Title: Flirting With Forever
Author: Gwyn Cready
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: March 30,2010
Paperback: 448 pages
ISBN: 978-1439107249
Genre: Romance/Mystery/Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

In RITA® Award–winning author Gwyn Cready’s fun and sexy new time-travel adventure, an ambitious writer discovers that bad-boy painters are as timeless—and irresistible—as their art. . . .

Art historian Campbell Stratford is about to make a name for herself with her scandalously sexy tell-all “fictographies” of famous seventeenth-century artists, but she’s more iintimately familiar with her subjects than her eager readers can imagine. Thanks to a time portal she accidentally discovered, she has caused quite a stir in the Great Beyond. To save their reputations, the Guild protecting dead artists convinces playboy Peter Lely, portraitist to the king, to sabotage Cam’s latest project. A few hours posing on Sir Peter’s modeling chaise leads to a night of seductive passion—then Cam returns home and discovers his betrayal. But before she can turn her angry pen on her lover, Sir Peter makes a surprise visit to the future and transforms Cam’s twenty-first-century life into chaos of classic proportions. . . .

My Review:

Flirting With Forever is an intriguing twist on time travel, romance and a healthy dose of art history. Peter Lely the successor to Van Dyck as the royal portraitist is quite trapped. The Executive Guild, which manages artist department of souls passing through the afterlife, needs Peter’s assistance. Mertons, the time-jump accountant has discovered that a person by the name of Campbell Stratford is writing a book, which they view as an embarrassment to Van Dyck. The Guild Management does not know how else Campbell could have acquired the knowledge on Van Dyck’s quite personal information mixed with fiction and calling the book a work of Fictography, unless through illegal use of the tube and time travel.
Meanwhile back in present day, Cam and her faithful assistant Jeannie are working at a feverish pace to stay head of Cam’s sister Anastasia. Cam and Anastasia both work as curators for the Carnegie Museum of Art and both are vying to become the next Art Director, unfortunately Anastasia has sold her book and Cam only has a few weeks in which to finish and convince someone to publish her book on Van Dyck. While doing research she unknowingly opens a portal and is transported back in time to 1628 London. Cam does not appear to be overly distraught to find herself among other nude models; rather she acquires clothing, assumes another name and requests a sitting so she can learn first hand about Peter Lely, Van Dyck’s successor, and meets King Charles II. Lely however, is not at all amused to see Cam. At first he does not realise who she is or that she has traveled through time, however she is the exact likeness of his beloved and quite deceased Ursula. Will Lely be able to prevent Campbell from publishing details best left untold about Van Dyck or will Cam learn more than she ever dared, altering the future? What unfolds next through the varying time travels of the two is a fast paced romantic drama, mystery and comedy all rolled into one along with the battle between desire and ambition. Flirting With Forever is an intriguing time travel novel with a strong and witty heroine as well as a self-assured hero. The characters make this novel a delightful read and Cready does an excellent job in describing two completely different eras without confusing the reader. Flirting With Forever does make for an afternoon of exciting and entertaining reading.

About the Author:
Gwyn Cready is the RITA Award winning author of sexy, funny, romantic romance novels. Publishers Weekly called Tumbling Through Time, her debut, “a joy,” and Seducing Mr. Darcy was named Best Paranormal Romance Novel of 2009. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family. For more information, please visit the author’s website.

I received a complimentary copy of Flirting With Forever by Gwyn Cready from Simon & Schuster as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.