Long and Short Reviews

Wake Up, Little Susie by Nancy Frasier
The Wild Rose Press, Vintage Rose
Historical Romance, Paranormal
Short story, Spicy
Review by Yarrow

Susan Kelley, graduate student in historical studies, is working to unravel a mystery left among the research papers of her late professor, Dr. MacAllister. Alone in the dusty confines of the History Department archives, Susan steps through a storeroom door and into 1957.

To her surprise, she meets up with not only a young Zack MacAllister, but also many of her relatives. Despite the differences between her modern day life and the one she's found in 1957, Susan quickly acclimates to her surroundings. Just as quickly, a romance develops between Susan and the young professor.

Zack tells Susan that, as a college student, he too traveled through time. He admits to leaving the cryptic notes on purpose in order to facilitate her trip back to 1957. He gives her the option of staying, or both going forward to the current year as a couple. Will they, or won't they? Or, will something go humorously awry?

♥ ♥ ♥

This is a fun read. Author Nancy Fraser does such a good job of describing 1957 that we feel as if we have stepped back in time with her character, Susan Kelly. Imagine a time when the name Susan was thought of as trendy because of the Everly Brother’s hit song (and inspiration behind the story’s title).

I felt like an invisible companion as I watched Susan meet and become friends with her own grandmother (Debbie). Displaced by time, Susan has to find a place to live and ends up staying at Debbie’s Aunt Sissie’s boarding house. There is a particularly humorous moment when Susan’s future grandfather, also staying at the boarding house, flirts with her, much to the dismay of Susan’s grandmother. Susan hastily nips this flirtation in the bud, but it was a very comical situation.

Susan had always respected the professor, but encountering him as a young man sparks her interest. Their romance develops amidst Susan’s adjustment to the 1950’s academic and social life. Susan especially enjoys necking in the car with Zack, something she is not used to as 21st century single, where bar-hopping and internet dating are more common.

Susan and Zack’s relationship is nicely peppered with spicy love scenes that suit a modern sensibility while remaining true to the setting and nature of the characters. A fun read overall.