BBNYA2025 Blog Tour Book Review ~ 3rd Place Finalist: Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.

Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

Time Turner Tuesday ~ Bearing an Hourglass

*Book source ~ Home library

Title ~ Bearing an Hourglass

Series ~ Incarnations of Immortality, #2

Author ~ Piers Anthony

Publisher ~ Del Rey Books

Published ~ August 1984

Genre ~ Fantasy

Pages ~ 281

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble out of 5

One day when Norton is out camping he meets a ghost, Gawain. Gawain is from a noble family with a long lineage, but he died slaying a dragon (well, he thought it was a dragon) before he could marry and father an heir. So his parents arranged a ghost marriage for him and he’s wandering the Earth looking for a suitable man to get his wife pregnant. It is this meeting that changes Norton’s life in a really big way though he doesn’t know it yet.

Book 2 in one of my favorite series is actually my least favorite book because of the Time thing. When Norton becomes Chronos he starts living his life backwards. This is the part where I get lost and no matter how many different times it’s explained by various people throughout the book, I still don’t get it or precisely how the hourglass works. I didn’t get it the other times I read it and I had hoped, now that I’m older, I might understand it, but nope. Ah, well. Except for that fact, I did enjoy the story. I love Norton/Chronos. He’s a great character and so well-detailed he feels like a real person. Sning is my next favorite character. I’d love to have a ring like him!

When Satan’s plan is foiled by Death in Book 1, he tries his shenanigans with the new Chronos. Chronos shouldn’t have been so gullible, but who isn't a bit unsure in a new job? And being Chronos was way more than just any ol’ job. Whew! Anyway, despite the whole Time and paradox thing I once again enjoyed Norton’s story very much.