April 23, 2013

Release Day Review: The River of No Return by: Bee Ridgway

The River of No Return by: Bee Ridgway (April 23, 2013)
Publisher: DUTTON
452 pages
Genre: Fiction/Time Travel/Romance
Goodreads Summary: “You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.” Two hundred years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott, soldier and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern London. The Guild, an entity that controls time travel, showers him with life's advantages. But Nick yearns for home and for one brown-eyed girl, lost now down the centuries. Then the Guild asks him to break its own rule. It needs Nick to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies and to find something called the Talisman.

In 1815, Julia Percy mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an earl who could play with time. On his deathbed he whispers in her ear: “Pretend!” Pretend what? When Nick returns home as if from the dead, older than he should be and battle scarred, Julia begins to suspect that her very life depends upon the secrets Grandfather never told her. Soon enough Julia and Nick are caught up in an adventure that stretches up and down the river of time. As their knowledge of the Guild and their feelings for each other grow, the fate of the future itself is hanging in the balance.

My Review

Once I read the last page of this novel and set the book down with a sigh of gratification I announced at the top of my lungs “I LOVE THIS BOOK!” The River of No Return is a unique time traveling story with a beautiful romance and nothing less than page-turning intrigue that had me swooning.

The River of No Return is a perfect fit for fans of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. You won’t be disappointed.

Where do I even begin to explain to you how much I love this novel? I know it is a simple thing, but let’s start with the cover. I have some hard core cover love for this one. It is eye catching and simple yet complex, perfectly catching the feel of the story.

The writing was elegant and perfect for a novel mostly set in the 1800s. I was instantly entranced in this time traveling story. I was somewhat nervous that the time traveling aspect would be hard to follow, but I thought it was well explained and I felt like I was learning just as the main character Nick was. So if thinking that the time traveling part of the book is too confusing is keeping you from reading this book it shouldn't, it isn't too hard to understand. It was actually a great part of the novel and more interesting and complex than I thought it would be.

Now I think it's time I shout some praise out to the awesome main characters. Nick is the sexy and somewhat snarky male lead that I love to love. He is a pretty stand up guy that I completely adored. Nick jumps forward in time when he is about to die, saving his life. He then must help The Guild with an important mission and jumps back in time to the 1800s. I loved seeing Nick try to figure out how to live life in the 2000s and then have to learn to return to his old ways in the 1800s. Ridgway does an amazing job with details and descriptions especially when Nick is learning to adapt to the 21st century. This quote brought a huge smile on my face and shows how excellent the writing is when it comes down to those awesome details I was talking about.
"He was bobbing like a cork in a heated infinity pool in the Andes, his formerly stiff rump tucked into a plastic flotation device made to look like a spotted frog. His two friends were bobbing too, one in a dragon and one in a panda bear." - pg. 27
Somewhat Side Note: This kept making me ask myself how I would react and adapt if I was thrown into the future, something fun to think about.  

The main female lead, Julia, is instantly likeable. She is strong, intense, and lovely. A character I won't soon forget. The best part is that the romance between her and Nick is perfect, and not sickeningly so. Not to mention there are a whole handful of great minor characters in this novel too. You get the whole package.

This is hands down a one of my favorite reads of 2013. The book was paced perfectly. There were so many “did that just happen” moments that made it so I never lost interest even though this is a slightly longer novel. Some of the revelations were somewhat predictable, but most were revealed in just the right way at the right time. I had many mouth hanging open moments.

So basically to sum it up, I’m telling you that you NEED to read this book. It is worth taking the the time to read. It is a great romance novel with a secret time traveling guild, what more could you want?

** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

RATING 5/5 

11 comments:

  1. I am SO happy you read & reviewed this book! I got approved for it on NetGalley, but then didn't have time to read it. Once I realized how soon the actual publication date was, I considered pre-ordering a print copy instead (you know me and my print books!), but then read a review that made me second guess myself. But given how similar our reading tastes are, if you loved it, I just KNOW I will love it too. I will most definitely be getting a copy of this one now :)

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    1. I have a physical copy of the book and it is proudly sitting on the top shelf of my overflowing bookcase. I actually thought of you while reading this book! So obviously that means you need to read it. :)

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  2. ADDED! I feel like we have similar tastes so it usually doesn't take very much to convince me to read a book you love hah. I was confused when I first read this synopsis but with a re-read and your review I think I get what's going on. I love when time travel is well done and it always makes me think. I'm excited now but you should start hating some books because my TBR pile is too big ;) (I have "How to Lead a Life of Crime" sitting on my dresser to pick up soon!)

    Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

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    1. We definitely have similar reading tastes. Thanks to your wonderful reviews on your blog my TBR pile grows at an alarming/awesome rate! Although the time traveling part could be a little confusing at times, it is explained so well that it really wasn't a big problem at all. Especially since the idea of time travel isn't a concrete thing anyway.

      I will work on hating more books, but then you have to as well. lol ;)

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  3. Your review has totally sold me on this book! I've added it to my ever-growing TBR list...and thanks for visiting my blog.

    By the way, I just signed up to follow you via GFC. Follow back?
    http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/

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    1. Thanks for following! I hope you enjoy this book when you get around to reading it. I can't wait to see what more people think. p.s. I started following your blog a little bit ago so I'm a slightly old follower. :)

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  4. Isn't that the best way to end a book? I ended up waiting to see what the general consensus would be on this one, since it was a little out of my realm, but I've been hearing such great things I already wish I had read it!

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    1. The best way! I was a little hesitant about the book at first but it turned out to be a great read! Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Great review!! And I agree with River City Reader, that is the best way to end a book!! The cover is very beautiful, it brings my eyes straight to it!

    I'm not one on reading books about time travel, but you've got me so interested, I think I'm going to have to give this one a try!
    I like the sound of the story, the characters, and the setting!!

    Definitely adding to my TBR list!

    Great Review!
    Magen Corrie
    ~Corrie the Book Crazed Girl

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    1. There is just something about the cover that makes me love it.

      YAY! I'm glad I got you to add it to your TBR pile. It's a great read. I wasn't expecting to get into the whole time traveling thing either, but it was fun.

      Thanks for reading!

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  6. Terrific review! I hope this book does really well -- I loved it too!

    Lisa

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