Book Review: Hourglass, Timepiece & Infinityglass by Myra McEntire

Title: Hourglass, Timepiece, Infinityglass (Hourglass #1, #2, #3)
Author: Myra McEntire
Publisher: Egmont USA
Publishing Date: June 14th 2011, June 12th 2012, August 6th 2013
Length: 390 pages, 325 pages, 336 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, time travel, romance, action
Source: Bought, Netgalley

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

Summary by Goodreads

Since her parents's death Emerson has been seeing things others can't. Apparitions from old days are crossing her way and she can't make them go away. Her brother Thomas is set on finding a cure, but nothing has helped so far. Until he calls the Hourglass organisation on the plan, and with it super smart and hot agent Michael. Thank you, Thomas! His task is to help Emerson find a way to get rid of her ghosts from the past. And of course all scruples aside he's there to provide us with a swoon-worthy romance. What a lucky providence that he's staying in the same housing complex as Emerson and her brother. Offers room for a lot of flustering encounters and much time for their feelings of attraction to grow into something stronger and more sustainable. 

Only the love story would have been enough to name HOURGLASS an awesome read. A conspiracy, mysterious organisations, insane antagonists, explosions, very short windows of time to act and turn the ending into a happy one and time travelling - loved the time travelling components in HOURGLASS just as much as in recent favourites such as TEMPEST by Julie Cross- complete HOURGLASS to a well-balanced and absolutely gripping read. 

In TIMEPIECE the hunt for antagonist Landers continues. Now from the perspective of Michael's best friend Kaleb. It took some getting used to Kaleb's narration. He's a character with so much sorrow and anger sitting on his heart that the emotional level of this sequel was stepped up a few notches.

The story's main focus was on Kaleb and Lily's love story (yes, he gets a shot with Emerson's best friend) than the part where they actually work on saving the world. Completely fine with me. Lily and him are like fire and ice, so absoring in their elements. Theirs is a stormy and fierce love, with space for gentleness and understanding. Reaching PERFECT CHEMISTRY intensity of romance goodness, their attraction is smoldering.

All three books are connected by their narrators being friends, continuing the ongoing plot and involvement of the Hourglass. Having this huge group of friends who are working towards the same goal, posed as an ideal tactic for Myra McEntire to give each of them a chance to tell their story in one of the three HOURGLASS books. So even though the focus lies on Kaleb and Lily in the second book, we still get updates on Emerson and Michael's relationship and hear what everyone else is up to. Same applies to the third book. I really loved that each book got its own and independent love story and still kept us in contact with the characters we'd got to know from the previous books.

INFINITYGLASS too is told from a different perspective than HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE. Even from two alternating points of view this time. Dune (he's also a part of our group of Hourglass friends) and Hallie are our couple who bring the mission and with it the HOURGLASS saga to an end. This last leg of the story is mainly set in New Orleans, a city with history and flair, taking us back to the glamorous days of ball gowns and and fainting ladies. 

The disturbances in the space time continuum that have been plaguing our friends for so many pages are getting even more dangerous in this last book in the HOURGLASS series. The rips are taking over entire scenes and are assaulting Hallie. Hallie who has a very special gift even among the time-gifted kids. 

Hired to guard her and find out more about this girl Dune steps into the life of whirlwind Hallie. You know what's coming next. Yep, the love story. Him being her bodyguard had something incredibly sexy und forbidden. He is employed by Hallie's father who would do anything to prevent any physical contact between the two. You bet they can't stay away from each other for long.

Hallie's family life and the relationsthip with her mother are also a big part of the thrid book, one that made it a bit more dragging than the two before it. 

The hunt is on, a quest to find the infinityglass and with it the only thing that can save our friends and the entire world now. 

4,5/5 ****/* HOURGLASS series - An action-packed time travel extraverganza with flair and three infectious love stories.

One minute you are totally relaxed and laid-back, that jazzy feeling of old days bewitching you, the next you are on the run from your past and your future. Trust me, you want to have all three books in your reach when you turn the first page of HOURGLASS.

"Aren't you just a knight in shining armor? [...] Wherever do you keep your horse? And who scoops up the crap it leaves behind?" ― Hourglass by Myra McEntire p. 173


"So I should go clear all of this up and tell her how I really feel." Her answering smile was genuine. "Absolutely. But maybe clean up first. You have cookie crumbs on your chin."― Timepiece by Myra McEntire p. 243

"What are the terms of this particular game? Are we talking personal or professional questions?"
"Both." She gave me the once-over. "I'd like to know who I'm getting in bed with. So to speak."God, the girl was wicked. I was probably in trouble. ― Infinityglass by Myra McEntire p. 120

the HOURGLASS series you should also enjoy HUNTING LILA by Sarah Alderson about a girl being followed by a mysterious organisation. TEMPEST by Julie Cross has more than one jump in time to offer and UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris even brings the FBI to the scene.

*  Read an excerpt of HOURGLASS here.

* Click here to watch the HOURGLASS book trailer.

* Find out how the idea for the INFINITYGLASS cover was born. 

* For further information about Myra and her books visit  www.myramcentire.com

* Thanks to Egmont USA, Media Masters Publicity and Netgalley for the chance to review INFINITYGLASS!