Reviewer: Trudy Smith
Title: Right Man, Wrong Time
Author: C.J. Winters
Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory
ISBN: 0-7599-0850-8
Release Date: August 2003
Genre/Sub-genre: ParaRomance/Time Travel
Year/Setting: Present/1859/Missouri Ozarks
Overall rating: 3.9
Sexual content rating: Subtle
C.J.'s Website:
www.cjwinters.com
Since her ex-husband was so controlling, Susa (short for Susanne) Hildebrand has become a very independent woman. But she realizes her life is boring and her twins, Mark and Allison are nearly 18 and about to leave the nest. Contemplating these things during a guided-tour of a cave in the Ozarks, Susa falls behind her group, takes a wrong turn and climbs out a hole in the cave.
She’s, of course, disoriented at first but is determined to find her way back to the parking lot, only there isn’t one. After scouting the area and not finding what she thought she’d find, Susa climbs a tree to get out of the line of cougars, snakes or whatever other wildlife may be around. After a while she falls into the lap of Bickford Pelletier. It isn’t clear at first that Susa has climbed into 1859; but it doesn’t take long to know something isn’t right by the bewildered stare that Bick gives her after she asks where the microwave tower is and if he’s seen any jet trails.
Bick is a Canadian working for the American government taking aerial photographs for the government mapmakers. Yes, that’s aerial, as in hot-air balloon. Not meeting up with the men who are suppose to help him, he persuades Susa to help and in exchange he will bring her back to the caves so she can return to her time. It doesn’t take too much to get Bick to believe that Susa has fallen back in time but she has a few things in her wallet that are persuasive. Her goal is to help Bick finish his job so he will take her back to the cave to return to her children and the life she left behind.
Susa struggles somewhat with the rugged outdoors. She tangles with mules, rides through storms, encounters runaway slaves and even outlaws among other things. But Bick protects and comforts her, which is more than she knew her ex or even boyfriend to do. Susa is independent and Bick appreciates that though she drives him crazy by not following his orders. The attraction soon grows strong and love blooms.
Though they’ve known each other only a week, it’s the deep soul-mate type love. Susa’s trying to design a plan to get Bick to go to the future with her. As is Bick thinking of all the things he will say to Susa to get her to stay.
Will they stay in 1859 or go "back to the future"? Don’t want to give away too much.
C. J. Winters must have a great sense of humor as it comes out in the thoughts Susa has after she discovers the year she’s fallen into. Susa also finds herself saying things to Bick she forgets he wouldn’t have a clue what she’s talking about, like her "friend" Mary Poppins.
The characters are very strong. It’s obvious that both Susa and Bick are both determined to have what they know but they also have the compassion and love for each other to see them through their time-warp. C.J. also writes very strong secondary characters. Some that help Susa and Bick and others that want to rip them apart.
Since this is a short book, at times, it seemed as if things were jumping from scene to scene and didn’t always make a smooth transition from one to the other. However, you can understand what is happening as you’re brought into the past with C.J.’s descriptive writing. I would have liked an expanded version of the story to see what other situations Susa and Bick could have gotten into. It would have also helped the ending as it came up very fast.
I’m sure readers of all genres will enjoy a little trip to the past and back again. Right Man, Wrong Time is an enjoyable read and allows the reader to slip away for a time. Take the time to slip to the past and back to the future, you’ll be glad you did.
Trudy
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