Simply a Matter of Time

The Firemark Series, Book 2

By: Kathryn K. Murphy

Narrated by: Frances Anderson

Forbidden secrets. Star-crossed passion. One island where time stands still—but hearts can’t.

Ethan Brooks has spent decades doing the right thing—protecting Brightrock Island’s secret, living by the rules, keeping everyone at arm’s length. But when relentless investigator Nora St. Clair barges into his life, asking questions she shouldn’t, Ethan’s perfectly controlled world begins to unravel. She’s determined, off-limits—and impossible to resist.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s sister Lizzy finally has her first taste of freedom after nearly fifty years on Brightrock. With the clock ticking before she’s forced back home—or cut off forever—she throws herself into one breathtaking fling with Caleb Broussard, a man whose quiet charm hides dangerous secrets of his own.

As Brightrock’s elders close in, Ethan and Lizzy face the same impossible choice: protect the island’s immortality…or risk everything for love.

Perfect for fans of steamy, high-stakes small-town romance with a supernatural twist, Simply a Matter of Time is the next book in Kathryn K. Murphy’s Firemark series.

©2020 Kathryn K. Murphy (P)2025 Kathryn K. Murphy

Great story

I enjoyed listening to this book. I hadn't previously read the first book of the series, but I still was able to enjoy this one without feeling lost. I liked that there was two love stories here and both were great I didn't feel neither one was lost or skimmed through to finish. Overall I really enjoyed it.

loved it

The second book in this series is not as good as the first one but still deserves 5 stars.
New-old characters which were presented briefly in the first book and deserve to have their own story.
Another great job by the author and the narrator.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another Great Story and Narration!

I live in MA so I loved that the story takes place here and I love the idea of the fountain of youth at Brightrock Island. I love the characters in the story and enjoyed how it picked up from the end of the last book. This book didn't have all the suspense that the first book had but I really enjoyed the romance in this book. Ethan and Lizzy's lives were enjoyable to follow along with the rest of the Bright rock group that were back from the first book. The narration was fantastic in this book!! I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend both books.

Another fun romance

I really enjoyed listening to this book, especially after also listening to the first one in the series. The characters were likable, well portrayed and I really wanted both romances to come to a happy conclusion. The first book in the series had more mystery about the secretive island itself, but this one expanded that and included some regional interest with scenes in New Orleans and Boston. I especially liked the clever twist near the end. The narration was excellent -each character had their own voice, nothing felt forced and the pacing was great. All in all a relaxing and pleasant audiobook.

Delightful and thoughtful

In a different take on The Fountain of Youth, Simply A Matter of Time continues the story of Brightrock Island and its powerful secret of never aging. Each resident who lives off the island has to move frequently to maintain their believability when they never age.  Ethan Brooks, who handles the investments for Brightrock Island has been ordered to move to Boston. Before leaving, he comes in contact with Nora Sinclair, a tenacious police lieutenant who is investigating a recent explosion on the island. Ethan has to protect the secret of his brother, Austen, since pictures of him from The Civil War have surfaced thanks to the explosion of the community center. As Nora conducts her investigation, they dance around each other, neither giving an inch, but the sexual tension is palpable. When Nora is sent to Brightrock for further investigation, Ethan tries to convince her to leave it alone, but she refuses to stop and he's had enough. Testing the water, she arrives at the impossible conclusion that it's contaminated enough to kill anyone who drinks it. When the secret of the well is out, Ethan is forced to tell her the truth, but her dedication to duty overrides even her love. With a wonderful twist, they both make sacrifices to find their happy ending. This story is a combination of delightful and thoughtful and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. Frances Anderson did a magnificent job with the narration. Her dynamic voice brought each of the characters to life with a unique personality and attitude. And that Boston accent is delightful!