Saved By My Blackguard

TIME TRAVEL:  It’s 1987, and stressed-out American Paul Dewitt is getting some R&R in Port Royal, Jamaica, when his walk on the beach is interrupted by a sudden storm. When a beautiful woman in eighteenth century period dress runs by, he chases her, falls, and awakens on the same beach, but 265 years earlier. In 1722 on St. Kitts, Lady Evelyn Beckett’s father puts her on a ship headed for England to marry the Duke of Southington. Mid-voyage, her ship gets boarded by pirates, and she becomes the charming pirate captain’s prisoner. When a superstitious crew member pushes her overboard, Evelyn swims to the nearest shore. Paul finds her and they hide out in a cave, growing closer each day, tucked away in their own private paradise—until they aren’t.

This is a pleasant read for lovers of time-travel fantasies. Though unremarkable in the genre, and needing some editing, the author gives enough insight to each character to keep the reader interested in their remarkable growth. Paul goes from an overly stressed, annoyingly and somewhat unlikeable character, to hero. Evelyn utilizes the strict and sometimes abusive upbringing she’s been subjected to in order to grow into a strong, independent young woman. It’s well worth sticking to this story to find out what happens to these two characters. Ms. Brower has given her readers a nice way to escape from our respective daily grinds with this one. Enjoyable read!

Lori Leger