Mercer Street – Book Review – The Book Review Directory

Source: I received a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Time Travel
Format: eBook
Publication Date: October 21, 2015

Summary

In the wake of a tragedy caused by her husband’s affair, the newly widowed Susan, Amanda, her daughter, and Elizabeth, Susan’s mother, head to California for a little R&R. When Elizabeth hears of a lecture in which Professor Bell is presenting his theories on time travel, she persuades her daughter and granddaughter to attend with her. After the lecture, Amanda and Susan are not convinced that time travel is a reality; however, Elizabeth manages to convince them to speak to Professor Bell after the lecture.

Professor Bell manages to convince Susan and Amanda that time travel is possible, and the trio chooses to go back to 1938. They make plans for a cross-country road trip to Princeton so that Elizabeth can reconnect with the family that disowned her after she married her husband.

Upon arriving at Princeton, it does not take long for the women to realize how difficult it is to restrain themselves from altering the time-line as they find themselves entangled in relationships that could threaten life in the U.S. as they know it.

Review

It took me several days to read the first book in this series, September Sky, but it took me only a couple of days to read this book. At first I thought this was due to the fact that the protagonists were all women; then I really started paying attention to how Heldt described the setting and the characters, and realized that Heldt’s writing has changed. The attention to detail with regard to the characters, the setting, and the era are still present, but the details are more concise.

I like how Heldt does romance in his books. He actually focuses on the emotional aspects of the romance, rather than the physical elements. The romances are always consistent with the era that his protagonists are in, and he realizes that sap belongs in trees (or on waffles and pancakes); not in books.

I enjoyed the appearance of some historic characters in the plot; they are a nice touch, and I think that they add even more realism to the story. I am finding it very difficult to avoid spoiling the surprise because I thought that the appearance of one famous character was really cool, so I am going to stop discussing this topic before I end up spilling the beans!

Finally, the book’s plot had a couple of very interesting twists in the end. They took me by surprise, and I am glad that Heldt has not fallen into a predictable pattern in his storytelling.

I was immersed in the story from the first page. The realistic and relateable characters, and the late 1930’s setting had me hooked immediately. If you are thinking of turning your nose up at this book because you are not interested in science fiction, you are missing out on something amazing! This is not a science fiction novel; it is a historical fiction novel with contemporary characters.

If you enjoy historical fiction in a pre-WWII setting, you are going to love Mercer Street!

You can find Mercer Street here.

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