Time and Regret by M. K. Tod

Time and Regret

by M. K. Tod

When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past—and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather’s puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man—and suddenly aware that someone is following her…

Through her grandfather’s vivid writing and Grace’s own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasn’t the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them.

Reviewed by Lianne on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of this book as part of a book blog tour that I participated in. This review in its entirety was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2016/09/01/review-time-and-regret-excerpt-giveaway/

Wow, this book was quite the puzzle as readers follow Grace who in turn is following her grandfather’s footsteps and experiences across France during World War One. Martin’s experiences during the war is brought to life in these pages, in part through the terse diary entries that Grace is reading, as well as the alternative chapters throughout the book from his perspective. A lot of different issues were touched on over the course of reading his story, from the experiences of trench warfare and losing comrades to the experience of shell shock and what the recuperation period is like both in hospitals and after the war with settling back into civilian life. It was also interesting to read Martin back then and contrast it to how Grace remembered her grandfather, not to mention her grandmother then and now.

In the “present” storyline, there’s a thriller element running through as Grace finds herself being followed whilst trying to figure out her grandfather’s cryptic message and why he left his diaries with her. It kept me glued to the book, coinciding with Grace’s character journey. She’s a woman who finds herself at a crossroads following a divorce and finds herself not only immersed in French culture but also reevaluating her life, what she wants, and finding love along the way. I liked the characters and really enjoyed following Grace’s story. The title of course ties in more closely with Martin’s and Cynthia’s story and their own regrets, less so on Grace’s part but these elements are ever-present in the story and the way that the different generations interacted with each other.

I don’t know what else to say about this novel except that I greatly enjoyed reading Time and Regret. It has a nice balance of the historical fiction and present day mystery and story that come together quite nicely. Highly recommended!

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  • Started reading
  • 4 August, 2016: Finished reading
  • 4 August, 2016: Reviewed