Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: Time Trap by Danele J. Rotharmel

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About the Book

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When problems arise during a field exam, Director Peter Matthews and Dr. Laura Nelson are sent through a time portal to investigate. While they search for their missing cadets, they encounter an enemy who is calculating and brutal—a mysterious nemesis who is holding a grudge against the TEMCO program. As Peter and Laura race to unravel clues directing them to their kidnapped cadets, their own survival comes into question. A deadly trap has been set, and they are forced to pit their wits against a serial killer who is intent on playing a deadly chess game through time itself.

My Review:

Time Trap is a story with a lot of moving parts to it.  At just over 450 pages, we are swept up into this team of time counselors that are made up of friends and family members.  There is a large cast of characters, even some duplicate from other time lines; however all were important and essential to the team and the story.  At times I dislike such large sets of characters in my books, but author Rotharmel made this work and I felt like I was watching a season of a well written and thought out TV series. 

We did not just watch one romance develop, but several, and since this is the second book in the series, we were caught up with previous storylines.  I did not read the first book but that did not affect my reading enjoyment of this second one nor was I confused in anyway.  I just had missed out on probably a great story.

This was really a character driven story, the time travel was important, but the people is what made the story move forward.  The time travel mythos was interesting to watch, and as a fan of time travel shows like Dr. Who and enjoying the new one Timeless, I really enjoyed this author’s take on time travel and if it was possible what a team of professionals could do with it to help others.

This story has a really sadistic villain as well, and he is shrouded in mystery.  Boy is he ever evil and relentless in his drive to hurt TEMCO (the company’s name) and the things he does to these people was cringe worthy and so inhumane that he had me looking over my shoulder.  So be prepared for some violence and scary parts, but the author does give us lighter moments of romance and humor.

This book I would definitely recommend if you are in for a story that reads like a series.  It ended well and we were given some clues as to what would happen in the future for these characters; however they have a huge battle that is taking shape for them.  I very much look forward to continuing this series.

I received this book for free.  A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

About the Author

Danele Rotharmel grew up with a love of the literary word, and by age five, she knew she wanted to be a writer. However, her life took an unexpected turn when a mysterious illness brought her close to death. Eventually, she learned that a low-level carbon monoxide leak from a faulty furnace in her home was slowly poisoning her. This poisoning triggered severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and partial amnesia.

During this time, the hardest thing she faced was a crisis of faith. She had to quit her job and stop going to church. She couldn’t write, couldn’t drive, and could barely remember who she was. To say she was upset with the Lord was an understatement. She began reexamining her faith in light of her illness, and eventually, she came to the firm conclusion that God is real, God is good, God is interested and involved, and God is trustworthy regardless of tragedy.

When her illness became even more severe, she was put into quarantine and could only talk to friends and extended family through the glass of a window. This quarantine lasted for seven years. During this time, she wrote the first six books in The Time Counselor Chronicles.

Danele currently lives in Colorado where she continues to write. Although her journey back to health was long and difficult, it provided her with the opportunity to grow closer to God and to write her books. For that, she is forever thankful.

You can learn more about Danele by visiting her blog at https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/

Guest Post from Danele Rotharmel

I’ve always loved to read, but I hate that horrible moment when a good book comes to an end. It’s torture saying goodbye to characters I’ve come to love. One of the best things about being an author is having control over your own stories. I wrote The Time Counselor Chronicles while I was extremely ill and enduring seven years of quarantine. During that time, I didn’t have control over many aspects of my life, but I did have control over my fictional characters. I found extreme pleasure in the fact that since I was the author, I didn’t have to say goodbye to the TEMCO crew—I could just write them another story.

Time Trap is the second book in my series. It can be read as a sequel to Time Tsunami, or it can stand alone. Time Trap was written for one reason only—I was enjoying myself, and I didn’t want to say goodbye to the people I’d created in Time Tsunami. And that’s why the other books in my series were written as well. By the time I finally sought publication, I’d completed six books. Writing, for me, was an act of pure enjoyment. When I began, I wasn’t thinking about publishers or reading audiences, I was simply thinking about what type of adventure I wanted to write next. My books brought me joy, and that was all that mattered. For years, I didn’t let anyone know I was writing. TEMCO was my personal world—my escape hatch from illness and pain. I was afraid that if I let others into my imaginary world, it would crumble away. As it turned out, the exact opposite was true. Knowing that people were enjoying my stories filled my life with incredible happiness!

I always fill my books with suspense, romance, action, faith, and comedy. I keep them clean, and I work hard to make them full of page-turning fun. Communication is such a wonderful thing. I love that fact that we can relay our ideas, hopes, and dreams to each other. My books are more than just stories, they symbolically chronicle the way I stood up to my illness and fought it. They speak about the value I place on love and friendship. They show that humor can be found even in the midst of great difficulty. And most of all, they demonstrate that a crisis of faith isn’t the end—it’s simply the first step to understanding God on a deeper level. Life isn’t easy, but I’ve learned that even in the middle of tragedy, God is faithful and trustworthy. That’s what each of my characters eventually learn, and that’s what I hope my readers will take away from my books.

Blog Stops

October 6: A readers brain

October 7: Simple Harvest Reads

October 8: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

October 9: Through the Open Window

October 9: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations

October 10: CTF devourer

October 11: History, Mystery & Faith

October 12: Pause for Tales

October 13: Blogging With Carol

October 14: Donna’s BookShelf

October 15: Carpe Diem

October 16: Petra’s Hope

October 17: henry happens

October 18: Vic’s Media Room

October 19: A Baker’s Perspective

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Danele is giving away a package that includes an autographed paperback copy of both Time Tsunami and Time Trap, a Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord” journal, a lovely coffee cup, and a 4X4 picture frame. Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/a5da