A Timeless Christmas by Alexis Stanton

Megan Turner is in love with the past. As a tour guide at a beautiful historic mansion, she tells visitors about its original owner, Charles Whitley. An inventor and businessman in the early 1900s, he rose from poverty to wealth…only to disappear without a trace.

 

Charles was always intrigued by the future. He just never expected to go there. But when he repairs a mysterious clock he bought on his travels, he’s transported to the twenty-first century, with his home decorated for Christmas and overrun by strangers.

 

Charles is determined to find a way back to his own era, especially when he learns about what happened after he left. But as Megan introduces him to the wonders of smartphones, pizza, and modern holiday traditions, they both feel a once-in-a-lifetime connection. Could it be that, somewhere in time, they belong together?

 Publisher: Hallmark Publishing | Genre: Time Travel Christmas Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenges Read For:  - 'Tis the Season-a-thon Bingo Prompt: Book with a holiday word in the title  

This was first book by Hallmark Publishing that I’ve read and it really does read like their movies. It’s cute, charming, Christmassy, and a little cheesy but I really enjoyed it.

Here’s what’s going on. Working as a docent for the Whitley-Moran Mansion is a dream come true for Megan. Not only does she love the past, she’s developed a crush on Charles Whitley, the mansions original owner who disappeared mysteriously in 1902. When a man shows up claiming to be Charles Whitley, Megan’s convinced he’s just a method actor until Charles starts revealing information that’s not in the journals.

Charles has always been curious about the future although he never imagined he’d find himself magically transported there. While he’s finding the ‘new inventions’ and ‘modern’ living interesting, he’s eager to get back to his own time and stop his rival from taking over his life. Although the connection he’s developed with Megan is more than just a friendship. Now he must decide if his future is here or in the past.

If you’re looking for a fun, light, clean Christmas romance with a bit time travel, then this is the book for you.

Charles has mysteriously arrived in the future and he’s landed in the middle of the Christmas season. He’s never been much of a Christmas type of person, but Megan’s determined to help him have a fun, modern holiday. As the book progresses, we see different traditions observed and gain a bit more insight into Charles’s reasoning for why he’s not a fan of Christmas. I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between Megan and Charles and you could see feelings were starting to develop between the two of them but Charles was adamant about returning to his own time. I was never really sure if he would stay or go back to his own time until the end, and I enjoyed that aspect was left until the end.

While this book was a bit slow in places, I really enjoyed it. It almost reminded me of the movie, Kate and Leopold, which is one of my favorite movies.

 Overall, a little cheesy but still a solid read.