Patti Berg

Time-travel romance about a girl who has had a lifelong crush on a handsome 1930's movie star and then gets to meet the man of her dreams for real when he becomes transported through time to the 1990's.

When Adriana Howard (who's 29) was a child she came to Sparta, a large palatial seaside estate owned by a self-made tycoon, Harrison Stafford, with her father who was a curator at Sparta. Harrison invited her to visit him sometimes and they watched old movies from the 1930's. Harrison loved show more talking about the old days and his friend, famous movie star Trevor Montgomery (who disappeared mysteriously in 1938). Adriana fell in love with handsome Trevor, he was everything she ever wanted---suave, wordly, handsome. It was said he was even handsomer than Tyrone Power and Cary Grant.

Adriana often feels that she was born in the wrong decade, that she belongs in the 1930's. She became Harrison Stafford's heiress after Adriana's father died, and when Harrison died he left everything to Adriana. Through the years she obtained many of Trevor's belongings. She now lives in the house Trevor used to live in, drives his old classic car, owns many of his possessions, and loves watching his old movies. One day while visiting Sparta (as she does every year on the Fourth of July) she tosses a red rose in a pool and says the words Trevor said to his leading lady in one of his movies, "Come back to me. Please. Come to me."

In 1938 Trevor awoke in bed next to a murdered actress. Depressed and knowing he would be found guilty of the crime he was sure he didn't commit (he can't remember what happened) he tried to drown himself in a pool at Sparta during a Fourth of July party. He was found by a woman, his body floating face down in the pool. She was the only one who saw him. No one saw him again. He mysteriously disappeared. But suddenly in 1998 Trevor finds himself suddenly coming out of the water fighting for breath. He wanted to die. Why was he still alive?

I don't want to give too much of the plot away but Adriana and Trevor eventually meet. Adriana has a hard time believing Trevor's story at first, that he really is the Trevor Montgomery---movie star, but she finally does start believing. And then there's the mystery of the murder...

I really loved dashing and handsome Trevor. He was romantic and charming and really devoted to Adriana. Adriana was reclusive and cautious. Years ago there were stories in the newspapers wrongly hinting that there was more to her relationship with Harrison than there was (implying a romance between the two instead of friendship.) Adriana's character seemed a bit dull at the beginning of the book, but Trevor persuaded her to try new things, loosen up a bit, live a little. Her character improved as the story progressed.

I'm a very big fan of classic movies/stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood so the storyline really appealed to me. I loved reading about 1930's Hollywood. It was fun and different. Also, I was curious to see who the murderer was, and how everything was going to work out in the end. This was an enjoyable and entertaining time-travel romance. show less

Talk about a rather schizophrenic book! You think you're getting one thing and then it morphs into something else and wraps up rather quickly - a very mixed bag indeed. Yes, there were parts that I liked about it, and I thought the basic premise had some potential. But unfortunately, the inconsistent parts - wishy washy characterization, plot holes, uneven pacing, etc. - outweighed them.

When I think about this book, all I can say is wow. I loved it. Trevor is a wonderful hero, he is such a scoundrel, but meeting Adriana makes him want to change. Adriana is a great heroine, she is smart and mature and independent.
She takes huge chances on Trevor, sometimes I wish she would have believed in him a little more. The story didn't really drag for me through the middle, but I would have liked Adriana to tell him about Janet sooner. They went to the cemetery to see the graves of show more his old friends, but she didn't mention Janet.
This book is going on my all-time favorites shelf. I really loved it. show less

My Review

Adriana lives the life of a recluse and dreams of a man from the past. Trevor, a missing actor from the golden age of television, appears in her life, Adriana has to decide if their real love can outshine the perfection of her dream s