One Too Many TimesDomhan Books Can be ordered from www.amazon.com (check out an excerpt!) Reviewed
in Romantic
Times, Barnes and Noble, and the Ricardian Register, Summer 2001 ISBN: 1-58345-613-9 (paper) 1-58345-612-0 (hardcover) Also available in Large Print format SPECIAL THANKS TO: Midnight Oil, www.midnightoil.com, for the great title which was right there in my head when I was looking, and as always, for the music. Bonnie, for letting me borrow Ian and Nicky. Hanna-Barbera, who inspired me to create The Grand Wizbar. ONE TOO MANY TIMES England, 1463: King Edward IV and his younger brothers Richard and George, followed by a lovestruck Lisbet Woodville, travel to the year 2000, through the powers of a local wizard. Richard, with the help of historian Annie Spooner and her screenwriter friend Dorothy, tries to rewrite history by making a movie portraying himself as a kind and benevolent king, instead of the 'deformed monster' of Shakespeare lore. With the media power of Brooke Hill, hostess of popular TV show "The Royal Issue", the movie is a smash hit. Meanwhile, the three brothers fall in love with women who reshape their destinies--and change the course of history. REVIEWS:
"I picked up ONE TOO MANY TIMES cold, with no clue what it was about except for the designation, Paranormal/Fantasy. As I read, I thought, "This is very strange." Then as I read more, I thought "This is funny, is it a spoof?" My final conclusion is that ONE TOO MANY TIMES is a clever and original blend of history and speculation, an altogether good time tale told with bawdy humor. Diana Rubino is the author of a series of historical novels set during the last years of the Plantagenets and the early years of the Tudors. Perhaps her imagination wouldn't let itself be confined any longer within the limits of the possible, and this fun exercise is the result. This couldn't really happen--could it? Be sure to read ONE TOO MANY TIMES and find out. --Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today "There are basically two ways to view time travel. It can be seen as a magical mystery that allows characters to roam the continuum of history, righting wrongs and starting over, or it can be seen as total confusion and a path to hilarity. Ms. Rubino blends these two with a masterful and funny hand to create a touching romance which had this reviewer laughing out loud in all the right places. ...Ms. Rubino manages to get all characters into satisfactory romances as well as make their film debut a hit. It is a tribute to her skills as a wordsmith that this is done both humorously and believably. Her deft mixing of modern and 15th century forms of address and wording make the conversations wells of laughter. The various reactions of the 15th century time travelers as they become familiar with the amenities and contrivances of the 21st century are a continuing source of amusement. Somehow, she manages to get the most out of these without milking them dry. This is a delicious book and will be savored by readers who like their romances hot and their humor dry. --Steven Lopata, CompuServe Romance Reviews ...This is a book to be read when you want pure entertainment. Funny and a bit outrageous, these wonderful heroes are willing to take a chance on changing history to put things right. If you enjoy time travel with a different twist, this is it. Definitely a fantasy that's fun. --Susan Mobley, Romantic Times How often have you wished you could go back in time and change a regrettable moment in your personal history? ONE TOO MANY TIMES is the story of an opportunity not to go back and change a moment in a life already lived, but to leap forward and change how historians have told the story of a life lived long ago. ...ONE TOO MANY TIMES is an unusual combination of bawdy irreverent humor, historical fact, and some artfully garbed fabrication, but somehow Diana Rubino makes this quirky combination work! I found the story of the situation more predominate than the romance, but the novel was amusing nonetheless. When you're ready for a merry jaunt along the time continuum, reach for a copy of ONE TOO MANY TIMES!--AOL Romance Fiction Forum ...Historical accuracy? Even on its own terms, forget it. Hysterical accuracy, yes. All the major characters develop as decent sorts...everything works out well in the end, but the fun is getting there. The same publisher advertises a quadrilogy by Ms. Rubino, AKA the Yorkist Saga, which I presume treats the subject matter more seriously. I hope to be able to review these some time in the future, but not the far future. They couldn't be as much of a romp as this, though! --Myrna Smith, Richard III Society "...Ms. Rubino has penned an interesting book. Like Julia Roberts' face, if taken apart, this book doesn't have much to recommend it. Yet, somehow, taken together as a whole, it's intriguing and keeps drawing the reader back...the situations are so bizarre as to be unbelievable...overall, I can't decide whether to recommend this book or not. --Morgan Paige, Old Book Barn "...Past, present and future fuse in a hysterically inaccurate timeline that will keep readers in stitches...characterizations are believable, implausible, and a touch ridiculous, and the plotting even more so. Yet the result is a mesh of the old with new, the impossible with the improbable and a profound overlay of humor. Move over Mel Gibson and Shakespeare for Diana Rubino's eclectic blend that will keep readers enthralled. Highly recommended." --Cindy Penn, Wordweaving, Atlanta, GA
WHAT READERS SAY:
"Those boys sure caught on to the big century change quickly, showing just how smart and adaptive they were. I've only been able to read in bits of time, which urks me. I don't want to put the book down even when I just 'have' to. I have a crush on Richard; a sigh, a tish-tish and shaking head for Edward; but I'm in LOVE with George." --Dora Fahey, Orlando, FL "Since September 11, I have been unable to concentrate on anything except the news, but this fun book kept me reading and made me smile. I was intrigued by her surprising twists on history and found myself wishing, "If only..." Diana Rubino is funny and original." --Sandra Worth, Houston, TX "I read the book in one sitting. The book is wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Richard's, Edward's and George's adventure. And the names you gave them: Cuthbert and Wilberforce, please, where did you get them from? They were great, I am still smiling. Needless to say, I ordered the other 4 books in the Richard genre...this is how I justified reading ONE TOO MANY TIMES right away, that I would be getting more of your books to read soon. Thank you so much for the hours of enjoyment this book brought to me...I finished the 4 books in the Yorkist series...they gave me hours of enjoyment, but my favorite will always be ONE TOO MANY TIMES.--Marcelline Brown, Tucson, AZ --Wilberforce is the first name of the flamboyant character Mr. Humphries in the hilarious Britcom, Are You Being Served?--Diana "Entertaining, but historically inaccurate and silly at times." --from Amazon.com, a reader from Flushing Historically inaccurate? Well, we all know Richard never ate bananas on pizza. Silly? Would I be 'silly' for asking you to sign your name? --Diana "Hilariously funny. I laughed out loud a lot while reading this book. The characters are all larger than life, and the romance sizzles. A romping read you will not forget in a hurry. More like this one please. As for the historically inaccurate, well, you have obviously never read a single one of all Ms. Rubino's other excellently researched books!"--a reader from USA, Amazon.com "I'm sure you had fun writing it! You made Elizabeth Woodville and George of Clarence out to be much more sympathetic characters than they probably were...I liked Lisbet very much in your book. It's nice to think that maybe she was guided by love instead of greed and ambition. And George ending up as a TV host is perfect! I very much enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the Yorkist series." --Suzanne Pontius, Eaton, OH "Diana Rubino never disappoints. Her surprise endings are even better than her grabber beginnings." --Carole Gilliam, Stamford, CT
Diana Rubino • Email: diana@dianarubino.com |