Until the end of time…and then beyond…
Would it be a crime against nature to help those in need by the use of unusual and possibly illegal medical procedures? Victoria begs her father, a brilliant physician, to commit such a crime for the man who she has forever fallen in love with. Trevor was critically injured by enemy artillery while fighting on the Western Front. Victoria hopes that through the restoration of his damaged body, their love will flourish once he is well again.
Unforeseeable revelations and unimaginable confrontations create havoc for the lovers. Will Victoria and Trevor find a place where their love will last for eternity…or has time run out?
Reader Advisory: M/F Monogamous, Consummated love scene, fade to black…
PUBLISHER NOTE: This is the 1st story in the Out of Time series. While it is a stand-alone story, we advise reading the series sequentially.
5 STARS Emma’s Book Reviews
Thank you to the author for sending a copy of this book to me for review. This book is so short I got through it in about an hour, it is the perfect book to start reading when you want a bit of a break from longer books.
I really enjoyed Clockwork Heart, it is such a simple story yet so magical and full of love. Jeffery Martin Botzenhart is a brilliant writer, he makes you feel as though you are in the story and really connects with the characters. The way he so brilliantly describes everything in the book means that you can close your eyes and put yourself everywhere the characters go.
I loved Victoria and Trevor, there love happens so fast, but I loved seeing how much they cared for each other before actually properly knowing one another. It was a 100 year old story of love at first sight.
One of the characters I didn’t really understand was Victoria’s father, there was just something about him that I found very strange. He was so over-protective of Victoria and didn’t seem like he was letting her live her life, you could see that he cared for her but he took away her freedom. He then all of a sudden completely changed and seemed to be happy for Victoria and Trevor, I would of liked to learn a little bit more about him and get inside his head.
You can’t really guess much of the novel from the blurb and I liked that because you just don’t know what is going to happen. I don’t want to say to much more about this book because I want people to read it the way I did, completely unsure of what is going to happen.
I do wish this book was a bit longer as I wanted to see more from Victoria and Trevor but it did end perfectly and made me a bit teary! I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a short, easy to read, romantic novel.
Review by Emma Emma’s Book Reviews
4.5 STARS Long and Short Reviews
Medicine has its limits, but sometimes a great doctor can push past them.
This story blended romance and science fiction together seamlessly. It took a little while for the latter to show up due to other subplots that needed to be explored first, but it was well worth the wait. One of the things I enjoy about steampunk is how flexible it can be about borrowing intriguing concepts from other subgenres of science fiction, and there was definitely quite a bit of that going on here.
There was one scene in the middle of this tale that I would have liked to see addressed again in the climax. A character in it mentions something that I also wondered about as a reader. While this issue was discussed a little bit, I think it would have made more sense for it to come up again naturally later on. This is a minor criticism, but I would have easily bumped the rating up to five stars had it been mentioned at least one more time in the plot. I was otherwise thrilled with how everything was woven together.
The biggest reason why I chose such a high rating for this book was due to what happened in the last few pages. This section tied together all of the themes of the plot beautifully. I was especially moved by the imagery in the final scene, and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to end it. It was an excellent introduction to Mr. Botzenhart’s work. I’m excited to see what he’ll come up with next!
Clockwork Heart was fantastic. I’d heartily recommend it to fans of science fiction and romance alike.
Review by Astiibe Long and Short Reviews
“Would this be the point where the damsel in distress finds rescue from a knight in rather filthy armor?”
With caution Victoria turned to face a young man of similar age to her and who was now standing behind her motorcar. A somewhat devilish smile adorned his ruggedly handsome face. Roughly a foot taller than her, she was momentarily drawn to the sweat and dirt that lay cast across the sun-bronzed muscles of his bare chest. His short wavy chestnut-brown hair and blue eyes enhanced his handsome features. The devilishness of his smile then faded to one more of shyness as he spoke further.
“My apologies; it was not my intention to startle you. I was working in the field with my father when I noticed the steam from your engine. May I have a look?” he asked as he stepped toward the front of the motorcar.
“Please,” Victoria forced the word from her throat. The young man stepped around her to the front of the motorcar and then opened the engine cover by using a handkerchief to touch the blisteringly hot surface. For a few moments the steam billowed forth until it dissipated.
She could not stop her eyes from being drawn to his bare muscular frame. The muscles of his arms, chest, and abdomen perfectly glistened from the perspiration of standing next to the overheated engine. Never before within her twenty years had she entertained thoughts of desire in this manner. His words regretfully then drew her away from these thoughts.
“Just as I suspected, the engine is as parched as I am. It will require water for its radiator once the engine has cooled. Either you could wait here in this dreadful heat…or, I could see you home and return your motorcar to you this evening,” he offered with more shyness that she found endearing.
“I imagine that it would be proper for the knight in filthy armor to present his name to the damsel in distress. My name is Victoria Winterhurst,” she offered in introduction.
The young man smiled at her and extended his dirt-covered hand to her. “Trevor Kerrigan,” he offered with his own introduction. He held up his hand for her to patiently remain there for a moment as he hurried out to the field to speak to an older man. Upon his return he offered an apology. “I needed to tell my father that I would see you home. Please, follow me,” he said as he began to walk toward the windmill.
“Do you have a motorcar?” Victoria questioned with curiosity.
“No, Miss Winterhurst. I do believe, however, that you will find this most interesting,” Trevor responded somewhat mysteriously. His devilish smile had returned to his handsome face. As a firefly drawn to a lamp she found herself entranced by his mischievousness.
After following Trevor up the hillside and then further back behind the windmill, Victoria came to an abrupt halt. “You simply must be barking mad. The brutal sun must have damaged your mind,” she uttered with astonishment. “May I ask…what that is?”
“That, Miss Winterhurst, is my flying machine,” Trevor responded through bursting pride.
Victoria took a step closer as her jaw continued to remain dropped.
“I constructed it in the spirit of the flying machine used by those brilliant American chaps, the Wright Brothers. I made some modifications to enhance their design,” Trevor commented as he was preparing his flying machine for flight.
“There simply is no possible way that I will allow you to see me home in that death trap.”
Trevor smiled before walking over to her. “I promise that no harm will come to you. I have flown many times with nary a scratch.” With a cautious manner Trevor reached over and took a gentle hold of Victoria’s hand. She looked into his eyes and listened as his words entranced her.
“Have you ever held the desire for just a moment to find release from worldly troubles and simply soar through the clouds? The sensation of being awakened from a world that seems half asleep is most profound. Imagine how God and the angels feel as they soar through the heavens while looking upon creation. To become one with the wind is to find a most sublime freedom.” Stepping away from her he continued to hold her hand. For a moment she stood steadfast, yet one step after another would betray her resolve. Willingly, she now allowed herself to be led to what she believed would be her untimely death.
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