A World Apart: A gripping historical page-turner full of emotion (The Hands of Time Book 3)

From early Jamestown and the first established settlers to Virginia during the Revolutionary war this book goes back four hundred years and then forward one hundred and fifty. It is a fast paced and thought provoking read and I can't wait to see what happens.

The story is engaging, I'll give it that much. This is the second time I've read it even. But I have to say, it reads like an 8 year old playing Barbies sometimes. The story is very simple and at times contrived. What can we do next that will cause some anguish? Okay, that's enough anguish, simple solution. And the writing is sometimes just downright, well, childish. For instance, "Her arm felt as if an elephant had stepped on it." Come on Ms. Shapiro, surely you can come up with a better analogy that that. Her arm felt as if it'd been crushed in a millstone. Her arm felt as if it'd been hammered on an anvil. But, these are petty things I suppose. I do care for the characters despite their seeming very flat at times. Probably because I've invested so much time into reading the series already. But it's a good read if you're looking for a light story to tide you over for the next Gabaldon book, just don't expect too much. And the sex scenes are on point, if you can't get past the ages of the characters in some of them. Which for me isn't too difficult because this is a different time period after all and it's conceivable.

This series is about more than time-travel. This beautifully written story is about love and loss in a family torn between centuries. I couldn't put it down and ready to begin the next one. I was disappointed to have to wait

She just keeps getting better. Her latest, A World Apart, is probably her best yet. This is the third in the series, and you do need to read the first two to understand what's going on. The series is definitely good enough and worth reading.I personally prefer books featuring something different, whether that's supernatural, paranormal, apocalyptic, or similar. I want to be taken away to a time, place, or scenario that I will never be able to encounter in my life. Practically all of Irina Shapiro's novels fulfill this desire for me. And then some! She tends to write about time travel (like this series), ghosts, possible reincarnation, and similar themes.A World Apart is character rich and provided a very fulfilling succession to the series. As usual, I had an extremely difficult time putting the book down. I continue to look forward to Irina Shapiro's books and strongly recommend her.

This series of books were hard to put down.

I have hesitated to read other time travel romances because I thought they would all pale next to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, especially her earlier books. But I have just gone through the Hands of Time trilogy on my Kindle and was up to the wee hours, even on work nights, finishing it. Sure, the plots and presentation of history were more simplistic and the characters less compelling than Jamie and Claire and company, but you could not help but like them and care about what happened. The writing was good and the story moved right along, unlike some overly detailed and dragging sections of Gabaldon's works. The physical romance involving Valerie, sister Louisa and their hunks of burning love were just fine - not overly done. I must confess to a slightly uncomfortable feeling my 21st century brain had with some scenes that included explicit sex involving 14 and 16 year olds. But I know back then they were like twenty-somethings today, and I tried to look at it that way. I am hoping Irina comes up with a sequel, but if she doesn't, it ended perfectly well with the sequels in our minds.

Time travel has some family found and some lost. Most ended in the past getting along and some grieving. Family is so important but never knowing what can happen.

I read the first two books in the series and looked forward to the third.It was ok, but not as good as the first two.It felt as though there was too much going on. The younger Louisa's storyline seemed superfluous.What really bothered me though was the lack of editing and grammar errors. The author doesn't seem to understand when to use "he" rather than "him", nor has sbe a clear grasp of the past perfect, present perfect or the conditional forms.It is as though she did not edit this book at all.I dont know what happened, because this is the fourth book I have read by Ms Shapiro, ( really enjoyed Precious Bones) and the others were not like this.She must have lost her editor.

This story was so good I felt I was there with them it was kept me hooked from the first page.

I am a fan of this genre - but not the kind where people just go back and forth all the time. This is more interesting - a woman accidentally finding herself in 1609 and making a life there. It's always interesting to read an author's imagined method of time travel. This is the third in the series and doesn't disappoint in the descriptions of the events the characters live through

Another wonderful book to read, still hard to put down.

Finished the trilogy ...it was interesting but I and need a break....(for now)I would buy a follow up as the price is OK

3.5 rounded upThis was so much better then the first 2. It was suspenseful and tense. It had complex issues again, so please check triggers.Rape, murder, violence, poverty and death it was sad in places but all descriptions were vivid n I felt like it transported me.It was cringe and predictable in places