Time's Convert: A Novel (All Souls Series)

Loved returning to Harkness‘s world. It was a true pleasure to learn more about the babies and Marcus. Such a satisfying read. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book - I was really looking forward to finding out more about Marcus and just having some fun de Clairmont hangs. I definitely feel like the book accomplished those things. There are a few things that I wish could have been better. This by no means is a stand alone novel. I had just finished the All Souls Trilogy (way late to the party here!) and immediately started on Time's Convert. If I hadn't done that, it would have been really hard to follow this book. The author drops you right into it and there are SO many characters that you are expected to remember without much description. For example if you didn't know anything about Ysabeau, you probably would not be so excited for any scenes she is featured in. Her stories at the end of the book would not have as much meaning if you don't remember everything that happened in the first 3 books. Same with Philippe - he would just seem like a total jerk if you didn't know how multifaceted he was.Another thing that was a little irritating was Diana's POV. While I LOVED the All Souls Trilogy, I was slightly peeved that we continue to really feature Matthew and Diana as main protagonists. This book is supposed to be about Marcus and Phoebe - I wanted more of their POVs. We don't even get to find out much about how their relationship started - I thought the author would go into more detail in this book and we could see Phoebe and Marcus' meet cute and how he told her he was a vampire, how she originally took it, etc...but nope. And finding about WTH happened in New Orleans...the author doesn't tell the story until almost 80% through the book. We focused SO MUCH on Marcus as a human during the Revolution that I feel like his vampire history got rushed. And even with a book heavily featuring her...I still feel like I don't know as much as I should about Phoebe. And what even happens with the Phoebe family drama at the end? The volatile relationship between her and the sister? Will her dad be okay?I'm complaining a lot but I still really enjoyed this book. The author obviously worked her butt off with her historical research and I truly love these characters. I just hope that in future books we can move away from Diana and Matthew, while still having them present, but focus on the tons of amazing other characters the author has created.

Ordered after watching "The DIscovery of WItches." I enjoyed it. Hope BBC makes followup seasons on the other books. ENjoyed seeing what happened after the series ended. I hadn't read the first few books. Really didn't like the cat part, even though it didn't die. Enjoyed the parts about Marcus more.

‘For the first time in my life I was absolutely thrilled not to have all of the answers.’This was the first time I actually read Time’s Convert. I listened to the audio book on the first go round and while it was an amazing story then, seeing the words on a page actually made the experience a lot deeper and more meaningful. The parallel storylines of Phoebe’s rebirth, Marcus’ journey as a vampire and Diana and Matthew’s evolving life as parents to the twins was masterfully done.

Plot Summary:Becoming a vampire takes thoughtful consideration. Marcus MacNeil was sired on the battlefields during the American Revolution. Feverish and confused, he may not have understood the power Matthew de Clermont was offering before he accepted. In modern day, he met his mate in the warmblood, Phoebe Taylor. Together, the two decide she will begin her journey of immortality so that they may live out their immortal lives together.Becoming a vampire takes more than just a decision, however. The path to immortality is steeped in tradition and education. New vampires are sheltered from friends and family as they are taken through their youth again, learning how to adapt to the power in their bodies. Learning to move, control their strength and hunt takes strong guidance. Unfortunately, Marcus cannot be a part of Phoebe’s transformation. He and Phoebe must separate for 90 days while she grows under the tutelage of her sire, Miriam, great Aunt, Freya, and loyal de Clermont family servant, Francoise.Phoebe’s separation from Marcus causes Marcus to reflect on his own transition in the 18th century. As he grew into his new life as a vampire, he had to learn how to handle his new family and the demands of the powerful de Clermont family. Often at odds with the liberty and equality views of his heroes, the head of his clan, Phillippe de Clermont demanded loyalty of Marcus. Marcus’ journey to acceptance in the de Clermont family was not as smooth as it would seem, judging from his role for the family in today’s Knights of Lazarus. As Marcus reflects on his past, it might impact what he wants from his future.At the end of 90 days, when they reunite, will Marcus and Phoebe find themselves changed by their respective transitions? Or will they continue their plan to live their immortal lives as mates?My Thoughts:Though this book is a stand-alone novel from the All Souls Trilogy, I would not recommend this book to readers who are unfamiliar with All Souls. The recurring characters are difficult to understand without context as to their backstory. Even understanding why Diana and Matthew would be cautious that their children are Weavers may catch readers confused without an All Souls frame-of-reference.To readers familiar with All Souls, this is a nice re-connection with favorite characters. Again, Harkness creates her world with vivid imagery, including American Revolutionary life and Parisian life in the buildup to the French Revolution. Her incorporation of historical figures like the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Paine, as always, add more robust grounding to her fictional tales.The story is told in modern perspectives from Phoebe, intertwining a flash back story to the 18th and 19th century from the perspective of Marcus, and also in modern perspective with Diana. I must confess, adding Diana’s point of view made the story feel more weighted down than I would have liked. I did enjoy the continuation of Diana and Matthew’s story, and I enjoyed catching up with Jack and the twins. But, that particular story felt weaved into the plot to revisit All Souls for the fans, not necessarily for the plot and pacing of the story itself.That said, overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to someone looking to revisit some more of Deborah Harkness’ universe.

Didn't even know this book existed until now. Must have been ok, because it didn't end up on the garage sale list of books recently.

It's OK. An interesting read, jumping between the Revolutionary War period and today.