A few weeks ago, I had to read some books as part of first round judging for a competition. These were all from sub genres that I wouldn’t normally read, so it was quite an interesting exercise for me. It made me realise that I’ve fallen into the trap of needing my reading to serve an extra purpose than just entertainment (I seem to need everything to do at least two things at once, these days). I read as part of my market research and learning process, so I read a lot of what’s published by my publisher (my first customer, in effect) and what’s coming out in my chosen genre of romantic comedy (see what everyone else is up to). After I’d finished my box of books and submitted my scores, I decided that I really should read more and read more widely. I haven’t set myself a firm goal of reading 52 books in a year, but that’s roughly what I’m aiming for.
I came across Morgan O’Neill when Deb and Cary did a joint Inheritance Books post for me. I have a theory that if I like someone’s ‘voice’ in real life, I’ll probably like their books. The Inheritance Books post the ladies did suggested that their writing voice was quick and fun. I finally made good on my mental note to read something by them and bought Love, Eternally.

This is a time-slip book, where Gigi from the present day is transported back to 400AD Ravenna. I know very little about that period, so I have no idea about historical accuracy, but the dialogue felt realistic (I hate it when historicals dialogue so anachronistic that even someone like me finds it irritating). Gigi is a spirited young woman, who does really well in a difficult set of circumstances. Magnus is very much an alpha male, but really quite sweet with it. You got to see the world from the points of view of several secondary characters, which gave a more rounded view of the complex political machinations that were going on around the main story. The storyline was strong enough that I wondered whether the time-slip element was really necessary, but I guess it does explain why Gigi is so different from the other women in the book.
I read this book very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be reading more by Morgan O’Neill.