Showing results by author "Jane O'Brien" in All Categories

Dora and Daniel find themselves in a marriage that’s barely hanging on by a thread, until a tragedy binds them together; but for how long? is more problematic than ever. Every character we have grown to know and love has a trouble or "woe" of their own. Every thought or idea of the way we expected life to turn out for them is turned upside down. Luke and Fran have a new plan for their future, but there always seem to be obstacles in their way. Can they fulfill their dream?

As she is going through desks and drawers, Fran comes across a key that opens Gram’s trunk, which is filled with quilts made by generations of Clark women. The key was one she had always loved as a child. Filled with nostalgia, Fran spreads the quilts across the room, and while shedding tears for the loss of her grandmother, she suddenly finds herself transported to 1875, and she is not even sure how she got there.

The saga of the Graingers and the Clarks continues in Twin Lake/Holton in both the 19th and the 21st centuries. Daniel has disappeared from 1881 and is back home in his own era, where he meets a strangely familiar woman in the cemetery named Virginia. They discover they have much in common as they dig through the files and papers of their own family histories. Will this woman discover the secret of time travel he has managed to keep so well hidden? Will she disrupt the lives of Fran and Dora in the 1880s once she suspects the truth? How does Daniel feel about the Dora lookalike?

Having come across some heirlooms in an old secretary drawer, he handles each one carefully, wondering who they belonged to and how they were connected to him. After looking into his genealogy, he discovers a name on a Civil War medal which not only is on his family tree, but is the same name as his own. Puzzled, he picks up the Bowie knife next, but as he does so, he nicks his finger, causing a flow of blood to drip onto the leather case.

Yesterday's Dreams, book three in O'Brien's series called A Slip in Time, continues with our favorite characters, Francine, Luke, Dora, and Wade. The two sisters each love a Grainger brother, but one love has been fulfilled, while the other love is torn apart by two different centuries. Fran and Luke begin to make a wonderful life for themselves while living in her family's cottage. Many ups and downs keep this couple close to our hearts, as they struggle with decisions that will affect their future with fear of being discovered, and with illness that threatens the loss of life.

Yesterday's Hopes, book two in O'Brien's newest series, A Slip in Time, continues with Dora trying to find her sister. As she becomes aware of the possibility of time travel, she begins to explore how she, too, can do the same in order to find Fran. Dora suspects her sister is in the 1880s due to some clues she left behind, so she tries to imitate the way she believes Francine has traveled using their grandmother's precious quilts, which have been passed down through generations.

Billy and Belle had known each other since they were five years old. In fact, they shared a Christmas Eve birthday. Sandboxes turned into shared lunchboxes as they grew through their school years.. But something happened to change the course they were traveling on. At the age of fifteen Billy suddenly saw Belle in a new light. She was so beautiful he could not keep his eyes off her, and he was jealous when he saw her with other guys. When Belle saw Billy in his tux as he was leaving for the high school Winter dance, she couldn’t believe how Billy had changed and grown to be so handsome. ...

When something unusual happens, it causes them to not end up in the same time and place. Daniel is concerned about Ginny, wondering how she will handle herself. Is she afraid of being on her own? Is she capable of surviving in a century that is so foreign to her? How will they ever find their way back to each other? It turns out to be more difficult than either of them thought possible. Will they eventually reunite, or will Ginny be on her own forever, lost in an era she knows nothing about?

Changes abound in Twin Lake and Holton, as some people leave and new people arrive. There is joy to share and mysteries to solve. There is love and laughter, birth and death, and new growth. The woman called Mercy is threatened with her life, while a younger woman named Marigold tries to hold it together in order to change her life. You won’t be disappointed with the new events in town and on the farm as life goes on in Muskegon County.

Ten years after two little boys unexpectedly arrived in 1882 for a short time-travel visit, they have changed and grown to near adult status–one a late teen in high school, and one a young man in college. They rarely mention what happened to them that day in the treehouse. In fact, it is the major cause for their distancing from one another.

How long can Fran and Dora live in a world they were not born to? How long can the sisters hold on to their lives in the 1800s before the universe takes charge and returns them to their rightful places? These are the questions they both fear, as well as the husbands they love so dearly.

Branches of Time returns with book eight and another time-traveling, gold mining adventure. Remington, Skye, Colt, and Lana, along with their cook, Tater, continue their search for gold in 1848 along the Sable River in Michigan. Moored at Lake Michigan is The Black Moon, a ship that had previously been used for piracy. A Black Moon is the second new moon in a calendar month or the third of four in a season. It is thought to be an omen of change and brings hidden truths to the surface. The small group of gold miners have much to hide, each one with their own secrets and as a group. When ...

Cade Kent Kestler has been a caring and protective brother, always watching out for his daring sister, Skye, since the day she was born. But this time he had to take care of himself. Cade and Skye only recently learned that their parents had time-traveled with them from 2035 to 1885 as children, in order to find a safe way of living. Now that the secret is out and they have learned how to time travel themselves, the adventurous Skye was eager to seek out her ancestors and immerse herself in their lives, but Cade was against this practice, saying it was dangerous and would only lead to ...

Travel through time in The Book of Jade, the third book of Branches of Time, where we’ll follow Skye Kent’s wild, untamed spirit as she searches for new adventures. Skye has a knack for getting herself into trouble, but she doesn’t shy away from doing whatever has to be done to solve her predicaments. In this case, her newly found ability of time travel is what she resorts to in order to get herself out of yet another sticky situation. All goes well, until she meets a handsome, mysterious, stranger, Remington Hart, in 1927, who, unbeknownst to her, has been sent to track her down and ...

In the summer of 1941, World War II is taking hold and causing havoc around the globe. Each of the Clark boys is affected in a different way. Jay wants to continue his college education and become a doctor. Bob just wants to have fun and meet girls. But events that follow will disrupt both of their lives.

When Skye left 1927 to go back to the year 1907, she discovered she was not as happy to be home as she had first thought she would be, because leaving the future meant she had to leave behind a handsome stranger named Remington Hart. She felt his presence and saw him in her dreams every night, but knowing he was unattainable because he was from another decade, she forced herself to go on with her life. Chastising herself for always longing for adventure, she convinced herself to be satisfied with where she was at the moment and enjoy the life she had. To ease her brother's worries for her ...

It was the year 1932 when Johnny and Bobby played with their father’s pocket watch. They were shocked to discover they were mysteriously whisked away to the year 1882, where they found themselves on the boardwalk of the Twin Lake depot. When Duane London, the stationmaster, discovered them, he sent them home with Fran and Luke to be cared for until they could be reunited with their parents.

What could be more exciting than searching for gold in the 1800s? So thought Remington Hart, but did his wife, Skye, share his enthusiasm? Not wanting to be left behind, she time-travels with Rem to a West Michigan town on the Au Sauble River to seek their fortune. But there’s more in store for them than simply the promises of riches. On this newest installment of Branches of Time, O’Brien weaves a story based around the gold rush of 1848 in Michigan, as well as piracy on the Great Lakes. But it doesn’t stop there, as Rem and Skye encounter new characters who join in their efforts. ...

Skye is a twenty-year-old, dark-haired beauty who is bored to death with her life in 1907. She has always been a free spirit and challenger of what was expected of her. While growing up, she was difficult for her parents to control, because she defied all rules of etiquette for a young woman of her time. It was not surprising to her brother, Cade, when Skye asked if she could live with him in the city. She declared she would die if she had to stay another day in the country where nothing ever happened.

Kate Lemanski's world has been shattered with one family problem after another. When she inherits her family's log home in West Michigan, she returns to the river property to make a new start and to put the pieces of her life back together. As soon as she meets the handsome stranger who lives through the wooded path, Kate immediately feels a connection, but is unsure of what it is. Living alone in the woods along a river presents some challenges, but it isn't long before she begins to feel like herself again. When she starts to dig into her family tree, a long-time hobby, she discovers some...