A Matter of Time (The Bridge Through Time Series Book 4) by Jennae Vale; Enchanting Romantic Fantasy Has Questions

 A Matter of Time (The Bridge Through Time Series Book 4) by Jennae Vale; Enchanting Romantic Fantasy Has Questions 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: A Matter of Time is the fourth book in Jennae Vale’s The Bridge Through Time Series so that probably explains the confusion and questions about the overall series and ongoing story arcs especially since it is the first in the series that I have read. When it settles down and focuses on the specific Romantic Fantasy, it's charming, funny, heartwarming, and enchanting.

Womanizing nobleman and apparently antagonist in previous books, Sir Richard Jeffords is sent from 16th Scotland into the future by witch Edna Campbell to learn a lesson on how to treat women. He finds himself in modern day San Francisco where he meets Angelina Lawson, a modern woman with an interest in medieval martial arts and an unhappy love life. The two become attracted to one another and become closer even though they come from different centuries. Meanwhile an antiques dealer, Malcolm Granger, is obsessed with finding a sword from Richard's time and he will do anything to get it even go backwards in time with him.

There are two distinct aspects to the book and one works better than the other. The good news is when the book acts like a Romantic Fantasy, it's predictable but fun in its own way. 

Richard and Angelina’s romance goes down smoothly because they are perfectly compatible. There are indications from other characters that Richard was a villain in previous books so he is a harder cynical character because of this and a bit uncertain when it comes to a reciprocal love.

Angelina has also had her share of heartbreak and is the typical modern day jaded female Romance protagonist. She is less certain about love than Richard is. These are the types of characters who are perfect for each other. 

They may trade witty barbs, mock their deliriously in love friends, and deny their attraction while simultaneously becoming more and more intimate. It's a fun and interesting romance between two characters who like disagreeing with each other almost as much as they like making love.

The time travel aspects are a bit different from other books in the subgenre. Richard has been to the present in a previous volume, so this second trip is nothing new. He is unfamiliar with being in San Francisco however and gets lost easily. It's less like someone in a separate time period and more like a regular person visiting a new city on vacation.

It also helps that Richard is not alone. In fact, while in modern San Francisco, he encounters Nick, a friend of Angelina’s who is also a friend of his from Scotland. Nick is a charming comic relief character who is also close to Angelina.

 The Reader braces themselves for a love triangle. Thankfully, we get a reprieve. Instead, Nick treats Richard and Angelina like his favorite siblings. It also clears the path for him to find a love interest in the next book.

Another interesting character is the creator of this time travel escapade, Edna Campbell. She is an older wise woman with the gift of foresight. She is often quick with a magic spell, an herbal remedy, and a sardonic comment for those around her.

Edna is happily married and is surrounded by friends and family so she is the opposite of the usual lonely witch found in these works. In fact, if she were ever arrested and charged with witchcraft, she would have plenty of loyal allies who would have her back.

Things get incredibly confusing in later chapters which I admit are partly because I haven't read the earlier volumes. We meet more friends of Angelina and Richard's that have traveled back and forth in time which is highly questionable. 

Are these the only time periods that allow time travel? Is there some sort of cosmic link to 21st century California and 16th century Scotland? Can characters from the past go further back or from the present go to the future? How do we account for the implausibility that all of the time travelers all knew each other before their adventures? Does all of this time tripping affect the time stream or the space time continuum? Aren't there people in either time period missing someone? Is there anyone left in modern San Francisco or Scotland who hasn't been bitten by the time travel bug?

There are also other parts that don't work so well. Malcolm is an incredibly cheesy antagonist and his subplot is written without much depth or subtly. He wants a specific sword that belongs to Richard's family and he puts his and Angelina’s lives in danger. It's a pretty transparent attempt to create more conflict that doesn't always work.

Also again this is because I didn't read the previous books. In some of the last few chapters, we are told about some of Richard's more nefarious deeds in the previous volumes. It causes one to think differently of him. 

It's not that he reformed and found love that is the problem. Many characters go through redemptive story arcs and emerge on the other side as friends of the heroes. But the way his villainy is described as almost hand waved.

A character with the history that Richard has would have more guilt in his next relationship. There should be more flashbacks and remorse connected with his past. For it to be dismissed and info dropped in the final chapters seems almost dishonest. Like Vale was trying to rewrite or gloss over the history of one of her own characters.

Still despite the flaws, this is a fine book for fans of Time Travel Romance Fantasies. It's probably much better to look at its own merits than part of a series or do what most normal people do and read the series in numerical order.