If you enjoy thrilling historical novels with a time-travel twist, and you’re fascinated by the drama of the Underground Railroad, you'll love IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH STREET: a tale of forgotten heroes. 1837. America. Alf. A hidden letter. Family secrets he’s determined to uncover. 2015. Abi. A girl from his future. A forgotten tin trunk, a mystery, and a magical old coin. Alf and Abi, family members thrown together across the centuries, pool their knowledge. It takes ages, but at last – a breakthrough. They crack the code and Alf demands to be included. He’s sworn to silence, for lives and livelihoods are in grave danger. And then, things go bad. Cincinnati in the 1830s and 40s was a violent place – enemies, riots, persecution of blacks and abolitionists - in this dramatic story you've got it all! It Happened on Fifth Street is the first in the Freedom Series. Based on new research and a vivid mix of fact and fiction, it brings back to life a forgotten story about real people and real events. Meet folks who put their lives on the line, day after day, night after night. Come with Alf and Abi on a journey you’ll never forget. If you like tales of feisty characters who refuse to be told ‘no’, you’ll love this tension-filled story by Robyn R. Pearce. Right now, you too can discover the secret! A fantastic page-turner that brings history to life! Amazon 5 stars I loved the suspense and could not put this book down! Read it out loud to my daughters who loved learning about slavery and the brave people who helped to end it. Such a fascinating story made so relevant through the eyes of the modern time-travelling character Abi. Highly recommend it! A well-crafted and absorbing historical fiction debut Amazon 5 stars This fast-paced and meticulously researched novel is an excellent introduction for young adult readers to the story of the Underground Railroad. Alternating between the voices of modern-day New Zealand teen Abi and her 19th-century ancestor Alf (who lives in America), the story connects the two protagonists via the magic of time travel. The courage displayed by runaway slaves and their abolitionist allies is brought to vivid life in these pages. Reading Abi and Alf's stories, one gets both an immersive history lesson and a thrilling tale that keeps the pages turning. Secrets, mystery, family drama, time travel - a thrilling tale! Amazon 5 stars Secrets, intrigue, mystery - all told/explored over 2 different eras, and come together to be solved via time travel. This is an excellent story of the Abolitionist movement, a family involved and the secrets that must be kept. The story is tense and gripping. The characters are so well developed that the reader feels they must know them, and at the very least, want to know them! A well written, coming of age story, full of intrigue and mystery. Once you start, you won't be able to put the book down! Great news - it's the first in a series, so there's more good story to come! This should be on everyone's list to be read! It does not disappoint! Discovering Diamonds Blog - Shortlisted for Book of the Month, Amazon 5 stars A super novel with a delicate subject matter sensitively handled. Although the protagonist is a teenager, adult readers will enjoy this story as much as any young adult. The historical detail is skilfully interwoven into the fictional, the characters are interesting and the read itself engrossing and entertaining - while making you think. We have action, suspense, adventure, danger and throughout that 'page turner' need to find out what happens next. From when Robyn R. Pearce was a child in New Zealand, the stories of early settlers romanced her. Then, older family members started sharing letters and journals of intrepid ancestors who'd up and left their homes to go to new lands, many of them fleeing from turbulent, and sometimes terrible, situations. They all had one common theme; they trod perilous paths in search of a better life. The Freedom Series weaves these tales with the events and famous people of the times. Before Robyn began writing historical fiction, putting her ancestors' stories into exciting fiction, she had a long and successful career as an international time management and productivity specialist, with eight books on the topic. More about all her titles at https: //www.robynpearce.com