Review: Time and Regret by M.K. Tod

Title: Time and Regret
Author: M.K. Tod 
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Lake Union
Publish Date: August 16, 2016
Source: Author

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past—and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather’s puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man—and suddenly aware that someone is following her…

Through her grandfather’s vivid writing and Grace’s own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasn’t the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them."

My Two Cents:

"Time and Regret" is a story told in two different times. In the early 1990s, Grace is going through a messy divorce and is trying to put her life back together. She discovers diaries and a mysterious package left in her attic by her beloved grandfather. During World War I, Grace's grandfather, Martin, is fighting on the fields of France. What he experiences will change him forever. He keeps a detailed diary about all that he experiences including some secrets that he will keep for the rest of his life. Filled with many secrets, this book kept me on my toes.

The characters were fascinating. Grace becomes a vehicle for shedding light on all that Martin went through during the Great War but the author also infuses her with a lot of personality on her own, which I really enjoyed. Her personality and drive really come into their own as she realizes that there is someone just as driven as her trying to get to her grandfather's secret first. The action in the book really picks up as it goes along. I was incredibly drawn to Martin as I got to know him throughout the book. He is such an interesting character with a lot below the surface.

I loved the unraveling of the mystery in this book. It really kept me engaged and I loved seeing the trip that the author took us on. While I enjoyed the mystery, I enjoyed reading Martin's journal entries even more. The author packs a ton of historical detail in so you can feel all of the things that Martin is experiencing throughout the book. I love reading about WWI and you definitely get a good sense of just how much soldiers were expected to deal with during that time period. This is a satisfying book about family secrets that will be a treat for my fellow histfic lovers!