“The Celtic Deception” by Andrew Varga is a thrilling and captivating adventure that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. In this second book of the “A Jump in Time” series, Varga once again delivers a fast-paced and suspenseful story that seamlessly blends historical fiction, action, and time travel. The author’s skillful incorporation of historical facts into the narrative is commendable. The vibrant setting of the Celtic island of Anglesey in 60 CE comes to life, immersing readers in the tumultuous era of the Roman invasion and the struggles of the Celts. Varga’s attention to historical detail adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story, making it not only an entertaining read but also an educational one.

The characters in the book are well-developed and relatable, and their emotional journeys resonate with readers. Dan Renfrew, the seventeen-year-old time jumper, faces incredible challenges and finds himself thrust into a battle against the nefarious Victor Stahl. Alongside his partner Sam, Dan navigates a world filled with danger, betrayal, heartache, and unexpected friendships. Their courage, quick thinking, and persistence make them compelling protagonists, and their evolving relationship adds depth to the story. “The Celtic Deception” is a book that seamlessly combines adventure, history, and emotion. It engages readers of all ages, from young adults to adults, and offers a unique blend of entertainment and knowledge. Varga’s ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats while weaving in important historical lessons is truly impressive.

Overall, “The Celtic Deception” is a must-read for fans of action-packed adventures, historical fiction, and time-travel narratives. It is a five-star book that leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. Andrew Varga’s talent for storytelling shines through in this thrilling tale, making it a worthwhile addition to any reader’s bookshelf.

Time travel, Vikings, and nonstop excitement put this book on the top of my list to sell to quite a few teenagers. It's a perfect go-along book for those studying ancient/medieval history with teens too.

Andrew Varga was new to me with his YA fantasy The Last Saxon King. While written for a young adult audience (which I am not) it drew me into the story quickly and kept me reading. The Celtic Deception, his new entry in an engaging series, has done so also.

Varga is a stickler for accuracy. His books are thoroughly researched and historically insightful. But it’s the characters that will keep you reading. Nevertheless, you should know that the battle between the Romans and the Celts is quite bloody and the aftermath disconcerting to say the least. Trust Varga.

The story moves right along. You will meet lots of Celts on the way and learn about their fascinating history (at least as much as can be known—-they weren’t great about writing things down). But there’s a scary villain, an extremely likable older teenage boy, and a girl who is just as brave and scared as he is.

This author understands the value and draw of historical fiction. Though I am not his intended audience, I can’t wait for the next adventure in this to come out. And btw, if you didn’t read The Last Saxon King, do so now! Different era, equally engaging story.

This was fun. I love the characters. Dan and Sam are definitely not one-dimensional. But they are young and that comes across really well. They solve problems using both cleverness and luck.

The story was great and made me want to immerse myself in more Celtic lore.

And more importantly, the plot thickens making me look forward to the next instalment of this wonderful series.

I didn't expect I'd get choked up and even shed a couple of tears around the halfway point of the book. It was beautifully done.

As a society, we tend to be very critical about how time travel is written (me included), as if we know the correct way of travelling through time. Well, I have to say that since time travel has not been achieved, this is just as realistic as any other magic system and whatever the author says, goes. And Andrew Varga has created a very nice, for now soft, system.

Will anyone else notice the Latin words passed off as Celtic by Vindiorix? This is not a mistake, the author mentioned doing this. It was a fun discovery.

Four months ago, seventeen year old Daniel Renfrew returned from 1066 England only to watch as his father was savagely attacked by a trusted congressman. Now, Daniel understands more of his expectations as a time jumper, and the stakes are higher than they have ever been before. When a glitch appears in the global timeline, Daniel and his friend and fellow jumper Sam find themselves on the coast of Wales in the year 60 of the Common Era. With two days before the Romans will lay siege to the small island of Anglesey, Daniel and Sam must find and destroy the glitch before it is too late. But there is more than meets the eye in this small community, and the line between friend and foe is dangerously thin.

This second in the A Jump in Time series begins shortly after the first book ends and focuses on Daniel as he struggles to hold his life together while his father is trapped in a coma in the hospital. Luckily, his friend Sam has more knowledge of time jumping than Daniel does, so he relies heavily on her as each challenge arises. It is best for readers to be familiar with book one before attempting this second story, though sufficient context is provided to remind readers what took place previously. Like in the first book, this second installment is fast-paced, well-written, and it incorporates history in an engaging and memorable way. Fans of history and time travel will absorb this book quickly, and they will eagerly await future installments.

Interwoven with historical moments are the very real sensations of life as a teenager in modern times. Themes of love, increasing independence, and the responsibility of living on one’s own are frequently addressed throughout the novel, and young adult readers will recognize these experiences from their own lives even without the time travel component. Since the historical element of this book is from such a long time ago, the book does an excellent job of noting when events may be contested by historians, which lends a believable element to the storytelling. A note at the end of the book goes into even greater detail for those wishing to learn more. And even as circumstances become more and more dire, Daniel and Sam improve their teamwork and friendship while working toward a stronger future together. This is a fantastic addition to library collections for young adult readers.

This book was even more delightful than the first in the series. It was a bit more graphically violent in my opinion than the first, which to me puts it in the upper YA reader range. The historical setting is incredibly detailed, and while I'm not anywhere close to an expert on any historical time period, it's clear that the author put a lot of research into portraying the time period as accurately as possible. I hope to see this series go on for many many books as the opportunities for time jumps are essentially endless. I appreciated, once again, a lesser known time period and a part of history that isn't emphasized as often. I highly recommend this for YA and adult readers alike, especially anyone who grew up in the Magic Tree House era and has wished for a grown up version.

4.5 (rounded up)

Andrew Varga’s, The Celtic Connection keeps the YA reader blushing, reflecting, and jumping through time. The characters are strong while the plot jumps around at times. It’s all part of an intriguing concept of being able to move through time and affect change. What would you do if you had the chance to change events? Being able to “talk” with people who spoke different languages all because of something you possess. There is action, history, romance, and twists at every turn. Delve into The Celtic Connection.

Another good book of time travel featuring Dan and Sam. I found it hard to follow at times but really enjoyed otherwise.

I rate this 4, but keep in mind that it is YA and I am not a fan of YA. Since I am being asked to give a fair and honest review, I recognize that I have to set the bar a little lower than I normally would because I recognize that YA isn't intended to live up to the quality standards of real fiction.

OK, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's get into the real review. This is the second in a series? Trilogy? of "Jump in Time" novels. I did not read the first one, but AV did a decent job of dropping hints, clues, and other information. So although reading them in order is probably a better experience, I wasn't completely lost and clueless as to what was going on.

The story is told through the perspective of Dan who has become an unwilling time jumper after a confrontation with the villain, Victor, which ended with Dan's father in a coma and Dan being thrust into ancient England just in time for the Battle of Hastings (all book 1). Here in book 2, Dan and his love interest Sam jump back in time again to join up with the Celts in Wales just as they are about to be slaughtered by the Romans around 60AD. Together they encounter another time jumper who had been stranded with the last druids for seventeen years. Now the three have to "fix the glitch" (glitches are anomalies in time that all time jumpers are tasked with correcting so that the flow of history continues as it should... or something like that) so that they can return to their own time. But they have to do this in the middle of one of the greatest Celtic-Roman conflicts in British history.

In all, the book was paced and written well. The plot was fairly simple and straightforward, but that should be expected from YA. I felt the portrayal of Celts as "good guys" and Romans as "villains" to be a bit off-putting. Granted, the Romans were no angels, but AV never goes close to bringing up the fact that druids regularly practiced human sacrifice. Ever heard of the Wicker Man? That was the druids. In our modern attempt to get at the stories and cultures of "forgotten" peoples, we tend to paint history's victors with a darker-than-necessary brush. The Pax Romana was a real thing. Yes, peace and justice through brutality might not be the best way to go about it. But the world the Romans built was a huge step up from the anarchy and brutality that existed before them. And the time after the Roman decline isn't called "the dark ages" because peace and love prevailed now that the "evil" Romans were gone. Roman society was far from perfect, but I would take it over Celtic society any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Whats not to like about time travel? This book blends history and fantasy seamlessly, sam and dan go back to celtic times just before the second Roman conquest of wales. The characters are fun,I enjoyed atto and senna's part of the story. The cenacus plot was... eh a little predictable but highly probably its because the title gives it away. I enjoyed the balance of modern era and past it was a good combination. Seemed yo flow better then the first book. I enjoyed the last couole chapters. It was fun side to see of dan and sam I enjoyed it. Made me care about the characters more.

In this second book of Andrew Varga’s series, Daniel has learned quite a bit about time-jumping and the international conspiracy that threatens his family. But although he and Sam consciously leap into the past, they don’t know where they will end up or what they will find. Neither of them received specific training on how to use the time-jumping device, only in certain skills they will need to survive.

They find themselves in late Roman Britain, ca. 60 AD. The provincial governor has decided to make a stand against the Celts, especially the Druids—perceived as powerful sources of popular rebellion by the Roman army. The island now called Anglesey, off the coast of modern-day Wales, has become a sanctuary for Celts fleeing the invaders, so that becomes the governor’s target. But the exact nature of the time glitch that brought Daniel and Sam to this place is difficult to discover and even harder to fix. And, desperate to protect the local people who have taken him in, Daniel may just have created another time glitch himself.

It's not easy to summarize later books in a series without giving too much away. Suffice it to say that this second adventure advances in satisfying ways Daniel’s own story, his relationship with Sam, and his ability to uncover the world-threatening plans of the man who attacked his family in “The Last Saxon King.”

I plan to interview this author for the New Books Network (link below) when this book comes out in September 2023.

A YA time travel adventure that takes place in 1st century Celtic Wales and today. This is a sequel, so make sure you read The Last Saxon King first for the best reading experience. The author has again researched the historical time period in depth and the battle scenes are described pretty authentically based on most readily available information. Some intense themes are incorporated, but not as detailed as you'd find in adult historical fantasy novels. Readers get to meet additional time travelers and even though most of the book is set in the far past, there's plenty going on in the MCs' current timeline too. For fans of historical fantasy, time travel adventures, and YA fiction. I'll definitely keep reading this series!

Net Galley Feedback

I just reviewed The Celtic Deception by Andrew Varga. Anything time travel and rifts in time and secret societies catch my attention. No full spoilers but the story kept my attention. Especially knowing one of the main character was a teen. Would they be able to handle what would come at them? I recommend reading it to find out. #TheCelticDeception #NetGalley

Another good book of time travel featuring Dan and Sam. The thread involving VIctor is somewhat confusing in terms of what is happening. I thoroughly enjoyed the time travel and the interactions between Dan and the Celts. The history is indeed interesting and fascinating. Looking forward to the next book hopefully in the series

The Celtic Deception: A Jump in Time – Book 2 by Andrew Varga

320 Pages
Publisher: Imbrifex Books
Release Date: September 5, 2023

Fiction, Time Travel, Coming of Age, Teens, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy

Daniel has taken the next step in his life. He is seventeen, is a senior in high school, and lives in a condo. One day he comes home to find his security tape broken, and Victor in his condo. To save his life he gives Victor a time travel baton and swears he doesn’t have any more. Hopefully Victor will believe him. When the baton gets cold, Daniel contacts his time traveling friend, Sam, and off they go. They are in Wales around 60-61 CE with the Roman attack against the Druid island. A time traveler summons them with a fake artifact. Sam does not trust him but Daniel does and it will cost him.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the first person point of view. I enjoyed this book more than the first, The Last Saxon King. This series mixes historical nonfiction with fictional characters which is brilliant. Although it is a young adult book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like Celtic history with a time travel twist, you may enjoy this book.

This book was amazing. I lived every second of it. There are highs and lows. I went through so many emotions while reading this book. There were parts where I was devastated and just couldn't read on and also parts where I just couldn't put the book down. I love this series. The characters, the adventures, the time traveling, and the events that they go through. Everything about this book is amazing, and I can't wait for the next book.

The Celtic Deception by Andrew Vargas is a book about two teens who time jump. Daniel and Sam are assigned to save history. They land on Celtic Island of Anglesey in 60 CE. The Celts take the time jumpers in. Two Roman legions were intent on wiping out everyone off the Island.

Before Dan time jumped, Victor Stahl, a powerful Congressman, stabbed Dan:s father in the chest over a time jumping rod. He was hospitalized.

To protect their identity Dan said his name was Asterix because they called him a Roman. Also, Sam dId her name was Genovefa. The Celts referred to Sam as " Queen Bodicca" due to her similar red, fiery hair. Sam wrote an essay on Queen Bodicca in school as an inspiration to her. Queen Bodicca burned London and a few more cities before facing defeat. She died near year 60 or 61. She ruled a Celtic tribe called Ireni and led them in a huge rebellion against the Romans.

This book was hard to put down and full of excitement!
I recommend it for Sci-fi and Fantasy readers. I thoroughly enjoyed this easy read.

Ein toller Zeitreise Fantasy/Historischer Roman für Jugendliche. Leider habe ich übersehen, dass "The Celtic Deception" schon der zweite Teil einer Reihe ist.
Nach ein paar Seiten ist man aber schnell in der Story.

The Celtic Deception
Traveling through time, battling with Romans, this novel should have been an easy slam dunk for fans of historical fiction. (It’s not) Andrew Varga’s The Celtic Deception is full of potential for its thrilling actions scenes but falls flat when it comes to the characters. This is the second book in the Jump in Time series, and one I read through Netgalley. The book follows Dan, a teenage boy who every female in the book falls head over heels for. With the use of a time rod he is able to have the ability to jump through time and travel back in history whenever there is a “glitch” that needs to be fixed. This book takes place a few months after the last one, and Dan is having a difficult time. His Father is in a coma because of Victor, an ambitious fellow time jumper who seeks to control who time jumps. (Also, he wants world domination- because bad guy!) Thankfully Dan isn’t completely alone, his plucky friend Sam is also on his side and together they form a plan to travel back in time to try to find answers and allies in order to stop Victor.
Oh did I mention Sam is a girl? And girls aren’t supposed to be able to time jump? And she keeps telling Dan she isn’t interested in him and has no desire to be with him….(I bet you can guess what happens in the end, no female no matter what they say can resist the Mary Sueness of the intrepid main character!)
The books really picks up and the parts I most enjoyed was everything I learned about history! Sam and Dan land in (what they soon figure out!) the Celtic island of Angsley in 60 CE. What should be a simple get in and get out mission soon becomes dire as they are thrust in middle of the Celtics fleeing their homes. (Strategic fleeing they say!) The Romans are on the warpath and are slaughtering, enslaving, and raping anyone who gets in their way. Dan and Sam must find the glitch and fix it before the Romans catch up to them.
When I say the writing and characters fell flat, I mean it really fell flat. There is one sentence that really stood out to me. Dan sees a pretty girl with a guy he thinks is unattractive. His inner thought: “what is a babe like that doing with a guy like him?” (You see what I mean now y’all?)
We also get some assault scenes, because what is a historical fiction by a male author without them! Don’t worry though! Heroic and noble Dan gives one of them his cloak. (Eye roll)
By the end of the story our hero Dan is incredibly rich and able to take Sam on a trip and send her lots of money. (Did I mention she comes from a broken home with a creepy step dad? Because of course she does) I have to wonder if Andrew Varga has actually ever had a female read his book. It could have hugely benefited form sensitivity readers. The plot and concept was great, but the characters and all the dialogue was so badly written. (I am not going to compare it to fan fiction, because I have read some fantastic fan fiction!) I know it seems like I hated this book, when really I enjoyed the battle scenes, and everything I learned. It is just I couldn’t get back the unrealistic nature of the characters and how they were written. I would not recommend this book.
TLDR: Great concept, poorly written females, mary sue main character, fantastic battle scenes
The Cover
This is probably one of the worst book covers I have seen in a while. If you google fantasy or Celtic font types, the cover font is one of the first to pop up. There is a ton of green on the page, and you really lose sight of the title and everything else with all the green. There is no symbolism, no hint of what the book is about. We do get a full lipped female cast in shadow on the front, which makes little sense to me. The main character is male and his is the only view point we see. The females get little attention in this book, unless they are fawning over Dan or banding together to fight for him. Instead of a bad Photoshop job, I would loved to have seen an illustrated scene of Dan and Sam in the boat on the way to the island. Budget aside, even a boat in the water with the island in the background would have been a better cover.
It should be noted that I am coming from a graphic design and art history background, and it always sucks to see books that are good have bad covers. (Though I guess in this case the cover matches the book!)

“The Celtic Deception” is a fun YA read that blends history and fantasy. I haven’t read the first book, but I found this story easy to follow. Seventeen-year-old time jumper, Dan, comes home to an unwelcomed visitor who was responsible for his father being in a coma. I was immediately drawn into the story. Although the visitor had taken something that seemed so important, Dan was carefully trained by his father and was prepared for that. Soon, Dan and his jumping partner, Samantha, need to make a jump to fix history. I loved the time they went into 60 CE when Romans dominated, and Celts were on the run or fighting back. The relationships they developed in the Celt tribe had me rooting for them, even against all odds and history. A read meant for teens, but adults can appreciate it too. I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of the reality of a historical moment and time-traveling teens trying to survive while not changing the past that would affect the future.