Time and Regret by M.K. Tod
When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his pastóand to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfatherís puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French manóand suddenly aware that someone is following her.
Through her grandfatherís vivid writing and Graceís own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasnít the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them.
The book alternates between Martin’s life during WWI and his granddaughter Grace’s life in early 1990s. Grace is recently divorced with two kids who’s trying to get her life back together. When she discovers her grandfather’s old war diaries and a message with a puzzle in her attic, she decides to visit the war sites in France.
I don’t remember if I’ve read books set in WWI before, it’ usually WWII so this was a great change. Although reading Martin’s diary entries it could have been set in either war. I’m not usually fan of letters in books and mostly just skip them but here it worked.
I liked both Grace and Martin and couldn’t choose which POV I liked better which is rare. Martin was so eager to go to war but it soon turns into bitterness and rage as the war goes on. The war changed him forever and it wasn’t easy to come back and live with a survivor’s guilt.
I wasn’t huge fan of Pierre. He was a nice guy and it was great that Grace found him but I don’t know. I think he was boring and that they had no chemistry between them.
I didn’t understand Grace’s grandmother Cynthia’s coldness towards her. I wonder what happened to her because she wasn’t like that in Martin’s diaries. I would have liked to learn more about her.
This was my first book by the author and it definitely won’t be the last. I really loved this book and look forward reading more from her.
4.5/5
Published: Lake Union Publishing (August 16, 2016)
Format: ebook
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
About the Author
Time and Regret is M.K. Todís third novel. She began writing in 2005 while living as an expat in Hong Kong. What started as an interest in her grandparentsí lives turned into a full-time occupation writing historical fiction. Her novel Unravelled was awarded Indie Editorís Choice by the Historical Novel Society. In addition to writing historical novels, she blogs about reading and writing historical fiction on www.awriterofhistory.com, reviews books for the Historical Novel Society and the Washington Independent Review of Books, and has conducted three highly respected reader surveys. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and is the mother of two adult children.
For more information visit M.K. Tod’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, August 16
Review at Diana’s Book Reviews
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, August 17
Guest Post at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Thursday, August 18
Review at Creating Herstory
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, August 19
Spotlight at What Is That Book About
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Monday, August 22
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Review at Curling up by the Fire
Tuesday, August 23
Review at The Book Return
Wednesday, August 24
Spotlight at Broken Teepee
Thursday, August 25
Interview at Let Them Read Books
Friday, August 26
Review at A Bookaholic Swede
Review at Dianne Ascroft Blog (Author)
Sunday, August 28
Review at Carole’s Ramblings
Monday, August 29
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Tuesday, August 30
Review at Bookramblings
Guest Post at The Gadoury Dreamer
Wednesday, August 31
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
