The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

Stacey Irving • May 28, 2023

Second book in a brilliant series

I just finished The Poisoner’s ring by Kelley Armstrong @kelleyarmstrong, book two of a Rip through time and here are my musings..

Picking up where we left off with Homicide detective Mallory Atkinson still stuck back in 1869 with no obvious way of making it back to the modern day. She is still adjusting to the body she landed herself in and her employment as housemaid Catriona Mitchell. As luck would have it, her employers know about her and she has taken on a secondary role as an undertaker's assistant. Dr. Gray also moonlights as a medical examiner which puts Mallorys detective skills to good use.

Their latest case brings a whole new level of attention to Dr. Gray and his family. Women appear to be poisoning their husbands and the trail is leading them down an unexpected path.

Was so excited to get a copy of this one. I loved a rip through time and desperately needed to know what was happening to Mallory. 

I love Kelley Armstrong's writing style. It’s lucid and she paces her books brilliantly. This one is no exception. The storyline is exciting and I was turning the pages like a mad woman. The character development is second to none and I love all the attention to details this book covers. The plot is incredibly detailed and held together with consistently clever quips. Sometimes for me, books with a lot going on tend to get messy but that never once happened here. 

The ending was really well done and I need book three already! This might be the best series I have read in a very long time. I love a solid mystery and this is the gift that keeps on giving. We still don’t know why Mallory ended up in 1869 or whether there is a purpose to her being there and all these questions I have built up with the hope that something more happens with her and Duncan…. The hopeless romantic in me is aching to know whether she stays or ends up back home. Either is heartbreaking for her and you can feel that mild desperation in Mallory the whole way through.

You know you need a new series in your life so grab your coat and get to the store now and grab books 1 and 2 and come chat to me about it. I need to talk it out! 

5 stars. Thank you @minotaur_books for my gifted copy 

#aripthroughtime #thepoisonersring #kelleyarmstrong #minotaurinfluencer #bookreview #5starseries 

By Stacey Irving November 3, 2025
I just finished Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross and here are my thoughts. Matilda is a young goddess and one more powerful than most. She can walk between realms but she also has a secret she must hide to protect herself. Vincent is a mortal who dreams of her often and they are friends in the dream world. When Vincent has a need of her help in the real world… His request goes ignored and he hardens himself and moves on. That is until the day she falls through his window with a letter for him in her hands. Fate had moved these pieces in hopes of rewriting the bloody ways of the gods…. Can she sacrifice her vulnerability for love? This is a prequel to Divine Rivals and I was chomping at the bit to read this book as soon as I heard it was in the works. It took a while to get into. The story is obviously set long before the time of the original duology and when you already love a book, it’s hard to read a book when you don’t know the characters yet. Or at least it is for me but once I fully emerge myself into the story I was totally swept up into Matilda’s story and the path she was forging. I definitely loved the backstory of the gods. It helped to understand the setting in Divine Rivals more and tied up some questions that I had. I loved Vincent. He was so sweet and his story was so tragic but he loved his people and he had such a big heart I couldn’t help being charmed by him. I loved all the magic and the lore, this is really and truly where the book shines in my opinion. The author does an amazing job of world building and it really does add value to the series. I did find the first part of the audiobook to be rather slow and not much really happened but it does pick up and the narration is fabbo!! I definitely enjoyed this book and I do hope we get more books in this series. 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress @saturdaybooks and @netgalley for my gifted copy You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #saturdaybooks #wildreverence #fantasy #fantasybook #fantasybooklover #readersofig #bookish
By Stacey Irving November 2, 2025
I just finished Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke and here are my musings! Katherine Cole is on trial… Every man she has had any kind of relationship with, has a different view of her. Her father remembers his sweet little girl. Her best friend remembers the conspiracy theories they share, her lover regrets meeting her, her lawyer… Knows something is off and a journalist sees the murder they have accused her of being. Which one is correct? This book was different… A good difference but a real risk in taking such an interesting twist in storytelling. We get the same person but several perspectives and I will admit, it took a while to keep everyone straight. I think it was around the 25% mark that I felt like I knew what was what so I can see how there might be some DNFs out there on this one. It just shows you too that the way we see ourselves, isn’t always how others see us and it was a clever story. I truly had no idea who was correct and whether she was guilty or not but it was told in such a way that it really could have gone any way. I didn’t really connect with any character but it gave me a more clinical view on the book instead like I was trying studying it like a case file. It was great to be honest, I enjoyed it more than I expected after the rough start. 4 stars Thank you to @harperaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A You can find all my book merch at Bookaloriandesigns.com and bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com #hermanyfaces #niccicloke #thriller #thrillerreader #bookworm #bookishreview #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookalorian #litdulterous #igbooks
By Stacey Irving November 2, 2025
I just finished Last Seen by J.T. Ellison and here are my musings. Halley’s life is falling apart. The loss of her job and her marriage crumbling… Her dad needing help seems like a reprieve. She doesn’t expect to find a dark truth her father was hiding… That her mother was murdered… By her older sister… A sister who was released and is now missing. Halley has to know the truth but the answers she seeks are dangerous and someone doesn’t want the truth to be set free. DUDDDEEEEEESSSS this book was INTENSE!!! Could you imagine having your dad lie to you for years? ARGHHH!!! I could feel it. The confusion and anger. The emotions came off the book in eaves and added to tension that the book had already started to build. I like Halley. She was raw and authentic. The whole book just solidified my thoughts on her and her need to find the truth. It was insane… The lies… What happened… The ending actually blew my mind. I was not prepared for it at all. I love being surprised, especially when it makes sense and is not outlandish. Clever, clever writing. I was very very impressed. The pacing was excellent and I had a low thrum of fear for Halley the whole time. It was perfect! One of the best thrillers of the year. 4.5 stars Thank you @brilliancepublishing for my gifted copy Thank you visiting my page! For exclusive content and to keep up with all my posts, don’t forget to like/follow my page! You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1 YouTube.com/@litdulterous You can find all my book merch at Bookaloriandesigns.com and bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com I appreciate you all! ❤️ #lastseen #jtellison #thrillerbook #thrillerreader #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookreader #audiobookstagram #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast 1w
By Stacey Irving November 1, 2025
I just finished I Can’t Even by Jenn McKinlay and here are my musings. Julia does not want to go home but when her estranged overbearing mother requests her to, she begrudgingly goes. Bab’s is terminally ill and when she passes her will states that all 3 daughters have to stay in the house or lose their inheritance. It shouldn’t be too hard but her old boyfriend still lives next door and he looks so good! She wants to explain the reason she ran away 10 years ago but he is reluctant to talk to her.. Can she win him back and get her inheritance? Whoa! There was a fuckton going on in this book. So many threads to keep track of. Julia and coming to terms with her mother’s death, the secret that was kept and trying to win back her ex. Both her sisters have shit going on too. So many things that could have been missed and not one plot hole could be found. That was impressive. The audiobook was pretty dang good and I loved how entertaining it was. I really enjoyed the parallels with the romance and then finding out why her mother didn’t love her like her sisters and neither one fell through the cracks. It was clever. I loved the audio as it really brought the banter and tension between Julia and Liam. You could almost hear the crackling of attraction that still thrummed between them. I even liked the cousin who was set to inherit if they didn’t stick to the will. Yeah I know but she was great haha. 4 stars Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for my gifted copy. You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #icanteven #jennmckinlay #booklover #Romancenovel #humor #domesticfiction #bookreview #bookbabe #bookishpodcast #bookpodcast #bookcommunity #bookblogger
By Stacey Irving October 30, 2025
I just finished All Because of You by Lissa Lovik and here are my thoughts. A grocery store meet-cute has Chris falling hard… Using a fallen receipt to track Serena down, he is just helping fate move faster. He won’t rush her… He will just watch, wait… Bide his time. The road to true love isn’t always fast. Serena has no idea that the chance meeting at her real estate job was carefully curated. Believing she has found the most amazing man, she settles into dating…. Chris will do anything to keep her… Even if that means crossing lines and breaking laws to do it. Serious You vibes right here which should have put me off because I didn’t connect with that series but this one actually really enjoyed it. I think it’s because you know Chris is a FREAK and there is zero chance of romanticizing him which is a complaint I have with Joe from You. It was done really well. I was sufficiently creeped out and the audio narration was done with expert precision. It was so good. Well paced and interesting with just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. I liked the story, I wasn’t overly in love with the parts with Serena’s best friend and that was something I could have done without. All in all, a solid thriller. 4 stars So if you are in your Halloween reading era.. add this one to your TBR! Thank you @brillancepublishing and @netgalley for my gifted copy! Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #allbecauseofyou #lissalovik #thriller #stalker #booktokcanada #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpodcast #bookrevs #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookinfluencer
By Stacey Irving October 29, 2025
I just finished The Accidental Rewrite by Milly Johnson and here are my musings. When Polly Potter walks out on her job… She doesn’t expect to have a surprise wedding sprung on her by a giant man baby who she was in the process of leaving. Leaving him at the altar so flees to a place she loved in her childhood. When she ends up with a concussion and memory loss, she ends up meeting a kind lady whose son owns a restaurant. She works off the debt she feels she owes there and helps the restaurant tackle some crazy assaults against their business but as her memory comes back slowly, she wonders if she can rewrite her life into something she can be proud of. I was expecting to adore this book. I really did. I am not a massive fan of FMCs having amnesia but this worked really well for me. Polly thinks she is called Sabrina which happens to be the character in a story she was writing and she thinks those details she wrote are her life. It was charming. I thought the audio narration was really good! I liked how the owner of the restaurant, Teddy, wasn’t sure about her but the more time they spent together… He remembers how to start living his life and not just working. Polly/Sabrina learns to believe in herself and love herself in such a way that is so heartwarming that she starts to assert herself. Her wants, her needs. She is awesome. Funny and cute! The whole book just had a wholesome vibe! She has to be one of my favourite characters I have come across lately! I liked how the book ended and it was really a sweet book. 4.5 stars Thank you @harpermusebooks for my gifted copy. #bookalorian #theaccidentrewrite #bookreview #bookcommunity #litdulterous #readingissexy #readingrecommendations #bookrecs #tbr #bookpodcast #yycreader #calgaryreaders #albertareads
By Stacey Irving October 29, 2025
Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! I just finished Not Her, Not Yet by Chelsea O’Hara and here are my musings. Wren has no memories… The man claiming to be her husband is telling her she is safe but shouldn’t she remember this man Caleb? Something is wrong. As the dark days roll on, Wren learns things she doesn’t want to know. Caleb’s love comes with strings and the controlling behaviour makes her question herself more and more. Maybe someone out there can help her but they all seem to know more than they are letting on. I made a mistake… I was reading the first chapter of a few books to set up my reading… I read this one before bed one night and OMG sleeping wasn’t easy after this disturbing book. SIDEBAR - I am a survivor of abuse. Manipulation, control, smashing holes in walls, gaslighting… Those are the least horrible things I went through so I thank Chelsea for all the triggers. I don’t need warnings but I know a lot of people do and she makes sure to write this book in a well researched and sympathetic way. I wanted to rescue Wren so badly.. That is how well written the characters are. Not that we have many to deal with as it is mostly Wren and then Caleb and saddling a whole book on mostly one character was a risky risk but it worked really well because you felt like you were trapped in that cabin with her and you have a front row seat to all that unfolds. The biggest problem I found was the pacing. I would have liked the pace to have been a little faster and for the book to have gone a little further. Maybe having us watching Wren after the ending. That’s a personal preference only, not a problem with the book. I think this book got right under my skin and did so in a really effective way without going for the shock value. It was good. It was really fucking good. The undertones of what the town knew just made it even more terrifying. I loved it. It was almost like I was reading a real account of abuse and that made it even more sickening. I’m impressed. Super excellent read. 4.5 stars Thank you @chelseaohara for my gifted copy. That was one entertaining read. Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #nothernotyet #chelseaohara #psychologicalthriller #thrillerreader #bookreview #bookishreview #bookblog #bookishblogger #bookpodcast #bookalorian #ltidulterous #indieauthor #indiebook #topread #tbr #bookrecs
By Stacey Irving October 26, 2025
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
By Stacey Irving October 26, 2025
As you may or may not know, I am doing a podcast deep dive of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas so here are my reviews on each book as I get through them. I had already read Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas but for this series, I went back to the beginning. Celaena is an assassin… She’s also behind bars. When the Prince of Adarlan arrives with an offer… Fight to win in a contest to become the king's assassin… And win her freedom. It should be easy but something is lurking in the castle… Something overworldly… In a realm where magic has been snuffed, this fight for survival might not be as easy as she thinks…. I wasn’t blown away with Celaena as a character in this book. I wasn’t sold on her. She was frivolous and annoying. I really didn’t see the appeal. Then we have the Team Dorian/Team Chaol thing going on… I despise love triangles (Blame Twilight) so I wasn’t in love with that either. I liked Chaol better as a match because hello, Dorian is a prince. That would never work and I hate his attitude towards women… It’s not bad, just not something I like. So arrogant. I thought the competition for the king’s assassin was fun and I loved Nehemia. The writing was decent and as far as the first book in a series goes…. I was intrigued for sure. I thought the pacing had some shaking patches and I felt the story lulled in some spots but… still a 4 star read for me. I thought it ended well and set up book 2 in a really solid way. I did do the audio before as well and that was well worth it too. I will have Crown of Midnight - book review done shortly so watch this space!!! #throneofglass #celaena #fantasy #fantasybook #fantasyseries #tog #bookreview #thetopplingtbr #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpod #bookishpodcast #bookpodcast #bookpodcaster #bookishbusiness #booksbooksbooks #booktokbaddies
By Stacey Irving October 22, 2025
Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! - Thank you to @partnersincrime book tours for allowing me the opportunity to join and watch this space for my author interview with the Author Kevin Hwang! I just finished The Regression Strain by Kevin Hwang @kevinhwangmdauthor and here are my musings. When Dr Peter Palma joined the medical team aboard the Paradise cruise ship, he was expecting sunburn and seasickness… Not for the whole ship to lose their marbles and civility to go overboard. The captain doesn’t want to do anything about the outbursts of violence that has become a pandemic on the ship… Peter has to get the ship and everyone on board to New York but the primal urges are becoming harder and harder to resist. UGH now I never want to take a cruise. Not now…. Not EVER!!!!! Mr Hwang, I will never forgive you for that! Haha This is what I like to call a slow burn thriller. You can see things are getting bad but it creeps up on you… I felt like I couldn’t get off the ship. By the end of the book I was seasick and thankful to be alive!!! I tend to find medical thrillers can get a bit technical and sometimes, as a normie, I can get a little lost in the jargon but that didn’t happen here. It was clever in how it laid out what was wrong on the ship, what was happening to the passengers and it seemed so realistic that I never had to suspend my disbelief. That’s a literary magician that can pull that kind of thing off. The only thing that wasn’t excellent for me was Peter. I dunno but I didn’t like him. I don’t know if we weren't supposed to or whether it was just a me thing but I didn’t trust his perspectives the whole way through and that was kind of exciting. I didn’t like him from page 1… It was different for me. I loved his sister so it was an interesting contrast between the pair of them. 👒I enjoyed the writing. The prose was clever and flowed with absolute perfection!! It was well paced, a tad monotonal (I need a rollercoaster of insanity in my thrillers) but all in all I was blown away with how well the book was written. Bloody excellent! 4.5 stars. Definitely one of the best thrillers of the year for me. #TheRegressionStrain #KevinHwang #MedicalThriller #PsychologicalInsight #PrimalUrges #Survival #VacationNightmare #PrimalUrges #VacationNightmare #PsychologicalHorror #SurvivalInstincts #CreepyScenes #ThrillerReads #MustRead #PageTurner #BookReview #FastPacedThriller #MedicalMystery #PageTurner #PsychologicalInsight #bookalorian #litdulterous #ThrillerReads #Suspenseful #NewRelease #BookRecommendation #BookishCommunity