Okay, I actually didn't know this one was part of a series. So I think that says a lot about whether you can read this as a standalone - ie. you definitely can.

This story was such a ride! I kind of went in expecting a male-male romance, with erotica, and not much else. It actually has so much more to it than that, and I ended up feeling really impressed by it. Yes, it's a male-male romance, and yes, it has erotic scenes, but there's also transgender representation, a mystery, and some exploration of workaholism. And time travel! There is a whole lot going on here.

I first wanted to talk about the character building. I found it to be absolutely fantastic - both of the main characters, Danny and Lysander, are fantastic. I loved reading more about them as the story went on, seeing them interact with each other and support each other, and eventually begin to fall in love. The other characters in the story were really interesting, too, and I felt like I loved seeing snippets of back-stories for them as well. Everything just felt really fleshed out and developed, and I think part of that may be because this was a part of a series, but also it's just the writing style - Lewis seems to write characters really well.

I also thought the plot and the mystery that was built in to the plot were really interesting and kept me interested. I have to admit that if I am just looking to read a simple, fluffy or sexy (or both!) male-male romance, often I go in just wanting that, and too much plot or story can just make me feel a bit irritated. This didn't happen with Time Turns at all - I loved the romantic/sexy/warm fluffy scenes, but I was also really interested to see what was happening with story at large. Lewis has created such a fascinating world here - one where time travelling is possible, and also a business manager and a genius coder can find love. That is just brilliant to me.

Oh and the sex scenes were quite wonderful. And also - it was quite funny in places! Danny and Lysander's banter really made me giggle sometimes. Basically, I really enjoyed this book.

9/10 time-turning hearts.


I received an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Danny Ferguson is a code analyst looking for inconsistencies in a corporate code job when he runs across some really unusual patterns. His report leads to a work trip to Manchester and the Temporal Research Institute (TRI) working on a top-secret, NDA-certified project that seems like espionage—or tampering. TRI Director, Lysander O’Donoghue, isn’t sure if he has a rogue coder or a hacker from the outside, but he’s not willing to chance anything. He’s authorized Danny to investigate the gamut of time-gate coding and see if he can unravel the growing problem of code planting.

Danny is, of course, sworn to secrecy regarding his project, but head coder Ben Sanders is quick to discover the root cause. As Danny builds his evidence—investigating Ben and his fellow coders—he also strikes up an unlikely camaraderie with Lysander. Lysander is used to taking care of everyone, and everything, including himself, but he’s often quick to pass up meals and sleep if work gets stressful. Danny’s extra effort to send Lysander meals and provide comfort when needed is especially valuable when the TRI is implicated in an unauthorized time-gate opening, and the crossing over of a local who is now out of his timeline.

Time Turns is the fourth book in the Out of Time series and I think it is best enjoyed reading the books in order. The focus of the story is a compress time narrative, with Danny and Lysander spending roughly four weeks in close contact and experiencing a strong attraction for one another. Danny’s nurturing instincts really pull Lysander along and out of the funk he falls into when Danny’s de-coding leads to an unlikely, but undeniable, suspect for the coding breaches. For me, I had a strong suspicion about the saboteur, but the writing provided excellent misdirection, which made the suspense build in rewarding ways.

Like previous titles, this story is heavy on both the romance and the sci-fi elements. It’s easy to imagine this near-future with instant connectivity and self-driving pod cars, and ethical dilemmas surrounding time travelers interfering with timelines into the future. Danny’s a quirky genius and I enjoyed being in his head. Lysander is a trans man, and his insecurities surrounding his dodgy relationship history and negative interactions with family and partners slows the seduction in believable ways. Danny is a bit relentless in his caretaking of Lysander, however, which allows Lysander to build sufficient trust to reach for his desire thanks to their growing rapport. Also, their sexy times are as mutually rewarding as their cuddle times and their tender confidences.

The end brings new opportunities for both Danny and Lysander as they continue seek the saboteur and some level of justice for the man now trapped more than two hundred years from his former life. I think the book ended in a great spot—I’m happy for Lysander and Danny, but I also am eagerly looking forward to the resolution to this extended story arc. It’s been running thorough all the books from the start, to some degree, and it seems we might be on the cusp of a full-out conclusion of all the timeline struggles, which I believe might bring peace to a number of characters in this series, notably Ben. I’m fairly sure the next book will center on Ben, and I hope he gets a reunion with his long-lost family.

This is the fourth book in a series, but can be read as a stand alone as I did. There are definitely references to events of previous books, but nothing that will leave you feeling like you are missing out on something major if you haven't read them. The characters are fun and engaging, even if some of Danny's Scottish-isms were incomprehensible to me XD The bits of mystery were well done with just enough clues to keep you guessing without giving everything away until it was ready.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/time-turns-by-c-b-lewis/)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library LGBTQIA collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Insta-attraction; medium burn

Relationship dynamics: The Powerful Executive (H1) / The Brilliant Programmer (H2)

Sexual content: Some; both on-screen and explicit. Includes anal sex.

Sexuality and Gender: one of the heroes is ftm transgender and gay; the other is cisgender and, while not explicitly stated, seems to be pansexual.

Triggers: None.

Grammar/Editing: This ARC had some typos, increasing in frequency throughout the book.

Review: If you are a reader who would like romance to be the central element of the novels you read, this one is probably not for you – the romance is important, but there is a lot of focus on the time travel plot line, which made the pacing of this novel seem a bit slow, especially given the length of the book. That being said, the world building in this novel, set 50 years in the future of Earth, is fairly good: the physics and programming are consistent, although some explanations of time travel events could have been more clearly explained; and, while some of the computer programming is realistic in contemporary terms, much of it falls very much in the realm of science fiction (I consulted with a computer programmer to confirm this).

Danny and Lysander are certainly a cute couple, but they both have flaws that prevent them from spending much time together: Lysander has an overdeveloped sense of personal responsibility in his work and Danny, while affecting an attitude of mediocrity, displays similar traits of workaholism. That being said, Danny is a carer and this is the defining characteristic of their relationship in this book. Lysander takes comfort in Danny and Danny gives a lot to the relationship. It definitely feels a bit lopsided in terms of give-and-take. This relationship also feels more like an HFN than an HEA, which won’t be for everyone. The supporting characters are mostly recurring from previous books in the series. In reading, it feels very much like you have entered an ongoing camaraderie and perhaps should know some of the in-jokes. In this respect, it may be better to read the series in order to enrich the reading experience. The nice thing that I noted about this novel is how accepting the supporting characters are of diverse sexualities: anyone who doesn’t approve is generally off-screen, and very much relegated to the status of “other.”

Canteen review version: The menu at this canteen could be hit or miss for some; there are certainly some tasty offerings, some options are bland, but thankfully, none of the menu is unpalatable and the atmosphere is welcoming.

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very nice M/M romance, I liked the characters and the story had depth and was interesting to read.

Danny is such a sweet character and I loved his interactions with Lysander. The pacing of the story was nicely done and there were some twists and turns that I did not see coming.

When Danny Ferguson, a brilliant coding analyst, finds corrupt code from the data that Temporal Research Institute sends to Danny’s office, Lysander O’Donohue, director of TRI decides to bring Danny to TRI and work in-site. What they both discover next – other than the simmering attraction, of course – is that someone may play a hand in trying to manipulate TRI for their own purpose. And hell breaks loose…

C.B. Lewis returns this month with the penultimate title of her series, Out of Time. I believe this series should be read out of order, because as the story evolves, I realized how Lewis probably outlined the five books with one big arc, with all things that happened here in Time Turns all originated from first and second book.

Okay, the romance part first – I loved Lysander and Danny’s relationship progress. Danny is smart, cheeky, friendly, and caring – I LOVE how he first gains Lysander’s heart by sending him food *laugh*. Lysander maintains ‘mysterious leader’ persona at first, like he keeps people at arm’s length, but he sure shares things with Danny that he doesn’t tell anyone. It was really sweet to read.

I also loved that Danny didn’t push Lysander about acknowledging their relationship at the workplace. Danny understands their situation, he knows when to keep quiet, even if he pays attention to a lot of things.

Now, apart of the romance part, there’s a bigger plot surrounding Danny and Lysander. Corrupt codes, a case that is similar to the event of the first book (sorry, no spoiler), and of course, a HUGE betrayal from one of the characters. I still reserve my opinion about this unexpected turn of events. I am going to give the character a chance to redeem themselves and to explain. I believe it will be the plot for the final book.

This book clocks in around 123k words – or translated into roughly 400 pages in my Kindle. Although maybe it can be slightly trimmed but I can’t say that the story feels dragged. In fact, it moves in good steady pace and the author manages to throw in some surprises in between. I may think that the timeline (from the first book) is still a little blurry, but I can take everything in stride because I enjoy the writing, the story, and the characters.

If I’m not mistaken, the final book will be released early next year. I really can’t wait for it!

This book is part of the Out Of Time series by C.B. Lewis, but don’t worry if you’re not caught up, this title can be read as a stand-alone. I haven’t read the rest of the series, but I have a feeling I will be reading it now.

Let me start with the characters. I loved Danny! He’s a Scotsman through and through. He’s a coder by trade and resorts to a bit of a drink when he needs to loosen up his brain and work on a puzzle. He’s open, caring and nurturing, funny and I adored him. Early on in the book, he accepts a lucrative short-term contract to work on a very secretive project solving a coding mystery.

When Danny arrives at his posting, he meets the man in charge, Lysander O’Donahue. Lysander is another very interesting character! He is all reserved strength and confidence behind his desk but has a tendency to carry too much weight on his shoulders.

Time Turns is a mystery of sorts. Set in the future, when time travel is tightly controlled and inspires awe in most people … it seems that someone is trying to undermine the Temporal Research Institute. Someone has been altering the coding behind the Institute’s work and Danny has been assigned to work out the mystery.

The longer Danny works at the Institute, the closer he gets to Lysander. They have a lovely relationship. Lysander seems to thrive off the nurturing spirit of Danny’s soul… and at the same time craves the control that Danny surrenders to him at times. They’re a very interesting pair because of their differences and the way that they relate to one another. I liked the ease they were quick to find in each other’s presence.

There are a couple of things that stand out… in that they don’t stand out. SPOILER COMING (in a way) Let’s see, about 1/3 of the way into the story, Lysander discloses that he is a Trans man. I say … it’s a spoiler in a way… because it’s just NOT that big a deal. I freaking loved that! Trans is just something that is part of who Lysander is… and Danny doesn’t really react to it at all. It’s just… something that is. THANK YOU, C.B. Lewis! Hopefully, we won’t all have to wait until 2065 to get that kind of inclusion.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I’m able to… Queer isn’t the point of this novel… it’s just something that some of the characters happen to be.