Daring Time

Chicago detective Ryan Daire can't believe his favorite college professor has gifted him with a sprawling mansion. Puzzled by his generosity, Ryan decides to live in the mansion but realizes on his cop's salary, at some point he'll have to sell it. Taking his partner to view it for the first time, Ryan spies a lady in period costume. Knowing his partner thinks he's crazy because only Ryan saw her; he can't help but be drawn by this luscious beauty. While continuing to live there, Ryan quickly figures out the mysterious woman in none other than Hope Stillwell, a lady who lived in the mansion over 100 years ago. Why does Ryan only see this woman who haunts his everyday life? While you don't have to be a native Chicagoan to enjoy Beth Kery's Daring Time, it sure will make the places Ms. Kery describes come `alive' for you. Weaving seamlessly back and forth from present day to a Chicago one hundred years ago, we are presented with two unlikely characters, so much alike, separated by the barrier of time. Ryan Daire isn't your ordinary flatfoot - he's been classically trained under the tutelage of the famous University of Chicago professors and can quote Shakespeare by heart! He's a dominant man who's into BDSM, making sure his play partners are highly satisfied. Delving into Hope's past, he finds direct correlations to his current investigation of a man who is reputed to be the organizer of a human trafficking ring. Hope Stillwell is a legend among the women of Chicago during her time. She's made it her cause to eradicate white slavery within the streets of Chicago, tirelessly saving women from prostitution. When she sees Ryan, she's immediately attracted to him, sensing he's the man for her. It's interesting to watch as Hope puts some of her antiquated feelings aside as she acquiesces to Ryan's dominant demands. Ryan is such a tender lover with Hope, sharing some highly intimate scenes which left me breathless. If you love paranormal stories laced with mysterious and erotic elements, pick up Daring Time today. Bravo Ms. Kery! You warmed my heart to read such a superb story now chained to my "keeper shelf" set in my beloved city.

This is the first book I have read from Ms. Kery and it was amazing. It was fast paced, easy read. The story line flows from current to past seamlessly and the characters are loveable. One of my favorite passages involves a mirror and the main characters on different sides as well a different time periods. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Chicago Detective Ryan Daire is having a weird day - first an old friend suddenly gifts him with an incredible historical mansion, then once he is there to take a look at the property he starts to "see" a mysterious woman that pushes all his buttons. But instead of being spooked, like his partner, Ryan is intrigued by this amazing specter that he is sure is real...but once he is proven right and he makes a connection with this beautiful woman, how will he reach her and save her from the fate she is destined by history to meet? Hope Stillwater is a woman out of time living in 1906, where her headstrong ideas, morals and desire to help others are stifled by society's strictures and a ruthless adversary. However, when she starts to see an alluring man in strange places she can't help but wonder what their connection is - that is, until Ryan lets her know how explosive the passion can be between them. But when Hope gets kidnapped by Chicago's reigning king-pin the stakes are high and Ryan must risk all to travel back to 1906 and rescue Hope, but will he be able to do it and keep her in the bargain? Daring Time is a terrific time-travel novel that takes unexpected turns, many of then so steamy as to leave you in a fiery heat for hours, to reach a very satisfying HEA. Beth Kery has written a spellbinding time-travel novel that takes will take all of the traditional reader's expectations and turn them on their heads with her unique characters, surprising plot twists and mirroring circumstances between timelines that add spice to the story - never mind the scorchingly hot, bone-melting and knock your socks off sensual encounters between Ryan and Hope. Ryan is as much an Alpha male as you could wish for in and out of the bedroom, but he is a man tempered by his love of knowledge and romantic heart. Hope is a strong woman, very much out of time, as her steely core, never lets anyone, much less herself, forget that she is too smart to be bullied by patronizing males or pushed by such males into doing unintelligent things to prove her "independence". When Ryan and Hope come together they will set the pages on fire and leave you envying Hope her luck in finding Ryan! One of the most appealing things about Daring Time is the strong elements of social consciousness and love woven into the plot tempered by characters possessed of great common sense and valor. Get yourself Daring Time for a truly entrancing read that will keep you turning the pages well into the night! Sabella Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Ryan Daire is a Chicago police detective. He spends his work hours fighting crime and his off hours teaching the youth of Chicago how to box. Ryan is stunned when an old friend gifts him with a turn of the century historic mansion but agrees to go and take a look at his present. Once inside the house, Ryan begins to feel something unexplained and when he looks in a wardrobe mirror and sees a beautiful woman staring back at him he knows something is up. Searching for and finding no evidence that anyone other than Ryan and his best friend are in the house, Ryan chalks his experience up to being tired. Deciding to sleep in the mansion is an impetuous decision but one that Ryan is unable to stop himself from doing. When he finds pictures of the impressively gorgeous woman hidden cubbyhole, he is ecstatic to know he wasn't crazy. Ryan has to see if the woman is real because his dreams tell him she is - his heart is afraid to believe. Hope Stillwater is a woman ahead of the times. Living in Chicago in 1906, she is the apple of her father's eye and a pampered princess. Her castle is a gilded cage because Hope has dreams and ideas and wants to help so many people but is not allowed to because of her gender. Stifled by society and what is expected of women, Hope's helpful nature is thwarted at every turn. When she sees a handsome man in her mirror she wishes she knew why he was in her house. She finds out quickly enough when Hope visits his dreams and the passion between the two is explosive. Their relationship is tested in many ways but none as serious as when Hope is kidnapped by a ruthless king-pin. Her disappearance breaks Ryan's heart and he knows that she would not have left him. Hoping against hope he can find her, Ryan does the unthinkable. He finds a way to travel to 1906 and the woman he loves. But will Ryan and Hope be able to stay together once she is safe and back home where she belongs? A hauntingly beautiful and enduring love story comes to mind when I think of DARING TIME by Beth Kery. Ryan and Hope's love story stands the test of time and time travel as they explore their burgeoning feelings for each other. Ryan is an alpha male after my own heart. He is dominant to the bone but not afraid to show Hope exactly how much he cherishes and desires her. He made me swoon more than once while showing the romantic side he displayed for his woman. Hope is a woman being smothered by society and all the rules that women were made to live with during the time period in which she lives. She is strong and not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right, even if she puts herself in danger to do so. The love scenes between Ryan and Hope are smoldering hot and delicious. The attraction they feel for each other more than jump off the pages - each and every scene sizzles with powerful emotions. The love Ryan and Hope share is timeless and so very intense. With an outstanding happily ever after that I was hoping for, DARI

Ryan Daire, a vice cop working for the Chicago Police department is given a mansion on "Prairie Avenue", by his old college professor, family friend and mentor Alistair. The Prairie Avenue District in Chicago was the millionaire's row in late 19th and early 20th century. The mansion is therefore steeped in history and as Ryan and his partner Ramiro Menendez walk into the grand ballroom with it's glittering chandelier he feels an instant appreciation for its majesty. Ryan can even visualize the elegant décor and a flawlessly beautiful woman with long dark hair, dressed in a ball gown looking over her shoulder at him. He thinks she is a mirage. During their exploration of the house, they find a woman's bedroom that hosts a large brass bed with two mahogany tables. Ramiro discovers an old leather bound book in one of the drawers which proves to be a book of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Ryan Vincent Daire isn't your average vice cop; he has a degree in history and was raised by a father who taught him a love of Shakespeare, which Alistair nurtured. As he cradles the book in his hands it falls open to a well-worn page which he immediately recognizes as the 116th Sonnet. A massive mahogany wardrobe is also housed within the room and Ryan finds a full-length mirror attached to the door. As he looks into the mirror, which appears somewhat cloudy with age he sees not his own reflection but the same stunning beauty he envisioned in the ballroom of the mansion. He is, needless to say, shocked and mystified; more than that he cannot believe she is an apparition of his imagination. From here things really get interesting. In the year 1906, Hope Stillwater, an upper class virginal "gentlewoman", is in her bedroom in the Prairie Avenue mansion, she has locked the door and pulled out a provocative negligee she has secreted away in the back of the wardrobe. Hope was given the sheer black lacy garment by her unlikely acquaintance and friend Addie Sampson, the madam of one of the only "respectable" brothels in the city. She and Hope share a common goal of abolishing the practice of white slavery. While Hope feels scandalized wearing the garment, she carefully puts it on and stares at her reflection in the full length wardrobe mirror. Instead of seeing herself, a very tall handsome "exotic" man is staring back at her; Hope of course is startled and frightened, and leaps away from the mirror. In a strange turn of events, she finds an inscription Ryan has left in her book of Shakespearean Sonnets. His name, the address of her house and the year 2008 is written in the margin on the page of her favorite sonnet. Ryan finds a dedication to Hope inscribed in the same book found in the bedroom. After Ryan moves into the old house he has further magical, ghostly, erotic encounters with Hope. He manages to glean information from the police archives that Hope Stillwater was murdered at the young age of 25 in the year 1906 and he sets out to try and reach and save the woman