Trick of Time

A novel take on time travel and the old-as-time theme of forbidden love are at the center of this new novel from Merrow (Hard Tail). When Ted Ennis steps out the door of the present-day theater where he works and into Victorian London, he thinks his old brain injury is acting up. But the rent boy he meets in the past, Jem, is all too real. After Ted returns to his own time, he’s driven by a complex cocktail of curiosity, guilt, and desire to seek another encounter with Jem. The two men develop a mutual attraction and tenderness despite the harsh penalties for being caught together, but as their feelings begin to truly bloom, Ted finds the portal may have shut forever. Sweet, fun, and intriguing, this is a fun, quick read for a foggy evening. (Feb.)