In 16th century Italy, Alessandra is still dreaming of her cousin Cat’s visit. Two years have passed though, and she feels that that magic has since left. But when things go wrong with her engagement, she sees the gypsy who helped Cat again, and it’s so long 16th century Italy, hello 21st century Beverly Hills.
What first drew me into this book was the main character, Alessandra, or Less. Being from the 16th century, she was raised to be the perfect lady: prim, proper, and calm. Her encounter with her cousin Cat is the only real adventure she ever had. Because of that, naturally she yearns for more, for something outside her limited life. Yet even with that, she is still hesitant. She still has to gather up courage to accept an adventure, any adventure, when it is offered to her. She’s struggling to become herself, someone she hasn’t had the chance to know yet. Rachel Harris taps into that that uncertainty clearly and realistically and makes Less not only believable, but easy to relate to as well.
Someone comes along to help her figure herself out: Austin a.ka. Mr. Swoon. He’s a combination of surfer, bad boy, mystery, hottie, and potential sweetheart all at once. He sees through Less’s attempts at being perfect and demands she change her I-MUST-be-a-lady ways. He was a wonderful male interest for Less. But with time travel, one never knows how those relationships will work out until the very last pages.
The wonderful now secondary character of Cat got her own little subplot that made the story even more enjoyable. She left Less’s best friend Lorenzo when she came back in time, but now, there is a boy who looks just like him in her time who won’t stay away from her…and she can’t stay away from him. I liked that we get to see her side romance there and how Cat and Less help each other out.
My favorite part of this light-hearted, fun, and flirty story was that though it was all those things, it still had moments when things weren’t so light-hearted, moments real and touching and deep. When you’re trying to find out who you are, you never get it right the first time. Or even the second. Less is no exception to that. Sometimes when trying not to be perfect, she just ends up being out-of-control wild, which though that may be the opposite of a do-gooder, is not the solution. It gave the story a surprise depth that I really enjoyed it.
Overall, if you’ve read other Rachel Harris works, you certainly won’t be disappointed! If you haven’t and you like fun and flirty and swoony things, I would highly recommend A Tale of Two Centuries.