Book Review: When Destiny Calls by Tricia McGill

Blurb:

Whisked by some unseen force from the Covid-19 ridden world of 2020 in Australia, to an equally horrific time in the past, carer Chloe Simpson finds herself in North London during the Blitz of 1940. Could be that Chloe became too immersed in the stories related to her by Minnie, a woman in the Australian nursing home where she cares for elderly people. Stories about the dreadful days and nights endured during the Blitz.

Engrossed in the stories surrounding photographs in 98-year-old Minnie Clacton’s cherished album, back in time Chloe meets up with the young Minnie plus her own Great Great Grandmother Aggie. 

In the midst of an air raid, Chloe is discovered, wet and confused, by a man and his dog. A man and his canine companion who coincidentally appeared prominently in the photo album alongside the young Minnie and Aggie. Did Chloe simply answer the call of Destiny?

My Review:

This is one of the hardest books I’ve ever tried to review. Every single thing I’d like to talk about would be a spoiler, and I don’t like spoiler reviews. So, I’ll do the best I can.

In summary, Chloe, a 21^st century Australian woman is transported back in time to World War II London during the Blitz. She is taken in by people whom she feels as if she already knows, and in a way she does. Chloe worked in an Australian nursing home and cared for an elderly woman who shared her photo album and stories of World War II. After seeing all these people in the album Chloe now has the chance to meet them in real life. She likes the people very much, and that includes Bill the man who found her when she first was transported to London. 

Things I Liked:

Chloe eventually tells Bill the truth about where she came from. To me, his reaction is very realistic. In a nutshell, he doesn’t want to hear it. It makes him too uncomfortable, which I can totally understand.

I liked how Bill’s family takes Chloe in and treats her as one of their own. I did think they were a little naïve, though. Even in 1940s London people would have had questions about Chloe that they wanted answers to.

It was interesting to see Chloe interact with people whom she previously only knew as people in a photograph, especially her own great-grandmother.

The plot was interesting, the setting well done.

The last line of the book was brilliant. It will make the reader think hard. I’ve never read a time travel novel that posed such a scenario. 

After making a life in the past, Chloe worries that she will unexpectedly be transported back to Australia. This gives a nice element of suspense to the story. 

Things I Didn’t Like So Much:

The book is billed as a romance, and there is some romance, but not like you are probably imagining. 

This was a short book that spanned many years so it was a fast-paced work that didn’t go into much detail about Chloe’s later years, and in several places I wished that it would. It would have made a stronger story.

All in all, I found it to be an entertaining read. If you enjoy time travel, I think you will too.