2.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Come Back to Me is a perfectly fine book. It’s well-written and has a decent premise. Yet, I read this book with more apathy than engagement, the second in a row that I’ve felt that way about, so it could easily be another case of my mood.

I did like that this book decided to change up the traditional time travel formula of having a lead with a useless profession to their predicament, with Marian being a scientist. I’d have liked more of how her knowledge impacted her interactions with others in the past, but otherwise there are good stakes, with her having to choose between helping her sick dad in the present and love in the past, even if the story didn’t fully resonate.

But Will was not written in a compelling enough way to make the “stay in the past” choice viable. I didn’t get him at all, he was just the typical medieval Knight without a lot of nuance. And with so much of the story exploring Marian’s life, I feel like he wasn’t given much page time to grow.

This book really fell flat, lacking a lot of the immersiveness and charm of Jody Hedlund’s other work that I’ve read. I can see a diehard fan of her work and that of similar Christian fiction authors liking it, but it’s not one I’d recommend enthusiastically.

I'm not a fan of time travel novels, but I like Jody Hedlund, so I wanted to give this a try. I read it in two evenings after the kids went to bed. It's that good! When you read it, don't try to authenticate the science behind switching time periods or drinking Holy water. Just enjoy it for what it is: Christian fiction.

I thought the plot line was great, the characters likeable, and the situations within the book are both sorrowful and exciting. My only complaint was the book was very sensual. I'm a little surprised that Baker/Revell let this one through. Don't get me wrong, I like some romance, kisses and declarations of love as much as the next woman. But I'm more of a fade to black screen or fluttering curtains in a window when it comes to sex. Let your imagination take over. This was pretty steamy. I won't let my teen girls read it.

Beyond that it was a great story and I will be reading the next in the series.

An amazing piece of historic fiction! I'm not usually a reader of middle ages / medieval stories, but I do like Jody Hedlund's books, so I picked up this one to check it out....and was blown away! Set in both the modern era and the end of the Hundred Years War, the story follows Marian, who is able to time jump, through a series of adventures. She begins the story on one mission and ends up with another.... The author has done a fantastic job researching her history and including small elements and details the put the reader right into the past. I only wish we knew what happened at the end of the modern day timeline...

Jody Hedlund has written a time travel book taking the reader to the year 1381 in search of the ultimate cure. A modern day woman, who is a scientist is searching for a cure for her sister. She arrives in 1381 and falls in love. Should she stay in the past or go back to the future? This was a good read and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline. The romance between Marian and Will was awesome. I'm excited this is a series and there will be another book to continue the story with Ellen and Harrison.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
4.5 stars

Hedlund is a must read author for me. Oh my goodness I loved this. This one is different from anything she's written because of the whole time travel thing. If you ever read Michael Crichton's Timeline you'll enjoy this. Marion's father is a scientist who's discovered holy water from Canterbury England has healing qualities like the myths say. It also has the ability to transcend time. I don't want to give to much away, but let's just say there's definitely some Outlander type things happening with marrying between times. I love time travel novels done well, and this one is up there. I'm so excited she branched slightly out of her genre (although she has done medieval) and involved modern day as well. I love the literary references. Starting with Arthur from Connecticut just makes me think of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The prioress and setting of Canterbury makes me think of the Canterbury Tales and other works from the Middle Ages. I was able to picture England and the accents very well, having lived there, but she describes it well.
I appreciated some of the observations Marian makes about her new clothing feeling strange and what would she do if she got her period with no underwear. Things females wonder about time travel.
The peasant rebellion was interesting to read about and I found myself thinking of Philippa Gregory books as well as Outlander like I mentioned.
I absolutely loved this because it was a clean version of Outlander, which I had to stop watching because it got disturbing. I've seen some comments about it being steamy for a Christian novel, but personally I wasn't uncomfortable with it. I'm not married though and haven't experienced feelings like the characters so maybe there's some things I didn't pick up on? It didn't strike me as much more than some other ones I've read by her or other authors. I feel like she does an excellent job describing people's emotions and physical attraction. Plus I mean they've known each other days, so what else is there to go on besides the physical at this point? I think her descriptions of the attraction make it more believable as to how a 28 year old from the present day can fall in love and marry a person from 1381. Well not that she had a choice. Oops I'm giving some away.
I loved this. I love that a Christian author is tackling time travel with a unique way that ties it in to the water from the Tree of Life in Revelation. It's genius and miraculous like God, so you just go with it.
I can't wait to see how they explain what happens in the next one! I have a feeling her father and sister are going to show up in the 1380s as well. I loved this book so much.
Thank you so much netgalley and Revell for the chance to read this!

I loved this book. It started out a little slow for me but then really hooked my interest. When we think of going back in time, it's easy to forget that there were a lot of hardships that we may not know how to navigate. Such is the case for Marian when she ends up in the middle of a peasant uprising in 1381.

What I loved most about this book was the impact Marian had on Will and his sons in a short amount of time. Her modern ideas of family and relationships challenge the norms of Middle Ages life and it opens Will up to wonder and joy in the little things of life. It was beautiful watching things unfold. I really hope they are prominent in the next book.

At the end, I was left wondering about a few things and then shouted an excited "YES!" when I saw that the story will continue for Harrison and Ellen. I'm hoping all will be resolved in time. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have to start off by saying I am not usually a fan of time travel, but this book might have changed that. I was really intrigued by the mix of science and stories that lead to time travel being possible in this book. Marian is a scientist as well as her father trying to discover a cure for her sister Ellen's rare disease. The disease also killed her mother so they don't want to see the same happen to Ellen. It starts with her dad going into a coma and her finding out that all her dad's research about holy water and the tree of life seeds wasn't just crazy talk.
She ends up visiting the past in glimpses and viewing a man that she instantly wants to know. Later she completely goes back to 1381 and ends up meeting the strange man when he saves her.
William Durham is a knight with emotional baggage. They are thrust together and marriage is the only solution they can come up with. Then begins their love story, but will she get to stay with him and still save her sister?
At times I feel like I wanted more info on the time travel and was a little confused but in the end I still found it a fun read.
I received a free ebook thanks to net galley in exchange for an unbiased review.
#netgalley #comebacktome

Scientist Marian Creighton is on a quest to discover a cure for her sister’s terminal illness when she receives word that her father has inexplicably fallen into a coma. After traveling to England to be by his side, she makes some startling discoveries about a miracle cure for all diseases that involves...time travel. With a rival pharmaceutical company in hot pursuit, Marian makes the decision to test her father’s theory for herself, and finds herself taken back to 1381. While there, she is rescued from a dangerous situation by the handsome, yet troubled, knight Sir William Durham. When Marian is faced with a choice about returning to the present or remaining in the past, what will she decide? The numerous plot twists will keep readers guessing in this masterfully-written tale of love and suspense.

This was one of those books that stays with you when you finish! It was an amazing book and I’m so excited there will be another! I can’t wait for the next book!

So this book is not a like other books by Jody Hedlund. If you’ve read her books get ready for something totally different. Time travel, romance with some clean steamy writing and a story that will keep you reading!

I always enjoy reading books by this author. This book was made even more interesting as it involved crossing time. I really enjoyed the characters of Marian and Will. I found the piece about the healing waters such an interesting one.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

I normally like time slip novels but I just couldn't get into this one. And I know it's because I couldn't stand the heroine she got on my nerves from page one. .

I love when I learn something new in a book, and Come Back to Me had a lot of really interesting historical and religious information that I hadn't heard before. It was a bit difficult at first to make my way through the story, given the almost overload of information the reader received in the first few chapters. But it's necessary to really understand what happens as the story progresses. The story is about the Tree of Life, thinking on if it existed and what it would mean for modern medicine. It's also about forgiveness when a loved one causes you pain, and it's about loving someone even when you're from two different worlds (literally, in this case). I have never read a time travel romance quite like this one, and I wasn't sure how we would get a happy ending. If she doesn't return home, she'll die. How does everyone win with an ending like that? You'll have to read to find out.

"Your father is in a coma." This is how Marian Creighton's story begins, when she realizes that she has lost her mother and may now lose her father. In his quest for a cure for her sister's illness, the same one that killed their mother, their relationship has crumbled, and she has begun to resent how distant he has become. Each are scientists, focused on their own work, but Marian has missed her father greatly. Heading to England to be with him in the hospital, she arrives to find out that there is no reason why he is in a coma. It's a medical mystery. But a clue in a safety deposit box and a sudden interest from dangerous individuals leads Marian to the conclusion that her father has finally done it - he has found the Tree of Life. Determined to save him, she researches what may have happened and discovers that he drank from the remnants from the tree, kept safe in a flask held by religious communities for centuries. Now she must do the same...and travel back in time to save her father.

As I said, this book had a lot to unpack, and I was confused at first. However, as the story progressed and Marian traveled back in time, I became more and more invested in the story. She meets a brave, progressive young man in 1381, and he saves her from a situation that would have been unthinkable in modern times. They must stick together to keep her safe, while she also hides her true identity from him. It becomes increasingly difficult as she begins to fall for him, even while knowing they could never be together. If she doesn't return to present day, her body left behind will eventually die, and so will she in 1381. It's a race against time and against her heart's desire. Who will win? It was thrilling, a book I couldn't put down, and I had no idea how it would end, even in the last few chapters. That's always a fun experience and one I think you all would enjoy.

Even if you're not Christian, I think you could appreciate the story and see the inspirational elements to it. To me, it was more about spirituality and the belief in something greater than yourself. And having faith in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds.

The story telling of this book is in the descriptions. The style is different than any other that I've read. It's not a fast moving story, but interesting just the same. I'm left with the feeling that I enjoyed the story, but there was a lot of descriptions to wade through to find the action. The descriptions were well thought out and moved the story along some, many times giving back story. I like the thought of being able to travel to another time, but I'm not sure I'd want to do it. I was kind of hoping for a different ending, but I'm happy with the way it did end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

In true Jody Hedlund fashion, Come Back to Me was captivating, intriguing and wonderfully romantic! I'm hooked...and I can't wait for the next in the series!

Jody Hedlund is a talented author and this another well written novel. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the holy water and it’s curative properties and time travel capabilities. The part of the story set in the Middle Ages was romantic and exciting but I wished the author had used more examples or dialogue of how Marian adjusted to traveling back in time, it seemed she did it more by telling. She seemed to adjust quite easily to the time period and the other characters seemed to accept she was from a different part of the world. I was hoping she would have run into her father in the past and gotten some more information on his research. Overall a fun and unique read.

Come Back to Me is a story of one woman facing challenges in separate times. In the present, she works tirelessly to find a cure for her sister's illness. She has no time for romance and is career driven. In the past, she discovers other challenges and for the first time, true love. Faced with returning to the present to save her sister and remaining in the past to share a life of love and marriage, Marian must choose. This story has so many of the elements that make a great love story: action, adventure, danger, and romance. It also portrays love in a true and honest fashion based on faith. I enjoyed this time travel romance. I appreciated the element of love based on friendship, true feelings and respect and loyalty.

I love time travel books and this is no exception. Loved the romance, intrigue, and historical elements woven throughout.

I am so glad that I gave Jody's new book a chance. I have read several of her previous books and have always enjoyed them. In the past, I have read time travel stories and not cared for them. This story-line sounded unique and the characters interesting. I soon forgot that it was time travel. Marian Creighton is a very strong research scientist that is a workaholic. Her mother died from a very unusual disease and now her sister has been diagnosed as well. Their father also a scientist has spent his entire life trying to find a cure. Marian must drop everything when she receives a call that her dad is in a coma.
William Durham is literally a knight in shinning armor. He comes to Marian's rescue more than a couple of times. It is easy to get wrapped up in this novel and you won't want to put it down. Once again Jody Hedlund does a marvelous job of entertaining us. I thank Revell through NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First sentence: “Your father is in a coma.” “What did you say?” Marian Creighton fumbled with her phone and almost dropped it. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.” “I’m sorry, Marian.” Harrison Burlington’s English accent on the other end was as loud and clear as if he’d been sitting at Jasper’s desk opposite from hers. “Unfortunately, you did hear me all too correctly. I’m afraid your father is in a coma.”

Premise/plot: Marian Creighton, our heroine, is determined to save both her father (who is in a coma) and her sister (who is dying of a genetic disease). Her father (before his coma) was mad determined as well. He has been obsessed with finding the tree of life. Yes, you read that correctly. The tree of life. Perhaps not the actual-actual tree, that might be a bit much, but any seeds that may remain from the tree of life. His theory is that those seeds were carried to England (at one point) and have blessed several springs with healing powers (just read your history). He is looking for that holy water. And it is up to his daughter (now that he is in a coma) to finish his research...before his competitors steal it (because of course they have an agenda).

Marian spent years--if not decades--of her life distancing herself from her father's obsession. But now that he is in a coma and she's found a few cryptic notes, she's convinced that the only way to save her family is to carry out her father's research--even if that comes at great risk to herself. (Then again, experimenting on one's self and taking big risks with the hope of great reward might be part of the whole mad scientist thing?)

Here is where I recommend readers suspend all disbelief. And I do mean all--all while you're reading (book in hand), all while you're thinking about what you've read, all while you're thinking about thinking about what you've just read.

So now that you're willing to believe everything without asking any questions (not even one), this novel features time travel via drinking holy water. The solution to many of her problems may be found in the past--the year 1381 to be exact.

Will she find what she's looking for? Or perhaps will she found what she has never bothered looking for?

My thoughts: I definitely found this one compelling. Even when I found it over the top ridiculous I found it compelling.

I loved the past setting of Come Back To Me. True I thought she was very UNprepared and very naive as she oriented herself to the past. (Honestly, who wouldn't be to a certain degree.) It seems to me she could have spent a little more time researching and planning before she drank herself to the past. (That's a very odd sentence). Still, it was the past that made this one an exciting read.

This one may pretend to be many things--a mystery, a thriller, science fiction--but at its heart, at its core it is essentially a romance (and a STEAMY, STEAMY, STEAMY romance at that).

Let's talk steam. On the one hand, ALL THE STEAM happens in a marital relationship. On the other hand, even though it isn't in any way improper for the characters to be in a steamy, sensual, oh-so-intimate relationship, that might not be the case for the book's readers.

For some readers who have had struggles in the past or are currently struggling with smutty-smut romance addiction, the steam in this one may not make this one a good choice. If reading this one makes you tempted to pick up that addiction again. (Be it romance novels or movies).

I would say also that Christian fiction tends to be labeled "safe" and "clean" and "appropriate" for readers of most ages (think 8+). I know I was certainly reading Janette Oke when I was in elementary school. This one would not be one you'd want young(er) readers to read. I think older teens it might not be a bad choice--especially if they read widely from secular publications--this is probably oh-so-tame/lame in comparison to the heavy stuff. But it might not be the absolute best choice either.

If you are "triggered" (and I don't know that this is the best word choice) easily, this might be a gateway back into a sin you're trying to recover from.

But every reader is different.

Come Back to Me is a genre shift for historical author, Jody Hedlund. I’m an avid fan of her historical fiction – especially her early works (Beacons of Hope series, Hearts of Faith series), so I wasn’t sure I was ready for time travel.

As always, Jody Hedlund delivers an absorbing romance in a by-gone era. Descriptions pull the reader into the medieval world during the peasant uprising in England. One can almost smell the battlefield and see the peasants as they fight against oppression in 1381.

The idea of space-time continuum, parallel time shift, and the ability to live in two eras at once isn’t an idea that I’ve ever been able to accept. I haven’t heard of the legends of the life-giving water of the original Tree of Life from the garden of Eden, which is the basis for the main character’s father’s medical research. However, the author pieced all of these ideas well to create an exciting contemporary story of intrigue, action, a hasty marriage, and urgency to save someone close to the main character.

Marian is an interesting character. She’s a contemporary scientist based in the US working for her father’s pharmaceutical company. Her father has pursued his research for a cure for his daughter, Marian’s younger sister. When Marian receives an urgent call to fly to England, she takes up the mantle of her father’s work in order to save him.

Will, a knight and Marian’s love interest from 1381, is a strong character. He faces demons of his own which Marian is able to help him combat. He’s a protector, passionate, and fierce warrior. He’s a swoony, likeable character.

I enjoyed the read, though I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the ending.

*There are sensual scenes in the context of marriage.

I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.