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Waters of Time #1
Time for Tea
The year is 2173, and with celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the American Revolution getting underway, business is booming at time travel consulting firm Constantine and Associates. Still, the last thing Olivia Lake expects on her first day of work is to be thrust into preparation for a time jump, in partnership with the dashing and apology-prone George Merrill. Their destination: London, 1773, to retrieve a pound of Bohea leaf destined for the Boston Tea Party. Before long, Olivia is immersed in danger, string quartets and love triangles amongst tea smugglers in the South of England, trying to stay afloat and do her job despite George's unpredictability and the secrets shadowing their quest. Are those secrets linked to Olivia's clandestine search for a missing Constantine and Associates employee: her husband, Bernard Quan?
514 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Erica H. Smith
6 books8 followersErica H. Smith lives in Maryland. In her spare time, she blogs about the joys and sorrows of vegetable gardening, invents frumious and uffish recipes, and crafts an incriminating internet search history.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 11, 2014
If you'd like a book that has the mystery and the hints of future politics of Kage Baker's time-travel books, the fun of Connie Willis' time-travel books, and the emotional resonance of complicated relationships that don't go stagnant after marriage (or after a first kiss), look no further. I am already plotting about giving this to at least one relative next Christmas.
January 15, 2014
A well-crafted adventure tale with all the best things: time travel, harrowing escapes, tea smugglers of both the drawing-room and swashbuckling varieties, love polygons, quotations from the poets, and, of course, tea. Highly recommended!
January 1, 2016
My Amazon review, when I'd just finished it:
It's a long time since I've read a book that has so thoroughly, delightfully, engaged me to the point where I haven't stuck to my usual habit of reading multiple books at once. With 'Time for Tea', I really couldn't put it down. The story is compelling, and the author's attention to historical detail of all sorts ensured I was happily immersed in the 18th century just as our hero and heroine from the future are.
The characterisation is superb, ratcheting the dramatic tension ever higher as we get to know all the players, and become more and more invested in Olivia and George's fates. Great attention is also paid to supporting roles - there are no cardboard characters here. There is, however, plenty of food for thought about the nature of time, the nature of human beings (and how they change, or don't), as the story deepens and layers of characterisation are peeled away to reveal new charms and mysteries, making Olivia, George, and the other characters ever more interesting as the plot itself twists and turns.
As other reviewers have said, this Erica H. Smith's writing deserves wider recognition. Time travel, engaging characters, history, romance, grey areas and complications of all kinds - give this book a try, you won't regret it! I finished 'Time for Tea' the other day, and am already well immersed in book 2 of the Waters of Time series, 'Time and Fevers', which is also superb.
It's a long time since I've read a book that has so thoroughly, delightfully, engaged me to the point where I haven't stuck to my usual habit of reading multiple books at once. With 'Time for Tea', I really couldn't put it down. The story is compelling, and the author's attention to historical detail of all sorts ensured I was happily immersed in the 18th century just as our hero and heroine from the future are.
The characterisation is superb, ratcheting the dramatic tension ever higher as we get to know all the players, and become more and more invested in Olivia and George's fates. Great attention is also paid to supporting roles - there are no cardboard characters here. There is, however, plenty of food for thought about the nature of time, the nature of human beings (and how they change, or don't), as the story deepens and layers of characterisation are peeled away to reveal new charms and mysteries, making Olivia, George, and the other characters ever more interesting as the plot itself twists and turns.
As other reviewers have said, this Erica H. Smith's writing deserves wider recognition. Time travel, engaging characters, history, romance, grey areas and complications of all kinds - give this book a try, you won't regret it! I finished 'Time for Tea' the other day, and am already well immersed in book 2 of the Waters of Time series, 'Time and Fevers', which is also superb.
January 15, 2014
Characters from the 22nd century time-jump to the 18th century in order to obtain a sample of the tea that was heaved overboard at the Boston Tea Party; intrigue, mystery, and excitement ensue. This trope - modern (or future) people having Adventures in the Past - is something I eat up with a spoon, and this serving was quite delicious.
Ignore the 'in media res' beginning, which feels as though the author tacked it on because she felt she ought to start with something exciting; it doesn't actually have much to do with the story. On the opposite side of the book, I felt the ending was a bit rushed (though fortunately not the cliffhanger I feared, at first) and clearly leads into the next book of this series - a little disappointing for someone like me who likes more arc resolution, but not unsatisfying.
This is far and away one of the most tightly-edited, well-paced, and carefully-proofread self-published books I have read.
Ignore the 'in media res' beginning, which feels as though the author tacked it on because she felt she ought to start with something exciting; it doesn't actually have much to do with the story. On the opposite side of the book, I felt the ending was a bit rushed (though fortunately not the cliffhanger I feared, at first) and clearly leads into the next book of this series - a little disappointing for someone like me who likes more arc resolution, but not unsatisfying.
This is far and away one of the most tightly-edited, well-paced, and carefully-proofread self-published books I have read.
November 20, 2024
Erica is a friend of mine- I delayed reading this book as long as possible. I was so afraid- what if I hated it? What would I say to her?
After reading the book, I did finally find the words that fit- "Hurry up!". Hard to wait for the next installment in her series!
For my tastes this book was perfection- a bit of sci-fi, a bit historical novel, time travel, strong, interesting characters- a trace of romance. She managed to seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly combine all my favorite genres into one amazing tale. So Erica, please hurry up and release your next book!
After reading the book, I did finally find the words that fit- "Hurry up!". Hard to wait for the next installment in her series!
For my tastes this book was perfection- a bit of sci-fi, a bit historical novel, time travel, strong, interesting characters- a trace of romance. She managed to seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly combine all my favorite genres into one amazing tale. So Erica, please hurry up and release your next book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews