Madman's Dance by Jana OliverMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I read the first book of the Time Rovers Trilogy, I thought it was going to be a typical historical romance with a mystery and a time travel twist, but still largely a Victorian era romance. I was pleased when it turned out to be stronger on the mystery than the romance, and then a bit mystified when the romance wasn't furthered much in the second book - but happy that there was much more to the story than that. Now in this third book, it totally takes off in a direction I didn't anticipate. At first I wasn't sure if I liked it, but it grew on me and I feel much more satisfied having finished the story the way it is than if it had conformed to the formula that I expected.
The part I didn't really like is Jacynda's state of mind for the first couple hundred pages. She is basically out of the game and I was impatient for her to get back to her usual, feisty self - and back to 1888. Her time healing in 2057 does serve a purpose, though, and brings that time period much more into play. Even though I definitely preferred the Victorian storyline, it helps with that huge tangled cross-time mystery that built up in the second book.
So back in 1888, the timeline is completely falling apart, and with Jacynda gone it falls to Alistair to try to prove Keats' innocence and get to the bottom of the various intrigues. The trial scenes are totally gripping, and the ongoing mystery kept me involved for 450 pages.
Unfortunately, it means that there are now two distinct storylines, and if you were looking forward to the trio being closer again you're likely to be disappointed. But in case you're wondering, romance does finally come into it in this book, just not in the way I expected. I love it when authors defy my expectations.
This is definitely the conclusion to the current mystery, but I don't feel like it's the end of Jacynda's story. I really hope there will be more of her adventures in time someday.
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