Flirting with Forever

I've never really read a time travel romance and I think Ms. Cready has opened my eyes to a whole new genre. I really like the way the time travel bit is done in this story. I think there was good development when it came to both the 17th century and the present time. I never found myself confused or disoriented as to what time frame I was in. I'm sure there was a lot of homework done by Ms. Cready to accomplish that with such vivid details.

I have to admit that it had a slow start for me but once Cam is swept away into the 17th century and Peter is in the picture... well, needless to say, it picked up rather quickly after that. There were some very funny moments scattered throughout that not only brought a smile to my face but more than show more once had me laughing out loud. From Cam's zany antics trying to text message and get enough bars to make a call on her iPhone to her use of names that were definitely not recognized in the 17th century (i.e. Antonio Banderas, Katie Holmes, etc.)

This was a fast-paced romance with plenty of drama, mystery and comedy all wrapped up within that uber cute cover (love the shoes). Not to mention there was that age-old struggle in choosing happiness over ambition. All in all, it was a fun, sexy romp that I found very entertaining.

As a side note, there's this fantastic scene where Cam plays Peter's muse that was utterly steamy and toe-curl worthy. le sigh. ;)

This book was provided for review by Simon & Schuster. show less

Considering Cam’s life, how could she not find the 17th century art world a better option? Her ex-fiancé, who cheated with the woman who made Cam’s engagement ring, wants her to move to London so they can try again; her snotty older sister is competing with her for a promotion; and she’s struggling to publish (which she needs to do to seal the promotion) her biography of Anthony Van Dyck because it isn’t sexy enough. So when she selects the browse inside option on Amazon and is instead transported to the studio of artist Peter Lely, who can provide information on Van Dyck, it’s actually a good thing. What she doesn’t realize is that The Executive Guild has instructed Lely to feed Cam misinformation to stop her from show more publishing a book the Guild has deemed embarrassing.

Cready does an excellent job placing Cam in both current time and the 17th century. Later on, she brings two characters from the past (including, of course, Cam’s crush Peter) into the present with great comedy. Imagine the uptight Time-jump Accountant in a Rage Against the Machine shirt. I actually feel like I learned a little something about art through the beautiful descriptions; Cready also had Peter explain to Cam a technique he used, which I found as interesting as Cam did. I just wish Flirting with Forever had started with Cam’s problems rather than the rather dry Mertons explaining the situation to Peter. It took a bit more time to get into the book than it otherwise would have because of that slow start. show less

While researching history on the artist she's using for her book- a book that's sure to push her into her dream job as curator for the museum she works for-the heroine unwittingly discovers a time port through Amazon of all things and finds herself in the 1600th century. There, stark naked and horribly confused she realizes soon enough that not only has she traveled back in time but she's in the presence of the lesser known artist Peter Lely. Instantly she's captive by his cool sexy attitude and his whole promiscuous artist reputation succeeds in drawing her in even though she knows she shouldn't be. She's known her far share of cheating men, her ex fiancé in prime example. But something about this man makes her hot and bothered, show more especially when she vows to take her time in history and have a portrait painted by a famous artist. The hero is horribly tormented by guilt. He feels deep shame over the fact that he didn't marry the woman he loved and she died not having the dignity of his name. As such, she is reborn again and again without him. In a bid to grant her peace he accepts his mission from the time cops to return to his previous life and stop a rebel time travel from using his story as a means to disturb the time flow. He is both horrified and yet captivated by the strange woman in his studio who so resembles his dead love. Together under the glow of candle light and under the impulse of wine, they sleep together. Then he realized who she is-the author who he's been sent back to betray. The heroine realizes that he's been lying to her the entire night and she returns to the present with a bitterness in her heart. Upon realizing the hero has ruined her chance of publishing her book she instead turns to writing his biography-painting him as the man whore she thinks he is. The hero, upon realizing this is her intent, rebels against the time cops and travels to the present in an attempt to stop her. From there they slowly realize the truth about one another and also realize the love that's grown between the two of them. But just like Romeo and Juliet, just like Casablanca. their romance can never truly be. Not when the hero is destined to return to the afterlife. This story was very convoluted. It jumped from one thing to another and I kept having to re read a couple of pages thinking that I'd missed something. Like how did the heroine return to the present? One moment she was sleeping with the hero the next she's at her commuting plotting her revenge. It felt like there were a whole bunch of missing scenes and as such felt disjointed and confusing as hell. Maybe it was just me, though. I found the dialogue to be witting and very smart. In that aspect the story had flow and I found myself charmed by the heroine's humor and pop culture references (I'm not known to like that sort of personality so I was amazed to find myself quite enjoying all the witty retorts). I was also touched by the scene where the heroine finds out the truth of the hero's lost lady love and felt the consuming and soul wrenching despair as he sobbed and cried talking about how he betrayed her. This was an odd book and there were things I didn't for (i.e. the fiancé/ex fiancé and her asshole of a sister) but at the same time and in equal measure I loved other things about it(i.e. the way the heroine could make the hero laugh and he willing to do anything to right a wrong he made to the woman he loved) and found it funny, sad and well written. But at the same time I felt the book dragged at certain places and 100 some odd pages were dedicated to just one night when the heroine went into the past and slept with the hero-the major of the book is set in the present. As such I thought it deserved a healthy 3 star rating. show less

I love time-travel romances, I have always had a special place in my heart for them since I read Teresa Medieros' 'A Touch of Enchantment' so when I get the opportunity to read a new one, I definitely go for it. As I started reading this book there were a few things that caught me off guard from the beginning, the cover, OMG I love the cover, it's beautiful. Next, the names of the characters, Ms. Cready definitely doesn't fall back on the old standbys...there is a guy in the book named Jacket for goodness sake. Then, that Cam is definitely not the conventional romance heroine, she is quirky, witty, hilarious, clumsy, and all around a big mess but I think that is what makes her so endearing to the reader.

The plot is excellent, always show more something new going on, although I would have shoved my sister in a bag and threw in a lake if she treated me that way, no doubt about it. I love Peter Lely, he is an all around romantic and makes me think of Mr. Darcy a bit. I did have to catch myself doing the skimming thing a couple of times but not too often. This is an excellent book and I adore it, now I must go find Gwyn's other books because they look intriguing as well. Titles are 'Tumbling Through Time' and 'Seducing Mr. Darcy'. Definitely read this book, it is great, you will definitely fall in love with Peter and Cam. show less

Suspend belief.
If you do this is a delightful time travel romance. Especially for an art history major like me. Don't worry, though if you are not. It is written in a way to bring everyone to the easel as it were - whether you know anything about Restoration art or not. It is fast paced, joyful and full of lots of great details for those of us that do love art history.

If you like time travel novels (and I do) this is a fun read. Our hero, painter Peter Lely is brought back into his life to stop our heroine, Campbell Stratford, from putting details into her biography of Van Dyck that no one had ever known. She learned these details by traveling back in time and it is important that she be stopped. Of course Campbell is a dead ringer for show more Lely's dead lover. Sparks fly. Intrigue flows. Love grows. Then, betrayal! Can our two lovers find happiness?

I couldn't put it down.

It was a great days reading and well worth the time.
And isn't that cover just gorgeous? show less

This review was originally posted on my review blog : http://fallingofftheshelf.blogspot.com

Campbell Stratford is sure to make a name for herself when she releases her sexy tell-all "fictographies" of famous seventeenth-century artists. What her readers don't know, is that she is more intimately involved with her subjects than they could ever imagine. It's all thanks to a time portal she accidentally discovered while in a frantic rush for information to make her book that much more memorable. This portal leads her straight into the arms of playboy and seventeenth-century artist, Peter Lely. It's easy to get caught up in the moment, and after posing for a portrait for a few hours on his modeling chaise, she ends up with a night of show more passion that one can not forget.

Peter Lely wants nothing more to do than paint, it is what makes up his world. When the Guild of the Great Beyond come to him to in a frantic effort to thwart Campbell Stratford's plans against their reputation, he agrees to help them. He sticks to the plan, and feeds her information that will surely sabotage her work. Cam on the other hand, has other plans when she learns of Peter's betrayal, and now he must travel to Cam's twenty-first century life in order to set things right.

When I first saw the cover of this novel, I was instantly intrigued. It looked magical, and like it was going to be filled with all sorts of romance. Luckily, this time I judged a book by it's cover, it was sure to deliver. In Flirting With Forever, we get not only romance, and heart pumping passion, but comedy as well. I wasn't expecting this, but this book had me giggling and unforeseen moments. I tend to get a lot of funny looks when I start giggling in the break room at my job, but I've grown accustom to this by now.

What I personally loved about this quirky novel was the fact that it was not only set in a modern setting, but a historical one as well. The first quarter of this book you get teleported back in time to seventeenth-century London, while the rest of the book is centered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I happened to enjoy the descriptions of the historical setting far better, and itched to be relocated back to that time period. Falling through time did not put a damper on this story though, as it was always up beat and ready to entertain.

This was the first time-travel romance that I have ever read, and it has me itching to read more. Luckily, author, Gwyn Cready, has a few more up her sleeve. I've already decided that I want to read more of her work, and can't wait to get my hands on her other titles, Tumbling Through Time , and Seducing Mr. Darcy. I can only hope that they will be filled with just as much romance, and humor. She also has another title scheduled to be released September 28, 2010 by Pocket Books, and this one is going to be called Aching For Always, can't wait to see how that one will turn out! show less

This was the first time travel romance I've read and I was impressed. I was surprised at the the length of the book, but I came to the conclusion that this was because of having to pop back and forth in time. I assume in time travel romance that this makes attention to detail very important.
Even though it was a longer book (for a mass market) Gwyn's writing is excellent, so that wasn't a problem for me. This was a "carry around in my purse" book...I'm sure you all have those LOL! I would read it here and there, and it was always easy to get back into.
I was happy with the characters in the story, and of course delighted by the end. My ONLY complaint is that I thought Peter should have had to face a bigger hurdle. *eh* (Not that I think show more character's should be tortured or anything)
Overall...I thought it was a good read and I enjoyed the time travel. It was a first for me, and I look forward to reading more of this type! show less