowry of land, homes and money. It's only natural that her father would want to use her to the best advantage when looking for a husband. Unfortunately, high spirited Gwen falls in love with landless Rhys de Piaget when she is merely 10. The two pledge to each other and plan to get together, but it never seems to work out in their advantage.

Gwen's husband Alain is being led around by his brother, who harbors a deep and twisted love for Gwen. He does his best to keep her from ever having any peace and love with Rhys.

I felt like this was the never ending story. Gwen and Rhys are going to get together...but then it's 5 years later and they're not. They plan it again...and time passes and their not. It did irritate me that Gwen had 2 kids with Alain and still wanted to leave him asap, even though I wasn't a fan of his character in general.

I would also have liked to have seen Rhys find out about his son, but expect it may happen in a later story.

The Traveller

Title: The Traveller (Anthology: A Knights Vow)
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: MacLeod (Book 4)
Genre: Time Travel, Historical Romance

Julianna is having a rough time in life. She's unemployed, broke, boyfriendless and trying to eat right - carob covered carrots?! She decides on a whim to write her friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth sends her a copy of Jamie's time traveling map and tells her to watch where she goes. Julianna is a bit cocky and goes to sit on The Bench that Elizabeth herself sat on (A Dance Through Time). She is transported back in time where she meets William.

William is the second son of an unsuccessful second son. He doesn't have much, but is given a keep as inheritance. His father steals the keep for himself and William is trying to get it back when he finds Julianna. In the end he trades his father the keep for Julianna and they go to the future.

Another 100 page quickie in an anthology. I adore when William comes to the future. It's another light hearted with characters that I don't recall seeing come up again yet. William is a de Piaget - I just realized this and wonder why it is in the MacLeods' grouping on the website but not the de Piaget. Hmm.

Till There Was You

Title: Till There Was You
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: MacLeod (Book 12) / De Piaget (Book 12)
Genre: Time Travel, Historical Romance

Zach, Elizabeth's brother (Jamie's wife; A Dance Through Time) has sworn off time traveling. Although he's done a lot with Jamie in the past, he wants to turn his life around. So he makes a list of all the things he's not going to do. Of course, this means that he is going to end up doing exactly all of those found on the list. He visits Artane and while stepping through a doorway in the keep is transported to the 13th century where he meets Mary.

Mary is somewhat of a tomboy. She loves to muck out horse stalls and care for her horses in general, including training/breaking them. Her father mentions several times that he went wrong when he set her on a horse for the first time. She is being forced into marrying a man from her time, but fears for her life.

Zach and Mary seem to fall for each other the minute the meet. Zach then continues to unintentionally woo her with his chivalrous side. The rest of her family treats her like one of the guys, so to be treated as a lady, yet accepted as she is makes her fall for Zach.

Unfortunately, Zach has had it drilled into him throughout his travels with Jamie that he cannot change the past or leave any "footprints." He suffers through knowing he can't have Mary but seems to come to terms with it. That is until he remembers that he saw her death date and it's only a few days from where he is. He throws caution into the wind and tries to save the one he loves.

I spent a lot of time consulting the family trees that are included in the back of the book. I feel like I'm really starting to get a handle of them. I definitely didn't do myself any service reading the books in a mixed up order. There is also a lot of references to previous books that I often don't understand.

Aside from that, I enjoyed Mary and Zach's story, but had one problem with it. I didn't feel like in any of the previous books leaving footprints seemed to be an issue. People were flying back and forth between times, taking items and animals through to different times and no one mentioned anything. Then, in Till There Was You, leaving a footprint is one of the main concerns. I feel like it kind of came totally out of left field.

Because I read the stories out of order, this is the first time that I am able to see a character from the past have to come to terms with living in the future. Previous to this, all of the past characters living in the future have already acclimated before their story takes place. I enjoyed hearing Mary describe the marvels of the future.

This is currently the last book in both the De Piaget series and MacLeods series. I've gotten my hands on all but 2 of the MacLeods series, and those two are on hold at the local library. This means I'm starting over at the beginning. Hopefully it will all come together.

When I Fall in Love

Title: When I Fall in Love
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: MacLeod (Book 10) / De Piaget (Book 4)
Genre: Time Travel, Historical Romance



Jennifer (MacLeod) McKinnon isn't really happy with where her life is. She's living in Manhattan, an amazing and on the up violin player. But, her apartment was broken into (again), stuff was stolen (again) and she has no love interest. She visits her sister in England and decides to do a little sightseeing while in the area. Thanks to a few family ghosts, she is thrust through a time gate into the 1300s where she meets Nicholas De Piaget.

Nicholas is rumored (in modern day through family folklore) to be the most perfect and chivalrous knight. He automatically knows that Jennifer is from the future because his brother-in-law is as well. He falls for her almost immediately and is somewhat rude to her because he doesn't want to fall for her and then have her leave.

After Jennifer tries 3 gates and none of them work, she realizes that she may be stuck in the past. Nicholas hasn't let her know that he knows her secret, nor has she told him. The two decide to spend 2 weeks together without worrying about the future and fall in love.

This book belongs to both series, because it is a crossover between the two families and it's not the only one. I am loving the author more and more. I feel like in many novels, you get to the ending and feel like you wish there was just a little more to see what happens. I feel like the author gives that to me. Usually I think the novel would traditionally be over, but there are another 2 or 3 chapters where we still get to follow them.

I love the little Time Travel complexities such as Jennifer's family seeing her name in the past in the current family history books. I was also a fan that the time gates seem to be such a revolving door that they can go back and forth to visit and such. Amazing.

Up next is one book I get to actually read in order - MacLeod series book 11!