"Suspenseful and Amusing"
New Orleans 2000: C. Andrew (Drew) Montague has spent the
bulk of his life rebelling against his heritage. The third
and youngest son of a wealthy plantation owner he had been
a wild child. Sure he'd made some mistakes, his failed
marriage being one of them, but he'd grown up a lot since
his young wife had left him with a baby to raise all
alone. Two year old Teal is the light of his life, yet his
father has never recognized the little girl. This just adds
to Drew's grievances. Drew has decided that he prefers to go to law school rather
than be involved in the family business, but as he
approaches thirty his father has decided that his time has
run out. His father gives him an ultimatum. Drew is to
work on the plantation for a period of one year. If at that
time he still wishes to attend law school, his parents will
fund his schooling. Otherwise he will be cut off from his
funds. Drew hates the plantation. His father had regaled him with
tales of his illustrious ancestor Rafe Montague, letting
Drew know he was not living up to his glorious heritage.
With a little girl to care for Drew knows he can't go to
school and work to remain independent. Though furious he
accepts the offer. Drew shares his plans with Teal's nanny before escorting
her to her bus stop. On the way home drew finds a watch
hanging on a the ears of a horse's head hitching post. The
watch bears the initials R.M. Picking up the watch, Drew
remembers a chant his own nanny had told him. It had been
part of a warning that Drew doesn't heed. As he repeats
the chat he feels a powerful tingling sensation. Waking on the ground, Drew finds himself in the New Orleans
of 1853. Drew suddenly has a lot of things to think
about. Aside from the fact that he must find away to get
back to his beloved child, 1853 had been a banner year for
Yellow Fever deaths in New Orleans. Lost and confused, he
touches the heart of Marianne Beaufort. She is the most
beautiful woman he has ever seen. A woman he could love, if
only he didn't have to return to his own time. Perhaps it
is just as well for Marianne is engaged to his illustrious
ancestor Rafe. Being from the future, Drew knows the two are not destined
to be wed, but he is loathe to tamper with the natural
course of history. Rafe isn't at all the man Drew had come
to expect. The man's vile temper could get him killed.
Aside from Rafe's jealousy over Drew's connection to
Marianne, Rafe's father has taken a shine to Drew, deeping
the estrangement between father and son. Though Rafe
doesn't come to love his ancestor, he does see the parallel
to his own relationship with his father and also comes to
respect his heritage. Drew's dilemma becomes critical when a voodoo priestess
foretells a way for him to return to his home. He must find
the watch that brought him before the end of summer, or
remain in the past forever. The search is on, but each day
brings him closer to the fact that he must give up one of
the two ladies he loves. Which will it be, or will love's
magic find a solution? There is a bit of a hint at the end that the family
heirloom may have been more than just a watch handed down
through the generations. I wonder if we'll be seeing it
again. A HITCH IN TIME was suspenseful and amusing. The authors
gave a very colorful representation of the historical
period, equally portraying the beauty and the perils of the
era. Copyright © 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted June 27, 2001
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