September Sky by John A. Heldt

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A recently unemployed reporter and his son go on a cruise to try to figure out what to do now. But what they don't expect is to attend a lecture on time travel and then later be contacted by the lecturer. But when they're offered the chance to travel back to the turn of the century, it takes only a few days to decide to take that chance. But fates might be changed and lives lost. Find the official description on Goodreads.

This book was similar and yet different from the Northwest Passage series. And that was good, but at the same time I didn't get as much enjoyment from the book as I did the Northwest Passage books. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the books and I still found myself reading like a mad person to find out what happens. It just wasn't as much my style as the Northwest Passage series.

John A. Heldt still creates characters that are interesting, and draw the readers in, pushing them farther and farther into an emotional tie with each one.

One of the largest differences was that the rules of time travel were clearly laid out at the beginning and that certainly made things a little bit different.

Overall, September Sky was a good book and John A. Heldt is starting a series that might have people falling in love with it as much as the Northwest Passage series.

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Teaser From Lee Strauss

Lee Strauss' Clockwise

Synopsis on Amazon:

A teenage time traveler accidentally takes her secret crush back in time. Awkward. 
(12+) 

Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she’s accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. 

Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic 

sparks or is it just “brotherly” protectiveness? 

When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. 

Which of course, she does. 

Author:

Hey!
I'm author LEE STRAUSS.

I write mixed genre ROMANCE, most recently, The Minstrel Series.

I also write fun, lower Young Adult (teen) fiction to do with whimsical things like time-travel, fairies and merfolk (with a nice helping of romance!) as ELLE Strauss.

There's always a TIME for romance!!

I love to connect with my fans. I'm on facebook (author pages for both Lee and Elle) and twitter: @leestraussbooks.

For information on new releases sign up for my newsletter! www.leestraussbooks.com

Other trivia about me: I'm a married mother of four; I sometimes live in Canada and sometimes Germany; I'm fond of dark chocolate, and soy lattes; I like yoga, cycling and hiking in good weather.

(The two images above are from Amazon.)

Teaser:

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The Mirror by John A. Heldt

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“Ginny knew she’d had a good life and probably had a better life coming up, but she wondered whether she deserved that life and would be able to cope with the many demands of adulthood.” -John A. Heldt, The Mirror

Ginny and Katie Smith have heard the old family stories but are understandably skeptical. But when they travel back to 1941 from 2020, it’s hard not to believe their parents. Especially when they run into a great grandmother that they never had the chance to meet, or at least a chance to meet that they could remember. But when both find themselves hopelessly entangled in the past will they take their one chance to the future? Or will they have to learn how to live in the past? Find the official description on Goodreads.

I have to say that I almost wanted to not open this book. Not because I wasn’t looking forward to it but because I knew that this was the last book that had been published. I didn’t want to read it and then find myself wishing it could go on forever when it came to an end. But I couldn’t help it. I just had to know what happened.

Like the previous books things are different in The Mirror. Nothing is really the same except that some of the characters remain as old friends. While they’re not the focus they are in the periphery. And it’s comforting. It’s like they’re a comforting blanket for readers who have read the whole series. Even while the emotional scenes are taking place you take comfort in the fact that there are familiar characters mixed in with the new characters. It was nice.

What was even more interesting about this book is not that two characters travel in time as that has happened before but two sisters, and more specifically the twin daughters of Joel Smith. I’m not going to name their mother because that would mean spoilers for the first book. But it was interesting to see the problems that can come from two people travelling back who are related and especially when there is someone who knows about one of the previous time travel adventures. It presented new problems of its own.

I found this series intriguing as John A. Heldt was able to recreate the adventure and emotional turmoil in every book. There wasn’t really anything familiar except for a few characters. It was refreshing and I enjoyed it.

If you love time travel, series’ and romance than this is an amazing series, one that I was sad to finish. Have you ever read the Northwest Passage Series? Did you enjoy it? What did you think about the different time travel scenarios?

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The Fire by John A. Heldt

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“He would do something different and perhaps have an adventure, though probably not the kind his mother had in mind.” -John A. Heldt, The Fire

Kevin Johnson finds something that he did not expect under the floorboards of his grandfather’s guest bedroom. But when he finds that he can travel back in time, when will he go? And when he meets Sarah, can he leave for the future without at least trying to convince her to join him? Or will everything go up in flames as the Great Fire destroys the town? Find the official description on Goodreads.

Another marvellous addition to the Northwest Passage Series, The Fire follows the pattern of the last several books...for the most part. There is time travel but Kevin does not travel back to the same time periods as the previous travellers nor does he travel in the exact same method. Then there is the fact that Kevin actually knows that he is travelling back in time and can prepare for the trip whereas the others did not know that they had travelled in time or prepared. This presents some unique situations.

But John A. Heldt continues creating touching, moving and emotional scenes, as well as moral dilemmas than are not so easily solved. The Fire is meant to keep readers interested and it does. It brings to life a previous time period that may have been very dry even to those who are interested in history.

Not to mention he brings to life characters that we also gives us a glimpse into the character’s lives from previous books while not dedicating a lot of time to them. He doesn’t lose the focus of Kevin even as we find out the fates of the previous time travellers. It was an interesting blend and one that I enjoyed. Even while we were learning about new characters we still had the comfort of the old and discovering what has taken place in the years since they have travelled in time. It felt amazing to do that.

The Fire is a welcome addition to a wonderfully written series. If you enjoy time travel, romance and emotionally charged books than this is one series that you must read. What do you think about books that bring the past to life? Have you read any of the Northwest Passage Series books?

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The Show by John A. Heldt

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“...she had crossed a line and there was no going back.” -John A. Heldt, The Show

Grace has found herself her piece of happiness. But when she finds herself further back in history, she’s not sure what to do. Does she forget the life she had, and move on? Or does she find herself alone, forever stuck in the past? Find the official description on Goodreads.

Having read The Mine, I was really excited to find that Grace was the main character in this book. And to find out things from her perspective. While there were times in the first book that we got her perspective it just wasn’t the same not to mention there were times we didn’t get her perspective. So to get that now it was perfect! Not to mention that you get to learn more about what happened after Joel leaves in The Mine. I was so excited to do so as I hadn’t expected to find out anymore about the couple.

Then there was also the fact that I already had a connection with Grace so I enjoyed it so much to find out more about her and get into her head a bit more. But then there’s the fact that it feels as if you’re reconnecting with old friends. John A. Heldt doesn’t make you feel like you missed anything or if you did than it’s not something that can’t be retold. It was a great story.

As a reader you also find yourself finding new perspectives on characters that you’ve previously met. Sometimes you change your opinions or just learn more about them and develop a more concrete opinion. It was a great chance, one that I appreciated. And may I just say that I sighed over the ending. Actually sighed.

But if you’re a fan of time travel and/or romance, than you should definitely give the Northwest Passage Series a look!

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The Journey by John A. Heldt

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“The missed opportunities took on new and greater relevance given the stark reality that now confronted her.” -John A. Heldt, The Journey

Michelle finds herself lost after her husband’s death. She finds herself looking back on her decisions from her youth with regret, wishing something would change. But what she doesn’t expect is to be sent back to 1979 while exploring an old house. Now she’s got her second chance. But will her second chance mean that she’s creating a whole new world? Find the official description on Goodreads.

I honestly expected that The Journey would follow the footsteps of The Mine but it seems to almost be it’s own book. Things were much different from the place that Michelle travels from to the date and the time she arrives in the past. Not to mention that Michelle is actually interacting with her own past. It surprised me, but it was a pleasant one. I enjoyed the differences and I was always wondering what else was different.

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The Mine by John A. Heldt

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"The man without a plan continued his journey down the rural route." -John A. Heldt, The Mine

College senior, Joel Smith enters a mine in 2000 while a rare occurrence took place. And he emerges into a new world. Or maybe not a new world, but an old one. Joel finds himself back in 1941 with no idea how to get back and a determination to not change a thing. But can he keep to his promise when a certain young woman catches his eye? Or will he change the whole world? Find the official description on Goodreads.

This was a great book! I loved reading it and I was entranced by it. I found myself putting down my notes just to see what was going on in The Mine. John A. Heldt has created a book that catches readers and draws them into the story.

I'm not a big fan of historical novels (even though I like the subject? I'm not sure how that works). But I actually enjoyed the new look into the 1940's. While history books lay out the facts of that time period, they can't bring it to life as John A. Heldt has done in The Mine. He gives great descriptions of the time period and gets the reader interested in the time period. Even when they know what is coming. 

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