Jove, $5.99, ISBN 0-515-12952-6
Paranormal Romance, 2000

One of the good things about Whispers Through Time is that it is a time travel romance that has the hero going back in time without being in love with a portrait or weeping copiously over a dead family member.

Kurt Richards is a bit obsessed about the Anasazi culture, true, but hey, at least he’s being paid for his obsession. He works for the Bureau of Land Management. His obsession causes women – his now ex-wife and his subsequent girlfriend – to kick him out of their lives. I don’t blame them, because Kurt’s idea of a rebound affair is to stake out at his precious ruins at night to catch looters.

This time around, Kurt is distracted by whispers in wind that goes, “Go to her, go to her…” He follows the whispers around, and oops, slips into a ravine. When he staggers into Olivia Hamilton’s ranch, injured, he has no idea he is now in 1890.

Olivia is facing foreclosure of her ranch and is about to accept the proposal of marriage of convenience from her neighbor when in walks Kurt. The usual bedside nursing and peeking-at-his-bare-skin nonsense ensues. Kurt takes care of Olivia, and now Olivia and Kurt must go “discover” some ruins to save Olivia’s ranch. Watch out, here comes greedy gold grubbers!

Whispers Through Time is not a bad read actually. Although I must confess most of the time I am ogling at the Other Man, Sam, wistfully and wondering if he will do something romantic like choking Kurt just to display his insane jealousy over Olivia. Kurt is a rather stock romance hero, same with Olivia, and they, while likable, don’t really make me sit up and get drawn into their story. Hence I find myself more riveted by the Anasazi arc and the possibilities of Sam being a romance hero.