Bryn Donovan’s Her Time Traveling Duke proves that lightning can indeed strike twice in the same enchanted place. Following her delightful debut Her Knight at the Museum, Donovan returns to the Art Institute of Chicago with another impossibly charming romance that asks: what happens when a love spell goes spectacularly right in the most inconvenient way possible?
Rose Novak, a social media manager at Chicago’s Art Institute, never expected her Friday night love spell to work quite so literally. After attending her best friend’s wedding to a formerly-stone medieval knight, Rose decides to try a little magic of her own. Her request for an “old-fashioned gentleman” manifests in the form of Henry Horatio Leighton-Lyons, the fifth Duke of Beresford, yanked from his 1818 portrait just moments before it was completed. What begins as mutual shock and wine-throwing quickly evolves into a race against time as Rose and Henry must navigate modern Chicago, steal back a magical astrolabe, and confront the reality that their connection might transcend centuries.
The Chemistry of Opposites
Donovan excels at crafting relationships built on genuine tension and gradual understanding. Rose embodies modern spirituality with her crystals, tarot cards, and unapologetic belief in magic. She’s refreshingly self-aware about her patterns in relationships, having been burned by men who expected her to accommodate their needs while neglecting her own. Her work at the museum showcases her creative intelligence and passion for making art accessible to everyone, a detail that feels authentic to the character and adds depth beyond the romantic plot.
Henry, meanwhile, is beautifully rendered as a man of rigid scientific principles whose grief over his late wife Charlotte has calcified into intellectual isolation. His initial pomposity and condescension toward Rose’s magical practices create genuine friction, yet Donovan skillfully peels back layers to reveal a man capable of profound growth. The duke’s journey from dismissing everything he doesn’t understand to embracing mystery and magic provides one of the novel’s most satisfying character arcs.
Their verbal sparring crackles with wit. When Rose teases Henry about his ignorance of modern conveniences, or when Henry expresses scandalized horror at her “scandalous” yoga pants, Donovan demonstrates her gift for dialogue that advances both plot and character development. The authenticity of their miscommunications and gradual understanding creates a believable foundation for romance.
A Love Letter to Chicago
The city itself functions as more than mere backdrop. Donovan’s Chicago pulses with specificity, from the food trucks between the museum and Millennium Park to the neighborhood of Pilsen with its vibrant murals and Mexican restaurants. Rose’s Chicago is textured with cultural references that ground the fantasy elements in tangible reality. The Harold Washington Library, Maxwell Street markets, and Cubs games become part of Henry’s education in modern life, each location chosen with care to showcase different facets of the city.
The Art Institute serves as the story’s beating heart, and Donovan clearly knows this institution intimately. Details about paintings conservation, social media management for cultural institutions, and the behind-the-scenes workings of museum operations demonstrate research that never feels like research. Rose’s job isn’t window dressing; it’s integral to who she is and how the plot unfolds.
Where Magic and Science Intersect
The novel’s magical system deserves particular praise for its internal consistency. The time travel mechanics involving moonstones, astrolabes, tarot cards, and specific astronomical alignments create a framework that feels both whimsical and structured. Donovan wisely avoids over-explaining every detail while providing enough information to make the magic feel consequential rather than convenient.
The subplot involving Henry’s search for meaning in his displacement and Rose’s journey to master her considerable magical abilities weaves seamlessly with the central romance. Supporting characters, particularly Rose’s ex-convict brother Ryan and her best friend Emily from the previous book, add emotional weight and complication without overwhelming the primary love story. The inclusion of FBI agent Aaron Coleman, Rose’s sort-of-ex who still harbors feelings for her, creates realistic external pressure without devolving into manufactured drama.
Moments That Resonate
Several scenes stand out for their emotional authenticity. Henry’s first encounter with a public library, his wonder at democratized knowledge, captures both his character and a universal truth about education’s transformative power. The sequences where Rose teaches Henry about modern Chicago while he shares his perspective on history create genuine moments of connection. Their collaborative problem-solving, whether deciphering clues hidden in Henry’s portrait or executing an elaborate heist at a charity gala, showcase partnership rather than one character rescuing the other.
The intimate scenes balance passion with character revelation. Donovan writes physical connection that serves emotional development, making these moments feel earned rather than obligatory. The vulnerability both characters display in these scenes parallels the emotional risks they’re taking throughout the narrative.
Areas for Growth
While Her Time Traveling Duke succeeds on multiple levels, certain elements could have been strengthened. The reincarnation subplot, while adding mystical weight to the romance, occasionally feels underdeveloped. The connection between Rose and Charlotte receives hints and implications rather than full exploration, leaving some emotional threads dangling. This hesitation to fully commit to either a reincarnation narrative or a fresh love story creates moments of narrative uncertainty.
The pacing stumbles occasionally in the middle section, where the mechanics of time travel and magical objects receive extensive attention that temporarily stalls emotional momentum. While the details about astrolabes and moonstone properties demonstrate Donovan’s research, some readers might find these explanations interrupt the narrative flow.
Additionally, the resolution of certain conflicts, particularly involving the FBI investigation and the recovered astrolabe, arrives with surprising ease. The tension Donovan carefully builds sometimes deflates too quickly, sacrificing opportunities for deeper exploration of consequences and difficult choices.
Themes Worth Pondering
Beyond the romance, Donovan explores substantive themes about grief, second chances, and the courage required to release control. Henry’s journey from trying to reverse time to embracing an uncertain future resonates with anyone who has struggled to let go of what was. Rose’s arc about deserving love without constantly accommodating others speaks to relationship patterns many readers will recognize.
Her Time Traveling Duke also examines how we balance respecting the past with living in the present, a theme that works both literally through time travel and metaphorically through the characters’ emotional growth. The question of whether some connections transcend time and circumstance provides philosophical depth without becoming heavy-handed.
Similar Treasures to Discover
Readers who enjoy Her Time Traveling Duke should seek out:
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling: Contemporary witches, magical mishaps, and delightful banter
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow: Historical magic with feminist themes and rich world-building
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: Time-displaced romance with modern sensibilities
- The Immortal Rules series by Julie Kagawa: For those who appreciate magical realism in contemporary settings
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: Academic settings meet supernatural romance
The Verdict
Her Time Traveling Duke succeeds as both standalone romance and series continuation, offering readers the comfort of familiar world-building with fresh characters and conflicts. Donovan’s voice carries genuine warmth and wit, her Chicago setting feels lived-in and authentic, and her central romance earns its happily-ever-after through genuine character development rather than magical convenience.
While not without minor flaws in pacing and thematic follow-through, Her Time Traveling Duke delivers what it promises: a charming, sexy, emotionally satisfying romance that respects both historical detail and contemporary sensibilities. Rose and Henry’s journey from antagonism to partnership to love unfolds with humor, heart, and just enough magical impossibility to remind us why we read romance in the first place.
For fans of Donovan’s debut or newcomers to her work, this offers an enchanting escape into a world where museums hold secrets, love transcends centuries, and sometimes the most scientific mind needs a little magic to find its way home.
