Official Review: TimeBangers Vol. 1
Posted: 18 Jun 2015, 11:18
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "TimeBangers Vol. 1" by Ivery Kirk and Luna Teague.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Travelling back in time to the Tudor period to have sex? If you find the mix of time travel and sex enticing, you will enjoy TimeBangers Vol. I: One Does Not Simply Walk into Tudor by Ivery Kirk and Luna Teague. It is a debut novel and the first installment of the TimeBangers series. Although the book is classified in the Romance genre, there are also elements of history, comedy, and science fiction/fantasy.
Beth, a single mother/history buff, and Tawny, a socially awkward scientist, reconnect at a sorority reunion. Through Tawny’s secret time travel invention, they go back in time to England in the year 1536 and mingle with Henry VIII and his crew. The situation becomes hairy when the women are suspected of spying and witchcraft.
First let me say that this is a very funny book. The central plot is inventive with just the right touch of sexual and witty situations to liven things up. Tawny and Beth remind me of the quirky women on British TV shows. Their characters are well drawn with endearing idiosyncrasies. I felt like the two women were real people, not just slutty caricatures (although they do like to talk about and have sex a lot!). Henry’s bastard son, Henry Fitzroy, is also an interesting, layered character.
Fun trivia is explained in witty layman’s terms so that the reader is laughing and learning a little history at the same time. Beth proves to be a most useful sidekick . She can speak Olde English with ease and engage in appropriate conversation, since she is a history buff.
The sexual scenes are well written and often humorous. In the second half of the book, the sexual passages in England are appropriate within the storyline. On the downside, I felt the present-day erotica in the first half of the story was gratuitous.
There were a few things I didn’t care for in this book. There is just too much lengthy description and dialogue, and it slows down the pacing of the story. Many of the passages are vivid and funny, yet are too long; the plot gets bogged down by the excess. In fact, the plot doesn’t go anywhere for the first half of the book. Already aware of the premise of the story through reading the summary, I kept thinking to myself, “When is something going to happen already?” I read 45% of the book (according to the Kindle format) before the premise and plot became remotely apparent. Until that point, I had to wade through a detailed sorority reunion weekend, masturbation sessions complete with erotic fantasies, Beth and her daughter Jules moving in with Tawny, etc.
There is so much potential here. There are many funny, even laugh-out loud, lines and the historical information is interesting. I also thought the scenes with Beth’s daughter Jules and Tawny were particularly well-written. However, there needs to be more attention paid to crafting a cohesive plot that starts off earlier in the story. I would compare the first half of this book to “Seinfeld”, which was billed as a TV show about nothing.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Taken by itself, the second half of the book is a unique twist on the time travel theme. However, the disjointed plot made for a frustrating reading experience. I would recommend this book to readers who, despite plot weaknesses, enjoy reading funny, erotic novels with a dose of history.
******
TimeBangers Vol. 1
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Travelling back in time to the Tudor period to have sex? If you find the mix of time travel and sex enticing, you will enjoy TimeBangers Vol. I: One Does Not Simply Walk into Tudor by Ivery Kirk and Luna Teague. It is a debut novel and the first installment of the TimeBangers series. Although the book is classified in the Romance genre, there are also elements of history, comedy, and science fiction/fantasy.
Beth, a single mother/history buff, and Tawny, a socially awkward scientist, reconnect at a sorority reunion. Through Tawny’s secret time travel invention, they go back in time to England in the year 1536 and mingle with Henry VIII and his crew. The situation becomes hairy when the women are suspected of spying and witchcraft.
First let me say that this is a very funny book. The central plot is inventive with just the right touch of sexual and witty situations to liven things up. Tawny and Beth remind me of the quirky women on British TV shows. Their characters are well drawn with endearing idiosyncrasies. I felt like the two women were real people, not just slutty caricatures (although they do like to talk about and have sex a lot!). Henry’s bastard son, Henry Fitzroy, is also an interesting, layered character.
Fun trivia is explained in witty layman’s terms so that the reader is laughing and learning a little history at the same time. Beth proves to be a most useful sidekick . She can speak Olde English with ease and engage in appropriate conversation, since she is a history buff.
The sexual scenes are well written and often humorous. In the second half of the book, the sexual passages in England are appropriate within the storyline. On the downside, I felt the present-day erotica in the first half of the story was gratuitous.
There were a few things I didn’t care for in this book. There is just too much lengthy description and dialogue, and it slows down the pacing of the story. Many of the passages are vivid and funny, yet are too long; the plot gets bogged down by the excess. In fact, the plot doesn’t go anywhere for the first half of the book. Already aware of the premise of the story through reading the summary, I kept thinking to myself, “When is something going to happen already?” I read 45% of the book (according to the Kindle format) before the premise and plot became remotely apparent. Until that point, I had to wade through a detailed sorority reunion weekend, masturbation sessions complete with erotic fantasies, Beth and her daughter Jules moving in with Tawny, etc.
There is so much potential here. There are many funny, even laugh-out loud, lines and the historical information is interesting. I also thought the scenes with Beth’s daughter Jules and Tawny were particularly well-written. However, there needs to be more attention paid to crafting a cohesive plot that starts off earlier in the story. I would compare the first half of this book to “Seinfeld”, which was billed as a TV show about nothing.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Taken by itself, the second half of the book is a unique twist on the time travel theme. However, the disjointed plot made for a frustrating reading experience. I would recommend this book to readers who, despite plot weaknesses, enjoy reading funny, erotic novels with a dose of history.
******
TimeBangers Vol. 1
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like bookowlie's review? Post a comment saying so!
