Title: The Mine
Author: John A. Heldt
Genre: Romance
Category: Young Adult/Adult
Publisher: Self
Review Copy: Provided by Author
BLURB (from Goodreads)
In 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can't use, money he can't spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of Whirlaway, swing dancing, and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.
MY THOUGHTS
The Mine seems like any other time-travel romance and of
course with a twist but its story actually transcends beyond the ordinary. I have to
admit though that I was a little apprehensive about this book at first when I
was approached by the author asking me to review his book because the cover
didn’t intrigue me much. Yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m one of those
readers who judge a book by its cover but then again, it’s always a beautiful
cover that attracts readers visually. Enough rambling about book covers. So
what got me into finally agreeing to review The Mine? Well, since I am a fan of
Back to the Future, I was more than eager to find out what John Heldt brought
to the table.
In The Mine, Joel, a 21-year-old college student, finds
himself inevitably stuck in the 1941 pre-WWII era Seattle after somewhat a
mischievous detour to an abandoned mine with his friend, Adam. Unable to
return, he starts a new life posing as a troubled cowboy from Montana, works at
a furniture store, helplessly falls head over heels with an already betrothed
young woman, Grace and meets with his young grandmother, Ginny. Albeit his
knowledge of what was to come, he eventually finds it hard to cope with without
hurting all the people he has grown to love and especially his new love
interest.
The book drew me in from the very beginning and Joel’s wit
never failed to keep me entertained. I thought he is a very strong and charming
character and I could understand why the sorority girls just can’t keep their
eyes off of him. There are times that I so wanted to smack him for the mess he
has created, but most of the time I felt sorry for him. I wasn’t so sure about
Grace and her overall persona but Ginny is definitely my favorite character of
all the females in this book.
As a whole, I thought The Mine is a very promising and
endearing read with a solid premise to the story. The author had done a great
job of building the tension around the characters especially Joel and Grace as
Joel comes to terms with their impossible relationship. He is from the future
while Grace belongs in the 1940s. The author also highlighted some of the
concerns the American youths as well as the minority citizens have to face as the country finds herself in the
brink of a war in the story. At the end of the day, The Mine forces us to ponder
at our own present dilemmas due to the choices we or someone else had made in
the past. So it was very easy to relate to all the dilemmas Joel has to face. However I had a few questions remain regarding this book but that’s
another story and I don’t want to spoil my review with my questions without
featuring some spoilers.
The Mine is a perfect read for all fans of time-travel romance since I found no vulgarity or offensive words in this book.
RATING
4 stars out of 5!
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