Review: Out of Time by Monique Martin

Synopsis (Goodreads):

New York in the 1920's is the world of Prohibition, speakeasies and an underground run by the underworld. Vampires and mobsters vie for power in the seedy underbelly of Manhattan.

A mysterious accident sends Professor Simon Cross and his assistant, Elizabeth West back in time to face demons real and imagined.

Simon Cross has spent his life searching for vampires and now that he’s found one, it just might take from him the only woman he’s ever loved. Simon’s life has been a ritual of research into the occult and stoic solitude. He prefers it that way. Until he meets Elizabeth West.

A gambler’s daughter, Elizabeth knows a bluff when she sees one. Behind Simon’s icy glares and nearly impenetrable armor beats the heart of a man in desperate need of love.

Trials of murder, intrigue and danger push Simon and Elizabeth to the edge of sanity.

My Thoughts:  This is one of those books that took me by surprise.  I was zipping along, reading away, enjoying this little time-traveling slice of the 1920s when all of a sudden this vampire popped up.  Now, if I had been a little more observant and read the synopsis (what? I do that thing sometimes where I jump into a book without checking to see what it's about. It happens.) I would have known about the vampires.  But I didn't.  And I wasn't expecting them.  I'll be honest, it took me a bit to adjust to this sudden influx of supernatural beasties.  There's actually only one beastie, but you get the point.

Now, I don't blame the book on me not reading what it was about ahead of time.  I blame myself.  I mean, I could have been more observant.  That said, it was still a bit jarring to go from a day in the life the non-supernatural 1920s (non-supernatural if you discount that pesky time travel rigamarole) to a world that has vampires hiding in the corners waiting to pounce.

However, I still enjoyed the book as a whole.  I liked both Elizabeth and Simon.  I loved how Elizabeth managed to carve out a place for the two of them in the past.  I liked the slow build of their relationship.  I liked the details of the world they were living in.  I was just taken by surprise by the vampire.

For which I have only myself to blame.

More books by Monique Martin

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.