The Chronicles of St. Mary's Book Three - A Second Chance

Time travel stories have been done to death, but this one adds new twists and turns. Entertaining, funny, interesting and a real joy to read.

Worth every penny.

The bad news is, the story doesn't end with this book

The good news is, the story doesn't end with this book.

I'm 63, so I've read a lot of books. This series has me in every way. I can't say enough good things about it. The history, the characters, the plots, the emotions. I know one day it will be over and I weep for that day.

One of my favorite books of all time! And I read a lot - about 2 to 3 books per week. It made me laugh. It made me cry. I couldn't put it down. And this is the third book in the series. Where series usually get worse, not better, this one floored me. Loved it and would highly recommend reading but ONLY after books one and two.

A wonderful series. This book was as good as the first one. Still humorous with one big twist ending. I hope this is not the last time we hear from Max and the charactors of St. Marys. A series that you will not want to put down. Excellent writing.

Jodi Taylor writes to keep the reader involved and wondering what's going to happen next? Great books, have enjoyed the humor, sense of historical adventure, and the characters that evolve thru the series. Recommend highly

Wow! Where are they(Max and Leon) and when are they? From jumping from one harrowing adventure into others, the action never stops. This book leaves us in a time zone where who knows what will happen next. It's a good book to keep you jumping.

This third book has twist and turns but mostly it made me cry! I don't want you to think it is because I'm a
wuss, I just really love these characters and it was hard to read the heart felt pain that went on. With that being
said Jodi Taylor, please don't leave us hanging like this!

been reading time travel for a while now and this series is the only one that has me wanting more.
Emotionally flawed main character that lives her life the best she can (like the rest of us) and ridiculous situations that u can actually imagine happening if it were a real time.
Sad, endearing , at times hysterical. Read it. If you have a sense of humor, you'll love it. :) lol

Really impressive new writer. Imaginative writing with fun characters who display a wry and often sardonic sense of humor to leaven the drama. Ms Taylor writes in a very episodic style, reminiscent of TV episodes rather than a feature film, and that might not be to every reader's taste, but otherwise, I highly recommend all the books in this series.

Very well written with good characters and interesting plot. Reminds me of works by multiple Nebula and Hugo award winner Connie Willis. I think this author is on a level with Connie Willis, and that is a high compliment.

I really have become attached to these characters. love the storyline and writing style, and,even though I usually dislike the romantic interests working out, this one had me rooting for it! (well it's not really a perfect happy-ever-after deal)

been reading time travel for a while now and this series is the only one that has me wanting more.
Emotionally flawed main character that lives her life the best she can (like the rest of us) and ridiculous situations that u can actually imagine happening if it were a real time.
Sad, endearing , at times hysterical. Read it. If you have a sense of humor, you'll love it. :) lol

Really impressive new writer. Imaginative writing with fun characters who display a wry and often sardonic sense of humor to leaven the drama. Ms Taylor writes in a very episodic style, reminiscent of TV episodes rather than a feature film, and that might not be to every reader's taste, but otherwise, I highly recommend all the books in this series.

Very well written with good characters and interesting plot. Reminds me of works by multiple Nebula and Hugo award winner Connie Willis. I think this author is on a level with Connie Willis, and that is a high compliment.

I really have become attached to these characters. love the storyline and writing style, and,even though I usually dislike the romantic interests working out, this one had me rooting for it! (well it's not really a perfect happy-ever-after deal)

I really like this series and recommend it for any casual fans of history--it really whisks you into each time period with a unique perspective on what it would be like to actually be there. I love its tongue-in-cheek humor and its use of British slang. If you like this series, I would also recommend "The Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis. I wish she'd write a few more like it.

This author next fails to amuse and put twists where you didn't think one would be. While the main character can be infuriating with her double standards and self absorption, luckily there are characters and opportunities for her to learn and make changes. Another great addition to the tales of St. Mary .

With each additional volume in this series, Jodi Taylor just gets better and better. From the first story in the series to this latest, she just sinks the hook into us deeper. While the first volume was derivative of the Connie Willis stories, Taylor has now developed her own direction with not only complex characters but also exciting plotting.

I just finished reading all three volumes of the The Chronicles of St. Mary's series and have very mixed emotions about the books. Normally, when reviewing a book, I like to write a short intro to the plot, but for this series, it is difficult to provide enough detail to benefit potential readers without spoiling the narrative. So I will forgo any plot points and focus on issues I had with the story. Time travel stories tend to span the spectrum from hard science to fantasy. Unfortunately, almost all have to ignore a range of paradoxes to maintain the logical structure of the narrative. Generally, hard science time travel has the fewest paradox issues. The concept of infinite timelines is probably the most logical of the time travel plots. You change something in the past and you create or shift to another timeline. The more fantasy oriented stories tend to ignore all the time travel paradoxes and usually revert to magic as the explanation.

Jodi Taylor is a good descriptive writer. Her words fill out detailed imagery of the places our protagonist, Max, visits. I especially enjoyed her description of several historic events that were witnessed by the time travel team. However, in my opinion, the story falls short in other areas. First off, the tone of the story is all over the place. One page it is a comedy, the next it is a romance, the next it is violent horror, the next it is a macho military mission, etc. I understand that sometimes authors juxtapose narrative tones to strengthen the story, but there is no sense of purpose to this jumble of "genre" changes. It is almost as if the author sat down one day and wanted to write some comedy, then the next day she decided to write a romance, the next day she wanted to write a monster story, etc. Accordingly, in all this confusion, her character development suffers. I never really knew how the characters would react to a situation. Which is fine when I initially met them in the first few pages of volume 1, but by the time I had finished volume 3, not knowing and understanding the characters became a problem. At the end, I really didn't much care what happened to Max.

A second area I found problematic is in the time travel logic of the story. The author steamrolls over one paradox after another without offering any explanation. I am very willing to "suspend my disbelief" if an author lays down some consistent ground rules for the world that he or she has created and sticks to them. Unfortunately, the logical gaps in this series were so pronounced that my mind kept being pulled out of the narrative flow. For instance, how can you drop a rock hut into a city alley without anyone noticing? If a hut suddenly appeared on a street out of nowhere, you can be certain the neighbors would immediately notice and raise an alarm. Why not use a cloaking device? Another example...why are the scientists getting permanently killed in the timeline? You would think that any time someone is injured or killed, St. Mary's would spend a couple of months organizing a rescue party, go back in time to ten minutes before they died and rescue them. Based on the St. Mary's world logic, there should be no deaths from time travel. These are just a couple of examples of many logic/plot holes in the story.

Overall, the author is in her element when writing about historic events...the descriptive writing is very good. On the other hand, the time travel plot is filled with logic holes that are just too annoying to really enjoy the narrative flow.

I loved the previous books in this series, and I regret ever reading this one.
I won't spoil it for anyone except to say that, the main protagonist proves herself a shallow, cowardly and utterly disappointing human being.
Her actions stripped this series of its charm, humor and, not to put too fine a point on it, humanity.

When one considers that this portion of the story could have developed along any number of lines, I find the author's choice of direction dismaying and highly questionable.
So much so that I will never read another.
An utterly distasteful experience.

I started out loving this series, but the more it goes on, the more I'm debating my decision to consider reading. This book has pretty much lost me, but I've still decided to give book four a chance to see if it'll turn around. This book, though, was just ... bad.

The humor is still the same, but it's starting to feel more and more forced. Things happen at St. Mary's for no reason and with no explanation other than just because they're funny, which is not enough for me. Yes, I love the witty banter and the grandiose personalities that inhabit St. Mary's, but I want their crazy escapades to have a meaning and a flow to them, rather than be random scenes tossed in a void with no actual background behind them.

The historic scenes are fantastic, and they really bring history to life. They're actually probably the most interesting part of the book which really carry it. Which is good because it's, you know, a time travel book. The whole Troy episode was thrilling and well done, and I loved the exploration into the culture and the past.

Unfortunately, as great as I thought the previous things were, it was totally offset by too many problems that were deal-breakers. The pacing of the plot is really off. At one point, it's mentioned that nine months have passed, and I had to re-read the previous section, thinking I had missed something because the timing seemed all off and I had no idea. It didn't make any sense.

The characters are just getting more ridiculous and unbelievable. There doesn't seem to be any character arc with them, and their personalities seem to make 180s throughout the book with no reason except to create drama and tension. There just isn't consistency.

Speaking of inconsistency, there are sooo many time paradoxes, and none of them make sense, but yet everyone is still always afraid of time paradoxes. Now, I don't expect time travel to be neat and clean any time I go into a sci-fi book. Obviously. It's time travel. But there should at least be consistency with it, and it should somewhat make sense. The time travel is all over here, there are paradoxes out the wazoo, and History (or the Muse of History) has become a deus ex machine to either be there or not be there, whichever seems fit for the plot at the moment.

AND THAT ENDING. I JUST ... UGH. No spoilers, I know, but it was so sudden and abrupt. Not only is it a pretty major cliffhanger, but it basically totally changes the rules of the entire book. I'm not sure where it's heading anymore or what's going on, and unfortunately, I'm also not sure I can follow where it's going. I thought I knew what to expect of the series genre-wise and such going in, but now, it's going somewhere that doesn't make sense and that I don't think I can follow.

As I said, I'll give the next book a chance and hope things pick up, but as it stands right now, the plot (or what little bit there is) is disjointed and scattered and doesn't completely make sense, the characters are inconsistent, and I just can't stand the ending.

I enjoyed the first two books, but this book left me confused about the entire series.

** Spoilers **
The first two books were about time travel, this book seems to have veered into alternate dimensions & I'm longer sure what is going on & where the story takes place. The first clue I had that something was different is when Max Says "And I had heard tales from America-before the borders closed, obviously-of people who claimed to be able to do the same thing. Mind you, that same person also told me that over there they actually pick up the ball and run with it when playing football, and how believable is that?" Nowhere in the first two books was there any hint that America as we know it isn't part of the same world that St Mary's is in. Were the first two books part of a different dimension? Or is this book a different dimension? Or is this just a way for the author to change the direction of the story? I found the whole thing very confusing.

I also felt like there was a lot missing since the last book. I had the impression that Max was still fairly young in the first two books, but now she seems to be middle aged, where did all those years go? Or is she only middle aged in whatever dimension this story seems to be taking place? I'm not sure what age Leon is supposed to be in whatever dimension he's been living in & that now Max is in too, are they going to stay there & pretend she didn't die? They aren't part of St Mary's anymore, is there going to be new main characters instead of Max & Leon?

The book also ends on a cliffhanger, so I have no idea where we're going to be in the next book. Does the story go back to where the first two books took place? Or was this book already there? Or are we going to pick up with the cliffhanger in the apparently new dimension? I already have the next two books, so I'll continue reading, but after this book, I am not excited about it at all.

The “Chronicles of St. Mary’s” series, about time-traveling British historians in the not-too-distant future, has more than a few strange elements, including a bit of mythological fantasy thrown in (Kleio, the Muse of History, is also the Director’s steely-eyed PA). This third episode takes the mix to a whole new and rather complicated level.

Max, now head of Operations, has nearly a full complement of observers on her team, and just in time for the big Trojan War project, too. They’ve got nine months of observation before the Greeks even arrive, then a jump to the end of the siege a decade later, and Taylor does a good job rationalizing the way the war probably went down -- assuming it happened at all, of course. No Helen, of course, because the unromantic motivation for the Greeks was control of the eastern Mediterranean’s lucrative trade routes. But Max, as always, gets more caught up in things than she intended and nearly ends as war booty. But then Leon does something very, very stupid, something Max can’t allow. And she’ll never forgive him for forcing her to follow history’s implacable rules. But that isn’t the only tragedy she and everyone else will have to deal with.

This volume is a bit more episodic than the first two, with unrelated expeditions to see Isaac Newton, and to witness the first (and only, according to Taylor, but I might question that) successful migration by modern humans out of Africa and into Asia some 60,000 years ago, and even early 19th-century cheese rolling at Gloucester. And then Max indulges herself with a visit to Agincourt -- it’s probably going to be her last trip, after all -- but absolutely everything goes wrong. And that might be the end of the series if this were a normal sort of story line, but it’s far from that. And there’s a helluva cliffhanger.

"A Second Chance" is the third novel in "The Chronicles of St. Mary's" series by author, Jodi Taylor, but Taylor inserts some as "1/2" and ".5" between some of these, so be aware of that scheme for the sequence. I have read #1 and #2, so far, and enjoyed them all.

I was glad to find more twists and turns in this, but still too much running around/running away for my taste. I get that authors want their novels to be "exciting," but having things blow up, people's losing life and limb, and many other things' going wrong aren't the only ways to add excitement, IMO.

The odd romantic trajectories and multiverse aspects, for example, are delightful. I very much liked the way Taylor handled those in this book, perhaps because I employ those in my own ["The Spanners Series": "This Changes Everything," "This Changes My Family and My Life Forever," and "This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change"] volumes.

Planning to continue reading the series and hoping to catch up on the interstitial volumes as well.

In Short: Max is eager to begin her most prized journey to date. She is going to jump to Troy! She will get to witness the fall of its mighty gates, catch a glimpse of Helen and verify once and for all the mystery that is the Trojan horse. Her dream coming true. Assignments doled out and teams determined, St. Mary's troops plot and plan, devise and create. All are making ready to embark to a most significant historical event.

This has been, thus far, the most amazing book in the series. I hope I don't give much away here cause, trust me, you want to find out for yourself.

"A Second Chance" is by far the most emotional installment. I cried and cried. Then cried again. I think it was wonderfully written and I was blown away how a simple romance grew into something epic. Connections were made that I really never saw coming. I had no clue, really. Relationships made full circle. I'm not sure Taylor will be able to keep up the momentum generated by book 4, BUT she has made the story better and better with each installment so far, so maybe, just maybe, it will work.

I am dying to see how this all plays out so I already got the next one and I have even started it. I'm just not sure after all that's happened in this one that it will be able to work. I highly recommend this title to everyone who has read the first two. There is a short intro in the beginning making it possible to read it as a stand alone, but I wouldn't do that. To really feel the characters and understand the depth of what is going on read the predecessors first.

Sometimes things can get confusing...after all...when you jump through time you can never be sure what is going to happen next. One thing I enjoy is the research and adventure investigating events both well known and those I never heard of.Even when the team is there to find what Really happened, things can go haywire.

The third in the Chronicles of St Mary's series gets even darker. Whilst these books are mostly light and witty and exciting, people do die and often not in a nice way.

This time, the team visits Troy to see if the wooden horse story is true. They have to hang around and live there for a while. This is no Star Trek, though. They don't have communicators and universal translators, so they have to keep mostly to themselves.

I really enjoy this series of books. I think the concept is a great one and the execution very enjoyable. So what if there are a few deus ex machinas along the way?

On book three! The Chronicles of St. Mary's are the cutest doggone books I've ever picked up! Exciting, messy fun. A fabulous series for Big Kids who love history and who've imagined what it would be like travel back in time to meet their favorite historical figure. Just plain fun stuff to read.

I really enjoyed this book. The entire St. Mary's series is enticing. I have been drawn into the storylines of time travel to record historical events. Max is an interesting character and her many adventures keep the reader interested and anxious for the next book.

Sit down and buckle up for another fun ride through history with the St. Mary's crew. If you aren't addicted to this series by now, then I have some serious doubts about you. Jody Taylor has crafted these books with the historical science fiction chops as Neil Gaiman, but with the same laugh-outloud, wicked humor as Janet Evanovich's lovable Stephanie Plum character. I guarantee that if you're still hooked by this book, then you'll be in for the rest of this fun series (and the short novellas in between the later novels).

I am enjoying these books. They never slow down. She has done the research so the trips into the past seem authentic. The characters are engaging and I am glad that I get to keep coming back for more.

I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in this St. Mary's series. They are not only historically interesting, but witty and down to earth in the portrayal of the characters. Go for ALL of the books in this series..

Pace is not as good as the first one, and frankly there is a big change from the technical time-travel aspects of the 1st 2 books to a more "greek religious belief" (that I find kind of boring) in this last one. Also the multiverse concept makes everything less interesting - "I will never see him again..." and all of a sudden, she does, in the other multiverse. So what?

The prose is very good and Jodi is a gifted writer, and funny, which is rare. All in all, a very good reading.

I've read all three "CoSM" books just in the last week! Couldn't put them down and now have the fourth book on pre-order at the store, hurry Jodi and get the next book to the fans! We have no "time" to wait to see where Max, Leon and all the rest of the zany characters (including the pods and T-Rex) go next! What a fun read!

I have never laughed and cried so hard in such rapid succession!
If I was a child, I would cry about how unfair all of this is. Leon and Max should be together but somehow Fate - or is it Clio - disagree.
The Chronicles of St Mary's are addictive. I cannot wait to start the next book. Things can only get better...can't they?

This story continues pretty much where the first in the series leaves off, but is readable as a stand-alone story as well. The author's style of writing is casual, understandable by all ages from young adult to adult. Highly recommend.

Jodi Taylor never fails to enthrall me with her clever use of words and her ability to fluently interlace intricate plots with her particular brand of quirky humour. Descriptive passages are so well-written that the reader is almost transported to the various timelines as well!
Jodi Taylor's wonderful imagination, along with loads of research, make the series an absorbing and totally enjoyable read.

This story continues pretty much where the first in the series leaves off, but is readable as a stand-alone story as well. The author's style of writing is casual, understandable by all ages from young adult to adult. Highly recommend.

Jodi Taylor never fails to enthrall me with her clever use of words and her ability to fluently interlace intricate plots with her particular brand of quirky humour. Descriptive passages are so well-written that the reader is almost transported to the various timelines as well!
Jodi Taylor's wonderful imagination, along with loads of research, make the series an absorbing and totally enjoyable read.