The third novel in the Roman Time Travel series, Return to Me finds time traveler Gigi Perrin happily settled into twenty-first century life with her husband, the former Roman senator and military commander, Quintus Magnus. Gigi has resumed her successful musical career, playing the flute for her adoring fans, while making her first foray into Hollywood by creating the musical score for a feature film about the Roman emperor Nero.
At the film’s wrap party, Gigi is presented with a gift to commemorate her work: an ancient Roman ring depicting the goddess Victoria. Stunned, she and Magnus recognize it as the very ring that brought them together, and the one subsequently stolen from her and lost in A.D. 410. How did it make its way back to them? Magnus believes the answer is clear; Victoria sent it as a warning about their dear friend, Princess Galla Placidia. They start researching what happened to Placidia after Gigi and Magnus time-traveled from the barbarous fifth century. To their shock, they discover Placidia’s life took a series of terrible turns, culminating with the murders of her children.
Realizing they have no other choice, Gigi and Magnus prepare to embark on a perilous quest to go back in time and rescue them. But one ominous question remains - how can they save the children without altering the course of history?
5 of 5 Stars: Fantastic Conclusion to an Exquisite Series!
RETURN TO ME was a perfect conclusion to a fantastic Roman time-travel epic story. This series just kept getting better and better as evident in the final installment. From the first page, this story enthralled me, and I was once again swept up into the political storms of 410 A.D. Rome. Even though I didn’t want to let go of the romance, adventure, and impeccable historical accuracy, I was eager to see how Morgan O’Neill wrapped up the trilogy. RETURN TO ME delivered more than I could hope for in a marvelously written classic!
The love story between Gigi and Magnus was special and beautiful, becoming the driving force behind their goals. Their return to Rome to save Placidia and her children was heart-wrenching, intense and exhilarating as they embroiled themselves in more political intrigue and came up against their foe Honorius. Staying off Honorius’s radar and battling new threats while trying to save the children and not alter history became their greatest challenge. These challenges brought such emotional and intense conflict to Gigi and Magnus that you wondered how they would ever succeed until the last climatic scene.
It’s bittersweet that I have to say goodbye to Gigi, Magnus, Placidia and all the wonderfully depicted characters in RETURN TO ME. The ending was beyond satisfying, but I will miss reading about Gigi & Magnus’s romance and adventures. Rome and all its beauty and brutal reality, Gigi, Magnus and Placidia will stay in your heart long after you read the last page. I highly recommend RETURN TO ME and the entire trilogy to all fans of historical fiction. Morgan O’Neill is now on my auto buy list and I can’t wait to see what this dynamic writing duo serves up next!