Out of Time: A Paranormal Romance

Author: Monique Martin
Genre: Supernatural / Romance
Type: ebook (Kindle)
First Published: February 2010
First Line: "The nightmares had come again."

Synopsis: Professor Simon Cross has spent his life researching vampires and other supernatural beings while avoiding any romantic relationships that might get in the way of his work. One night Simon and his assistant Elizabeth West are mysteriously transported to 1920's New York City. Stuck in this new time and place Simon and Elizabeth pretend to be married, get jobs at a speakeasy and try to figure out how to get back to their own time. In the meantime Elizabeth has caught the eye of the local gangster. Unable to get back until the next solar eclipse, 6 weeks away, the two must learn how to survive in an era much different than their own.

My Thoughts: When I first saw that this book had to do with time travel and supernatural I was very excited. I'm a huge "Outlander" (Diana Gabaldon) fan and I'm also a lover of supernatural books so this book seemed perfect for me.

While it was a cute and easy read it was just OK. The banter was cute and there was some sexual tension between Simon and Elizabeth but it wasn't gradual or believable enough for me. I think a lot of it had to do with the twenty year age difference between Simon and Elizabeth and their very different personalities. I know that love happens at all ages and that it's de rigeur with Ashton & Demi and Michael and Catherine but I just didn't feel that connection between the two main characters. Elizabeth felt too flighty and immature for me to believe that a stoic college professor would fall in love with her. I guess after reading about couples like Elizabeth and Nathaniel ("Into the Wilderness" series by S. Donati) and Claire & Jamie ("Outlander" by D. Gabaldon) I expect more of a deep and intense kind of romance. It also got a little old (and felt a little high school-ish) when the reader has to read over and over about how Simon loves Elizabeth but doesn't show his true feelings and visa versa. Just get on with it already! They spent more time worrying about their secret feelings for each other than being freaked out that they've gone 70 years back in time!

The appearance of the vampire character two-thirds of the way through the book seemed like overkill. Up until that part the story was an ok time travel romance. The introduction of this new character seemed to be included just because vampires are currently 'in'. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a nice supernatural vampire book like the next gal but in this story omitting that aspect, in my opinion, would have been a better choice. Not all bad guys have to bear fangs. Plus it seemed like everyone except Simon and Elizabeth knew that this bad guy was a vampire. If it was common knowledge that a bloodsucker was living in my neighbourhood you'd be seeing a For Sale sign slapped on my house quicker than you could say "Edward Cullen"!

One of my favourite parts of this book were the descriptions of the 1920's. It's a period that I've always found fascinating but never really read up on. I kept thinking as I read this book that in the 1920's my Nana would have been Missy Moo's age!! Love the descriptions of the vehicles, clothing and the vernacular!

If you're in the mood for a romance book with a bit of supernatural then this is a book for you. If you're more of a supernatural purist then you may not love this read.

My Rating: 3/5 stars