Creighton Manor

TIME TRAVEL:  While visiting the Queen Mary liner in Long Beach, Gillian Metcalf sees a ghost dog, or so she thinks. The next thing she knows, she's not on the Queen Mary but the Ida Belle, a Mississippi River steamboat. Even worse, she's forced to marry the stranger whose bed she woke up in! Gillian finds adjusting to 1870 easier than adjusting to marriage. Zachary Creighton had boarded the riverboat to gamble against his nemesis and reclaim the inheritance his father lost. Instead, he finds himself married to a strange beauty. But Gillian claims to be from the future. How can he possibly keep her by his side? When he has a chance to go back with her to the future, he understands how much she will have to give up to be with him. But his place is back in 1870. Gillian must make a choice. When events conspire against the two, it becomes a race for Gillian to return to the past before Zachary is lost to her forever.

Karen Michelle Nutt offers up an enjoyable time-travel that takes listeners from present-day California to 1870s Mississippi. The dialogue is witty and the characters engaging. One area into which Nutt could have delved more deeply is the historical description of the buildings, clothing and day-to-day life to truly immerse the listener in the time period. Nonetheless, “Creighton Manor” provides an entertaining time-travel fantasy.

Patrice Gambardella narrates the story. While Ms. Gambardella varies voices, more variation would have better distinguished some of the characters. Furthermore, for a story set in the South, more southern accents would have been appropriate. The dialogue was paced well, but the narrative parts seemed to slow the story down at times. Even so, Ms. Gambardella brings “Creighton Manor” to life in an entertaining way.

Tricia Hill