Hostage in Time by Linda Lauren

Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: July 12, 2011
Pages: 318
Source: received free of charge in exchange for an honest review
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

For photographer Amanda Lloyd, being hired to film the historic Serenity house, home of Thomas Edison's patent attorney Jonathan Brisbane, is a straightforward gig. Filming during re-enactment day, Amanda begins to explore the home, including the prohibited third floor. Suddenly and without warning, Amanda finds herself transported back in time to 1884 where, because she is brandishing her camcorder that he mistakes for a weapon, she is accused by Brisbane himself of being a spy in search of Edison's secrets. Immediately placed under house arrest, she finds herself a hostage to history. She quickly becomes accustomed to the lifestyle and routine of the time and begins to grow closer to Jonathan. The quiet of their growing love is shattered when a scorned traitor sets them up, forcing the pair to work together to unravel the secrecy of missing documents before Amanda is arrested for treason and history is changed forever. With the help of a spiritualist medium, they are able to find and understand their destiny but is it already too late? An exciting, mind-bending trip down the time-travel rabbit hole, Linda Lauren's debut novel is a seemingly never-ending series of twists and turns that constantly keeps you guessing. Full of romance and intrigue, the juxtaposition of times and cultures serves as an extraordinary reminder that time and place matter little when it comes to human nature despite technological advancements, changes in politics and sophistication, in our essence, we remain the same. At its core, this spiritual journey to find the truth of self is a quest for reconciling our past with our present, our heart with our minds, and the knowledge that who we are is not transient, but fixed, regardless of the gadgets at our disposal. Deftly capturing the mysterious spiritual journey while simultaneously building romantic and life-threatening tensions, Hostage in Time will leave you guessing until the final climactic sequence. -Goodreads

Modern heroine photographer goes to the historical home of Thomas Edison’s lawyer, Jonathan Brisbane.  As an inquisitive type person, she decides to sneak behind the roped off area of the third floor even though she has specifically been warned not to do so.  On the stairwell, she experiences what seems to be like a wind tunnel.  She finds rooms already decorated with historical accuracy and wonders why the area is closed to the historical museum patrons below.  While snooping in this area, she is discovered by a man she assumes is playing the part of the Jonathan Brisbane character (a dead ringer for him as stated by all in the modern world who see him).  Of course, the wind tunnel traveled her back in time and hero considers her a spy to ferret out the secrets of Thomas Edison’s latest inventions sent by the dreaded competition.  Although he considers her a threat and a spy, he clothes her and introduces her to his mother.  While snooping through heroine’s things which hero had locked in his safe, he maces himself, although he considers her camera a larger weapon.  The mother basically adopts the girl and provides her with a complete wardrobe and throws a party for her to introduce her to all their friends.  Mama also invites a medium as party entertainment.  It turns out the medium also hales from the future and understands exactly what happened to heroine.  Medium also informs hero that his ex-wife, still pretending to be his current wife, is about to arrive on his doorstep within days.  Of course, ex-wife could get away with pretending to be hero’s current wife because hero didn't really tell anyone that he divorced way back when.