Reviews – Murder at Haven’s Rock & The Backup Plan

Posted February 21, 2023 by Carole in Reviews / 12 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Reviews – Murder at Haven’s Rock & The Backup PlanMurder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong
Series: Haven's Rock #1
Published by Minotaur Books on February 21, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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five-stars

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven's Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start... with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins.

Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0

Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first-hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.

There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town's construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well-hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate those still missing. The longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.

I loved this book! This is the first book of the Haven’s Rock series which is really just a continuation of the Rockton series but in a new location. It was great to be back with Casey, Dalton, Storm, and other familiar characters along with some new ones as they work to solve a new mystery. I have to admit that I was rather stumped by the mystery in this one. I knew that everything had to be connected but I couldn’t guess how it might be. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the thrilling end.

With the closing of the Rockton community, Casey, Dalton, and some of the other members of the community came together to build a new community, Haven’s Rock. They haven’t moved in yet but the construction is nearing completion. Casey and Dalton, along with their dog Storm head to town early to see if they can figure out what happened to the man and woman that have gone missing from the group there to build the town. They soon find the body of a woman but it looks like there might be more going on than they originally thought.

I will definitely be recommending this one! I don’t think that it is necessary to have read the Rockton series prior to this book but I think that fans of that series will get a bit more out of this book than readers unfamiliar with these characters. I had a fantastic time catching up with this group of characters while trying to figure out what was happening in their new town. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Minotaur Books.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Reviews – Murder at Haven’s Rock & The Backup PlanThe Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis
Series: Sunrise Cove #3
Published by Avon Books on January 17, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Sunrise Cove with a heartwarming tale of three people who are bought together when they’re bequeathed an old Wild West inn that has the potential to pull their lives apart, but instead turns into the gift of a lifetime.

When Alice receives a call about an unexpected windfall, she’s stunned to learn the gift is a falling-apart-at-the-seams old Wild West B&B she once considered home—and she’s inherited it along with two strangers. Except they weren’t always strangers. Once upon a time, they were friends. One is her ex-BFF Lauren. The other is Knox, the only guy to ever break her heart, all while never even knowing she existed.

It turns out their lives are unknowingly entangled because they once separately helped the same woman without expecting anything in return. Years later, Alice, Lauren, and Knox are broken in their own way, with their own history—and secrets— causing them to start out on the wrong foot with each other. But according to the will, they must renovate and be partners in the inn for one year or else lose their inheritance.

Stuck together, they make a list of rules to keep the peace—rules that end up doing the opposite, but by some miracle they find what they didn’t even know they were looking for—acceptance, true friendship, and in a case (or two!), true love.

I really enjoyed this book! Alice, Lauren, and Knox were all wonderful characters that were easy to root for. All 3 of these characters had a lot of issues from their past to deal with and it was great watching them learn to connect with and support each other. There was just enough romance woven into the story to keep things very interesting. I am really glad that I decided to pick this one up!

Alice, Lauren, and Knox knew each other when they were younger and have been brought back together when they jointly inherit property from a woman they are all connected to, Eleanor. Alice and Lauren were best friends as kids but things fell apart and Alice left town years ago just like she is eager to do now. Alice had a crush on Knox as a kid but he didn’t seem to know she existed back then.

I loved watching Alice, Lauren, and Knox work together to get the property ready to go. They have a set of letters from Eleanor that helps to guide them through some of the issues that they need to deal with. I really enjoyed the fact that we get not just one but two romances in this book. I feel like these three needed each other more than Eleanor could have ever known and it was a pleasure to watch them find their way back to each other.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I had a great time with this book and quickly fell in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read more of this talented author’s work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Avon Books.

12 responses to “Reviews – Murder at Haven’s Rock & The Backup Plan

  1. OOh nice! I am excited for the new series by Kelley, that’s a continuation of Rockton! Lol. I think I passed on reading it early this time around since I was trying to read event books and dive back into my TBR pile! Though I did preorder this one and it’s on the way to me now! Lol! Can’t wait to read it! Great review!

  2. I am glad that you had such a great time with that Jill Shalvis. Its been a while since I have read her stuff, her writing just isn’t engaging enough for me, but I might try this in audiobook! Avon just does such a great job with the cover.

  3. I’m surprised you put these 2 books together. We are review twins on Murder on Haven’s Rock and I also gave it 5 hearts. I just love this world and these characters. I also really enjoyed The Backup Plan.

  4. I have heard so many good things about Murder at Haven Rock, it’s on my playlist and I hope it’s a good stand alone since it’s the first for me by this author
    Thanks for both great reviews

  5. I can’t wait to read Haven. I still have the last two Rockton books to go, so maybe I should binge those and then this one! 🙂

  6. I loved The Backup Plan and it reminded me just how much I enjoy Shalvis’s books. I really want to read the Kelley Armstrong! I’ve heard such great things about her books.