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Studying the past has hardly prepared anthropologist Liberty Stone for loving a man from the future...
After falling through a mysterious time gateway, Caleb Hornblower finds himself stuck in the present. Sheltered by Liberty in a remote cabin, Caleb needs to find a way to return to the future. But now he's lost his heart to Liberty, how can he leave the past behind?
Includes a preview of Times Change, the sequel to Time Was, featuring Caleb's brother Jacob
Studying the past has hardly prepared anthropologist Liberty Stone for loving a man from the future...
After falling through a mysterious time gateway, Caleb Hornblower finds himself stuck in the present. Sheltered by Liberty in a remote cabin, Caleb needs to find a way to return to the future. But now he's lost his heart to Liberty, how can he leave the past behind?
Includes a preview of Times Change, the sequel to Time Was, featuring Caleb's brother Jacob
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1989
1456 people are currently reading
1616 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,856books57.9kfollowersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
April 28, 2016
I'm embarrassed to add this to my list of books read. Wow, this was almost appalling. It's very well told--I wouldn't keep listening to Nora Roberts if I didn't find something to like about her books--but there is so much ick factor in this one. It's one of her earlier books from the late 1980s. So. Much. Sex. between two people who have only just met each other and seem to fall in love based on nothing more than physical attraction. And the guy is not very nice. He nearly forces himself on her more than once, and she shows fear a couple of times. At one point he is seething with jealousy thinking about all the men who will be in her life after he leaves her, so he wraps her hair around his hand and yanks her head back, then comes this close to raping her, telling her he wants her to remember this moment every time another man touches her. Eww. Run away from this guy! Send him back to the future where he came from!
I kept listening to it because of the twist of him being from the 23rd century. I liked the little glimpses of the future, and his fish-out-of-water situation. Did not like his domineering, macho, possessive, jealous, alpha male personality.
I kept listening to it because of the twist of him being from the 23rd century. I liked the little glimpses of the future, and his fish-out-of-water situation. Did not like his domineering, macho, possessive, jealous, alpha male personality.
November 10, 2008
Nora Roberts seems pretty awesome, often stepping in as whenever there’s a romance fandom kerfuffle (it happens more than you might think). I wish I could have felt as positive about this book, but it was just…bad. On a technical level, it was far more competent than a lot of romance novels I’ve read (and than a lot of novels, period), but it suffered from many of my typical problems with the genre.
An accident knocks 23rd century pilot Caleb Hornblower (yes, really. Am I missing some sort of winking reference to or something?) back to the 20th century, where he crash-lands near a cabin belonging to Liberty Stone (yes, really). And once that happens, proximity—both physical and temporal—seems to be enough to make Libby and Caleb fall in love. There’s really nothing about their personalities or interactions that would make one think that they are right for each other, but nevertheless, fall in love they do. And that’s basically the entire plot.
I read this for the time travel, surprise surprise. I liked the idea of future!dude coming back and being perplexed by the (then-)present. But the glimpses Roberts provides of Caleb’s 23rd century society really make no sense at all, so it’s hard to relate to where he’s coming from. Worse, there never stops being creepy undertones of male sexual power and female weakness. All of Caleb and Libby’s intimate encounters involve him forcing her a little, or getting too rough for a while before deciding to try to be gentle. It’s kind of squicky, and I found it totally unsexy. This book was first published in 1989, and from my perspective in the far distant future of the 21st century, it really does seem like a long ago, primitive era—and not one I’d care to revisit.
An accident knocks 23rd century pilot Caleb Hornblower (yes, really. Am I missing some sort of winking reference to or something?) back to the 20th century, where he crash-lands near a cabin belonging to Liberty Stone (yes, really). And once that happens, proximity—both physical and temporal—seems to be enough to make Libby and Caleb fall in love. There’s really nothing about their personalities or interactions that would make one think that they are right for each other, but nevertheless, fall in love they do. And that’s basically the entire plot.
I read this for the time travel, surprise surprise. I liked the idea of future!dude coming back and being perplexed by the (then-)present. But the glimpses Roberts provides of Caleb’s 23rd century society really make no sense at all, so it’s hard to relate to where he’s coming from. Worse, there never stops being creepy undertones of male sexual power and female weakness. All of Caleb and Libby’s intimate encounters involve him forcing her a little, or getting too rough for a while before deciding to try to be gentle. It’s kind of squicky, and I found it totally unsexy. This book was first published in 1989, and from my perspective in the far distant future of the 21st century, it really does seem like a long ago, primitive era—and not one I’d care to revisit.
January 30, 2020
This book had the potential to be SO COOL. Punished in 1989: the hero was born in 2222 and time travels BACK to..late 80s, early 90s, I never looked up the few pop culture references to narrow down a specific year. It’s fascinating to see through his eyes, things that feel so ‘normal� like razors for shaving, cars for driving-normal to us- but being that he’s from the future, things have progressed and gotten better OR have completely faded away with time. He meets our heroine LIBERTY STONE (yes, that’s her name) and these two find themselves in a Close proximity situation as Libby helps nurse him and assist him as he gets his strength back after his plane crash through time. Libby is an anthropologist fascinated with the past and being a scientist finds it unbelievable as all Hell when Caleb finally comes out after walking around for DAYS being all kinds of confused and admits he’s from the future. She doesn’t believe it until she sees the RANDOM HUGE AIRCRAFT SPACESHIP thing out in the Oregon woods that looks a bit out of place💁🏽♀️got it. So now we know he’s not crazy. ⏳so here’s my conflict- I get it. This is a time travel story and these two are falling in love, on a time crunch because Homie needs to go back to the future-but it really felt rushed at the same time🕰 (cue, Time Wont Give me Time by Boy George) Its a lot of sex, one scene in particular which kicks off with- ‘She fought him, she refused to be taken in anger..� so I was at this point like SCREW HIM..but the physical part I get. The ‘love� part not so much. I don’t mind insta love, but there are stories where it’s also unbelievable. As the reader you know Caleb for a good chunk is keeping the truth from her about truly how far away he’s from, then it’s out and it’s all about him fixing his ship and getting home. I needed more to believe the actual love between these two.
Eventually I will move onto book 2, the romance between Caleb’s brother and Liberty’s sister...Sunbeam. But I’m going to chill for now, Not in a rush.
January 31, 2015
Puuuuf que libro más malo, no he podido pasar de la página 11.
Es un insta love en toda regla nada creible... Con deciros que en la primera página el tio estaba fatal porque habia tenido un accidente y en la 4 pagina ya esta ligando con la otra.
Fatal fatal que libro más malo.
Habia escuchado hablar muy bien de esta autora pero como todos sus libros sean como este... Por ahora no leere más sobre ella.
¡Felices lecturas!
Es un insta love en toda regla nada creible... Con deciros que en la primera página el tio estaba fatal porque habia tenido un accidente y en la 4 pagina ya esta ligando con la otra.
Fatal fatal que libro más malo.
Habia escuchado hablar muy bien de esta autora pero como todos sus libros sean como este... Por ahora no leere más sobre ella.
¡Felices lecturas!
April 29, 2015
As Liberty Stone stood on the cabin’s porch watching the storm rage overhead she had no regrets about being tucked away in the Oregon mountains. A cultural anthropologist, she was spending time at the place of her birth to write her dissertation on the last five years of extensive research. She was looking forward to the solitude. Then she saw the light shoot across the sky and the unmistakable sound of a crash.
Caleb Hornblower, a freelance cargo pilot from the 23rd century, is on a routine flight home from Mars when he diverts to avoid a meteor shower and is catapulted through a time gateway. With instruments going wild, the cockpit in darkness and the pressure making him lose consciousness, his ship whirls towards the earth. As Libby races to where she believes a plane went down she finds Caleb injured by the side of the track and manages to get him back to the cabin. As she nurses Caleb back to health Libby attributes his sometimes strange behaviour as the result of the accident. Little does she know.
I remember reading this book a long time ago. I think it was first published in the late 80’s or early 90’s as a Silhouette romance. I went for this newly released audio version because, well, it’s Luke Daniels and his narrations are always excellent, he always brings so much to his performance which enhances a story enormously.
Given the passage of years and the formula it followed, the story is a little dated. The dominant, could be seen as overpowering, male and the shy, virginal female, intelligent but naive, scenario could have been less than appealing but Nora Roberts handles it well. Her female characters and writing have evolved hugely since this was written but still, I like Libby and Cal and I’m glad Libby’s self assurance and nerve grows as the story progresses.
The time travel element gives the story an extra layer, even though the details are fairly vague. I imagine it was a precursor to the incredibly good In Death series which started around the same time, I think, and is written under Ms Roberts� pseudonym, JD Robb. This series is also set in the future, although not so far, and is way more comprehensive. Caleb’s stunned and bemused reactions in finding himself transported back in time and faced with an antiquated lifestyle, including the cars and kitchen equipment, are credible and amusing. I like Libby’s parents and their interactions with Caleb. I’m giving the story a four star rating taking into account it’s twenty five or so years old.
Caleb Hornblower, a freelance cargo pilot from the 23rd century, is on a routine flight home from Mars when he diverts to avoid a meteor shower and is catapulted through a time gateway. With instruments going wild, the cockpit in darkness and the pressure making him lose consciousness, his ship whirls towards the earth. As Libby races to where she believes a plane went down she finds Caleb injured by the side of the track and manages to get him back to the cabin. As she nurses Caleb back to health Libby attributes his sometimes strange behaviour as the result of the accident. Little does she know.
I remember reading this book a long time ago. I think it was first published in the late 80’s or early 90’s as a Silhouette romance. I went for this newly released audio version because, well, it’s Luke Daniels and his narrations are always excellent, he always brings so much to his performance which enhances a story enormously.
Given the passage of years and the formula it followed, the story is a little dated. The dominant, could be seen as overpowering, male and the shy, virginal female, intelligent but naive, scenario could have been less than appealing but Nora Roberts handles it well. Her female characters and writing have evolved hugely since this was written but still, I like Libby and Cal and I’m glad Libby’s self assurance and nerve grows as the story progresses.
The time travel element gives the story an extra layer, even though the details are fairly vague. I imagine it was a precursor to the incredibly good In Death series which started around the same time, I think, and is written under Ms Roberts� pseudonym, JD Robb. This series is also set in the future, although not so far, and is way more comprehensive. Caleb’s stunned and bemused reactions in finding himself transported back in time and faced with an antiquated lifestyle, including the cars and kitchen equipment, are credible and amusing. I like Libby’s parents and their interactions with Caleb. I’m giving the story a four star rating taking into account it’s twenty five or so years old.
February 17, 2024
I loved this book. It was NR's take on time travel and I really enjoyed the romance mixed with suspense.
April 20, 2021
I was shocked. The time travel romance was a great hook, but dear god in heaven, have men learned nothing about consent in 250 years. The kindle and audible samples were reasonably appealing and I hoped for a fun light read/listen while puttering around the house. I was 35 in 1989 when this book was initially released. Women were far less likely to speak out when men made forceful advances because their concerns were dismissed. “Boys will be boys.� I did not read romance novels at that time in my life, but it is clear that books like this certainly normalized sexual aggression. I hope that Nora Robert’s has evolved over time, but I will never know because I refuse to support an author who continues to profit from a novel that so blatantly demeans consent. Nora, if you have evolved and come to recognize the manner in which books like Time Was normalized sexual aggression towards women then you would immediately remove this book, and any others with similar content, from your collection.
desafio-no-recomendaciones
March 17, 2015No-recomendado por Veronica
Propósitos de este desafío: Leer de principio a fin libros considerados "malos". Mi intención es encontrar al menos UNA cualidad buena en ellos y reseñarlos objetivamente siguiendo 20 puntos a desarrollar brevemente. (Los puntos varían según el género del que se trate.)
Si tienen ganas de No-recomendarme otros libros pueden comentar
por acá o Á. ¡Cualquier género es bienvenido! Cuanto más variado, mejor :)
May 13, 2016
A time travel novel that does it for me.
Amazing sci-fi quality. You can tell Nora is a fan or have done her research.
Amazing characters that, once again, convinced me love can happen, no matter how little time you have spend together. That when two people match, it can be so perfect.
This is one of the reasons I love Nora Roberts' books. She's so good at writing relationship, writing people, it's not hard to believe the characters really love each other, even as they are getting to know each other.
Luke Daniels was a fantastic narrator yet again!
I actually choose to read this book because this series by Nora Roberts is one of the few he's read.
He's also the narrator for the MacKade Brother's Series. That's how I discovered him.
He brings the characters to life for me, and this world. The emotion, the humor, the anger, the love.
Amazing sci-fi quality. You can tell Nora is a fan or have done her research.
Amazing characters that, once again, convinced me love can happen, no matter how little time you have spend together. That when two people match, it can be so perfect.
This is one of the reasons I love Nora Roberts' books. She's so good at writing relationship, writing people, it's not hard to believe the characters really love each other, even as they are getting to know each other.
Luke Daniels was a fantastic narrator yet again!
I actually choose to read this book because this series by Nora Roberts is one of the few he's read.
He's also the narrator for the MacKade Brother's Series. That's how I discovered him.
He brings the characters to life for me, and this world. The emotion, the humor, the anger, the love.
November 4, 2017
Nora Roberts is definitely the master of telling intriguing stories. In this story, love blossoms between two individuals belongong to two different time periods. The hero Caleb, is a space traveller from 23rd century who gets pulled back in time to the 20th century while he tries to escape a blackhole.
The heroine Liberty is a scientist, an anthropologist, who studies human behaviour.
The story hooked me from the beginning.
The heroine Liberty is a scientist, an anthropologist, who studies human behaviour.
The story hooked me from the beginning.
March 17, 2019
Did not finish.
I couldn’t finish this. I was continually feeling annoyed and uneasy with it and then when the male character starts to force the female to have sex, I stopped.
I really dislike insta-love /insta-sex /insta-soulmate stories. All the characters seemed very cookie cutter cliched to me and that added to the poor quality.
If you don’t want anything interesting, with instantly falling in love and lots of sex scenes, this is for you.
I couldn’t finish this. I was continually feeling annoyed and uneasy with it and then when the male character starts to force the female to have sex, I stopped.
I really dislike insta-love /insta-sex /insta-soulmate stories. All the characters seemed very cookie cutter cliched to me and that added to the poor quality.
If you don’t want anything interesting, with instantly falling in love and lots of sex scenes, this is for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2021
Slutet pågick fan i 70 år. Var det meningen att man skulle gilla Caleb? För yikes...
August 1, 2019
A time travel love story of a male character from 23rd century finds himself in 21st century and completely into a woman he finds here..
It's a frustrating trope of insta-love. Sorry, it's actually insta-sex trope..
Beginning and ending of the book is decent but everything in between is surely a downer...
Tiny aspects of probability theory and Andromeda is enjoyable..
Just.. Not bad adult Romance..
It's a frustrating trope of insta-love. Sorry, it's actually insta-sex trope..
Beginning and ending of the book is decent but everything in between is surely a downer...
Tiny aspects of probability theory and Andromeda is enjoyable..
Just.. Not bad adult Romance..
July 24, 2011
Space pilot crashes in a time not his own and falls in love. Anthropologist falls in love right back. No evil villain, no spies or criminals, nothing but two individuals meeting.
This scenario could be ho hum in a less talented author's hands, but Nora Roberts makes us proud to be readers. The personalities and plot are very good, the setting wonderful. I especially like the secondary characters, who happen to be her parents.
I'll read this again and again. Don't miss the companion story, .
This scenario could be ho hum in a less talented author's hands, but Nora Roberts makes us proud to be readers. The personalities and plot are very good, the setting wonderful. I especially like the secondary characters, who happen to be her parents.
I'll read this again and again. Don't miss the companion story, .
August 8, 2021
This book wasn't my cup of tea. I wish there had been more character development.
There were plenty of sex scenes but that alone doesn't make a book good in my opinion.
There were plenty of sex scenes but that alone doesn't make a book good in my opinion.
March 21, 2020
If you like love stories through time!!!
A beautiful love story of a person from the future who crashes thru a black hole & winds up on earth, two centuries in the past, near a log cabin.
The woman who rescued him teaches him all about the age she is living in. One of Ms. Roberts better novels!!!
A beautiful love story of a person from the future who crashes thru a black hole & winds up on earth, two centuries in the past, near a log cabin.
The woman who rescued him teaches him all about the age she is living in. One of Ms. Roberts better novels!!!
January 27, 2021
Una novela un poco mas light de Nora Roberts, pero con su estilo indiscutible. Amo las historias de viajes en el tiempo y este no me decepciono. Me hubiese gustado un poco mas de temas científicos, pero entiendo que es difícil meter detalles sobre algo que aun no se puede hacer.
La pasión que nace entre Libby y Cal es magistralmente descrita. Un libro ágil, fácil de leer. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
A slightly lighter novel by Nora Roberts, but with her indisputable style. I love time travel stories and this one did not disappoint. I like to have learned a little more about scientific topics, but I understand that it is difficult to enter details about something that cannot be done yet.
The passion that is born between Libby and Cal is masterfully described. An agile book, easy to read. I highly recommend it.
La pasión que nace entre Libby y Cal es magistralmente descrita. Un libro ágil, fácil de leer. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.
A slightly lighter novel by Nora Roberts, but with her indisputable style. I love time travel stories and this one did not disappoint. I like to have learned a little more about scientific topics, but I understand that it is difficult to enter details about something that cannot be done yet.
The passion that is born between Libby and Cal is masterfully described. An agile book, easy to read. I highly recommend it.
October 31, 2019
Buena historia, me ha entretenido mucho, y me ha encantado la manera en que está narrado. Sinceramente, no sabía qué iba a encontrarme y estoy deseando leer el siguiente y último para ver el desenlace 🤗
March 9, 2025
I didn't really think I was gonna like this book at first, but the more I read the more I loved it. Nora Roberts does it again.
March 4, 2017
I didn't even realize this was a series novel. For one of her 1980's novels, this is pretty good. It was unique in that, other than her J.D. Robb stuff, Nora Roberts has never done sci-fi like stuff before. This is a time-travel romance in which Caleb Hornblower, after crashing his spaceship, finds himself out of the 23rd century and in the 20th century in a rustic cabin with Libby (Liberty) Stone. These two have crazy chemistry but the angst is there because Caleb has to reveal to her where he's actually from and then he has to leave her if he's ever to return to his own time and his family. It's a little slow moving at times, since the entire plot is their falling in love and getting to know one another. Maybe a minor subplot would have made this move along a bit faster. Caleb, for the most part, was a decent hero, but he did get a bit unsettling at one point. But the angst and their feelings for one another are very poignant and emotional and it was a very unique story coming from Nora Roberts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2021
2,5 stjerner
Jeg har læst flere bøger af forfatteren, som jeg har været begejstret for, men denne her skuffede mig.
Jeg kan godt lide plottet - det er nytænkende (hvis man kan sige det om en ældre bog). Pilot fra det 23. århundrede styrter ned med sit rumskib i det 21. århundrede. Han bliver reddet af en kvinde, hvorefter de forelsker sig.
Jeg kan ikke lide den mandlige hovedperson Caleb, da han ikke respekterer den kvindelige hovedperson Libbys nej. Det er ikke i orden.
Jeg elskede at høre om fremtiden og læse om Calebs rumskib og luftcykel, det var virkelig spændende. Det er godt fundet på.
Mange af sexscenerne er skrevet i, hvad jeg vil kalde, billedsprog. Det er jeg ikke god til. Jeg foretrækker at kalde en spade for en spade.
Jeg fik dog bogen læst færdig på trods af min modvilje, da jeg blev nødt til at have slutningen med.
Jeg har læst flere bøger af forfatteren, som jeg har været begejstret for, men denne her skuffede mig.
Jeg kan godt lide plottet - det er nytænkende (hvis man kan sige det om en ældre bog). Pilot fra det 23. århundrede styrter ned med sit rumskib i det 21. århundrede. Han bliver reddet af en kvinde, hvorefter de forelsker sig.
Jeg kan ikke lide den mandlige hovedperson Caleb, da han ikke respekterer den kvindelige hovedperson Libbys nej. Det er ikke i orden.
Jeg elskede at høre om fremtiden og læse om Calebs rumskib og luftcykel, det var virkelig spændende. Det er godt fundet på.
Mange af sexscenerne er skrevet i, hvad jeg vil kalde, billedsprog. Det er jeg ikke god til. Jeg foretrækker at kalde en spade for en spade.
Jeg fik dog bogen læst færdig på trods af min modvilje, da jeg blev nødt til at have slutningen med.
June 10, 2025
2,5� Realmente
Una historia de viajes en el tiempo y encontrar el amor donde menos lo esperas que está muy bien pero que ocurre demasiado rápido.
Libby y Cal son adorables, los padres de Libby me han encantado y habría disfrutado mucho más de la lectura de haber tenido más desarrollo del romance y de toda la trama de viajes en el tiempo.
Un libro fresco y ágil que te deja con ganas de más pero con el sello de Nora de inicio a fin
Una historia de viajes en el tiempo y encontrar el amor donde menos lo esperas que está muy bien pero que ocurre demasiado rápido.
Libby y Cal son adorables, los padres de Libby me han encantado y habría disfrutado mucho más de la lectura de haber tenido más desarrollo del romance y de toda la trama de viajes en el tiempo.
Un libro fresco y ágil que te deja con ganas de más pero con el sello de Nora de inicio a fin
January 6, 2019
I received this as a present, as seems to be the norm, it was repackaged and updated with a new cover, with the sequel “Times Change� and so the person who gifted it to me thought it was her newest book.
To be honest, this is crap, an earlier book of NR first published in 1989, it really is a dreadful storyline.
It annoys the life out of me how publishers repackage older books as new books.
To be honest, this is crap, an earlier book of NR first published in 1989, it really is a dreadful storyline.
It annoys the life out of me how publishers repackage older books as new books.
June 19, 2020
Algunas partes son buenas, pero la mayoría del tiempo se basa en el mismo argumento, el libro termina siendo copioso y aburrido. Con tantas cosas sobre las que hablar sobre los viajes en el tiempo es una tristeza que la escritora no haya hecho volar su imaginación o incluso darnos una perspectiva más amplia de lo que sería ser una persona del siglo XXIII en los pintorescos años 80.
November 14, 2020
This was the first Nora Roberts book I did not enjoy. I found it to be boring. I was looking forward to reading a good time travel book, but it lacked in anything creative and focused more on the relationship between the main characters.
April 12, 2021
This might be the first Nora Roberts book I can't finish. It is so bad. I'm on page 60 and I keep waiting for the story to develop. I'm not prudish, but the sex is extremely overdone. YIKES this is bad.
August 17, 2021
I skipped through a lot of this book. A good 50 percent was the two main characters having sex. It didn't move the story forward at all and was so repetitive. The rest of the story could have been fleshed out a lot more. I was disappointed. I feel like a novice writer ghost writer this one.
January 30, 2018
Rereading these 2 books years later. The guys come across as total jerks.
April 27, 2018
Found this book to be annoying and repetitive. I also didn’t like Cal or Libby, so that didn’t really help.
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