An Hour Unspent

By: Roseanna M. White

Narrated by: Liz Pearce

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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 clockmaker'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 fiance 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 clockmaker 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.

©2018 Roseanna M. White (P)2018 Recorded Books

Hours Listening, Well Spent

Absolutely LOVED it! Roseanna White has created an adventure filled masterpiece! Mystery, intrigue, war and a wonderful family. One of my favorite paragraphs; "But family isn't blood-you know that. It should be, but it isn't, not always. Family is choice. Love."
These words touch my heart in ways I cannot express. There is a message of faith, new faith for Barclay, learning to trust in something other than the street smarts he learned as a means to survive. I loved seeing this and the example he sets for the family.
Barclay meets, Evelina Manning saving her from a mugging. No spoilers from me. You must listen to or read their story yourself. I've done both.(Read the paperback and listened to the Audible version.)
The narrator is, once again, fantastic! I'm so glad the same person was used for the series.
I highly recommend this book!

Excellent!

Roseanna White never disappoints. Wonderful characters and lively dialogue. I can’t wait to start another one!

Well written and well researched, but…

I thought this but was really well written and well researched, but I just didn’t love the heroine in this one. I felt like the first 2 books in this series were really well done and I was excited to hear Barclays story, I just didn’t connect with the heroine.

Pros:
Roseanne White does a great job character building and pulling a reader into a story. She opens up facets of history that I’m not as familiar with. The way she writes about the setting gets me wanting to visit and learn more. Barclay is likeable and the side characters have distinct enough personalities that you don’t forget about them. (In fact, I’d love to read more stories about the siblings in this story.)
Cons:
It could just be me, but I didn’t love Evalina. While I’m all for flawed characters, I just didn’t feel like her prejudice against Barclay having been a thief warranted her intense reaction. Like, he TOLD her right at the beginning that he’d grown up a thief and that he’d just stolen gas for the admiralty. I understand that she assumed he’d been a thief as a child and that their needed to be a conflict, but this felt forced. And then the 180 she does at the end just didn’t feel natural. She was SO stubborn. Like, “A woman is MORE than capable of doing what a man does” but also “I’m going to run back toward enemy lines even though I’m risking my life and the lives of everyone who JUST risked their lives trying to save my dad after I threw a royal tantrum about making sure you took me along.” It felt like she was SUPPOSED to be tough, but she her stubbornness and toughness never actually seemed to help. I dunno, maybe I just missed something.

Anyway, no hate, just my humble opinion. The book is definitely worth reading for the sake of the story (which IS well written) and to see what happens to Barclay. Plus all of Roseanna Whites books seem to have interconnected characters, so it’s nice to know who’s who.

PS The narrator does a great job.

One more great in a great series.

Complex characters struggle with their own pasts, with good versus evil, with good versus best. Family dynamics of support and struggle I form decisions as they live through realistic, detailed plots.

I've enjoyed every book I've ever read of hers

Loved it, will miss this family when done! The narrator is outstanding! Full of action, suspence and intrigue!

Great read!

Really enjoy this author, provides intriguing love stories without smut! I also enjoy the narrator, does the different voices well making it easier to follow the story. The only issue I had with this book was that the volume went loud, then very quiet, not according to the story, just random throughout...So I had to fiddle with the volume throughout. But other than that it was great!

love the historical accuracy in her works

great voices used that advance the story and details without detracting from story line or calling attention away from what is happening in the book

Perfect

This book! This series, these characters! Shadows Over England by Roseanna M. White now officially ranks among my all-time favorite series, and Roseanna is officially one of my favorite authors. Her writing is superb. In An Hour Unspent, about a clockmaker's daughter, I loved all the clock/watch and time metphors and themes she wove in. For all of you who told me this book is your favorite in the series, and that Barclay is your favorite hero of the three--I get it! The redemption arcs in all three books are exquisite. In An Hour Unspent, the action and characterization are a perfect blend, and the amount of romance was just right. I can't say enough good about this novel and series.

Also-the narrator, Liz Pearce, is phenomenal. I'm going to see what else she's done and listen to her more.

Feel good adventure

Loved the whole series but this was the best because all of the orphans played apart

least favorite

I love love White's books but not this one. Barclay is too good for this arrogant woman. It's funny that even tho he's a thief and grew up on the streets she seems beneath him. The reading of this just added to my dislike of her and the book. she sounded like shrew. I couldn't finish it.