A Review of Caught in Time by Julie McElwain (Kendra Donovan series)

 Happy Memorial day to all who celebrate! I sit here at work, reading my little heart away. Below is a review for a book from my favourite series. Enjoy! And, Happy Monday!

4.7/5 stars

Still dealing with the struggles of adapting to 1815 England, former FBI agent, Kendra Donovan is dragged into solving another murder case with her guardian, The Duke of Aldridge. Though this time it’s not at Aldridge Castle nor in London. 

On their way to the Duke’s estate in Lancashire, the Duke and Kendra are brought through a small town in Yorkshire. Forced to take shelter at an inn for the night in a small town due to unseemly fog, Kendra and the Duke find themselves right in the middle of a murder investigation. 

Deciding to stay with the permission of the magistrate of the town, Kendra and the Duke are reunited with Sam Kelly, the Bow Street Runner they worked with in the past, and Kendra’s lover, and nephew of the Duke, Alec Morgan- the Marquis of Sutcliffe. Just as the latter two are arriving in town, Kendra and her maid Molly find that there’s more to the murder of the local mill manager than what it originally seemed, having found two more victims. 

Unsure of what caused the unsub to murder the mill manager then his wife and their housekeeper, Kendra and the gang are back together to figure out just what it was that caused somebody to turn to murder and what exactly they’re trying to protect. 

***

Wonderful work by McElwain yet again. Though, I may be a bit biased as I knew from the middle of the first part that this was my new favourite book series. I mean hell, I was looking forward to the next book to be released when I was only halfway through the second one. 

Not a 5/5 stars like the other two, but a solid 4.7/5 stars. I was sucked into the world of Kendra Donovan as she survives and adapts to the 19th century as a headstrong 21st century woman. The rating would’ve been higher but I thought that compared to the last two books, the storyline was a bit dull. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it. Though I will admit that the progression of Alec and Kendra’s relationship (or lack thereof) is frustrating. God dammit, I’m not even Kendra and Alec makes my knees weak. I mean he calls her “Sweet” for godsake! 

Though, that’s neither here nor there. After Mr. Stone the local mill manager in small town East Dingleford located in Yorkshire is found murdered in his office, having been bludgeoned to death, Kendra and The Duke are swept into yet another murder investigation. As mentioned in the book, I can’t help but think Kendra Donovan is a magnet for such crimes. 

The small town had immediately accused the luddites- radical minded men against the age of the industrial revolution. Though, Kendra knows they are not to blame and she’ll do anything she can to prove it. Of course, upon arrival, the constable and doctor are skeptical. After all, it is quite indelicate for women to have hobbies such as solving murders. 

Determined to find the killer, Kendra starts snooping around town to find the suspect, unraveling the secrets of the town. It seems East Dingleford is a lot more sinister than it seems on the outside. And just was it that the murderer was trying to get their hands on? What was so important to kill a man and then torture his wife and maid in cold blood?

As I stated in the beginning, Julie McElwain did a great job with the book. I adored it. But who can blame me when the series contains all my favourite things? A kick-ass female protagonist, time travel, regency drama, and crime solving? I mean, it was the series I was looking for and didn’t even realize it until I happened upon it in the library! 

Also that ending? I gasped aloud!

Onwards to the next one!

I am not paid for this review nor do I own the book. I am reviewing Caught in Time by Julie McElwain purely for pleasure and any and all opinions and feedback are my own thoughts.

As always, my review can also be found on Goodreads here.