In 1869, Mallory Atkinson finds herself in Scotland for her first Victorian Christmas, only they don’t celebrate it, they celebrate Hogmanay instead. This is a time travel fantasy novella, number 3.5 in a series.. I loved the story, it worked great as a stand alone for me, as I have not read the previous three novels in the series.
Mallory works as an assistant to Dr. Duncan Gray as an investigator. There is a nicely developed cast of characters and a charming mystery. Mallory meets Charles Dickens! There was so much packed in this novella! Now I want to re@d the rest of the series.

I would like to Thank NetGalley for the ARC to review for my honest opinion.

It’s a very Rip in Time Christmas with this novella! Time-traveling 21st century homicide detective turned 19th century maid/private investigator Mallory is spending her first Christmas in Victorian Scotland and she is eager to celebrate the season with her friends, including employer/partner Dr. Duncan Gray. But first Mallory must help one of Duncan’s former flames, Lady Inglis, figure out who is blackmailing her before the villain makes a scandalous letter she wrote her lover public.

This was a fun one! Kelly Armstrong does such a tremendous job with these novellas, providing readers with a tight mystery in relatively few pages and keeping us fed until the next full length novel. The villain seemed pretty obvious to me from the get go but I really enjoyed all of the glimpses into how the holidays were celebrated during this time and the thought Mallory put into her choice of giftss. I can’t wait until we get the next installment in this terrific series! Schemes and Scandals is out October 1st.

Thanks to Netalley and Subterranean Press for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Its Mallory’s first Hogmanay in Victorian Scotland and scandal is afoot. Between juggling her relationships with the people she has come to find friendships in, keeping secrets about her past to others and struggling to find her balance in a world that is wholly new to her, Mallory finds herself untangling a mystery that could land her client between the pornographic broadsheets.
Schemes and Scandals was a page turning novella that left me waiting for the next full length installment in the series. Armstrong has a way of wrapping up history in fiction that leads the reader right down the alleyways of Victorian Scotland. I thoroughly enjoy the blend of modern and historical in an enchanting and oftentimes amusing way that this series brings. I am anxious to see what our time-traveling ingenue gets into next.

As someone who is not generally a fan of time travel, I am always astounded at how much I enjoy this series. The juxtaposition of a modern-day detective in Victorian era Scotland just works. The dynamics between our main characters are perfect, and the mysteries are always on point. The narrative is fast-paced, and there is just enough action and suspense to keep me intrigued without overwhelming the lighthearted, quirkiness of the story. The secondary characters are also well-drawn and diverse which is something that you don't always find in a historical mystery, and I really appreciate that.

As far as this installment, it's set at Christmas time which is delightful. I found the customs of the time fascinating, and the addition of the literary figure of Charles Dickens as part of the story made it even more fun. The mystery this time was blackmail which was a nice change from murder. I loved it and will continue reading this series as long as Kelly Armstrong continues to write it which, I hope, will be for many years to come.

Another great entry in this series. This entry further explores the relationship between Mallory and Grey, especially as she has now decided to stay in the past. Continues to provide great insight in to the past as well as how the same issues are playing out now.

There are so many things that I love about this series, A Rip Through Time. I love exploring this Victorian era with Mallory. I don't even care if all of the information is absolutely correct or follows an in real life timeline.

In this novella, Mallory is coerced into investigating a blackmail attempt which involves Lady Inglis, a former lover of Dr. Gray's. A chance meeting at a Charles Dickens reading, throws them into Lady Inglis' sightline. Initially, Mallory has no intention of helping her, but is lured into an investigation because she doesn't like people backing a woman into a corner just because of the scandal that it may cause, and also, because Lady Inglis is a family friend of Charles Dickens. Knowing that he will die before he finishes his next book. Mallory takes the opportunity of a lifetime to meet the author backstage with Lady Inglis' introduction. As a 21st century reader, she has another reason to celebrate her decision to remain in Victorian Scotland.

As Lady Inglis is a widow, she is afforded a more dissolute lifestyle. One of her lovers has had some very risque letters stolen from him and the blackmailer has threatened that they will have them published by a disreputable newspaper. There is a deadline of Hogmanay, (New Year's Eve), and it is almost Christmas. He would survive the scandal but she would not.

The list of suspects is varied, a brother of her lover, the former valet, his spurned lover, and more. Mallory is in her prime, she takes the lead and instructs Gray about investigations and questioning subjects in the modern era.

This is a unique peek into Victorian Scotland and it's non-celebration of Christmas. Once again, Armstrong has given us a nice slice of life.

Thank you to NetGalley and K.L.A. Fricke Inc. for this ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

A solid holiday/New Year’s novella best read by people who have read the series. I liked how Mallory reflected on the ways she’ll always be an outsider. I’m hoping book 4 has even more conversations between Gray and Mallory.

Thank you to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the advanced reading copy.

I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong. I loved the Women of the Otherworld series, Cainsville, Darkest Powers, etc. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Schemes and Scandals. I will admit that I have not read the previous books in the A Rip Through Time series but based on this I won't. It felt like I was reading through a checklist of modern ideals being imposed on the Victorian time period through the eyes of an FMC that can only see the negatives of the time period and the blond bombshell body she now inhabits. A novella barely over 15o pages just can't organically work in issues of gender inequality, racism, classism, gender nonconformity, animal cruelty in fashion, ect. And that is not a random list, we hit on all of those topics. It comes off as clunky and completely detracting from the actual story that was supposed to be taking place. Which would have been good if not for everything else, I didn't peg who the culprit was until close to their unveiling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for allowing me to read and review this Novella for free!

As always, Kelley Armstrong, wrote a wonderful story! I especially LOVE this series and was so excited to read “Schemes & Scandals”. She did not disappoint! This story follows Mallory and Dr. Gray as they try to find who is blackmailing Gray’s ex-lover, Lady Inglis.

Mallory is a 21st century detective who found herself in 1869, Victorian Scotland. Christmas is approaching and she’s excited to spend her first Christmas in her new life; however, she discovers Hogmanay is celebrated instead. As an early present for Mallory and Isla, Dr Gray gets tickets to see Charles Dickens perform. While there, they run into Lady Inglis. She introduces Mallory to Charles Dickens in hopes of getting help from her and Gray. She tells them she is being blackmailed with public humiliation. After agreeing to help, Mallory and Gray follow through leads and question suspects to beat their deadline of finding the culprit before Hogmanay.

I hadn't realized Victorians in Scotland didn't celebrate Christmas. Instead, they celebrated Hogmanay, which was more of a New Year's Eve celebration, and included the exchange of small gifts and the sharing of a delicious meal. Dr Duncan Gray has presented his sister and also Mallory with tickets to a Charles Dickens reading. (Make that a big pro for traveling back in time!)

Of course, there is much more involved within the fun, yet heart-touching 176 pages ... but I wouldn't want to spoil your early Christmas gift.

I recommend Schemes and Scandals and hope this series never ends!!

BIG thanks to both #SubterraneanPress and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Schemes & Scandals. This book is #3.5 in the #ARipThroughTime series, and has an expected publication date of October 1, 2024.

#KelleyArmstrong #TimeTravel #Novella

This was a cute novella! Thanks to NetGalley for the read. I enjoyed picking up this series, it’s been a fun out of time experience. The characters solving mysteries in the late 1800’s with one modern detective trying desperately to not tip off anyone to germ theory is hysterical 😂 This novella is a quick read, it’s an interesting history on how Scotland didn’t celebrate Christmas during this era. The mystery isn’t a murder but a stolen item and the culprit is under their noses the whole time. The budding relationship between Duncan and Mallory is fun, I hope to see that develop into something real as the series grow.

Armstrong does a good job with these novella entries, providing enough character and relationship moments to satisfy without progressing so much that you'd miss something major by only reading the full-length books. Just the same, I wouldn't recommend skipping these because not only are the characters fun to spend time with but the short mysteries are just as engaging as the big ones, in large part because they're used to show us something more about our main cast.

My thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for an ARC of Schemes & Scandals.

I have absolutely loved each book and novella in the A Rip Through Time series. There hasn't been a bad one yet. I also love the fact that Armstrong publishes these short (and sweet) novellas in between each book. They are basically just what readers need as they await the next installment.

Having read the other novella, I knew what I was getting into when I started Schemes & Scandals. That is a short, relatively low stakes mystery with the characters I love. Obviously, the novellas don't really move the overarching plot forward but they are just as entertaining as the regular novels as long as you understand their purpose.

All in all, highly recommend the entire series and again, Schemes & Scandals is the perfect novella to read while we all await the next book in this series!

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding story. Dr. Duncan Gray and his assistant, Mallory, have a new case to find out who is blackmailing Lady Ignis. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of mystery and intrigue, and a must read riveting story by the phenomenal author, Kelley Armstrong.

Thank you to @SubPress and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I just finished "Disturbing the Dead" yesterday and was thrilled to continue on.

I could not put this short story down. I had tears in my eyes in the middle of the book. I love reading the story of Dr. Gray, Mallory, and the rest of the group! Mallory gets into more action in this book and it's exciting to see her try and conform to the Victorian Era... besides who doesn't love doughnuts!

I had to search Kelley Armstong's site to make sure they're was going to be another book!

I really enjoyed this novella that takes place during Hogmanay, and deepens the relationship between Gray and Mallory, and we get to know Jack a bit better. We get to see a bit more background into Gray's life, and I really enjoyed the appearance of Charles Dickens in this story!

I can't wait to read the next book in the Rip Through Time series!

Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC!

Kelley Armstrong is a prolific writer, with titles in many genre and several titles that mix genres, all well loved by her fans. SCHEMES & SCANDALS is a novella from her A Rip Through Time series. It can be read as a stand alone, BUT, the series started as great and has improved with each publication, so ranking these stories gets harder with each title.
The backstory is Mallory Atkinson is a 21st century American detective who traveled through a rip in time to 1869 Scotland where she has joined a family and is working on fitting into the Victorian era. This story finds her investigating a blackmail plot and adjusting her idea of what a Victorian Christmas should look like. Armstrong has written many short stories and I've read them all. The stories her writing skills as she gives readers a complete mystery in a book that I read in 4 hours. As long as Kelley Armstrong keeps writing, I'll wait not so patiently for each new book.

This eARC was provided by Netgalley.com and I am giving an unbiased review.

So, historical fiction stories are not my favorite reads, but the first book in this series had intrigued me with the plot synopsis, and so I started in on it. Of course, this being a smaller novella between possible longer tales, it was a much shorter read, and I did finish it rather quickly once started. Our MC is still stuck back Victorian Era Scotland, with still no idea, or much hope, at returning to modern day. However, her relationship with Gray is developed more, and still, due to the period, not able to be openly displayed, or even talked about amongst their own privacy. Here there is a nice touch that the MC gets to meet Charles Dickens, who just happens to be one of her favorite authors (coincidental...hmmm).

Overall for the shortness of this story, it flowed well. Sticking to the characters, and events from previous installments, I detected no deviance from what has happened before. How accurate the part of Dickens being in Scotland that possible Yuletide... who is to say. There probably is some record of him making a circuit during the era, but I am not that interested to verify. It sounded well and true to me.

Enjoyed the short work, and because I've got some vested reading into the series, I would definitely recommend and read additional stories if the author presents more.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this, but so worth it. I love Mallory so much, and hearing what she gets up to, and her relationships, especially with Gray! This had a fun/sad cameo of Charles Dickens and I love how Mallory was so psyched to see him and profess her love for his writing to him.

This is a novella, so I thought the mystery being a theft/blackmail was better than trying to fit a murder in. I enjoyed how it tied into Gray’s past so we got to learn more about him. I also really enjoy seeing her friendship with Isla grow more comfortable, as well as seeing her interact with Jack and find out more about how the printing process works in that time was really interesting. I’m definitely looking forward to the next novel!

I absolutely adore this series, it has quickly become one I look forward to with relish each time I see a new release on the horizon. I love that Armstrong is giving us all these novellas to go along with the storyline. It makes waiting for the next full-length novel just that much easier.
This was a great addition to the series and I loved getting to see a bit more of Jack and of course, Mallory and Gray further developing their working relationship and friendship.