Title: Across the Ages
Author: Gabrielle Meyer
Series: Timeless, book 4
Major Themes: Pirates, Prohibition, Historical, Time-Crossing
Synopsis: Born with the unique gift of living in the 1700s and 1900s at the same time, Caroline must figure out what happened when her mother disappeared, and navigate the chaos of Prohibition-era Minnesota.
I’ve eagerly anticipated each new installment of the Timeless series as it’s come out over the past few years. With Across the Ages, I had to wait a while until I could borrow and read it—it’s been a popular book in my library’s network! But once I got my hands on the story, I dove in. I love the way Gabrielle Meyer develops her characters, and, as always, the premise of the story is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this book wasn’t as good as some of the preceding books in the series. It was still fun, but it didn’t pack as much punch or have as many surprises as some of the other stories. Still, it was an enjoyable read.
Publisher’s description:
Caroline holds a deep secret. Living in 1727 and 1927 simultaneously, each night she goes to sleep in one life and wakes up in the other. In search of answers to her unique existence, Caroline stumbles upon a letter from her mother hinting at her own experiences as a time-crosser, sending Caroline on a daring quest to uncover the truth. In 1727, Caroline disguises herself as a cabin boy and joins a ship sailing for the Bahamas, her mother’s last known location, where she crosses paths with a ruthless but handsome pirate and is caught in a web of secrets, deception, and unexpected alliances.
In 1927 St. Paul, Minnesota, Caroline grapples with her other life as the daughter of a renowned preacher. Her two older brothers have fallen prey to the corruption rampant during Prohibition, and Caroline struggles to keep their involvement hidden to save her father’s career. As her search for answers about her time-crossing leads her to the dangerous yet exciting world of speakeasies, Caroline enlists the help of a childhood friend who is now a police officer. But with her family’s future at risk and their loyalties tested, Caroline faces a life-altering decision that could reshape her destiny.
My thoughts:
This book takes a turn from the first three books in the series. Where all of those followed the same family line, this book takes a jump into more uncharted territory—to someone who is a time-crosser but doesn’t know how it works or why she is the way she is.
In some ways, I was slightly disappointed from the beginning, because I felt like the series could have finished quite happily with book three, and now here was another book stuck on just for fun. Still, I can see how and why the author chose to add another book to the series, and I’m not complaining about having a little more time with this fun story concept and the glimpses of history the book gives us!
I really enjoyed getting to know and spend time with Caroline. It was fun to see how things went for her onboard a pirate ship—pirating is not a topic I’ve read about much. I identified even better with her as the daughter of a preacher who’s trying to find her feet in a world with many expectations. Some of the things she struggled with felt quite familiar to me, even if we live in vastly different worlds with much different circumstances. And the theme of singing for an audience of One? That truth sucker-punched me. It was a great reminder!
Overall, while I enjoyed Across the Ages, I didn’t feel like it was as deep or intriguing as the first two books in the series. I’m glad I got to read it, but I doubt I’ll want to re-read the story soon. If you like historical stories with a good amount of romance, some danger, and a good amount of drama, you would probably enjoy the story; for me, it felt a little on the fluffy side and didn’t have that nebulous something that pushes a book from good to great. I’ll be interested in finishing the series one day; hopefully, the last book will be better than this one!
WARNING: Blasted is used in ch. 7 and gee is used in ch. 22. There is lying in ch. 3, 8, 9, and 16, as well as an overarching lie through much of the book. Chapter 2: A woman dressed in a revealing way. Chapter 3: Mention of women’s monthlies. Chapter 4: Mention of a man who had multiple affairs and an illegitimate baby (this is referred to multiple times throughout the book). Chapter 12: Man goes to a brothel. Chapter 13: Story of a woman who divorced her husband and married someone else. Chapter 18: Mention of an unmarried man and woman living together (they eventually married). Chapter 20: Story of a woman who left her husband and took up with someone else, a robbery. Chapter 21: A miscarriage, mention of someone being someone’s mistress. Chapter 23: A kiss. Chapter 24: Woman’s life threatened. Chapter 25: Several kisses. Chapter 26: Story of a man who got drunk and was found naked with someone else. Chapter 27: Man tries to take advantage of a woman, a fight with a man’s life threatened, and a kiss. Chapter 28: A kiss. Chapter 31: A kiss, hint at the marriage bed. Historical Note: Mention of someone who was assaulted and then killed someone. Unmarried characters hold hands, hug, etc., fairly frequently throughout the story, and are forced to share a bedroom for quite a while (they have separate beds; nothing inappropriate happens). Smoking and drinking are mentioned occasionally.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com