Betrayal in Time by Julie McElwain

 4.9/5 stars

-minus .1 star for Kendra’s refusal to put Alec out of his misery and marry him.

If you know me, you know that I am completely and utterly obsessed with the Kendra Donovan mysteries penned by author Julie McElwain. I mean, sis has had me hooked since the first page. Though, the books are a combination of all of my favourite tropes. Now let me tell you, much like the previous three books, Betrayal in Time did not disappoint. At one point, I got a bit cheeky and thought I had it all figured out but Miss McElwain sure did throw in a twist. 

It’s February 1816, Kendra Donovan has been stuck in Regency Era England for time now- over six months. And boy has she caused a stir during her short time there, kicking ass, taking names, solving mysteries, and having a love affair with her Guardian’s nephew. All while solving grisly murders with her past experience working as a profiler for the FBI. 

As Kendra is still attempting to adapt to living 200 years in the past, her and her Guardian, The Duke of Aldridge are summoned to London to solve the murder of Sir Giles Holbrooke. Left naked and garroted with his tongue cut out, Kendra and the “team” jump right in to solve the murder of the British spymaster. Though, everything is not as it seems. As Kendra and Co. start gathering information on the man and his relations, they stumble upon what seems to be a large cover-up of a military operation gone wrong. 

It quickly becomes clear that the murder is not just a one off as Sir Giles Holbrooke isn’t the only one found dead and with his tongue cut out. No, the murderer is clearly somebody with a plan, and they’re out for revenge. 

Now listen, I know some people are unhappy for Kendra not accepting the fact that she now lives in the 19th century. Sure, her refusal to have a chaperone at times can be a bit annoying, but can you blame the damn woman? I mean, being thrown 200 years into the past where women are looked upon as inferior and “weak of mind” has to be absolutely maddening. I know damn well that I’d likely act the same way as the rogue FBI agent. 

There were a lot of things that I enjoyed about the book. Well, to be honest, I enjoyed the whole thing. It was absolutely amazing, I love being proved wrong in mysteries. McElwain did a great job at putting a twist on the case, I regret being a bit cheeky and thinking that I had it figured out (I most definitely did not have it figured out). The writing was amazing, and I couldn’t stop reading. But, it’s often that way when I’m reading the Kendra Donovan series as well, it’s my favourite series. 

The one thing I did not enjoy is Kendra’s refusal to advance her relationship with The Marquis of Sutcliffe- Alec Morgan. End the man’s suffering already and marry him! Not only because you love him, but also because you’ll get more “freedom” as a married woman dammit! Though it does seem like Kendra is less combative about the idea of marrying her lover. I also quite enjoyed the potential love interest for the ever-growing Lady Rebecca. Although that journalist- Muldoon- seems maddening, he does seem to be genuinely interested in the woman. I really do love watching Rebecca come into her own. 

Overall, it’s pretty obvious that I enjoyed the fourth book in the series. I mean, it was amazing, and I have to say probably my favourite out of all of them so far. Kudos to McElwain for writing such an amazing series. I don’t know where I would be without it because I cannot. stop. thinking. about. it. 

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