Having not read a Sian Ann Bessey book previously, I had no idea what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised. This book pulled me in from the beginning. With time travel, romance, and a murderous plot to thwart, this story kept me fully engaged. I especially loved the fish-out-of-water experience of the heroine as she sought to come to terms with life several centuries before her own.
My imagination bloomed as the story progressed, and I was beyond thrilled with the writing before me. I am greatly looking forward to another installment in this series!
I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

All the stars for this amazing book! I absolutely love time-slip romances & couldn’t wait to read A Time Traveler’s Masquerade! Sian Bessey knocks it out of the park in this clever, original, intriguing, romantic story. From the moment Isla steps into McQuivey’s Costume Shop & winds up in 1605 England, I was hooked!

In modern day England, Isla Crawford visits McQuivey’s Costume Shop on a last minute hunt for a Wendy costume for a masquerade party. But, the owner convinces her to try on a Jacobean costume. Isla enters the dressing room & barely gets her costume on before she suddenly finds herself in 1605 England barefoot & in the rain. Luckily, there’s a handsome gentleman visiting his sister who takes her in. While at first Isla thinks this is all an elaborate prank, she soon realizes she’s now living in Jacobean England.

As she tries to discover her purpose in this time period, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft. When she realizes it’s just weeks before Guy Fawkes plot against Parliament, she must risk everything to make sure the historical timeline doesn’t change. But, what happens to her & Simon as they race to foil a deadly plot of conspirators?

I loved this story! With the carefully woven in historical details, the humor, & swoon-worthy romance, this story completely captured my heart. I enjoyed Isla navigating 1605 England. From learning to ride a horse to writing with a quill, it was fun seeing a modern woman learning the skills of the time period. I loved Simon! He’s every bit the attractive English Lord. I enjoyed how he & Isla entertained his little nephews & how he’d question the modern slang she uses.

The Guy Fawkes plot was fascinating. I knew bits & pieces, but it was so exciting to learn more through this story. Having Guy Fawkes’ point of view added to the intensity. The intrigue & suspense as Simon & Isla try to ensure history remains true kept me eagerly turning the pages. As with all time-slips, there’s the fear of slipping back & I could hardly wait to see if/when.

Highest of recommendations! Can’t wait for the next one! I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own & shared voluntarily.

Sian Ann Bessey delivers a beautifully woven time-slip romance that seamlessly blends modern-day intrigue with the danger and allure of the Jacobean era. With a unique and engaging plot, this story kept me hooked from start to finish!

The romance between Simon and Isla was a slow burn, full of banter and longing, making the payoff all the more satisfying—especially with that wonderful ending! The historical elements were rich and immersive, pulling me into 1605, a time of treachery, danger, and conspiracy. The stakes felt high, and the forbidden love aspect added an extra layer of tension that made the romance even more compelling.

From masquerades to unexpected twists, the story had just the right balance of fantasy and history.

If you love time-slip romances with history, intrigue, and heart, A Time Traveler’s Masquerade is definitely worth reading!

Dear Isla and Simon,

I don’t even know where to begin with you two and your story, A Time Traveler’s Masquerade! In short, it was beautiful. A love to transcend the ages. Literally!

Isla, you’re amazing! I don’t know what I would do if I were to walk into a store, only to walk out into the world of the 17th century. I thought you handled it so well. And to think you found the love of your life there! I loved that you knew your history, and that you got to play a part in it. I love history, and often think how neat it would be to actually live during my favorite time periods. Your story was so fun in seeing what that could be like.

What a gentleman you are, Simon! From the second you met Isla, you were so thoughtful, and I admired that. The fact you listened to her and believed her was also so kind of you. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have someone from the future drop in and tell me about events about to transpire. Honestly, I think I wouldn’t want to know, but then if I had a chance to change it, maybe. You handled it so well.

I loved that you were open with Isla about your feelings. As she told you, that takes courage and is far from selfish. Your relationship was perfect. The way it grew, and the moments you two shared. I loved it! I’d never read a time slip romance before, and I was worried how it would all end up. My romance loving self needs a happy ever after. I should have never doubted Sian Ann Bessey though. She is so talented, and always has a way of making everything work out. The way she brought this little known to me piece of history to life was amazing. I’ll definitely be reading this one again.

Sincerely,
A Very Happy Reader

I am a huge fan of Sian Ann Bessey and know of her in-depth research and history of all things English. Although I did enjoy the story it fell just a little bit short of my high hopes. So I possibly set it up for disappointment, in my mind. That being said, I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys time, travel, history and charming romance. I liked he idea of McQuivey’s costume shop being the portal for time travel and the idea that Isla was a political and historical enthusiast, giving her the knowledge of the historical implications when she time traveled. I had not heard the history of Guy Fawks and found it to be an interesting story. I also liked the romantic interest with Simon, Lord Bancroft and how forward thinking his sister Martha is. But what I missed was the intense intrigue, the attention to detail and a more gripping conclusion. I would say this is more of a lighthearted adventure, and possibly targeted to a young adult audience.
I am looking forward to the next installment and other books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I usually struggle with time travel books, but this one is more time magic than complicated time travel.

I love the premise - that the costume shop is the source of the time travel!

I was so excited that the alternate timeline was 1605, because it's a time I've hardly read about. I had just read about Guy Fawkes Day celebrations in another book, and now I know the history behind that day. (And I love that the author grew up celebrating the day!)

The story is a great mix of intrigue, history, and romance. If you love historical fiction, but are looking for a different time period, definitely read this one!

My thanks for the arc goes to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance, England, Thriller
Spice Level: Kissing
Point of View: Multiple POVs, including Guy Fawkes

A TIME TRAVELER'S MASQUERADE is a fun step into the past in the 1600s when Guy Fawkes is on the precipice of taking down the government, and I was in it every step of the way.

The clothes and food in this one put me right into the time period. (I'd pass on the eel—even though I hear it's delicious.) Isla's confusion is palpable. And the things she goes through to convince Simon and his family that she's from the future made me smile.

Getting into her purpose of being sent back to this time was gripping. And what a great premise when there's unknown pieces fitting around Guy Fawkes. I loved all the suppositions the author made to make this work in a time travel novel. Did Guy Fawkes succeed? Or did Isla thwart his plot? I'm certainly not going to tell you. But the conclusion is explosive (as in black powder in a keg explosive).

So much fun!

I recommend this book for great escapism reading. The romance and mystery are so much fun.

Happy reading!

3.5 stars. This is a fun time-travel romance with a lot of interesting historical details about the Jacobean era and the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot. Isla visits a mysterious costume shop in 2025 London looking for an outfit for an event, but the owner convinces her to try on a gown from the early 1600's. After exiting the dressing room, Isla finds herself in 1605 Surrey with no means of getting back to her time or any idea what's going on. She soon meets Simon, who is torn between believing Isla's story and thinking she's had a mental breakdown. Simon introduces Isla to his sister and brother-in-law -- the owner of the estate where Isla suddenly found herself transported -- and they try to get to the bottom of Isla's story. They eventually piece together that Isla was sent back for a reason: to help play a critical role in thwarting Guy Fawkes' and his co-conspirators' plan to blow up Parliament in a few weeks' time. Isla poses as Simon's fiancee to avoid questions while they determine how to stop the plot, but (shocker!) their fake relationship soon becomes very real.

As Isla herself tells her new friends, it all requires a healthy dose of suspending disbelief (particularly when it comes to how quickly Isla acclimates and her ability to remember very specific details about the Guy Fawkes story that she learned in school), but overall it's an enjoyable and interesting look at a time period that I did not know much about. Isla and Simon's story is interspersed with Guy Fawkes' POV as the conspiracy comes together, which adds another level of historical detail. The story is a little light on the romantic subplot, even by the Proper Romance series standards (hence the 3 stars vs. 4 stars), but I still was rooting for Simon and Isla despite the challenges in how the time-travel aspect would be resolved.

This series has a lot of fun potential, and I'm looking forward to reading the next adventure that Mrs. McQuivey creates for the next heroine!

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Set in the Jacobean (1603-1625), A Time Traveler’s Masquerade takes place during the reign of James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I —think King James version of the bible. During this time, there was no equality between Catholics and Protestants in England.

Those circumstances are key to author Sian Ann Bessey’s plot. The entire story revolves around the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and fellow Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament and assassinate James I of England.

The story unfolds from the alternating points of view of Isla and Simon. Both are likeable characters with warm personalities.

Bessey does a fine job balancing the time-slip elements, and the setup for the story is a good vehicle for a planned series.

My one quibble comes with language. Bessey makes Isla’s learning of 17th Century English, but only bits of conversation read that way. This makes the novel straightforward for readers, but feels a little off.

A Time Traveler’s Masquerade is part of Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line, which features romances with clean or “chaste” storylines. This, and the age of the main characters, makes it appropriate and accessible for upper young adults and older.

A Time Traveler's Masquerade is a beautifully written time-travel historical romance that swept me away! Isla's journey from the modern world to 1605 and her partnership with Simon to thwart the Gunpowder Plot kept me hooked from start to finish. The slow-burn romance, multiple POVs, and a fake betrothal added the perfect touch to this gripping story. I loved seeing the historical events unfold from the perspective of the conspirators, and the ending was pure perfection. Highly recommend for fans of time-travel romance!

Wow! What a great 17th century historical romance! This is my first book I've read set in this time period and let me tell you, Sian does it justice. I loved Simon Bancroft. He's a sweet and understanding MMC. There are no swears, some alcohol, and level 1 non-descriptive kissing only. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.5 stars. This was such a fun time slip story! I didn’t want it to end!

I love the way Isla’s accidental time travel was handled. It was a unique and refreshing take.

Simon!!! 🫠🫠🫠
And Martha!! ❤️❤️❤️
What an absolutely lovely cast of characters.

The way this story wove together with Guy Fawkes was so interesting and kept me glued to the page. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Thank you to netgalley & Shadow Mountain for the chance to enjoy an advance copy.

A very interesting book with its history woven into the story and real life historical characters. Also, interesting with the authors take on time travel. A few points that were a little bit different than what. I wouldn't say in a bad way though. I enjoyed the twists in the story. Even though this story revolves around a known part of history the story had you thinking how'd the story would evolve, and end. This one can definitely hold your interest. Time travel isn't my favorite genre but I can appreciate it when wrtitten well. I'm just always sad for the other person and the people they leave behind. The characters were so great & the scenes were written so natural I was sad for them when the person left their time as if the were real. This wasn't instalove but a quick turn around. That might be the only thing for me. However, this is only a preference and the writing is still good and I still appreciate this author and would for sure read another title she wrote.
good for:
time travel, history lovers, clean, only kisses, no language

This was delightful and the start of a new time slip series! I loved the fantasy with history, romance, and adventure! This book is set in the Jacobian era, which is something I’ve never read before and It was fun to learn about.
This is a clean, no spice romance.

“It was harder to identify but incredibly powerful. A sense of connection as rare as it was wondrous.”

Thoughts/Tropes:
Time travel
Fish out of water
I love her adaptability to 1605 from 2025
Simon the Sweetie
Martha and Hugh
The Twins
Multiple POV
Plot Twists
Race Against time
Simon and Isla teaching each other
Mrs. McQuivey
All the horse riding

Sweet Simon, who is nursing a broken heart and Isla who is thrust into the past. It was fun and interesting to read the conversations Simon and Isla had about the time periods and how she had to learn to live in the Jacobian time.

“And no matter how ludicrous your tale, I am not so inconsiderate that I would walk away from you with the cloak.”

The gunpowder plot with Guy Fawkes was fascinating and something I didn’t know about. I love Mrs. McQuivey, even though she’s a side character, she’s important to the story and so mischievous.

“Affluence is certainly not the greatest blessing to be offered a bride. I believe the honor is held by unconditional love, which includes faithfulness, decency, and sacrifice.”

I need an epilogue about the Maidstones, stat! 🤣 I can't wait for the next book with a Robin Hood twist.

Thank you for the beautiful book! All opinions are my own!

Heading into this book, I knew next to nothing about Guy Fawkes (I had heard of Guy Fawkes Day and knew that Fawkes was a villain, not a hero), but I also knew that Sian Ann Bessey's books are awesome (I've read several and they've all been four or five star books), so I was quick to snap up the chance to read this one. I enjoyed learning more about Fawkes and his plot as well as the Jacobean Era in general. Isla and Simon were fantastic leading characters. I found myself really appreciating that they quickly came to trust each other and that Simon's family was accepting of Isla, too; while some skepticism certainly wouldn't have been unreasonable, it was kind of a relief to have them quickly accept Isla and all work together, with the conflict in the book not stemming from internal issues but rather from external. The romance was sweet and the plot was engrossing.
4.5 stars--and I'm so eager for the next book in this series to come out!
Than
I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The latest release from the Proper Romance line is another timeslip novel. Author, Sian Ann Bessey, mixes present day with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Jacobean England. Isla Crawford is working as a press secretary to a member of the British Parliament. Her search for an appropriate gala costume takes her to Mrs. McQuivey’s Costume Shop. Instead of finding the perfect costume, she finds herself transported to 1605 where she must contend with her knowledge of the past and determination to not alter her present. But perhaps her knowledge of the past is exactly what is needed to prevent a government collapse.

I adored this gentle time-travel romance. My favorite thing is how seamless the historic detail is woven into the plot. The development of the narrative fit so perfectly into what is known about this historic event. It was lovely to just get straight to the story. There’s no time spent trying to explain the time travel system or make it believable. I loved the idea of trying on a historic costume and being transported to that time and liked that the story could just let that stand.

This story is just delightful! The characters, the setting, the multiple points of view. All combine to make this a rich, detailed experience. I enjoyed every minute and look forward to more fun with Mrs. McQuivey and her costume shop.

'A Time Traveler's Masquerade' is the first book in Sian Ann Bessey's new series, 'A McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance'.

One moment, Isla Crawford is inside McQuivey’s Costume Shop trying on a Jacobean-style gown, and the next, she is standing in an unfamiliar garden, barefoot, coatless. She soon realises that she has inexplicably travelled back to 1605, mere weeks before the culmination of Guy Fawkes’s infamous Gunpowder Plot. Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, finds his orderly 17th-century life disrupted when a mysterious woman appears on his sister’s doorstep. While he struggles to believe she comes from a different century, everything she tells him about her word, and her uncanny knowledge of Guy Fawkes's plot convinces him that many people are in great danger.

Interestingly, the story alternated between Isla's story and Guy Fawkes's story. The latter was a little boring to me, yet it gave a more human face to this historic character and showed how the plot was secretly being hatched. I live in Warwickshire, a place that has some links to the Gunpowder plot — a historic event I wasn't very familiar with, as I did not grow up in the UK. Reading 'A Time Traveler's Masquerade' somewhat filled this knowledge gap, so I'm grateful to have read it. It wasn't too history-heavy or political.

As is often the case with time-travelling books, I wish more of the book would have been about the heroine exploring another century, discovering new customs, struggling to adapt to other mores, etc. Isla seemed to adapt very quickly and did not seem to miss the 21st century, more medicine, or even her family and friends all that much. While I personally would *love* to time travel to previous centuries, I could never imagine anyone would be willing to forego the "comforts" of the 21st century (modern medicine, human rights, equality, knowledge, etc.) even for love. Plus, the romance between Isla and Simon was lukewarm at best. I wish the author had spent more time exploring Isla's psyche.

The resolution of the intrigue was surprising and clever, but the epilogue left me wanting more of the rest of the story. I look forward to discovering the future books in this series — I wonder which century we'll travel to this time.

*I received a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion*

Wow! What a neat story!

I really enjoyed the history in this book, I really learned a lot, which I think is neat in a story!

The time traveling was very well done and I loved how it addressed how much one would have to learn and adjust to an entirely new time period!

The characters were so fantastic and I loved them all! 💚💚💚

Absolutely recommend!

Just so we’re clear, I have no desire to be in any other time than my own, but A Time Traveler’s Masquerade has me looking for McQuivey’s costume shop.
Isla Crawford goes the Mrs. McQuivey’s shop to find a Wendy costume, never suspecting she will instead put in a gown that gives her the right outfit for stepping through a door to 1605.
This is an amazing journey through time. Thankfully, Isla ends up with people who are just open minded enough to consider believing her tale of being from the future.
I love Simon, Martha, Maidstone and the twins William and Samuel.
The challenge they face of trying to prevent Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators from successfully attacking parliament and the king adds the best sort tension and suspense to make the story compelling.
Sian Ann Bessey is so talented that even though the reader may know how history plays out in regards to Guy Fawkes, you are still on the edge of your seat wondering if tragedy can be overcome.
The love story is beautiful.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. So good.
Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Beautifully Written!

🌷The use of historical facts, old English, 1600's customs paired with swoony forbidden romance was amazing! I truly felt transported, along with Isla, to 1605.

🌷The love between her and Simon is all stolen glances and soft hidden touches that are sure to make you swoon and giggle.

🌷If you love a historical romance with a hint of time travel then this is 100% for you.

🌷Spice: 0

🌷Language: 0

🌷TW: 1605 Guy Fawkes, blood, violence