Title: Honey from the Lion
Series: Love Across Time: Book Two
Author: Jackie North
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 306 Pages
Category: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Time Travel
At a Glance: Honey from the Lion will not only thrill historical fiction lovers but capture the hearts of those who love a good romance as well. I highly recommend this novel to you.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: Soulmates across time. A love that was meant to be.
In present day, Laurie, tired of corporate life, takes a much-needed vacation at Farthingdale Dude Ranch.
The very first night a freak blizzard combined with a powerful meteor shower takes Laurie back to the year 1891. When he wakes up in a snowbank, his only refuge is an isolated cabin inhabited by the gruff, grouchy John Henton, who only wants to be left alone. His sense of duty prevails, however, and he takes Laurie under his care, teaching him how to survive on the wild frontier.
As winter approaches, Laurie’s normal fun-loving manner make it difficult for him to connect with John, but in spite of John’s old-fashioned ways, the chemistry between them grows.
Sparks fly as the blizzard rages outside the cabin. Can two men from different worlds and different times find happiness together?
Review: Presenting time travel that isn’t immersed in the science fiction realm is not easy. However, author Jackie North not only rises to the occasion but, in my opinion, she knocks this one out of the park. Honey from the Lion is the second novel in North’s Love Across Time series but is a standalone and, quite simply stated, a beautiful romance. Not only that but as the novel is predominantly set in America circa the late 1800s, it is also a really well done historical fiction story.
When Laurie falls asleep under the stars at the dude ranch he has signed on at in order to escape his hectic professional life, he never imagines he will awake not only in a near whiteout snowstorm but a hundred plus years in the past. After realizing that he has no idea how to make it back to the present day nor how to survive in the current one, Laurie consigns himself to learning all he can from the taciturn cabin mate who rescued him and has now made it his job to take care of him—at least until the spring thaw.
John Henton prefers his solitude, having seen way too much horror and bloodshed in the war. He begrudgingly allows Laurie to stay in his cabin and proceeds to teach him how to survive. Laurie becomes a willing student, primarily so that he can be a helpmate to John, a man he is quickly growing to like quite a lot. But the times were not conducive to men making a home together in the conjugal sense, and John is slow to return Laurie’s affections. However, just as that tide begins to turn, Mother Nature takes over and all seems to be lost.
The real homage to the clever way in which Jackie North is able to unpack a bit of a history lesson while wrapping it up in a sweet, slow burning romance is for me to say that I never once felt like I was getting an info dump about life in the late 1800s. Instead, North wove her magic and enticed me into a cleverly written novel that swept me up into the past and kept me there by making her characters realistic and interesting. I loved this couple; both Laurie and John grew emotionally in their time together. John discovered for the first time how much the love of another man made him feel complete, while Laurie slowly shed his jaded attitude and impatient ways to transform into a man who embraced uncertainty with increasing bravery.
It was lovely to see these men change and allow their expressions of love to have freer reign. Never once did I forget I was in the past—the author kept me aware of how every day was more about survival than ease of living. Even though there was always work to be done, North took the time to weave sweet moments for John and Laurie to enjoy. Those were not limited to enjoying the bounty of nature that surrounded them but could also be found during a shared moment around the fire with Laurie resting his head against John’s knee. That was really gorgeous to read.
I am so eager to see what time/era this author will tackle next in her series. She is an impeccable historian who obviously doesn’t shy away from research and uses what she unearths to fashion really wonderful stories. I believe Honey from the Lion will not only thrill historical fiction lovers but capture the hearts of those who love a good romance as well. I highly recommend this novel to you.
You can buy Honey from the Lion here:
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