Time After Time - Tamara Ireland Stone

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: Time Between Us #2
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Source/Format: NetGalley (Thanks Disney-Hyperion!) || e-galley

[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the thoughts expressed in my review.]

Calling Anna and Bennett’s romance long distance is an understatement: she’s from 1995 Chicago and he’s a time traveler from 2012 San Francisco. The two of them never should have met, but they did. They fell in love, even though they knew they shouldn't. And they found a way to stay together, against all odds. 

It’s not a perfect arrangement, though, with Bennett unable to stay in the past for more than brief visits, skipping out on big chunks of his present in order to be with Anna in hers. They each are confident that they’ll find a way to make things work...until Bennett witnesses a single event he never should have seen (and certainly never expected to). Will the decisions he makes from that point on cement a future he doesn't want? (from Goodreads)

Though Time Between Us didn't actually require a sequel, Time After Time is actually a very neat follow-up. It still contains the same whimsy, hopefulness and romance, as well as the conflict that threatens to tear Anna and Bennett apart. While it didn't have the same level of impact, it was easy to get caught up in this new chapter of Anna and Bennett's story.

The romance is, essentially, my favorite part. Anna and Bennett are two people in an extreme long distance relationship. Not only do they live in different cities, but they also inhabit different years -- Anna in 1995, Bennett in 2012. How they deal with this distance, and the intensity of their commitment is enough to woo any romantic's heart. It's clear to the reader from the beginning that these two are people in love, and people willing to fight for the relationship, no matter how impossible it seems.

An additional element of this novel is Bennett's own internal conflict, particularly when it comes to the moral side of his ability. This encompasses quite a number of things -- the truths and lies he tells his family and friends, the physical toll his ability takes on him, the question of whether or not he should use his ability to change some people's lives (for the better) and even his relationship with Anna. Being in Bennett's head was a complicated affair, as he seemed to be encountering so many problems in this book. However, the portrayal of his confusion, doubt and emotions felt incredibly authentic, and made me feel like a lot of those feelings were happening to me.

Really, Time After Time worked because I'm a Bennett fan. Even though he experienced a number of growing pains in this book, the journey could not have felt more real. While I do think that the way things end is a bit of a cop-out, getting there definitely made up for it. If you enjoyed Time Between Us and need to know more about Bennett and Anna, then it's easy for me to recommend that you read this.