I absolutely loved how this book turned out! I am fascinated by Guy Fawkes, so I really enjoyed this time-travel book. I thought it was very well done and a fantastic book!

“Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of no reason Why the gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t’was his intent To blow up the king and parli’ment.”

Such a wonderful time slip romance. I love a good historical fiction that is well researched, when you feel like you are getting a history lesson in a new and fun way and this book did just that. Then you add in a generous helping of romance and you are talking my language! Because doesn’t love just make everything better? In my opinion it does! This book is set in the Jacobean era where there is a lot of political unrest in England with the King denouncing the Catholic religion.

Isla Crawford is in present day London when she goes to a costume shop in search of a costume for a work party and ends up in a very different time and place.

Simon Hartworth lives in England in 1605 and when their paths cross he is at first certain Isla is mad but as they spend more time together his opinion of her changes entirely.

I read the first 75% of this one before release day and then finished the rest on audio. I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it. It was so fun to attend the Time Traveler’s ball while reading this and take a picture in front of McQuivey’s Costume Shop. I can’t wait to read other books in this series in the future and see what Mrs McQuivey has in store for them.

I love the way Sian writes, and this story is no different. The amount of history included and the time traveling aspect added so much depth. I am so grateful for more "clean" time traveling stories and look forward to how this series progresses.

I enjoyed this time slip novel! I liked the historical setting and the characters were great! I liked how things ended up and I'm excited for the next book in the series!

Great book really enjoyed the story. Thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced reader copy. All opinions shared are my own.

Time Travel has long been one of my favorite themes. I was thrilled to learn that Proper Romance was launching a "Time Slip" series. It was even more exciting because Author Sian Ann Bessey was writing the first book.

The story begins inside McQuivey’s Costume Shop. Isla searches for a Wendy costume from Peter Pan. The shopkeeper suggests she try on a Jacobean-style gown. Suddenly, Isla is no longer in the shop. She finds herself in a garden, transported to a different time and place. Soon, she meets Lord Bancroft, Simon Hartworth, and his family. They are curious about her origins and reasons for being there.

I loved how the story mixes real history into a tale set in 1605, just weeks before Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot. Isla’s goal is to prevent this dangerous plan against Parliament and the King.

The relationship between Simon and Isla develops slowly, making it feel genuine. They both face tough challenges and must learn to trust each other. Their bond grows deeper as they uncover more about their separate worlds. The romance feels real and sincere because it takes time to blossom. As the date of the plot gets closer, the tension rises. Readers will wonder if Isla, Simon, and others can stop the impending threat.

This first book in a new series left me excited for more. I can’t wait to see what adventures await inside McQuivey’s Costume Shop.

Just didn’t connect with this one. Usually love this publisher and has a great cover, but I just wasn’t connecting with the flashbacks, time travel, and the time period/events it revolves around.

I must admit, I am quite cross with myself for having kept this book on the backburner for as long as I did. Due to an unusually rough bout of reading slump and an initial struggle to make it through some of the more mundane aspects of Guy Fawkes' beginning of this story (to no fault of the author), I felt as though I would perpetually be stuck at 30%. That is, however, until I picked this up again today and read the remaining 70% in a few short hours. 

I truly loved this so very much. The time travel, the history, the romance. I am an absolute sucker for a time travel adventure and I find after finishing this that I am left craving more. 

Reading about a time from so long ago is so very intriguing to begin with, but to have a character as modern as Isla is attempting to navigate a world so vastly different from the one in which she came was so fascinating to be a part of. 

I was so hoping she and Simon would be able to spend the remainder of their days together in the 17th centry countryside surrounded by the Maidstones and his sweet silly nephews. While this, unfortunately, did not come to be, I was so very thankful Mrs. McQuivey chose the most oportune moment to rescue them. While I wish we had gotten more of Simon's reactions to now being permanently in the 21st century or slight insight on how things were for the Maidstones after the disappearance of both Isla and Simon, I so love the end to their story, that also marked the beginning of a new one.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series to be released and hope we are potentially offered more insight into the mystery, magic and intrigue of Mrs. McQuigley and her costume shop. 

Many thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing, Sian and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC. I am immensely grateful.

This was such a fun and fascinating novel by Sian Ann Bessey. The plot was compelling and Bessey used her amazing knack for historical fiction in a whole new way with time travel. The idea of using a quirky and mysterious costume shop as the method of time traveling was exceptionally clever! Isla and Simon were such genuine and likable characters; I really wanted their romance to have a happily ever after. Bessey really delivered and I cannot wait for the next books in this series! So exciting!

This one was fantastic! I loved the time slip aspect.
It was believable and fun.
The characters were wonderful and I loved the true historical aspects that were added.
It had such a satisfying ending too- wasn’t sure how the author would manage that but she did. I can’t wait for more from this author- I’m hoping she will do more with the time slip genre.

A time-travel novel set in 17th-century England – I can't resist that :-) Especially since I really like the author; I've already read one or two of her books and like her style and her preference for strong female heroines. Ms. Bassey writes historical novels, often with a touch of magic and fantasy, and plenty of action, adventure, and romance, and the historical settings are always very well researched.

This is also the case here; we are in Jacobean England, in 1605, the year of the "Gunpowder Plot" by the gang around Guy Fawkes. If you've ever wanted to know more about this infamous conspiracy in which the Houses of Parliament were almost blown up and the political order was at stake, this novel is a great choice, as it provides the historical backdrop against which the plot unfolds.

First, however, we're in contemporary London, where 24-year-old Isla Crawford visits a costume rental shop one evening. She needs a costume for an office party and arrives at McQuivey's Costume Shop more or less at the last minute. The owner pushes a woman's dress from the early 17th century on her, and when Isla steps out of the dressing room, she's suddenly no longer in the shop, but in a stable in rural England. After some irritation and a brief emotional breakdown, she realizes that she's not being fooled, but has actually undergone an involuntary journey 400 years back in time, and is happy and grateful that she's been given shelter at the country estate of Lord and Lady Bancroft....
There doesn't seem to be a way back home at first, and so Isla decides to do something that's not usually the case in time travel novels (and that's why I really liked it – it was something new): she confides in her hosts. Together with Simon, his sister Martha (Lady Bancroft), and Lord Bancroft, Isla ponders why she might have ended up here – is there perhaps an important event in which she could play a role? And hey, yes – November 5, 1605, is coming up, and someone has to save England, right? :-)
So, not to give too much away: it's going to be exciting. As readers, we alternate between Isla and her adventure, and also Guy Fawkes and his men, and slowly the conspiracy intensifies on the one hand, and on the other, plans are being hatched to prevent it...and of course, it gets very romantic again, because sparks are flying between Isla and Simon :-)

Let me just say: it was a pleasure to read! A fast-paced adventure in Jacobean England, a historical conspiracy, strong emotions, and of course, the journey through time, which had an unexpected plot twist at the end. I found the characters believable and rooted for Isla, Marta, and Simon, and devoured the novel in a very short time. I repeat, it was fun :-).

And at the end, a preview of Ms. Bassey's next book – apparently, even more candidates will enter Miss McQuivey's mysterious costume shop and emerge somewhere completely different – ​​so I'm excited for the next volumes!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I love historical fiction. I think how authors take history and sub in fictional characters to flesh out narratives is fascinating. I especially love when they use fictional characters to solve historical mysteries. It's just so perfect and I want to shake their hand, applaud them and tip my hat to them (I don't ever actually wear hats but if I did, tipping would happen) This book checks all the boxes of an absolutely delightful historical fiction. It has history, it has romance, it has intrigue, it has unknown, it has everything I want! And right now, in this moment, it has reignited my love of historical fiction. So thank you, sincerely, Ms Bessey.

I absolutely adored A Time Traveler's Masquerade! Sian Ann Bessey writes engaging characters and inserts fun historical facts. I also really enjoyed the premise of a costume shop time slip. Isla is one of my favorite FMC. I love also that while she wasn't a historian, she knew enough to respect the norms of the 17th century. Simon was also a fun MMC. I really do love Bessey's writing! Looking forward to where McQuivey's costume shop sends the next person!

Romantic, full of history, full of twists and turns, engaging, and intriguing, this book is a stunningly written historical romance time-slip novel set in the present time and the Jacobean Era! I simply did not want to put this incredible book down!

This book is the first in a new series, the "A McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance" series, and, oh my goodness, I hope there will be many more! Sian Ann Bessey's writing is incredibly rich in historical detail, and I was completely immersed in the worlds of the story from the first page to the last. Her research, storytelling, characters, world-building, and each and every element of the plot jump off of the page in a breathtaking way, and I was hooked from the very first page.

(Possible Spoilers!):
Isla, being from the present time, accidentally time-travels back in time to the time of the Gunpowder Plot, and understandably feels confused and unsure. In the past, she meets Simon, a man from that historical era, and as the truth begins to be revealed, their relationship deepens and changes. These two truly do bring out the best in one another. Both are such kind, intelligent, brave, thoughtful individuals who are truly driven by the want to do right. I do not want to say too much about the plot specifically due to spoilers, but, I will say, this novel has so much in it and kept me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning to see what was going to happen next. What happens when someone from the future who knows what is going to happen travels back in time? Is it possible that Isla and Simon, from two different time periods, can be together? And, if so, how? Will what has happened in history still happen? You will just have to read to find out! With suspenseful moments, a deep dive into this time period in history, a sweet romance, intrigue, and so much more, this book is incredibly special. I so look forward to doing more research on this time period on my own time as well.

I highly recommend this book, and can't wait to read what the author writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me a physical ARC as well, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for the chance to read A time traveler's masquerade by Sian Ann Bessey. It is the first in a new series called “A McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance” and is set in the Jacobean era in England, during the Guy Fawkes and the Gun Powder Plot of 1605. The author obviously did her research and it showed in her attention to historical detail. I love romantic time-slip stories, and while I had some problems with the story and characters, I still enjoyed it. The story has no explicit content, and is suitable for general audiences, especially young readers.

Just wow! I love how this story came together. The author did an amazing job of weaving a modern character, Isla, into a mysterious plot more than 400 years prior to Isla's life. I have not read other stories that take place in the Jacobean period. I learned so much about the time. So fun to see Isla try to find her footing in a world so different than her own. Guy Fawkes's Gunpowder Plot was all new to me. Clearly I didn't grow up in England where Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated each year. I was drawn into the story and found myself looking up the story of the gunpowder plot online to learn more. Simon is the perfect counterpart to Isla. I loved watching their relationship develop. His sister, Martha, is wonderful too. So many characters to love in this book!

I love this author's books, but I was hesitant to read this one. Time travel is not a genre that I've been interested in, because I struggle to see how it can have a happy ending. I wasn't disappointed, though, I think the author did a great job of giving the reader an ending that made sense and was...I almost wanted to say "realistic" but time travel is anything but, ha! Anyway, the story was enjoyable and the ending made me happy, so all in all, I recommend this book.

What a beautiful book. I was smiling, I was worried, I was so totally rooting for Simon and Isla. As with all Sians, book this was beautifully written, enthralling, and worth reading time and again.

#netgalley #ATimeTravelersMasquerade

This book took a little while for me to get into the story but once I did I was hooked. I loved how the story unfolded. I loved the characters. The romance was beautifully developed between Isla and Simon. Overall a great book.

I loved this book! This book was a great intro to the time slip genre newly introduced by Shadow Mountain. It kept me guessing and swooning at the right moments.