Blodeuedd's Monday: Finding Mr Write by Kelley Armstrong

Format: 368 pages, Paperback

Published: June 25, 2024 by Forever

Contemporary romance/own

I had some issues with this one because I had just finished Yellowface, and sure this is nothing like that. But Daphne decides to publish under a male penname and then she keeps up the lie and even finds a guy to play the part. There is just so much lying. It would have worked so much better if I had not recently read a book about the anger that any lying causes. Big or small.

But yes they get to know each other as Chris needs to know how to play the part of Zane. And the more they lie the closer they come to a big shown down. Because her book becomes a big hit and he is sent to bookfairs and talks in panels. And I kept thinking, people will be maaad.

There is also the romance bit as they get closer. Though to be fair, the romance lacked a bit. It would have made it even more about the romance. Now there was a lot of other things going on.

It was a good book, though do not read it after reading books where people lie about stuff and a trainwreck begins. LOL. Here there is not a trainwreck in that sense because this is in the end a romance.

A  fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.

Daphne McFadden is tired of rejection. After submitting her manuscript to dozens of agents, she's gotten rejection after rejection, and now it's time for something drastic. And so, Daphne submits her manuscript again… under a man's name.

Imagine her surprise when it sells for big money at an auction and soon becomes a publicity darling. Only she needs a man to play her super macho alter ego Zane Remington. Enter Chris Stanton, who absolutely looks the part of a survivalist and has a talent for pressing her piss‑me‑off‑I‑dare‑you buttons while somehow being endearing at the same time. But Chris has a few secrets of his own, including the fact that he’s really an accountant who has no idea how to chop wood or paddle a canoe. When Daphne's book becomes a bestselling sensation and they're forced to go on tour together, Daphne finds herself wondering if this city‑boy geek is exactly what she needs to push her to claim her dreams.

Blodeuedd's Monday: Stranger in Town by Kelley Armstrong

356 pages, Hardcover

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#6)

Published: February 9, 2021 by Minotaur Books

Thriller /own

This hellish town filled with hellish, and some very nice people, is coming to an end. In this one Casey finds a wounded hiker and takes her back to town. And things gets bad.

And we finally learn what the hostiles are about. There have been clues and more through out the series. Crazy hippies going around killing people. But now I know. And it was crazy.

Hunt for, well everything as things are getting intense. And this town, well, the whole idea behind it is so good. But when money talks and they are getting serial killers with women fleeing abusive exes. Well then the whole idea behind the town has gone down the drain.

One more! Eeek, but hey I have already spoiled it for me since I first read the series after this one.

Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure. Something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.

When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, the sole survivor of a hostile attack, it’s all hands on deck. Even a member of the elusive Rockton council comes in to help. This council member also comes bearing news: Rockton is being shut down due to the hostile situation.

Casey and Eric must now race to save the town that has allowed residents to have a fresh start, away from the mistakes of their past, while also getting to the bottom of this latest attack.

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong

368 pages, Paperback

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#5)

Published: February 11, 2020 by Doubleday Canada

Crime/thriller/own

Book 5 already! This place just gets worse. But at least here we get to understand why the Hostiles are like they are.

Oh and there are more creeps in the woods. I¨d rather take the bear.

Casey finds a baby in the woods and she and Dalton sets out to find whose baby it is and who killed the mother. And that is why we learn more about these freaks in the woods.

A thrilling chase as always. I had no idea what was going on. Everybody lies. But Casey never backs down

Such good books. Horrid place to be ;)

Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about.

While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.

A town that doesn’t let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from - and whether she's better off where she is.

B's Monday Review: This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#3)

Format: 359 pages, Hardcover

Published: February 6, 2018 by Minotaur Book

Crime mystery thriller /own

Omg, like can this town get any worse? YES it can. 

The stupid council that loves money sends a serial killer to Rockton. His family has enough money to pay. And all they say is try to keep him contained. This place is not working.

And again, outside the town is wilderness with dangerous animals, dangerous hostiles, and settlers that can be pretty crazy too. Remind me never to go to Canada.

But what a thrill. Is the guy actually guilty? And then he escapes and all hell breaks loose. And I kept guessing. Did he do it. I am sure he did. Then I was maybe not. Then I was hell yes. Shoot him. And then...well she sure kept me guessing. No one is so be trusted here.

And that end. Brutal.

I need more. I have more :D

Casey Duncan is about to face her toughest job as police detective in Rockton yet. When Casey first arrived at the off-the-grid town, an isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect, with no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town councils approval. She certainly didn't expect to be the homicide detective on two separate cases or to begin a romantic relationship with her boss. But the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned and to keep others safe. Of course, Oliver Brady claims he's being set up. But the longer Brady stays in town, the more things start to go wrong. When evidence comes to light that someone inside Rockton might be working as his accomplice, helping him to escape, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he's truly responsible for committing. In the next page-turning entry in Kelley Armstrong's gripping series, life in Rockton is about to get even more dangerous.

Blodeuedd's Monday: A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#2)

Format: 445 pages, Paperback

Published: March 1, 2017 by Sphere

Crime/library

Book 2 was impossible to get. It was out of stock, and ebook, eh, no I did not want that. So I checked and only 2 libraries in the entire country had this book. And an interlibrary loan was actually really cheap. So I got it! Phew. Oh and I have already ordered books 3 to 6 from a bookstore ;)

So this place is still rathhellish. I have no idea who thought this was a good idea. Sure on paper a place where you can go if you are in danger is good. But that is the thing, people with money can also get it. People who have done terrible terrible things. And now innocent people and killers live in the same town. And outside is bad too. In the woods there are settlers (who can be bad), and hostiles (who are effed up and will kill you.)

Casey and the town sheriff found each other in book 1. At least she has some peace there. In this book they find a woman who has been held in a cave for a year. (because yes this place is bad.)

Who is the man? Someone from town? Outside town? Feelings run hot and I had no idea who did it because everyone is bad.

A thrilling book that makes you never want to visit this place.

When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.

Now, in A Darkness Absolute, Casey and her fellow Rockton sheriff’s deputy Will chase a cabin-fevered resident into the woods, where they are stranded in a blizzard. Taking shelter in a cave, they discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or if the answer is more complicated than that...before another victim goes missing.

Blodeuedd's Monday: City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton/Casey Duncan (#1)

Format: 408 pages, Trade Paperback

Published: January 17, 2017 by Minotaur Books

Crime/own

I read the spin off book first, that would be book 8? So I decided to go back and see what Rockton was all about.

..not a good place at all. This should be a place where people could escape too, but soon I saw that everyone escaped here. The bad guys too, and the abused. This system was broken. Not to mention you were not allowed to go beyond the city. And trust me this was for your own good because outside there were hostiles, and those were not friendly.

To this mess Casey arrives because she killed someone 10 years ago, and her bestie who was in an abusive relationship. Oh and Diana was toxic!

People have vanished and are found dead. Casey is put on the case with the town sheriff. No idea who to trust. Seeing that the system is not really working. But I guess she has 6 more books to see if this town has a future.

And what to I see when I finish. Yes the next book is out of stock. Come on!! Sigh.

A good start to this series. They are all alone out there.

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a secret: when she was in college, she killed a man. She was never caught, but he was the grandson of a mobster and she knows that someday this crime will catch up to her. Casey's best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana's husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it's time for the two of them to disappear again.

Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you're accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. As a murderer, Casey isn't a good candidate, but she has something they want: She's a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn't the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

B's Monday Review: Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Haven's Rock (#1)

Format: 368 pages, Paperback

Published: December 5, 2023 by Minotaur Books

Crime/Library

I am always saying I will try one of her crime novels and I finally found one. Though to be honest I could have sworn I have seen her other series at the library and now nothing!

Anyway, dang, why did I not start this earlier? Now I need that previous series too because this was my sort of crime.

Wilderness, a mystery, people missing, bodies found. Strange people in the woods. A town being built as a refuge. Two detectives on the case.

I binged it, I binged it. Do I need to say more? Nope, binged! Case closed

Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0

Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.

There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town's construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate the still missing man. The woman stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see, and the longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Heroic Hearts

 

Format: 368 pages, Paperback

Published; May 3, 2022 by Ace

UF/Own

I only read this one for the Anne Bishop one!

Little Things by Jim Butcher 

Kind of feels like I am not missing much by not reading Butcher

The Dark Ship by Anne Bishop read by Alexandra Harris 

It took place somewhere else! Ohhh nice. I liked that. I love that. Got to to see what the European others were up to after everything was destroyed.

Comfort Zone by Kelley Armstrong 

Eh, it worked.

Train to Last Hope by Annie Bellet 

Interesting, and dark

Fire Hazard by Kevin Hearne 

At the moment I can not even recall it

Grave Gambles by R.R. Virdi 

Quite interesting

Silverspell by Chloe Neill

I guess Neill is just not for me

Troll Life by Kerrie L. Hughes

I liked this one

Return of the Mage by Charlaine Harris 

No idea what was going on

The Vampires Karamazov by Nancy Holder

I liked this one

The Necessity of Pragmatic Magic by Jennifer Brozek

Zero recollection

Dating Terror by Patricia Briggs

An Asil story, nice

As always, some good, some bad

In this short story collection of courage, adventure, and magic, heroes—ordinary people who do the right thing—bravely step forward.

But running toward danger might cost them everything. . . .

Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Title: Stolen (Women of the Otherworld #2)
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, UF, and Action
Pages: 551
First Published: December 24th, 2002
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

"In Book 2 of the Women of the Otherworld series, Elena Michaels is back-and she has company. Lending a mission of vampires, demons, shamans, and witches, Elena is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals. He plans to harness their powers for himself-even if it means killing them.

For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death."

This is the second book of the series. I would highly advise reading the first one before tackling this one. I was on the fence for a while if I wanted to continue this series, but the plot of this one had me enthralled, so I went to my library and to my luck there was one left of the four they have, so I thought it fate and picked it up. 

This one had more of a "diary" feel to it. Yes, it is in 1st person and so was the first novel, but this one seemed more going on Elena's feelings and opinions. It's hard to explain. It's not that I didn't like it or anything, but it was a different feel then the first one. I honestly liked Elena better in this one. Maybe it was because she was a stronger character and had to be on her own and fend for herself. Maybe it was because she was more accepting of herself of a wolf and her feelings for Clay. She was just overall stronger.

Clay....I liked him a little more, but I still don't like him much. The author did indeed calm down on his descriptions, so I was able to connect to him more. I wish that the other characters got more spotlight - ie Antonio and Nick and the new characters, but this was mainly about Elena and her being all kidnapped by psychos and stuff. I know there are books that focus on this new characters and etc, so they do get their spotlight. 

It was a fun ride and I had now idea how it was all going to end. I knew Elena would get free sooner or later, but they how and why was a mystery too me. I'm glad that the author added more conflict to the story, because it added some spice and drama which made the story better. I can't really say what happens, but it was good and I'm glad the suspect of the "incidents" was not a certain character. I would've been really upset if they blamed that character.

The end was alright, but it was a little cut short and a little bit anti-climatic. Especially the quick summary in the last paragraph. Annoying, but it did leave me wanting to read the next one in the series. I am curious on learning more about characters like Paige and Adam and even Cassandra. Cassandra is a pain in butt and rude, but I kinda sorta liked her. hahaha Even though she advised the group to give up on Elena and hit on Clay. Like I said rude, but I kinda liked her. xD 

In the end, this was better then the first one in many aspects. The narrative seemed more personal and diary-ish, but it worked for this one. There is a lot of times when Elena is alone with her thoughts and feelings, so I guess the author did this on purpose. The new characters were interesting and I would like to learn more about them. The ending could have used some work, but the story was entertaining and I could barely put it down. I would recommend this to those that like UF and the fantasy genre. Out of five stars I shall stamp this with 4 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Elena, Jeremy, Cassandra, Adam, Paige, and Ruth.

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Clay (he was better in this one though), Tyrone (Psycho), Bauer (idiot), and Leah (something had bugged me throughout the book....)

Book Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Title: Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, and Urban Fiction  
Pages: 436
First Published: September 25th, 2001
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

"Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her–her temper, her violence–but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person.

So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she’s trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she’ll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really"

I've been meaning to read this book for a while now, but I've been putting this on the back burner for so long now. Lucky for me, this was August's book. 

Honestly, I am so glad that this was a realistic sounding supernatural book. I hate when they make werewolves over the top strong or badass. Yes, it can be cool if done right, but I like it be realistic. They are strong, but not over-the-top...like they can't lift a bus and chuck it at you. That is too strong and cheesy. I loved that the Change was not a pleasant experience all the time and it takes work. If you don't do it for a while, like Elena, then you have to focus more and force it. 

Speaking of Elena....lets have a look at the Pack:
Jeremy: I liked him. He was a good Alpha. 
Nick: hahaha, I loved him too.
Antonio: I wish he had more spotlight, but he seemed legit and loyal. A big papa wolf.
Peter: Liked him; I felt so bad for him though.
Logan: I really wanted to learn more about him! :(
Clay: Asshole. Meh. >___> He pissed me off for biting Elena without even asking. 
Elena: Sighs...I wish I liked her more, but I didn't. At first I really liked her, but she pulled a Bella Swann. Poor Phillip.

Sometimes the characters where a little bit one dimensional, but there are a lot of characters running about, so it is hard to give them the attention they need. Especially Daniel. I wish I could have gotten to know him better too, but when he was finally introduced the author didn't have much time to give him an abundance of attention. She focused too much on Clay and it annoyed me. She placed so many stereotypes on Clay it was hard to really picture him. Meh. Perhaps I am biased, because I did not like him. Elena was alright, ultimately, but she annoyed me because sometimes I seen Bella Swann pop up. It wasn't the whole time, just a couple of instances. Kuddos to Marsten for not falling in love with Elena like every other male in the book!

By the way...I think its crap Elena is the only female werewolf. I mean its a cool concept and all that, but why only her? Mmmmm...

Once the story really gets rolling it is hard to put down. I flew by 300 pages within just a few hours. I especially wanted to know who the Baddie was! There were so many suspects and so many theories on what was happening. I pretty much guessed it 3/4 of the way through, but it was still a little bit scary, because I had no idea how they were going to beat them. Even though I don't like Clay, I worried about him for a moment. I cannot say why, but there was a moment of fear! 

Overall, I did like this book. I'm glad I pulled it from the back burner. I love the Anita Blake series and this defiantly had a flavor of Laurell K. Hamilton in it. If you love Anita and werewolves, then this is the book for you! I may venture onto the next in the series, because it sounds interesting and waaaay different then this one. I do plan on watching the TV series based on this book, because it looks good. Out of five stars, I grant this one 3 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Nick, Phillip, Logan, Marsten, and Jeremy
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Clay (ass), Daniel, and LeBlanc (grrr).