As usual, I love these "Rip In Time" books and even though this one was a novella it was ultimately entertaining as all the novels. The story kept you guessing, the author threw in a couple of red herrings to make it a bit harder but you can probably guess at the 60% mark mostly due to the very small number of suspects. I have given the other books 4 and 5 Star ratings and this one might have been 5 Stars but the bit of confusion she lets slip in about Mallory's feelings for Grey just come out as confusing IMHO so I gave it 4 Stars.

Bottom Line: A great story and the Christmas background (and the fact that in Scorland it was forbidden to celebrate Christmas at one point in history) made it interesting beyond just the story. So 4 Stars it is and a wonderful reading experience here at the holidays.

I will read Kelley Armstrong every chance I get because I really love her writing that much! Schemes & Scandals is a great Christmas novella set between books 3 and 4 of A Rip Through Time series which feature time traveling Mallory and Dr. Duncan Gray in Victorian Edinburgh. I love this series so it was fun to have a short read during the Christmas season to see what Mallory was up to.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 31 October 2024

Mallory Atkinson, the time-traveling detective, is about to spend her first Christmas in Victorian Scotland, only to discover that Christmas isn’t really a thing there yet, but Hogmanay, the New Year’s Eve celebration is. But first she must solve the case of who is blackmailing the wealthy widow who was once Duncan Grey’s lover in Kelley Armstrong’s novella Schemes & Scandals.

I’m pretty sure that since the second book in the series that I’ve informed you all that A Rip in Time is my favorite Kelley Armstrong series and Schemes & Scandals shows exactly why with its entertaining characters, well-plotted mystery, and research that provides interesting facts for the reader. I enjoyed learning about Scottish Christmas (or lack thereof) during Victorian times as well as Hogmanay. Additionally, adding Charles Dickens as a character, even for a brief visit, was a nice, although somewhat bittersweet for Mallory, touch.

Schemes & Scandals was a delightful season visit with characters who’ve grown to be some of my favorites. If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommend. And, if not, if you like time travel stories, you should read Armstrong’s take.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy

Great series.
A good time travel set in Victorian Scotland.
Love how Mallery works through life in a different era .especially at Christmas.
A mystery, suspense twists and romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Mallory is still In the past , she finds herself spending the holiday in Scotland , enjoying the traditions of that time . When a case comes up for her to play detective of sorts , trying to find a thief of letters that may ruin a lady's of that time reputation . This was as always entertaining and I hope this series continues,

This is really good short story. I enjoyed thinking about what was happening with Charles Dickens and that Mallory knew his future. And Mallory helps Lady Inglis with her problem, which involves Gray. It is a quick read but a page turner you won’t want to miss.

Kelley Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series is one of my favorites and Schemes & Scandals is a new novella that follows book three, Disturbing The Dead. This novella involves a blackmail case and takes place during the winter, specifically Christmas and Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve), so we learn how those holidays were celebrated/observed in Victorian Scotland.

If you’re not familiar with the series, here’s the main idea - Mallory is a 21st century detective who finds herself transported to 1869 Edinburgh, and not as herself. She lives in the body of a younger woman, Catriona, who was a maid in the Gray household. Dr. Gray and his sister Isla both know who Mallory is at this point and she’s serving as Dr. Gray’s assistant, helping investigate cases.

Lady Inglis is a widow who enjoys the company of men, to put it nicely, including a former relationship with Dr. Gray, Mallory’s boss. She is now being blackmailed and wants Dr. Gray and Mallory to help her. It was refreshing to have a mystery that doesn’t involve a murder!

A highlight for me was Mallory being able to meet the author Charles Dickens in person, during his speaking tour. What an experience that must have been! I also enjoyed getting to know Jack a little more.

If you haven’t read any of this series, you could pick this up as a standalone, but you’d lack all the backstory. I highly recommend this series, so start with the first book, A Rip Through Time, and then you can jump to this one.

Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This A Rip Through Time novella is a fantastic read as well as a terrific addition to this series. It's an intriguing mystery with captivating characters, and it's filled with Victorian holiday charm.

In Schemes & Scandals, it seems like Mallory and Dr. Duncan Gray grow closer. Their relationship feels more intimate, and hints of future romance abound. I truly love coming back to this world and these characters as well as the setting. Each of the books in this series brings Edinburgh and the past vividly to life.

Overall, I enjoyed this one very much. It's a short and entertaining historical mystery. This novella worked nicely to fill the gap, but I'm really looking forward to the next full-length book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely love this series. It never disappoints. Kelley Armstrong is a master storyteller!!!
This one is set during Christmas and New Year. It is a short one, but packs alot! I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series! Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Kelley Armstrong’s novellas are such a fun treat! I usually get exhausted when I realize that a series goes on for too long, but not this one. I absolutely adore this series; it has become one I’m always excited about. Even though it’s a short story, the mystery is still exciting and well-developed, and the blackmail plot added some anticipation. This short mystery involves stolen letters and blackmail set in 1869, so instead of Christmas, it’s all about Hogmanay! It’s cool to see Charles Dickens make an appearance (and a bit heart-breaking), but the historical details are spot-on, and I love the growing connection between Mallory and Dr. Gray.

A great Christmas edition of one of our favorite series. Laughed out loud when she decided that porn was a good hogamanny present!

Schemes & Scandals is book 3.5 in the spectacular A Rip Through Time series by Kelley Armstrong. If you love historical mysteries, this series is for you. If you love time slip, fish-out-of-water stories, it's for you, as well. I fell in love with Ms. Armstrong's characters since I started reading the first installment, and each is better than the last. You can enjoy this story without reading the previous books, but you'll be well served by knowing the backstory. This one is a quick novella which will help put you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season.

In 1869 Edinburgh, Mallory Atkinson, a twenty-first-century detective, is looking forward to her first Victorian Christmas. However, she quickly finds out that Christmas isn't a big thing in that era; the big celebration is Hogmanay, the last day of the year. Dr. Duncan Gray, her boss, treats her to an early seasonal gift of tickets to an author reading...by none other than Charles Dickens, one of her all-time favorites! At the reading they run into Lady Inglis, a beautiful widow who has been trying to get Gray back into her bed by writing him sexual letters. She introduces Mallory to Dickens, but wants a favor in return. Someone stole letters that she wrote to another lover, and she is being blackmailed; if she doesn't pay, the letters will be published. Mallory doesn't think.any woman deserves that, so she insists on taking the case with or without Gray's help. With Gray's attitude, Mallory suspects he may have a secret of his own. She has until Hogmanay to solve the case, and hopefully things will be right with Gray so they can enjoy the holidays together.

This was basically a lighthearted novella, with a little blackmail thrown in. Mallory and Gray are usually trying to solve a murder, so it was a nice change of pace for them! This was an entertaining tale, though bittersweet. Mallory was beyond thrilled to hear Charles Dickens give a reading and to have him sign her favorite book, but she was heartbroken that she knew his soon-to-be fate. At this point Mallory is really getting settled into her new life in 1869 Edinburgh, but is occasionally still thrown for a loop, like finding out Christmas isn't much of a celebration at that time. She's also gotten comfortable in her new job as Dr. Gray's assistant as the two solve murders and other crimes. However, she's still trying to adjust to her changing feelings for Gray. There's a little discord between the two of them here, as Gray's former relationship with Lady Inglis causes them both to feel uncomfortable, and Mallory wants to know why. I simply adore the relationship between these two characters, and I like the change I feel coming. I was happy that my other favorite characters were here to celebrate the season with us, including Isla Ballantyne (Gray's widowed sister, a chemist), Detective Hugh McCreadie (Gray's friend since childhood and admirer of Isla), as well as Jack (the household's newest employee, a reporter disguised as a male but actually a young woman who's now their maid). Yes, Jack's persona is a little hard to keep up with at first! Though I loved this novella, I am beyond anxious having to wait for the next full-length novel!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Oh how I adore this series! This was the perfect novella to continue the series and let us get to know Mallory even more. I loved that Mallory and Gray have continued to work closely but when are they finally gonna get together!? I love this budding relationship and can't wait to see where it goes next.

This novella, part of the Rip Through Time series, is set in the last days of 1869 in Edinburgh. The series premise is that a twenty-first century Canadian homicide detective finds herself stuck a good hundred and fifty years in the past, in the body of a housemaid ten years her junior. Fortunately for our protagonist, she is now part of a rather unusual household: Dr Duncan Gray owns a funeral parlor, and his widowed sister Isla is a chemist.

They also help the local police department solve crimes. As a treat.

Beware: discussions of racism and misogyny; ARC review.

Like the rest of the series, this novella is narrated in first person, present tense by Mallory, whose voice is the perfect mix of snarky humor and wonder at her current circumstances. After all, it is not every day that one gets to meet Charles Dickens, is it?

Mallory's ruminations about the world around her will resonate with readers who enjoy history beyond period dramas; as she is still a relative newcomer to Victorian Edinburgh, her internal dialogue is as heavy with social commentary on misogyny, both in the past and the present, as it is with thoughts on the problem at hand.

From struggles with voluminous skirts to working to set boundaries in her professional relationship with Duncan, and from code-switching depending on the company she finds herself in, the past comes alive here in a way that is very relatable to modern sensibilities.

Speaking of which, I very much appreciate the research behind the worldbuilding, and the author's note at the beginning that grounds the story in the historical period; this made the scene where Mallory meets Dickens all the more meaningful.

For fans of the series, there is quite a bit of development in Mallory's and Duncan's personal relationship, as well as tantalizing hints about Isla's and Hugh's own budding romance.

Which brings me to the usual question: how much series context is too much?

When writing episodic book series--meaning, the story follows the same main character or a core group of characters, through a series of adventures, and there may or may not be an overarching plot thread to be solved eventually--authors must weigh how much of the premise of the series to include in each entry. There must be enough information and worldbuilding that readers new to the series don't feel so lost they give up, but not so much that long time readers grow tired of the repetition. This is only more important when writing a mid-series novella, with the much tighter word-count.

In "Schemes & Scandals", the author provides a very condensed yet thorough recap of the series premise, making the references to previous events self-contained enough not to clutter this story, but also potentially intriguing enough for new readers to look up the previous books.

The mystery is well laid out, and the investigation layered, as so much of it hinges on cultural norms and human nature; the solution is both satisfactory and bittersweet.

I inhaled this novella, and can't wait for the next book in the series.

"Schemes & Scandals" gets a 9.00 out of 10

Mallory is entering her first holiday in the world of Victorian Scotland. However the holiday is not about Christmas but the Scottish holiday of Hogmanay. Duncan gives her a special gift and she is thrilled to be at a reading by Charles Dickens. Thrilled with the opportunity, it is bittersweet as she realizes the timing is less than a year until his death. The introduction to Mr. Dickens was made possible through a friend of Duncan's, Lady Inglis. Invited to luncheon the next day, Mallory learns that the Lady is being blackmailed and so she, with Duncan's assistant, takes the case. Another winner in this series.

I love Kelley Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series. Time travel, mystery, detectives, and the characters - so good! I was so excited to get a copy of the newest novella, and it didn’t disappoint! This quick read followed Mallory and Gray as they work a case for Grey’s former lover who’s being blackmailed over her private correspondence. This was. Super quick ne easy read and I love that it gave us a bit more of Mallory and Grey- I love their relationship building and can’t wait to see why happens next!

I cannot express how much I love this series! Mallory is such a rad character! Let me backtrack a little, because of all the characters in this series are amazing. They’re so fleshed out, it’s impressive. And with every story, we get a little more insight into each of them. One of my favorite things about this one is that we got a little visit from Charles Dickens. It’s such a small part of the story, but I loved it! As a kid, I was obsessed with A Christmas Carol to the point that I’ve since devoured every film adaption of it. What great writing that Ms. Armstrong can evoke such a strong memory! Overall, the story was amazing (as always). It’s not necessarily a must read for the entire series to make sense, but I do suggest it. It opens up a lot more between the primary characters that may be missed in future books. Meaning, it may feel like you missed a step when you get to book 4. And speaking of book 4, I can’t wait! I love this series so much!

Huge thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for this digital ARC. This novella is book 3.5 in The Rip Through Time series. While you could read this as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with book one! You will not regret it.

Mallory and Duncan are invited to a reading by Charles Dickens... and Mallory can't wait to take this amazing opportunity. Duncan is propositioned by Lady Inglis, a former lover, to help resolve the mystery of being blackmailed. While reluctant to help, Duncan and Mallory are soon embroiled in another mystery.

In the Rip Through Time series, Mallory was attacked in Scotland in the present time, and wakes up in 1869 Edinburgh. In Schemes & Scandals, Mallory will experience her first Christmas in Scotland only to discover in 1869 they celebrate Hogmanay. The big excitement for Mallory is the opportunity to see Charles Dickens. Of course there is a mystery to solve, but it is just so much fun to find out so much history that appears in this series.

Schemes & Scandals, by Kelley Armstrong, takes place between books # 3 and # 4 releasing next year. The year is 1869 Edinburgh, Scotland. Mallory Atkinson, a Detective from the present, is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. She has spent the past 7 months in the past and has grown accustomed to being in the body of a younger woman.

This story takes place before and after Christmas and Hogmanay which is the last day of the year. Apparently, Christmas was once banned in Scotland. In 1640, the Scottish Parliament passed a law making Christmas celebrations illegal and punishable by imprisonment. The law was part of the Scottish Reformation, which began when Scotland split from the Catholic papacy. However, Christmas celebrations began to ease back in from the 18th century but remained rare in public until December 25th became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958.

Boxing Day and New Year's Day became public holidays in 1974. I digress! So, Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla decide to give Mallory a present. The present is tickets to see Charles Dickens's farewell tour. Mallory, raised by a teacher and grew up on Dicken's work, is eager to meet the man and even brings a book for him to sign. However, during this time, a woman named Lady Inglis approaches Mallory and Duncan to help her with a sticky situation. The situation is that someone took some intimate letters she shared with one of her possible suitors.

With a bit of help from Jack, who is now working for Duncan while also writing a series about Mallory and Duncan's exploits, investigate who could have motives and means to cause damage to Inglis's reputation. The most interesting thing about this story is that Mallory gets to meet and talk to a man who will likely die shortly after she meets him. Can you imagine? Being able to go back in time for a day, or two, and meeting the author that you grew up with, and have him or her sign a book for you that makes the book priceless? For me, the mystery was solved when the author introduced several characters.