One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance
May 3, 2011
Paperback
Jove
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “I’m not sure I’ll survive you.”
Tess Alexander is still trying to come to terms with the fact her sister, Pippa (One Enchanted Evening), is married to an honest to goodness 13th century knight and now lives in the 13th century with him. Though Tess, a professor of medieval history, has been deeded her very own medieval castle (Sedgewick), Tess remains with her feet firmly in the present. She has no time for fairy tales or mystical knights. When her car is in need of a minor repair she takes it to the small body shop in her village and sees him. The spitting image of her Pippa’s husband Montgomery. The husband who lives 800 yeas in the past. Tess refuses to get caught up in this nonsense again and does what any sensible rational person would do…she runs.
John de Piaget has no need for the past. His life is in the present and he plans to keep it that way. But seeing Tess fills him with emotion, memories, and fear as he finally understands what “love at first sight” truly means. And when Tess’s life and his past are threatened by an unknown assailant, John and Tess will have to trust in the past as time struggles to correct their future.
I have read Lynn Kurland for years. A Dance In Time was my first foray into her world and I never looked back. Ms. Kurland has a wonderful grip on the past and present as she gently guides her characters through the intricate rituals of time travel, betrayal, and love. What I truly enjoy about her stories is the air of innocence in them. The love affairs her characters embark upon are heart-stoppingly romantic. The “courting” will have you wishing for your very own medieval knight. Yet, the physical love scenes are almost none existence. Ms. Kurland relies on your imagination to produce those scenes. I also enjoy the fact you never know if they will stay in the present or choose to live in the past.
I have always adored John de Piaget (all the de Piagets in fact) but you do not get much more then glimpses of him in previous books so I was pleased he was finally getting his happily ever after. One Magic Moment is more quiet then the others. Ms. Kurland’s last couple of stories don’t have the same uniqueness to them that her earlier ones had. Smooth writing and a nice steady pace makes for easy reading but I didn’t feel the same edgy tension or sense of wonderment in here. Unfortunately, her last few novels show a surprising lack of imagination when it comes to the main conflict and plot lines.
Our Tess and John, our protagonists, are similar in personalities as they are both extremely cautious, quiet, yet full of surprises. Each of them has a secret that they do not want the other to know. I found extremely humorous each time they circled around each other, each saying they shouldn’t be doing this but unable to stay away. The romance is soft and sweet with remarkable chemistry that is felt off the pages. I found their personalities a little subdued compared to previous characters but it works for the storyline. I enjoyed watching John and Tess find love with each other.
Robin, Jennifer, Pippa and the rest of the past de Piagets all pay a visit and lighten up the story considerable. They’re bubbly personality and infectious humor added a much needed uplift to our solemn protagonists. Of course, Grandmere makes an appearance and she’s always good a few laughs with her dry wit and careful “handling”.
The main conflict is predictable as they hop through time to try and figure out what John did in the past to antagonize someone in the future. The ending was a bit pat with its necessary battle and the convenient “fairy hole”.
All in all, an enjoyable lightweight time travel romance; perfect for a lazy rainy day.
Rating: C
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Tori, you bring back the vibe of why I loved to read LK! She knows her romance, for sure! The More I See You is one of my all time fave’s of her :D
I have always loved LK. But lately, they seem to be all the same. A Garden In The Rain has always been my fav.
I have read some of her novels, not yet this one. But it is on my shelves, and I do like her writing. It only takes me too long to finish one of her novels.
I’ve always loved the concept of time travel-Somewhere In Time is one of my favorite movies (Jane Seymore/Christopher Reeves) but I don’t know this author so I’m curious-you wrote:
“When her car is in need of a minor repair she takes it to the small body shop in her village and sees him. The spitting image of her Pippa’s husband Montgomery. The husband who lives 800 yeas in the past. Tess refuses to get caught up in this nonsense again and does what any sensible rational person would do…she runs.”
So if it’s not too spoiler-ish…does de Piaget just “look” like Montgomery? I mean, if not she’d be shagging her sister’s husband, right?
Maybe I haven’t had enough coffee yet this morning. ;)
This series revolves around 2 families. The De Piagets and The Macleods. It flips between the future and the past. The 2 families are originally from the past-some stay there and some follow their loves to the future. John(our hero here) is Mile’s (pippa’s husband’s) almost twin brother. John is in the future-Miles is in the past. Pippa and Mile’s story is the one before this-One Enchanted Evening. You need to start at the beginning (A Dance In Time) otherwise you will be confused as all get out. lol
Hope that helps.
Have not ever really been “into” time travel novels but both of the books in this series seem to be interesting. I may break down and get them. Thanks for your review.
It’s a nice balance of humor, time, travel, romance and some interesting conflicts.
I would read it, sounds kind of fun and cute and I do like time-travels and such
They are cute. The beginning ones were absolute treasures. Very romantic. Along the lines of Julie Garwood.
I’ve only read one LK book, This is All I Ask which I thought was really good. I haven’t read anything else by her because I’m too much of a perv and don’t like it when the love scenes happen behind closed doors. But I do love time travel stories…maybe one day when I’m not so dirty I’ll read this series. ;)