The Night Mark

4.5 stars.

The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz is a captivating novel about a women who travels through time where she discovers hope and healing.

Faye Barlow has suffered heartbreaking losses and fate steps in just as she is on the verge of making a much needed change. Accepting a job offer to take pictures for a "Journey Through Time" calendar, she temporarily settles in Beaufort, SC. Intrigued by the history of the lighthouse on Bride Island, Faye begins her project by taking dazzling photos of the lighthouse. Inexplicably drawn to the island, she makes a stunning discovery during her subsequent research of the lighthouse and Bride Island. As Faye tries to uncover more information, she meets retired priest Patrick Cahill who has surprising show more ties to the former lighthouse keeper. Faye ignores his warnings to keep her distance from the decaying lighthouse and she is shocked when she is mysteriously transported back in time to 1921, when tragedy struck on Bride Island. Will Faye's presence on the island change history?

Faye has been unable to move past a tragic loss but she is finally ready to put an end to an unhappy situation that is not healthy for anyone involved. Having made that first major step, she is excited about her upcoming photo project and after her arrival in Beaufort, Faye makes another decision that is surprisingly helpful. Although she has no idea why she is so mesmerized by Bride Island, she cannot resist learning more about its history. When Faye is struck by an urgent need to visit the island, she has no choice but to find a way to act on the unstoppable urge.

After she travels back in time to 1921, Faye is immediately immersed in life on Bride Island. She is fascinated by the people the people she meets and the hardships they must endure. As she becomes comfortable with her new circumstances, Faye is surprised by her sudden feelings of hope as the darkness that has surrounded her for so long begins to lift. Experiencing happiness for the first time in years, Faye is uncertain whether or not she wants to return to her former life in the present. But as events continue to unfold, will Faye have a choice in what happens next?

The Night Mark is a completely enthralling novel that is heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting. The time travel aspect is quite imaginative and cleverly executed. The characters are beautifully drawn with realistic strengths and weaknesses. The storyline is complex and Tiffany Reisz brilliantly keeps readers guessing how this wonderful story will end. This spellbinding novel is as educational as it is entertaining. All in all, an absolutely delightful gem that I positively loved and highly recommend! show less

The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz
Source: Netgalley and Purchase
My Rating: 3/5 stars
My Review:

I will admit from the very beginning, I am not a fan of the time travel trope. BUT, I am a huge fan of Tiffany Reisz and I went into this read hoping my intense love of the author would heavily outweigh my dislike of time travel.

What I didn’t like:
You guessed it, the time travel! You would find this super-ironic if you knew me in the “real” world and understood my intense and deeply abiding love for Doctor Who ☹

What I liked:
Literally everything else about this read! Here’s the skinny:

The Lighthouse: The Bride Island lighthouse is a brilliant setting for a story. It has a wonderful if tragic history that provides an excellent show more backdrop for Faye’s own tragic story. In fact, the lighthouse becomes as much a character in this read as Faye and her boys.

Faye: From the beginning and with good reason, Faye is a miserable creature! She had one blissful year with her soulmate before he was brutally killed while trying to help. Since, her second marriage has failed miserably and she has sunk into a deep depression. It isn’t until she finds the Bride Island lighthouse that absolutely everything in her life changes including the time she’s living in.

Carrick Morgan: What. A. Man. Carrick is strong, sweet, caring, sexy, and bound and determined to do right by Faye (or her 1921 counterpart!). He’s the lighthouse keeper, retired military, and saver of lost souls. He also looks strikingly like Faye’s deceased husband which causes all kinds of mixed feelings and loads of confusion.

The problems: There is just one problem after the next including the fact Faye isn’t from 1921, Carrick thinks Faye is someone completely different, Carrick is not an earlier version of Faye’s husband, the love square (because a triangle would be too easy!), Faye has issues in her own time she hasn’t dealt with and needs to deal with, and there is real danger and threats toward Faye and Carrick in 1921 which must be dealt with.

The writing: Tiffany Reisz is one of the most polished contemporary writers and I never find any flaws with her writing. Not one, not ever! Slipping into one of her books is always so easy to do simply because of the quality of the writing.

The Bottom Line: Quite literally the only thing that kept me from loving this read is the time travel element. Even my intense love of Tiffany Reisz and her stellar writing couldn’t get me past the time travel. I firmly believe everything and everyone in this read could have been set into any other non-time travel setting and this would have been another 5-star read for me. show less

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. THE NIGHT MARK is a unique time-travel romance set on the gorgeous coast of South Carolina. In present day, Faye Barlow feels lost, still grieving the death of her husband four years prior. During her latest photography job, she discovers an abandoned lighthouse at a place called Bride Island. She feels an inexplicable connection to the lighthouse, and in a strange twist of fate, she's sent back to 1921 where the keeper is very much alive and very familiar. I thought the writing was beautiful, and the descriptions of the lighthouse and island were magical. While I loved the premise, ultimately I had a hard time connecting with show more Faye and feeling the chemistry in her new time-travel relationship. Their set up was a bit too odd for me. The character who stood out to me most was the priest — honestly I'd love to read his life story. show less

Faye Barrow has been living in a haze since she lost her beloved husband, Will, four years ago. When she's offered a job taking photographs in a coastal community in South Carolina she agrees and finds herself fascinated by the abandoned Bride's Island lighthouse. One night at the lighthouse Faye is pulled out to sea and wakes up find herself in 1921 in the care of the lighthouse keeper who's a doppelganger for her dead husband. Now Faye must grapple with what force pulled her back to 1921, why it brought her there, and whether she really wants to ever get back to 2015 at all.

I received this book as a gift from a friend in 2018, who I think picked it because I'm a fan of [Outlander] (and time travel in general). I can see the readalike show more elements here but this odd little book is probably not going to scratch your Outlander itch. If read quickly, I think the plot would hold together well but read over the course of four days I found myself questioning a lot of things and trying to figure out just why the author had structured her novel the way she did. Her writing is solid and she beautifully evokes a small beach town in the present as well as the isolated life at the lighthouse in 1921. Her characters are a little rougher and Faye in particular spends a lot of time thinking in the same circles for chapters at a time and then suddenly changing her mind without any real explanation of why. The romance also feels a bit underwhelming, which is unfortunate. Not a terrible read but I can't really recommend it either. show less

Though she remarried in hopes of moving on, Faye has never been able to let go of her first husband, whose tragic and untimely death has continued to haunt her. She accepts a summer photography job in South Carolina, growing instantly fond of the small, coastal town, its charming residents and, in particular, the historic, abandoned lighthouse. Following a mishap in the water, Faye wakes in an unfamiliar bed and, to her alarm, discovers she's been transported back to 1921!

Though the style and setting, which I enjoyed, are reminiscent of Susanna Kearsley, some of the writing was a little less polished than I like and overdramatic and trite at times. I found it odd that Carrick never comments on her unusual speech or use of language, show more though surely it would be obvious that she's from another time or place. As a whole, for me the story was sufficiently interesting and engaging for a vacation read, but I may not seek this author out again. show less

Faye lost her husband of one year to a tragic accident at a young age. Though she remarries, Will (her first husband) will always be the love of her life. When she ends her second marriage & subsequently takes a photography job shooting photos for a charity calendar, she finds herself at a deserted lighthouse off the coast of South Carolina. When a tidal wave consumes her, she wakes up in the year 1921 to a man who looks remarkably like her dead husband Will.

I had read a review somewhere that made me put this book on my wishlist. I think the description (& yes, probably the cover art) intrigued me. Time travel always intrigues me, as does a book description that claims to appeal to fans of Kate Morton & Diana Gabaldon. What's not to show more like? I didn't realize until I started that this was actually a romance, a genre that I don't typically read.

I will say right away that the comparison to Kate Morton & Diana Gabaldon is hogwash. This didn't even come close to Kate Morton, and the only comparison I can see to Gabaldon is the time travel aspect. I initially almost gave up on this book, which is something I rarely do. It did get better as it progressed, but there was nothing about the writing style that I found spectacular. The plot ended up being okay, albeit somewhat unbelievable, although there's time travel involved, so I'd expect some of that. But I never connected with the main character of Faye. I found her quite unlikeable, and unless she's a villain (she's not), it's hard to connect with a book if you don't like the main character.

This wasn't as terrible as I had feared after reading the first few chapters, but it's not one I'd necessarily recommend. show less

I have a tendency to stay away from romance books. However, I have a weakness for time travel books and I like both Kate Morton and Diana Gabaldon books so I just had to read this book.

Faye lost her husband four years earlier and quickly remarried with her husband best-friend, a marriage that, in the end, didn't work out. Now, she is recently divorced and has traveled to South Carolina to take photos for a calendar. There, to her surprise, she discovers a loophole to the past, to the 20s, and to a man that could be a copy of her dead husband. But, can she find happiness in the past? And, can she love a man that may look like her husband, but is a completely different man?

I quite enjoyed reading the book. It did, however, not really show more move me very much. It was interesting, but I never really connected all the way with the characters in such a way that I felt for them and the story was a bit too predictable without any surprising twist. I actually think I liked the priest the most in the book, but any man that looks like Gregory Peck is a winner for me. It was a nice little story, not a tearjerker, but a pleasant to read. And, if you like time travel romance then this book is for you!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less