A interesting cast of characters. One main story line with several minor plots running through. Look at te title for a clue about the time line.

A murder of crows
A portent? Who knows?

A new arrival, too,
Just who?

What's his game?
Will Buckthorn ever be the same?

As secrets from the past
Are partially revealed at last.

What's his motive in it all
What will be his final call?

A twisted tale of revenge
Or an attempt to avenge?

With dissent and danger
Just who is this stranger?

An enthralling read with history
Providing such a great mystery!

There's also a chance
For true romance!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
It is a very different read and this is my honest review.

Before Buckhorn/Out of the Blue (Buckhorn, Montana #4 & 4.5). By B.J. Daniels. 2022. Harlequin (ARC eBook).

I think Before Buckhorn showcases Daniels’ mystery and suspense writing the best to date with the Buckhorn, Montana series. A former cop and journalist team up to investigate a new business and its owner as the Buckhorn residents who have visited the store seem to have lost their minds; unleashing violence on themselves and others. The world-building of Buckhorn grows significantly as the pasts of its residents are dug up. Overall, an entertaining story.

In Out of the Blue, Dave, a Buckhorn bar owner, meets up again with his high school girlfriend when she has car trouble. Just how much have the two changed and could this be their second chance? And what will this mean for Dave and his friend, Melissa, both of whom secretly love each other? An enjoyable bonus snapshot into the lives of Buckhorn residents. It’s crazy how a small town warrants a U.S. Marshall on standby, but I’ll take it!

I loved this story. From the beginning with a murder of crows letting you know that danger and evil is brewing. I love a good suspense, with great twists and turns along the way making you want to know the who and why. You get that with this story.

Leviathan Nash is new to town and he opens a shop called Gossip. The odd thing is it only opens to those with invitations and those people do not leave Gossip happy, each one leaves in some type of emotional pain. Why is that?

Darby is a newspaper reporter who enlists ex-cop Jasper to help figure out who Leviathan Nash is and why he is in Buckhorn, Montana. Darby and Jasper met in college, had a one night stand and now find themselves in the same town. Can the two figure out the truth about Mr. Nash and the terror he is causing in town with all those invited into his little shop? Maybe these two will find more then just the truth, maybe find love in the process?

One click this book to be taken on the ride of a great plot and great characters. Maybe not read at night unless you don't want to get much sleep because you will not want to put the book down.

We also get a bonus story included in this book Out of the Blue. It is a quick read but it will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Great bonus!!!

Before Buckhorn by B.J. Daniels There were a number of HEAs in the latter part of the book. Didn't get to know the depth of characters. The murder investigation of Darby's ex-fiance and the unveiling of his killer was just glossed over other than when it pertained to Jasper as the suspect. The gloom and doom that the store, Gossip, and owner, L. Nash supposedly brought to Buckhorn felt flat. A number of new characters popped up in the last part of the story and it was difficult to figure out who they were. Perhaps they were explained in the previous books in the series. Fans of the Ms. Daniels Buckhorn series are sure to enjoy the book. A good read just confusing to me.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Note to self: don't start a B.J. Daniels book at night. I know better. At least, I should know better. Obviously I don't, considering I finally closed my Kindle at 3:00 AM because I kept falling asleep and dropping it on my pillow. Thankfully, not on my face. Did I mention I had to get up at 7:00 AM for an early appointment? Did I care? No, I did not. I was that immersed in this story. I needed to know what was going to happen next. If only I could have kept my eyes open.

Daniels set the stage for this story from the first page with the creepiness of gathering crows foreshadowing danger, death...possibly murder? She gave me a community of intriguing characters with complex backgrounds. Then she added in the mysterious Leviathan Nash, newly-arrived owner of Gossip, an invitation-only business that has Buckhorn's citizens on edge...and worse. What exactly was happening in those 30-minute sessions with the weird little man that was causing devastation, rage, and worse among the fine folks of Buckhorn? And why does it seem like Jasper Cole and Darby Fulton are smack-dab in the middle of Nash's quest? Who is this man? What does he want? And how far will he go to get it?

Before Buckhorn is twisty, compelling, mysterious, creepy, and impossible to put down. It's the kind of story that pulled me in, gave me a main couple to pull for, secondary characters who tugged at my heartstrings, danger that had my heart in my throat, and sent me on an emotional roller coaster ride, all the while keeping me on the edge of my seat as I tried (and failed) to figure out exactly what would happen next. I loved it!

This is the fourth book in Daniels' Buckhorn, Montana series. While the main storyline of Before Buckhorn stands well on its own, there were pieces of information about key secondary characters, past events, and future stories that I felt I would have understood better had I already read the first three books in the series. I will be doing that soon.

4.5 stars
ARC received for fair and unbiased review

The dark side of small towns

Right off the bat we're treated to some spooky foreshadowing that tells us this is going to be a dark and gritty mystery. Someone seems to know everyone's secrets, and the fallout from that leads to some horrific and tragic consequences.

Jasper and Darby have secrets, too, but since he's a retired cop and she's a journalist, they find themselves drawn into the town's business and end up having the most to lose once they figure out who's behind all the gossip.

This fascinating story kept me glued to my Nook as I read about all the various townspeople and their secrets they'd thought were long buried. I loved watching Jasper and Darby figure out their relationship at the same time, as it was obvious that these two belonged together despite all the years and obstacles in their way. The whole side storyline with Aiden was shocking while also being somewhat of a relief in itself.

After all the dust settles, Jasper and Darby are rewarded with the sweetest of HEAs and we readers are treated to a short story about a couple other Buckhorn residents, Dave and Melissa, and their twisty path to their own HEA. I've loved each of these Buckhorn stories, and I highly recommend them for anyone who loves intelligent, suspenseful romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I've been following this series since its inception and loved that this fourth novel in the series started with the crows. What I didn't expect was the total creepiness of the plot, which was in many ways was reminiscent of Stephen King's novel, Needful Things, and if ever Ms. Daniels decides to write a horror novel, I'll be first in line to grab a copy. This was most definitely a 5-star read.

The main characters, Jasper Cole and Darby Fulton had a one-night stand in college, and Jasper Cole is more than surprised to see her turn up with her fledgling on-line Buckhorn newspaper, and more that a tad curious why she chose to relocate to this small town. Both act as though they've forgotten their past connection, but they haven't, and watching them come together all these years later in the face of so much danger was masterfully handled by the author.

Jasper was once a homicide detective but quit (no spoilers here), and is now running his small ranch, and Darby won't quit in her search for the truth about the mysterious new shop in town, Gossip, which is only open by invitation, and which leads to so much pain, and so much mayhem in this otherwise peaceful community. The other person who won't quit is Darby's ex-fiance, an abusive, possessive man who tracked her down in Buckhorn, threatens Darcy's life, and who brings out the protective instincts in Jasper.

As in her other novels in this series, we again get to catch up with endearing characters from the previous novels, whose lives and happiness are also affected by the mysterious Leviathan Nash and his strange, secretive, and devastating little shop. If you like a little creepiness and a lot of suspense, I think you'll enjoy this novel as much as I did. Best yet was that just when I thought I knew where this novel was heading to it's breathtaking conclusion, I was totally and completely surprised by the fact that I couldn't have been more wrong. Kudos to Ms. Daniels for the "gotcha!" ending. Now begins the wait for the next novel in this series. I can't wait!

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is a book you will not want to put down. It is suspenseful and dangerous. The two main characters are Darby and Jasper. Darby is a newspaper reporter and owner. Jasper is an ex-police officer and now rancher. A new person arrived in town and started issuing invitations for the people in the town. As the people in the town start to go into the store that the invitation says, bad things start to happen. Darby and Jasper start looking for answers about the person issuing the invitations and why he is doing it. Darby and Jasper have an attraction and they fall in love.

Have you met B. J. Daniels yet? BEFORE BUCKHORN may just be the best introduction to this very prolific author. Suffice it to say B. J. Daniels has an amazing creative mind and she flexes her literary muscle in this new book. BEFORE BUCKHORN captures your interest and attention from the first page. Each page introduces another clue in what ultimately becomes a crime novel with a very interesting twist. There is an undeniable sense of sinister that begins with a simple sighting of a murder of crows. For those that fact check books, yes, a group of crows is called a murder. It seems that sighting these crows is kind of an omen of something sinister to come. Only those that are believers would be bothered by the murder of crows, right?

There are two stories included in BEFORE BUCKHORN. So thanks to B. J. Daniels we get to spend a little more time with the folks in buckhorn Montana.

BEFORE BUCKHORN follows on the heels of At The Crossroads which was one of my favorite stories by B. J. Daniels. It seems as if there are several tales to be told about this small town in Montana that blossoms during peak tourist season and then resumes its lazy days when everyone returns home. BEFORE BUCKHORN is a very prophetic title for this book. The action all happens in the present but is predicated on past events.

In the town square there is a new business with the shingle Gossip. Blackened windows keep townsfolk in the dark, pardon the pun, about just what Gossip is selling. The business is transient having a one-month lease. So of course everyone at the cafe is keeping their eyes peeled on Gossip watching who is going in.

As it turns out only one person at a time enters the store. No one knows just what happens, but it is surely affecting those that do.

Unfortunately this doesn’t appear to be an innocent endeavor. The man who opened Gossip is decidedly secret and whatever he is selling impacts his customers.

Enter the wonderful folk that live in Buckhorn especially newswoman Darby and ex-cop Jasper. Darby knows this is a big story. Jasper feels an undercurrent of danger and perhaps evil. As the time passes there doesn’t seem to be anyone in Buckhorn that isn’t in the crosshairs of the owner of Gossip.

In a town filled with generations of townsfolk it is inevitable that there might be some who prefer their secrets remain such. But somehow the shelves of Gossip contain remnants of folks past. How does this stranger know so much about these people of Buckhorn. Well Darby loves a mystery. It makes for great newspaper copy. Darby is on the hunt and Jasper feels obliged to keep her out of harm’s way. Not an easy task.

You get to know a lot of townsfolk in BEFORE BUCKHORN. And B. J. Daniels lets you in on things about their past that no one seems to be aware of. Written with a firm knowledge of creepiness and shady characters B. J. Daniels has outdone herself. The action is unpredictable and fast paced. Dialog is crisp and fits the characters. B. J. Daniels doesn’t suffer fools and the characters in her stories seem to agree with her. BEFORE BUCKHORN is one of those books that you will definitely read more than once just to make sure you didn’t miss a crucial point. BEFORE BUCKHORN is a fabulous addition to an already amazing series.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day. This one took by surprise!