The Beginning, Book 1, Part 1 of the McKinnon Legends, by Ranay James tells the story of a duchess named Morgan Pembridge who escapes her abusive uncle. Disguised as a boy, she encounters a night named Nick McKinnon, and together they flee her uncle.
It is hard to give much more of a synopsis without giving away the plot, but I’m sure if I tell you that this feels more like a romance story than a time-travel story (which is what it claims to be), you can figure it out.
Honestly, I think this is one of the hardest reviews I’ve written. It’s very easy to write reviews when you obviously love something or obviously hate it. This book was sort of in the middle. The story was not strong, but was promising. I didn’t want to put it down . . . until the last 1.5 hours (I listened to the audio book). In that last 1.5 hours, I found myself rolling my eyes and saying “Oh, come on! We are really going to do this again?!” (Imagine a tone of sarcasm and exasperation as you read that sentence.)
It is hard to justify why I believe events in the story were unrealistic and drawn out without actually giving away spoilers. So, you will either have to trust me, or read the book yourself. 🙂
If you want a very thorough review, you can check out Hayat’s review on Goodreads. Please note, that my review is only of Part 1. Apparently, parts 1 & 2 were published as separate books but have since been combined into one book. Hayat’s review is of part 1 and 2.
Also, I will say this book is probably PG-15 for some sexual references. Not enough to warrant my “sensitive reader alert” but enough to caution parents about letting their teens read it.
P.S. And no, if you are wondering, I will not continue to read this series.
Reading4Fun 