When the Day Comes: An Inspirational Colonial and Gilded Age-Era Time-Travel Historical Romance (Timeless)
How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives.
In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.
Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--women's suffrage--is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.
But Libby knows she's not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other--but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?
From Gabrielle Meyer, Christy Award-winning and bestselling author, comes a Christian historical romance about the choice between love and duty set during the American Revolution and the eve of WWI in England, with surprising twists and time travel.
Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives.
In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy.
Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--women's suffrage--is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.
But Libby knows she's not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other--but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?
From Gabrielle Meyer, Christy Award-winning and bestselling author, comes a Christian historical romance about the choice between love and duty set during the American Revolution and the eve of WWI in England, with surprising twists and time travel.
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✨ When the Day Comes — Book Review ✨
Synopsis:
Libby lives two lives across two centuries. When she falls asleep in one timeline, she awakens in the other—one unfolding in 1774 colonial America on the brink of revolution, and the other in 1914 New York City as the world edges toward war.
This time-crossing ability is a gift passed down through many generations of women in her family in her 1774 life. It is a secret shared only between Libby and her mother; her sisters do not possess the same gift.
As Libby approaches her 21st birthday, the full weight of this inheritance settles upon her. On that day, she must choose which life to continue. The life she leaves behind will end—she will die in that timeline and never return. With history unfolding around her in both eras, deep love tied to each life, and faith quietly guiding her heart, Libby must face an impossible decision that will shape her future forever.
My Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
This book had been on my wish list for quite some time, and when my dear friend @jocelyn.reads.books gifted it to me for Christmas, I knew it needed to be one of my January reads. I am so glad it was. This story is absolutely beautiful and wonderfully unique. I loved the dual timelines and found the writing creative, thoughtful, and refreshingly different.
I have always been drawn to stories with time travel or dual timelines, and this one has easily become a favorite. Libby is such a beautifully written character—I wanted to wrap her in a hug and befriend her. Her two lives are vastly different, yet equally captivating. I adored the warmth and sweetness of her 1774 life, while her 1914 timeline stirred deeper, more complicated emotions. I especially appreciated the relationships with her father and Edith, her lady’s maid, which grew on me in such a meaningful way.
What truly made this story even richer for me were the Christian faith elements woven throughout. The spiritual depth, quiet reliance on God, and moments of prayer and reflection added so much heart. One verse quoted in the book especially stood out and felt deeply connected to Libby’s journey:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
— Jeremiah 29:11
That promise felt like the steady thread beneath Libby’s impossible choice, gently reminding the reader that even in uncertainty, God’s plans remain sure.
Though the ending was not what I expected—it was even better—it was deeply redeeming and such a beautiful reminder that even when our lives don’t make sense to us, God is still in every detail. His ways are always rooted in unconditional love, mercy, and grace. Even when we don’t fully understand, giving Him the pen will always serve the greater good. His plans are truly higher and better than anything we could ever create for ourselves.
The historical detail throughout was beautifully done, and the central question—which life would you choose, knowing one must end?—stayed with me long after the final page.
This is the first book in Gabrielle Meyer’s Timeless series, and I can’t wait to continue the rest over the coming months. 💗📖 I wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful, faith-filled story. 💗
I really enjoyed this book and the different twists and turns it takes! If you love historical fiction, this book is for you! And there are more in this series!
Libby is a time-crosser; a unique gift given by God, the Author of life. She bears a sunburst birthmark over her heart which distinguishes her gift, and she lives two lives in both 1774 and 1914. She is one person, one conscious mind, set in identical twin bodies. Her conscious mind travels back and forth, accumulating experiences from each path to create one unique person.
At 19 years old, she is nearing her 21st birthday when she will be required to choose which path to continue in for the rest of her life; she cannot continue on two paths. Whichever life she chooses, she forfeits the other timeline where her body dies.
Set during the American Revolution and World War II, the historical events woven throughout are fascinating, and Gabrielle brings these events to life in a fresh and exciting way. It was such a joy to explore these momentous periods of the past, no longer simply dates and facts from a textbook, but gut-wrenching, hope-filled and inspiring milestone moments of change.
“When The Day Comes” is historical fiction at its absolute best! It is a fast-paced, time-travelling, split-time novel that doesn’t fit easily in a genre box, but for the best reasons. It is singular in story-telling and plot, while also taking a hope-filled approach to themes such as womanhood, equality, the sanctity of human life and God’s sovereignty.
I absolutely loved it!
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