Escape: A Time Travel Romance Novel (The Shorten Chronicles) - Perfect for Historical Fiction Lovers & Book Club Discussions

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.I ordered, read, and loved Stranded in February 2021. It was one of the books that made the endless lockdown where I lived a little more bearable. When I reached the nail-biting cliff-hanger conclusion, I raced back to Amazon at 2:45 am to order the sequel only to learn.....that there wasn't one....yet! I was crushed, and as a result I did something I rarely ever do - I actually wrote to the author, Rosalind Tate, and asked as politely as possible - did she have a sequel in mind, and when the h*** might it be read?. She graciously wrote back and to my utter delight said that Escape would be published before too long, which indeed it was. I think she was moved by my whimperings of desperation and included me in the early release group.Escape is MARVELOUS, better of course if you've read Stranded, but still strong on its own. It continues and expands the plot (which is just so creative to begin with) and deepens and enriches its critical elements as sequels don't always manage to do. I literally sat up late night after night, torn between not wanting the book to end but yet dying to know what happened next. Escape is for me just one of those books that I finish reading...and then started all over again right away just to pay better attention to the structure of the novel and to how the elements are constructed...and to enjoy the truly juicy bits one more time. Tate manages what most time travel writers do not - to create realistic and relatable characters (not stock "bodice ripper" stereotypes with full lower lips) and then allows them to interact with the new/difficult/challenging situations in completely relatable and intuitive ways. Just great.Strong suggestion - get both books, unplug your electronic devices, pour extra cat food in the bowl and settle in on a long cold weekend for a great adventure out of time and mind.