The Space Between

Summary (from the publisher): Joan MacKimmie is on her way to Paris to take up her vocation as a nun. Yet her decision is less a matter of faith than fear, for Joan is plagued by mysterious voices that speak of the future, and by visions that mark those about to die. The sanctuary of the nunnery promises respite from these unwanted visitations . . . or so she prays. Her chaperone is Michael Murray, a young widower who, though he still mourns the death of his wife, finds himself powerfully drawn to his charge. But when the time-traveling Comte St. Germain learns of Joan’s presence in Paris, and of her link to Claire Fraser—La Dame Blanche—Murray is drawn into a battle whose stakes are not merely the life but the very soul of the Scotswoman who, without even trying, has won his heart.

 

Review: This novella is part of the Outlander series and is listed as book 7.5 in the series. This book follows secondary characters Joan MacKimmie and Michael Murray. Joan is the daughter of Laoghaire and the stepdaughter of Jamie Fraser and Michael is the older son of Jamie's sister and brother-in-law Jenny and Ian Murray. Michael, recently widowed, has been charged with chaperoning his distant cousin Joan to Paris so she can become a nun. Joan is plagued by visions of the future and believes she must take up the vocation of a nun to make sense of her unnatural gift. Meanwhile, the time-traveling Comte St. Germain learns of Joan's presence and mistakenly believes her to be fellow time traveler Claire's daughter. The Comte threatens the safety of Joan and Michael. Meanwhile, over the brief course of the novella, the attraction between Joan and Michael grows.

 

It's certainly not necessary to read this novella to maintain understanding of the series. However, anyone looking to pick this up without any knowledge of the characters from the main books would find themselves greatly confused. But for devoted fans, this was a great chance to learn more about characters that there simply isn't room to focus on in the main books.

 

I found this to be entertaining albeit far too brief. While I was quickly drawn to the characters of Joan and Michael, the roughly hundred pages left little room to flesh out either the action or the character development. While it's clear that this book was published as a way to tide over fans until the next Outlander installment was published (and to keep bringing in revenue in the interim), it felt like more of a tease than a satisfying read.

 

Stars: 3