Genre: Historical Christian Fiction.

My Rating: 5 Stars. Recommendation: 15 up.

My favorite character/s: Barclay is the big brother, I loved finding out more about him and I really enjoyed getting to see who made all of the "family" into who they were. Barclay was an awesome character. I now think he is my favorite of all of the characters in the series. I liked how he treated his siblings and was always kind!!

My Verse for Barclay is James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (English Standard Version.)

I also loved every other character, but I don't want to give any spoilers, so that's all for my favorite characters!

My thoughts: I loved the other books in the series, but this one topped them all so far! I loved this book even more because it had more about the rest of the "family" and I really liked the new and old characters! This book seemed even more realistic than the first two, and I am eagerly waiting for Roseanna M. White's next book!
I received this book in exchange for my honest review. (And I am thrilled to provide it! :-) ) ( )

In 1915, Barclay’s new job is to discover if a clockmaker’s latest development could relevant to the war effort, and becomes friends with the clockmaker’s suffragette daughter, Evelina.

At first, the stakes seem lower than in the previous two books: unlike his sisters’ jobs, Barclay’s doesn’t take him away from home, and his family has more connections and resources than they had a year earlier; Evelina has faced danger and disappointment (an attempted mugging, a broken-off engagement) but she has the privileges of a comfortable home. But as the story progresses, circumstances become much more tense.

One of my favourite things about this trilogy has been Barclay’s large and loving found-family, and the way having chosen to be family to each other has made them a family. I enjoyed spending more time with them. And it was interesting to see Barclay reunite with members of his biological; and the acknowledgment of the difficulties of reconciliation.

The romance was sweet, too.

But then, he’d built a family from people in worse circumstances, on a shorter acquaintance. They’d pledged to stay together forever, and they’d done it. Sometimes sheer grit was enough.
And sometimes it wasn’t. ( )

Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.



My Thoughts: This is an intriguing and entertaining book. From the first chapter to the last, it has the reader completely enamored. This is the third book in the series and if the reader like myself hasn't read the first two, they will be able to read along easily. The setting takes place during the first world war and grabs the readers attention from the first page. The characters are fun, witty and down to earth.


I believe that this book is to teach us what family really is and to appreciate and to hold on tight and love our famililies. It's a book about serving others and putting family first.


I believe that readers will truly enjoy this novel, especially those who love historical fiction. ( )

These books just keep getting better. This last book in the Shadows over England series follows Barclay, the big brother of the orphan family.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, An Hour Unspent continues the Shadows over England series that follows a family of street urchins (think a nice version of Charles Dicken’s Fagin gang) who steal to provide for themselves. They’ve gained such a reputation as clever thieves that they are recruited by a mysterious “Mr. V” who needs their special skills as WWI begins to rage around the European countryside.

The third book follows their “brother” Barclay Pearce as he befriends a clockmaker and his daughter. When the clockmaker disappears, Barclay’s dark past comes in handy, and he must decide what he values most.

Roseanna White’s characters are brilliantly written and delightfully well-crafted. There is a lot of quick wit and unexpected plot twists that keep you on your toes, while still providing a happy ending and a satisfactory smile on the face of the reader. Highly recommended for people who like classics and historical fiction. It’s a nice twist on both. ( )

A thoroughly enjoyable book, An Hour Unspent continues the Shadows over England series that follows a family of street urchins (think a nice version of Charles Dicken’s Fagin gang) who steal to provide for themselves. They’ve gained such a reputation as clever thieves that they are recruited by a mysterious “Mr. V” who needs their special skills as WWI begins to rage around the European countryside.

The first book in the series followed Rosemary, an uneducated but passionate reader who poses as a librarian in the home of a potential traitor to the British crown. Her job–to find proof of his ties to Germany. But what she uncovers is a lot more surprising…

The second book followed her “sister” Willa, an untrained but gifted violinist who plays by ear. Her task is to steal a cypher from a famous violinist and the son of a brilliant cryptographer. He immediately falls head-over-heels for her, and proposes marriage, but Willa’s only in it for the mark.

The third book follows their “brother” Barclay Pearce as he befriends a clockmaker and his daughter. When the clockmaker disappears, Barclay’s dark past comes in handy, and he must decide what he values most.

Roseanna White’s characters are brilliantly written and delightfully well-crafted. There is a lot of quick wit and unexpected plot twists that keep you on your toes, while still providing a happy ending and a satisfactory smile on the face of the reader. Highly recommended for people who like classics and historical fiction. It’s a nice twist on both. ( )