Once and Forever

O'Day-Flannery's (Anywhere You Are) newest time-travel romance places Maggie Whitaker, a 40-year-old unemployed divorc e, in Stonehenge, England, with an unorthodox fairy-godmotherish aunt who runs a holistic health center. While costumed at a present-day Renaissance fair, Maggie follows a mysterious child and winds up in 1598, where, in addition to discovering that Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare's plays, she meets Nicholas Layton, an aristocratic musician. They immediately fall in love, but he, just as quickly, dies in a fight while saving her from attackers. When Maggie returns to the 20th century (with a little help from her aunt), the reborn Nick--now a middle-aged rock musician--is waiting for her. While clich s mar the narrative's credibility (the ""eternal quest"" for love is overdone), this well-paced book will nevertheless appeal to her fans. (Nov.)