A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

A Stitch in Time (Stitch in Time, #1)

by Kelley Armstrong

Thorne Manor has always been haunted…and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt's house, where she’d visit William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. In the wake of a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination. 

Twenty years later, Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor, exactly when she needs it most, her life stalled since her young husband’s death years earlier. And when she returns, William is waiting. 

William Thorne is no longer the calm and quiet boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by a tragedy and scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago. 

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house, and soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

5 of 5 stars

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I love time travel romances and this one adds a ghostly mystery, creeptastic suspense and a murder-mystery. Even the neighbors in the present are brilliant, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The tale takes place at Thorne Manor, in the English countryside near a small village whose property backs up to the moors. As a young girl, Bronwyn Dale could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. One night tragedy struck and Bronwyn never returned.

Now, twenty years later, she inherits the manor and returns for the summer. She has convinced herself that William was just an imaginary childhood friend. The tale that unfolds had all the elements of a fireside ghost story and time-travel romance.

William Thorne is no longer a young teenage boy, but a man who lives alone in the manor (in his time).

In Bronwyn’s room, there is a stitch in the fabric of time that allows her to slip into William’s time. As the two renew their friendship and possibly more, Bronwyn is seeing ghosts in the present who seem to warn her and the town shares history about the mad lord of the manor.

The characters and setting came to life through the author’s writing. She perfectly balanced the romance and suspense. In fact, she had me in quite a tizzy as I tried to sort facts and look for clues that would make me happiest.

I loved Bronwyn. She is sweet, faces her fears and is quite clever. William, while not always even-tempered, was sweet, romantic and was clearly hurt when Bronwyn didn’t return.

Sometimes an element suffers when you combine them in a story. Kelley Armstrong wove mystery, paranormal and romantic elements together masterfully giving each their full measure. It was brilliant.

Armstrong said it was a story she longed to write, and I cannot thank her enough. This was hands down one of my favorite reads of the year.

This is book one of Thorne Manor, but it wraps up nicely. That doesn’t mean I won’t have grabby hands when book two releases. I cannot wait! This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 October, 2020: Finished reading
  • 16 October, 2020: Reviewed