This is Ms. Allen's first novel, and it is a nice effort to present a unique storyline. The lives of Amber Sexton, M.D. and Tyler Montgomery, CPA, are thrown together when Tyler is attacked in his office and rushed to the hospital where Amber practices. Tyler has been shot and must be treated immediately if he is to live. When Amber is "accidentally" hit in the head by an opening door, they both wake up to find themselves planted right in the middle of the American Civil War! It takes them both a few minutes to figure out that they have travelled back in time.

The big questions: how did it happen, and why did it happen? Finding themselves inside a Union medical unit, they both put their skills to work just to survive, while all the while having to disguise their real identities. After all, who would believe them?

As the relationship between Amber and Tyler grows, we learn that Amber is a faithful Latter-day Saint. Tyler has LDS roots, too, but they aren't obvious. The religious, and sexual, tension between the two is thick, as they fall in love in a strange place and in a strange time.

The purpose for this time-travel becomes clear as the story comes to an end; naturally, I won't discuss it in this review.

Love Beyond Time is peppered with both nasty and nice characters. Allen did some nice research into Civil War times to make the characters believable and credible. Scenes of battle-wounded soldiers, some still boys, are especially vivid.

Clearly, the theology of conversion and testimony is at the heart of this book, rather than any consideration of the metaphysics of time-travel. And how would such a subject be treated? For example, if Amber and Tyler were substantially present in the mid-19th century as well as the close of the 20th century, at what point did their pre-mortal spirits descend to earth? And does a general philosophy of history allow us to accept history as a vaguery subject to the retrospective acts of ordinary people?

One must simply avoid asking such questions in order to enjoy this kind of book.

Love Beyond Time was a pleasant, easy read. I'm guessing that young adults will enjoy this book, as well as anyone willing to suspend disbelief long enough to read a nice story.

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Jeff Needle
jeff.needle@general.com