I really enjoyed this book! It was my first by this author, but I'me excited to check out the others. The premise is so interested - not just the idea of psychometry, but the "out of place objects" they find. It's a fun read!

This novel is a good one that I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

I have to admit, I requested this arc because the combination of the cover and the jacket description told me this would be different from what I typically read and I was ready for a change. And boy, is it different! Gwendolyn Womack took a concept, that a person could define an articles full history with just a touch, and turned it into a complete, compelling story with a very believable cast of characters. The niche this cast has created for themselves is pretty fascinating, then add in the fact that there are people willing to hold them captive to make money off their abilities. I have never read any of Ms Womack's titles and was really impressed with how completely she inserted her fiction into history, weaving events together seamlessly. I really fell in love with this book and have already recommended to my reading buddies they should read this one while I look for her other titles.

This has a great blend of history and mystery. My rating 4.75.

Roan West has an unusual, if difficult, gift. When he touches an object, he sees the history of its origins in vivid detail. Sometimes this is an experience of joy but other times it is a horror. Those with the abilities of Psychometry are rare and the skill levels vary. One man, Stuart, has become close friends with Roan and he has repeatedly invited Roan to join their small group of psychometrist archeologists. Stuart is excited about finding objects that are out of place and time. Stuart called Roan for an important meeting but failed to show up. Roan becomes concerned when he learns that two of the psychometrist group have recently died and Stuart has gone missing.

Melicent is a young woman who for years suppressed the strange sensations she feels when she touches objects. When her mother dies from illness, Melicent is desperate to find funds to secure the future for herself and her teen-aged brother. She picks up a Tiffany lamp and a priceless watch at antique shops. She takes them to an Auction Roadshow and finds out they have surprising value. Inadvertently, in an interview that goes viral, she mentions that she ‘senses with her hands’.

Roan’s assistant sends him Melicent’s interview. Worried that she may be a target due to her newly revealed psychometrist skills, Roan flies in to meet her. Events end up pulling Melicent into Roan’s world and investigations. Their search takes them to London, France and other locations. They combine their skills to find a pattern in the material that Stuart was gathering on his computer. Roan then sets off to Mexico but Melicent realizes he may be walking into a trap. Can she get to him in time?

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the psychometry issues. There are wonderful, historical stories shared including a meeting between Mozart and violinist Regina Strinasacchi. The stories may be fictionalized but they added lovely depth. I enjoyed Melicent and Roan’s reserved characters and the romance that blossoms between them. The suspense kept me reading till the end. I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical detail and mystery suspense.

Source: NetGalley 2019.

Enjoyable novel of time travel and survival people who sense by touch where an object had, been and know the human who handled it. It's also a tale of real human connection overcoming odds. Knowing you have extra powers is distressing but people who are psychometricists also can perpetrate awful events, knowing the ways and so intermittently things can go wrong... Melicent discovers her powers and Roan finds her°! After teaching him in an ingenious plot twist at end, it looks like a romance is working out.

This is a fascinating, well-written novel and charming thriller. As a history geek, I wish I could follow Roan around as he touches everything on the planet and opens the window on their invisible histories.

The mysterious Roan enters hapless Melicent’s life when she accidently reveals, on The Antiques Roadshow, she touched a watch in a bin of watches at a flea market and found the one worth over a million dollars. It’s the answer to her financial prayers, and she finally has answers about her strange gift, but the price for this is also high as she enters Roan’s world of psychometry. Financial security makes nothing in Melicent’s life better at the moment, besides helping her younger brother, as she and Roan race to stop a man obsessed with the past. A member of Roan’s team is missing, and Roan needs to find him before more people die and someone causes irreparable damage to Time itself.

This was a riveting read, hard to put down and with the feel of solid research and concepts behind it all. It has a dark charm, as when Roan buys all of Melicent’s snow globes but doesn’t touch them, or the music box which once belonged to a violinist who played with Mozart. I started re-reading the novel to refresh my thoughts, and I’ve got sucked in again, even knowing the answers!

I couldn't wait to read this book when I heard it was being published. Ms. Womack certainly didn't disappoint. I could not put this book down. The topic of psychiatrist & imprints was just so fascinating. She brought the two characters together with the skill and created a wonderful romance and mystery. I would definetly read this book again. Five stars for this one!!

Have you ever finished a book with your heart racing and thought "woah, now that was a fun read!"? That just happened to me with The Time Collector by Gwendolyn Womack!

The Time Collector is genre-bending at it's best. Mystery, romance, historical, and the paranormal combine for an exciting and un-put-down-able adventure!

"Roan's eyes took in every bauble, knowing each one held a story. They were all doorways to the past, to histories tucked away. No item was immune, no matter how small. Even the copper spoon collection for ten dollars contained the moments of every hand that had ever held them."

I have never heard of pshychometrists - people who can see the past just by touching an object - before reading this book and I am fascinated now. I know I will never look at Antique stores the same again :) The scenes were they are reading an object were especially engrossing.

If you're looking for an exciting adventure that will keep you turning the pages, look no further than The Time Collector!

Roan West has a unique talent, he is a pyschometrist- a person who can read the imprinted memories on an object or person just by using his sense of touch. There are only a handful of pyschometrists in the world and since a recent discovery of strange artifacts dubbed ooparts, psychometrists have been gone missing, including Roan's friend, Stuart. Ooparts, or Out of Place Objects are artifacts that originated in one time period, but are unearthed in rock from a previous time period. The ooparts carry a mystery to be unlocked, and someone believes that the pyschometrists are the key. When Roan hears of a new pyschometrist in LA, Melicent, he rushes out to meet her and warn her that she is now a target. When Roan and Melicent meet, sparks fly and Melicent finds herself in immediate danger. Now, Roan is racing the clock to find out the secret of the ooparts and to keep Melicent and the other pyschometrists safe.

Exciting and distinctive, The Time Collector creates an amazing world with people who are able to read the past off of an object. If I could have any superpower, I would definitely choose this one. Because of Roan's ability, he has been able to live the lives of countless people throughout history. Roan has experienced violence, trauma, love, happiness, greed, fame and many other emotions through the objects he has touched making him a extremely complex, sympathetic and well rounded individual who decided to carefully watch how he used his powers. Melicent was a complimentary counterpart to Roan. While their relationship progressed quickly, it was aided by their abilities to read each other. I loved taking the trips into history and experiencing the emotions and journeys connected to each object. Through the objects I was reminded of the importance of artifacts as well as our inner ties to objects that we posses. With a surprising and action packed ending, The Time Collector is an exhilarating genre-bending thriller.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Right from the start, the premise of knowing the history of an item/relic by touching it intrigued me. I quickly got over there not being any time travel (I guess the title really was the omly aspect that threw me off there), and I vastly enjoyed myself. It was very fast paced, but the characters felt in charge of their direction (which I find to be a rare match).

Something I really, really hate is reading a book which everyone is five starring and wondering what they see in it that I do not. The Time Collector is one of those books. Not that there was anything wrong with it and I quite enjoyed the read, but definitely not five stars worth or even four.

I really liked the basic premise - people who could know the history of an item just by touching it. There was so much scope for a brilliant story there and the main character, Roan, had huge potential. I enjoyed the romance angle too and the way it contributed to the exciting scene at the end.

Somehow though I had picked up the idea that there would be time travel in the book. There was not which disappointed me. I also frequently felt besieged by the amount of knowledge the author kept throwing at me and I had to skim a lot of it.

My overall impression was that I had just enjoyed a perfectly nice, pleasant but not outstanding read. Entertaining but not memorable.

"The Time Collector" is a book I wouldn't normally have picked up but the description caught my eye - Roan West is an expert psychometrist which means he can see the past of any object he touches. Roan can see how Mozart once composed a sonata simply by touching a music box that once belonged to his duet partner, and Womack gives readers a birds-eye view back on history through the artifacts and objects that Roan come in contact with. This ability is a blessing and a curse for Roan and while he would prefer to keep a low-profile, when his fellow psychometrist and friend, Stuart, realizes relics are showing up in places they shouldn't be, Roan gets caught up in a dangerous attempt to save others like them who seem to be under attack from someone who wants to know how and why these objects are able to transcend time and distance.

Roan's journey to protect other psychometrists introduces him to Melicent Tilpin, who recently discovered her gift after the death of her mother. Roan helps teach Melicent about her skills and soon his interest in saving her and her brother becomes as personal as it is professional.

"The Time Collector" is an interesting mix of genres I love - historical fiction, sci-fi, thriller and romance. Womack writes colorful characters and the action is fun, especially when it involves Roan or Melicent reading an object. I especially enjoyed those dives into history and wish there had been more of them. I'm curious about what happens next for Roan and Melicent and would love to see another book about the pair.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and MacMillan/Picador in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It's the first book I read by Ms Womack and I'm happy I requested it because it was a great discovery.
I loved the mix of different genres, from fantasy to romance and mystery, and how the plot was developed and the different parts kept together without creating any riff in the flow of the story.
The characters are fleshed out and well written, all of them interesting.
The plot kept me hooked since the first pages and was engaging and entertaining.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Macmillan-Picador and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the eARC for my honest review. A wonderfully engaging premise. Psycometrists, people who can read the emotions and history of anything they touch, but what can this lead too? and if you also include mysterious items found outside of their proper time period? You have the wonderfully thrilling building blocks to an exciting novel. It feels like it could be the first of an ongoing serier? I loved it.

A very enjoyable read, something completely different, not without its flaws, but intriguing all the same.

Roan West has a rare gift. He is one of the few people in the world who are called pyschometrists. He can tell the history of an object and all that have come in contact with it, just by touching it. He is among the best in the world having honed his skills over the years.

After making his fortune, he spends his time finding old antiques that are family heir looms and returns them to their rightful owners. Based in New Orleans, he travels the world with his work.
His friend from London Stuart, another pyschometrist, has been concentrating on out of place artifacts called ooparts. These are objects that have been found from history but in places that do not match their history, like a 17th century ring that was found in a prehistoric rock!

These objects are out of place in time and when Stuart goes missing along with another couple of pyschometrists, Roan decides to investigate and try to find his friend and what he may have uncovered.

When Roan sees a viral video of a woman called Melicent Tiplin on the Antiques Roadshow showing a watch that she found which is valued at over $2 million, a find which she says she sensed was valuable, he knows he has found another potential pyschometrist and has to warn her that she may be in danger because of the ooparts and the other missing pyschometrists.
They end up travelling the world trying to find Stuart and unravelling the clues that may lead them to understand the meaning of the ooparts and the value they may have.

So it alls sounds quite complicated from my above description but honestly this is quite easy to follow. Its a bit out there with some mad ideas but its very clever in doing so and it doesnt detract from the overall story.

The first half or even three quarters of this book are great. There is loads of mystery and intrigue and the blossoming romance between Roan and Mellicent.
There are also some fantastic flashback sequences to various points in history when objects are being touched. They are like little short stories within the novel and while not always directly relevant to the story they are always of interest and add an extra dimension to the book and give the whole story more meaning.

The book does trail off a little bit towards the final quarter as the story kind of simplifies itself out as we reach the finale but it doesnt take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Macillan-Picador and Gwendolyn Womack for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure I received an ARC copy from netgalley and MacMillan/Picador in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

If I could give this novel 6 stars, I would. Womack has created a lovely story that combines both fantasy and historical fiction. The novel is based on psychometry. A metaphysical concept that suggests a person can determine facts, events, or memories of a person by touching an object associated with that person. Womack's protagonist, Roan is one of the strongest psychometrists. One who can see things from the past so clearly, it is as if he travels in time. This ability has caused him to isolate himself from most of the world. All this changes when he meets Melicent, a neophyte psychometrist.

They are pulled into a conspiracy that includes arson, kidnapping madness and death. As the story unfurls, various objects are used to provide answers for their increasingly perilous quest. The objects include items that have the characteristic of OoParts (Out of Place Artifacts). These puzzling objects are considered to be too advanced for their time, or found in geological strata before humanity existed. In the novel, when an object 'speaks' to the psychometrist, the facts given are historically accurate. The reader dips into histories varying from Mozart to the horror of the Korean war.

Womack's strong narrative embraces the idea, what if psychometry were true? Would the reader want this paranormal power. Will the characters always use the gift for healing, or will they become corrupted? In an interview, the author says she is fascinated with the concept of time.
After reading The Time Collector, so am I.

Highly recommended.

Gwendolyn Womack has created a unique, imaginative story about a man who and a woman who are psychometrists - they can see the past when they touch an object. Roan West is very experienced, and uses his abilities to help people. Melicent is just beginning to understand her abilities. The pair meet and join forces to solve the mystery when danger threatens them both. Many of the theories and information they discover were well researched, and it was a very interesting read in that regard. I did feel that the romance between the two was very rushed and very superficial. I suspect, though, that younger people may not mind that. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, just not as great as I expected from all the glowing reviews. I am adding her last novel to my TBR list, though! Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan/Picador for the e-arc. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I loved the premise and I wanted to love the story, but it wasn't meant to be.

The Time Collector focuses on a group of gifted individuals known as psychometrists. Psychometrists range in their strength, but all share the ability to discern the past of objects the touch. Our male protagonist, Roan West, is one of the most powerful psychometrists among their small numbers. Roan has become increasingly worried with the disappearances of several psychometrists across the globe, including one of his closest friends. Then arises the problem of Melicent Tilpin. 

Melicent is a young woman scraping by as she tries to balance work and raising her teenage brother following their mother's recent death. She's also a psychometrist whose powers have newly awakened. After peering into the past of objects found at flea markets and antique swaps, Melicent find herself on Antiques Roadshow where her items are appraised for tens of thousands of dollars and she's admitted her gift to the world. Upon seeing the video Roan rushes across the country to warn Melicent, hoping she'll listen. 

The greatest triumph of The Time Collector is Gwendolyn Womack's skill as a writer. This book touches on phenomena like out-of-place artifacts (OOPArts), crop circles, and more as Womack spins a tale that spans all of Earth's breadth and history. I went in with very little foreknowledge of many of the phenomena she describes, but I never found myself lost in the explanations - the world she creates is easy to slip in to and enjoy. Some of the chapters that I enjoyed most were those where as a character reads an imprint, you are transported back in time. From 18th century Vienna to South Korea on the cusp of The Forgotten War, these periods are captured with incredible realism that drew me in despite their intrusion into the main plot. 

So here's the caveat of all this: I just didn't like the romantic aspect. I was pulled in by the tension between Melicent and Roan through the first half of their story, but once the romantic tension was dissipated everything seemed to lose momentum. I'm also seldom a fan of stories where two characters are fully in love in a matter of just days. I tried to see past it because there was so much else that I enjoyed, but it ultimately left me feeling a little disappointed as I finished this book. I'm certain The Time Collector will be the perfect read for many people, just not me.

The Time Collector


A fascinating and unique trip across time, continents and history with just the touch of a hand

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Roan West is a highly skilled psychometrist, able to perceive the past of any object he touches. He uses his talents to find, sell and even return valuable antiques. Stuart, a fellow psychometrist and Roan’s close friend, has just unearthed several “ooparts”, out-of-place-artifacts that challenge recorded history. Soon after this remarkable discovery, Stuart disappears, making him one of several psychometrists who have died mysteriously in recent months or vanished without a trace. When Roan comes across a YouTube video of a young woman who has discovered a priceless pocket watch by “sensing” it, he knows he has to warn her about the danger—but will Melicent Tilpin listen? And can Roan find Stuart before it’s too late?

REVIEW
Once again, Gwendolyn Womack has created a fascinating and unique tale of mystery, intrigue and adventure. Her writing is engaging and keeps you on the edge of your seat. She allows Roan and his extraordinary gift to take us on a perilous journey across time, across continents and across history. Just imagine being able to travel through time and transcend the laws of nature with just the touch of your hand.

Roan and Melicent are both captivating characters that ground the story in reality with their quest to find Stuart. They are the compass for this otherworldly tale of suspense with just a little romance thrown in.

I had the pleasure of hearing Gwendolyn Womack talk about this book a year ago and couldn’t wait for it to come out. I have absolutely loved both of her previous books: The Memory Painter and The Fortune Teller. Womack is originally from Houston, Texas. She moved to Alaska for college to become an environmental scientist and ended up in the theater department writing plays. Later she went on to receive an MFA in Directing Theatre, Video & Cinema from California Institute of the Arts. Currently she resides in Los Angeles with her family and collects kaleidoscopes and paints as a hobby.

Thanks to Netgalley, Gwendolyn Womack and Picador Macmillan for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Picador-Macmillan
Published April 16, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I am new to NetGalley and reviewing here, but not new to being a voracious reader. I discovered Gwendolyn Womack by chance last year when Amazon recommended The Fortune Teller. I loved it so much that I immediately purchased The Memory Painter. I was thrilled when I discovered her latest book, The Time Collector on NetGalley and was approved to read and review it. The book is very well written with an interesting premise of psychometristy, the ability to sense the history of an object when touched. The story is about Roan West and Melicent Tilpin, both psychometrists, though Melicent has only recently dicoverd her gift sine the passing of her mother. Well if being able to touch objects and see their history is not thrilling enough, it seems some shadowy people are hunting psychometrists and it does not seem that they want to have tea and chat. It appears, that several objects have been found out of their time period, they are considered OOPARTS, out of place artifacts. How are these objects ending up in the wrong time period? Who is after the psychometrists? The story was fast paced and well written. Some of the background stories were fascinating and some heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book. It is a toss up if this book or The Fortune Teller is my favorite book by this author. If Gwendolyn Womack is not on your bookshelf, I recommend giving her a try.