As a huge fan of romances involving time travel, the teaser for A Bend in Time by Michelle Miles caught my eye. Who can resist a story that could take you, along with the characters, anywhere in time? I certainly can't. While doing my pre-review research, I discovered that Ms. Miles previously published the elements of this story in serial form. A Bend in Time is actually a compilation of two seasons of serial romance all in one neat little package. Very convenient.

An accomplished writer who crafts her words in several genres, Ms. Miles treats us to a classic Sci-Fi Romance with A Bend in Time. The story introduces us to Skye and Dane, two people destined to travel to the ends of time together - whether they like it or not.

Grief-stricken Skye Ransom is still recovering from the shock of losing her parents when she is faced with the possibility of another death: her own. Hunted for an unknown reason by a close associate of her father, Skye finds herself fleeing for her life and running right into the path of Dane Fortune, an incredibly sexy, but deadly, man.

A hit man by trade, Dane Fortune is not what you would call the sensitive type. He wouldn't think twice about offing someone for a tidy little sum. He didn't regret putting a bullet in either of Skye's parents' heads, but killing their pretty little daughter? She's a looker, but money's money, right?

Dane and Skye find themselves thrown into the hurricane of time by a less than dependable device which leads them from place to place instead of returning them home. They learn quickly that to keep on living, they must adapt to each new destination and think on their feet.

I won't say any more to protect the secrets of the story, but I can tell you that Skye and Dane are likeable characters and you will want to know more about them. The story moves quickly enough to leave you wondering what is around the next corner and a few plot twists keep this story from being like every other Sci-Fi romance you've read so you won't be bored, but you may still be disappointed.

This is a time travel romance and this type of story is dependent upon the characters visiting realistic historic, futuristic or alternate worlds. To make the story believable, the destinations should be fully developed and interesting to the reader or the story takes on the essence of a bad B-movie with lots of action, but no substance.

A Bend in Time contains only shallow descriptions of these new worlds, lending a superficial taste to the story that made me want to put the book down. It was only my growing affection for Dane's character that kept me reading.

In one destination, Ms. Miles bases her historical description on a popular movie, adding a few lines from a high school textbook, it seems, to round it all out. I'm sure the movie reference was meant to add humor to the story, but since the characters' world relied on that reference for its depth, it left me feeling that the whole book was a joke. From that point forward, I read only to find out what Dane was up to and for no other reason.
To sum it up, read A Bend in Time if you have a few hours to kill and want to meet Dane Fortune. If you want to read a story that transports you to exciting new worlds built on depth and detail, this is not the book for you.
A sequel titled A Break in Time is planned for a future release. I will read A Break in Time to get to know Dane Fortune better, but I hope Ms. Miles spends some more time developing the characters' destinations and leaves out the movie references next time around.

Reviewed By Sabine Maurier
© August 2007