Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Another solid addition to the Haven’s Rock series.

This was such a cool book. In a tiny well-hidden town buried deep in the forest, Detective Casey and her husband feel at home in their new town. When one of the younger residents, 10 year old Max, sees a bear in the woods (that he swore had human eyes), Casey and her husband know they need to find it to protect the town.

Riveting from the beginning. The mystery of the town and its people, the woods, and the bear kept me turning pages from the very beginning. Lots of things I didn't see coming, which is always a treat for me! Absolutely loved this! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I know the author's work from her middle-grade series Royal Guide to Monster Slaying so I wanted to try one of her adult mysteries. I always loved the writing style of this author. It doesn't matter how long the book may be it always flows well and keeps us turning the pages. Also, the author knows how to write mysteries well. Chapter 10 of this book is fabulous. After this one, you can't stop.

I only realized this was a second volume when I was ready to review it. If you jump right into this mystery it reads as a standalone and you still get the setting and characters as if it was a first book. I never felt lost.

What I loved most about this mystery is that the first ten chapters, set the reader into the path of different possibilities. Is this going to be a paranormal story with macabre rituals, a well-planned revenge from some psycho, or something completely unexpected? Then the author takes us on a journey to explore the possibilities and if the ending leads up to your favorite answer and type of mystery then you are in for a treat of twists that makes sense.

I loved Max and Gunnar but I didn't connect with the female cop who is mostly the main character and narrator of this investigation. Her relationship and personal life compete with the tension of the missing child.

I love a book that focuses on a mystery/murder in an enclosed location. This was a great setting, the forest and a place where everyone living there has a potential for dark secrets or crimes.

Thank you Publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is book two of the Havenrock series and let me tell you what!!! I was absolutely riveted to my seat. I absolutely loved it and could not put it down. Such mystery, intrigue, and questions upon questions. I was really blue away by his much can be is Jed j to one novel and his invested I am in the series. I love that the entire town comes together even as suspicious behavior by residents cause turmoil. Everyone shoulders the weight and decides how to handle the situation.

Was it a Bear? Was it a wild hermit man? Are Havenrock and the mine in danger? What exactly is so top secret about the mine and does that pose a threat to town residents? Is Storm the best rock star ever 🙌 dog love has to be in here lol.

And the ending so completely not what I expected but so profoundly moving I cried a little. Well ok I actually cried and yelled at the book while reading it a few times lol 😆. I was definitely very into the world building and characters I have grown to love so much. I really really hope to see more of them in a future book! But this is a slam dunk home run please grab the series m. It is a heart stopper that keeps you guessing at every turn and finding that love, family and community truly does conquer some of our greatest fears and challenges about our own challenges and struggles. You are never truly alone! Highly recommend this series!

This is the second book in the Haven’s Rock series. It is a spin off from Rockton. You don’t need to read the first one to enjoy this book. You are once again met with familiar faces of Casey and Eric. These two left Rockton and created a refuge and sanctuary for those people who need help but were unable to stay in society.

This story starts you immediately in the action. You will have your fill of twist, turns, and lots of action. This is the ultimate mystery thriller book. You will dive deeper into the new residents of Haven’s Rock, the mining camp, as well as the core of what this town truly stands for.

You are brought into a mystery of a missing boy and why families/kids never allowed before. The risk and consequences of families being allowed. This is Haven and everyone should have a second chance at starting over. That’s part of why Casey and Eric wanted to create this New Haven for people. Many new dangers are lurking in the Yukon and their new backyard.

This book set up a nice foundation for many more books to come in this series!

This was my first Armstrong read but I’ve seen nothing but great things about her books so I was super excited to try this one! Because this is the second in a series, a series that is a spin-off of another series, I was worried I would be lost when it came to the characters! But this can totally be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The characters felt real and were easily relatable. There was an underline feeling of suspense for much of it and the twists and turns really delivered for me! I can tell some remaining loose ends were addressed from the previous book while also setting up a new story for the next book. This has me wanting to go back and read the prior books stat. I love a good series and this seems to be a fun and twisty one to dive into! Based on this book alone, I highly recommend if you’re interested in on-going mystery/thriller stories 🤩

This book starts out with a strange encounter.. Then, continues with a strange story. I loved this book! I think this author has some really good descriptive talent, and I just liked the way the story enfolded. I will not give any of the plot development, but I will say this book is definitely worth reading even if you are not a mystery fan. I would recommend it to everyone, and I want to read more by this author.

4.5 Stars 🌟

First I have to say that I am already a fan of this series. This is actually the spinoff series of the original Rockton series and now our gang has founded another hidden city in the Yukon called Haven's Rock. This is only the second book in this series, but for some reason, I thought we were already farther into the series.

The book features the main MC's of Sheriff Eric and Detective Casey, a husband and wife team who are secretly in charge of this new town experiment. There are several secondary characters that we have come to know over the course of this and we got some page time with them. I particularly like April and Kenny, but there was also time spent with Gunnar, Yolanda and Anders. Ms. Armstrong really does a great job with the fleshing out of ALL of her characters and we have seen so much character development of many of these people, specifically Casey and Eric as we have progressed in the series.

This story is a bit different. The town has accepted their first "family" and with that, come two children. Two boys ages 13 and 10. Without going into spoilers, let just say that there is a lot going on in this book. We have more communication with the very secretive "mining group" that just happened to set up camp not too far from their compound and boy are these guys shifty. They are over the top secretive and have real security guys protecting their "side" of the boundary that was drawn up last book.

There is a report of a wild "bear man" in their woods, and then Haven's Rock has someone go missing. Are they connected? Hmmm.....

So, this one was another winner. The story arc was closed successfully, but in the end, there seem to be a couple of red flags showing up with their neighbors. I have a feeling that the next books are going to be dealing with that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Can I just say I love reading Kelley Armstrong books? I’ve never read a bad one, and The Boy Who Cried Bear was no different.

It is the second installment in the Haven’s Rock series, and I just might have enjoyed this one even more than the first.

It’s always fascinating to me to read about living in the Yukon, especially being (mostly) off the grid.

But the story and the characters are what keep me thoroughly entranced with the book. I love watching the existing characters grow, especially Casey, Dalton, Will, and April, but watching new characters integrate into the community is just as enjoyable.

I’m not going to provide a summary of the book here because you can get that elsewhere. But what I will tell you is the story hooked me from the beginning and kept me until the end. Always fun to read such interesting twists and turns that keep me guessing until the end.

Be sure to pick this up when published in February 2024. You won’t be sorry!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC.

What is Casey up to in the next Haven’s Rock novel? Oh, it’s a good one!

Haven’s Rock is supposed to be well hidden in the thick forest and inhospitable environment of the Yukon. Supposed to be. But man, people and strange things are popping up all over! The miners, Lilith, a giant bear man.

Casey and Eric are starting to feel at home here. But keeping the residents out of the forest is a full time job, it seems. There is always at least one poorly behaved resident!

But now they have two children. And they have been through a lot! So when the youngest, Max, goes missing in the woods after claiming to have seen a huge bear, Casey and Eric know it could get very bad.

There were a couple of different plots going on here and I loved it. Armstrong keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Can’t wait for the next one!

Netgalley/ St. Martin’s Minotaur February 20, 2024

I like this book and am finding she is a master at suspense and thriller books with a dose of horror and creepiness thrown in . This was a good installment in the series and I will read more by her. It think it is a well plotted well paced book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

Though this is book 2 of a new series spun-off of long running Rockton series I was able to follow the characters and the basis of the novel's premise - a town hidden in the Alaska wilderness for people escaping their past.

Told first person by Det. Casey Duncan she and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton established Haven's Rock a town that includes women & children. A mining camp sharing the mountain is an un-friendly, un-knowing source of concern. When 10 y o Max goes missing in the forest wilderness, tracking him leads to a kidnapper, and dangerous men, the whole town rallies to search for.

I expect there will be more Haven's Rock mysteries to unravel. Definitely an interesting town to follow.

It took along time to get the name of the person telling this story which frustrated me. I'd hope future books reveal the story teller sooner.

Just like all the other books in this series this one is another roller coaster of a read. When a wild bear is thought to be tracking the city of Rockton's residents and eliminating them, the whole city is concerned. According to witnesses however the bear has "human eyes" so who is really behind all of this? Our main character Casey is back with Dalton as they try to figure out what is going on and if it isn't a bear then who is really behind everything? When the youngest resident, Max, is taken by the man with the bear scent Casey and Dalton are the first to try to solve the case. If not only for the safety of the child but also to restore peace in their newly formed town. I loved the character interaction and their descriptions were everything a reader could ask for. Kelley Armstrong made Casey and Dalton much loved characters in the beginning of this series and even
nine books into this world they are still as strong as ever. The way that all of her characters are so well written and even multiple series later she continues to write very strong and powerful female characters which is very refreshing. With our favourite characters returning along with the introduction of new favourites I couldn't wait to see what was in store for all of them. What I loved about this book was even though it was the second in the series, it had a brand new plot point however it had the bonus of having our favourite characters return. This was very refreshing and gives the reader a different view on them as they struggle with the newly missing hikers and child. Great read for long time Kelley Armstrong fans like myself, but it is also a great read for anyone who just loves a good mystery. I found this book impossible to put down because I got so wrapped up in the world that real life just melted away. This is one book that you will want to add to your collection for sure. Great job yet again and I'm so glad that I was given the chance to check it out. The only thing I don't like about this book was I got so invested in it that before I knew what was happening the book was over and now I will have to wait a while until I get my hands on the next one.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.

Now, I know I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong and I will forever be obsessed with her novels. I picked up this book and in less than 3 days I had finished it. I would have finished this book in a day if I didn’t have to work, but even still, I read on all my breaks at work because I just couldn’t put it down.

This is the second novel in the Haven’s Rock series, a spin-off series of the Rockton/Casey Duncan series. It is not necessary to read the Rockton series but I will highly recommend you start with that series as it is so good.

This novel opens up with a new (for this book) narrator. Max, a 10 year old boy, is Haven’s Rock youngest resident. As children weren’t technically allowed within Rockton, I am excited to see how this affects Haven’s Rock. When Max goes missing, the residents must work together to find him, for better or for worse.

While I did thoroughly enjoy this novel, I will admit that it includes a trope that I can’t stand. I won’t say which because spoilers, but it was something I could have done without. But other than that, I absolutely loved this novel. I’ve always greatly enjoyed Casey and Duncan as characters and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Yukon wilderness.

If you enjoy mystery novels, you will definitely love this series!

When a ten year old boy is taken from the settlement of Haven's Rock, Casey and Eric work to find him and bring him home. There are many dangers in the Yukon wilderness and this child has suffered enough trauma. The world building is expansive and intriguing. The characters are vividly written and realistically flawed. I enjoyed this book and want to learn more about the future of this community. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wished that I enjoyed this book more, maybe because of the fact that it was the Second one in the series that I felt a little bit confused and like there was some missing pieces and knowledge to the plotline. We follow a secret city, set in the NorthWest where criminals and families on the run can find shelter. There is a Militia and a Police Department, and a kidnapping happens in the first couple of chapters. After that we fast forward to an action-packed Mystery to solve the disappearance of this young boy. For some reason, although I did love and appreciate the main girl Detective Casey she was the only one that I felt connected it, I am very glad that she narrated most of the book or I would have found it even more boring most likely. I am curious to see who and what happens in Book 3 so I definitely will be picking it up because I appreciated the way that this author painted the picture, even if it wasn't my favorite way of telling this story.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC ebook copy to read.

Since middle school, Kelley Armstrong has always been my favorite author. I was sad when Rockton had to come to and end, but this spinoff series is by far my favorite.
The Boy who Cried Bear is the second in the spin off series called Haven's Rock. This book has brought back some of my favorite characters and has brand news one that I have also grown to enjoy and love.
Like all of Kelley's books, this book has left me wanting more. I want to know more about the minors that are, maybe a little dangerously close to Rockton, and more about the person who is in charge of their camp. I cannot wait to see how they all fit into the next book.

4.5/5 stars

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second book in the Haven's Rock series. This is a spinoff to the Rockton series. Both series have the same narrator, female detective Casey Duncan.

Each book contains a standalone mystery. However the main characters are the same in both series.

This was another great installment of this series/spinoff series. Casey and Dalton are my favorite couple. And I really enjoy them solving mysteries.

Haven's Rock is now accepting families with kids. The youngest Haven's Rock resident is 10 year old Max. He actually narrates a few chapters in this book. I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding him.

There are a few newer characters that I found intriguing. Especially Yolanda, Gunnar, Dana and Louie. But I also enjoyed the regulars: Casey, Eric, Will, April, and Isabel.

I'm really interested in the miners who are also out there in the Yukon wilderness. And I can't wait to see how they fit into the next books. Also the ending of this book was amazing! And I can't wait to get more of Casey and Dalton in the next book! This book was wonderful!

I didn't know this was part of a series when I selected it, but it didn't matter. It works as a stand alone book. That being said, I enjoyed it so much I went out and got the first book in the series. The writing is engaging and the story keeps you in its grips.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

This is book number 2 in the Rock Haven series. Rock Haven is the community Detective Casey Duncan and her Sheriff husband, Eric Dalton, built after the closure of the Rockton village that began as a place of refuge for folks seeking a safe place to hide out for a while.

For the first time, their village has taken in a family with children after their safety in witness protection was compromised. The youngest child is positive that he saw what he first thought was a bear. However, the fact that the creature walked upright and had ‘human eyes’ leads him to believe otherwise.

Suddenly the child has disappeared and everyone in town and outside, in the forest. has become a suspect in the child’s disappearance.

The book basically involves the search and hunt for the missing child.
It gives readers a chance to get to know the Rock Haven staff better. It also gives a little insight into the type of clients that will be coming to the community of Rock Haven.

The author grabs your attention immediately and doesn’t disappoint. You want to keep reading until the mystery is solved.