As a child, Pulcheria is brought to see her mother's body by her father, Roman Emperor Flavius Arcadius.  At this scene, Pulcheria is told to follow God, protect her brother and her people.  Pulcheria takes this to heart and when her father dies suddenly leaving seven-year old Theodosius II as Emperor, Pulcheria does everything in her power to keep the control with her and her brother and not be cast aside.  With her strict religious training, Pulcheria and her sisters vow to be sworn virgins of the Church, evading being married off and sent away.  Pulcheria quickly becomes Theo's most trusted advisor and rules beside him as his equal.  However, as Theo ages his interests are pulled toward romance and ruling as his own man.  As Pulcheria is pushed out of the government and into the Church, she continues to provide for the people of Rome.  As Theo's reign is endangered by one of his eunuchs and the Huns threaten to invade, Pulcheria must win her way back into her brother's heart to help save the empire she loves.

Covering 50 years of history, Dawn Empress is the second book in The Theodosian Women series.  Pulcheria is yet another strong woman and a force to be reckoned with.  She honed her power in interesting ways:  always sensing others motives and being one step ahead,  and a manipulative decisiveness paired with a caring nature.  The writing pulled me into 5th Century Rome with well researched descriptions of the dress, food, palace and churches.  I enjoyed reading about the many true events that the book incorporates and especially the rule of Theodosious II and the reasoning behind his decisions that defined the period.  I was intrigued by Pulcheria's need to protect her brother and family coupled with her need for control and power over her people's religion.  While Pulcheria made some wonderful decisions for Rome, others left me questioning her reasoning.  Overall, another amazing story of a compelling, influential woman in history.

​Two small villages in Cornwall, 1820 have been feuding for years after the murder of Charity Perrow's mother.  Jethro Ennor's father was accused but acquitted of the crime.  Now, Charity takes care of her father and brothers, but feels trapped in her home.  Jethro is a farrier who desperately wants to leave his violent and drunk father, but needs to wait until his little brother is of age.  While roaming the woods collecting mushroom for the town bonesetter, Charity and Jethro meet without knowing who the other is.  Even after they find out, Charity and Jethro can't stay away from one another.  However, another danger lurks in the woods.  Henry Blight, a returned soldier from Waterloo has come back to seek revenge against those who made him commit an unspeakable act years ago.  


Along Came A Soldier is a complex and intriguing historical murder mystery paired with romantic suspense. The characters were interesting and caught my attention early along with the tensions between the two towns.  Charity is caring and  adventurous.  Jethro is impulsive and rough around the edges.  Together,  Charity and Jethro make a perfect pair. Henry is haunted, showing signs of what we would call PTSD, but still wanted to right his wrong from the past making him a sympathetic villain.  I also loved Grace's knowledgeable, meddling and well-meaning character, although I don't know why her boobs had to be described every time she moved.  The mystery also pulled me along, though I had the gist of it pretty early, element were added to the very end for an unexpected and satisfying ending. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Mark Lane is about to put in place a decision that will change the life of his family, a corporation and possibly history.  Mark has invented the Time Box in conjunction with the Janus corporation headed up by billionaire Robert Devereaux.   When Mark learns that Robert will only use the Time Box for evil, he makes a difficult decision to sabotage the company, steal the working Time Boxes and disappear into the past with his family. Mark, his wife Mary and children Jordan, Laura, Jeremy and Ashley travel in haste to 1865 Virginia.  The family tries to fit in and rebuild a life as best they can.  However, Robert Devereaux will not let Lane's betrayal slide.  Devereaux's team rebuilds a Time box and sends a hit man into the past  to enact revenge.


The Lane Betrayal is a high-stakes, action packed time travel adventure.  From the very first page the suspense is heightened as Mark destroys his friend's company and is chased into the past.  There are a lot of characters in this book, but they are all very well developed and distinctive.  The Lane's are very family oriented and serve one another well. None of the family members are perfect, but they are all trying their best to do what is right during a very weird situation.   The assassin added another layer of danger with a cold-hearted and focused attitude.  The setting of the tail end of the Civil War was an interested choice.  There is a lot of danger in the time period, especially for the men, but it was a time that they knew about well.  I enjoyed reading about Laura's time as a nurse in the field hospital.  Though her time there was difficult, it was authentic and realistic to the time period.  It was also interesting to read about the family's interactions with Lincoln himself and his advisors.  I was intrigued at the family's outlook at potentially changing history and the influence that their presence has had.  With a cliffhanger ending, I can't wait to jump into the next book and next time period with the Lane family.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Pincus Potasznik is a Jewish cobbler living in Galicia.  In 1910, he receives an opportunity to travel to New York and set up a landsman society through his rabbi. Pincus decides to travel to New York making the decision to leave his pregnant wife Clara and their children at home and return for them later.  On the voyage to New York, Pincus does not fare well, but with the help of Jakob Adler, her makes it.  Jakob befriends Pincus and they decide to help one another after landing.  However, Jakob is running from an accidental murder of a Warsaw crime boss and has fallen right into the Jewish gangs of New York with boss Leo Gorpatsch.  On the boat over Pincus also has his palm read and receives a warning to bring his oldest son over within the year.  With the help of Jakob's connections and Pincus' skills, they set up a cobbler shop which also fronts as a way for Jakob to collect payment for Gorspatsch.  Soon Pincus is so busy with his shop and Landsman Society that he can't imagine finding time to go home to retrieve his family.  Back in Galicia, four years have passed.  Clara has had her baby and the children have grown.  She has kept her home and the cobbler shop running.  War has broken out near Galicia.  Pincus and Jakob plan to rescue the family while delivering a package overseas for Gorspatsch.  This opens up a whole new world of trouble for everyone, but also a world of hope.


A Cobbler's Tale combines an immigrant's story along with the suspense of the Jewish Mafia, World War I and mysticism. The story focuses on Pincus, but the point of view bounces between Pincus, Jakob and Clara giving a rounded to view to the immigrant experience and the time Clara was left in Galicia.  I was surprised at the reach of the Jewish Mafia.  Pincus and Jakob might not have survived their first years with same ease if it were not for Gorspatsch, although it would have saved them a world of heartache later.  PIncus' journey closely reflected that of a Jewish immigrant at the time and was loosely based on the author's grandparents.  The writing easily conveyed the living conditions and the feeling of community within the Lower East Side.   I felt a lot of sympathy for Clara's character, left to raise children, run a shop and survive in a war zone without knowing when Pincus would come back for her and the children.  Her strength and courage shone as Clara protected her children and helped her community.  Jakob's character was very interesting, always seeming to find trouble and falling in with the gangs, despite his friendship with Pincus, he tends to cause trouble for him over and over.  There was a layer of added suspense and mystery with PIncus' oldest son, Moshe and his talent of foreseeing grim events.  Known as a tzaddik, Moshe's talent can help his family, but is sought out by others.  Incorporating this mysticism creates an exciting and dangerous ending that pulls together Pincus' journey.  Overall, A Cobbler's Tale has a lot going on and offers an action packed historical journey of a Jewish immigrant with a touch of magic.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​Moshe is a cobbler in 1960's Manhattan.  He runs the same cobbler shop that his father began as a immigrant and where Moshe discovered that he was a tzaddik. In Judaism a tzaddik is a righteous person who is given powers by the Almighty.  Moshe had the ability to comfort people in times of great pain, but hasn't felt the connection for awhile.  Moshe's skills as a tzaddik are called upon one day by a man named Gray who works for city councilman Arnold Lieberman.  Arnold has come upon a rasha, the enemy of the tzaddik who uses their powers for evil.  The rasha is Solomon Blass who uses his prophetic dreams for his own benefit and has become part of New York City's crime ring.  As Solomon ages he seeks to put his son Myron in control by making him mayor.  In order to stop the rasha, Moshe begins training in the dream world in order to destroy the rasha's soul.  

The Righteous One is a follow up to A Cobbler's Tale. While it is not necessary to read A Cobbler's Tale first,  it does help to understand how Moshe's gift originated.  The Righteous One creates an intersection between the organized crime of New York City in the 1960's and Jewish magical realism or the tzaddik, rasha and the dream world.  It did take me a little while to get into the story as the points of view bounced between Solomon and Myron and Moshe and Arnold.  I felt more grounded in the story as Moshe learned more about the dream world with Noa and Gray.  I would have loved to learn more about these two, especially Noa's lineage.  I also enjoyed the character development of Myron's character.  Through Myron, the effect of organized crime on New York City's infrastructure becomes apparent.  His character was also one who went through a lot of transformation and I wish his story wasn't cut short.  Moshe's revelations as a tzaddik and his abilities in the dream world were intriguing and I would have loved to spend some more time there.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Jasmine Bai has been sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins in Chungking during World War II.  Her parents are still in Nanking teaching at a college.  As the Japanese close in and the danger intensifies, Jasmine decides to travel to Nanking and convince her parents to leave.  Jasmine arrives in Nanking just as the Japanese decide to massacre everyone in their path.  Jasmine miraculously survives Nanking after witnessing unspeakable atrocities and reunites with aunt, uncle and cousin in time for the threat of danger to reach Chungking.  Jasmine and her cousin, Daisy are sent to a remote country village in western China.  Here, Jasmine and Daisy rescue a downed Flying Tiger, Danny.  Danny is injured and sick with malaria, with the help of the village doctor, Jasmine and Daisy help care for him.  However, the Japanese have heard that the Flying Tiger has been hiding in the Village of Peach Blossoms and will stop at nothing to capture Danny.  Jasmine, Daisy and the villagers risk everything to keep Danny safe so he can continue fighting for them.  


Wings of a Flying Tiger captured me in the opening scene with Danny's bravery, passion for the cause and immense emotion.  I didn't really know about The Flying Tigers and were amazed to learn about these real heroes,  a group of American volunteers under of the Chinese Air Force.  After that first scene, the perspective is switched to Jasmine for a while.  Jasmine is an intelligent young woman who knows what she wants and does it, which is rare for a young woman in China at the time.  While I was aware of the Nanking Massacre, the writing of the violence was intense and graphic, however; I'm sure it only conveyed a fraction of the true terror of harrowing reality of those six weeks. I was amazed at the resilience and fortitude of the people who managed to survive.  When Danny and Jasmine's stories collide, the danger intensifies but the element of romance is added.  They both have an immense amount of respect for each other and the situation that they are in.  I was astonished at the collective protection of the town towards Danny and their willingness to do anything to keep him safe for the greater good.  The ending is gut wrenching and heartbreaking, showing the true courage of people fighting for their freedom.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

​Scott Stoddard is enjoying his honeymoon in the South of Fance in 1964.  Scott, an American student studying in Geneva has just married the former Countess de Rovere, Desiree in an unexpected and whirlwind romance when a letter from the draft board appears saying his status is under review.  Scott must now report to a base in Germany to be tested and then tested again only to learn that the CIA is forcing him to train as a spy and use his new social status to gain information and pass it along.  Scott is not pleased about how he has to go about his duty, keep secrets from his new wife and spend time away from his baby daughter.  However, he finds a way to use this position for good as well as finding a way back to his life. 


A Spy With Scruples is the sequel to An Improbable Pairing, while this could be read as a stand-alone it is helpful to know Scott and Desiree backgrounds and romance.  This picks up right after the first book with the couple enjoying married life and waiting for the arrival of their new baby.  Much like the first book, A Spy with Scruples is a tour of the opulence and luxury of the upper class European community.  The descriptions dazzle with the dress of the time period, the hotels, restaurants and cuisine, vacation resorts and parties.  Desiree shines with her charm and intellect, I'm not at all surprised that she caught on to Scott's situation.  Scott remains one of the luckiest and fast-thinking men ever; even though he was in a less than desirable situation, it was better than having to fight in Vietnam.  Scott's time as a spy was filled with suspense, but not a lot of action.  Through his articles and meetings, I was able to see the many intricacies of the influences of different European countries during the Cold War.  I particularly liked his interviews with Vietnamese families and tracking of former Nazi's.  Overall, A Spy with Scruples offers a different kind of spy thriller focused on the gathering of information.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

For her entire life Mirelle has known life behind the Ghetto gates.  Every Jew in Ancona, Italy must live within the gated area.  Her father runs a renowned Ketubah workshop and Mirelle relishes in the artistry, she also has a talent for keeping her father's accounting books in check.  However, as Mirelle becomes a marriageable age, it becomes improper for her to work in the shop. Mirelle's parents also have a very wealthy suitor in mind for her.  As these changes come into Mirelle's life, Napoleon's French Troops arrive in Ancona. With the troops arrives Christopher, a French soldier who makes Mirelle question her faith, her morals and her family.

Beyond the Ghetto Gates is a transformative coming of age story as well as a deeply historical account of Napoleon's influence on Jewish communities during his Italian Campaign in 1796.  I didn't know anything about Napoleon's time in Italy and was amazed by the changes he created as well as his infatuation with a miracle portrait of a Madonna. The writing changes between the points of view of Mirelle, Daniel and Christopher in Napoleon's troops and a Catholic family, Emilio and Francesca. All of these points of view are important to the story, however, it takes a little while to set everything up and the story didn't completely capture my interest until everyone's story lines came together.  Mirelle's character was very well written.  From the beginning I was amazed by her intelligence, steadfastness, caring nature and maturity.  Mirelle's journey to find her purpose in life is a difficult one, filled with missteps, challenges and self realization.  I appreciated that while romance was a part of the story, it was not what Mirelle fell back on in order to improve herself.  Through Daniel and Christopher we see the impact of Napoleon's campaign through the eyes of both a Jewish and Catholic soldiers and their interactions with the citizens of Ancona.  They see the effects of injustice as well as the positive and negative effects of faith on people and what that can drive them to do.  I didn't know anything about Napoleon's Italian campaign or even the original Italian Ghettos before reading this and was glad to open my eyes to this part of history.  The writing created vivid imagery of Ancona, the Ketubah workshop and the dazzling homes.  Beyond the Ghetto Gates is an amazing story of courage, hope and doing what's right. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Fifteen year old Tommy Arthur has had an interesting few years.  After his grandfather lost their family inheritance, the Arthur family was left destitute and Tommy fled to the prairie to survive.  Now, he is back in Des Moines with his mother and sisters, having found housing with the independent business woman Violet Pendergrass, an anomaly in 1892. Tommy tries his best to earn money for the family, working odd jobs selling prayers for the Reverend, being a bell boy at a hotel and doing some things for Miss Pendergrass.  As much as Tommy wants to be a good person, help his family and save money for their future, but it seems everybody else would like to see him fail. The Reverend asks him to steal trinkets from the houses that he delivers prayers to, Miss Pendergrass isn't forthcoming with what exactly the women in her house are up to and Tommy easily falls into the comforts of drink and gambling.  When Tommy's little sister, Yale is taken to a house for imbeciles he knows that it is time to be a man and help his family.  Luckily, Tommy has family and friends who still believe in him and know that he is a good person.

The Thief's Heart is a story of struggle and survival in the late 19th century.  This is the 4th book in The Letter series and while I could tell that a lot had happened before this book began, I did not feel lost at all.  I did find myself wrapped up in Tommy's strife and constant attempts to make his and his family's life better.  I had a lot of sympathy for Tommy as his successes were cut down and attempts to right wrongs were squashed by miscommunication or circumstance and found myself frustrated for him.  The love of family and friends stood out for me. Tommy is willing to sacrifice, steal and work unsavory jobs in order to help, but he is slow to see how other's are trying to help him.  One of the friendships and characters that I absolutely adored was Frank the crow, a perfect companion as well as an addition of humor.  Along with Frank, Pearl Riverside's character adds a lightness to balance Tommy's edge with her honest and strong personality as well as her ability to rebound from many situations.  As a lover of historical fiction, The Thief's Heart is a perfect read for me, bringing me back to the late nineteenth century in the midwest.  I enjoy Kathleen Shoop's seamless addition of touches of magic throughout the story to create hope, wonder and whimsy.

The five Carson siblings have been in turmoil since the disappearance of their parents several months earlier.  When oldest sibling, Adam receives a packet from his parent's lawyer, the pieces begin to come together.  However, the packet reveals a secret website set up by their parents telling of their discovery of time travel portals and the subsequent adventures in different time periods.  After Adam reviews the evidence and reads through how the portals work, he gets his siblings together and they unanimously vote to travel through time in order to reach their parents.  They plan to go through a portal near their hometown in Arizona, taking them back to the 1880's; however when they step through the portal they end up near Johnstown, Pennsylvania in December 1888.  The siblings quickly try to acclimate themselves into the time and begin the search for their parents. For twin siblings, Cody and Caitlin, this means enrolling in school. For middle brother, Greg, an adventure into the truly wild west to track a lead in Arizona territory and California.  For Natalie, using her journalism skills to follow leads while Adam manages information and holds down the fort from the temporary home at the Colbert Boarding House.  Even though the sibling's main objective is to find their parents and return home, the extended stay in Johnstown has led to romantic entanglements for four of the five siblings and their parents keep slipping through their fingers.  On May 31st, 1889, the Johnstown flood devastates the town and the inhabitants leaving the Carson siblings in disarray.

River Rising is an epic time travel adventure.  This is a story you will want to take your time with and sink into.  From the moment the five siblings walk through the time portal and into 1880's Pennsylvania, ​I knew I was in for an exciting ride.  Amazingly, all five siblings: Adam, Greg, Natalie, Cody and Caitlin are very well developed and individual characters.  They each take turns at telling their part of the story through their point of view while continuing a cohesive story line. Pennsylvania 1888-89 was a wonderful year to travel back to; much like the Carson siblings I was amazed at the time period where Benjamin Harrison had just been elected President, Mark Twain was in his prime, the West was still wild and Punxsutawney Phil has made his first appearance.  Through the sibling's eyes, I was able to see many of these events first hand.  Unlike the characters in Heldt's other time travel series, the Carson siblings did not travel through time thinking about the possibility of altered timelines.  I am very interested in how their very involved actions in 1888 may have altered things in the present.  I am also very interested in how the time portals work; it is know that they appear on solstices and seem to appear in areas that are known to be sacred or have paranormal activity.  I would love to figure out more about them and where else they seem to pop up.  Near the end of the Carson sibling's grand adventure, the game of cat and mouse that they have been playing with their parents seems to be no closer to the end and the intensity increases when tragedy strikes with Johnstown flood; I had a hard time putting the book down. Ending, with a huge cliffhanger, I can not wait to see what happens with the Carson family next. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The five Carson siblings plus their new sister-in-law, Bridget have just stepped through a time portal from 1889 into 1918.  They are still playing a game of Marco-Polo through time trying to find their parents, Tim and Caroline who have taken a detour on their time-travel adventure. This time they are hoping to catch their parents as they visit their ancestors.  Adam and his new and pregnant wife Bridget settle in a cabin in the backwoods of Minnesota, neighbors to two women set to marry into their family.  Greg agrees to travel into the potential dangers of Mexico, hoping to find his parents near where his great-grandparents live.  Instead, Greg finds a woman that may finally be his match.  Natalie takes a reporting job on the front lines of the War in France meeting the son and husband of a friend from 1889 as well as some ancestors. Meanwhile, Cody and Caitlin track down a friend from 1889 that is very surprised by the fact they the twins are still 18 years old.  With all of their trekking through time, the Carson family seems even more scattered, but they are closer to finding their parents than they think.


An exciting, risk filled, time travel adventure filled with romance, intrigue and history, The Memory Tree picks up right where River Rising, the first book of the Carson Chronicles leaves off. I would definitely recommend reading these books in order since so much happens in River Rising. I was so happy to begin reading about the Carson clan once again in a new time period.  I have enjoyed the device used for time travel in the books, a portal that opens only at solstices and equinoxes that will transport you to different times depending on when you walk through. I was able to learn more about the portals in this book along with more information about who uses them.  In The Memory Tree, we also delve into the Carson family history by meeting many of the Carson ancestors.  I am very anxious to see the results of the future Carson's family presence in the time of the ancestors.  This time, it seems to have altered some important events in their family tree.  With having the Carson family spread out, I was also able to witness many events that happened in 1918. As World War I came to an end, Natalie witnessed firsthand accounts of injured soldiers returning from the front in France and senseless killings even after the War ended.  Adam and Bridget survived a forest fire that ravaged Cloquet, Minnesota.  Greg witnessed Tijuana before it was a tourist town and when money was above the law.  Most interestingly, Cody and Caitlin were able to reconnect with a friend from 1889 and see the effects of the War on a family that has been left behind.  With moments that range from heartbreaking to heartwarming and exciting to mysterious, The Memory Tree is another expertly crafted tale within the Carson Chronicles.  I can't wait to continue their adventures into the 1940's.



This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The five Carson siblings plus two new sisters-in-law and a new baby have entered a new time period in pursuit of their parents yet again.  Now the large group has entered into 1943 Arizona, a dangerous time especially for the three men who are all of age to be drafted.  They all quickly find jobs that will help the war effort.  Cody drives a supply truck that makes deliveries to an Internment Camp where he befriends a family.  Caitlin and Natalie maintain airplanes and meet two aviators.  Adam settles down with his wife and child as well as finding a job teaching English to Chinese pilots.  Greg along with his new wife are also finding their way in a new time, but with the same old problems that continue to haunt him.  With extensive knowledge of the events of World War II, the Carson clan must be extra careful to make sure they are fitting in with their time period.


Exhilarating and endearing, Indian Paintbrush offers an engaging time-travel adventure into 1943 with the Carson siblings.  I would highly recommend reading this series in order to get to know all of the characters and motivations.  I enjoyed diving right back into the action when the Carson family crossed through the veil into 1943 from 1918.  I was excited to learn how they would fit into a time period that they had more knowledge of and how the brides from 1889 and 1918 would do with the continued changes. After two previous time hops, the group is getting better at assimilating to the time period. As with the past two installments, I was impressed at how well immersed into the time period I felt.  Between the siblings, the writing explored the Internment Camps and the treatment of the citizens that were held there, the loss of a loved one during Pearl Harbor, the training program to be an aviator and romance during wartime.  I was surprised to see how some of the characters from the past time periods were integrated as well as how trouble the Carson's have caused in the past is still affecting them in 1943.  Their mission to find and reconnect with their parents is still their mission, however, it seems that the Carson family might be fated to near misses.  I can't wait to see how the next time period treats the Carson's.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​The growing Carson family has made a speedy and dangerous exit out of 1943 and has arrived in 1962- 10 years prior to the year they want to be in to find their parents.  The Carson siblings plan on settling in for a few months before they can make their next hop to 1983.  For Cody and Caitlin, this means college.  With a little help from new family members that they met in 1943, Cody and Caitlin gain admittance to Boulder University and relish their college experience in 1962.  Cody rushes fraternities, goes on panty raids and falls hard and fast for Caitlin's roommate, Molly.  Caitlin studies hard but also uses the experience to grieve for her airman from 1943 and move on.  Caitlin finds hope in two young men, Vince and Dennis.  As she gets to know the two young men, only one will win her heart.  The Carson parents arrive as planned in 1972 and quickly find out that their children have not reached the same year.  Looking back through news articles, Tim and Caroline Carson find the worst news that they could receive- one of their children has been killed in the past.  Further research gives them the name and unfortunate background of the killer and sets the Carson parents in action to attempt to stop a killer before he is born.  

Caitlin's Song is the fourth book in the Carson Chronicles series.  I would very much advise reading this series in its intended order to keep the timelines straight and really get to know the characters. I'm glad that Caitlin finally had a happy story, although it easily could have turned out differently.   In each of the Carson's adventures, there has always been a very good sense of the time period the family is in and this is no exception.  From the diners, to the cars, fraternities and hairstyles, 1962 is shown in it's glory.  The Cuban Missile crisis is the event the the Carson siblings know will cause drama in that year, but they are a little too confident that their actions have not changed anything in the past.  It was really interesting to see how things played out when the Carson's were not sure of the future.  Caitlin's story was intensely emotional as she processes grief, changing time periods, excitement of starting college and finding love again.  I was glad that this story also focused more on the Carson parents and their journey.  This time, Tim and Caroline have many difficult choices to make that involve more than just finding their children.  It was interesting to see what they did and how it simultaneously affected their children's timeline.  With the Carson's next jump in time to 1983, I can't wait to see what awesome adventures unfold for Cody.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

The Carson family plus new significant others and children have landed in 1983, what should be the last stop on their last stop through time in order to finally reunite with their parents and head back to 2017.  This time, twin siblings Cody and Caitlin plus 1962 transplant, Dennis are planning on getting jobs at the summer camp in Maine that their teenaged parents first met at in hopes that their older parents will visit the camp as well.  Everything is going to plan until Cody, Caitlin and Dennis are paired up in cabins with their teenaged parents. The teens are worried that they might upset the timeline even more and prevent their parents from getting together.  Furthermore, Cody meets Karen at camp and they immediately form a connection.  However, in addition to being a time-traveler, Cody and Karen's relationship seems doomed because of a secret that Karen is hiding.


Camp Lake is the fifth and last book in the Carson Chronicles.  This heartfelt conclusion to the epic series kept my attention with plenty of surprises for a family that I felt I've gotten to know pretty well over five books. I found myself simultaneously wanting the story not to end as well as desperately wanting the  Carson family to finally reunite.  The writing keeps the suspense in Camp Lake heightened as the whole family searches for one another knowing that this is the last stop on their time travel journey as well as everyone attempting not to destroy their own timelines.   Balanced with the suspense is the wholesome feeling and love that the Carson Clan shares.  Despite being in desperate situations,  the Carson's always support one another and pull through.  I loved the setting of a summer camp in the 1980's.  Everything about the experience and setting seemed fitting. This book focuses on Cody, who throughout the series has always formed a deep bond with women in each time period, but hasn't yet found the one. Cody and Karen's relationship seems like it was meant to be, they challenge one another and Karen is empowered, intelligent and strong-willed.  While I couldn't wait for the Carson parents and siblings to finally reunite, I was amazed when they finally did.  I was very happy with the reunion as well as the send off of the family members when back in their own time. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.