Review: Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren

Torrent (River of Time #3) 
by Lisa T. Bergren

Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: September 1, 2011
Format: eGalley
Source: Publicist/Author
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon

When Gabi and Lia finally learn to surf the river of time, they realize they must make hard choices about life and love in the third and final book in the River of Time series.

Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times. But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death. (Goodreads)

Torrent is the third book in the River of Time series. If you haven’t read this series yet, you should check out my reviews of Waterfall and Cascade. Torrent picks up right where Cascade left off; and I was immediately captivated and happy to be back with these characters!

It’s evident in Torrent how much Gabi and Lia have grown over the series. You really see how they’ve been changed from their life and death experiences in 14th century Italy. Gabi is brave and strong, but she isn’t perfect and she makes mistakes. Which makes me love her as a heroine even more. Gabi is forced to make difficult decisions and I really liked seeing how she worked through them.

I loved the romance between Marcello and Gabi, but I also loved the conflict with Lord Greco. I really like him as a character… he’s complicated, charming, and tall, dark, and handsome. Sigh… yeah… Greco kind of stole the show for me! I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of Luca and Lia (not as much as Cascade), but I realize if I got my wish that Torrent would have been forever long!

Torrent is little less intense than Cascade but is full of action scenes that keep you glued to the page. My only complaint with this installment is that some elements were a little too convenient, and the story ties up a little too neatly in the end. However, Bergren’s writing made it easy for me to just go with it and enjoy the story.

Torrent was a wonderful conclusion to the series … but I’m ecstatic that Lisa Bergren wants to continue to write installments! An e-novella, BOURNE, is being released on 2/28/12 and picks up right after Torrent! I really, really hope that Bergren is able to write more installments in the future. The River of Time series is truly an adventure back in time – full of romance, action, family, and history. I highly recommend this series to adults and young adults alike, it does not disappoint!

Author Links: website | twitter | facebook | goodreads

In My Mailbox (36)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. IMM is where we get to share what books we received for review, bought, borrowed, or were gifted in the past week. For more information, visit her IMM info page here.

FOR REVIEW:

Thank you to Lisa for sending me BOURNE! I literally made a SQUEE noise when I saw this in my inbox!

Bourne (River of Time #3.1) by Lisa T. Bergren (Goodreads)


BORROWED:

I picked these up at the library this week...

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Goodreads | Amazon)
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth (Goodreads | Amazon)

That's all for me this week! What's in your mailbox?

River of Time Series: Tributary (Exclusive Excerpt!)

SQUEE! While I was procrastinating doing work today, casually browsing Reader, I discovered that Lisa T. Bergren has posted an exclusive excerpt from book 4 of the River of Time Series! It's tentatively titled Tributary. Here's the teaser picture she posted with the excerpt:

Yes! I'm pretty sure that is Lord Graco! And the excerpt is written from Lia's perspective. It all makes me go hmmm... :) I'm so excited that Bergren seems intent on writing more books for the series. She currently doesn't have a contract for another book in this series, but she did say that she may just go the e-book route if it doesn't happen. YAY!

Click on the picture or one of the links to read the excerpt and let Lisa know what you think of it. Obviously you may not want to read it if you haven't read the first 3 books - Waterfall, Cascade, and Torrent. 

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren

Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: June 1, 2011
Series: River of Time #2
Format: Paperback
Source: Author (won)
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”

Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever. (Goodreads)

Cascade is the second book of the River of Time series, and a fantastic sequel. I immediately started reading it after I finished Waterfall (read my review here), and read it in a day! Cascade picks up right where Waterfall ended, so you are quickly absorbed back into the story. In Cascade, Gabi and Lia return to Castello Forelli (with their mom) and are warmly welcomed as heroes before everything turns to chaos.

I really don’t want to give anything away about the series… but I can say that in Cascade everything becomes more… intense. The political tension between Florence and Siena erupts into a full on war, so there is much more action, with Gabi and Lia in the thick of it of course!

The relationship between Gabi and Marcello becomes more passionate and serious, and there is much more of Lia and Luca in this book – which I loved. I also enjoyed getting to know the sisters’ mother and seeing the relationship she has with her daughters. There’s a new intriguing character in this book, Lord Greco, and I look forward to learning more about his story and intentions in Torrent.

The one small complaint I have about Cascade is that I felt it wrapped up a little too easily and neatly for me… but I ate it up all the same. I can’t wait to get my hands on Torrent! If you loved Waterfall like I did, you will not be disappointed! If you haven’t read Waterfall yet, what are you waiting for?

Check out this book trailer for Cascade:

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The week's WoW feature is:

Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
(Book 3 of The River of Time Series)
Publisher: David. C. Cook
Release Date: September 1, 2011

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Gabi and Lia finally learn to surf the river of time, they realize they must make hard choices about life and love in the third and final book in the River of Time series.

Gabi and Lia Betarrini have learned to control their time travel, and they return from medieval Italy to save their father from his tragic death in modern times. But love calls across the centuries, and the girls are determined to return forever—even though they know the Black Plague is advancing across Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of the population. In the suspenseful conclusion of the River of Time series, every decision is about life … and death.

I loved both Waterfall (check out my review) and Cascade and can not wait for the conclusion! I highly recommend this series to fans of historical fiction and romance.

What are you anxiously waiting for this week?  

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Format: Paperback
Source: Author (won)
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another. (Goodreads)

If you’re a fan of historical fiction and romance, then this is a must read! Lisa’s debut YA novel is fantastic. I was quickly sucked into the story and became lost in the pages to the point that I forgot I was reading. Well, you know what I mean, right? I’d look up from the book and be shocked that HOURS had passed!

There is so much to love about Waterfall – strong capable heroines, honorable knights, sword fights, and time travel! The story is told from the perspective of Gabi, a fairly typical American teenager except that she gets to travel every summer with her sister and archeologist parents to Italy in search of Etruscan ruins. While there, on a dig site, bored and feeling a bit rebellious, Gabi and her sister Lia accidentally find a time portal, and suddenly Gabi finds herself in 14th century Italy on the brink of war, in the middle of a battle… in 21st century clothes.

I believe Lisa Bergren did an excellent job of describing 14th century Italy. I could easily see the world she built, and felt completely immersed in that time and place. I appreciated the details she included without it feeling overly done and drawn out, as I feel with some historical fiction novels. I feel I should mention that though this series is categorized as Christian historical fiction, it isn’t really obvious or distract from the story in any way.

I really grew to love Gabi as a character; you can’t help but admire a strong female protagonist stuck in the 1300s when women were supposed to be silent and weak. Gabi’s love interest, Marcello is brave, passionate, and loyal to his family and to Gabi. As much as I loved Gabi and Marcello, I think my favorite character was Luca, Marcello’s cousin and best friend. He’s funny and light-hearted, and his character had a way of lighting up the page.

Waterfall is a captivating adventure across time, and not to be missed! I recommend picking up a copy along with Cascade (book 2) as you will want to immediately start the sequel once you finish!

Check out this book trailer for Waterfall:

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have fallen in love with The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren. This week's teaser is from Cascade (page 41), the second book in the series. 

"Castello Forelli still might have a devil within her gates, a serious threat. Staring at her - pretty, demure, all Girl in Love - I knew I had to be right."

Trailer Thursday: Waterfall

I discovered the Trailer Thursday meme on The Page Turners Blog. This week's Trailer Thursday  feature is:

Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series) by Lisa T. Bergren

Release Date: February 1, 2011

Publisher: David C. Cook

(Goodreads | Amazon)

I'm so excited to read this novel! I was lucky to win signed copies of both Waterfall and Cascade: A Novel (River of Time Series) during Armchair BEA. I keep hearing GREAT things about this series! I was able to connect with Lisa Bergren on twitter (@LisaTBergren) and she is so open and friendly, and she's a fellow Coloradan. Woot!

So what book trailers do you have your eyes on this week?