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Timeless Passion
SEPARATE YESTERDAYS
When Brianne Quinlan woke up after the accident, she thought she was losing her mind. Gone were the last things she remembered: her car, the highway, and the tall buildings that lined the road. Instead she found herself in a meadow surrounded by trees and rolling lawns. And when she lifted her head her eyes met the magnetic blue gaze of the most remarkably handsome man she'd ever seen. As he effortlessly lifted her onto his horse, Brianne was unable to even utter a protest...
ONE TOMORROW
On a routine ride to survey his plantation, Ryan Barrington could not believe what he saw. Lying beneath a tree was a beautiful woman, dressed in bizarre clothing, her long copper-colored hair surrounding her like a veil. He had never seen such a fetching apparition, and he was sure that she had been sent by a friend to entice him. He thought to send her on her way, but when he lifted her in his arms Ryan knew he was lost. He caressed her creamy flesh and kissed her ripe lips feeling a rush of desire that could not be denied. He vowed to find out her true identity and make her is own with TIMELESS PASSION.
When Brianne Quinlan woke up after the accident, she thought she was losing her mind. Gone were the last things she remembered: her car, the highway, and the tall buildings that lined the road. Instead she found herself in a meadow surrounded by trees and rolling lawns. And when she lifted her head her eyes met the magnetic blue gaze of the most remarkably handsome man she'd ever seen. As he effortlessly lifted her onto his horse, Brianne was unable to even utter a protest...
ONE TOMORROW
On a routine ride to survey his plantation, Ryan Barrington could not believe what he saw. Lying beneath a tree was a beautiful woman, dressed in bizarre clothing, her long copper-colored hair surrounding her like a veil. He had never seen such a fetching apparition, and he was sure that she had been sent by a friend to entice him. He thought to send her on her way, but when he lifted her in his arms Ryan knew he was lost. He caressed her creamy flesh and kissed her ripe lips feeling a rush of desire that could not be denied. He vowed to find out her true identity and make her is own with TIMELESS PASSION.
493 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Constance O'Day-Flannery
23 books118 followersConstance O'Day-Flannery is a best-selling American author of romance novels.
Constance O'Day-Flannery has never taken a writing course or attended college. She began writing in 1986 when her son entered school. While reading romance novels during her recovery from a hysterectomy, O'Day-Flannery began to think about the type of book she would want to read. She finished her manuscript 18 months later and sold it quickly. Since then, she has published over twenty novels, all of which have appeared on a national best-seller list. Many of her novels are paranormal or time-travel romances. She has been awarded the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Time Travel for Timeswept Lovers and the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Contemporary Fantasy Romance, Second Chances.
In 2001, O'Day-Flannery took a hiatus from writing. She spent three years living in Ireland before returning to the United States and continuing her writing career.
O'Day-Flannery currently lives in Pennsylvania. She has two children.
Constance O'Day-Flannery has never taken a writing course or attended college. She began writing in 1986 when her son entered school. While reading romance novels during her recovery from a hysterectomy, O'Day-Flannery began to think about the type of book she would want to read. She finished her manuscript 18 months later and sold it quickly. Since then, she has published over twenty novels, all of which have appeared on a national best-seller list. Many of her novels are paranormal or time-travel romances. She has been awarded the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Time Travel for Timeswept Lovers and the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Contemporary Fantasy Romance, Second Chances.
In 2001, O'Day-Flannery took a hiatus from writing. She spent three years living in Ireland before returning to the United States and continuing her writing career.
O'Day-Flannery currently lives in Pennsylvania. She has two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 12, 2007
This was my mom's book and the first adult romance book that I ever read so it holds a special spot in my memories. I have probably read it atleast 4 times. I still have it in paperback and the pages are falling out and I had to tape the cover back on because it is getting so old. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again!
January 9, 2019
This is the second time travel book I’ve read in succession.
And I’ve realised that the whys and hows of time travel are not important - it’s the substance of the story that matters. And the romance, because that’s what we are basically looking for after the initial time-transcending meet cute and some entertaining disbelief.
So a book that gets too much enmeshed in the mystery and technicality and the back and forth effects of timetravel- and especially if it makes a mess of it - loses on all counts.
This book here doesn’t ‘look back’ and wins because of it. Oh it has its inanities and affectations but it also has a plot and a great h/H chemistry.
The h lands back in 1856 (from 1986) after a car accident. The H finds her in an open field on his plantation and is suspicious s of her thinking her an actress or worse planted there to entice him by his friend. She’s hurt, he takes her back home and that same night does a non con on her, there’s a shotgun moc after the h does a failed escape. He already has a suitable wife material (the evil ow) picked up. The h just wants to go back to sanity. So they both hate and resent each other. Didn’t make for a happy marriage/romance. But surprisingly it does! I love how they connected and their small private moments are cute. Evil people do their worst, mu happens before a sweet uncomplicated birthing ending and hea. Perfect!
So lets go through the *spoilerish* finer (or not so) points.
3.75*
And I’ve realised that the whys and hows of time travel are not important - it’s the substance of the story that matters. And the romance, because that’s what we are basically looking for after the initial time-transcending meet cute and some entertaining disbelief.
So a book that gets too much enmeshed in the mystery and technicality and the back and forth effects of timetravel- and especially if it makes a mess of it - loses on all counts.
This book here doesn’t ‘look back’ and wins because of it. Oh it has its inanities and affectations but it also has a plot and a great h/H chemistry.
The h lands back in 1856 (from 1986) after a car accident. The H finds her in an open field on his plantation and is suspicious s of her thinking her an actress or worse planted there to entice him by his friend. She’s hurt, he takes her back home and that same night does a non con on her, there’s a shotgun moc after the h does a failed escape. He already has a suitable wife material (the evil ow) picked up. The h just wants to go back to sanity. So they both hate and resent each other. Didn’t make for a happy marriage/romance. But surprisingly it does! I love how they connected and their small private moments are cute. Evil people do their worst, mu happens before a sweet uncomplicated birthing ending and hea. Perfect!
So lets go through the *spoilerish* finer (or not so) points.
3.75*
October 23, 2018
Sorry, beautiful epilogue, you can’t soften my opinion of this book overall.
I did really enjoy parts of this book: the friendship between Brianne and Rena, Brianne telling Rena and Ryan about the future, the fact that Brianne didn’t travel back to present day... But overall, there were too many parts that made me grind my teeth.
Let’s start with the two main characters, who are both, I’m almost positive, manic. They swing from temperaments so wildly that it was giving me whiplash. I don’t know how anyone could stand to be around two people who angered so quickly.
Then there’s the relationship which starts out with Ryan raping Brianne. Oh yeah. That happens. The author tries to make it a tiny bit palatable by making him drunk and Brianne as drugged but lucid enough to semi-enjoy it once he’s started, but there’s no denying that it was rape. And Ryan even admits to it and regrets it.
Not enough, though, to actually care about Brianne’s wishes that their coerced marriage—yes, she’s talked into marrying her rapist, who is SUCH a nice guy, a woman she barely knows tells her—be in name only.
No, it’s not until she drunkenly confesses that he’s not her first rapist that he truly repents.
The story does improve from there as they become friends and start to fall in love. But because the plot can’t stop there, of course, there’s a big misunderstanding when Ryan kisses another woman and Brianne sees, and rightfully tells him off. That alone wouldn’t bother me so much, but then Ryan tells everyone that the other woman “blackmailed” him into it—and that’s not what happens at all. It grossed me out that he a) didn’t take responsibility for it and then b) almost raped Brianne again!
No confession or grand gesture or anything could redeem him after that. Ryan Barrington earned himself a home on my Worst Heroes shelf easily.
I did really enjoy parts of this book: the friendship between Brianne and Rena, Brianne telling Rena and Ryan about the future, the fact that Brianne didn’t travel back to present day... But overall, there were too many parts that made me grind my teeth.
Let’s start with the two main characters, who are both, I’m almost positive, manic. They swing from temperaments so wildly that it was giving me whiplash. I don’t know how anyone could stand to be around two people who angered so quickly.
Then there’s the relationship which starts out with Ryan raping Brianne. Oh yeah. That happens. The author tries to make it a tiny bit palatable by making him drunk and Brianne as drugged but lucid enough to semi-enjoy it once he’s started, but there’s no denying that it was rape. And Ryan even admits to it and regrets it.
Not enough, though, to actually care about Brianne’s wishes that their coerced marriage—yes, she’s talked into marrying her rapist, who is SUCH a nice guy, a woman she barely knows tells her—be in name only.
No, it’s not until she drunkenly confesses that he’s not her first rapist that he truly repents.
The story does improve from there as they become friends and start to fall in love. But because the plot can’t stop there, of course, there’s a big misunderstanding when Ryan kisses another woman and Brianne sees, and rightfully tells him off. That alone wouldn’t bother me so much, but then Ryan tells everyone that the other woman “blackmailed” him into it—and that’s not what happens at all. It grossed me out that he a) didn’t take responsibility for it and then b) almost raped Brianne again!
No confession or grand gesture or anything could redeem him after that. Ryan Barrington earned himself a home on my Worst Heroes shelf easily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2012
This book should be made into a movie!
September 8, 2016
3.5 stars
Good story, an imaginative plot, very plausible time-travel method used, well drawn-out characters ... the whole work had great potential for a great story. It just wasn't. Good, but not great, though for all its flaws it was still enjoyable.
The heroine, Brianne, took her time in adjusting to the time-lapse, which was rather irritating. Her immediate dislike of the hero, Ryan, was also irritating, particularly when it went on and on without reason well into the second half of the novel. After all, though she had been under the influence of laudanum when the first intimacy between them occurred, she was hardly an unwilling participant. Also, she did admit the attraction to herself, so I saw no reason why she should have continued to be so hateful to him and then so unnaturally trusting and nice with the villain, Mr. Duville.
The scene with Ryan and Caroline Daniels also lacked credibility. I do not see why Ryan should have succumbed to her advances just to shut her mouth. If he were half a man and truly in love with his wife, particularly since everything was going so well for them at that point, it seemed shallow of him to think about what a great time he used to have with his former mistress, or to remind himself of those good times, or, worse, to betray his wife with the woman she most feared. All of this didn't make sense to me. And if Brianne thought the worst, I couldn't blame her at all. How can a man justify that kind of behaviour under any guise? Ah, well, it's those little things about the characters that grated and took away from the overall enjoyment of the novel.
The ending was really good though. I liked how it was wrapped up in the epilogue.
Good story, an imaginative plot, very plausible time-travel method used, well drawn-out characters ... the whole work had great potential for a great story. It just wasn't. Good, but not great, though for all its flaws it was still enjoyable.
The heroine, Brianne, took her time in adjusting to the time-lapse, which was rather irritating. Her immediate dislike of the hero, Ryan, was also irritating, particularly when it went on and on without reason well into the second half of the novel. After all, though she had been under the influence of laudanum when the first intimacy between them occurred, she was hardly an unwilling participant. Also, she did admit the attraction to herself, so I saw no reason why she should have continued to be so hateful to him and then so unnaturally trusting and nice with the villain, Mr. Duville.
The scene with Ryan and Caroline Daniels also lacked credibility. I do not see why Ryan should have succumbed to her advances just to shut her mouth. If he were half a man and truly in love with his wife, particularly since everything was going so well for them at that point, it seemed shallow of him to think about what a great time he used to have with his former mistress, or to remind himself of those good times, or, worse, to betray his wife with the woman she most feared. All of this didn't make sense to me. And if Brianne thought the worst, I couldn't blame her at all. How can a man justify that kind of behaviour under any guise? Ah, well, it's those little things about the characters that grated and took away from the overall enjoyment of the novel.
The ending was really good though. I liked how it was wrapped up in the epilogue.
December 1, 2016
I first read this book in 1986 when it first came out. This was my first time travel novel and it made me fell in love with New Orleans and history all over again. It has become one of my top 10 books over time and re-read the book so much I had to search book stores in 3 states to find another copy to replace a book falling apart. The author is a major favorite of mine over the decades and love her style of writing.
July 31, 2021
Loved this book! I’ve heard about this book from my mother and sister. After many years I decided to read it and it is one of my favorite time travel stories. My sister read this book when she was in 4th grade but I would definitely not recommend it to the younger generation. Some of the content is too sexual and mature.
Brianne and Ryan’s relationship was timeless and it’s definitely a book that I will read again.
Brianne and Ryan’s relationship was timeless and it’s definitely a book that I will read again.
April 16, 2017
كتاب لاينسى بسهوله .
January 15, 2015
An excellent time travel romance. Not your typical trashy historical romance!
When Brianne Quinlan crashes her car into a tree, she figures she's just been in a nasty accident. Little does she know, she's been thrown back 130 years into the past. While wandering through a meadow hoping to find help she runs into Ryan Barrington.
Ryan, our brooding hero on the way to survey his plantation, is confused as to why this strange woman is loitering around his property and why she's wearing pants.
What makes this unique is not just the time travel element, but how plot driven this is for a historical romance. Sometimes books in this genre are incredibly slow and follow a certain formula. Timeless Passions, follows the usual "Boy-meets-girl" plotline, without becoming the usual monotonous slog that these old bodice rippers usually are. It's definitely dated and campy. Lots of flowery prose and gaggy love scenes, but I suppose that's to be expected with books like these.
One of my biggest concerns, was the way the author was going to rap it up. I didn't see how she could succesfully conclude the story, but the ending was really well done.
Really good if you like Historical Romance or want something corny and fluffy to read.
When Brianne Quinlan crashes her car into a tree, she figures she's just been in a nasty accident. Little does she know, she's been thrown back 130 years into the past. While wandering through a meadow hoping to find help she runs into Ryan Barrington.
Ryan, our brooding hero on the way to survey his plantation, is confused as to why this strange woman is loitering around his property and why she's wearing pants.
What makes this unique is not just the time travel element, but how plot driven this is for a historical romance. Sometimes books in this genre are incredibly slow and follow a certain formula. Timeless Passions, follows the usual "Boy-meets-girl" plotline, without becoming the usual monotonous slog that these old bodice rippers usually are. It's definitely dated and campy. Lots of flowery prose and gaggy love scenes, but I suppose that's to be expected with books like these.
One of my biggest concerns, was the way the author was going to rap it up. I didn't see how she could succesfully conclude the story, but the ending was really well done.
Really good if you like Historical Romance or want something corny and fluffy to read.
July 5, 2020
It is 1986 and Brianne is driving from Philadelphia to New Orleans where her sister is about to give birth. She has an accident and when she awakens, she just wants to find a phone.
Ryan Barrington, the man who finds her, doesn't seem to understand her. He believes his friend is playing a trick on him. Eventually after much puzzlement and a lot of denial, Brianne must accept that she has awakened in 1856 and she doesn't know how to return.
10
Ryan Barrington, the man who finds her, doesn't seem to understand her. He believes his friend is playing a trick on him. Eventually after much puzzlement and a lot of denial, Brianne must accept that she has awakened in 1856 and she doesn't know how to return.
10
January 4, 2014
I don't think any other novel I've ever read stands a chance at beating the love I have for this book. Constance O'Day-Flannery truly is the time travel author queen. This book leaves me utterly captivated every time I read it (which is more times than I can count). I wish the story would never end. For sure, My favorite of all time :)
October 23, 2023
This was a good story (and I admit to having a weakness for time travel love stories), and if it hadn't been for a few things that I just can't overlook, I'd have given it another star.
For one thing, the way the author set it up to have 1980's Brianne marry 1850's Ryan was unnecessary, and sure to offend a lot of readers. It was a case of her being half unconscious from laudanum (medicinal purposes, nothing sinister), while he had drunk more than his share of liquor, which gives it a dubious consent vibe, by today's standards. The idea was for Ryan and Brianne to get married, so there had to be a way to bring this about, since at this point, they were virtual strangers, and she had to come to terms with having traveled back in time, while he had yet to believe her in credible story. So, they were caught in bed together, and for propriety's sake (and in case there should be a baby) it they had to get married.
Ms. O'Day-Flannery should have done her research better. Back then, it was only necessary to be in a "compromising position", which didn't have to mean sex. (In the novel "Gone with the Wind" Rhett Butler said he had to leave his hometown because people thought he was a cad for not marrying the girl he "compromised" and all he did was get her home a few hours late!) So, just a passionate kiss on the bed would have done the trick, maybe a bit of fondling, without the drugged/drunk sex.
Another goof (and here she made a mistake common to HR writers) was in having the ladies in the story use the word "pregnant". It took until the mid-20thc for that term to be fully accepted, and in the 1850's, a woman would be "expecting", "with child", "in a delicate condition", etc. For Brianne to say (even with her friend Rena) she was pregnant would be shocking bad manners, and she would have been taken to task. Instead, they say the same thing, which wouldn't have happened. "Pregnancy" was a term reserved for doctors, and even they tended to say "gestation".
Brianne's character was a bit too contradictory. In her own time, she was close to her widowed mother and sister, yet couldn't wait to be out on her own, and get her own place in Philadelphia. She decided to save herself for the right man, then decided to throw it away on a jerk named David that she wasn't seriously dating, and when she changed her mind, he wouldn't take no for an answer! (Needless to say, she avoided sex after that.) She claimed to like her independence and freedom, then envied her married, pregnant sister. Too many times in the book, she appears contrary.
As far as the story, just when I was congratulating Ms. CODF for not using the usual trope of a jealous misunderstanding, she disappointed me and had Brianne catch Ryan in the garden with his former mistress, Caroline (where the dumbo actually kissed her, to prove she no longer "turned him on", a simple "I reserve my kisses for my wife" would have sufficed), then go into jealous/revenge mode, flirting with other men, refusing to talk to him, having a hissy fit when he tried to explain, and then it goes over-the-top, where a frustrated Ryan almost rapes her (afte knowing what happened with David, that was real crummy) and she scratches his face, declares she'll never speak to him again, let alone sleep with him, etc.
What's even more dumb, is Ryan refusing to explain after she's calmed down, saying she's no ready to hear the truth yet. WTF???? She's hurt and angry, because she thinks he's taken up again with his former bed partner, that he wasn't satisfied with her lovemaking, that he doesn't care, etc. (at this point, they hadn't said ILY to each other) and he wants to wait to tell her??? DUH!!!!!
She almost did another trope, of having a pregnant Brianne decide to leave, without telling Ryan about the baby! Fortunately, she nipped it in the bud!
There were some weaknesses in the story, like Brianne determining to help the black servants (Ryan had indentured servants, rather than slaves), especially with educating them, but nothing much came of that. When she explained to Ryan about the upcoming Civil War, he was finally convinced that she was from a future time, but he took the whole fall of the south, the death and destruction the next decade would bring, way too calmly. He decided to prepare for it financially, see that the servants would all be provided for, was confident that, if he fought and died, Brianne - as a wealthy widow - would be okay. And that was it! Not very convincing.
One thing I did like was Brianne's friend Rena (one of those "hooker with a heart of gold" women) getting a chance at a new life with Ryan's friend, Stephan. When she tells him about her past, he doesn't go the usual route of either rejecting her or being immediately understanding. Instead, he leaves, stays away for a week to think things out, then returns and tells Rena they'll start a new life together. (His own past was very far from angelic.) A separate book about them might have been nice.
BTW: anyone who's ever seen the TV movie "The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan" will find the ending of this book familiar. I'm betting CODF watched it, too.
A good book to read, despite its flaws.
For one thing, the way the author set it up to have 1980's Brianne marry 1850's Ryan was unnecessary, and sure to offend a lot of readers. It was a case of her being half unconscious from laudanum (medicinal purposes, nothing sinister), while he had drunk more than his share of liquor, which gives it a dubious consent vibe, by today's standards. The idea was for Ryan and Brianne to get married, so there had to be a way to bring this about, since at this point, they were virtual strangers, and she had to come to terms with having traveled back in time, while he had yet to believe her in credible story. So, they were caught in bed together, and for propriety's sake (and in case there should be a baby) it they had to get married.
Ms. O'Day-Flannery should have done her research better. Back then, it was only necessary to be in a "compromising position", which didn't have to mean sex. (In the novel "Gone with the Wind" Rhett Butler said he had to leave his hometown because people thought he was a cad for not marrying the girl he "compromised" and all he did was get her home a few hours late!) So, just a passionate kiss on the bed would have done the trick, maybe a bit of fondling, without the drugged/drunk sex.
Another goof (and here she made a mistake common to HR writers) was in having the ladies in the story use the word "pregnant". It took until the mid-20thc for that term to be fully accepted, and in the 1850's, a woman would be "expecting", "with child", "in a delicate condition", etc. For Brianne to say (even with her friend Rena) she was pregnant would be shocking bad manners, and she would have been taken to task. Instead, they say the same thing, which wouldn't have happened. "Pregnancy" was a term reserved for doctors, and even they tended to say "gestation".
Brianne's character was a bit too contradictory. In her own time, she was close to her widowed mother and sister, yet couldn't wait to be out on her own, and get her own place in Philadelphia. She decided to save herself for the right man, then decided to throw it away on a jerk named David that she wasn't seriously dating, and when she changed her mind, he wouldn't take no for an answer! (Needless to say, she avoided sex after that.) She claimed to like her independence and freedom, then envied her married, pregnant sister. Too many times in the book, she appears contrary.
As far as the story, just when I was congratulating Ms. CODF for not using the usual trope of a jealous misunderstanding, she disappointed me and had Brianne catch Ryan in the garden with his former mistress, Caroline (where the dumbo actually kissed her, to prove she no longer "turned him on", a simple "I reserve my kisses for my wife" would have sufficed), then go into jealous/revenge mode, flirting with other men, refusing to talk to him, having a hissy fit when he tried to explain, and then it goes over-the-top, where a frustrated Ryan almost rapes her (afte knowing what happened with David, that was real crummy) and she scratches his face, declares she'll never speak to him again, let alone sleep with him, etc.
What's even more dumb, is Ryan refusing to explain after she's calmed down, saying she's no ready to hear the truth yet. WTF???? She's hurt and angry, because she thinks he's taken up again with his former bed partner, that he wasn't satisfied with her lovemaking, that he doesn't care, etc. (at this point, they hadn't said ILY to each other) and he wants to wait to tell her??? DUH!!!!!
She almost did another trope, of having a pregnant Brianne decide to leave, without telling Ryan about the baby! Fortunately, she nipped it in the bud!
There were some weaknesses in the story, like Brianne determining to help the black servants (Ryan had indentured servants, rather than slaves), especially with educating them, but nothing much came of that. When she explained to Ryan about the upcoming Civil War, he was finally convinced that she was from a future time, but he took the whole fall of the south, the death and destruction the next decade would bring, way too calmly. He decided to prepare for it financially, see that the servants would all be provided for, was confident that, if he fought and died, Brianne - as a wealthy widow - would be okay. And that was it! Not very convincing.
One thing I did like was Brianne's friend Rena (one of those "hooker with a heart of gold" women) getting a chance at a new life with Ryan's friend, Stephan. When she tells him about her past, he doesn't go the usual route of either rejecting her or being immediately understanding. Instead, he leaves, stays away for a week to think things out, then returns and tells Rena they'll start a new life together. (His own past was very far from angelic.) A separate book about them might have been nice.
BTW: anyone who's ever seen the TV movie "The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan" will find the ending of this book familiar. I'm betting CODF watched it, too.
A good book to read, despite its flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2017
WTF????? Trigger warning (spoiler) Not even a few pages in the hero bloody rapes her in her sleep!!!
I know this Is an old book but jesus!
I know this Is an old book but jesus!
May 29, 2024
I read this book many decades ago and loved it. At least I think it’s this constant day Flannery book. It has been a very long time since I read it. I have been reading some of the reviews for the book and been very surprised. that so many people were disappointed or the plot points that they mentioned that I don’t even remember.
What do I remember about this book? I remember the story of two sisters. a younger sister who begs her older sister to come be with her because she’s pregnant and she’s feeling out of sorts and wants her sibling with her Brianne, is that older sister. on her way to see her sister she is in a car accident accident and transported from the 20th century to the 19th. Most of the book is in the 19 century telling Brianne’s story but at the end of the book you find out what became of her sister.
Her sister Feels responsible for Brianne‘s death and can’t get over the grief. She feels responsible because if her sister had not been coming to see her. She would not have been in her fatal car accident.
Her sister‘s husband asks her to work on the attic going through the things that have been put up there over the century from his ancestors. He’s hoping to distract her. He gets more than he bargained for, the sister finds a miracle instead. In a box in the atttic, the younger sister, finds a photo of her older sister with a very uncomfortable husband who is getting his photo taken for the very first time. She also finds her sister’s long dead watch , she has found that her sister did not simply die in the 20th century. She was transported to the 19th century to find happiness. This is what made me find joy in the book and made me cry and any book that can make me cry gets five stars.
On a sidenote, the characters father once told them on a car ride that you should never fear dying. It is simply falling asleep in one world and waking up in another.
What do I remember about this book? I remember the story of two sisters. a younger sister who begs her older sister to come be with her because she’s pregnant and she’s feeling out of sorts and wants her sibling with her Brianne, is that older sister. on her way to see her sister she is in a car accident accident and transported from the 20th century to the 19th. Most of the book is in the 19 century telling Brianne’s story but at the end of the book you find out what became of her sister.
Her sister Feels responsible for Brianne‘s death and can’t get over the grief. She feels responsible because if her sister had not been coming to see her. She would not have been in her fatal car accident.
Her sister‘s husband asks her to work on the attic going through the things that have been put up there over the century from his ancestors. He’s hoping to distract her. He gets more than he bargained for, the sister finds a miracle instead. In a box in the atttic, the younger sister, finds a photo of her older sister with a very uncomfortable husband who is getting his photo taken for the very first time. She also finds her sister’s long dead watch , she has found that her sister did not simply die in the 20th century. She was transported to the 19th century to find happiness. This is what made me find joy in the book and made me cry and any book that can make me cry gets five stars.
On a sidenote, the characters father once told them on a car ride that you should never fear dying. It is simply falling asleep in one world and waking up in another.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2018
I am quickly becoming a big fan of Constance’s work. This, alongside Time-Kept Promises, is an excellent addition to anyone who is a fan of time travel romances. I would put this up there with Bess McBride who is another one of my favourites. I wouldn’t say that either of these authors have the special qualities that Diana Gabaldon brings to her work, but they’re easy reading.
I have another book sitting upstairs to be read, and I think there are a couple more that I still need to purchase. If you ever hit a rut with your reading, settle down with any of these and a glass of wine and while away a couple of pleasant hours.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I tried not to let the alleged rape that occurred within the first 60 pages influence my feelings about the book, as it felt unnecessarily shoehorned into the book. I am struggling with using such a strong word, as I don’t feel that either of the characters were in full control at the time of the incident. I felt that it happened too quickly in the book, and I don’t feel that it fitted with the tone of the rest of the book.
The annoying thing about these books is the hideous covers that have been chosen. If you look at any of the covers of Time-Kept Promises, or This Time Forever (another on my to-read list) , or Time-Spun Rapture (same concept, different author), you’ll notice they stick very much to the same Mills & Boon formula. Couple in a near state of undress, heaving bosoms and men styled like Fabio. It’s all very well and good until you’re caught reading these on the bus - you will be embarrassed. It cheapens the book, considering the quality of the writing, and well fleshed out characters.
Overall, if you can get past the cover of this and similar books, you’ll find a remarkable and enjoyable story locked within the pages.
I have another book sitting upstairs to be read, and I think there are a couple more that I still need to purchase. If you ever hit a rut with your reading, settle down with any of these and a glass of wine and while away a couple of pleasant hours.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I tried not to let the alleged rape that occurred within the first 60 pages influence my feelings about the book, as it felt unnecessarily shoehorned into the book. I am struggling with using such a strong word, as I don’t feel that either of the characters were in full control at the time of the incident. I felt that it happened too quickly in the book, and I don’t feel that it fitted with the tone of the rest of the book.
The annoying thing about these books is the hideous covers that have been chosen. If you look at any of the covers of Time-Kept Promises, or This Time Forever (another on my to-read list) , or Time-Spun Rapture (same concept, different author), you’ll notice they stick very much to the same Mills & Boon formula. Couple in a near state of undress, heaving bosoms and men styled like Fabio. It’s all very well and good until you’re caught reading these on the bus - you will be embarrassed. It cheapens the book, considering the quality of the writing, and well fleshed out characters.
Overall, if you can get past the cover of this and similar books, you’ll find a remarkable and enjoyable story locked within the pages.
July 27, 2023
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙊’𝘿𝙖𝙮~𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙮
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
493 pages
✨𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I buddy read this with my mom. She loved reading time travel romance books by this author who she claimed is “the queen of time travel romance”. She got me a few of her books and this is the first one I’ve read. This book came out in the 1980’s but honestly it’s still a great read. It took me a little bit to get invested into this one but I ended up loving it.
Picture this: America 1986! FMC Brianna is driving from Pennsylvania to New Orleans to be with her sister whose giving birth to her first child. Brianna gets into a bad car accident and when she wakes up it 1856, 130 years in the past. She meets Ryan Barrington who she immediately hates and thinks he’s crazy along with everyone else she meets. She thinks there’s a renaissance fair going on or everyone has lost their minds. Soon she realizes they aren’t crazy, and there is no fair. It really is 1856. Through the book you see Brianna grow and her and Ryan’s relationship blossoms into a fabulous whirlwind romance which becomes timeless. I loved her relationship with Ryan but also her friendship she makes with Rena who soon becomes like a sister.
💜𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙄𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙀𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
~Time Travel Novels
~Romance
~Enemies To Lovers
~Books That Touch on The Topic of Slavery/History During Pre-Civil War Times
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
493 pages
✨𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I buddy read this with my mom. She loved reading time travel romance books by this author who she claimed is “the queen of time travel romance”. She got me a few of her books and this is the first one I’ve read. This book came out in the 1980’s but honestly it’s still a great read. It took me a little bit to get invested into this one but I ended up loving it.
Picture this: America 1986! FMC Brianna is driving from Pennsylvania to New Orleans to be with her sister whose giving birth to her first child. Brianna gets into a bad car accident and when she wakes up it 1856, 130 years in the past. She meets Ryan Barrington who she immediately hates and thinks he’s crazy along with everyone else she meets. She thinks there’s a renaissance fair going on or everyone has lost their minds. Soon she realizes they aren’t crazy, and there is no fair. It really is 1856. Through the book you see Brianna grow and her and Ryan’s relationship blossoms into a fabulous whirlwind romance which becomes timeless. I loved her relationship with Ryan but also her friendship she makes with Rena who soon becomes like a sister.
💜𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙄𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙀𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
~Time Travel Novels
~Romance
~Enemies To Lovers
~Books That Touch on The Topic of Slavery/History During Pre-Civil War Times
November 16, 2017
The book was enjoyable, if a bit problematic. I really didn't like how the first intimate moment between Brianne and Ryan is him having sex with her while she's barely conscious. It's unnecessarily gross, and the author could have gotten the same point across if he had just kissed her and she'd woken up to that, instead.
Also, the whole white savior thing kind of grated on me. I know that it's set in the past, and I know slavery was a thing, but it was just a really awkward juxtaposition when Brianne always made a big deal about Ryan's slaves, yet never once said anything to anybody else about how she thought slavery was wrong. By the last few chapters, she's perfectly content letting the slaves wait on her.
Overall, it definitely had some issues, but I guess that's why it's a guilty pleasure. If rape and slavery upset you, you should probably steer clear. If not, then I guess as long as you recognize these things are kinda shitty, have at it.
Also, the whole white savior thing kind of grated on me. I know that it's set in the past, and I know slavery was a thing, but it was just a really awkward juxtaposition when Brianne always made a big deal about Ryan's slaves, yet never once said anything to anybody else about how she thought slavery was wrong. By the last few chapters, she's perfectly content letting the slaves wait on her.
Overall, it definitely had some issues, but I guess that's why it's a guilty pleasure. If rape and slavery upset you, you should probably steer clear. If not, then I guess as long as you recognize these things are kinda shitty, have at it.
April 9, 2019
meh. The beggining of their relathionship is downright wrong but both of them gloss over it like it is a small matter. Apart from that the rest of the book is predictable (although I was expecting that so it is not a deterrent for me) but in this case I didn't find it engaging. So putting that together with knowing what was waiting around at every corner made it quite boring.
February 15, 2024
From the first time I read this book back in 1989, I have not read a more beautiful book. I just finished reading it for the seventh time. And seven is not enough, I will continue to read this book throughout my life. The characters are beautiful, the setting is beautiful, the story is beautiful and the tale across time is breathtaking every time. This book is still my all-time favorite book!
January 8, 2018
Good, very much an 80's romance, one rapey scene, some boring skimmable parts, but other than the rapey scene hero wasn't deliberately cruel and the heroine wasn't a shrew, it was readable.
September 26, 2020
Not a fan of time travel
August 7, 2021
The book that hooked me on time travel romances❤
April 5, 2023
4.5 ⭐
May 9, 2023
3.75 stars. Very well written time travel romance. The romance was well played out, as well as the time travel. Recommend for those fans of historical romance or time travel novels.
June 3, 2024
3.5 for the questionable pre Civil War setting
September 27, 2012
My Guilty Pleasures Read and it is a bit retro too ;)
You know that time of the month where you’re blue or cranky or both at the same time and just wanted to be left alone to drown in someone else’s misery / happiness? Yeah, it was the perfect read! Time-travel romance is a comfort read for me and if you value your life, you will not disturb me whilst I’m reading :p
I love the displacement in time, where a character finds him / herself out of time and had to figure out how to survive this new world. There is nearly always some sort of denial to begin with and that really annoys me (noting how many of them I’ve read, I think I’m entitled to be irritated even if it’s a different character each time) though if I were to be displaced in time, I would probably be in denial too!
Then, of course, the character displaced in time will come across the other half of the soul being time-crossed lovers.
Then, the courting will begin… this is the most fun part, of course.
Then, trouble comes a-courting… *ggrrr, sometimes, if people will just be reasonable enough to just sit down and talk / listen to each other, they’d be spared most of the grief! BUT, what’s a romance novel without some grief? And, truly, how many reasonable people do you know?*
Then, let the Pity Party Begin!
And then…
And then…
Let’s just say the ending is usually (let me stress, usually) a happy one – after all, what are we reading romance for if not for the happily ever after ending?
The beginning begs belief and one also wonders whether the hero, Ryan Barrington, is a man to trust. However, you do get to love him a bit later on… How could you say no to a self-made man with a Southern accent and compassionate to boot?! Even his name sounds totally masculine!
Brianne Quinlan is lonely – apart from her sister, she has no one. She’s been hurt from one bad relationship and wasn’t tempted ever to go there again. She’s thrown herself into work and nothing else really matters until one day, she found herself out of time…
This is a re-read for me, though I won’t remember it from just the cover / title but once I started reading it, I could remember most of the plot. Nevertheless, I was still fully absorbed by the story and read it through in one sitting.
You know that time of the month where you’re blue or cranky or both at the same time and just wanted to be left alone to drown in someone else’s misery / happiness? Yeah, it was the perfect read! Time-travel romance is a comfort read for me and if you value your life, you will not disturb me whilst I’m reading :p
I love the displacement in time, where a character finds him / herself out of time and had to figure out how to survive this new world. There is nearly always some sort of denial to begin with and that really annoys me (noting how many of them I’ve read, I think I’m entitled to be irritated even if it’s a different character each time) though if I were to be displaced in time, I would probably be in denial too!
Then, of course, the character displaced in time will come across the other half of the soul being time-crossed lovers.
Then, the courting will begin… this is the most fun part, of course.
Then, trouble comes a-courting… *ggrrr, sometimes, if people will just be reasonable enough to just sit down and talk / listen to each other, they’d be spared most of the grief! BUT, what’s a romance novel without some grief? And, truly, how many reasonable people do you know?*
Then, let the Pity Party Begin!
And then…
And then…
Let’s just say the ending is usually (let me stress, usually) a happy one – after all, what are we reading romance for if not for the happily ever after ending?
The beginning begs belief and one also wonders whether the hero, Ryan Barrington, is a man to trust. However, you do get to love him a bit later on… How could you say no to a self-made man with a Southern accent and compassionate to boot?! Even his name sounds totally masculine!
Brianne Quinlan is lonely – apart from her sister, she has no one. She’s been hurt from one bad relationship and wasn’t tempted ever to go there again. She’s thrown herself into work and nothing else really matters until one day, she found herself out of time…
This is a re-read for me, though I won’t remember it from just the cover / title but once I started reading it, I could remember most of the plot. Nevertheless, I was still fully absorbed by the story and read it through in one sitting.
June 25, 2023
Timeless Passion by Constance O’Day-Flannery (1986), is a great time travel story. No, it’s not Outlander … really can’t compare any book to that masterpiece.
It starts off in 1986 with the heroine, Brianne, a successful businesswoman in Philadelphia, who suddenly finds herself waking up after an accident. She feels as if she is floating between wakefulness and a state of sleep as she dreams of a lover. All at once she senses a man staring at her … it’s him. It’s now 1856 in Louisiana and no one believes her story.
A splendid cover by Pino … which also depicts two watches in the story. The hero, Ryan was transfixed by her digital watch when she showed it to him. A poignant ending ties this time travel story together beautifully.
It starts off in 1986 with the heroine, Brianne, a successful businesswoman in Philadelphia, who suddenly finds herself waking up after an accident. She feels as if she is floating between wakefulness and a state of sleep as she dreams of a lover. All at once she senses a man staring at her … it’s him. It’s now 1856 in Louisiana and no one believes her story.
A splendid cover by Pino … which also depicts two watches in the story. The hero, Ryan was transfixed by her digital watch when she showed it to him. A poignant ending ties this time travel story together beautifully.
January 3, 2011
One of the best time-travel romances I have ever read. I'm amazed I was able to pick up an original 1st publication from my local used book store, because it belongs on a keeper shelf. I wouldn't say it's as superior as Outlander, but if you liked Outlander by Gabaldon and are favorable to American history based romances, then you must read this book. :o)
January 30, 2011
Read it about 20 years ago, and must have loaned it out because I had searched for it for several years from time to time. Finally, I ordered it online; I thoroughly enjoyed the reread. It was the author's first novel. It is a historical, engaging time-travel romance with a captivating ending. I believe it was the ending that drew me back.
February 18, 2013
Good time-travel novel. Protagonist goes back in time. The only thing I didn't like was the author spends too much time with the protagonist thinking people are trying to "trick" her rather than realizing she is in the past.
This book has a fabulous ending, tying the whole story together.
One thing though, I hate the cover of this book. I'm just not one for the bodice ripping covers.
This book has a fabulous ending, tying the whole story together.
One thing though, I hate the cover of this book. I'm just not one for the bodice ripping covers.
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