Audiobook Review: An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford

Title: An Ordinary Sort of Evil

Series: A Rip Through Time #5

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance

Format: Audiobook 

Published: May 19, 2026

Where I Got It: Audible

Summary: 

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more.

Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems

Review:

Been itching to listen to this, but I had a couple of other audios I had planned first. I am loving this series so much. 

We are back with Mallory and the gang! They are called to a seance after a ghost demanded that Gray solve her murder. Problem? Is the former maid ACTUALLY dead or even missing? Even though they are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter. Even if there is no murder, they can call out a medium as a fraud.

EEEEEEE. Big steps are made in the Mallory-Gray love story. I was squealing like a schoolgirl. I won't say anything more, but big leaps have been made. In all the other books and novellas, there have been baby steps and crawls. Maybe a step back here and there, but things are really pushing! 

I NEED MORE!!!! When is the next book??? EEEEE!

All the EEEEEEs with this book. 

This might be one of my favorites of the series so far. The mystery was sooo good. I had zero idea what was going to happen. Who did what and why and when and so forth. All lovely. 

Lots of character growth and fun dialogue. 

And a surprise guest! I will say no more there. 

The narrator is amazing. I hope she continues the series. Her voice is the only voice I hear. 

5 stars 100%. Read the series. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #26

 

Blodeuedd's Tuesday: A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor

Series: A Stitch in Time, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Release date: 10-13-20

Publisher: K.L.A. Fricke Inc

Categories: Literature & Fiction/

Historical mystery romance /own

I really enjoyed her books so I wanted to try this series too, and, well it was good, just not AS great as her other timetravel or her thriller books. Just like when I read her romance and it was meh.

Bronwyn inherits a house, a house that made her timetravel as a kid, a house that made her see ghosts. And so she goes back in time and this time meets the boy she played as a grown man. William is the owner of the manor house and townspeople find him weird and tell tales...

Something is going on. There is an angry ghost, scared ghosts. And Brownwyn is falling for William.

I did like it, but not as much. I could continue, but eh, I will rather use my credits on new things. As there are new people that time travels in the next one.

Thorne Manor has always been haunted...and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination. Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting.

William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago.

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

Book Review: Kirkyards and Kindness by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Title: Kirkyards & Kindness

Series: A Rip Through Time #4.5

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 304

Published:  December 2, 2025

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

A year ago, twenty-first-century detective Mallory found herself in 1869 Edinburgh, in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemade working for Dr. Duncan Gray, pioneer in forensic science. Shortly after she arrived, she made the unfortunate acquaintence of Catriona’s former criminal mentor, Davina, an entanglement that nearly got Mallory killed. Now she’s about to meet Davina again.

Greyfriars Bobby has disappeared. The little terrier is already a legend, and Davina has made a tidy living showing him off on graveyard tours…while picking the pockets of her guests. When the elderly dog vanishes, Davina calls in a favor from her old student. Mallory agrees to help find Bobby in return for the one thing she’s been unable to get from Davina—the mysterious Catriona’s life story.

Review:

Yayyy. I love this series. This wasn't at my library, so I had to buy it. Not complaining! I couldn't wait for my library to get it. Too impatient ya know? Long-term plan is to buy the whole series anyway.

Greyfriars Bobby has vanished. The little terrier is famous. Davina, someone from Mallory's body's past has been making a profit from guided tours. When the dog vanishes, Davina calls on Mallory to help find him. Mallory and Grey agree to take on the case... for information about Catriona's life story. 

Why did this take me so long to finish? I kept getting distracted by my other reads. And then I would have to start this all over because I would forget what was happening. Whoopsies. 

This was still nice overall, but I felt like....I didn't really care about learning about Catriona. Yes, sad story when we learn, but she was a bad guy at the end of it all still. She did bad things to people, so I guess I don't care. I'm glad Mallory took over her body to do some good. 

I did like our mystery. Bobby!!!!

But yes, this wasn't my favorite, but I still liked it overall. 

3 stars from me. 

Audiobook Review: Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Amstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: Death at a Highland Wedding

Series: A Rip Through Time #4

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Published:  May 20, 2025
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

Review:

This series is great. I am loving it soooo much. 

We are back with Mallory and the crew. This time, they are heading up to the Highlands for a wedding. McCreadie's sister is marrying the eldest Cranston. This is slightly awkward and uncomfortable due to a...complicated history. After a series of events, a guest is found murdered, and they must work fast to uncover the truth before the wrong person is charged or another body appears. 

We got a LOT of backstory in this one with McCreadie and the crew. Mallory, being from a different time, didn't know the full story, and soon, we find out there are secrets that everyone is keeping. I loved every second of it!

Between finding the murderer and uncovering secrets....it was addicting. I didn't want to stop listening!

At the same time, Mallory is realizing she has feelings for Dr. Grey. I think he has feelings, but Mallory doesn't see it. Victorian men can def keep it close to the chest. 

I am nearly caught up. I have a novella (which I'll be getting to that soon), and then the new one will be released later this month. I may end up buying it because I know my library won't have it :/ Should I just buy the whole series? I can see myself revisiting it! We shall see. 

I hope the narrator continues forth! She is soooo good. She is perfect. 

All-in-all, I adore this series. I adored this book. I want more. Need more...is the right thing to say. 

5 stars. 

 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #17

- Library Love #11

Book Review: Schemes and Scandals by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Title: Schemes and Scandals

Series: A Rip Through Time #3.5

Genre: Mystery, SciFi, Historical Fiction, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 159

Published: December 3, 2024

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

It’s Mallory Atkinson’s first Christmas in Scotland. Victorian Scotland, that is. Also, as the twenty-first-century detective learns, Christmas really isn’t a thing in Victorian Scotland. It’s all about Hogmanay. But her boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, treats her to an early gift of tickets to the event of the a Charles Dickens reading. There, they bump into Lady Inglis—the lovely widow who has sent Gray sexy letters trying to entice him back to her bed.

Lady Inglis introduces Mallory to Dickens—the meeting of a lifetime—but in return she wants their help. She’s being blackmailed. Someone stole letters she wrote to another lover and is threatening to publish them.

Mallory isn’t sure what to make of Lady Inglis, but no woman deserves that, so she insists on taking the case with or without Gray’s help. Growing tension between them soon tells Mallory that Gray is hiding a secret of his own. She has until Hogmanay to uncover the blackmailer…and, hopefully, to put things right with Gray so they can enjoy the holiday together.

Review:

I am simply LOVING this series. I can't get enough of it! The next book is already downloaded and ready to go ;)

We are back in time with Mallory. This is her first Christmas season in Victorian Scotland. Scotland still doesn't really celebrate Christmas, but instead Hogmanay. Dr Gray, her boss and friend, gets tickets to a Charles Dickens show. Mallory LOVES his works and is excited....until a mystery lands in her lap. Lady Inglis is being blackmailed. The letters she wrote to her lover have been stolen, and now she is being threatened with having them published. Inglis was Dr Gray's former lover, but Mallory won't allow this blackmail to go unpunished. She has until Hogmanay to figure it out. 

Sadly, my library didn't have the audio of this, but the ebook was JUST as good. At this point, this narrator's voice is the voice and only voice I hear when I read this story. The ebook did fine enough. EEEE. I should just buy all the audios at this point. I see myself revisiting this series in the future. 

But yes, there is a nasty blackmailer out and about. It's up to Mallory and Dr Gray. We didn't get to see much of the other cast during this. Just a little bit of the one sister and Jack. We did get to meet Charles Dickens and it made my heart happy...but then sad because we know his time is limited before he passes. *cries*

The mystery was easily solvable...maybe a bit too easy. But it is a novella, and we didn't want it too long and stretched out, I suppose. 

I can't wait to get started on the next book. 

100% recommend. 

4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Library Love #10

Audiobook Review: Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: Disturbing the Dead

Series: A Rip Through Time #3

Genre: Mystery, SciFi, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook
Published: May 7, 2024
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

Review:

Yayyy book 3!

We are back at it with Mallory and crew. Mallory has been in this body and this time period for a while now, and she is finally finding her footing. She is loving being the assistant to Dr. Gray and is friends with him and the others. The Victorians have a fascination with death, so Mallory isn't surprised when they are all invited to a mummy unwrapping at Sir Alastair's house. However, things go awry when the host is missing, and something isn't right with the mummy. Mallory and crew are asked to step in. 

You for sure need to have read the last two books for this one. You can skip the shorts, but there are some references and things you will need to understand. 

Ooooooh Mallory. I love her so. I love the whole crew. I'm even warming up to Gray's other sister and Mrs Wallace.

I'll admit something. I was enjoying myself, but it was feeling....stale at first. I wasn't necessarily bored, but it felt like the other two. The mysteries didn't shock me. It's kind of hard to explain. BUT that all changed after a BIG moment. A nice TWIST. I will not say but that was a nice reminder that there is a fantasy/SciFi element to the story. Eeee. I can't wait for the next book. 

The narrator did a lovely job. Great accents. Great voices for everyone. 

What more?

THIS SERIES IS SO GOOD!!! Read it or do the audio like me. 100% recommend. 

4 stars from me. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #13

- Library Love #9

Book Review: Cocktails and Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Title: Cocktails & Chloroform

Series: A Rip Through Time #2.5

Genre: Historical Fiction, SciFi, Mystery, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 138

Published: December 1, 2023

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

For modern-day detective Mallory Atkinson, being trapped in the body of a Victorian housemaid means overcoming endless obstacles. Her current challenge is winning over the suspicious young parlormaid, Alice. Mallory’s plan starts with teaching the girl to make Molotov cocktails, which is a perfectly valid science experiment and not at all a desperate ploy to gain Alice’s attention. Before the lesson can begin, though, Alice receives a letter that has her slipping off in the night. Concerned for her safety—and naturally curious—Mallory follows.

Mallory finds Alice at what seems like a simple dance hall, watching young men and women flirting and whirling in pretty dresses and dapper suit-coats. But nothing here is what is seems, and what starts as a simple surveillance exercise turns into a full-scale spy mission with Mallory’s boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, at her side. Before the evening is done, those Molotov cocktails are probably going to come in handy.

Review:

This series is really growing on me. I'm loving it. 

Here, we follow Mallory on another adventure and mystery. Being transported into this body of someone who wasn't the kindest, she has a lot of making up to do. She wants to win over Alice. Concerned over her safety, Mallory follows Alice to what seems like a simple dance hall. However, nothing there is as it seems. This will turn into a full-scale spy mission that may or may not involve Molotov cocktails. 

This was a fun side adventure for Mallory. It was nice learning more about Alice and seeing them team up. Even though this is just a side novella, I think you should read it, as it seems it will help the plot and character developments in the next book. 

Honestly, this could've been a full-length. I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue and loved seeing Alice join in on the adventure and mystery. Maybe she'll have a bigger role in the next books! One can hope!

I ended up doing the ebook version, which worked well still, but I did miss our narrator's voice. She does such a good job. BUT it is nice that this still worked really well as an ebook. If I can't get my hands on the audio version, it won't stop me from reading the next one. 

All-in-all, I was very entertained with this little novella. Honestly, this should've been a full-length. I would love to see more of the mystery and more of Alice being a sidekick. I can't wait to get my hands on book 3! I 100% recommend this series. 4 stars. 

Audiobook Review: The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: The Poisoner's Ring

Series: A Rip Through Time #2

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery 
Format: Audiobook
Published: May 23, 2023
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

Review:

Mallory is still in the body of a housemaid in 1869 Scotland. However, employers know the truth and have allowed her to moonlight as Dr Gray's assistant and work on cases. This case is a little too close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs are pointing to Gray's eldest sister. 

Make sure to read book 1 first before going into this one. This review may have some spoilers if you haven't read book 1. 

Eeeee! I'm loving this series. I'm loving the fact that Mallory can be more of herself now that some people know the truth. 

I love Mallory. I love Gray. I love McCreadie. I love them all. 

This one had a lighter tone to it (at least in the beginning). Some jokes were tossed around, and some silly moments. I loved seeing Gray be...relaxed? 

Things do get more serious as we get deeper in the story, especially when it looks like Gray's older sister is a serious suspect for these poison murders. The ending was especially brutal. GOOD, but damn. 

The narrator was the same as book 1, and she does a great job. 

I can't wait to read the next one. It's short, and it sounds lovely. 

5 stars from me. 

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #61

- Library Love #32

Book Review: Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Title: Dime Store Magic

Series: Otherworld #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance, UF, Fantasy

Format: ebook

Pages: 448

Published: February 10, 2004

Where I got It: Library

Summary: 

Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world's most powerful elite organizations- the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige's wildest antics can't hold a candle to those of her new charge- an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil... and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder- and frame Paige for the crime. It's an initiation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive.

Review:

I put this series on hold yeeeaaaaaarrrrsss ago. I can't remember the precise reason, but I do remember being cautious because the series switched from our clan of werewolves to this witch lady. I get nervous when series do that. 

But yes, we are back in the Otherworld. We follow Paige who no one thinks is good enough to replace her mother one day as the leader of the American Coven of Witches. That one day has arrived and the Elders can no longer deny her. However, things will take a nose-dive when her new charge is presented. This orphan is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil and she is being pursued by a dark faction. Will Paige be able to save her charge and bring her back to the light? Or will darkness consume her. 

Overall, I did enjoy this for what it was. It was nice coming back to this world but I didn't recognize any from the first two books. I mean...it has been years and maybe there was an old face I didn't recall. But I missed our wolves. Witches are fun, but I do prefer wolves and vamps. 

Paige was kinda meh to me. Boring and predictable. I've seen her kind a million times. By the end I was amused with her, but still....meh. 

Savannah was annoying. I get it. She had a tough life and the darkness seems like an easy way. I wanted to smack her. 

Cortez was meh. Boring as well. I couldn't even remember his name. I had to look at another review to remind myself. 

The drama and fights were fun....I will say that. 

In the end, this was just okay. Not my favorite group of heroes. I miss the old crew. 3 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #31

Audiobook Review: A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong+

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford
Title: A Rip Through Time

Series: A Rip Through Time #1
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, SciFi
Format: Audiobook 
Published: May 31, 2022
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.

May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.

When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late

Review:

I've read some books by this author in the past. I enjoyed them and I wanted to read more, but you know how life goes.....other things took my attention. Blodeuedd strongly encouraged reading this and I needed a good historical fiction and a good mystery SO why not?

Here we follow Mallory in 2019. She is in Edinburgh to be by her dying grandmother's side. While out jogging one evening, she hears a woman in distress so she goes to investigate. She is a detective and helping people is so important to her. While down in the alley she is attacked and loses conciousness. When she awakes, she soon finds out she is in a strange body and it is 1869. She will have to adjust quickly to keep her job as a maid for the undertaker who moonlights as a medical examiner. He has just picked up an intriguing murder case that was similar to  the attack on herself. Her hope is to help catch the murderer and find her way back home. 

I was immediatly hooked from page one. I didn't want to stop listening! I had to know how everything was going to end. And that ending??? Awesome! I couldn't listen fast enough. 

Time travel stuff is soooooo particular and I am so picky with it. It has to make sense and be done well. I think the author did a fabulous jump juggling everything. Especially near the end when things happen. I won't spoil anything. 

Loved Mallory. Loved Dr. Gray and his sister. I can't wait to read more. They are a great set of characters. 

The narration was delightful. I enjoyed all her voices and how seamless her transitions were especially for Mallory who is faking a Scottish accent but is Canadian. Beautiful job. 

I want to say more, but I don't want to spoil anything!!! The twists and turns were great. I called the killer, but I was unsure so I was hesitant to think it. Plus......I wanted to be wrong. 

You need to read this if you like historical fiction and murder mysteries. 5 stars. 

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #55

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....)