Bryn Donovan’s second venture into temporal romance, Her Time Traveling Duke, arrives with the weighty expectation of following up her charming debut Her Knight at the Museum. This time, Donovan swaps medieval armor for Regency-era refinement, delivering a story that examines what happens when scientific rationalism collides headfirst with modern mysticism—and when grief meets hope across the chasm of two centuries.
The Architecture of Attraction
Rose Novak exists in that peculiar space between cynicism and belief, working at a Chicago museum while maintaining a practice of crystal healing and astrological charts that she’s not entirely convinced actually work. When her casual love spell unexpectedly yanks Henry Horatio Leighton-Lyons, the fifth Duke of Beresford, from his 1818 portrait sitting directly into her apartment, both characters find themselves confronting the uncomfortable gap between what they think they know and what they can no longer deny.
Donovan constructs her romance on a foundation that many time-travel narratives overlook: genuine incompatibility. Henry isn’t just a fish out of water fumbling with smartphones and microwave ovens. He’s a widower who has dedicated years to the quasi-scientific pursuit of reversing time itself, driven by the singular goal of reuniting with his late wife Charlotte. His appearance in Rose’s world isn’t a charming accident but a cruel irony—he wanted to travel backward, not forward. This grief, still raw despite the passage of years, makes Henry’s growing feelings for Rose both more complicated and more meaningful than a simple case of instalove.
The chemistry between these protagonists operates on multiple frequencies. There’s the expected physical attraction, certainly, but Donovan shows greater interest in intellectual friction. Henry approaches the world through empirical observation and logical deduction, qualities that served him well in Regency England but leave him perpetually frustrated by Rose’s intuitive, spiritually oriented worldview. Their arguments about the nature of magic versus science provide some of the novel’s most engaging moments, particularly because Donovan refuses to definitively settle the question. In a genre that often smooths over fundamental incompatibilities in favor of romantic destiny, this refusal feels refreshingly honest.
Temporal Mechanics and Narrative Flow
The plot mechanics surrounding time travel receive more attention than many romance readers might expect, though perhaps less than science fiction enthusiasts might prefer. The enchanted astrolabe that becomes central to returning Henry to his own era arrives with its own history and complications, introducing a shadowy organization that trades in temporal artifacts. Donovan handles these elements with a light touch, providing just enough explanation to maintain plausibility without getting bogged down in paradoxes or multiverse theory.
However, this delicate balance occasionally tips into vagueness. The rules governing time travel shift as the narrative demands, which creates moments of convenient problem-solving that undercut the story’s tension. When obstacles appear insurmountable, new information or capabilities emerge with timing that feels more like authorial intervention than organic discovery. For readers who prefer their fantasy elements rigorously systematized, this flexibility may prove frustrating.
The pacing demonstrates Donovan’s growing confidence as a novelist. The early chapters move swiftly, establishing the central conflict and romantic tension without unnecessary delay. The middle section, where Rose and Henry navigate the peculiarities of their situation while conducting their search for the astrolabe, maintains momentum through a combination of romantic development and obstacle-based plotting. Yet the final act feels somewhat rushed, condensing significant character growth and world-altering decisions into a compressed timeframe that doesn’t quite match the deliberate pacing established earlier.
Character Depth and Development
Rose emerges as a protagonist whose contradictions define her appeal. She’s simultaneously confident and insecure, independent yet lonely, skeptical of her own magical practices while maintaining them with devotion. Her struggle to balance unconventional spiritual beliefs with practical museum work resonates with anyone divided between different aspects of their identity.
Henry receives similarly nuanced treatment. Donovan avoids transforming her historical hero into a modern man in period clothing. His adjustment to the twenty-first century involves genuine discomfort—not just at technology, but at social changes he struggles to understand. His grief over Charlotte remains present throughout, adding layers to his developing feelings for Rose that read as psychologically realistic rather than melodramatic.
The supporting cast proves less developed, functioning primarily as plot facilitators. Emily, Rose’s best friend, exists mainly to provide encouragement and reality checks. The mysterious organization seeking temporal artifacts remains frustratingly opaque, with characters like Jason and Ryan hinting at larger stories that never quite materialize.
Thematic Resonance
Beneath its romantic surface, Her Time Traveling Duke explores questions about home and belonging that extend beyond geographical or temporal boundaries. Henry’s eventual decision about where—and when—he belongs carries weight because Donovan has established that either choice involves genuine sacrifice. This isn’t a case of the past being uniformly terrible and the present obviously superior, but rather two different worlds, each with its own appeal and limitations.
Her Time Traveling Duke also examines the intersection of faith and evidence, particularly through Rose and Henry’s ongoing debate about the nature of magic. In less capable hands, this could devolve into tired arguments about science versus superstition. Instead, Donovan suggests that both approaches to understanding the world might contain truth, that empirical observation and intuitive knowing needn’t exist in opposition. Given that magic demonstrably works in this fictional universe, Henry’s insistence on rational explanations becomes a form of denial that mirrors Rose’s reluctance to fully embrace her own abilities.
Themes of second chances and moving forward from grief thread through the narrative with varying degrees of subtlety. Henry’s journey from a man literally trying to reverse time to someone willing to embrace an unknown future provides the emotional arc that grounds the fantastical elements. Rose’s parallel journey toward believing she deserves genuine love and connection complements rather than mirrors Henry’s transformation.
The Writing Craft
Donovan’s prose demonstrates considerable improvement from her debut. Her sentences flow with greater confidence, and her dialogue captures both historical formality and contemporary casualness without either feeling forced. Particularly effective are the scenes where Henry and Rose navigate cultural misunderstandings, which Donovan plays for both humor and genuine emotional revelation.
The author’s background in television writing becomes apparent in her scene construction. Chapters often end with hooks that propel readers forward, and individual scenes possess clear objectives and turning points. This structural clarity serves the story well, though occasionally the pacing feels dictated more by chapter requirements than organic narrative flow.
Description receives careful attention without overwhelming the story. Donovan trusts her readers to fill in details, providing just enough sensory information to ground scenes while keeping focus on character interaction and emotional development. The Chicago setting feels authentic without becoming a travelogue, and the glimpses of Regency England establish period without drowning readers in historical minutiae.
Final Reflections
Her Time Traveling Duke succeeds as romantic entertainment while exhibiting the growing pains of a developing author. The central relationship feels earned rather than inevitable, the conflicts possess genuine stakes, and the resolution satisfies without feeling too tidy. Yet the novel’s ambitions occasionally exceed its execution, particularly in the world-building surrounding time travel and the development of secondary characters.
For readers seeking light, engaging romance with fantastical elements, Donovan delivers a charming story about finding love in unexpected places—or times. Those hoping for deep exploration of temporal mechanics or thoroughly developed supporting cast may find themselves wanting more. The book works best when understood as character-driven romance that uses time travel as a catalyst for personal growth rather than as hard science fiction with romantic elements.
Donovan has established herself as a reliably entertaining voice in paranormal romance, demonstrating that second books can indeed build meaningfully on debut success while charting their own course.
Similar Reads You Might Enjoy
For Time-Travel Romance Enthusiasts:
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – A more literary exploration of love across time with deeper emotional complexity
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – Epic historical time-travel romance with richer period detail
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren – Contemporary time-loop romance with similar magical realism elements
For Paranormal Romance Fans:
- Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan – The companion novel featuring a medieval knight transported to modern times
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness – Historical scholar meets vampire with time travel elements and more elaborate world-building
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling – Contemporary witch romance with similar humor and magical hijinks
For Fish-Out-of-Water Romance:
- Enchanted (film novelization) – Similar fairytale-meets-reality dynamic
- The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare – Historical romance featuring a Duke and commoner with comparable class dynamics
- Beach Read by Emily Henry – Contemporary romance exploring opposing worldviews coming together
Each of these selections offers different strengths—whether deeper historical detail, more complex magical systems, or stronger supporting casts—while sharing Her Time Traveling Duke’s fundamental appeal of connection across seemingly impossible divides.