Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Book 1)

Waterfall is an exciting book that begins a fantastic series (River of Time Series)! I fell in love with the characters. Personally, I love the romance, humor and action as much as I love the story! This book is clean fun! You would think a time travel story would be confusing or hard to believe, but this one is so real. I had to download the next book immediately & ended up reading them all! Here's the good part....each book is better than the last! I can't say enough how good this series is! YES, get it!!!

I absolutely loved it. Action and adventure with a twist of betrayal. I felt like I was in the story. I couldn't put it down. It was well written and a clean novel. Beautiful!
I wish there were more authors willing to publish without fear of what they feel needs to be in a story to have approval from critics. Absolutely wonderful.

Ahhhhhhhh! I just can't get over how awesome this book is! It is now my new favorite book! My friend recommended Waterfall to me recently, and now I have read all three of the books in the series.

Gabi is a typical, 21st century, 17 year old who finds herself in 14th century, medieval, Italy with her sister Lia. She shows up just in time to be caught in the middle of a rivalry between two lords. Her and Lia try to blend in, get captured by the treacherous Lord Cosmo Paratore, find a fierceness inside themselves that turns into taking down knights with swords and bow and arrows, and fall in love with the two handsomest guys in Siena.

This book is suspenseful, action packed, romantic, and really really exciting! I love love love this book! I think that anyone who reads it should fall in love with it too!

I highly recommend Waterfall for girls ages 12-13 and up.
READ IT!!!

I am seriously loving this book. Its the first time I've read about a 17 year old girl who spends more time trying to figure out what to do rather than talking about the cute guy who will save her. At every opportunity, Gabi is trying to find her sister, kicking butt and saving lives. Even the mini-competition she has with another girl feel real.

She doesn't travel back in time and then forgets that she is smart and doesn't all of a sudden forget everything that her parents tried to teach her and start bumbling around like an idiot.

And although her Italian seems to flow out of her mouth, she doesn't automatically speak their language and sometimes has trouble with using proper grammar. All those little subtle hints that she's not quite where she belongs was jarring while I was reading the story, but in a good way. It kept reminding me that she was in a very dangerous situation and was adapting as best she could.

The bad guys were, of course, bad. And I have to say, Luca is by far my favorite good guy, even if Marcello is Gabi's eye candy!

History. Romance. Time travel. What? Time travel? Yes. Lisa T. Bergren's latest novel is written for a teen audience -- but don't let that keep you more, ahem, mature readers from buying it.This is an exceptionally written novel that masterfully juxtaposes historical dialogue style with the 17-year-old protagonist's modern, witty, and often self-deprecating inner monologue. Fans of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy will enjoy the first installment in Bergren's new series. Read a more detailed review at [...]

This book was amazing! I mean it. The mother comes across and dig sit in italy and sets up everything when a nosy guy comes to shut her down. All that while, the girls sneak into a tomb on the site and are transported back in time. Gabi falls in love with a betrothed man, Lia is kept prisoner by the enemy's of the betrothed man. It is a love story that is about her finding her sister, losing her heart to a lord, and trying to find her way home. But there is peril and brave handsome knights with beautiful girls in tow. It is a book I recommend.

I loved the story and the relationship between the two sisters. I am definitely finding myself wanting to read more and see that Gabi makes it back to Marcello. I did, however, find the writing to be a little lacking from other books I have read. I think it was just the style or viewpoint of the main character.

Excellent book! Held me spellbound as I could not put it down. However, the ending was lacking in that I had to order Book Two. This did not come to a natural break in the end, but left too many threads hanging.

Although the historical genre doesn't interest me all that much, I ended up being pretty curious about Waterfall after reading some great reviews. I just had a feeling I would like it. This book was way better than any of the expectations I already had set! I loved the relationship between Gabi and Marcello. Both were amazing and likable characters. And there was a lot of kick-butt action that made me an even bigger fan of the characters. The author did such a great job, and I cannot wait to read the second book and the rest of the series!

Great book, really enjoyed it! This is a fast paced, exciting read with wonderful characters. Gabi and her sister are feisty and fun and the guys are chivalrous and make a great match. I loved the `voice' of the Gabi's character - it was amusing, engaging, youthful and realistic and really pulled me into the story. The only downside for me was the fact that Marcello was already betrothed when Gabi meets him - I know this adds tension, but personally I would have preferred this not to have been the case. Great read though, highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking very forward to read the next two. This book kept my interest and took me to ancient times. I love the suspense and it was very hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to friends and family!

Wonderful book with lots of interesting characters. I've read the series several times now and love it more every time. The story of Gabby and Lia is well-written and thought out. The way they support each other reminds me of my sister and myself. And, the love that blossoms between Marcello and Gabby will make your heart melt. The Lord truly brought these two characters together. A great story for teen girls and moms alike. I will have my daughter read it one day when she is old enough to enjoy and to see how God brings two people together who are worlds apart at just the right time.

I read this book on the recommendation of my daughter-in-law. It was okay, but it just didn't hit me as being as great as she thought it was. I realized as I was reading it that it probably young adult fiction. Whereas I enjoyed the Twilight series and the Harry Potter books, I just didn't think this one was all that great. I won't buy anymore in this series.

This story has an interesting premise and I found it a great quick read; it was a little unbelievable in places but overall a very interesting story and I'd definitely like to find out what's going to happen to the characters in the future (or is it the past?). The romance was a little heavy-handed and teenager-ish and I would've liked to see a little more reality in that respect, but it was not overly suggestive or based purely on the physical like so many young-adult books tend to focus on.

Someone described Waterfall to me as "Outlander for young adults," and I think it's an apt description. I've loved Diana Gabladon's Outlander series since the first novel came out decades ago, which began with a 20th-century woman transported back in time hundreds of years, who must cope with the shock of being elsewhere, not to mention finding true love. But as wonderful as that story is, the hot-and-heavy sex makes it unsuitable for young teenagers.

But you don't need to be a 14-year-old girl to like Waterfall. Not at all.

17-year-old Gabi and her younger sister Lia are accompanying their archaeologist mother on a dig in Italy when Mom finds an Etruscan tomb. Gabi and Lia put their hands on the wall... and Gabi finds herself transported back 700 years, landing (naturally) in the middle of a battle between warring families. She has to figure out how to explain herself (yeah, I'm from, uh, Normandy!), learn what happened to her sister, and deal with the young lord of the castle who is (a) a hottie and (b) betrothed. Oh, and get back _home_.

It sounds like a cheap knockoff (though maybe with better fashion), but honestly, this story _works_. Primarily it's because Gabi is a charming 17-year-old girl with a strong voice of her own and no desire to play the eyelash-batting role expected of her. (A sidesaddle? Are you KIDDING?) She brings her own values to the era even when she keeps them to herself ("The last thing I needed was [Marcello's betrothed] hanging out with me, jumping on the bed like were were going to have a sleepover or something, asking me what I thought of her boyfriend"). And the author doesn't pull punches: Gabi's put in difficult situations where she has to make tough, moral decisions.

Mainly: It's good storytelling. I wanted to know what happened next, and I stayed up past my bedtime a few nights to keep reading so that I could find out.

For parents who care about such things: The book has some violence and death. There's a romance but nothing goes beyond a passionate kiss or two. Gabi considers the presence of God in a few places (part of the "why am I here? am I being given a historical purpose?" navel-gazing any sane person might do). There's nothing here that would upset a 14-year old; I would have been happy with it at age 10 (and my parents would have, too).

OMG!!!!! could this get any better. When you raed this your heart and mind will beg for more. In a thrilling chase Gabriella Betterinni goes to a tomb and her sister and her put there hands on a handprint and ae zoomed into another time. Gabi emerges during a battle in which he life is almost taken. but Marcello Forelli(a prince in his own right) sends his own men to save her and eventually takes her into his home.

In search of her sister still she travels far and makes many allies but still many enemies. Putting herself in danger intriges Lord Forelli for no woman he knows would indanger herself in such a way and he finds himself falling for her harder and harder untill she eventually cant leave his thoughts. Even though he already has an intended.

Follow the steamy romantic and mind thrilling adventure that will leave you begging and wanting more. Read the second book Cascade. Find out how Gabi reunites with her sisier while falling for the hottie prince in the process.

Who would have guessed an "over 60 lover of Christian fiction" would have become a lover of time travel! This first book in the River of Time series was just that book. I was immediately drawn in by the archaeological excavations involving a family, but the events that took me by surprise when I was drawn in to another time and place so quickly, hooked me!

This book may be aimed toward young adult, but that didn't stop me from reading it and I'm older than young adult. It was different than other books that I have read where characters go back in time. This is the first one I have read where they go to Italy. It was very descriptive and easy to follow along with the story line. I can't wait to read the rest of this series to see if people get back together.

I really enjoyed this book. It does start a little slow. I think the challenges of time traveling are well addressed and they address the social customs of the time well. I really liked Gabi. she's smart and tough. Lia is a little too fragile. I think Lady Rossi tried to have Gabi killed by the arsenic doctor. I'm glad the tomb has healing powers.

This has been an amazing book series! I have LOVED every sentence I have read! I have just purchased the 3.1 & 3.2 books of the series. I have read the main three novels in two days! I find myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning devouring the books cause I can not wait to find out what happens! Another thing I enjoy about these books is they are about love between Gabi and Marcello, a modern day young woman and a medieval Italian knight. The books will leave you on the edge of your seat rooting for Gabi and Marcello! Loved loved loved loved it!

I received the first book in this series free for an honest review. But I fell in love with it and ended up reading them all. Great story. I love historical fiction and 'time-travel' so this has my two favorite genres. And since I can't remember the specifics from one to the other book, I'll give my review for the entire series as my feelings apply to them all, not just one.
They were well written, clean, lots of action and mostly fairly accurate historically EXCEPT the few parts about the Church. At first, it was so respectful about the Catholic Church I thought the author must be Catholic. I looked her up. She's a practicing Christian but of what denomination I couldn't find. But the entire character of "Father" Tomas and how he was handled by all other characters was so off I wish he wasn't even in the series. The church, it's teachings and history is one thing I know more than the 'average' America. It's what I've sent actively studying for nearly 20 years. I've done far more research on this one topic than I did for my degree. And it means more to me than anything. So, either the author intended to get it wrong (which I don't think) or she didn't bother to research (more likely). But excommunication is not a form of punishment like folk think (yet we have no clue what Tomas did to receive it), nor is excommunication and defrocking the same thing; both can happen but they aren't one in the same. Excommunication is a (temporary and) rarely (even then) used tool to attempt to save a soul and bring them back into communion with the church and therefore GOD. It is used when a person clearly doesn't want to stop the particular MORTAL sin (or sins) and is doing so publically possibly leading others to hell. It's used for someone who clearly has a complete disregard of the faith but still tries to participate in the sacraments, which is a sacrilege. A truly faithful person (as Tomas is portrayed) would have done whatever was necessary to restore their soul to the state of grace, to be in communion with God again. Excommunication seeks to do just that. To publically say the person is outside the faith and to help them do what is needed to return to that state of grace needed to go to heaven. We all excommunicate ourselves when we commit a mortal sin, however the church will at times of serious problem excommunicate formally to try to correct the person's actions. And Tomas would be barred from the sacraments until he repented from that sin and the excommunication lifted. NO ONE at that time would have received any sacraments from him. In doing so they would have excommunicated themselves informally. Their marriages would have been invalid which at that time in history would have then made it also illegal. Basically they'd just be living together and their children considered bastards. They'd not have done that. That would have been very serious. All the men: the Forellis, Greco, even Tomas were portrayed as good, holy faithful Catholic (as if they had any other church) HONORABLE men. They wouldn't have allowed him to play priest if his priestly duties were taken away. That would be their sin. It just doesn't jibe and I can't figure out what he was about at all. His character shouldn't have even been included. Otherwise, I loved the story. I can't/won't expect an author to get such things correct when most American Catholics don't bother learning their faith correctly. Too many perpetuate lies out of total ignorance. But I did expect more when the other parts of the history were fairly accurate. And no, I didn't read the notes at the end. I was too busy downloading the next books to keep going. With my big rant above I still think folks should read it. Just know that the entire Character of Tomas makes no sense or has even a shred of what would have truly happened at that time. Not even the part about the Pope was very accurate as concerned with why the papacy was in France at the time. But I won't go into that. Most of you won't care. My suggestion to parents; it's very clean and I'd allow mine to read it...and I'm one of 'those' parents that is careful what I allow. I would, however, explain that this is not very accurate, it's just a good story. Don't believe anything stated about the Church at that time. She gets a lot of that wrong. But enjoy it's worth it!

Fast paced, clean romance with a lot of sweet moments, and love the characters. I warn you though it gets really suspenseful towards the end. I was literally sweating and felt my face flushing as I was reading the book. Very good a little bit of a cliff hanger but not so much that it felt incomplete in the end. I'm definitely buying the series.

3 Stars - Gabi made some pretty stupid mistakes in the novel that was aggravating but at least Marcello didn't want to fight his attraction for long and wanted to immediately break off the betrothal. Contains very innocent kissing.

This book was a great blend of modern young girls and medieval times. I found the entire story entertained and thoroughly absorbing. Lisa Bergren 's wonderful imagination takes hold of the reader, and the modern teenage girl's narration of the story really makes reading the story even more unique and fun. If you want a fun read, I highly recommend Waterfall.

I instantly fell in love with this book and series. I finished Waterfall in one day and quickly ordered the next two in the series. The book made me feel like I was there. Living the whole thing with Gaby and Lia.

Enjoyed it so much after reading it , went to computer and order the next two books of the series.
It is just fun reading material, has great plot line and so easy to get caught up in the goings on of the main characters.
would recommend this to anyone that like time travel and knights and castles reading.
LOVED it

I downloaded Waterfall from the free list after enjoying Glamorous Illusions by the same author. Not only did the story capture me, it captured my husband and children as well. We were all so enthralled by the story that we read all 5 books in the series in 4 days! Please understand I have never read 1,500 pages in 4 days in my life but I couldn't help myself! Yes, the story is THAT good.

Take time travel, a few STRONG heroines and heroes, medieval battles, nearly nonstop action, castles, betrayal, dying devotion, chivalry, political undercurrants, friendship, love, loyalties... it is all there mixed into an incredible story.

And parents, this was intended for a teen audience. First - we adults LOVED it. Second, we didn't find anything inappropriate in the stories for our daughter to read when she is a teen - FAR worse is on prime time. The most the stories reference is kissing and when it is time to consumate a marriage in book 3, they simply say the couple closed the door and started kissing. It was handled tactfully with class while still allowing us to see and enjoy the love between the characters. In fact, I was thrilled to find a line of books that show how a girl/lady SHOULD be treated - adored, respected, not objects of lust.

Once again, Lisa Bergren has done an incredible job. Now, off to find another one of her books! :-)

For full review including excerpt and dialogue highlight, please visit Reader's Edyn:
readersedyn (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Review:

So I started reading this book knowing absolutely nothing about it. I had no idea it was YA. I had no idea who the author was. I just thought the cover was pretty cool and saw that it was part of a series. If I liked this book, I would have another series I could get into. If memory serves, it was a free read at the time also, so I really had nothing to lose. I do not read a lot of YA books. I like my smut and YA keeps it clean, so I steer away. That is not to bash YA though. I have younger kids who will be within YA range soon, so I do keep my eye out for books to suggest based on the feedback I read from other reviewers. And I do enjoy YA, just not as a preferred genre.

As a reader who rarely reads this genre, I was absolutely thrilled with this book. I was engaged from the very beginning. Set primarily in medieval Italy, Ms. Bergren does a phenomenal job of mixing modern times with past times and explaining, through Gabi's voice, in believable ways. You see, Gabi's mother is an archaeologist so she and her sister Lia get carted around to various places around the world. All new and wonderous, but ultimately boring with a strict hands off policy. Gabi is never content with sitting around and wants to explore the new dig site herself, so drags Lia along with her. And somehow the two are transported back in time. Or at least Gabi thinks Lia was transported with her. She hopes so anyway. Did I mention this is a time travel book? Yeah. I would have completely avoided it if I had known that. NOT a fan of time travel.

The first thing Gabi witness is a battle right in the heat of the fight. I included a portion of this scene in the excerpt above. It pretty much sets the stage for many situations to come. Marcello is the hottie and, of course, he is promised to another. A match that will unite two families and secure their future as a powerful force to be reckoned with. As the story goes on, Gabi lends knowledge in some areas and resistance in others. As a modern young woman, she has trouble agreeing with the ways of the old world in some instances. Her presence both enriches and frustrates those around her, but none more than Marcello. A forbidden love seems to grow between the two, but with responsibilities on Marcello's shoulders and Gabi's unimaginably differing background, the two are faced with some tough decisions. During this time, Gabi searches for Lia, who she still believes to be trapped back in time with her, but she is having a devil of a time locating her. Also throwing a hitch in the search is the constant feuding with the family who borders Marcello's land.

I felt that the characters Ms. Bergren brought to life were completely plausible. Sure, they each are flawed in one way or another, but such characteristics allow the reader to jump into the story that much easier. I can picture Gabi trying to fit in to this world she has only read about and explored the ruins of. When she makes the occasional slip, she recovers quickly. Her inner thoughts are full of sassy remarks that are absolutely classic to a young woman of her age. Thankfully, she has a well-rounded education that allows her to blend - well as close to blend as she can - but doesn't stop the longing for conveniences such as the internet for any unanswered questions. I also enjoyed that Gabi does not allow herself to play the role of meek female. She jumps right into the fray in many different ways. The story progresses rather quickly and ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Not the "OMG" type of ending, but enough of a hook that the reader is likely to want to pick up book 2 to see what happens next. I know I did. When it ended, I immediately wanted to know what happened next. I remember thinking, "It's over, seriously? But what about ..." I don't want to say more because the ending would be spoiled.

I will say that I am happy to have read a book that I can recommend to pretty much anyone. Readers with delicate sensibilities that appreciate a mild love story with a bit of intrigue and mystery thrown into the mix should check this book out. Young readers are absolutely safe to read this story with nary a hint of inappropriate material to worry about. And for me, a connoisseur of smut, it was a nice break from the details that can sometimes be a bit much. And even though I do not prefer YA, I am interested enough in this novel to want to finish the series. You don't have to be a teen to enjoy this story. And even readers who avoid time travel at all costs, I believe, will enjoy this story. Coming from me, that is a HUGE statement. My assumptions in the case of this book - being a YA and a time travel - would have cost me a read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

(Digital copy purchased for personal library)

I am a sucker for adventure/ romance stories and this series definitely is one of my favorties! I have read these books many times over the past few years and I am glad to say that every time I am completely engrossed in the stories of Gabi and Lia and medieval Italy. I can't wait for the final installment's publishment and surely this is a great series for teens and the young at heart.

If you enjoy a good historical fictional story with lots of actions and good romance, you should give this series a try. Now I have a new favorite author. I'm definitely going to check out some of her other series.

I read aloud good books to my six children daily...rarely has a series captured their attention as this well written series. It fit so well in our homeschool study of medieval time. My girls repeatedly asked to read just one more chater! The other byproduct was it got their creative juices flowing and in their daily writing, they spun creative stories about going back in time to other historical periods we have learned about and tried to accurately depict life in those times based on what they had learned! I love that it was a love story but kept sweet and God was a thread through the entire book! I especially liked the believable characters and enjoyed the witty dialog! Great story!

Seriously one of my most favorite book series. I've read all of the books in this series but have to say that Waterfall was my favorite. Appropriate for ALL ages. Beautiful, sweet romance but action packed with adventures. I have recommended this series to many friends who also loved it.

good fluid writing. Gabriella, the main character, is well developed. Her sister Lia,however, seems to change halfwy thru thw story. More than just a rounding out of a chacterter would allow. That aside, it was very well written with good flow. I didn't know how it would end until the last pages. I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.