I know I said it the last book, but I think THIS ONE is my favorite of the series. I loved Portia and seeing her come out of her shell. This series is set up where you can read this as stand alones, but it is fun to see past characters make appearances in each novel. This novel follows Portia as she finds the time stitch, goes back in time and finds herself in the company of highwaymen. There's romance, paranormal activity in an abandoned castle and a great mystery to solve. The whole Stitch in Time series is great, and A Castle in the Air just adds to that. Thanks to @Netgalley for giving me an advanced digital copy!

Yes, yes, yes!! Time travel. Check. Broody main male. Check. A crumbling castle. Check. A ghost. Check. Romance. Check. Yep this book has everything you will need. I loved it! I as this up! 5 star read!
I just reviewed A Castle in the Air by Kelley Armstrong. #ACastleintheAir #NetGalley
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A time travel book with ghosts and mystery. I have really enjoyed this series and suggest it’s best to read them in order. Great read.

I had a good time and enjoyed this one. It combined elements of a murder mystery, some romance, and fun banter between the characters. I thought it had Robin Hood/Beauty and the Beast vibes, which was done so well, and I loved it all.

While "A Castle in the Air" is part of a series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. I’m not sure if this is in all versions of the book or if it was because I had an ARC, but there’s a recap at the beginning which I SO appreciated! It had been a while since I read the other books in this series. I read the first two books and somehow skipped over the 3rd one (which I’ll need to go back and read now!). Anyway, you can enjoy this as a standalone but will appreciate it even more connecting the other characters within her universe. I was glad to hear updates on characters from past books in the series.

At the heart of the story lies a journey that Portia embarks upon to discover herself, while looking for her sister and brother-in-law. The plot is paced well, providing just the right balance between action-packed sequences and quieter, introspective moments.

A Castle in the Air is historical romance with time travel, ghosts, and a mystery. This novel takes the series in a different direction. Portia’s goal is to time-travel through the “stitch” to find Miranda and Nicolas who went into the past with a specific mission and have not returned. Instead of finding her sister, Portia meets Benedict and his brother Jude under rather unusual circumstances. Jude is friendly and pleasant while Benedict is a bit of a curmudgeon. The plot goes in multiple directions but mostly focuses on Benedict’s concerns and problems, one of which is that Benedict’s castle is haunted by a very mean ghost who physically attacks Portia. Portia needs Miranda's help to connect with the ghost.

The story moves along at a brisk pace and kept my interest throughout. I enjoyed how Portia and Benedict’s romance built up gradually and believably from antagonists to lovers.

I always look forward to Kelley Armstrong’s novels. I’m hoping there will be a novella that covers the further adventures of Portia and Benedict.

I became a fan of Kelley Armstrong in January 2021, and since then I have read many of her series (highly recommend Casey Duncan and I am anxiously awaiting an addition to Cursed Luck!). The Stich in Time series are also priority reads for me, and I stayed up until 1:30am finishing A Castle in the Air in one sitting.

The fourth installment of the series follows Portia, Miranda’s sister from A Turn of the Tide. Portia’s journey is spurred by the supernatural element of the series – main characters having the “sight” to see and/or communicate with ghosts and assist their spirit in finding peace/justice. When Miranda does not return in a timely manner from the pursuit of putting a ghost’s family at financial ease in the 18th century, Portia works up her courage to take the step through the time stitch to find her. Adventure immediately finds a reticent, but simultaneously bold, Portia, as her carriage is waylaid by highwaymen whose company she joins after one is injured by the wealthy, but rude, family she rides with. From here, the storyline fully comes into view as Portia moves from care of the highwaymen to love interest of the Earl of Ravensford who is preparing to find a bride at an upcoming ball in order to create a marriage of convenience: his title for a bride’s dowry that will help Ravensford bounce back from a drought and trying financial times.

Armstrong tries to show faceted characters who reflect 21st century ideals in a historical time period – readers who feel strongly about adhering to specific gender roles or sexual freedom or societal restrictions or terms-of-speech of the time period may find themselves occasionally struggling with the motivations or backgrounds of characters. Portia is a strong female character – she makes herself minimize her beauty and public demeanor to be taken seriously as a medical professional (having the skills of the doctor but no ability to be treated/respected as such in her era). Her time in the 18th century allows her to shed those layers and fully lean into her personality as a lover of bows and feminine styles, while also maintaining her intelligence and strength when she poses as the mistress of her love-interest, Ben, a forward-thinking but broke Earl.

I read Armstrong’s novels for escapism and romance and light fun – and I would recommend having that same mindsight with this book. Armstrong is fantastic at creating crimes/intrigue with added romance plots, and you spend a lot of time seeing Portia and Ben’s relationship grow (even it is over only a few days – there is a significant amount of time dedicated to them interacting and learning about each other). At times it felt like the ghost element, the find-a-bride-ball, and the mystery of the ghost Miranda and Portia were investigating were a bit cramped to the side or were unrealistic as the romance took priority (there is a scene in a tower where I was particularly surprised by the sudden physical strength of Portia). Everything is resolved satisfactorily, though some choices felt a bit rushed or like convenient “Ah-has!” with identities of masked Robin Hoods revealed about the town - I would have loved a bit more time with the mystery/crime-solving parts while still growing Ben and Portia's relationship. The time stitch part of these is something I also take with a grain of salt, and in this case, Ben’s reaction is so uneventful/disinterested that I had trouble accepting it fully within the conclusion of the story.

A few times I did feel pulled out of the story due to writing style – in the beginning Portia calls things and herself “dowdy” multiple times through subsequent pages, which felt like unnecessary repetition. There is also a scene with Aunt Flora that uses the term “gargoyle” multiple times within one conversation. Again, I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong, but sometimes it seems like she needs to rev the engine a bit on her stories and repeats characteristics or feelings a bit to get the stage set when the language could be tightened a bit to keep the reader within the story.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC. I remain a fan of Kelley Armstrong and do recommend this book for an adventurous romance.

I love all of Kelley Armstrong's books and this one is no exception. The series is so readable and interesting. Like all of her books, the twists and turns are amazing. Great read.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Castle in the Air. I’d never read a book by this author before and did not know what to expect. The characters are well written and the plot is quite intriguing. I look forward to finding the other books in the series.


I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review was already posted on goodreads and will remain up forever. The fourth Stitch in Time book was an absolute delight. It followed the same formula as the others: fall through stitch, find man & mystery. This one features the third and final Hastings sister, Portia, who we didn’t know much about before this book. She is smart, pretty, and sensible to a fault. I really enjoyed the love interest in this book, he might be my favorite thus far. As always, I flew through this book. It was fast paced and action packed. You could read this as a stand alone and not be confused, but I would recommend the whole series because it’s great!

While just like the rest of the books in this series this one jumps right into the plot leaving little time for the reader to get footing before the story immerses them. This is an amazing read and what I really liked about it from the start was even though this is book four in the series you don't have to have read all of the previous books to get a great understanding of the plot. While it would make it slightly easier for character development you can still follow along perfectly even if you didn't read them all which is surprising considering how far into the series we have gotten. This book focus on our newest character Portia. Portia is Miranda's sister from book three and after she learns that Miranda is in trouble and isn't returned she immediately jumps through the time loop herself in order to save her sister from whatever is keeping her. Once she lands she is immediately caught by the highway men after a robbery turned sour and that is when the story really takes off. We get to see the relationships grow between Portia and robber Jay. This book was really fascinating and I loved the character interaction. The best part about this series is while each book follows the same world and similar overlying threads you still get the uniqueness of different main characters and a whole new plot lines for every book so it is very easy to follow and get lost in the story. Kelly Armstrong is a master at weaving her secondary characters into main players in later books and this is no exception. Her flare for writing, not just fantasy but now time pieces show that no door put before her will be able to stop her creative flow. I love everything about this book from the characters to the plot, even the dialogue and this is one series that I was sad to see and however great the ending was.

My favorite part of this book was the dynamic between the Sterling brothers! Especially Benedict… he was a perfect male main character. Very reminiscent of Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice with his awkwardness and always saying the wrong thing. I enjoyed the banter between Ben and Portia as well. It was fun to watch the mystery unravel and towards the end of the book I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what happened next! Very entertaining read!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read A castle in the air, (A Stitch in Time #4) by Kelley Armstrong. Even though it's not out until October 31st, I couldn't help but start reading this as soon as I received it! As hinted in the previous story, this time it is Roselyn's and Miranda's sister, Portia who narrates this story, and steps into the stitch to land in the eighteenth century, after Miranda does not return from fulfilling her promise to the ghost Colin Booth. Portia is quickly swept up in the adventure when the coach she is in is targeted by highwaymen. When she ends up the guest in the crumbling castle owned by Benedict Sterling she quickly discovers it is haunted by a malevolent ghost set on injuring Portia.
As with the other books in the series, I enjoyed the blend of action, romance and lots of humour. Portia, like her sisters, is a strong independent woman who has no problem standing up for herself against 18th century males. I hope that there is a Christmas novella that follows up with the characters.
While this is book 4 in the series, each installment features a new narrator and can be easily read as a standalone.

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I adore this series by Ms Armstrong. I love how she plays with the element of time as a non-linear concept.
I found the plot to be briskly paced, and the characters - who were good ones - felt a bit wooden and it felt like Ms Armstrong was giving us the characters she thought that we wanted. Was a bit disappointed in that. Solid effort though.

I loved it! This is one of my favorite authors. This series is especially ingenious. Bits about everyday life during different centuries woven with mystery and friendship and romance. The witty banter fits the time period and is charming and funny. I was so happy to hear updates on friends from past books in the series. Excellent novel!

I received this ARC for an honest review. I’m addicted to this series! I love everything about it! I love how each book is about different characters but still brings in the previous characters. I love Kelley Armstrong’s writing. I love her world and character building. She brings every character to life.
This story is about Portia (Miranda’s sister) and Ben. Miranda and Nicolas (from A Turn of the Tide) went back in time to help a ghost of a young man’s family, but they failed to come home. So, Portia is going through the stitch to find them. After going through the stitch, Portia was able to find passage to the city of York. On her way, the coach was robbed by highwaymen; but she stayed with the highwaymen because one was injured. That’s when she met Ben.
I’m not saying more because I want you to give this series a chance. I normally hate re-reading a story, but I have re-read this series. And will again! I love it so much!
Kelley Armstrong’s quality of writing is amazing!

A Castle in the Air by K. Armstrong, published by Victoria Editing, is book four in the A Stitch in Time Series. The can be read as as stand-alone. I recommend to read the books in order.
Thorne Manor has a special history, a special place. While Bronwyn and William were the first travellers, now it's the time for the three sisters.
Portia never ever travelled from the ninteenth to the twenty first century, contrary to her two sistsres who travel often. But she has to to avoid a catastrophe.
An intriguing read full of angst, suspense, a slow burn, well written.

Best darn time travel series in existence! A Castle in the Air is a page turning, time travel, action packed mystery, historical romance and so much more. Plus who wouldn't want to live in a castle withe a dreamy man!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for the chance to read the arc!

I have not read the first three books in this series, but the request page on NetGalley stated they could be read as standalone stories, so I decided to give this one a try. Overall, I would say that statement is true. While some past events and "off-screen" characters were mentioned, not being familiar with them did not stop me from enjoying the story, especially since enough backstory information was given when needed to aid comprehension. Portia was a relatable heroine and I enjoyed the relationship progression between her and Benedict. The story had a good blend of action, emotion and humour, and I was entertained throughout. This book is essentially an historical romance with the added fantasy elements of time travel and ghosts. The period was nicely established and the world building generally good throughout. Recommended to fans of historical fantasy. I am giving this book 4.5 stars.

A Castle in the Air, A Stitch in Time Novel, by Kelley Armstrong.

In my reading experience, very few authors can pull of time travel novels. Usually the stories go well until the author writes themself into a loop and I am forced to overlook certain details to keep the story flowing. Kelley Armstrong has managed to pull off time travel in 2 separate series!!! Without any loop hangups!
This series follows the lives of 3 sisters and one family friend, with each novel focused on a different woman and her time travel adventure.
This novel focuses on Portia, the eldest and most responsible sister. When her sister, Miranda, fails to return to Portia's time, Portia decides to brave the stich to make sure nothing bad has happened. And that is where her adventure begins, 100 years in the past.
Portia is such a relatable character and I enjoyed watching her come to life throughout this novel. I had trouble putting this one down. Five stars.


#bookreview #2023 #timetravel #romance #ghost #castle #bandit #robinhood #fivestars #netgalley

This is the 4th book in Kelley Armstrong’s “A Stitch in Time” series. This time around is the story of Portia, a woman trained in the medical profession, but not allowed to practice as a doctor in the 1800"s. She has witnessed her sisters go back and forth through the time portal and decides that she needs to follow her sister, who is late in returning from the past. Of course, since this is a romance tale, there is the obligatory relationship development, but even though you know what is coming, it is the adventure of getting there that holds the reader enraptured. Portia stands out as a strong independent woman, so totally unexpected from not just the past, but her current time as well. I only wish there had been more interactions from the characters in the previous novels to bring it all together, but as it is, this would be a good stand-alone novel in case readers have not read the previous books in the series. I cannot wait for next one!