Review/Giveaway: Time and Regret by M.K. Tod

When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past—and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather’s puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man—and suddenly aware that someone is following her…

Through her grandfather’s vivid writing and Grace’s own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasn’t the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them.

Paperback, 353 pages 

Published August 16th 2016

 by Lake Union Publishing

on Amazon Author’s page | Goodreads

I have previously read Lies Told in Silence also written by M.K. Tod and looked forward to reading this new one.  Though I finished this book a month ago it has still stayed with me, there is more to Time and Regret than the actual story.

The cover reflects the story nicely (and is gorgeous) while the title perfectly matches the story.  With the modern day story taking place in 1991, where there is no need for internet and cell phones to distract.
 
The author did a great job with Martin's diaries. Beginning when he first enlisted you can see and feel his emotional struggles as the war, with all it's brutality, gets worse and unbearable. It wasn't hard to feel his emotional state as he loses his best friends and other young men. His feeling of helplessness and the guilt of being the one in charge and knowing those you stand with in battle might very well never go home.

"There's no point in friendship in this mess. You make friends and they die. It's that simple. God knows why I'm still alive." 

Meeting Grace when a recently divorced mother of 2 and watching her journey of self discovery was a great experience.  Traveling as she retraces her grandfathers footsteps through France, visualizing the scenery and culinary experiences showed the authors vast knowledge of the times and locale.

I enjoyed the story, the mystery and Grace's adventure.  Though I anticipated the ending it was a great read.  There was so much about this book that really enjoyed as a reader and also on a personal level. There was more here than the story. It's personal, to go outside your comfort zone, take a risk, grab life and live it on your own terms. It's a reminder about regret and doing the things that you love out of your own desire.

Definitely a book that I highly recommend.  Thank you to Emma at France Book Tours for the invite to be part of this tour and to M.K. Tod for a print copy of Time and Regret.

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Time and Regret is M.K. Tod’s third novel. She began writing in 2005 while living as an expat in Hong Kong. What started as an interest in her grandparents’ lives turned into a full-time occupation writing historical fiction. Her novel Unravelled was awarded Indie Editor’s Choice by the Historical Novel Society.

In addition to writing historical novels, she blogs about reading and writing historical fiction at http://www.awriterofhistory.com, reviews books for the Historical Novel Society and the Washington Independent Review of Books, and has conducted three highly respected reader surveys. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and is the mother of two adult children.

Please visit her website and her blog A Writer of History Subscribe to her mailing list or contact her at mktod@bell.net

Follow her on Facebook and Twitter on Goodreads and Pinterest Buy the book (print, ebook audiobook): Amazon

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Global giveaway open internationally: 5 winners will receive a print copy of this book.

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