Title: Waterfall Author: Lisa Tawn Bergren
Series: River of Time #1
Format: ebook
Pages: 384 pages
"What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.
Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting."
It’s very rare for me to find a book that I literally cannot put down. When I do find that book, you can be sure that I’m going to be recommending it to everybody and their grandmother. I’ve never been to Italy and, after reading Murder in Italy by Candace Dempsey, my romantic image of Italy had been shattered (I did love the book, though, so you should go check out my review of it HERE). However, now that I’m reading Eat , Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (review coming soon) I’m starting to regain my initial romantic ideas of the place. Reading Waterfall, on the other hand, helped me to experience an entirely different kind of Italy. Having never read a book set in ancient Italy, I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I would not be disappointed once Gabi stepped out of that tomb and got whisked away from danger by the dashing Marcello.
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.
Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting."
My Thoughts:
Marcello... What can I say about him? He’s handsome (of course!) and strong, sweet and charming, noble and kind, respectful and respectable, sugar and spice, and everything ni- Oh! Ahem...Excuse me! I got a little sidetracked there... No, I should not have added the sugar and spice part. He’s a perfectly honourable, respectable, gallant knight in shining armour. See the Team Marcello button on my right side bar if you don’t believe me! Yes, well Marcello is amazing. Although he initially came across as being a rather simple-minded male chauvinist in his reactions to Gabi, it didn’t take long for him to endear himself to me. I loved the way he accepted Gabi’s unusual nature (unusual when compared to other women of his time) and respected her as a lady. I loved how he remained faithful to Lady Rossi (his intended) even when he was attracted to Gabi. I loved how he was gentle and sweet, yet strong when he needed to be. Yes, Marcello certainly made quite an impression.
Gabi initially came across as a whiny teenager in the opening scene when she’s searching for a potential digging site with her mother and sister. However, it was only once she was transported back to ancient Italy that her true strength and courage were revealed. Being a fan of empowered and capable women a.k.a. kick-ass heroines, she certainly earned my respect as the story progressed.
I won’t give away much regarding the story itself (you really should read it!) but I can say that there’s a lot of action, adventure and romance contained within the pages of what is the beginning of a highly entertaining series. Right from the moment Gabi and Lia place their hands over handprints embedded in the walls of a tomb at an archaeological site in modern-day Italy and Gabi emerges from the tomb into the midst of a battle in an entirely different time period, followed by her arrival and stay at Castello Forelli, her adjustment to the primitive amenities and unfamiliar style of dressing, code of conduct and speech of the period and various other changes (all while pretending to be a noblewoman who has lost her way and her possessions and is in search of her family) we are whisked away on an adventure that is sure to leave us breathlessly turning the pages until we reach the very end and are left yearning for more. I know I can’t wait to pick up my copies of Cascade and Torrent!
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