"Excellent debut time travel from this author."

Modern-day social worker Sarah Jane Tremont finally has the ability to help a sick child in need...just as she's swept into 1888 by seemingly magical footprints. At that moment, the concerns of the modern world are pushed to the side as people appear to know her and dislike her. In an attempt to get along until the next stagecoach can take her back to California to rediscover the footprints, Sarah tries to make up for the heartache and suspicion her double has left behind. This is an easier task than it sounds, with a horrid reputation, dastardly villains, tales of a dead husband, and an irate ex-brother-in-law hounding her every move to make sure she is flung into the first coach out of town.

This debut romance is a wonderful romp into the past and an elegant analysis of layers of love and community. The pages fly by as one devours each plotline more quickly than the last. Ms. Long does an excellent job conveying the confusion and compassion a modern woman can have for life in the 1800s. The conflicts are not contrived, and the characters are convincing.

Reviewed by Vicky Gilpin
Posted January 10, 2005

Summary

Unforgettable passion from a talented new Sensation author.

When Sarah Jane Tremont gets swept off a beach in southern California and time travels back to 1888 Wyoming Territory, the good old days don't seem all that great. She lands on the doorstep of rancher John Beckett, who confuses her with his sister-in-law Sarah who left six months earlier—the family fortune in her satchel—after the death of his only brother.

He's got no time for forgiveness and she's in the wrong time for love. However, like a mountain stream that inevitably thaws in the spring, John can't keep his heart from warming up and his blood from flowing hot for Sarah.

Can he convince Sarah in time to plunge with him into the still-icy water and to give love a chance to warm his cold heart? Can Sarah find a way to enjoy the pleasure and passion of the past without turning her back on her responsibilities in the present?