The River of No Return
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
An utterly engrossing historical romance from debut novelist Bee Ridgeway, The River of No Return is a must-read.
'Time is like a river. It always flows in one direction.'
What if everything you thought was certain was not?
1812: On a lonely battlefield in Spain, Lord Nicholas Falcott, Marquess of Blackdown, is about to die .... But, the next moment, he inexplicably jumps forward in time, nearly two hundred years - very much alive. Taken under the wing of a mysterious organisation, The Guild, he receives everything he could ever need under the following conditions:
He can't go back.
He can't go home.
He must tell no one.
Accepting his fate, Nicholas begins a life of luxury as a twenty-first century New York socialite, living happily thus for the next ten years. But, when an exquisite wax sealed envelope brings a summons from the Alderwoman of The Guild, Nicholas is forced to confront his nineteenth century past.
Back in 1815, Julia Percy's world has fallen apart. Her enigmatic grandfather, the Earl of Darchester, has died and left her with a closely guarded secret, one she is only now discovering - the manipulation of time. In terrible danger from unknown enemies, Julia flees her home to the sanctuary of neighbouring Falcott House. In this strange place Julia and a recently returned Nicholas are drawn to each other and together they realise how little Julia knew about her beloved grandfather and begin to understand his ominous last words...
'Pretend.'
Bee Ridgeway's The River Of No Return is a truly unforgettable novel. If you loved The Time Traveler's Wife or The Night Circus then prepare to be swept away by this stunning debut novel.
Bee Ridgway grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Oberlin College (B.A.), then worked for a year as an editorial assistant at Elle magazine. She studied literature at Cornell University (M.A. and Ph.D.). She has worked at Bryn Mawr College since 2001. She lives in Philadelphia, PA.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ridgway makes her debut with an accomplished if sometimes slow-going literary mash-up. In the midst of battle, Lord Nicholas Falcott suddenly jumps 200 years into the future. Finding himself in 2003, Lord Nicholas forges a new life as "Nick Davenant" and serves in a time-traveling secret society known as the Guild. But 10 years after he jumped, Nick is told he's being sent back to 1815 on a vital mission. While investigating the Guild's enemies and hunting for the invaluable Talisman, he's reunited with his sweetheart, Julia Percy, who's just started to discover time-traveling gifts of her own. But a war over the past and the fate of the future, as well as desperate attempts to find the Talisman and use it to avert catastrophe, promises either to bring Nick and Julia together or tear them apart. Ridgway offers a well-crafted blend of science fiction, romance, mystery, and historical fiction, but stumbles with overlong explanations that, while helpful in untangling the story's convolutions, stall the plot.