Tag Archives: Time Travel

The Last Loyalist by Kathryn K. Murphy-review & interview

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The Last Loyalist by Kathryn K. Murphy-review & interview

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 22, 2026

A lost soldier from the past. A modern woman with everything to lose. A love powerful enough to defy the centuries.

Public defender Melanie Reyes never expected her newest client to look like he’d stepped out of a Revolutionary War portrait. But Nathaniel Harrington isn’t just old-fashioned, he’s the very same British Redcoat who vanished without a trace in 1776.

He shouldn’t exist. Yet his haunted honor, razor-sharp wit, and unshakable loyalty pull Mel closer with every heartbeat. Nathaniel is a man out of time, and she’s the only one who can help him survive this new world.

But passion comes at a cost. To love him means risking her career, her reputation, and the life she’s fought so hard to build. And for Nathaniel, torn between the duty he left behind and the woman who’s captured his heart, it means proving he can be the kind of partner she deserves in a century not his own.

••••••••

REVIEW: The premise is classic fish out of water … a British Redcoat from 1776 suddenly appearing in the present day, defended by a dedicated public defender, Melanie Reyes.

The contrast between Nathaniel’s rigid 18th century honor, loyalty, and wit against Mel’s contemporary life (career pressures, reputation risks) sets up delicious tension.

I love how the blurb emphasizes the internal conflict, Nathaniel grappling with duty to a lost cause versus building a life (and love) in a new era, while Mel risks everything she’s built. It’s that push/pull, that I love, combined with steamy passion, and the romance. 😜

I loved the author’s other stories, (like the Firemark series with its immortal twists or the Sisters in Sirens small-town magic), and this one has to be one of my favourites, with its steamy contemporary romance and light fantasy/paranormal elements.

The time travel element adds that “touch of magic” with the found family vibes, and a satisfying HEA where love truly rewrites history. “Sigh” 🥰

I loved Nathaniel, how he took to this new world with all of its wonders. Always the gentleman, except when he wasn’t 😜

It took me a few pages to warm up to Mel, but I grew to love her. And Abuelita, she was such a character 💜

The standalone makes it a perfect read. And I couldn’t put it down.

If you’re into books like Outlander (for the historical/modern clash of course 😜)but want something shorter, steamier, and more focused on a single couple’s journey, then this book should hit that spot.

The Revolutionary War setting brings a fresh angle (British loyalist perspective rather than the usual Scottish Highlander) and although not a big historical fan, I do love a good historical romance 🥰 this made a nice change.

Overall, it promised to be an engrossing, sexy escape with strong characters and high emotional payoff. And it gave that to me and more.

So if you’re looking for a read with romance, intense chemistry, historical flavor, and a century spanning love story, then look no further.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B 🦋

TRC:  Hi Kathryn and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release THE LAST LOYALIST.

Kathryn: Thank you! I’m so excited to be here!

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Kathryn: Of course! I have always loved reading and writing romance, but before I became an author, I was a history teacher who taught middle school early American history. I hope readers of The Last Loyalist will enjoy the historical references throughout!

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Kathryn:I pick up influence from everywhere. I love to learn new things and people-watch, so sometimes I’ll overhear something in an airport and think about what they said and how, so I’ll file it away until the right moment. Style-wise, I’ve always appreciated stories that are romantic but grounded in reality, with women facing everyday stakes, while something incredible is happening in their lives. I think the idea of a character meeting a really handsome time traveler, only to worry that she doesn’t have any food in the fridge and has to go to work tomorrow, is really powerful because it’s romantic, fantastical, and relatable.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties did you encounter writing and publishing this story?

Kathryn:I wrote this story originally in 2017, but wasn’t able to get it to where I was satisfied with the result. Originally, Nathaniel was from the Civil War, and Mel was from Baltimore. In fact, that original version is still complete and on my computer. I had moved on to other stories when I was encouraged to give it another look and rewrote it entirely.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of THE LAST LOYALIST

Kathryn:The Last Loyalist is a time-travel romance in which a British soldier travels forward in time and is arrested in a New York City park when his colleague fires on a police officer. He’s assigned a public defender who takes him under her wing after his release, and they fall in love.

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning THE LAST LOYALIST?

Kathryn:That’s a great question, and I’m going to do a poor job answering it because it came in phases. For any book I write, I do a lot of research whether it’s about boats, fire departments or places in New England, Louisiana, Montana, or New York. I really like to learn knew things and whether or not all of it ends up on the page, I think this creates depth which is a strength of my stories.

For The Last Loyalist, I felt like I started from a strong place. I have an undergraduate degree in history, and I worked as a costumed interpreter at a museum in Virginia on the weekends in college before becoming a history teacher for 12 years, so all of that gave me a lot of background to work from. Also, my husband is a film and television director who specializes in American military history, so I’ve been fortunate to have a different baseline than most people. In fact, The Last Loyalist original started as an idea my husband had for a screenplay that he wrote, but never pursued. With the first draft, I visited the Maryland locations for the story and read two books as research on what was to be Civil War cavalry, only to shelve it. When I revisited nine years later, I dove back into research, which led to a delightful sidequest: understanding the British Army during the American Revolution, including rank, and the crossing on a British Man-O-War. It was something new, since much of my time had been spent studying and explaining the Continental Army. Regarding Nathaniel’s character, I would say the most research I did was actually for his time in prison, which I wanted to be authentic and grounded in reality, given what could happen in this scenario. With Mel’s character, I really wanted to understand the world of law, and spent much of my time researching not only the legal code in New York, but also what a day would look like for a public defender, so her depth of character would ring true.

TRC: Does the premise rely heavily on historical fact? How do you blend historical fact with fiction without affecting the historical timeline?

Kathryn: I wanted The Last Loyalist to be a commentary on how far our day-to-day lives have come from the Revolutionary Era, so I imagined what our world would feel like for a British nobleman from that time. In doing so, I wanted to make his experience as accurate as possible so we could get a clearer sense of the world he came from before meeting Melanie. While Nathaneial Harrington did not exist, his regiment did at that battle and even camped at what is now Van Cortlandt Park. I find this strategy of placing someone adjacent to history very effective.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing believability or content?

Kathryn:I recently took Dan Brown’s Masterclass, and one thing he said really stood out to me, which was, “We know the beginning, and we know the ending. Your job as the author is to get from point A to point B in the most interesting way possible.” While they are navigating all the twists and turns of a plot, I try to immerse my characters in the world around them, which is why you’ll see them eating or in their homes, which is something often omitted in fast-paced stories. Another thing I like to keep in mind is that the character has to get themselves out of this mess or reach the final end, so they have to use the tools they already have or overcome what’s been holding them back. This approach puts the creativity on the character. As the reader, we get to see how they handle it in a believable way because we’re on that journey with them as it unfolds.

TRC: Do you have plans for a series and ongoing time-travel?

Kathryn:I have so many ideas for more historical romances and time-travel, and I’d love to do a series! It’ll be interesting to see which one makes it to the page first.

TRC: Believability is an important factor in writing story lines especially stories of mystery and suspense. How do you keep the story line believable? Where do you think some author’s fail?

Kathryn:I think it’s easy to want it to work out and help the character along. I once heard James Patterson say, “People will go easy on the villain, but not the hero. They don’t get any shortcuts.” It’s true, and part of the appeal. The villain gets to have infinite money, a secret escape hatch to a secretly fueled helicopter that just happens to be taking off at just the right moment, but the hero has a paper clip and a pack of gum and we love to watch them figure it out. Letting the characters have their moment to shine and work through it is some of the best storytelling out there.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Kathryn:Yes, I do believe that covers play an important role in setting reader expectations for the story. If they see a dog on the cover, they expect a dog, and will be let down if one never shows. Same thing with dragons, men, women, and settings. Not only do covers speak to the content, but they also speak to how complete and polished the story inside will be. With so many wonderful stories to choose from and more demands on their time, readers can afford to be discerning with their time and money.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Kathryn: For me, I typically have a broad idea of the story first, and the characters reveal who they are as the story unfolds. I’ve found that this is the opposite of many other authors, who have ideas for characters and let them choose where they want to go, which builds the story.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Kathryn:I can’t remember where it comes from, but some of the best advice II’veever heard is the bigger the emotion, the smaller you go, because in stressful, high-intensity moments, the human mind closes in on details as it tries to absorb and process information. Less can be more in a lot of cases. Also, controlling when information is shared with the reader is an often-overlooked tool. When a reader has a piece of information four chapters before it becomes relevant in that intense moment, they too experience that feeling of connection, like piecing together a puzzle.

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Kathryn:I have listened to the same study music for all of my books since 2018. It is a gentle new age type of meditation music with alpha and beta waves. Now, when I hear it, II’vetrained myself to be able to get back into writing much faster.

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Kathryn:That it is easy, and pays well.

TRC: What is something that few, if anyone, know about you?

Kathryn:I make up stories when playing with my son. Some of his toys have a character arc and background that have continued to evolve for over seven years.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Kathryn:I’m currently working on a new series that is a modern quest for love. My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets When Harry Met Sally in the DC metro area.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kathryn:I’d love for everyone to keep in touch with me by subscribing to my newsletter, where I share updates from my life and stories every month. They can sign up at my website, www.KathrynKMurphy.com.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Seafood and cheeseburgers

Favorite Dessert: Chocolate Lava cake, apple pie à la mode, or key lime pie

Favorite TV Show: The Golden Girls and Barefoot Contessa

Favorite Sport: Football, Baseball, and Hockey

Last Movie You Saw: Zootopia 2

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Milk chocolate all the way, especially with fruit or nuts

Secret Celebrity Crush: Henry Cavill

Last Vacation Destination: Disney Cruise!

Do you have any pets? One rescued, feral cat, Princess, who now lives the life of luxury. Also, we recently adopted four chickens, which has been a lot of fun.

Last book you read: Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

TRC: Thank you Kathryn for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of THE LAST LOYALIST. We wish you all the best.

Kathryn: Thank you so much for all you do and for this opportunity!

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Let Time Fly (Stone Shed Trilogy 3) by John A Heldt-review

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Let Time Fly (Stone Shed Trilogy 3) by John A Heldt-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 8, 2025

In the final years of the American Revolution, Noah and Jake Maclean — time travelers from the present day — navigate war, love, and betrayal. Noah serves as George Washington’s aide‑de‑camp, witnessing history up close, while Jake, a furniture apprentice in Philadelphia, wrestles with guilt over his civilian role. Pursued by relentless British spy Malachi Maine, the brothers guard a family secret that could alter the war’s outcome. In LET TIME FLY, the epic conclusion of the Stone Shed trilogy, ambitions and armies collide as America and Britain march toward a final showdown at Yorktown.

••••••

REVIEW:LET TIME FLY is the third and final instalment in John A Heldt’s adult, STONE SHED, time travel, historical romance trilogy focusing on brother Noah and Jake Maclean. LET TIME FLY should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book two THE WINDING ROAD.

SOME BACKGROUND: Following the death of their grandfather in 2024, Noah and Jake Maclean receive a letter that will change their lives: a stone shed, and a portal through time finds the brothers journeying back and forth through the past, landing in Philadelphia in 1776 wherein the American Revolution is in full swing, and the brothers are about to change a little bit of history for love and heart.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Noah and Jake, following several timelines, LET TIME FLY picks up in 1779, wherein Noan Maclean is the assistant to General George Washingto, and his teenaged brother Jake remains behind as a furniture apprentice in Philadelphia, working for his future father in law. As the story commences, we are up close and personal with both historical fact and fiction, as the brothers enter a war in which America is fighting for its’ independence. From the future President George Washington to British General Henry Clinton, and the ultimate betrayal by Benedict Arnold, John A Heldt weaves an intriguing and entertaining story of one family’s struggle to survive.

The world building follows Noah and Jake Maclean as they choose to remain in the past, both having fallen in love, raising very large and prolific families, fighting a war of which they knew the final outcome but saying that, the Maclean brothers arrival in the 1770s affected some part of history once they chose to participate, and no longer observe.

Once again, the secondary and supporting characters are numerous, energetic and often familiar including some of histories most talked about men.

LET TIME FLY is another historical time travel story in which the author blends historical fact with colorful fiction, as two brother find love and family in a world they only read about in school. The premise is entertaining and captivating; the characters are charismatic and determined.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
The Patriots
The Winding Road

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Playback by Carla Malden-review

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Playback by Carla Malden-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / Indigo/

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 12, 2025

“Once upon a time there was a summer.”

That’s the way the bedtime story starts, the one Mari Caldwell tells her little girl. It’s also her secret story of waking up one day in San Francisco, 1967, having time-traveled to the tie-dyed Summer of Love.

But she was seventeen then. Now, at 34, where Mari once saw 60’s idealism, she now sees only disillusionment. Newly divorced and stuck in a settled-for career, Mari’s failed at giving her child the perfect family she’d envisioned. That weird weekend in the sixties— the rock band she crashed with, the musician she loved, the hit song he wrote for her— lives in the way-back of her mind. Did it even happen? She’s not so sure… Until it happens again.

Playback rewinds Mari’s life as she makes a second visit to Haight-Ashbury in 1967, now autumn. The band, Mari’s rival, and her first love all see the 17-year-old girl they met in June. But inside, adult Mari faces both tender and devastating choices. What if, regardless of how the times have a-changed, love changes everything after all? What if it even changes her?

•••••

REVIEW:PLAYBACK by Carla Malden is an adult, time travel romance set in the author’s SHINE UNTIL TOMORROW world focusing on thirty-four year old, single mother and photographer Mari Caldwell. PLAYBACK can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion I recommend first reading SHINE UNTIL TOMORROW where Mari’s story of time travel begins.

Told from first person perspective (Mari Caldwell) following dual timelines, PLAYBACK follows newly divorced Mari Caldwell as she ventures back in time to 1967’s Haight-Ashbury where her appearance and actions have changed the course of music history. In 1967, having met and fallen in love with singer/song writer Jimmy Westwood, and his band known as the Neon Dream, a seventeen year old Mari Caldwell influenced a young man, whose life would be forever changed. Struggling with her own life in the present, Mari discovers that sometimes changing the little things about the past, have a butterfly affect that will change your own life in the future. A few more days with the man she once loved ended when the reality of what was, never was, and Mari returns to her own timeline in an effort to recover some of what she lost. The past will come full circle when the frailty of life ends for one, but the start of a new relationship continues to keep the past alive.

PLAYBACK is the story of one woman’s journey into the past during the ‘Summer of Love’ in the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco, a journey that will change the lives of everyone she met. Our heroine will once again meet the family she never knew, as the people and places hold a special spot in her heart and her soul. The richly layered premise is entertaining, enchanting and intriguing story of reflection and introspection; the characters are sassy, spirited yet flawed.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong-review

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Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time 4) by Kelley Armstrong-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 20, 2205

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:DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING is the fourth full-length instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s adult A RIP THROUGH TIME historical, time-travel mystery series focusing on thirty year old Vancouver Detective Mallory Atkinson, and undertaker / investigator Dr. Duncan Gray. DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lies is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading book one A RIP THROUGH TIME for backstory and cohesion regarding the events that lead Mallory back in time.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the spring of 2019 while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh Scotland,a then thirty year old, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada police detective Mallory Atkinson is attacked in an alley only to wake up as a nineteen year old housemaid in Scotland, the year 1869, a housemaid who was also attacked and left for dead in the same alley where Mallory was found. Not only has our heroine time travelled back one-hundred and fifty years but she is no longer physically the same woman she was just minutes before. Working as a housemaid for Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla, realizing life as she knew it was no longer under her control, Mallory must assume the position of nineteen year old Catriona Mitchell, a young woman whose history is questionable and dark. Working alongside Dr. Gray and Detective McCreadie, Mallory uses her abilities as a detective to help.

Told from first person perspective (Mallory) DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING follows Mallory, Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie as they embark on a journey towards Hugh’s sister’s wedding but within hours of their arrival, one of the guests goes missing, later found murdered, and everyone becomes suspect including family, friends, neighbors and the former residents of the estate. Without the 21st century tools to use in her investigation, Mallory and Duncan must improvise in the wake of a questionable probe and inspection by an inexperienced police officer, with only months on the job, a police officer who is too quick to arrest the soon-to-be groom.

The world building follows Mallory, Duncan and Hugh McCreadie as they begin an investigation into the murder of one of the guests but the deeper the trio digs, the clues reveal a dark secret that goes back more than a decade.

The relationship between Duncan and Mallory is slowly progressing to something more. Duncan, Hugh and Isla are aware of Mallory’s true identity, and her outward appearance remains that of a twenty-year old house maid from Victorian England but the morals of the time may force our couple to take their friendship to the next level-here’s hoping the author has plans for something more.

There is a large ensemble of questionable secondary and supporting characters including the return of Dr. Duncan Gray, his sister Isla, Detective Hugh McCreadie, and parlor-maid Alice. We are introduced to Hugh’s former fiancé Violet, and his sister (the bride) Fiona McCreadie, and her fiancé Archie Cranston; best man Cranston, as well as several former school mates, extended family and questionable neighbors.

DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance,power and control, family and friendships, relationships and love. The premise is enchanting and engaging;the characters are dynamic and determined.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
A Rip Through Time
The Poisoner’s Ring
2.5 Cocktails & Chloroform
Disturbing the Dead
3.5 Schemes and Scandals

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Follow: Goodreads / Website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Amazon Author Page/

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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The Winding Road (Stone Shed Trilogy 2) by John A Heldt-review

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The Winding Road (Stone Shed  Trilogy 2) by John A Heldt-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 16, 2025

Southeast Pennsylvania, November 1777.

For Noah and Jake Maclean, the saga gets real. One year after the brothers entered a time portal and traded the computer age for the colonial age, they rush headlong into the American Revolution.

Noah, 23, rides off to war. Against the wishes of his fiancée, Abigail Ward, he joins the Continental Army as it retreats to Valley Forge. To improve his odds of surviving the rebellion, he brings modern knowledge and pistols, weapons that soon draw the attention of the enemy.

Jake, 16, stays behind. He helps furniture maker Samuel Ward and his family resettle in the country after the British seize Philadelphia. As he supports his newfound kin, he strengthens his relationship with Rachel Ward, Sam’s mischievous younger daughter.

The time travelers chart new courses in an era filled with violence, disease, and disruption. In doing so, they leave a mess for relatives tasked with reporting their disappearance.

As Douglas and Donna Maclean confront investigators and reporters in 2024, they do their best to carry out an elaborate ruse, guard an ancient family secret, and use the resources of the present to protect their nephews in the past.

In THE WINDING ROAD, the second book in the Stone Shed trilogy, two brothers find romance, danger, and adventure as they make their way in a world they were never meant to see.

•••••

REVIEW:THE WINDING ROAD is the second instalment in John A Heldt’s adult STONE SHED historical, time-travel saga focusing on brothers Noah and Jake Maclean. THE WINDING ROAD should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book one THE PATRIOT.

SOME BACKGROUND: Following the death of their grandfather in 2024, Noah and Jake Maclean receive a letter that will change their lives: a stone shed, and a portal through time finds the brothers journeying back and forth through the past, landing in Philadelphia in 1776 wherein the American Revolution is in full swing, and the brothers are about to change a little bit of history for love and heart.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Noah and Jake, following a non-linear timeline, THE WINDING ROAD follows Noah Maclean as his enlists in General Washington’s army, and finds himself at the center of an historical anachronism when he brings the future back into the past, and sets into motion a potential betrayal. As part of their journey, the brothers are warned against changing history but the reality of historical knowledge and the ability to save lives with modern medicine is too tempting for Noah and Jake. Lives will be saved but suspicion is aroused when clues are left behind, and Noah unknowingly has a target on his back.

Meanwhile, Noah’s love Abigail Ward has been approached to aid in the war effort, as Noah’s brother Jake struggles to find himself while his brother goes to war.

The secondary and supporting characters include the return of Noah and Jake’s Uncle Doug and Aunt Donna ; Uncle Lachlan; sisters Abigail and Rachel Ward, as well as their parents Sam and Elizabeth; house servants Sarah, Flora and Fauna Jones.; General George Washington; Benedict Arnold, and several British soldiers.

THE WINDING ROAD is an historical, time travel story, blending fiction with fact, focusing on the Maclean brothers as they journey towards family, romance and love. The premise visits several timelines as the brothers travel through history in the hopes of saving the people they love. The characters are determined and dynamic; the romances are understated .

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one THE PATRIOTS

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Schemes and Scandals(Rip Through Time) by Kelley Armstrong-review

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Schemes and Scandals (A Rip Through Time 3.5) by Kelley Armstrong-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 1, 2024

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 season: 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:SCHEMES AND SCANDALS is an adult holiday novella set in Kelley Armstrong’s SCHEMES AND SCANDALS time travel mystery series focusing on thirty year old, Vancouver, Canada Police Detective Mallory Atkinson, and undertaker/investigator Dr. Duncan Gray. SCHEMES AND SCANDALS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading book one A RIP THROUGH TIME for back story and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: In the spring of 2019 while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh Scotland, thirty year old, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada police detective Mallory Atkinson is attacked in an alley only to wake up as a nineteen year old housemaid in Scotland, in the year 1869, a housemaid who was also attacked and left for dead in the same alley where Mallory was found. Not only has our heroine time travelled back one-hundred and fifty years but she is no longer physically the same woman she was just minutes before. Working as a housemaid for Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla, realizing life as she knew it was no longer under her control, Mallory must assume the position of nineteen year old Catriona Mitchell, a young woman whose history is questionable and dark. Working alongside Dr. Gray and Detective McCreadie, Mallory uses her abilities as a detective to help.

Told from first person perspective (Mallory) SCHEMES AND SCANDALS focuses on the days before the traditional Christmas holidays but Scotland did not celebrate Christmas in 1869 therefore the tradition of Hogmanay (the arrival of the New Year) was fast approaching, and Mallory and Duncan were about to find themselves involved in another investigation, the theft of some very private and scandalous letters written by a widow to her secret lover. As Mallory and Duncan begin to interview a number of possible suspects, our heroine will employ the use some of the 21st century simple technology in an effort to determined the person responsible.

We are introduced to Lady Patricia Ingles, Lord Charles Simpson, and his brother Arthur, and several local inhabitants of 1869, as well as the return of Dr. Duncan Gray, his sister Isla, housemaid ‘Jack’, housekeeper Mrs. Wallace, and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

SCHEMES AND SCANDALS is a quick read; a fascinating and intriguing tale of ‘whodunit?’. The premise is captivating; the characters are determined and charismatic.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
A Rip Through Time
The Poisoner’s Ring
2.5 Cocktails & Chloroform
Disturbing the Dead

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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The Time Travelling Estate Agent by Dale Bradford-review

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The Time Travelling Estate Agent by Dale Bradford-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 15, 2024

Time takes everything – but what if it could also give back?

It’s December 2019 in a small Welsh town, and 60-year-old estate agent Eric Meek discovers a property which boasts a truly unique garage conversion. Instead of the more customary home office or gym, it contains a hole in space-time that has been developed into a traversable portal.

The portal allows movement between 2019 and the day it was first powered up, 3rd July 1976, which just happened to be the best – and worst – day of 16-year-old Eric’s life.

Presented with a chance to right the wrongs of the past, Eric revisits the moment he believes defined his future. His adventures in time also find him caught up in a decades-old missing persons case while he attempts to improve the lives of those close to him, including his long-dead father.

The Time-Travelling Estate Agent is the story of a first love, a second chance, and a third age redemption.

Will Eric change history? Or will history change Eric?

•••

REVIEW:THE TIME-TRAVELLING ESTATE AGENT by Dale Bradford is an adult, historical, sci-fi, time travel stand alone focusing on sixty year old real-estate agent Eric Meek.

NOTE: As the author is British, and the story is set in Britain,  there are many colloquial British mannerisms, and euphemisms used throughout the story.

Told from omniscient third person perspective (Dale Bradford) following two timelines (2019 and 1976) THE TIME-TRAVELLING ESTATE AGENT focuses on struggling real-estate agent Eric Meek. With the creditors chomping at the bit, estate agent Eric Meek needs to make a sale. When a local resident offers their house up for sale, the eccentric and reluctant husband and physicist refuses Eric’s offer, but not until Eric discovers the truth hidden behind the resident’s walls. The physicist has opened a portal to July 3rd, 1976, an important date for the people of the time but a date that is about to repeat itself with every visit from our story line hero. As Eric embarks on a journey to 1976, to locate the girl he once loved, Eric will discover the secrets and lies long buried beneath in the past.

THE TIME-TRAVELLING ESTATE AGENT is a story of probabilities and impossibilities; of a multi-verse wherein our hero bears witness to the past as it continues to repeat itself with ever visit. A story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, THE TIME-TRAVELLING ESTATE AGENT is an intriguing and captivating story of Improbabilia but entertaining, none-the-less.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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That One Time on Christmas Eve by LP Dover-review tour

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That One Time on Christmas Eve by LP Dover-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 29, 2024

Lydia Scott has always put love on the back burner while she focuses on running her family’s art gallery and caring for others. But as she sees everyone around her moving on to the next chapter in their lives, Lydia can’t help but feel left behind. With Christmas approaching, all she wants is to find love and start her own happily ever after.

Little does she know, her wish is about to come true in the most extraordinary way. Transported back in time to two different Christmas Eves, Lydia meets two men who are inexplicably connected to her life.

With mistletoe and holiday magic at play, anything is possible for Lydia. But when it’s all said and done, she must make the ultimate decision – which man truly holds her heart? Will this choice change the course of her future forever? Find out in this heartwarming holiday tale filled with love, laughter, and a touch of Christmas magic.

•••••

REVIEW:THAT ONE TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE by LP Dover is a contemporary, adult, somewhat paranormal, time travel romance story line focusing on thirty year old, gallery owner Lydia Scott in the days and weeks before Christmas.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Lydia and Jake) THAT ONE TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE follows gallery owner Lydia Scott in the approach to the Christmas holidays. Lydia has watched from the sidelines as her friends found love and moved on with their lives, and Lydia had always thought she would have found someone special but living in Blowing Rock means the choices are few and far between until a wish with the toss of a coin finds our heroine facing the possibility of three potential suitors, one of which she has known most of her life. With the ‘help’ of a Christmas angel, Lydia is transported back in time where she will re-experience the previous two Christmas Eve’s, meeting the men who quite possibly may change her life.

THAT ONE TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE is a sweet and playful story line of finding love. There is little to no conflict except Lydia’s rapidly evolving love life and the three men who take an interest. We are introduced to Lydia’s sister Violet; Lydia’s best friend Hailey, and Hailey’s brother, professional golfer Jake Reynolds; university professor Max Harper, photographer Ben Davis, Lydia’s nana, Max’s grandfather John, and Margaret Grant.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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