Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...: Yarde Reviews and Book Promotions: Cathie Dunn Love Lost in Time

Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

Love Lost in Time

By Cathie Dunn

A reluctant daughter. A dutiful wife. A mystery of the ages.

Languedoc, France, 2018

Historian Madeleine Winters would rather research her next project than rehash the strained relationship she had with her late mother. However, to claim her inheritance, she reluctantly agrees to stay the one year required in her late mother’s French home and begins renovations. But when she’s haunted by a female voice inside the house and tremors emanating from beneath her kitchen floorboards, she’s shocked to discover ancient human bones.

The Mediterranean coast, AD 777

Seventeen-year-old Nanthild is wise enough to know her place. Hiding her Pagan wisdom and dutifully accepting her political marriage, she’s surprised when she falls for her Christian husband, the Count of Carcassonne. But she struggles to keep her forbidden religious beliefs and her healing skills secret while her spouse goes off to fight in a terrible, bloody war.

As Maddie settles into her rustic village life, she becomes obsessed with unraveling the mysterious history buried in her new home. And when Nanthild is caught in the snare of an envious man, she’s terrified she’ll never embrace her beloved again.

Can two women torn apart by centuries help each other finally find peace?

Love Lost in Time is a vivid standalone historical fiction novel for fans of epoch-spanning enigmas. If you like dark mysteries, romantic connections, and hints of the paranormal, then you’ll adore Cathie Dunn’s tale of redemption and self-discovery.

Triggers: Implied attack on a female character. Some minor fighting scenes.

Publication Date: 28th November 2018 (ebook)

Publisher: Ocelot Press

Print Length: 274 Pages

Genre: Duel Time-Line / Historical Mystery / Romance

Praise

"From the richness of Charlemagne's court and the regret of a daughter, as she stands over her mother's grave, to the realisation of an enemy and a skeleton under the kitchen floor, Love Lost in Time: A Tale of Love, Death and Redemption by Cathie Dunn is the unforgettable story that traverses two very different times."

The Coffee Pot Book Club, 5* Editorial Review

"The narrative is ripe with emotions as two independent women are pulled in unexpected directions... Both landscapes are beautifully penned for readers to easily get lost in. Additionally, the storylines are engaging, and each helped bring a satisfying conclusion to the other. An enjoyable tale about love, sacrifice, and self-discovery."

Historical Novel Society

"The historical details are beautiful, and a book which could easily feel oppressively sad is cleverly lightened with the use of romance and a satisfying ending. Well written and easy to read, the historical side may be a little more compelling, but the contemporary details add a layer that cannot be ignored!"

In'DTale Magazine

"In Love Lost in Time, Ms Dunn creates a fascinating balance between a tragic love story set in the Visigoth empire of the eighth century, and a very modern historian on a quest to find her own personal history in picturesque Languedoc...

Thoroughly researched and beautifully told, both stories complement each other in narrative power and colourful scene-setting; and in the dual narrative the main characters are compelling - each a product of destiny and following their fate, regardless of the cost.

Fans of Kate Mosse will relish this book..."

Discovering Diamonds Reviews

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mq7DM9

https://mybook.to/LoveLostTime

This book is available on #KindleUnlimited

Author Bio:

Cathie is an Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, dual-timeline, mystery, and romance. She loves to infuse her stories with a strong sense of place and time, combined with a dark secret or mystery – and a touch of romance. Often, you can find her deep down the rabbit hole of historical research…

In addition, she is also a historical fiction book promoter with The Coffee Pot Book Club, a novel-writing tutor, and a keen reviewer on her blog, Ruins & Reading.

After having lived in Scotland for almost two decades, Cathie is now enjoying the sunshine in the south of France with her husband, and her rescued pets, Ellie Dog & Charlie Cat.

She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Richard III Society, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.cathiedunn.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathiedunnwrites

Twitter / X: https://x.com/cathiedunn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathie.dunn1

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cathiedunn.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cathie-dunn

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cathie-Dunn/author/B005IHAXH0

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5066224.Cathie_Dunn

read an excerpt

From Chapter 1:

Late February, 2018

Languedoc, southern France

Madeleine Winters blinked back the tears as long-hidden emotions shook her. Anger. Envy. Yes, even love. A love that she’d considered lost a long time ago.

Elizabeth Beauchamp was dead. After nine years of no contact, Maddie had missed her last chance to make her peace with her mother – and to discover once and for all who her father was.

She stared at the heavy yet simple oak coffin, willing it to release its inhabitant for a final talk, an acknowledgment, the revelation of a secret which Elizabeth had now taken to her grave. Nothing moved, except some stray brown leaves swirling around Maddie’s feet. Apart from her mother’s elderly French neighbour, Bernadette Albert, a handful of villagers had attended the funeral, and after the ceremony, they all had left Maddie to her own memories.

Ever the pragmatic realist, Maddie knew that nothing would ever bring her mother back, but she mourned her unexpected death.

The breeze whipped at her coat, and she wrapped her scarf closer around her neck.

Madame Albert had called her ten days earlier, to let her know that Elizabeth was in hospital with a lung infection. Maddie had booked herself on a flight to Toulouse. Expecting her mother to be alive and improving thanks to the excellent health service, it distressed her to discover her close to death on her arrival at the hospital in Carcassonne in the south of France, though through no fault of the medical team. It had been too late.

Maddie swallowed hard, fighting back the tears, as she remembered the doctor’s words.

“Madame Beauchamp has bowel cancer. She has refused chemotherapy or any other treatment.” He paused, giving her time to let the bad news sink in. “We have this in writing whilst she was still fully cognitive, should you wish to see it.”

Stunned, Maddie shook her head, unable to utter a word. Why had her stubborn mother not called her before it got too serious?

“Her condition is serious. The lung infection she caught recently has weakened her beyond recovery.”

The words echoed in Maddie’s ears. “Cancer?” she whispered. “Since when?”

The doctor cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. “Did your mother not tell you?”

The surprise in his voice made her shake her head in place of a response. Although he acted professionally, careful not to give any indication of his opinion of patients’ personal relationships, a sense of guilt washed over her. People would judge her. How could she not have known her mother was dying?

A nurse had taken Maddie to her mother’s room where she could stay with her undisturbed. She stared at Elizabeth’s beautiful face, criss-crossed with fine lines. Leaning forward, she held a frail hand between hers, her mind in turmoil. Why had her mother not told her she was ill? She knew Elizabeth was stubborn, obstinate, but to refuse to contact your only living relative, your daughter, during a time of need shook Maddie. Their estrangement had gone beyond reason. Her eyes dry, Maddie could only watch her mother’s breathing grow more ragged. In the end, Elizabeth died calmly in her sleep just over six hours after Maddie’s arrival.

And now Maddie was here, by her mother’s grave, saying her final goodbye.

The biting tramontagne wind chilled Maddie’s bones, and she huddled deeper into her coat. Elizabeth had loved the winds that sweep the plain between the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees during all seasons. They brought winter and rain to a land parched by the sun, and cooled you down during the long, hot summer days.

“Au revoir, Maman.” Maddie dropped the bundle of red roses she’d been clutching onto the coffin, then turned away.

My Thoughts

It takes skill to write any novel well, and extra skill to write a timeslip novel that is not only well written and enjoyable but 100% believable. Ms Dunn has achieved both with apparent ease.

Part of that skill is creating characters who come alive through their dialogue and actions - so: tick, achieved. And then there is the setting and location. Again Ms Dunne has pulled these off with full ability.

I know very little about France (apart from the Normandy coast and Brittany, and that was from a family holiday back in the 1990s,) but Ms Dunne's descriptions painted perfect images which were vivid to see and relate to.

So, an absorbing, exciting and entertaining read with characters I came to know so well I felt bereft when I finished the book and had to say goodbye to them.

No spoilers here - to include would mar the story: I heartily recommend reading it for yourself!

***** 5 stars