Bea Reviews A Stranger in Town by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton #6
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Feb. 9th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's next Rockton book, A Stranger in Town, the biggest mystery is the fate of the town itself.

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.

Bea Reviews The Gryphon's Lair by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 2nd, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The exciting follow-up book in the fantastical duology for ages 10-14 by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Rowan is now the Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, is destined to be king. But her mother's cousin Heward is still determined that his children be the ones to inherit the titles, and will stop at nothing to show that Rowan and Rhydd are too immature to properly lead. After the gryphon that Rowan captured in Book One gives birth but then dies, Rowan is left with a baby gryphon she knows she cannot keep. And it grows faster than anyone can imagine . . .

In order to save face after an accident involving the troublesome gryphon, Rowan, with the help of her friends Dain and Alianor, along with an entourage of monstrous companions, must make a journey to the mountains to release the gryphon back into the wild. What starts off as a simple enough task soon becomes a dangerous quest, as the group encounters numerous rare and deadly monsters along the way, including wyverns and ceffyl-dwrs. Nothing is easy when you're a "monster magnet" like Rowan.

Can she prove herself worthy of the title of Royal Monster Hunter? Find out in this exciting second book in the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying duology!

Bea Reviews A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

Series: A Royal Guide To Monster Slaying #1
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository  | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Monster hunting isn't for the faint of heart—the first in a brand-new middle-grade series by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her royal monster hunter aunt's official sword and having tea with dignitaries with her mother, the queen. But a tragic event breaks up longstanding rules, and now Rowan finds herself in hunt of a dangerous gryphon.

Accompanied by a feisty and determined baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, she sets off on a journey that will see her join forces with other unlikely allies: a boy who has ambitions of his own to hunt monsters, and a girl from a nearby clan with hidden motives for befriending Rowan. It will take all of Rowan's skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this journey on track. The future of the kingdom depends on it.

Bea Reviews This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong

Series: Rockton #3
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 6th, 2018 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | iBooks* | IndieBound | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When Casey Duncan first arrived at Rockton, the off-the-grid, isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect. There are no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. She certainly didn't expect to become the town homicide detective. 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 she never thought that she'd have to be responsible for him.

The longer Oliver Brady stays in town, the more people seem to die around him. When evidence begins piling up that someone inside Rockton is working as his accomplice, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he's truly responsible for committing.

GIVEAWAY of Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

Today is the release for the trade paperback of "Deceptions" by Kelley Armstrong. "Deceptions" is the third book in Armstrong's Cainsville series. Book four, "Betrayals", is out next month and I've pre-ordered it; I can hardly wait! I love this series, it's a wonderful blend of mystery, thriller, romance, and mythology. I reviewed "Deceptions" last year, see it here. Then hop down and enter the giveaway.

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. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets. 

Bea and Jax Review Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Tachyon Publications 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 17, 2015
Challenges:  What An Animal | NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to the many worlds of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld, Cainsville). As her SyFy channel series, Bitten, enters its second season, Armstrong continues to breathe new life into city-dwelling vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Now travel even further with her, to a post-apocalyptic fortress, a superstitious village, a supernatural brothel, and even feudal Japan.

In Led Astray, you’ll discover the stories of new characters from within and outside Armstrong’s popular novels. Here you will find two original tales from Cainsville, plus journeys to and beyond the worlds of Darkest Powers, Age of Legends, Otherworld, and more.

Bold and humorous, passionate and heart-stopping, here is Kelley Armstrong at her versatile best.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where bloggers have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases they're anticipating.

Ooo, Kelley has a contemporary YA suspense thriller, "The Masked Truth". coming out next month on the 13th! It's suspense and it's Kelley, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like it. <3

Review & Giveaway: Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Dutton
Series: Cainsville #3
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Challenges: Finishing the Series
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* |  iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Olivia Taylor Jones's life has exploded. She's discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town's mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé.

Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

DRIVEN: A New Book by Kelley Armstrong

Subterranean Press has announced another new collaboration with Kelley Armstrong. Available January 2016, "Driven" is a long novella illustrated by Xaviere Daumarie and part of Armstrong's Otherworld series. The Trade Hardcover of Driven will feature a full-color dust jacket as well as four full-color interior illustrations. The Signed Limited Edition will have a completely different dust jacket, full-color endsheets, and two additional full-color illustrations not in the Trade.

Limited: 1000 signed numbered copies, bound in leather: $48

Trade: Fully cloth bound hardcover edition: $28

Group Review of Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Plume
Series: Otherworld Stories#3
Format Read: ebook
Source: Netgalley
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This short story collection will include many brand-new tales and others only previously available on Kelley Armstrong's website. Most of the stories will feature the werewolves of the Otherworld, Elena and Clay, Jeremy, Karl and other members of the American Pack. These are some of Kelley Armstrong's best-loved and most enduring characters, from bestselling books such as Bitten, Stolen and Frostbitten.

1) Demonology - Adam's mother discovers what he is
2) Stalked - Clay/Elena honeymoon story from "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon"
3) Hidden - SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella
4) Twilight - a Cass story from "Many Bloody Returns"
5) Chivalrous - Reese's backstory from SubPress's long sold-out "Tales of Dark Fantasy 2" (the Dec'14 SubPress graphic novella picks up this storyline)
6) Lucifer's Daughter - Hope/Karl story from "Blood Lite II: Overbite"
7) From Russia with Love - Elena bonus story included with hardcover of "Thirteen"
8) Vanishing Act - brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after "Thirteen"

Bea Reviews Forsaken by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Subterranean Press
Series: Otherworld Stories 13.4
Format Read: hardcover
Source: owned by the reviewer
Release Date: January 31, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble | Subterranean Press
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Three years after being named Alpha of the North American pack, Elena Michaels is in London battling for respect from the British pack. When it becomes apparent she won’t get it, she heads home, expecting a much-needed rest on her family vacation, only to discover a battle brewing of a very different kind.

One of her eight-year-old twins has disappeared, and all evidence points to Malcolm Danvers. It seems as if the psychotic former Pack member they’ve been tracking for the past year has brought the fight to them, setting the bait he knows Elena can’t afford to ignore.



Number one New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to her much-loved Otherworld with this powerful novella detailing the latest trials and travails of a fan-favorite character, a working mother who happens to lead the werewolves of North America.

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: The Lost Island by Sadie Anjum

EXCERPT

Today I'm delighted to have another author from the now defunct Kelley Armstrong message board. Sadie Anjum lives in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire in England, with her children. She loves the world of supernatural, horror, fantasy and paranormal.  If she isn't writing, she will be found with her nose in a book, and a cup of coffee in her hand.


Find Sadie Online:

twitter
facebook
goodreads

Bea Reviews Gifted by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Traverse Press
Series: Otherworld Stories #13.4
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: owned by the reviewer
Release Date: November 13, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | iBooks | PayHip | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Contains two holiday stories, one Otherworld Pack and one Cainsville.

Gabriel’s Gargoyles - (Cainsville short story, Gabriel Walsh as 10 year old narrator.) Cainsville was where a boy could walk the streets safely at any time, day or night. Where everyone was genuinely glad to see you, and didn’t think you were odd if you wanted to keep to yourself. Because Cainsville was odd, too. For one thing, there are the gargoyles. Unlike the others, Gabriel doesn’t believe the carven creatures came to life to protect the town. It’s up to a boy to protect himself. Now he’s determined to find the last hidden gargoyle by winter Solstice. He’s also determined to get the perfect gift for his great-aunt Rose. And when Gabriel Walsh sets goals, he achieves them…one way or another.

The Puppy Plan (Otherworld novella, 9 year old Logan Danvers as narrator.) When Logan finds an puppy abandoned by the roadside a few days before Christmas, he knows it’s a sign. His sister Kate wants a dog more than anything. Their parents aren’t completely opposed to the idea. It’s just a bad time. A really bad time. Maybe next year. But now there’s this puppy in need of a home and a girl in need of a pet… So how does a boy who always plays by the rules give his sister what she wants most?blah

Interview with Author Kelley Armstrong & A Giveaway

I'm ecstatic to have one of my fave authors here today, Kelley Armstrong. I love Kelley's urban fantasy and her mysteries. Last year she started a new young adult epic fantasy series, Age of Legends. The second book, "Empire of Night" is due to release this April. In the meantime, she has a new short story from that world, "The Kitsune's Nine Tails", as part of an anthology, "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" releasing next week on the 9th.

All of the proceeds from the sale of "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" go directly to The Colon Cancer Alliance, a charity dedicated to the prevention of this deadly disease, as well as funding research and supporting patients who suffer from it. As someone who has cancer running in her family and only a few of them survivors, I like to support projects benefittng cancer research and patient support whenever i can.

Kelley graciously agreed to do an interview and she's giving away a copy of the first book in the Age of Legends series, "Sea of Shadows" (I love the US cover of this book, gorgeous!)

Cover for Thor's Serpents by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

WOOT! Quill & Quire, a Canadian site, has revealed the cover for the final book in the Blackwell Pages trilogy. Aimed at tweens, the series takes Norse mythology and brings it to the modern world. A group of young teens tries to prevent the end of the world.

I enjoyed the first two books, and can hardly wait for book three, "Thor's Serpents". It's not out until May of 2015, seven months away. :( But, we can enjoy the cover in the meantime ~

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway of Cursed by Angela Addams

Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Series: The Order of the Wolf #1
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: ebook from the author for an honest review & I own the Kindle book
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* |  ARe* | Barnes & Noble | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Her biggest mistake comes with fangs…and a nose for tracking her down.

The Order of the Wolf, Book 1

Wherever there’s a lying, cheating scumbag who’s broken a woman’s heart, Vengeance Dealer Darcy Wells is there. So what if she isn’t the most skilled witch around? She’s only using one spell, which leaves the hapless male suffering tormenting lust for one woman. Her.

The beautiful part? This curse comes equipped with a blinding agent, allowing her a clean getaway. Unrequited lust, coming right up! As far as Darcy is concerned, it’s justice served. Her next target: Raven Glock, rock band bassist and drop-dead-gorgeous sex god.

When Raven lays eyes on the luscious Darcy, he gives her what he promises all the starry-eyed groupies who toss their panties at him—one unforgettable night in his bed. Sex with Darcy is so epic that he forgets his cardinal rule: to get her out before morning.

At the crack of sunrise, Darcy serves Raven a face full of cursed ash. But something goes horribly wrong…and she finds herself magically tethered to one pissed-off werewolf.

Worse, breaking the spell could cost her everything…maybe even her life.

Warning: Sexually explicit language, tattoos, piercings, and giant…um…feet. Wet panties are a given. Author assumes no responsibility for spontaneous ravishment of significant others, pool boys, or local pizza delivery personnel.

Group Review of Visions By Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Dutton
Series: Cainsville #2
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 19, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

As #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s new Cainsville series continues, Olivia’s power to read omens leads to the discovery of a gruesome crime with troubling connections to her new hometown.

Omens, the first installment in Kelley Armstrong’s exciting new series, introduced Olivia Taylor-Jones, daughter of notorious serial killers, and Gabriel Walsh, the self-serving, morally ambiguous lawyer who became her unlikely ally. Together, they chased down a devious killer and partially cleared her parents of their horrifying crimes.

Their success, however, is short-lived. While Olivia takes refuge in the old, secluded town of Cainsville, Gabriel’s past mistakes have come to light, creating a rift between the pair just when she needs his help the most.

Olivia finds a dead woman in her car, dressed to look like her, but the body vanishes before anyone else sees it. Olivia’s convinced it’s another omen, a sign of impending danger. But then she learns that a troubled young woman went missing just days ago—the same woman Olivia found dead in her car. Someone has gone to great lengths to kill and leave this young woman as a warning. But why? And what role has her new home played in this disturbing murder?

Olivia’s effort to uncover the truth places her in the crosshairs of old and powerful forces, forces that have their own agenda, and closely guarded secrets they don’t want revealed.

The Friday 56 #36 Visions by Kelley Armstrong

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

I'm reading a paranormal mystery,  "Visions" by Kelley Armstrong. The quote is from page 56 in the hardcover.

I hated letting Gabriel's betrayal bother me so much. I wanted to slough it off and bounce back. I had the last time. But now I hadn't just lost my lawyer. I'd lost a job I'd wanted. I'd lost a person I could confide in. And yes, damn it, I'd lost a friend, which was only made worse by knowing that he hadn't been a friend at all, only a paid companion.

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Bea Reviews Odin's Ravens by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: The Blackwell Pages #2
Format Read: hardcover
Source: owned by the reviewer
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Seven kids, Thor's hammer, and a whole lot of Valkyries are the only things standing against the end of the world.

When thirteen-year-old Matt Thorsen, a modern day descendant of the Norse god Thor, was chosen to represent Thor in an epic battle to prevent the apocalypse he thought he knew how things would play out. Gather the descendants standing in for gods like Loki and Odin, defeat a giant serpent, and save the world. No problem, right?

But the descendants' journey grinds to a halt when their friend and descendant Baldwin is poisoned and killed and Matt, Fen, and Laurie must travel to the Underworld in the hopes of saving him. But that's only their first stop on their journey to reunite the challengers, find Thor's hammer, and stop the apocalypse--a journey filled with enough tooth-and-nail battles and larger-than-life monsters to make Matt a legend in his own right.

Authors K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr return to Blackwell in the epic sequel to Loki's Wolves with more explosive action, adventure and larger-than-life Norse legends.

ARC Review of Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Age of Legends #1 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.