About the Book

Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clock-maker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clock maker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

Guest Post from Roseanna

Last year, as I finished up the writing of An Hour Unspent, my great-grandmother passed away at the age of 103. As I sat at her funeral service and listened to the heartfelt memorial raised up to her by her kids and grandkids, I realized anew that this woman had been a matriarch in the truest sense of the word. She’d taught my family for generations how to love the Lord and each other, how to serve the Lord and each other, and how to trust the Lord and each other. Grandma Seward was, in so many ways, the one who instilled in me my idea of what family really is.

That idea—that it’s those knit together by love more than blood, and that faith is the strongest foundation—is what I built my unusual family of thieves upon in the Shadows Over England series. And strange as it is to liken my twenty-something reformed-thief hero to my 103-year-old-grandmother, Barclay Pearce is very much to his family what Maxine Seward was to mine.

The founder. The caregiver. The leader.

I knew as I began the series that I would write about Barclay in book three, and as I got to know him better throughout the series, I grew so excited to share his story! This is a man who led his family first into and then out of a life a crime, always for the right reasons—so he could provide for the children under his care. All he ever wanted to do was give them what he himself had lost. To show them love. To prove to them that they were worth any sacrifice.

It was truly a blessing for me to get to write the story in which Barclay found someone to come alongside him, to appreciate and learn to understand him. To finally share what started him down this path. I loved the idea that only a reformed thief could steal the time another family needed to overcome their own trials.

There are many historical items in the book that were such fun to explore—watchmaking of the era, the suffrage movement in England, technological advancements of the war—but at the heart, this isn’t a story about any of those.

It’s a story about how far people should go for love. I hope you enjoy Barclay’s story as much as I did!

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My Thoughts

It’s a given that An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White is a remarkable story. Without a doubt, the characters are exceptionally drawn out, the plot is completely engaging, and the historical time period is so well researched and illustrated that I truly felt like I was transported back in time to 1915 London. An Hour Unspent is an excellent final installment to what has been a stellar series. I so very much enjoyed my time with Evelina and Barclay, and I am a bit emotional about having to say goodbye. I feel like Barclay’s family has sort of become my family!

We humans take time for granted. We set alarms to make sure we wake up on time. We  calendar in on our planners important dates, appointments, and meetings. We plan our days according to various things we have to accomplish at certain times. We deal with time every day, but we very rarely think about what time means, or who is the Boss of it. Somehow, we believe that by setting alarms we are somehow controlling our time, but that is far from the truth. In An Hour Unspent, Evelina loses someone close to her, and it’s only after this loss that she realizes how much she took her time with that person for granted. Of the many topics discussed in this novel, this notion resonated with me the most. This past June 1, I had a brother named Tim. He was 42 years old, and one of the healthiest humans I’ve ever known. In a million years I never thought he would die so young. June 2, I lost my brother in a freak accident. Not a day has gone by that I don’t think about him and miss him. An Hour Unspent really drove home how important it is to not take one single second of our time for granted. It is imperative to cherish the time we have with the people we love. We cannot assume someone will be there tomorrow. If you need to call your mom, call her now. If you need to hug your son, hug him now. If you need to see your best friend, do it now. Don’t wait until it is too late.

What I love so much about all three novels in the Shadows Over England series is how brave the main characters are. Rosemary, Willa, and Barclay are SO strong and courageous. They willingly do whatever is necessary to protect their loved ones AND do what is right for all of mankind. Yes, they go through periods of doubt and uncertainty, but they don’t stay there. Barclay is a good man. He cares for others because he knows it is the path God has set him on. Rosemary and Willa were the same in their stories. In this day and age where good is bad and bad is good, it is so refreshing to escape into a world where people are brave because the alternative is unfathomable. My biggest take away from A Name Unknown, A Song Unheard, and An Hour Unspent is to fight my fear. Fear is a liar. Fear says it is bigger than God, but I know better. I want to be like the members of Barclay’s family — willing to do what is necessary for the betterment of others regardless of my fears!

An Hour Unspent is a wonderful read. I chuckled a bit, I cried a little, I was terrified by the Zeppelin attack, and I cheered for Evelina and Barclay the whole time. This book took me through the whole gamut of emotions, and then some! I am truly going to miss my time with Barclay’s phenomenal family.

I received a review copy of this novel in paperback form from the author via Celebrate Lit. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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GIVEAWAY

To celebrate her tour, Roseanna is giving away a grand prize of a signed book, a London mug, and a 48-pack Twinings tea sampler!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!

Click the link below to enter. 

https://promosimple.com/ps/d570/an-hour-unspent-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, October 30

The Power of Words, October 30

Back Porch Reads, October 30

Kat’s Corner Books, October 30

Janice’s Book Reviews, October 30

Where Faith and Books Meet, October 31

Reading Is My SuperPower, October 31

Faithfully Bookish, October 31

Genesis 5020, October 31

Fiction Aficionado, November 1

Among the Reads, November 1

The Lit Addict, November 1

Just the Write Escape, November 1

Multifarious, November 2

Godly Book Reviews, November 2

Real World Bible Study, November 2

Madeline Clark, November 2

Reflections From My Bookshelves, November 3

Christian Bookaholic, November 3

Inspirationally Ever After, November 3

Bookworm Mama, November 3

Bigreadersite, November 3

Blogging With Carol , November 4

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, November 4

Life with the Tribe, November 4

The Becca Files, November 4

Kathleen Denly, November 5

Cordially Barbara, November 5

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 5

Simple Harvest Reads, November 5 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)

God’s Little Bookworm, November 6

All-of-a-kind Mom, November 6

Faery Tales Are Real, November 6

Christian Chick’s Thoughts, November 6

Carpe Diem, November 6

Margaret Kazmierczak, November 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 7

Christian Author, J.E.Grace, November 7

Blossoms and Blessings , November 7

Maureen’s Musings , November 8

Connie’s History Classroom , November 8

Book by Book, November 8

Just Commonly, November 8

cherylbbookblog, November 9

The Christian Fiction Girl, November 9

Have A Wonderful Day , November 9

With a Joyful Noise, November 9

KarenSueHadley , November 10

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 10

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, November 10

Baker kella, November 10

Bibliophile Reviews, November 10

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, November 11

Inklings and Notions , November 11

Two Points of Interest, November 11

Inspiration Clothesline, November 11

A Baker’s Perspective, November 11

Henry Happens, November 12

Texas Book-aholic, November 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 12