Absolutely loved this time travel romance!

In search of a Wendy costume to match her work theme of Peter Pan, Isla goes to a costume shop. However, the person working at the costume shop has a different costume in mind for her. This costume just happens to be the perfect outfit for traveling back in time to 1605.

I loved Isla discovering how to live and speak during a time so different than 2025. Luckily, the people she came across gave her the benefit of the doubt and didn’t think she was crazy when she told them she came from the future.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Pub and Proper Romance for the ARC of A Time Traveler’s Masquerade by Sian Ann Bessey. All opinions are my own.

I don’t have much experience reading time traveling books, but this book sounded like it would be a lot of fun, and it explored a time period that I knew very little about before reading it.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Isla, the main female character, was so interesting, and I loved how quickly she adapted to her life in 1605. It had to be quite a big shock for her to time travel so far into the past where she had to adjust to life without modern inventions.

Simon was such a sweet male main character. I appreciated his willingness to change his opinions of Isla after getting to know her. I also really liked his sister, brother-in-law, and nephews. They were all so welcoming to Isla.

Before reading this book, I had heard of but didn’t know anything about the Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot. I appreciated the research the author did regarding this time period and historical event. I learned so much.

Besides Isla and Simon’s points of view, the author also decided to include the POV for Guy Fawkes. I honestly didn’t really like his chapters as much as theirs. They weren’t terrible, but I just wasn’t that interested in his point of view.

The ending also seemed too quick for me. I felt like the ending was rushed and not discussed enough especially considering what happens to the characters.

Overall, I thought this book was cute, and I had an enjoyable time reading it.

I'll say up front I don't get really excited about time travel as a trope or sub genre or whatever it should be called. But I got into this one from chapter one and loved the whole thing. My husband spent some of his growing up years in England so he talks about Guy Fawkes every year and has memories of the fireworks etc. in celebration of the day. I didn't know anything about his story before that. In fact I always thought my husband was saying Guy Fox instead of Fawkes. So when I started this book I had a vague notion of who he was but not a lot of details about the historic event. It was interesting to get all those details and to get some of Fawkes' POV as well.

I enjoyed the romance thread of the book. I liked Isla and Simon and I liked Simon's sister and nephews. As a matter of fact, I was a little sad that Simon never got to go back and say good-bye to his sister and nephews. It really wouldn't have worked in the story but I still wanted it to. I would not have felt sad about leaving out the plague in the story but that was part of the history and the reason Simon was there for Isla, thus an important part of the story even if we don't see a lot about it on the page.

I can tell you I would not have been able to come up with all the historical details with names etc for pretty much any historical event so I was impressed with Isla for being able to do so. I guess that is why she was the chosen one.

I enjoyed the story and rejoiced that whether it was Isla or some other person, they were able to help thwart the gun powder plot in 1605.

No sex or language
Violence: yes

What a fantastic time travel story! I loved it! The story starts off in modern day, and soon Isla is sent back in time to 1605, by means of a costume shop. When she gets there she is completely confused, she thought she was just trying on a costume and now she is back in time. She meets Lord Bancroft, Simon, and his family. After she figures out she was sent back in time, she proves to the family she is from the future. Then the question is why was she sent back? Guy Fawkes might be the reason. Like I said I loved this story! I loved Isla and Simon! I thought it fun that they had to learn each other’s ways especially their way of speaking. I also loved Simon’s family and how they were so welcoming of Isla and wanted to help her. I liked that we got a dual pov of Isla and Simon but also got Guy Fawkes’s pov! How cool! I loved the way the author incorporated Isla into what happened with Guy Fawkes’s real story. And of course the romance between Isla and Simon was great! And I loved the ending so much!! Overall a fantastic story and I definitely recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

“It will go down as one of the most infamous events in British History”

A Time Traveler’s Masquerade by Sian Ann Bessey focuses on Isla Crawford, who after visiting a costume shop finds herself in the year 1605, in the weeks leading up to November 5th, and she’s the only one who knows about the gunpowder plot. Unable to find her way home, or why she was sent back in time, she works closely with Simon Hartworth, and his family to thwart the most infamous plot in history. Despite herself, she can’t help but feel drawn to Simon, but can they be together when time isn’t on their side?

I’m going to start by saying I loved this book.

As someone who is a big history fan, this kind of book is exactly the kind of book that I can’t help but enjoy. The gunpowder plot is something that I only really knew the basics about. I grew up learning the rhyme, but it isn’t something that I’ve ever really looked into further, but I’m glad that I didn’t, because finding out so much more about in this book was really enjoyable, and it made it more fascinating to me as I was eager to keep reading and find out more. There were times where it came as a bit of a detriment to me, as I couldn’t help but look up what was happening, only to find out about pages later, but that’s more my fault than anything else.

I like Isla as a character a lot. But one of the best things about this book is Simon, and the way he and Isla interact with each other. The chemistry between them is really something else, and the banter was incredible. I liked the way she was trying so hard to teach him about life in her century and him being able to make it light hearted. The entire discourse over the word ‘Okay’ was just perfect. Their romance was also such a sweet point of the book, and because of it being in a different time, I really enjoyed the way that they were together, and I was desperate to keep reading to see if they could find a way to be together.

I do wish there had been something to have tipped Isla off to the possibility of it being the gunpowder plot being the reason she was sent back in time, as I was a little bit disappointed that it was just a case of being asked what would there in London, and her immediately going to oh the gunpowder plot, but other than that I can’t fault it. I also liked that she wasn’t fighting every one for ages to get them to believe her, the way they all believed her not quite instantly but almost, just made me happy.

One of the best things about this book is you can tell the care that went into preparing for it. There was a lot that I didn’t know going into it, and I found the amount of detail made it so much more immersive. I never realised the plague was happening at the same time, or that to this day we don’t know who sent the letter. It just made the book so much more to have all of these relatively small details explained. There is so much descriptiveness in the Jacobean era, that it really felt as though you were there and seeing the world as it was at the time.

One thing I really wasn’t expecting, but thought was such a good addition was the chapters told from Guy Fawkes perspective. It made it so much more interesting and added a whole other layer to the story. You really got that sense of foreboding with them and the kind of unrest and unhappiness that could lead to the kind of rebellion that was planned. I’m not quite sure why, but part of me always felt a bit bad for Guy Fawkes, thinking that it was a wrong place wrong time situation, but this book completely flipped that notion on it’s head. The level of planning that went into the plan, and the way that Guy Fawkes conducted himself made him a much more eerie character than I first thought.

All in all I can’t express fully just how much I enjoyed this book, but it was such an easy 5* read for me.

Isla Crawford is a modern-day woman working as an assistant to a member of Parliament when she heads to McQuivey's Costume Shop to find a costume for the upcoming Fall Ball. Mrs. McQuivey decides Isla needs to try on the perfect costume for her - despite the fact that it isn't what she came in for - and when she steps out of the changing room, Isla finds herself not in the costume shop, but on an estate in 1605.

Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, arrives at his sister and brother-in-law's estate just in time to run into a very confused and slightly panicked Isla. As he and Lord and Lady Maidstone try to help Isla, she eventually confesses to them that she is from the future. After she convinces them to believe her, they work together to try to determine why she was sent back, and what she is supposed to do while she is there, eventually coming to the conclusion that she may just have a hand in preventing Guy Fawkes and the traitors he works with from blowing up Parliament and King James.

This book is very well written and researched. I didn't know anything about who Guy Fawkes was, even though I knew the name and vaguely remembered that there was a holiday in the UK with his name. Part of the story is told from Fawkes' point of view, which really ups the suspense (and stress) level. There is a romance aspect to this novel, but it is secondary to the main plot, as is usual with Bessey's work.

I enjoyed this book but couldn't quite give it 4 stars. I had a hard time picturing the FMC and MMC, and I still can't remember what Isla looks like - tall, short, thin, curvy, hair color, etc. I would have liked some more descriptions of the characters, although the clothing was often described in detail. I was also disappointed in how Bessey chose to end this tale. But this is just personal preference, and I know there are plenty of other readers who will prefer the ending she chose. I can't explain without spoilers, so I will leave you to discover it on your own.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the history in this book. I love learning about new things and time periods. This book centers around the Guy Fawkes plot in England, in 1605. The characters are interesting and complex. I loved the time travel aspect of the book as well. Going from 2025 to 1605 would be a very difficult and different world. Isla deals with it spectacularly. Simon, Martha and Lord Maidstone also deal with things very well. The twins are adorable. I really loved this book and would highly recommend it.

•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•

{𝑨 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆}

🕰️ Release Date: April 1, 2025 🕰️
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This book was simply marvelous! I don’t read historical fiction nearly as often as I once did, but I still recognize a well written story when I read it and this one was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed the blend of time travel, romance, a touch of fantasy, and historical fiction found in the pages of this McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance. I look forward to reading more in this series!

Isla Crawford spent her days working as a government employee until, in a turn of events, she finds herself stepping through a dressing room door into seventeenth-century England. She had gone to the McQuivey’s Costume Shop in search of an outfit for the upcoming Autumn Ball and was coerced by Mrs. McQuivey to try on an a late Elizabethan/early Jacobean era costume. It was only after outfitting herself that she went to exit the dressing room and found herself in England, 1605.

Lord Bancroft stumbled upon a drenched and quivering woman on his sister’s doorstep and, without hesitation, invited her inside out of the cold and rain. Very quickly the family discovered that this woman was far from ordinary and, after hearing Isla’s far-fetched tales of a time in the distant future, they sought to discover her purpose in being sent to the past.

Watching Guy Fawkes’s infamous Gunpowder Plot unfold in this book was quite entertaining. I enjoy watching history play out in a good historical fiction book and this one brought such satisfaction and joy to my reader’s heart!

The romance found in this story was tastefully written and immensely swoon-worthy! I loved watching Simon and Isla’s relationship progress throughout the story as they traversed through life in the pastures of Surrey and on their epic quest in London.
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I received a complimentary arc from Shadow Mountain Publishing. All opinions listed are purely my own.

🍰Review: A Time Traveler's Masquerade

☕Rate: 5 Stars!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💌Praise: Such a warm and romantic tale! Beyond thrilling! My Heart belongs to everything romance and time travel and this beautiful book that is the start of a wonder series did not disappoint! Isla and Simon are connected through time and the galaxy clocks decided to bring them together!

🍵Isla lives in 2025 London and decide to go to a costume shop to pick up a costume due to her friends costume coordination request! When she goes into a dressing room she loves the dress! It feels as if it was meant for her! Beautiful 1600s Jacobian ball gown! However when she opens the costume change your room door she's not back in the store! She is on the lawn in a Maner in 1605!

🌹Isla is rescued by Simon! He is the brother of the woman whose husband owns the manor. Both characters develop a sweet and subtle instant connection that turns into something more! I really love that Simon's family was there for her and didn't make her feel inadequate in any way. There's a lot of plot going on! The treasonous plot that took place in 1605 thanks to Guy Fawkes! (I won't go into too much detail to give away spoilers but......WOW!!!!!)

📖Characters: Isla and Simon and all the side characters whether they were from the future in the beginning or the ones in the past and the second part of the book really have my heart! I really want to go to the costume store and try on an outfit from the 1920s or 1950s! LOL maybe find a dashing man from the past of my own! 😂💗🤗

🥞Extra/Tropes: To say this book was a delicious literary dessert is an understatement! It was truly what a proper and clean and beautiful soft romance should be! It was definitely a pallet cleanser and what I needed for my mind and spirit. Bravo!!!! I can't wait for more more books from this series!

🍪Romance
🍪Time Travel
🍪 Adventure
🍪 Historical Plots
🍪Must Read!

I know this is a new subgenre for Bessey. I think she really did a great job on this one. The story was well done. The research and information was very interesting. I loved being able to see this true event through the eyes of the main characters and understand some of the motivations that were involved. I really enjoy time travel books and I loved that the main character had to figure out how to speak and live in a century totally foreign to her. If you like historical romance and time travel, you should definitely pick this one up. This is a sweet romance so there is very low spice content. It would be appropriate to give to a teen.

This was stunning! I did not want to put it down. A Time Traveler’s Masquerade is the first book in Sian Ann Bessey’s McQuivey’s Costume Shop Romance series. And oh my goodness was it such a good read!
Isla was such a fun FMC. She was spunky but kind and she really adapted to being thrust into another time period. It was fun to read about her experience in the past and see her work through the changes. Simon was a lovely character. He was charming but also weary. I loved getting to know him more and seeing him open up to Isla. They were both lovable characters and I was rooting for them as they tried to figure out why Isla was in the past.
I loved the romance between Isla and Simon. They weren’t looking for love but they connected with each other. Their interactions were sweet. I especially loved reading about their talks and their scenes with Simon’s nephews. The plot was so intriguing and there was so much going on. I loved the intrigue and hints of mystery/suspense in the book. The historical aspects of this book were interesting to me too and I loved how Bessey wove the story together.
I adored this book and would totally recommend it! It is a must read especially if you enjoy historical time travel romances. I am so excited for the next book in this series. A Time Traveler’s Masquerade is a clean time travel romance.

CW: historical violence and plague, dying mentioned

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Isla Crawford lives in modern day London. She enters a costume shop and the owner insists she tries on a historic story gown. As she leaves the dressing room she finds that she has slipped through time and has arrived in 1605. She is found by Simon Hartworth, (Lord Bandcroft) as he is arriving at his sister’s home. The family takes her in and Simon has a hard time believing her tale of coming from the future. Simon’s sister suggests that Isla is here to accomplish a task. And Isla remembers this is the time when Guy Fawke’s is about to make his attempt at his attack on the King and parliament.

I like the story. I enjoyed the weaving of Fawke’s plot into the story. I was already familiar with the plot from my travels to England and being there on Guy Fawke’s Day. But this will be new to many readers and as far as I can tell it sticks to historical accuracy unless noted by the author. Of course Bessey includes a romance. Simon is unsure of Isla and comes to believe her. Isla makes mistakes using modern idioms that are confusing in the time period. A big deal was made of her learning to ride. I personally would be struggling trying to use a chamber pot. LOL.

Bessey is a good story teller. I learned historical information while enjoying a clean romance. The time slip is not explained but is believable in the story. I find it interesting that Sarah Eden, another favorite author with the same publisher, has also recently written a time slip historical romance. The books are set in different time periods and are not related at all. But I’ve enjoyed both and look forward to the next romances in their series.

A GOOD READ.

I liked this one! It’s a quick and easy read with a lot of historical aspects. Flying back to the early 1600’s, Isla is taken in by Simon and his family. I loved the soft and supportive nature of Simon’s family and the trust they had in Isla and hopefully stopping a villainous plot.

There were some POV moments from Guy Fawkes and that did take me out of the story a bit. I didn’t think it was necessary to the plot line to get perspective so those parts stuck out to me most.

I enjoyed the soft romance between Isla and Simon. They were an easy pair to love. I adored all of the interactions they had together and watching them grow to care for one another. There’s some good suspense and I liked how the time travel aspects worked out in this book (aka it stayed mostly in one time period for the book which is my personal preference vs. going back and forth).

Overall audience notes:

Time travel romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: mild
Content warnings: weapons violence

What a gem! I was in love with this book from the beginning. I loved the characters, the plot, the twists and turns. I was sad to reach the end of the book. So so good. This was my first book by this author, but I will be reading everything she has written now. Highly recommend!

I LOVED this book! Dreamy and romantic and full of interesting history, this time travel novel was just so well done! Isla time travels back to the 1600's, and discovers that she has arrived just in time to thwart the Gunpowder Plot!

Mrs. McQuivey's and her Costume Shop are rather like a time travelling fairy godmother/pumpkin carriage duo, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I received an eARC via netgalley, but all enthusiastic opinions are my own,

#atimetravelersmasquerade #netgalley
**A Captivating Time-Travel Romance with Historical Intrigue**

This enchanting novel seamlessly blends history, romance, and suspense as Isla Crawford unexpectedly finds herself transported from a modern-day costume shop to the tumultuous world of 1605 England. Caught in the midst of the infamous Gunpowder Plot, Isla must rely on her twenty-first-century knowledge to prevent disaster, all while navigating the complexities of life in the past.

The chemistry between Isla and Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, is both heartwarming and compelling. Simon’s protective nature and growing fascination with Isla’s modern ways add depth to their romance, while Isla’s determination to stop the plot against Parliament keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The author masterfully captures the tension and danger of the era, immersing readers in the historical setting while weaving in moments of tenderness and humor.

What makes this story truly captivating is the emotional struggle Isla faces as she tries to change history without altering the future—and the growing bond between her and Simon, despite the centuries that separate them. The blend of rich historical detail and a beautifully written love story makes this book impossible to put down.

With its gripping plot, vivid characters, and a romance that defies time itself, this novel is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and time-travel romance.

Mrs. McQuivey knows exactly WHEN someone is needed. In the kickoff to this series, Isla Crawford wanders into Mrs. McQuivey’s magical costume shop looking for something to wear to a costume party. Instead, she finds herself appropriately dressed to step back in time to 1605- just in time to stop the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot.

This is a cozy historical romance. It’s low stakes (you know what’s going to happen because it’s based on known historical elements) and sweet closed door romance.

I really enjoyed the combination of elements in this book- it’s well written, contains just the right amount of magic, has some historical intrigue to keep the pages turning and the romance feels like one of those middle school crushes in the best way possible- hello butterflies!

My only negatives for this book would be the quick changes in POV- there’s no indication in the chapter title or page breaks that would indicate whose POV we’re in, you just have to figure it out. Another small negative is based purely on its length, because it’s so short you really don’t get much back story or in-depth character arcs. You really have to go into this just wanting a quick, sweet, fun, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this early copy.
#ATimeTravelersMasquerade #NetGalley

This was such a fun read with lots of adorable moments between Isla and Simon! I love the family dynamic of the Maidstones and I just love a step back in time to an actual historical moment with real life characters!

England, 1605

Isla Crawford is passing time in her ho-hum career as an assistant to a politician. As Christmas nears, she must find a costume for her work’s upcoming Christmas party. Isla doesn’t want to wear the Wendy nightie that she will pick up at Mrs. McQuivery’s. Instead, Mrs.McQuivery has Isla try on a dress from the 17th century, true to Isla’s love of history. She steps inside the change room to try on the dress for size, and when she steps back out, she’s no longer in the costume store.

I always enjoy a story that involves time traveling, and I have to admit that this is my new favourite one! Isla, Simon, Martha, and Hugh were so much fun. Learning new words, or rather unlearning English to speak Old English. Simon was so well imagined in my mind, and if taken by Simon’s view, Isla was also a vision to behold. I enjoyed being immersed in the era of the 1600s and Guy Fawkes. Highly Recommended.

My gratitude to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain. All opinions expressed are honest and mine.

Sian Ann Bessey employs her considerable writing talent and delights readers with "A Time Traveler's Masquerade". Conveniently dressed for the time by the mysterious Mrs. McQuivey, Isla Crawford exits the woman's costume shop's dressing room and finds herself four hundred years in the past. Drenched and cold, she is spotted by a confused Simon Hartworth, Lord Bancroft, who takes her to his sister's house.

I have read a plethora of time travel romances. Some are fun, others are decent, and quite a few are appallingly bad. A suspension of disbelief is required, of course, yet actual history matters. Utilizing multiple points of view, Bessey skillfully blends fact and fiction and the result is a very interesting read. The romance between lovely heroine Isla and the initially suspicious Simon unfolds believably. Their interactions are filled with intelligent and witty banter. Secondary characters are finely-drawn as well, and Simon's sister Martha is especially appealing.

With the time travel genre, it always begs the question as to if and how the time traveler will affect the past. Isla Crawford knows the outcome of the infamous 1605 Gunpowder Plot, and Bessey takes an uncommon approach and inserts her into history. A twist near the end is very satisfying.

The usage of a costume shop as a time portal offers endless opportunities for future novels featuring historical events. I look forward to Sian Ann Bessey's next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC of this entertaining tale.