Review by Booklist Review
Riley, author of Mister Hockey (2017), returns to the rink with a time-travel twist and, as the title suggests, a literary homage. Sidelined by health woes, Austin Regals goalie Tucker Taylor has gone to England to visit his sister. One minute he's driving her Mini Cooper back to their B the next minute, swerving to avoid an accident, he finds himself in the middle of an icy pond. Upon surfacing and finding his way to land, Tucker is in for an even bigger surprise when Lizzy Wooddash, the oddly dressed lady who just beaned him with an apple core, informs him that while he's still in Hallow's Gate, the year is 1812. Lizzy quickly realizes that Tucker could be the solution to her matrimonial scheme. Riley's vivaciously imagined cast of characters, which includes Lizzy's best friend and fellow author, Jane Austen, is perfectly balanced by an inventive plot that mines comedy gold from Tucker's fish-out-of-water status, while the sensual love scenes Riley brews up between her protagonists are everything romance readers could desire.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Regency manners collide with modern sensibilities in this cute time-travel sports romance from Riley (Virgin Territory). Spinster Lizzy Wooddash finds it easy to believe pro hockey goalie Tuck Taylor's claim that he's from the future after he emerges from the local cow pond dressed in unusual clothing and takes her picture with a strange device. Tuck doesn't know why or how he ended up in 1812, but he's determined to get back to his sister in modern times. Lizzy's eager to help--particularly when her dear friend, Jane Austen, proposes a plan that could save Lizzy from ever being forced into an unwanted marriage. Lizzy and Tuck will enter into a purely platonic marriage of convenience. Then, when Tuck disappears back to the future, Lizzy will be granted all the freedom that Regency society affords to widows. It's a solid scheme until mutual attraction makes both parties wish for more time together. Readers will have no trouble rooting for Riley's charming leads to make it work across time and space. The conceit that spirited Lizzy inspires Jane Austen to write the character of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice adds an extra layer of fun. This unexpected take on familiar tropes will satisfy Regency and contemporary fans alike. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Gorgeous hockey goalie Tucker Taylor is visiting his sister in England as he recovers from a medical crisis, but then he careens off the road and ends up in 1812 England. He soon meets Lizzy Wooddash, an aspiring author and a friend of Jane Austen. The pair quickly strike a bargain--if Tuck elopes with Lizzy, she'll help him figure out a way to get home. When he leaves, she'll fake his death and live with the freedoms afforded a widow. Naturally, during Tuck and Lizzy's trip to Gretna Green, they have a number of adventures on the road and even stay in an inn or two that have only one bed available, forging a connection along the way. This romance is sexy, fun, and ridiculous in all the best ways, with some truly funny scenes of Tuck trying to fit into the Regency era, but the realistic personal struggles of Lizzy and Tuck keep the story just grounded enough. VERDICT A romance featuring a hockey pro who time travels and enters into a marriage of convenience with Jane Austen's bestie sounds like a wild concept, and Riley (Virgin Territory) delivers all the fun that readers would expect in this playful, trope-filled diversion.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 21st-century hockey player becomes a prime marriage-of-convenience candidate when he's thrust into 19th-century England. After having been benched for the season, professional hockey goalie Tucker Taylor decides to use his time off to visit his sister in England. After an unexpected dip into a local cow pond finds him emerging in 1812, he meets spinster Lizzy Wooddash, who's as perplexed as he is, especially since she's never seen a cell phone before--there's no service, of course, but she's amazed when Tuck takes her picture. All Tuck wants to do is get back to his own time, but Lizzy sees an opportunity, prompted by a suggestion from her friend Jane Austen. Lizzy longs for the life of freedom often afforded to widows. If she and Tuck marry, she'll be declared a widow once he returns to the present day and disappears from her era. In the meantime, Lizzy is happy to provide Tuck with guidance on how to blend into Regency society. Lizzy takes things in stride, perhaps a bit too much, as the notion that a man from the future--who plays a sport that hasn't been invented yet--has shown up in her timeline prompts barely any disbelief on her part. Of course, Tuck and Lizzy's well-meaning plan begins to go wrong as their mutual attraction grows and they start to rethink whether they'll be able to make a clean break when Tuck is able to leave Lizzy's world. As if a time-traveling hockey player didn't make this story strange enough, the inclusion of Jane Austen--who's inspired by Lizzy to create the character Elizabeth Bennett--is an even more bizarre detail. While the romance genre nurtures a culture where even the most inventive and nonsensical setups can find an audience, this book doesn't quite nail the campy creativeness needed to pull off its odd combination. This wild and wacky time travel romance may challenge even the most adventurous reader. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
