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Tangle of Time.
When Annie Thornton, midwife and fledgling witch, falls through time to a 15th century Yorkshire village, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Annie discovers that a long-ago aunt, also a midwife and witch, has contrived the meeting to expose corruption in a troubled community. Intrigued by the mysterious disappearance of a local innkeeper, the three newcomers find that darkness lurks in the village shrouded by fear and long-held secrets. The powerful steward of the local manor appears a man with much to hide. To protect himself, he threatens to see Annie burned at the stake as a witch. Between falling in love, delivering babies medieval-style, learning about witchcraft and seeking a murderer, Annie finds that even magic and steadfast friends cannot keep her out of danger. Tangle of Time is a rollicking romp through Yorkshire towns and moors, in contemporary and medieval times. Filled with engaging characters, this action-packed mystery both enlightens and entertains.
306 pages, Paperback
Published November 27, 2018
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 13, 2018
The time-travelling Annie Thornton, who is also a novice witch, returns from modern-day England to medieval Yorkshire, where she meets two handsome soldiers of fortune and a black cat who can read her mind. This well-written book will appeal to fans of Outlander, and best of all, it's the first in a new series. I know the author personally, so I was privileged to read the manuscript before publication, and I enjoyed it immensely.
May 30, 2021
Tangle of Time is a spellbinding adventure to Yorkshire in the middle ages. It draws you into a world of romance, murder, witchcraft, mystery and time travel. The book is a beautifully written and well crafted. All the characters in this novel, the two good witches, a couple of young dashing solders returning from war, the local villagers and a black cat that can read minds--- they are all artfully entwined thru out the story line. I found myself turning the pages quickly in anticipation of what my new found friends were going to do next in the 15th century. Having read this one twice now I look forward to the next book in the series.
August 6, 2020
Spellbinding and Endearing Tale. Everything Witchcraft and Time Travel needs to be.
Murder, mystery, witchcraft and time travel. All elements for an endearing tale of romance and intrigue for a fledgling witch. Annie is cast 600 years into the past to solve a mysterious disappearance. Now she is the one in danger!
Maureen Thorpe casts a magical spell on her characters, using unique colloquialisms to draw us into her medieval world. She weaves the past and present together in an endearing manner to keep us spellbound.
A rich cast of characters keep us entertained and guessing while romance, mystery and danger unfolds. Is there any way for Annie to unravel the spell holding her captive in the past and return home? Time will tell.
February 1, 2021
I bought this book off of the authour at a farmer's market in Invermere, and her enthusiasm about writing and history really drew me in. I have so much respect for her following her dream, and "pounding the pavement" to sell her own book. Great work.
The enthusiasm was obvious throughout the novel, and you can tell that so much research was put into it. I liked the plot, and it wasn't too predictable, which is really important in a mystery novel. There was also such a wide variety of locations, and aspects of historical life that were included which made it feel dynamic.
I think Thorpe would make a great children's novelist. This story is very close to being a good children's novel, but it needs the profanity and more violent implications removed, but other than that, t is pretty much there. I think Thorpe's writing style would cater well to a young audience. I found that the plot, the feelings, and the characters were stated directly in the book which made it a tougher and slower read for me than I wanted, but would suit children very well. This is also very important in how the characters come across, as honestly, if it hadn't been written "this person liked this person", it would be hard to tell. The audience gets such a sense of satisfaction from sensing a characters feelings before they are out rightly mentioned, that it's a shame not to build towards them.
There is not a lot of variation in the sentence structure, I find, and it sometimes felt like reading a wikipedia page on historical York. I think it was great how she worked so many facts about the time period in, but the facts should be added to support the story, and sometimes it felt like the story was added to support the history research she had done and wanted to present.
One of my biggest frustrations with this book was the inconsistent language used by the villagers. I get that some of the changes are due to regional dialect and not time, but I feel that Thorpe was trying to ride both sides of the road here, and I would have preferred if she picked one. There were times when the characters would suggest they do not know modern words like "detective" or "brilliant" and they would use old words sometimes like "thee", but all in all their sentence structure and vocabulary remained very modern (e.g. "that'll be a shiner" or "flippin' heck"). I can only imagine how hard it is to try to write characters from such a far off time period, and I forgive her for writing in a modern voice, but if you're going to write in a modern voice for the characters, stick to it, that's a cool style choice. If you're going to write in old timey dialect, that's fine, but stick to it, that's a cool style choice.
I'm going to be honest, based on the book alone, this would be 3 stars, but the authours enthusiasm bumps it up to 4. I hope she continues to write and maybe varies her sentences and stays consistent with her dialect choices. :)
The enthusiasm was obvious throughout the novel, and you can tell that so much research was put into it. I liked the plot, and it wasn't too predictable, which is really important in a mystery novel. There was also such a wide variety of locations, and aspects of historical life that were included which made it feel dynamic.
I think Thorpe would make a great children's novelist. This story is very close to being a good children's novel, but it needs the profanity and more violent implications removed, but other than that, t is pretty much there. I think Thorpe's writing style would cater well to a young audience. I found that the plot, the feelings, and the characters were stated directly in the book which made it a tougher and slower read for me than I wanted, but would suit children very well. This is also very important in how the characters come across, as honestly, if it hadn't been written "this person liked this person", it would be hard to tell. The audience gets such a sense of satisfaction from sensing a characters feelings before they are out rightly mentioned, that it's a shame not to build towards them.
There is not a lot of variation in the sentence structure, I find, and it sometimes felt like reading a wikipedia page on historical York. I think it was great how she worked so many facts about the time period in, but the facts should be added to support the story, and sometimes it felt like the story was added to support the history research she had done and wanted to present.
One of my biggest frustrations with this book was the inconsistent language used by the villagers. I get that some of the changes are due to regional dialect and not time, but I feel that Thorpe was trying to ride both sides of the road here, and I would have preferred if she picked one. There were times when the characters would suggest they do not know modern words like "detective" or "brilliant" and they would use old words sometimes like "thee", but all in all their sentence structure and vocabulary remained very modern (e.g. "that'll be a shiner" or "flippin' heck"). I can only imagine how hard it is to try to write characters from such a far off time period, and I forgive her for writing in a modern voice, but if you're going to write in a modern voice for the characters, stick to it, that's a cool style choice. If you're going to write in old timey dialect, that's fine, but stick to it, that's a cool style choice.
I'm going to be honest, based on the book alone, this would be 3 stars, but the authours enthusiasm bumps it up to 4. I hope she continues to write and maybe varies her sentences and stays consistent with her dialect choices. :)
March 28, 2019
I studied history in University because I find it fascinating. I have both a BA and an MA in history so I am very fussy about reading history books that are well written and well researched. I always have some trepidation when it comes to historical fiction because it so often lacks adequate research. I bought Maureen Thorpe's Tangle of Time because I could see instantly, its veracity. I am enjoying the book so mch, the historical detail is wonderful, accurate and fitting to a very entertaining story. Conversations are excellent. If you like history, you will love this book. And, you can count on the setting to be correct as well as entertaining.
November 24, 2019
An impressive debut novel.
The author’s love of history and research is evident in this tangled tale about a modern-day midwife and novice witch, who is propelled back in time and lands right in the middle of a dangerous mystery. And a romance!
The historic descriptions are so good, you really feel you’re living in medieval Yorkshire—traipsing up and down the streets and eating the food of the day.
This is the first book in a series, so be on the lookout for the second installment in 2020.
The author’s love of history and research is evident in this tangled tale about a modern-day midwife and novice witch, who is propelled back in time and lands right in the middle of a dangerous mystery. And a romance!
The historic descriptions are so good, you really feel you’re living in medieval Yorkshire—traipsing up and down the streets and eating the food of the day.
This is the first book in a series, so be on the lookout for the second installment in 2020.
June 16, 2020
The book is set in 15th century Yorkshire, in and around a fictitious village - Hallamby. The story brings together (friendly) witchcraft and intrigue, all set within a time travel environment. I loved the characters and the mixing of the centuries. It is also educational to appreciate life in the 15th century, as well as a great yarn. I cannot wait for the next book!
Ralph (actually from Hallam!)
Ralph (actually from Hallam!)
October 21, 2020
I purchased this book from the author at a farmers market while on vacation, thinking I should help support local authors.
A good read by the author's first book. An easy tale takes us back 600 years to medieval England. The author combines her own experience with enjoyable story telling.
Quickly ordered her second book, Sailing to Byzantium, and about to crack it open. Only disappointment is I won't have it autographed by the author, Maureen Thorpe, like the first.
A good read by the author's first book. An easy tale takes us back 600 years to medieval England. The author combines her own experience with enjoyable story telling.
Quickly ordered her second book, Sailing to Byzantium, and about to crack it open. Only disappointment is I won't have it autographed by the author, Maureen Thorpe, like the first.
April 19, 2023
Maureen Thorpe is a gifted writer. She can spin a tale that keeps you spellbound (no pun intended.). It has been my pleasure to meet Ms. Thorpe when she was just starting her "Annie and Aunt Meg's" tales. They just keep getting better. Not an easy task. It has been my pleasure to read "Tangle of Time", "Sailing to Byzantium", "Coventina's Well", and "All the World's a Stage" at least 3 times. If you like a good tale with a touch of magic, look no further.
Debbie B.
Debbie B.
August 10, 2021
What a fun story! A little history..a little mystery.. some romance...a murder...and even humor and all wrapped up in time travel! I very much enjoyed this first novel by Maureen Thorpe. The characters are engaging and funny. I highly recommend this story and enjoyed it so much I am about to read the second book “Sailing To Byzantium”
March 23, 2023
I enjoyed the beginning and end of the book, but felt parts of the middle were more filler, of information of the time period and location, than plot, and could have been left out. A good editing would have definitely improved the flow of the book, but the storyline was interesting enough to overlook some of the flaws.
February 5, 2019
I have read Tangle of Time twice now, cover to cover in each sitting. I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first.
Looking forward to the next adventure with Annie and Rosamund. I will patiently revisit them in Yorkshire until then.
Anne
Looking forward to the next adventure with Annie and Rosamund. I will patiently revisit them in Yorkshire until then.
Anne
August 6, 2019
Really enjoyed this book, couldn’t wait to pick it up and read more. I don’t find too many books actually have me thinking about the storyline and the characters during the day when I’m not reading but this one did!! Great ending but sad it is over!! Loved it!
June 14, 2020
A wonderful time-trip back to Middle Ages Yorkshire to solve a mystery and save the town! Delightful characters and a light writer's touch pulled me through the story, and the deep knowledge of the area's history really brought it to life. Highly recommended.
August 15, 2020
I bought this book from the author at a Farmers Market in Invermere a year ago. I usually read on Kindle but decided it was time to read this book. I loved the book and the characters and can’t wait to read the next in the series.
February 24, 2019
Enjoyed the story very much looking forward to learn more about life in early Yorkshire.
January 19, 2026
DNF. The writing is very amateurish and impossible to read.
November 16, 2020
Amazing book that is hard to put down! Great historical detail that draws the reader into the magical medieval world!
August 30, 2019
Tangle of Time is a wonderfully well-crafted book. Having visited the Yorkshire area myself, I can say that this book perfectly captures the atmosphere. Your passion for writing and Yorkshire is obvious on every page. From precisely drawn and lovable characters to a detailed and researched setting, this book is an incredibly rich brew of historical fantasy and I look forward to reading more about Annie and her adventures through time.
William Bowen
William Bowen
August 30, 2019
Tangle of Time is a wonderfully well-crafted book. Having visited the Yorkshire area myself, I can say that this book perfectly captures the atmosphere. The author's passions for writing and Yorkshire is obvious on every page. From precisely drawn and lovable characters to a detailed and researched setting, this book is an incredibly rich brew of historical fantasy and I look forward to reading more about Annie and her adventures through time.
August 7, 2025
Lovely, quick read that is entertaining, historically informative, and suspenseful enough to hold attention without being too scary. I read it in one sitting. I read it again before reading Sailing to Byzantium. I read a third time before reading Coventina's Well. Each time has brought the discovery of new details.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews