A COLONIAL COURTSHIP
SERIES: Back Inn Time #3
GENRE: Inspirational Time Travel / Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: By the Vine Press
RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2021
PAGES: 238
Sometimes time travel is just the miracle you need. Unless it sends you to the last place you want to go.
Abigail Martin needs a miracle. After a crushing family secret stole her job, her apartment, and her future, she escapes her ruined life and risks a return to her hometown. Hints from a trusted friend that a mysterious bed and breakfast could grant her deepest desires lead her to rent a room. But when her former crush—a man she’s spent months avoiding—won’t leave her side, they both end up facing more than just the past she tried to escape.
Evan Blake finally has a second chance to win his first love, and he won’t let a little thing like her refusal stand in his way. When Abigail’s insistence on staying at a weird inn dumps them in Colonial Boston on the doorstep of the Revolutionary War, suddenly finding a way to ask her out seems the least of his worries. Despite the bizarre and unimaginable challenges of the 1700s, he refuses to give up on capturing her heart. But will finding their way home mean losing her forever?
♥ The Back Inn Time series short novels are fun, faith-filled stories of what it might be like to suddenly experience life in a different time. These clean historical romances are packed with humor and adventure. Perfect for fans of dual timeline or time slip stories and Christian historical romance, these books answer the question every historical fiction fan wonders—what would it be like if I went back to that time? If you enjoy the wholesomeness of Amish, Western, or frontier fiction and adore romantic comedies, then a visit to a seaside Victorian inn where you can “step back inn time and leave your troubles behind!” is for you.
Other Books In This Series
“Of all the times she’d imagined facing Evan again, this scenario never made the list.”
I love this Back Inn Time series, and I’m sad that it’s the end for now. I say “for now” because I am ever hopeful that my fave series will just continue indefinitely lol. (Update: There IS a book four coming!!! Happy dancing!!!) The magical realism elements related to the time travel are done so well and even allow for the ‘what ifs’ without compromising the author’s (and my) Biblical worldview. The romance is sweet and tender, with swoony kisses and mutual respect, and the characters are richly layered and engaging.
Yet, even though all three books share those common attributes, each book has enough differences that distinguish them from each other too. For instance, the era has been different from book to book – from a wagon train on the Oregon Trail to an Air Force base in 1956 to a wintry Boston on the eve of its most infamous tea party. Also, we have a hero & heroine who are already dating when they stop at the inn, then a hero & heroine who’ve never met before they’re sent back in time, and in A Colonial Courtship Abigail & Evan are each other’s ‘the one that got away’. So you’ve all got all these great relationship dynamics that the author gets to explore, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the unique layers each book brings to the reader. It keeps the stories fresh, and my entertainment level high.
Abigail, thanks to hints she’s pieced together from a friend with firsthand experience at The Depot, already has an idea of what will happen to her if she stays at the inn. And she’s hoping she’s right because she has some painful questions in her past that she’d like to resolve. The answers she’s looking for may not be the answers she gets, though, and I loved the gently presented message of belonging and ‘enough-ness’ that McGee weaves through her story. Then there’s Evan. All he wants is a chance to tell Abigail how he feels – he’s certainly not expecting to be thrust into colonial Boston with ‘panty hose’ and no phones. Poor guy. I couldn’t help chuckling at his utter refusal, at first, to believe that this wasn’t some elaborate reenactment. His comical indignation and attempts to catch someone breaking character add some humor to the mix and allow us to get inside his head a little bit too. Evan’s relationship with God & the reminders in his heart to trust Him play a big role in some sudden turns the story takes, and the author writes this aspect so tenderly it almost feels like a hug from God to the reader as well.
I’ve also appreciated the comfort of knowing certain overall elements will stay the same. Like, Mrs. Easley and her work for the Conductor. I can’t wait for you to meet Mrs. Easley on these pages, if you haven’t yet had the pleasure. Also, the swoony kisses – and Evan & Abigail definitely do not disappoint! Even if they do have to deal with some “stuffy Puritans” in the process. Their romance, born out of a long friendship, checked all the boxes for my romance-loving heart.
Bottom Line: A Colonial Courtship ignites your imagination with delightful ‘what ifs’ and may even heal some bruised places in your heart too. McGee does a fabulous job of using the modern day characters’ struggles to adjust to Colonial conventions and expectations as a means of organically furthering the discussions that needed to happen & the walls that needed to come down between them. Faith threads aren’t preachy or awkward, but rather shore up the story like a gentle embrace. A must-read for fans of time travel, colonial America & a beautifully written second chance, friends-to-more romance.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 4.5 stars / Loved it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / will forget to breathe on occasion
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Also available to read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Best-selling author of Christian novels, Stephenia H. McGee writes stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. When she’s not twirling around in hoop skirts, reading, or sipping sweet tea on the front porch, she’s a homeschool mom of two boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler. Visit her at www.StepheniaMcGee.com for books and updates.
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Other Books by Stephenia H. McGee
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What about you? What makes you want to read A Colonial Courtship by Stephenia H. McGee?
I love the cover. The story sounds intriguing. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
This series sounds so good! I ha e the first two on my TBR pile, I may have to move them up though after reading this review.
it is really fun!!
=) Hope you enjoy them!
Yay! Thanks, Carrie! I’m so glad you enjoy the series. These books have been so much fun to write.
Can I start begging you for more? 😉
I plan on this being a long series. =) So many places to visit!
Sounds like such a great story! Would love to win print copies of all three books! Thanks, again, for the opportunity to enter a giveaway!
Thank you for your review on “A Colonial Courtship” by Stephenia H. McGee. This book has it all – fabulous author, great cover and a time travel AND romance story that screams READ ME. Can’t wait for the opportunity to read this one.
Thanks Kay! 😊
=D Thanks so much, Kay! You make me smile.
Sounds very different and interesting.
Sounds like a page turner!
I have loved this series and am so excited about this newest one! Of course I am very sad to hear that it is the last one in the series because they have been so fun to read and to imagine what it would be like to suddenly be dropped into another era.
there’s a book four, Haley!!! I’m so excited!! 😀
Don’t worry! There will be more! =)
I’ve read some of Stephenia’s other time travels and would love to read this one. Colonial is a favorite time period for me.
I very recently won “Falling for the Fifties” (haven’t read it yet) and read The Cedar Key (LOVED it!) so you know I need to check this one out! I love that each book takes place in different times eras & they are time travel…which I haven’t read too many books like them.
Your review is excellent as always Carrie! I’m definitely putting “A Colonial Courtship” and any other book in this series on my must-read list 🙂
Thanks so much, Trixi! I’m glad you like The Cedar Key and hope you enjoy the new series, too!
I don’t think I’ve read any of the Back Inn Time novels but I certainly am intrigued. I’m not a big time travel fan, but I like the the sound of this storyline. I’m also glad that Carrie is getting her wish for the 4th book in the series.
I need to get back to reading this series! I read the first book and really enjoyed it.
Sounds like a great book and love the cover!
I think we need more books set in Colonial times, so that makes it an interesting read for me.
I have loved every Stephenia McGee book I have read so no doubt I will love this series, too…when I get to it on my TBR!! ❤️😀