I really enjoy all of Armstrong’s writing and this novella was no exception. It’s not 100% required to have read the rest of the series to enjoy, but I would recommend it.

*Review will be posted on 6/22/24

This novella is another great entry in Armstrong's A Rip Through Time series. I love how Armstrong is always aware of what her series needs next. This book really filled in some necessary gaps and provided more of a background for both Catriona and Alice.

We get to find out more about Catriona's past as a thief, but what I was really excited about was learning about Alice. This book gave Mallory a chance to bond and connect with Alice and I loved that. 

It was quick-paced and exciting. Mallory, as always, bravely jumps in to help and it gets her into a bit of a sticky situation. Another thing that I always love is the different types of women Mallory encounters. Even in the Victorian era she still finds women who are strong,  intelligent, and brave. I love that not all the women Mallory encounters are as helpless as the men around them expect. 

This book made me that much more excited to see what becomes of Mallory and Alice's potential friendship. I can't wait to see where Mallory's adventures take her next.

This is a little novella/vignette in The Rip Through Time series, in which a Canadian cop is flung back into Victorian era Scotland and also into the body of a maid. In this episode (for it really did feel like an episode of TV with pacing and lack of complexity of plot) Mallory follows a younger maid in her household, Alice, when Alice sneaks out in the middle of the night. This leads to a dance hall/brothel and a criminal enterprise even worse than that. Grey, Mallory's employer, ends up involved and shenanigans ensure. It's quick, uncomplicated, and not too exciting, but it does hopefully end up with Alice trusting Mallory a bit more.

Another great read from Kelley Armstrong, in the Rip in Time series. Just a novella, but still great. Great story and pacing, and the same great characters. Can't wait to read more in this series. #CocktailsChloroform #NetGalley

I did not realize this was a novella until I reached the end. Therefore, I was left wanting more. But it was a fun story and will tide me over until the next edition of the series.

This style of book is not normally my cup of tea - it has the feel of a cozy, without actually BEING one thankfully! I ADORED it! I believe this is a trilogy, and I and my patrons will be following this one. GREAT book club material!

I have been loving this series! Everything from the characters to the Victorian setting is perfect.

In this latest installment, we get to know Alice a little better. Mallory has to help Alice rescue her sister from the nefarious schemes of their old brother.

This novella is fast paced and interesting. I enjoyed the tension between Mallory and Duncan. That is one of the best parts of the whole series.

I enjoyed the character development of Alice and the new characters that appeared in this novel.

I’m interested to see how this novella sets up the next installment in the series!

I always enjoy a book by Kelley Armstrong! Cocktails & Chloroform is an in between novella with the 2nd and 3rd books of the Rip Through Time series. It was fast-paced and short, the way I love novellas to be. This one deals with the topic of women trafficked during the Victorian era, and Mallory attempts to help Alice recover her sister.

This novella is a bridge between books two and three in the Rip Through Time series. It was actually action packed even though it wasn't very long. This one involves the trafficking of young women during the Victorian era. Mallory is trying to help Alice whose sister is one of the girls who has been targeted.

I did miss the interactions with some of the regular characters such as Isla but did have some time with Gray - -even though it still wasn't enough. The characters in this series have been well-developed and I've become attached to them. I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Sequenced as 2.5 in the series, this was a fun novella that delved deeper into the relationship between Alice and Cat. Also the steamy tension between Gray and Mallory is getting stronger. Loved this addition to the series and looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong and Subterranean Press for allowing me this arc e-version of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

While present day Canadian detective, Mallory Atkinson, who has accidentally been sent back in time in the form of a buxom Victorian house maid, is trying to gain the trust of Alice, a very young maid in the house where they both work, she ends up following her after it appears the younger maid has received some bad news. Circumstances get beyond their control and they find themselves in dire circumstances in this most excellent novella, Cocktails & Chloroform, from Kelley Armstrong’s series A Rip through Time.


Up front I want to tell you that A Rip through Time and the Nadia Stafford series have to be my favorite Kelley Armstrong series; however, I have not read all of her series and she’s written a lot! So I may be adding to favorites soon!

Cocktails & Chloroform feels like a series of reactions. Mallory goes into a situation with the best of intentions but then everything snowballs and then she’s having to react and react to a lot of increasingly bad situations. Alice is proving to be a very interesting character as she doesn’t always do what is expected.

I enjoy the relationship between Mallory and her “employer” Duncan Gray as well as that with his sister. These are such fascinating characters and I love what Kelley Armstrong does with them.

Looking forward to more!

Many thanks to the publisher for a copy.

This Novella was fun and will be a satisfying bite for fans of Kelley Armstrong. It was a quick read but for a real fan of this series, the length of the novel left this reader wanting more. Waiting for the next novel in this series.

Cocktails & Chloroform is a novella that takes place after the events of The Poisoner’s Ring (the second book in the A Rip Through Time series)

Mallory gets a chance to win Alice over in this story and it was such a fun quick read! It was nice getting to read about these characters while we wait patiently for book 3! CANT WAIT!

I love these books. Her characters are so vivid and the scenery pops off the page. They are my current favorite whodunit and I can't wait for another to come soon!

This series continues to be beautifully written, and this novella serves as a delightful appetizer for the next full-length book.
When Alice receives a mysterious letter and sneaks out at night, Mallory follows her because she has a feeling Alice might be in trouble, and she was correct. What follows is an engaging story.
Mallory is a great protagonist and she works so well with Gray. I love their partnership and can't wait to see how it all unfolds. Deep down is also the question of how the time travel issues will be solved.
Overall, this novella was super interesting and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Kelley Armstrong has a short addition to her tales of modern-day detective Mallory Atkinson who has woken in the body of a nineteen-year-old chambermaid in Victorian Edinburgh. This time she is trying to help Alice and follows her to a dance hall related to prostitution. But a worse fate is going on in this case of Cocktails & Chloroform (hard from K.L.A. Fricke Inc). as Mallory is kidnapped to the wharves. Fun.

This was a quick read but a fun one. Mallory is at it again, but this time she's off to help her fellow housemaid Alice and lands herself into a pretty pickle.

A quick read in which Mallory's attempt to win over the suspicious young maid she works with because complicated when she follows the girl to a what seems to be a dance hall filled with working class men and women, dressed in their best, dancing. But thinks quickly turn out to be far more complicated and dangerous that Mallory thought and she will need all her wits to save a few women...

I enjoyed this. Mallory is adapting to life in the Victorian era and realizes that she can't save everyone or rush in like she would in the 21st century. Yes, there are some things she can do like she used to but she is smart enough to know she needs help and tries to get. A nice little story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

It was fun revisiting Mallory in this half-novel. It was a quick read, and a page-turner. It's fun to read about a modern-day woman being stuck in the Victorian era dresses and trying to navigate. This one focuses on the young parlormaid, Alice and Mallory's efforts at getting her to trust Mallory. I love Dr. Gray and cannot wait for the next full novel.

Part of time travel series.
Mallory is trapped in a Victorian housemaid,.
Always a good intriguing situation this one involves Alice the palormaid.
Great drama,suspense,.
Voluntarily reviewed.