A Hitch in Time (Time Passages) [Paperback]

Christine Holden (Author)

Book Description

Series: Time Passages | Publication Date: October 3, 2000

A modern-day man facing a personal dilemma. A New Orleans belle facing a loveless marriage. An enchanted pocket watch brings them together-can love's magic keep them that way?

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jove (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515129283
• ISBN-13: 978-0515129281
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,050,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steeped in historical detail - highly entertertaining read, November 1, 2000

By 

Elena Channing - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Hitch in Time (Time Passages) (Paperback)

New Orleans, 1853 Law student Andrew Montague is desperate for money to continue his studies and support his two-year old daughter, Teal, but his estranged and tyrannical father has cut off his funds. He wants Drew to quit law school and concentrate on the family business. Extremely unhappy, but realizing he has no other choice if he wishes to support Teal, Drew agrees to a deal with his father. If, after working at the plantation and learning the family business for one full year, Drew still wants to continue learning the law, his father will release funds to let him do so. However, things don't turn out quite as planned. On the way back from walking his daughter's nanny to the bus stop, Drew comes across an old pocket watch hanging from a hitching post. Upon remembering an old chant one of his nannies had sung to him as a child, he finds himself struggling with a strong and unexplained need to chant it again. The ticking of the watch grows louder and louder and everything starts spinning. When the world finally rights itself again, Drew realizes the ticking has been replaced by silence. However, that's not all that has been replaced...

Despite the fact that she was younger than her sister, Marianne Beaufort has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has promised herself into a loveless marriage in order to ensure that her mother and sister, Genevieve, can afford to maintain the lifestyle they led before her father died of the Fever. Marianne has accepted the marriage proposal of an affluent gentleman, Rafe Montague, who, aside from being the powerful and extremely wealthy owner of a prosperous plantation, is also known for his nasty temperament. On the night of her engagement to Rafe, Marianne is already late for the ball at the hotel when she almost trips over a man curled up outside the entrance. Concerned that he maybe hurt or that he's been robbed, she is drawn to him. The attraction between the two is instantaneous and strong. However, Rafe is not a man to stand by and watch his betrothed fall for another man - regardless that the man Mari is falling for is Rafe's great, great-grandson!

Set in the years of pre-Civil War, A HITCH IN TIME carries the reader back to a New Orleans when sacrifices made in the name of family honor were the norm and where deaths due to the Yellow Fever were common. Christine Holden's latest time travel romance promises a few hours of pleasure to those who like to read stories rich in historical flavor.

With wonderfully drawn and complex characters like Marianne, Drew and Rafe, I found myself swiftly turning the pages, eagerly anticipating what would happen next. Ms Holden has written an entertaining love story that glides along with enormous authority. The emotions and thoughts for each character were well depicted and I found myself thoroughly enmeshed in the tale. Rafe's character was very well written for he certainly came across as a true and very nasty villain!

A HITCH IN TIME boasts a plot that is made more interesting because of Drew's knowledge of his family history. The dialogue was witty and natural to the characters, especially the French phrases that added charm and authenticity to the story. However, what appealed to me most was the way Ms Holden wove her extensive research into the story so that it didn't come across as a history lesson at all, but rather as an integral part of the story. Facts like the sights and smells of what New Orleans must have been like in 1853, were extremely well presented.

For readers who enjoy time travel romances and stories steeped in historical details, A HITCH IN TIME is definitely a book worth reading.

Elena Channing...

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A time travel book you can believe in, October 10, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hitch in Time (Time Passages) (Paperback)

In New Orleans, single father Andrew "Drew" Montague wants to continue his studies at Tulane Law School. However, his estranged father cuts him off with no money for school or to support his little toddler, Teal. His parents offer Drew a deal. If he works at the family plantation for one year, they will fund his schooling if he chooses to return. Because of Teal, Drew accepts.

That night, Drew escorts Teal's nanny to the bus stop. On his way back home, Drew touches a watch on a hitching post. When he awakens, he finds himself in 1853 where he meets Marianne Beaufort, fiancée to Drew's great, great grandfather, Rafe. As Drew and Marianne fall in love, he must watch out for the jealous, dangerous Rafe. He also worries a great deal about his beloved Teal.

A HITCH IN TIME is an entertaining time travel romance that will entice sub-genre fans to seek out other works by Christine Holden. The story line is fun especially Drew's various dilemmas and paradoxes. The cast, both contemporary and historical, adds depth to the characterizations of Marianne and Drew. This in turn allows the audience a better understanding of each of them. Readers will be beholden to the author if she writes more novels like A HITCH IN TIME.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Read, February 11, 2002

By 

C. Gruver "ferretlady" (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hitch in Time (Time Passages) (Paperback)

To be perfectly honest, time travel romances are not my favorite romances to read. However, this book may have changed my mind. Normally, these books have a woman going back in time and meeting the man of her dreams. However, this book has the hero going back in time to 1853, where he finds the woman of his dreams. But this woman, Marianne is engaged to wed his great-great grandfather, Rafe Montague. Rafe has taken an intense hatred of our hero, Drew. From there, the story escalates into a mad rush for Drew to find the pocketwatch, convince Marianne to return to 2000 with him, and keep the family's sugar plantation, Bienvenu, from ruin. I loved this book and it definitely has a spot in my bookcase.