The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret by Sharon Ledwith
Welcome to my stop on the book tour for The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret! Today is the release day for the second book in the series by Sharon Ledwith. I have a excerpt from the book and a review for you. Would love to hear your thoughts on the series. Leave me a comment below and lets start some book banter. 🙂
Only a true hero can shine the light in humanity’s darkest time.
Book Details:
Title: The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret
Series: The Last Timekeepers, Book 2
Author Name: Sharon Ledwith
Genre(s): Middle Grade, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, WWII
Release Date: October 17, 2016
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing
About The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret:
Fourteen year-old Jordan Jensen always considered himself a team player on and off the field, until the second Timekeeper mission lands him in Amsterdam during World War Two. Pulled into the world of espionage, torture, and intolerance, Jordan and the rest of the Timekeepers have no choice but to stay one step ahead of the Nazis in order to find and protect a mysterious book.
With the help of the Dutch Resistance, an eccentric baron, Nordic runes, and an ancient volume originating from Atlantis, Jordan must learn that it takes true teamwork, trust, and sacrifice to keep time safe from the evils of fascism. Can Jordan find the hero within to conquer the darkness surrounding the Timekeepers? If he doesn’t, then the terrible truth of what the Nazis did will never see the light of day.
My Review:
I will start by saying that I have read the first book in The Timekeepers series and I thought that this one was much better than the first. The writing got much better in this one. It was easier to follow who was who in this book. The author didn’t switch back and forth between characters first and last names as much in this book, actually rarely at all. It made it much easier to follow.
The beginning of this book started out wonderfully. The writing immediately grabbed my attention. I started flying through the first half of the book. I was enjoying the story, the humorous ways the characters teased each other lovingly and the adventure was one that really piqued my interest. It had some funny moments.
Midway, or closer to the end the story just seemed to lose its sparkle for me. I found myself losing interest and becoming distracted. I think things started happening too quickly and too much at once. I just started to feel like it was being rushed. Towards the very end of the story events started to catch my attention again and keep my interest.
There was a cute little surprise in the story and it had some sweet moments. There was one particular event that happened close to the end that kind of confused me. One moment someone or something was gone, but then in the end of the story returned. I don’t know if I was missing something or what. It wasn’t really explained how this came to be.
I loved that a particular very important lady from History plays a part as a character in this story. I thought the short role she played was brilliant in this story and I think it was one of the parts of this book that I most enjoyed.
All in all, this book was not too bad. It was very imaginative and refreshing. It seems that the author gets better with each book. I would probably read the next book in this series because of this reason. Romance seems to be starting to develop a little bit for some of the characters so I would like to see where it goes.
Fans of Rick Riordan’s middle grade novels may enjoy reading this series.
Read an Excerpt:
“I wonder what else is down here.” Drake beamed his cell phone across the basement, hitting jars of jams, pickles, and relishes. His stomach growled.
Jordan pulled the cheese from his pocket and handed it to Drake. “Trade you for your phone.”
“Best. Trade. Ever.” Drake passed his phone to Jordan.
Jordan walked over and grabbed a jar of pickles off the dusty shelf. At least they wouldn’t arrive at the baron’s place hungry. He hoped his uncle had managed to stop Amanda’s bleeding. His hand tightened over the jar, the ridges of the lid cutting into his palm. A scrape from behind the shelves made Jordan jump.
“Hello?” he asked, pushing jars aside. He flashed the cell phone into the small, dark area.
“Who ya talking to, Jordan?” Drake asked with his mouth full of cheese.
“Shhh, Drake.” Jordan listened. Hearing nothing, he shrugged and turned back around.
“I thought I heard—” Jordan stopped and pointed the phone at Ravi. His jaw dropped. “A-Are you serious, Sharma?”
Drake spat out his cheese, snorting with laughter.
“Is there a problem?” Ravi asked, tying the bowtie of his tuxedo.
“You look like a penguin with attitude!” Drake slapped his knee.
“Say what you want, but I’m glad we didn’t hit the cleaners on the way to school now,” Ravi replied, pulling down his sleeves, “or else I wouldn’t have these dry clothes.”
Jordan chuckled. Suddenly, he heard a door creak open, followed by heavy footsteps squeaking down the stairs. Panicking, Jordan stuffed Drake’s phone in his track suit jacket’s pocket and waved Drake over by the shelves. Drake slipped behind Jordan just in time, before the small light bulb above the bottom of the stairs clicked on. Jordan swallowed hard. There, staring directly at Ravi was a portly man in a blood-stained apron. Tufts of blond hair sprouted from the sides of his balding head. His brown trousers were pulled up past his waist, making him resemble an evil garden gnome. In one of his hands, he held a huge butcher knife, its blade flecked with blood.
Wielding the knife, the man pointed at Ravi. “Who are you?”
Ravi licked his thick lips nervously. “The name’s Bond. James Bond.”
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Purchase Book from Mirror World Publishing:
Paperback | eBook
Amazon | KOBO | Barnes & Noble
About the Author:
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and is represented by Walden House (Books & Stuff) for her teen psychic series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZON AUTHOR page for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, GOOGLE+, and GOODREADS. Check out THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS TIME TRAVEL SERIES Facebook page.
Connect with Sharon Ledwith:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Google+ | Pinterest
You can check out the rest of the book tour by clicking on the photo below:
Thank you so much for reviewing The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret and for featuring the book and author, Sharon Ledwith, on your blog today! Much appreciated.
Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the tour. Had a great time.
Hey, Michelle! Thanks so much for your kind book review! I really appreciate your time, attention, and support! Working on the next book! Cheers!
It was my pleasure! I look forward to the next one. 🙂
Sounds great, Sharon! Can’t wait to read what the kids are up to now.