This was such a charming romance, and I absolutely adored the combination of time travel, magic, academic rivalry, and a painfully slow burn. It has that wonderfully cozy quality where you can settle into the story and simply enjoy watching two people who already mean so much to each other finally realize what has been sitting between them all along. The transition from academic rivals to friends and then toward something more was beautifully handled. I especially loved the restraint. The fact that Francis falls first and harder made it even sweeter. I also loved seeing Lucy and Francis use their modern knowledge while trying not to disrupt the world around them. Their scientific minds also make such a fun contrast with the social expectations surrounding them. The writing has a lovely warmth to it, with plenty of witty dialogue and playful moments alongside the more emotional scenes. I particularly enjoyed the banter between Lucy and Francis because you can feel the affection underneath every argument. But the slow burn is absolutely the star for me. There is something incredibly satisfying about watching two best friends gradually recognize that the person who has always been beside them might also be the person they have been waiting for. This is a perfect escape read.

Merely a Matter of Time

A fun, whimsical and romantic swoon fest full of yearning and miscommunication!

I am a fan of the authors previous online works so I was very excited to read this novel and enjoyed it so much!

Historical romance and I don’t always get along because of the historical nature of it aka the men are usually very misogynistic and get on my nerves and never deserve the women that love them. However, because this is a contemporary romance that’s been sent back in time, we get the most respectful and kind yearner of a man in Francis. I just absolutely fell in love with him.

Lucy, however, does drive me a bit nuts in her refusal to ever have an actual productive conversation about anything outside of their work and the miscommunication in this book drove me CRAZY!!! Did I still love it? Did I still eat it up in the end? Of course, absolutely I did. But in the moment I was pulling my HAIR OUT! If I go bald, I place full blame on Lucy.

The writing style is so fun and flowery, reminiscent of India Holton and and Brigette Knightly, that is to say it might not be for everyone but I loved it!

Thanks Tor/Wildthorn for the e-arc, all opinions are my own!

What a charming read.

This felt almost like a portal fantasy, because I was completely transported to 1810s Derbyshire: the countryside horse rides, picnics, and manors were wonderfully described.

Lucy was an intelligent and sincere main character. I adored her dynamic with Francis, who felt similar to Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle (vain, flirty, and competent). Lucy and Francis’s personalities played off of each other beautifully, and their banter was excellent.

In fact, the whole cast of characters was delightful. Martin and Grix were favorites of mine, in particular.

I’m not usually one for time travel novels, but this one was well-executed. The prose was witty and humorous. The flashbacks provide enough background information without disrupting the main narrative, although I could’ve done with fewer in-depth academic descriptions. After a certain point, they started to distract me from the heart of the story.

MERELY A MATTER OF TIME is perfect for readers looking for a slow burn, cozy romance with lots of banter and yearning.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the free eARC.

June Harrington is an absolute FORCE to be reckoned with. This debut encompassed everything that I enjoy about reading, beautifully wrapped up in a pink satin bow.

There is nothing I love more than when I can discern an author's voice across the pages of their own story. Harrington's voice is witty, descriptive, and lyrical. It felt like I was plopped right into 1810 alongside Lucy and Francis.

Lucy and Francis are STELLAR. The yearning and ache between these two were palpable through the page. I adore Lucy with my whole being. We LOVE to see a girl in STEM. And my heart ached for her. Lucy deserves the world and I am so glad Francis is there to give it to her. Francis, who had the Honeyfields (and ME) absolutely swooning the whole time. The slow burn, the He Falls First, the utter RESTRAINT THIS MAN POSSESSES. Everything about these two was pure magic. I loved their chemistry and their tit- for-tat retorts to one another.

This debut is going to be so hard to top. It is whimsy and magic at its best. I laughed, I cried, I YEARNEDDDD for our characters. Ending this review with one (of MANY) of my favorite quotes:

“There’s only you.”

June Harrington’s Merely a Matter of Time gives “right person, wrong time” a whole new meaning.

Lucy Bright and Francis de Montmort are arcane researchers experimenting with the concept of time. A laboratory accident sets them on a journey that is both heartwarming and hysterical. An adventure dosed with an extra helping of banter, miscommunication, and yearning.

All of Harrington’s characters are so endearing and loveable. I couldn’t help but have a soft spot for each of them. Lucy and Francis’ relationship is a slow-burn that sparks and ignites. Harrington intricately weaves in bits of the past through their (new) present, carefully crafting the bond that ties these two together. The fondness of Cousin Martin and Grix had me feeling like I was family too.

This was a really fun read that was beautifully written; poetic prose and crafted comedy. I had so many highlights reading this. It was hard to choose my favourite quotes. Among the many:

“Desiring him was a form of self-harm. He’d make an exquisite injury.”

“If hunger was adequate proof of love, I would starve at your alter”.

Thank you to June Harrington, Wildthorn, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

4.5⭐️

Ok this was SO CUTE!! It felt like a warm hug, it was super cozy and adorable. I absolutely loved the romance, and how it was done. It was actually a slow burn, and felt so genuine.

Lucy and Francis were both fabulous main characters, and their banter throughout was top tier and had me laughing so many times. Also I loved Martin and Grix! They definitely stole the scenes they were in.

I didn't give the full 5⭐️ just because it took me a bit to really get into the story, but once I did I was hooked! Cozy fantasy readers are going to love this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to an ARC of this novel!

Where to begin? When I requested this novel, it was because the premise sounded intriguing. A time travel romance? Not a typical romantasy or science fiction plotline. I must not have read to the end where connections were made to other similar novels. Several pages in, I thought to myself that the personalities of the main characters felt rather similar to other characters I knew very well. Imagine my surprise when I did a quick google and discovered that this delightful story was adapted from a fanfiction—at first, I had no idea. I have never read the author’s original work, unlike the source material for some other recent popular fiction. I’m going to give my review of this story and then some commentary on how it’s been adapted to become its own original work.

Notes on this novel:

Francis and Lucy occupy a world of science and magic. As scientists, they are working toward perfecting the science of time travel. Their different areas of expertise are complimentary, and above all else they value their work—so, they’re unable to communicate with one another about any of their feelings. The major trope of this story is lack of communication, and it’s the absolute definition of a slow burn as these two circle infinitely around one another.

When they’re transported accidentally into the past the story takes a very humorous turn. As they meet a varied and entertaining cast of characters, they cannot at first agree whether or not they are a married couple or siblings, until Lucy insists that Francis is her brother. She regrets it quickly. This adds so much humor to the hijinks that follow.

The relationship that unfolds between Francis, Lucy, and their dear cousin Martin is charming and really the crown jewel of this story. It adds humor to some dense moments of philosophical reflection on time travel and related technical jargon. I would compare the vibe of their little family to Back to the Future, although it’s another sort of slow burn to reach the point where that connection could be made.

There’s situational humor and dramatic irony overflowing as the readers, who know about the time travel, observe Lucy and Francis attempting to fit into society in 1810. Increasingly, Lucy reflects on her truncated love life from the future as she watches Francis flirt with eligible young ladies and play with local children. I do have to point out that it seems like Lucy has a bit of baby fever throughout the novel, because she thinks a lot about the possibility of one day having children of her own.

The plotline itself seeks to answer the question of whether or not our fate is predetermined, especially where time travel is concerned. Could you go back in time and undo yourself accidentally? Or is the timeline “self-healing,” and the outcome will remain the same no matter what actions you take? That philosophical inevitability adds tension to the romance while also giving the reader deeper ideas to turn over throughout the journey.

Anyone who is a fan of time travel stories, such as Doctor Who or Back to the Future, would enjoy this novel just as much as those who have enjoyed Rose in Chains, Alchemized, or The Irresistible Urge to Fall for your Enemy.

Notes on the source:

Just like Lucy and Francis question in the novel whether or not fate is predetermined, I began to wonder where the original inspiration ended and a new set of characters began. I think that Francis and Lucy stand very well on their own as heroes of their own story. For anyone else who has been reading a ton of novels that were adapted from a famous fandom, let me sum up in spoilers (without ruining any direct plot details) how I compared this story to the source:

The timeline: there seems to be no recently defeated great evil, magical war, or self-sacrificing boy wonder in this world. It’s a story that imagines two people attended the same school without any of that superfluous plotline worming its way into this story from the source material.

Francis: he’s not a school bully or a reformed criminal. He’s a genius alchemist who has been in love with his lab partner too long, honoring the fact that she treasures work above all else and is already in a relationship.

Lucy: she is not a war hero. She’s born to a hardworking single mom and studies on a scholarship, focusing on engineering in school. Another genius who pours 110% of herself into her work, but leaves 5% of herself for her social life.

Others: are Ned and Hugo recognizable? Probably to the discerning reader, but Ned isn’t so much a personality in the story as he’s a concept. Hugo barely factors in at all. The delightful cast of characters they meet in the past are less recognizable. I kept forgetting that the large family was related to Hugo. I also never connected Grix or Martin to any other preexisting characters.

This story really felt like it stood completely on its own as an independent work of fiction. It was delightful to think about the world that the story was born in, and that helped me get through some of the wordier technical passages. At the same time, Francis and Lucy are scientists who use very technical jargon to discuss their work sometimes. There’s no need to think of any other series to understand what is happening.

I think, of all the adapted fanfiction-to-original-work novels that I’ve read in recent years, this one does the best job of establishing its own premise and leaving the source material behind.

Oh how I loved this book!! It was so incredibly magical and cosy and the world building/magic building was so interesting. I love how we get little insights into Francis and Lucy's history and the way it shows how much they mean and have meant to each other for so long. I am so obsessed with their connection and their friendship (and I love how they started out as academic rivals :)). We love a man who falls first and hard and though it's single POV (tragic!), the pining and yearning is immaculate. Like, there is nothing better in a friends to lovers romance than that.
Not only was I swooning, but I was giggling and laughing so much. There was the fact that they were obviously not from that time, which caused some funny moments, or accidental moments had me kicking my feet for what was to come (you'll understand), and there was so much banter all around.
I absolutely LOVE all the side characters btw, especially Grix and Martin. They added so much character and fun to the story!
And I really like the time travelling and how that is explained and worked out, aside from the other magical and technological aspects. It's exactly how I love time travelling stories to play out!

Oh and I'll convince you with two words to read this: sleepy groping. Absolutely amazing.

Ugh. June Harrington I would read your grocery lists. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I hope this sells out one million times. It's so freaking good. The idiots in love! The yearning! The stellar supporting cast!

Say hello to your new comfort read! ⏳️

Merely a Matter of Time felt like a warm hug, a ball of light in your chest, waking up and realizing it's Saturday.

What a perfect debut 😭

Lucy and Francis have palpable chemistry. Their romance developing while searching for a solution to their time traveling mishap was so sweet and had me screaming "JUST TELL HIM ALREADY".

The found family was incredibly heartwarming. The side characters were charming. This is everything you want in a romance!! Highly highly recommend.

🦢 slow burn
🍓 academic rivals to friends to lovers
🫖 time travel (don't think too hard)
🦢 found family (you will cry)
🍓 regency time period (bonnets)

Thanks to Tor/Wildthorn for an eARC 🫶

Holy Moses, I don’t even know how to articulate my thoughts on this book. I inhaled it in 2 days (which is fast for a mother who works full time!) This book for me was the elusive unicorn. The feeling that every reader chases of being completely consumed by a story that they forget they are even reading. Every moment I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it.
Every character, even the minor ones, felt fully fleshed out and had a necessary role in the plot’s progression. The writing was so seamless - I can’t say this enough - that I became fully absorbed, transported into the story - and intelligent, heartfelt, and funny. So often a scholarly romance falls flat with the intellectual bits, or otherwise shares too much detail to remain captivating. This one straddles that line perfectly. Did I understand every term? No, but there were enough context clues that I never felt like I had to think on the interpretation.
I adored every relationship and character. I loved that there was conflict without a villain; that more or less everyone was a decent person trying their best to live a good life. Difficult decisions were made with consideration, mistakes were owned up to, everyone communicated well with the information they had. It was incredibly refreshing! Particularly Lucy and Ned’s separation. How often in life does a loving relationship simply run its course? More often than not, in my opinion, and being able to feel the love and grief from both of them was heartbreaking in the best way. Martin (Martin!) and Grix have my whole heart! William and Daphne gave me butterflies. Edward was a true, good man - his acceptance of the situation and his final words to Lucy (of hoping that if things were different, he would have loved to make her happy) made me swoon. Being with Honeyfields reminded me so much of my own family that I found myself tearing up at their goodbyes (which I rarely do while reading). The familial relationships, personalities of each member, and the love they all shared was palpable.
And then there was Lucy and Francis. I genuinely cannot form my thoughts about them. I’m truly overwhelmed by the feeling they have coaxed out of me. My heart feels full and hopeful and reminded of the magical moments when love is finally shared. When everything glows and you can’t wipe the smile off your face. What brilliantly written characters! They history, and the progression from rivals to friends to lovers was perfection. Looking at Francis through Lucy’s eyes after finding out he has always loved her felt like my own discovery. How many times have I looked back on situations after a revelation with new perspective? Lucy was so utterly relatable and flawed while still being nothing but admirable. Francis…I can’t even. We have all known a Francis and it was so rewarding to witness, as Lucy put it, the boy rung out of the man. Her admission that it had to have all happened the way it did for them to end up there was a reminder I need often.
Maybe if I waited to write this it would have been more coherent and organized, but I couldn’t stand to share my thoughts with any less feeling that I had directly upon finishing. I wanted it to keep going and going and going, but it truly ended perfectly. I can count on my hands the number of 5 stars I’ve given and this was an easy 5 stars for me. I will absolutely be looking for more works from June Harrington! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early.

This is what all other rom-coms wish they could be. Witty, endearing, and of course, magical.

I'm not really sure how to describe my experience reading this book, other than pure elation. It ignited a spark that has only been struck a few times in the past, usually by the well-known culprits such as How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. That warm, buzzy, soul-scorching feeling that makes me think maybe love really is just around the corner, if only we're willing to go barreling around it and straight into a hot man holding coffee and a redeemable amount of emotional intelligence.

The chemistry (literal and metaphorical) flew off the page. Mix reluctant co-workers with sharp retorts, sarcasm, impressive alternative world pseudo-science, and the Regency era, and you create an addictive story that it is physically impossible to put down. I honestly don't want to say much more, as I think it is truly a story you must experience with little pre-knowledge to enjoy it's full, timeline-sweeping effect.

Every single element of this book sang, as I now do it's praises.

Perfect for lovers of:
- 2000s rom-com-worthy yearning
- magical mishaps
- Regency era-vibes
- time travel and all its reprecussions, both sincere and silly

All in all, unknowingly requited love remains on top of the trope pyramid, as does June Harrington reign in regard to my new favorite authors!

Well, that was remarkable.

I finished this book over a week ago and still struggle to articulate how intensely I love it. June Harrington is the master of yearning and will undoubtedly be the next big writer of our time. She has the incredibly rare ability to so seamlessly interweave the deepest emotions with comedic relief. Her banter is unmatched, and the way she writes pining has me actively clutching my chest while reading. This story actually, genuinely changed my life.

Francis is undoubtedly THE book boyfriend of our time. The side characters in this story are so ridiculously beautifully fleshed out that I can hardly pick a favorite (OK, fine, cousin Martin, but Ned is a close second), and Lucy is the kind of main character whose actions perfectly fit her character development, even when they have you screaming at the book.

I love this world, its magic, its people, and its themes. The love confession is the most intensely romantic thing I have ever and probably will ever read. An exquisite read from beginning to end, written for those willing to suffer just a bit for their happy endings.

Really sweet book - I would classify this as a historic fiction with a dash of romantasy. Throw in some enemies to loves, fake siblings and you've got yourself a really lovely book about Lucy and Francis. They have known each other most of their lives, and work together and after an accident in their laboratory get transported into the 19th century where magic exists. I love the world that June Harrington created - the ye olde descriptions with a pinch of magic. I wanted to shake Lucy a few times (#iykyk) but overall the story was very well written.

How ironic that a book about time travel should leave me feeling completely disoriented upon finishing; I was so absorbed in every facet of this story that the outside world no longer existed. The science and magic of time travel were so flawlessly incorporated into the worldbuilding that it only seemed natural (you could not convince me that it's not accurate). The dichotomy of settings in both modern day and early 1800s, provided so many opportunities for period appropriate jokes and banter. To go from, "He was tall, dark, and eating a donut." to, "He did a lot of things like poetry. Especially when the occasion called for sensible prose." requires a precise melding of humor and depth.

While Francis and Lucy embody "two idiots in love", their years-long friendship and partnership is evident in their synchronicity and wordless communication. The side characters are wonderful, and by the end I was fully endeared to them all. Martin and Grix are my favorites, for reasons I shall not disclose to avoid spoiling anything. Suffice it to say: each character provides the scaffolding and the optimal conditions for their romance to bloom at preciously the right moment.

I cannot recommend this book enough. The writing is beautiful, the romance slow but inevitable, the humor impeccably timed, and the details immaculately crafted. Come for the accidental time travel, and stay for the opportunity to escape from our world into one that is infinitely better.

Merely a Matter of Time releases on February 2, 2027. Thank you Tor/ Wildthorn for gifting me with an eARC (via Netgalley), all thoughts expressed are my own.

Two smart colleagues who work in a dingy lab trying to figure out how to time travel safely, but end up ‘blown up’ and sent back in time to the 1800s? Sign me UP.

Lucy and Francis have history, you know that one boy that was a prat in school– yea that’s Franics. Lucy, she’s the SWOT, so of COURSE they end up researching and working together as adults.

Their banter is A+ so of obviously when they get thrown into the past and end up at a garden wedding their competitive attitudes forces them into a fake sibling relationship. Everyone in Derbyshire loves them and their ‘quick’ reconnaissance to fix their time travelling device gets upended.

Enter dinner parties, fake cousins that seem to know more than they're letting on, ancestors of people they know in their timeline AND the funniest miscommunication you’ll ever read.

June gives us snippets of their past life in between their present predicament and every memory gives you history, yearning, and ANGST that may make you cry.

This was an amazing debut book. The humour alone should lock you in. The intelligence of the FMC and MMC makes you want to open a book on time travel and the yearning just pulls at your heartstrings.

If you’re a lover of:
⏳Time Travel
👫Rivals - Colleagues - Lovers
🐌Slow Burn
🗝️A lil HisRom setting

This book is soooo for you and you should go pre-order it ASAP. Oh, and grab some strawberries to munch on while you google what a snuff box looks like. IYKYK.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Tor Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC!

June Harrington’s Merely a Matter of Time feels like a book you're homesick for before you even hit page one.

It’s lush, comforting, and utterly swoon-worthy. This debut novel had me clutching my chest, crying from myriad emotions, and wondering how fast I could travel back to page one and relive it all again.

I want to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but please trust I'll be expressing my full feelings to everyone I know when this book publishes in February 2027.

The romance unfolds with the sole intent of leaving you devastated and complete at the same time. You are in the middle of Lucy and Francis before you even knew it began.

I came to the end with no other conclusion: I simply MUST read every story June blesses us with past, present, and future.

The book is stunning. Period. P E R I O D.

There is something to be said about prose so beautiful that a small chapter about a couple that isn't even end-game made me clutch my chest in palpable ache.

I was so wrapped up in the flashbacks—I couldn't breathe.

Even the side characters are down-right delightful and fleshed out. One haunts the narrative so completely I found myself wanting to take him out for a pint and ask his opinion on all of this.

This is a romance and time travel (mis)adventure. It is also an incredible testimony of unsaid things, and how the collection of them can be death by a thousand cuts. Lucy and Francis understand everything and nothing about each other, and you want so badly for them to see that.

June Harrington has written one of my favorite books of all time.

FIVE STARS. Infinite stars.

Grab a take-away coffee, or perhaps a pomegranate French 75, and pre-order this book.

Thank you wildthornreads and netgalley for a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book was EVERYTHING. The perfect historical romance for those who love wit, banter and YEARNING. I'm telling you, Francis and Lucy were some of my favorite characters I've ever read about. June's writing was so beautiful and fun and witty. I found myself highlighting so many lines, it felt like I was highlighting the whole book. I laughed, I cried. My fingers tingled with all the anticipation. A magical time traveling story set in 19th century England? say less.

4.75🌟
This was such a witty and fun read! I went in blind and totally loved it - magic and regency vibes?!? Yes pls! The writing style reminded me of The irresistible urge to fall for your enemy, which i loved.

The banter and hijinx was everything I wanted and never knew I needed! We have two brillant rival to best friends arcane scientists who end up time traveling to the 1800s for the absolute best summer in the British country regency vibes. While brilliant, our MCs Lucy and Francis, may be the world's worst communicators and are blind to eachothers affections, hilarity ensues. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, Tor and netgalley for this arc opportunity!

Wow, just wow. What a breathtaking book. To start, the writing was impeccable. Smart, witty, well-formed, and stunning. Every word choice was deliberate and charged with emotion, it was a genuine privilege to read.

I knew before the first chapter was over that this was going to be a five star read. The characters immediately pulled me in and had me rooting for them and also, ripping my hair out. Lucy and Francis have the sweetest friendship and most lovely on page chemistry, it was aching at times because their emotions felt so real.

This was the slowest of burns done incredibly well. There wasn't a single aspect of it that felt rushed or forced. The picture that gets painted takes you back to 1810 England in the most luscious, beautiful setting. It was like I stepped into an Austen movie

I didn't want this book to end, I laughed, and cried and then cried some more. I know this will be a book that I will recommend over and over. That being said, infinity and a half stars, highly recommend. It was so lovely.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor publishing group for the eARC, it was an honor to get to read this book early!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review! A HOT NEW BOMBSHELL (for favorite book of all time) HAS ENTERED THE VILLA! If you think I can be short with this review, you would be wrong 🙃

June Harrington is one of those debut authors whose stories need to be told. Her writing is exquisite. I am half convinced she HERSELF invented time travel and she is actually Jane Austen masquerading as someone else. If you love Brigitte Knightley's brand of hilarious witty banter and slow burn idiots-in-love, then inject this book into your veins (also, if BK gave us Onion Boy, Harrington gives us Strawberry Boy™️).

In Merely a Matter of Time, Lucy and Francis are research partners who inadvertently find themselves thrown back 200 years to 1810. Stuck in the past while puzzling through how to get home, they meet a variety of loveable characters--and work through their tenuous feelings for each other. Honestly I thought I would expire from so many swoon worthy moments. Between their miscommunications and desperate mutual yearning I felt like I'd put my heart in a blender (compliment). This story has such heart...and the theme work. WOW. There's so many gorgeous ideas about life, and whether our paths are the result of merely choice, or destiny.

Harrington has taken great care with the world building in this story. The magic system is unique and well thought-out. There are some cinematic scenes involving magic that I'd give anything to see on the big screen. I will say, there is a lot of science jargon especially in the first chapter--but do not be intimidated! Think Project Hail Mary. As long as you understand the basic concept of what they're doing (going back in time), you don't need to get bogged down in the science-y details.

Harrington also expertly weaves in several flashbacks that show SO MUCH about our characters in only a few pages. It's masterful. Also, her characters feel SO REAL. The problems and relationships described in this story are why people read literature. I adored Lucy. My little control freak who guards her heart so closely. I loved watching her heal and lean into the uncertainty of love. Also, Martin. I couldn't help but smile when he was on the page. I actually need him to follow me around in my real life and say encouraging things like 'splendid! What a folly you've all made!' to me.

...and my favorite. Francis de Montmort. This glasses-wearning, french-speaking ROMANTIC. Oh my gosh the pompiest MMC who is so gone for Lucy. He stole my heart from Chapter 1. He is up there in the yearner hall of fame; think Mr. Darcy levels of pining. His longing also is made even more delicious with the backdrop the regency era--because this really is a modern romance with all the swoon-worthy elements of historical romance. We have Francis helping Lucy with her stays, declarations of intent in the pouring rain (AGAIN DID I SAY MR. DARCY!?), subtle touches, chivalry, picnics, horses, candlelit dinners...need I go on!? If you are a romance reader, this is an absolute MUST read.

Merely a Matter of Time publishes next year on 2/27/27! Thank you again for the opportunity to read prior to publication. All opinions are my own.

Gorgeous. Magical. Achingly romantic. I want to live inside this world with Francis and Lucy (and Grix and Martin!).

I loved this as a fic, and I still love it. I think Harrington did a wonderful job separating the two. I look forward to reading anything else she decides to bless us with.

I already can't wait to re-read it!

June Harrington’s Merely a Matter of Time is a cozy romcom with a whirlwind of time travel. We start at modern magical London and end up in the 1800’s.
The shenanigans, the angst, the drama. Gosh this book has it all. But wait my most favorite of favorite things: THE BANTER. Y’all the banter in this book is by far the best I’ve read in years.

So let’s see we have:

✅ Slow Burn
✅ All of the banter
✅ Rivals to colleagues to lovers
✅ DILF moments 🥵(he’s just the babysitter but 🪭)
✅ Found family
✅ Idiots in love

We have all these amazing things AND well wrote with great depth side characters too! There’s a particular tiny terror named James that holds my heart.

The way Harrington wrote our main characters Lucy and Francis. There were times I wanted to throttle Lucy, times I wanted to smack Francis upside the head, times where I wanted to give them gigantic hugs, these characters were so relatable. The chemistry? Off the charts. Again shall I bring up the banter? The writing itself is lyrical and hilarious. We have some classic P&P writing, I mean we have quotes like this: “Desiring him was a form of self-harm. He’d make an exquisite injury.” I mean swoon?

The story revolves around Lucy and Francis who work together on a time travel device. They accidentally send themselves to the 1800’s. While there they get into all kind of hijinks and drama trying to get home.

A fabulously great time! I cannot recommend this enough! Thank you to Tor/ Wildthorn and NetGalley for the arc.

Wow. This book was sublime. The perfect blend of fantasy, historical fiction, and romance. I absolutely adore June Harrington’s writing style, her prose is lyrical, the banter is top tier, light-hearted comedy, and her character development was absolutely perfect. Piece by piece, Lucy and Francis are revealed to us, in sometimes excruciating increments. The pining is definitely torturous and yet there is so much comedy woven through this that is always relief to the angst. Once again I find myself drawn to characters who so clearly think they understand the world and people around them, and are totally oblivious to the obvious truths they excuse away as luck. Lucy and Francis remind me a lot of Alice and Peter in Katabasis, two incredibly intelligent people, incapable of communicating their true feelings. The way this book is both a contemporary and historical romance is perfect for anyone who loves authors ranging all the way from classics like Jane Austen, to Julia Quinn, to Brigitte Knightley or even Ali Hazelwood and Emily Henry.
I absolutely cannot wait to read what comes next from this incredibly talented debut author!

When I think about my perfect ingredients for a comfort read, it's equal parts impeccable plot and storytelling, distinctive, compelling characters, a hard-won payoff, a romance that spans days, years, eras, and dimensions, gorgeous prose that also spans time periods (is June a Brontë or Austen from the past in the future?) and jokes full of wit, charm, and sexual innuendo. Merely a Matter of Time isn't Merely a Debut Romance Novel by June Harrington. It's isn't Merely a Perfect Novel. It isn't Merely my Personal Catnip. It's Everything.

I devoured this book the moment it was in my hands despite being in the middle of some hideous plague. Being sick had nothing on my ability and will to inhale Merely a Matter of Time. Historical Romance has become one of my favorite genres, and the idea of a contemporary fantasy romance (because there has to be a little bit of magic to time travel in a wormhole, probably?) where the main characters accidentally go back in time to the early 1800s makes for the most impeccable plot. The situational hijinks of contemporary characters in the past worried about effecting the future is just… so insanely silly in the perfect way. “You’re wearing ye olde pyjamas.”

Now let’s talk about my loves. Lucy Bright is, to be incredibly corny, a star. She’s compassionate and empathetic and hyper-competent. She fucking conquers time travel (or half of time travel). She’s just so damn perceptive but also a total fucking idiot. I love her. And John Francis Fitzalan de Montmort is just like his name, pretentious, long (shaped), and pure camp. A modern and regency era rake. With an sublayer of the most tortured yearning of all time. He’s the definition of he fell first. June says it better, “He had an aura of untouchable superiority, paired with profound unconcern about his own excellence.” These two are just profoundly perfect together, and I won’t go any further on this because you should experience their chaos spoiler free.

Some hyper specific tropes you’re going to encounter in Merely a Matter of Time:

🦢 I said this but I must reiterate that HE falls first, in every timeline
🦡 A slow burn that spans decades
🐷 Taylor Swift level of masterful easter eggs. The he shouldn’t go to France altered my brain chemistry.
🐀 (pretend that’s a mole) Compelling, perfect side characters. Martin & Grix are everything to me.
🐬 Verbal assault as a form of foreplay
🦢 Fisticuffs for honor
🦡 Accidental regency era historical romance
🐷 Enemies to rivals to partners to lovers
🐀 The two most observant characters of all time being totally incapable of self reflection, communication, or reason (aka idiots in love)
🐬 Is this science or is this made up? I'm too stupid to know
🦢 Actual bombs instead of love bombs
🦡 Readers in ovulation phase beware: he’s very good with kids

TLDR: If you told me June Harrington was one of the greats of the histrom genre (think Loretta Chase), I wouldn’t bat an eye. MAMOT is a perfect book that is going directly into my top 5 comfort reads of all time. A book to be read and reread, by everyone, everywhere, all the time.

Oh, the feeling of being alive.

June Harrington’s debut is a tour de force. Her writing channels both Brigitte Knightley and Alexandra Vasti. It’s beautifully descriptive and transportive; witty with the perfect mix of cheeky and clever; achingly human and tender and vulnerable.

Merely a Matter of Time is a period piece of a sort—it’s a serendipitous historical romance in the vein of Pride & Prejudice (rain, wet linen and all), but make it magical and scientific. Laboratory explosion sends bickering colleagues to the 1800s and hijinks abound.

Harrington’s themes here mean so much more, though. I took emotional trauma straight to my chest over the beautiful impermanence of it all. It’s a story about love but also so much about time and what we do or don’t do with it; about missed connections that are actually, maybe, not missed much at all, in the end.

About now and yesterday and two hundred years ago and forever.

You will fall in love with Lucy and Francis from chapter one. And the journey you’ll go on, with them? Extraordinary.

also:
🧤 fake relationship but make it siblings
👒 pining, patient, persistent love that follows and waits
🏠 a perfect prattish prince of an MMC with a shit-eating grin and a penchant for flirting
🍏 brilliant idiots, idioting in love
🕰️ maddeningly perfect, soft, glorious hair (his)
👗 he unties her stays
🍓 “there’s only ever one moment”
🌧️ ILY but make it “I hate you”
🧺 found family that lasts lifetimes
🦢 humor speckled with innuendo
🐎 accidents, but make it serendipity
🪲 bugs and beetles and frogs and crows
🧪 copper and verdigris

Quite literally everything about this story works, brilliantly—from chapters in the present-past to flashbacks (forward?) that will make you ache and cry happy (sad?) tears.

All the stars. One of the best books I have ever read. Go preorder it, please.

Thank you Tor / Wildthorn for publishing this, and letting me read it early.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing, for the ARC of this book.

I am absolutely in love with this book. It took a brief moment at the beginning to wrap my head around the world where these characters live, but I quickly realized how much I adored Lucy and Francis, not to mention the sweet, mischievous, funny, brilliant supporting characters. I also really loved June Harrington's writing. When a book makes me pause to reread a sentence or a section simply because the language is so beautiful or so wonderfully describes something, I am reminded of the joy of reading. Merely a Matter of Time had me remembering that every few chapters. It is truly just a lovely story with so much delicious yearning.

Lucy and Francis are time travel researchers who have worked together since university trying to stabilize their proposed method which combines science and magic. When their test accidentally sends them back 200 years, they struggle with social norms of the early 19th century, as well as the feelings they've both kept buried for as long as they've known each other. A horserace, a few frilly bonnets, and a wily elderly cousin may help tear down walls, but neither science nor magic can alter the course of true love.