A Question of Boundaries

By: Sandy Bruney

Narrated by: Ashley Holt

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

By 1895, the United States is in the 80th year of the isolation imposed by King Thomas I and upheld by his successors. But some are chafing under the shortages and restrictions, and when inventor Dr. Featherstone declares he has found a way to override all borders, there are those who applaud the discovery and those who fear it.

When Dr. Featherstone fails to return home for an important scientific gathering, his daughter Caroline enlists the help of the member of Parliament from Charlotte, Nathan Llewellen. As the two search for the kidnappers, Caroline is plunged into a world where travel to other realities is possible in the blink of an eye, and people can assume the forms of fearsome as well as familiar animals...and where love comes at the most unexpected times and places.

Nathan's peculiar gift might cost Caroline her life, but she has already lost her heart.

©2014 Clean Reads (P)2017 Clean Reads

unique and interesting!

This was a unique and interesting romance with paranormal elements (time travel.) I listened to this with my 14 year old and we enjoyed it. Narration was good and story kept us listening from start to finish. Looking forward to book 2.

** A copy of this audio book was provided in exchange for an honest review**

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Story

I got this ARC via audiobook boom. I am not a fan of time travel books but this one is a good one. It is filled with shapeshifters, magic gates, greed, and corruption. The narrator was good and she brought out the emotions that each character exhibited. The story was well developed and kept me listening to the entire time. I completed it in two sittings and was well pleased with the entire story. There was not a real cliffhanger but you know that there should be more books.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good mix of Fantasy, History & Romance 🌼

Although paranormal genre isn't my "norm" this book kept my attention. I was pleased to find the characters were believable and the plot was a great mix of fantasy, history and romance. It is written well and is a good beginning to this series.

Narration can definitely make or break an audio book. I have to admit that I had to start and restart this book a few times because of the narration. She read without much inflection and seemed a bit monotone. Once I got used to the rhythm of her voice I got past my judgment and just got into the story and enjoyed it. I recommend that everyone listen to the audio sample a of any book before purchasing.

I was given this free audiobook review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

well okay how should I start?

overall I did love this book it was very nice written.... I could feel the timeline very well..
the fantasy and reality collided quite well in this book...
it might sound funny but I liked the progressivity of the Kings..
they were quite modern for this period ...
the fantasy and sci-fi was very very good I didn't feel like it was forced on you...
I loved the romance in the book...
I think everything was in time I can't wait to put my hands on the 2nd audiobook..
p.s. the narrator was quite good she wasn't boring and she didn't enforce too much feelings on the book she read it quite monotonically but not in a boring way....
I certainly thumbs up for this book

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable story

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It had a very steampunk feel and the story itself was quite entertaining. When your father has been kidnapped (or so you feel), you chase down him and his kidnappers, at least that is how our heroine, Caroline, feels. I like that we get to see a world much like our own, but with a few huge twists. Instead of a free trade, America has closed its borders out of fear of a plague. We get to see what could happen if our political system was similar, but had a king at its head.

This was a fun listen. The only issue I had was with the pacing of the narration. I normally listen to books at 1.25 speed. This was too fast. Slowed down to normal speed, it was too slow. There also wasn't a ton of inflection in the narration, but the story kept me wanting to listen.

I will not hesitate to pick up more books in this series.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

Loved this book! Fantastic world building: alternate history, steampunk, and a touch of paranormal. The storyline kept me hooked and the characters are great. Plenty of action and intrigue, and the romance is more sweet than steam. Awesome narrator put the icing on the cake. I highly recommend listening to this unique book and can’t wait to see what happens next in the series! I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Unusual Circumstances

The author and narrator did a great job in telling the story. It was a very different type of story that made you want to see what was to happen next. I was a clean story.I was given a copy for an honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very Creative Alternative Timeline Historical!

Very Creative Alternative Timeline Historical Romance!

This is #01 in the A Question of... Trilogy Series.

This series is listed by Sandy Bruney on Audible but other sites have it listed under Sandra Bruney.

HFN with a continuing storyline.

This is a SMC Series: (Same Main Couple/Character Series) A trilogy to be exact. The first one can be listened to as a standalone, but if you intend to continue the series I would recommend reading these in order.

Content Advisory:
This is very PG with no sex.

This is a Historical Romance with an Alternative Timeline. There are Steampunk elements as well as Paranormal. It's definitely not like anything I've listened to before, in the best way.

Caroline Featherstone is the heroine of this trilogy, and she is a stubborn little thing for sure. Although its an alternative world, its still not far from the history we know. Women are still without many of the rights we have today, but she is determined to be more than she is allowed to be. This leads her into to many shady situations, especially when jumping blindly in trying to find her dad. Her brilliant yet ignorant father, has gone missing and there are those that are not above kidnapping her to get to him. Lucky for her, there are those that would protect her with their lives. These friends have many special skills that give them an advantage above mere mortals. I don't want to ruin any of the surprises, but just know that this is a paranormal and that wolf on the cover is not a pet!

Nathan Llewellen is our hero and he is more than meets the eye! He is a widower and a politician. Nate is heading the party to drop the border restrictions. He knows that if Caroline's father truly did invent a way of communicating without wires, that it would upset the Status Quo of the last 80yrs. This should be a good thing, but there are those that greatly profit off the way things are now, that would kill to stay on top. There are paranormal secrets in Nathan's closet, as well as those of his acquaintances.

Pay attention to the clues!

This title was originally published in late 2014, but is actually quite relevant to current political times. If you don't follow politics, that's OK too. This was a great ride, with lots of surprises! I was so much into the story that I missed one of the clues that should of been obvious to me. I still got it before it was revealed to me, but way after the point where I should of picked up on it. 😀 This is great for those that like paranormal romances, steampunk, historical romances, or clean romances. I personally like a little smutt in my reads/listens, but I still enjoyed this tale.

Sandy/Sandra Bruney has created some great characters. The world building is very inventive. This is my first by her and I hope to listen to the rest of the series.

This was not my first or last listen by Ashley Holt. Her character voices are great even though at times it can get a bit muddy when the dialog goes on for length and numerous peeps are talking. Overall you don't notice much though because you will be too rapped up in the story.

Normal speed was fine, however I listened at 0.90x. It is my personal preference.

Audiobook obtained at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.

Interesting with a touch of unique

This was a fun story, and kept me interested. I'm not much for historical type stories, but this one has a little bit of twist, so I enjoyed it. There's a little bit of a steampunk feel, and I liked the mystery/suspense in the story. There's also a little bit of a sweet romance, but this book doesn't really focus on that. Caroline's inventor father goes missing, so she asks Nathan for help finding him. Nathan works for Parliament, and is having issues with the possibility that there are some nefarious characters involved in the Parliament. Another storyline is that there isn't any trading happening with foreign entities, so that is causing some contention between the members. There's also some dangerous men after Caroline because they are seeking information on her missing father. I liked Caroline's feistiness, but she does lack some common sense. I liked her though, and the other characters were good too. Nathan has an unique magical ability, and there's also some supernatural things going on with some other characters that added some fun to the story. I listened to the story, and the narrator was a good fit for this type of story. This story is sort of formal and proper, so her voice worked with it. I'd like to continue with the series, and read about the other adventures Caroline and Nathan get into. One more thing, why isn't this on Goodreads! It's not going towards my challenge, so sad!

If You Love History You'll Love This Series

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

As with the other two books in the series, the narration though clear and easy to listen to, felt a little flat. However once you got into the story itself and started earnestly following it, you got used to the performers style and could enjoy the developing drama throughout the book. The historical facts certainly add interest to the story cleverly disguised as the protagonists' adventure into a land of uncertainty. The period in which the series takes place is well described and the supernatural qualities of the main characters add a definite interesting twist to the narrative. The prose was well written and easy to follow. I feel sure you'll enjoy the series starting with this one.

Effortless portrayal of merging timelines

'A Question of Boundaries' is an almost unusual book. As hoped the narration does not begin with a laborious backstory of the alternate timeline that this book centres around. Instead of treating the reader as a student, learning the world of the book, we are brought along for the ride and find ourselves caught up in the search for Caroline's father, presenting itself as if a murder mystery before morphing into its final form. Several times while listning I found myself trying to puzzle out, what is this book? I would advise listners to simply strap in for the ride. Please note that this review was facilitated via a free review code meaning I did not pay for this book, instead agreeing to provide a (hopefully) unbiased voluntary review once I was finished listning. Had I paid for it, I highly doubt I would seek to return it.

It is worth stating that the narration is rarther sing-song. It took me until the conclusion of the first chapeter to ajust to the fast paced flowery tone and I prepared myself a negative impression. As I listened further however the tone and slight inflection used to differentiate dialogue from the rest of the book as well as the books theme of a rarther prim an proper way of concluding affairs in this re-imagining of a post-independance America brought me to appricate the narration. When in rome after all, the fast paced no-nonsese narration mirrored characteristcs I must assume Mrs. Featherstone would expect with all the chaos she tolerates throughout the book. Additionally the sing-song and fake or forced sounding narration, in my mind at least, highlighted just how old-fashoned and over the top this world is. Steamcarrage may well be my newst word.

While the fast pace did take an ajustment I rarely found the need to rewind portions or listen again. Background noise is mercifully absent and near the end the occasional microphone jostling could be heard which does deserve a mention. As always one should listen to the samples provided as I can imagine the frills and pace would discourage some listners. It you want to truely listen to the world that is crafted I have little trouble advising you led this your ear. Perhaps don't listen too loudly however, it will not help you catch any more details from the story and may give you a headache.

Historical, Suspenseful, Paranormal Romance in 1!

Oh My Goodness!! There is so much going on in this book that I doubt it can accurately categorised. Is it romantic? Yes. Is there an element of suspense? Yes. Is it a historical story? Yes. Are there paranormal aspects and characters? Yes. All yes but also a little bit... no, not quite!

Have I confused you? I kind of hope so, in a good way, because that makes it all the more interesting. For instance, the story is set in the USA in the late 1800s. The country has been completely isolated from the rest of the world for several decades to avoid the spreading of the plague. There is a monarch and the upper and lower parliaments, not unlike the traditional House of Lords, with its inherited seats, and the House of Commons. It is also set in the age of industrial development with the invention of various technology as well. Plus, there are shifters, mediums, telepaths and so on. There are also little moments of time-shifts but I don't want to get into further detail, because that would be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that with each added element the plot thickens, twists and gets more interesting.

What a fantastic imagination author, Sandy Bruney, has!! I wouldn't mind listening to more of her books.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.