The Mirror

If you're a fan of science fiction dealing with time travel woven together with a touch of romance, history and a bit of mystery, you might just want to pick up John Heldt's Northwest Passage Time Travel Series. I've been so privileged to be a part of this journey being invited to review his latest in the series, The Mirror. This is actually book 5 in the series, and follows the journey of Katie and Ginny Smith, twins who live in the year 2020 and find themselves at the Cedar River Country Fair. Having seen most of the exhibits, rides and fair offerings, they opt to check out one final thing before heading home, a throw back to the original fair's exhibits from the 60's which include fire eaters, fortune tellers and even a vintage House of Mirrors.

They take the chance to spend some time with Marta the Magnificent who offers a look into your future for $10 using your choice of the ball, the cards, the palms of the leaves. The girls chose the ball since it seems the most legit and when Marta tells them that they will soon go on an adventure like no other, a strange, mysterious journey much closer to home. She warns them that there will be handsome young men in their future and that these men will be no ordinary acquaintances and will change their lives. She strongly cautions them that they will be gone a long time and they will only have one chance to return. If they are not careful, they may never see home again.

Marta is so panicked by what she sees for both of the twins she refunds their money when the girls begin to get worried with her prediction. Her last words of advice for the twins, "Just take the money and go. Leave the fairgrounds now and go home. I'm advising you as a mother and a person who cares about your safety. Leave immediately. Don't do anything else tonight. Just go straight home and stay there. I beg you."

But like all great stories the girls don't follow Marta's advice and make a final stop before heading home at the House of Mirrors where they step through a mirror and find themselves in 1964. Remembering Marta's warning, they know they can get back but are unsure just how. They know they will only have one shot at it, but they also know that their parents were also given the rare opportunity as well to travel back in time. They just aren't sure how long they will be in 1964 and how they will find their way back. They only know that their parents did it before following the same path to get home, but there are no mirrors around. The fair has now been boarded up and they can only hope to find out when it will be reopened and try to find the same mirror they walked through the first time to get back home. For now the journey will take them in unexpected places and allow them to see family members that have been dead for quite some time. Is there a bigger plan in store for them or will they alter history forever?

I received The Mirror by John A. Heldt compliments of the author for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for my review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own unless otherwise noted. This novel is proceeded by The Mine and The Show if you want to follow the story from the beginning to see the parallel time travel adventures from their parents and grandparents. It is interesting to see how teens from a technology advanced period of history have to deal with going back to the 60's and try to fit in. Dating is much different in some aspects than it was where they came from and women dressed much more sophisticated then they do wearing dresses instead of jeans and the girls seem to be rushed to find romance and love before their time runs out. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 in my opinion based on the fact that the girls are a bit promiscuous with their relationships and not too concerned with the consequences of their actions with the boys they encounter and for the majority of my reader base who might find this a cause for concern. I would have liked to seen them spend more time falling in love than simply sleeping with them. All in all, the novel is a wonderful blend of so many elements that the author executed so well and I love how it all worked out in the end.

For more information about The Mirror, John A. Heldt or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Mirror by John A. Heldt

You can also find John A. Heldt on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels. 

The Fire

What would you do if you found yourself with the unique ability to travel back through time? Would you take a risk and do it? That is just where Kevin Johnson finds himself after joining his family to go through his grandparents house in Wallace, Idaho. Kevin just recently graduated from college with two majors in Earth Science and Physics. Now while attempting to kill a spider in his room, he spills an ice tea and discovers the tell-tale marks of a hidden storage space beneath the wooden floor. What he uncovers is a stash of diamonds, double-eagle gold coins, and more along with his great great grandfather's leather journal. In it he discovers that the rock shed in the back yard can be accessed through a solstice sun or a full moon and when using the gold coins to spell out the year you want to travel back to, the shed becomes a time travel portal.

Since following his great great grandfather, Asa Johnson's journal he discovers that Asa himself has been time traveling quite a bit and thus the need for money that can be spent in 1910 as well as 2013. Kevin decides to take his own journey back to 1910 as life in the current year hasn't brought him much in the way of love and believes an adventure is just the thing to get his mind off things, especially being left alone in the house while his family takes a weekend side trip. What Kevin uncovers is that while he is in 1910, his place in the current year of 2013 is just as he left it. As though he hadn't been gone at all. So he takes another journey and this time finds there is quite a bit to uncover in the town his great great grandfather was a part of. Now if he can only convince others there, that he truly belongs in the year 1910. However Kevin knows that on August 20, 1910, a great fire will come to the town and virtually wipe out most of the town as well as left 85 people dead due to multiple fires caused by months of drought and high winds.

What he doesn't expect to find is not only a love of becoming a teacher in the high school, but also in falling head over heels in love with not one lovely young lady, but two. There is quite a difference in the standards of courting women in the 1910's from the fast paced romance of 2013 and all Kevin knows is that as much as he wants to go back to the present time, his heart won't let him go. Will he be able to convince Sarah Thompson, the woman he first laid eyes on when he arrived in town that he really is who he claims to be, a time traveler from the future?

I received The Fire from John A. Heldt compliments of the author himself and I've been delighted to read John's previous novels in the Northwest Passage Series, with this one being Book 4 in the series. Each one of them feels so historically rich in detail I can not only vividly picture the events and people but also feel like I am truly there. This is such a great series for readers who enjoy a novel on time travel and historical fiction with some amazing romance thrown in for good measure. I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This was a well-researched novel that showcases the 1910 Great Fire which you can read about through the many references he includes in this novel.

For more information about The Fire, John A. Heldt or where you can pick up a copy of this exceptional novel today, please click on the links below:

The Fire by John A. Heldt

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The Journey

I've always enjoyed thinking about what life would be like if I could go back in time. Would I change anything? Would I do anything differently?

Well imagine what would happen if you found yourself suddenly walking back into your life thirty-one years ago, only you are the same. You haven't grown younger and all your memories are still intact. What would you do then?

That's just the premise behind The Journey by John Heldt. Finding herself quite literally at a crossroads in her life, Michelle Preston Richardson is still grieving the sudden death of her husband, Scott who died tragically in a hiking accident on Mount Rainer. Now faced with the opportunity to attend her thirty year high school reunion, she decides to go and reconnect with old friends. While investigating an old home that has remained vacant and in desperate need of repairs and renovations, she wander upstairs and finds a door that appears to be locked. However when she pulls on it hard enough, it opens revealing a staircase that leads down into the first floor. Manned with only a flashlight, she takes a risk and enters. Only when she reaches the bottom she becomes spooked and rushes upstairs only to find the door slams shut just before she reaches the top step. As she bangs on the door, yelling and screaming, the door finally gives way. Did her friends play a horrible practical joke on her?

When she calls out to them, she finds they have gone. As Michelle walks slowly back to town, she realizes she has stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Everything in the small town has returned to 1979 even though she hasn't changed a bit. Even the old barber shop that was owned by her father is still there. What's even more surprising is her father who has been dead for the last twenty two years is still alive and cutting hair again! Michelle wanders back up to the old home again and tries in vain for a week to get back to her current time frame, but seems hopelessly stuck in her past once again. She realizes she must find work and a place to stay while she figures things out and how to get back.

In the novel, The Journey by John Heldt, the reader is taken back in time much like the movie, Peggy Sue Got Married. Only in that situation, Peggy got to go back and relive her high school years til she found her way back to the present. In this case, Michelle remains the same age of forty-eight when she left. She has the opportunity to influence her friends and even a younger version of herself and wonders just what the consequences would be if she changes a few things from her past. What would that do if she ever found her way back to the present time?

I received The Journey by John Heldt compliments of the author for my honest review. This is such an incredible series of ebooks, The Northwest Passage time-travel series and I was honored when John asked me to review this second book for him. After reading The Mine, his first, I knew immediately I was hooked. I want to remind you that the Journey is NOT a sequel to The Mine but they do in fact deal with similar themes. I've been a huge fan of time travel and series like the Outer Limits and Twilight Zone and LOVED this novel. It made me think of what I would do if I found myself in a similar situation. I know I wouldn't want to change too much because it may adversely affect what would happen if I ever found my way out again. But if it could impact the lives of my friends in a positive way, I definitely would make some changes. For those of you that love a great Science Fiction novel, then this is definitely a MUST READ for you! I personally rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and John amazes me each time to see just where he is going to go in his future books. Well done, John, you definitely surprised and kept me intrigued. I can't wait for the next one, The Show which is the sequel to The Mine! Trust me, you'll definitely want both of these ebooks!

For more information about The Journey, John Heldt or where to pick up a copy of this ebook today, please click on the links below:

The Journey by John Heldt

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• File Size: 347 KB
• Print Length: 242 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: John A. Heldt (November 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00A1ID5X0