The Year of Fallen Stars by Ann-Elizabeth Briars

An unsolved Victorian murder forces together the son of an English crime lord in 1881 and a Canadian woman living over a century later, in this thrilling time-travel trilogy.

In 1881, Henry Asheford—heir to a smuggling empire—is living in solitude in his country estate in Cornwall, England. A once free spirit, his life crumbled after the death of his brother and grandfather. Haunted by his past, he struggles to keep his head above water, making life seem increasingly hopeless.
Over a century later, in 2018, Evaline Quinn has come to Cornwall from Canada to clean out her deceased father’s cottage. Searching for closure, she discovers evidence of an old cold case murder linked to the Asheford family, plunging her straight onto the front steps of Henry’s country estate … one hundred and thirty-seven years in the past.
Linked by a violent act, Henry and Eva must work together with a single purpose: to return Eva to her time by locating a missing time-travelling device. But their plan is put on hold by increasingly dangerous circumstances…

A forbidden desire.
A dutiful secret.
A gut-wrenching sacrifice.

Trapped in a battle between rising passion and doing the right thing, Henry and Eva will learn that to get what they most desire, self-sacrifice may be the only way forward.
Can Henry survive his father’s madness and scheme his way to help Eva return to her time? Will Eva survive the unpredictable twists of nineteenth-century drama caused by the deadly secrets of the Asheford family and return to her world?

Whatever decisions are made will have long-lasting, far-reaching consequences…

Author’s Note: The Year of Fallen Stars is a historical time travel romance. It is book one of three in a series, therefore ending on a cliffhanger. It features gothic romance themes, gangs, violence, damaged anti-heroes, forbidden love and a bit of spice.