by Kay Austin

Love Spell, January, 2005.
Paperback, 308 pages.
ISBN: 0505526212
Subgenre: Paranormal

Mackenzie Cates has worked very hard to bring the Pompeii exhibit to the Dallas museum where she works, and dreams of one day being the museum director. The only fly in the ointment is the imminent arrival of her old flame Dr. Moran, a handsome archeologist who is currently working in the ruins of Pompeii. One night, she sees one of the plaster casts of a victim of Pompeii move. Always a bit psychic, like her beloved Granny Moon, Mackenzie somehow frees the Time Rogue Dak from his prison inside the plaster cast. When Rick shows up, and the entity takes over his body, Mac, Rick and Dak must find a way to put everything in the timeline right. The Time Rogues are like time cops; they are from the future and travel back in time to fix problems. Only this time, it's Dak that has caused a time rift because of his love for a slave girl in ancient Pompeii.

Time Rogues has a great plotline for a time traveling romantic suspense novel. The dialogue is funny, and Mack is a likeable, interesting character. Ms. Austin could clearly write excellent science fiction; the plot really zings when the Time Rogues organization is front and center. Also well done are the scenes involving internal politicking for the directorship of the museum. Somewhat less successful are the interactions with the Dallas locals, such as the superfluous (and extremely annoying) Bubba. The sequence of events is at times confusing; some judicious editing would have helped immensely. If the flashbacks are deleted and the story told in a more linear and internally logical fashion in the next Time Rogues book, this series has the potential to garner a loyal following.

Time Rogues is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the January-February, 2005 of The Internet Writing Journal.

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