Obsessed With Myshelf

Romance Books

Tag: Time Travel

Review: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

This post is part of my ongoing reviews/reading of the Outlander series – Read Outlander first. Potential spoilers ahead.

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Book: Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)

Other Books in Series:

Outlander (Outlander #1) – my review is here
Dragonfly In Amber (Outlander #2) – my review is here
Voyager (Outlander #3) – my review is here
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
The Space Between (Outlander #7.5 – a novella)
Written in My Heart’s Own Blood (Outlander #8)
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Outlander #8.5 – a novella)
Moonlight And Howling (Outlander #9 – not yet finished)

Link to buy all 8 books here

tl;dr recommendation: Drums of Autumn gave me the HEA I so desperately craved and that I damn well deserved.

Book Summary:

In this breathtaking novel—rich in history and adventure—The New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novelOutlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Once again spanning continents and centuries, Diana Gabaldon has created a work of sheer passion and brilliance….

It began at an ancient Scottish stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past—or the grave. Dr. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice.

Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became a legend—a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in the American colonies. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century—their daughter, Brianna….

Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the circle of stones and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history … and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past … or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong….

Longer Review:

4.5 stars!

I’m not kidding when I say that Diana tries to kill you in this book. Once again, every emotion you have is played upon, tweaked and twisted until you’re not sure what end is up and how things will end.

From the book summary you know that Brianna goes through the stones to find her mother and meet her father. I don’t read those before I start these books, so I was so fucking excited when I realized what was happening. Brianna leaves everything – and everyone – behind on her quest. I was actually bouncing up and down on my couch like a toddler in the back seat of a car asking ‘are we there yet?’ I couldn’t put it down until Brianna got to where she was going and THEN I couldn’t put it down because of what was happening when she got there. #DianaKillsMe

Don’t worry – you get plenty of Jamie and Claire in this book. They haven’t gone anywhere at all. They’re settled in North Carolina, trying to make a place for themselves and set up the life they plan to have. Their love is ever present while they build their future.

I absolutely adored the storyline in this book but didn’t always love the way it was presented. There are many times that you’re taken to the cusp only to start a new chapter in a different character’s POV that takes you back to the beginning again. It was reading with cliffhangers thrown in the middle of a book. This tactic was effective to have me reading through my fingers but it also caused me to read a little faster than I wanted because I NEEDED to know what happened. I wanted to skip over all the other stuff (which was also fucking important) just to find out what happened to the FIRST stuff. Gah. It made me all anxiousy and I wasn’t a huge fan. But I digress.

Out of all of the books so far, I needed an HEA in this book, and Diana knows it. Drums of Autumn gave me the HEA I so desperately craved and that I damn well deserved. I was cheering and flailing and loving every member of that Fraser clan like they were my own. DoA is full of adventure, suspense and the makings of a new life. *winks*

I’m slightly terrified to start book 5 because I was left in such a happy place at the end of this book. Really, this could have been the end of the series and I would have been ok – I mean, I would have been in a major book hangover, but my soul would have been in tact. THAT’S HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS ENDING.

However, I’m also dying to know what ultimately happens – so, I’ll pull up my big girl breeks and get on with it. The Fiery Cross is up next!

Review: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

This post is part of my ongoing reviews/reading of the Outlander series – Read Outlander first. Potential spoilers ahead.

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Book: Voyager (Outlander #3)

Other Books in Series:

Outlander (Outlander #1) – my review is here
Dragonfly In Amber (Outlander #2) – my review is here
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
The Space Between (Outlander #7.5 – a novella)
Written in My Heart’s Own Blood (Outlander #8)
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Outlander #8.5 – a novella)
Moonlight And Howling (Outlander #9 – not yet finished)

Link to buy all 8 books here

tl;dr recommendation: The secrets are forgivable, the passion is real, and the journey is unforgettable

Book Summary:

From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her… and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her…the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland… and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

Longer Review:

Sweet christ. I cursed more in this book than I have in any of the others, but this is also my favorite of the series so far. I don’t know why I get so angry with the characters when I KNOW that I’m just going to let them crawl back into my heart and do it all over again. I mean for fuck’s sake. JAMIE. Remember in the last book when I was so pissed at Claire I couldn’t see straight? Oh. Well, now it’s Jamie’s turn.

Until approximately 27% into this book I was really angry. AND THEN. The perfect scene happened. And it was like the rain fell lightly overnight, cooling the heat that was smothering me and I could finally breathe again. I spontaneously orgasmed. My heart burst from my chest. And all was right with the world.

We know from the blurb that Claire goes back in time to find Jamie now that she knows he’s alive – but twenty years have passed. TWENTY YEARS. Anything could have happened in those twenty years, and damnit, so much does. Can Claire accept the Jamie that he is now as opposed to the one that she remembers so long ago? It’s clear from the immediate reunion that they both burn for each other. The hot kisses and the firm grip of their love is undeniable to anyone who sees them. But as the truth unravels – as the secrets Jamie keeps start to spill out – can Claire forgive him? CAN I FORGIVE HIM?

There is a shit ton of angst, kidnapping, arson, prison, murder, glorious sex, shipwrecks, and even the return of a character that I never thought I’d see again. At one point I skipped through my kitchen and squealed while my husband gave me side eye and shook his head. At another point I had silent tears streaming down my face as a piece of my heart broke off.

This series is exceptional. Yes, it’s fucking long. Yes, Diana knows it. She actually makes fun of herself a little bit about the length of her books in this one and I found that refreshing. In all reality, this book is like 4 in one. There’s a lot packed into these pages that will keep you up at night and have you thinking about it during the day.I dreamed about this book, twining it into my sleep as well as my days. This book, like the others, is written extremely well. The attention to detail is outstanding and Diana knows just how far she can push you before you need a reprieve, and then she reels you back in with Jamie & Claire. Always Jamie & Claire.

The secrets are forgivable, the passion is real, and the journey is unforgettable. 5 Stars! On to Drums Of Autumn!

Review: Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Book: Dragonfly In Amber (Outlander #2)

Other Books in Series:

Outlander (Outlander #1)
Voyager (Outlander #3)
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
The Space Between (Outlander #7.5 – a novella)
Written in My Heart’s Own Blood (Outlander #8)
A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Outlander #8.5 – a novella)
Moonlight And Howling (Outlander #9 – not yet finished)

Link to buy all 8 books here

tl;dr recommendation: This series will pull out every emotion you’ve ever had, and some you didn’t know existed.

Book Summary:

From the author of Outlander… a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland…

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones …about a love that transcends the boundaries of time …and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ….

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart …in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising …and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves….

Longer Review:

If you’re about to pick up this book after reading Outlander, welcome to the Fandom. If you haven’t yet read the summary of this book, you may want to do that now. When I started DiA I thought I was reading the wrong book – I had to go on to GoodReads and look up some reviews to discover that no, I hadn’t skipped five books in the series. NOPE – this book really does start out with Claire, twenty years in the future in her own time. Yes. YES.

Don’t get pissed, It’s in the goddamn book summary, this is not a spoiler.

However, this made me angry. SO ANGRY. How could she possibly leave Jamie? I deemed this to be an unforgivable action for which I was prepared to hold a grudge. Claire was practically dead to me as a character and I was now reading with a tinge of red surrounding my vision. Of course, as I learned what happened – and A LOT happens – I not only forgave Claire, but my heart broke. I’m tearing up a little bit right now thinking about how Jamie and Claire get to to the point where that has to happen.

So, just keep reading. Promise. You’ll be ok. Deep breaths.

But let’s back up – when we catch back up with Jamie and Claire, you’ll find that they go to Paris where Jamie takes over his cousin Jared’s shipping business. Jamie’s position allows him to infiltrate the Parisian politics and he actually becomes acquaintances *or something* with the Bonnie Prince Charlie. Jamie and Claire continue their secret mission to change the outcome of the future and save Scotland while walking a very tight political rope that, if the truth was exposed, could land Jamie in jail for treason – or worse.

This book reunites us with some characters we love to hate (i.e. Jack Randall) and we meet a few more characters we love to love – such as BlackJack’s much nicer brother, Alexander, and BOUTON! Of course, Jamie loses his shit a few times…as does Claire – and let’s not forget that Claire’s pregnant…

I adored learning more about Jamie. I could practically feel his imposing size when he was angry and firm hands when he was loving and see his lip curve up in a smirk when he was amused. I loved watching their marriage grow stronger with each trial they faced. While their lives are far from easy and their circumstances are less than ideal, their love is always enduring.

This series will pull out every emotion you’ve ever had, and some you didn’t know existed. I went from hating this book, hating Claire, and vibrating with rage to swooning uncontrollably and falling in love all over again. Diana is incredible…every time she backs the characters into an insurmountable corner, everything changes and somehow I manage to forgive every character for every terrible thing that has happened. DiA ends in a major cliffhanger – just so you know. But at that point, you’ll be completely hooked and so full of feels that it’s really no big deal as long as you have Voyager on hand. This book is unbelievably good.

ALLTHESTARS.

Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Book: Outlander (Outlander #1)

Other Books in Series:

Dragonfly In Amber (Outlander #2)
Voyager (Outlander #3)
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
Written in My Heart’s Own Blood (Outlander #8)
Untitled – Book 9

Link to buy all 8 books here

tl;dr recommendation: Reading about Jamie had me close to buying my husband a kilt and begging him to learn gaelic.

Book Summary:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Longer Review:

OH GOD I loved this book. It’s such an amazing epic romance at its heart that I hate myself for waiting this long to read it. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a predisposition against both historical novels and time travel novels – but this book breaks the mold. It’s something different…it’s timeless. Which is really no surprise since it was first published in 1991 and is still relevant.

Outlander easily broke through my preconceived notions, drug me through the dirty underbelly of the eighteenth century highlands and lifted me with hope that I never thought I’d have for characters I never knew I’d love. Diana writes with such ease that I’m shocked she didn’t have to transport back in time in order to convey this story so eloquently. While the overarching romance story held me fast to the pages, the story has something for everyone: danger, suspense, betrayal, and war. People have argued over what genre to place this book in, but that argument is wasted. I place this in the genre of ‘Good Shit’. period.

Claire is strong and sassy, witty and beguiling. She’s found herself in a shit position. While she knows that she should probably get back to her husband in her time, once she’s wed to Jamie and begins to build her life in this time, her heart and desires are divided. The question becomes, how much of her heart belongs to Jamie and how much to Frank – which future does she want to pursue? Of course, there’s also the issues of her maybe being an English spy and BlackJack Randall (who is her first husband’s ancestor) being a massive asshole, to the point that I’m not sure she could even see Frank’s face again without fearing he was BlackJack.

Jamie. Oh Jamie Fraser. Reading about Jamie had me close to buying my husband a kilt and begging him to learn gaelic. I’m going to share a few of my favorite lines – if this doesn’t entice you to buy the book, you clearly don’t love romance, I’m not sure why you’re reading this blog and you have no soul:

“If I were a horse, I’d let him ride me anywhere”           [Oh YES, PLEASE]

“I am your master…and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.”

“I didna mean to hurt ye. But I do want to be in you, to stay in you, so deep. I want to leave the feel of me deep inside ye with my seed. I want to hold ye so and stay wi’ you ’til dawn, and leave you sleeping and go, with the shapes of you warm in my hands.”

“My heart has been yours since first I saw ye, and you’ve held my soul and body between your two hands here, and kept them safe.”

“I mean to hear ye groan like that again. And to moan and sob, even though you dinna wish to, for ye canna help it. I mean to make you sigh as though your heart would break, and scream with the wanting, and at last to cry out in my arms, and I shall know that I’ve served ye well.”

*SWOON*

Go fan yourself. Get your temperature back under control. Or wait – don’t. Go buy the book.

This book is a commitment. but one well worth taking. Especially for all seven inches of Jamie that swings with such easy access under that delicious kilt. *winks*

(it’s also only $2 for like 1000 pages. COME ON. That’s practically free).

I’m suffering from a ridiculous book hangover & I’m now planning my life around reading the rest of this series. This book gets a million stars. #MustRead