As a resident of the DC Metropolitan region I was looking forward to a mystery and a book set in this area. I found the first couple of chapters engaging, but after diving in to more of the investigation I was struck by how incomplete the setting manifested in the story. Many places in areas local to DC our names they are described does not remind me of the DC region.

In the end, this plus the behaviors of the individuals in the story took me out of the story.

Second, I did not find the actions of the main characters to be entirely realistic or reasonable. The main character is one of those women’s whose entire purpose and motivation is in service to a man. That’s not bad if the writing And setting makes sense for that relationship. I don’t feel that the author did a good enough job establishing the why and how of the magic to make that reasonable.

I don’t think this book was for me. I love a cozy mystery, but I doubt I will continue with this series as I found the main character exhausting after the 7/8th chapter. I If someone is looking for a cozy fantastic mystery, there are others I would recommend before this one.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and comments are my own.

What a great read! Part cozy mystery, part magic race, all fun.

I remember loving the Librarians show - with the characters tracking down mysterious magic items that are wreaking havoc in the real world.

This book feels like a fresh twist on that idea! The trinkets are called 'Pandoras', and their magical effects are legendary. And Dovey is absolutely the greatest. (Did I mention her pet hedgehog??) Can't wait for more!

"If the intuitive ones knew that they could harness a powerful trinket without having to be bound, we'd have a lot more stolen trinkets, Dovey."

I loved it! This author has STYLE! It shows while looking through Dovey's eyes when she's picking out a fashionable outfit, admiring the decor in her friend's house or observing a person of interest and the vehicle they drive or recognizing the brand of watch they're wearing. She wanders about encountering horrific murders but still finds beautiful things. This is a great mystery.

A Trinket for the Taking is a fun murder mystery set in a world where immortal mystics exist unknown alongside their unbound human cousins. Dovey just celebrated her two hundredth birthday and has plans for a day of pampering and self care when a deadly trinket, a kind of currency among the mystics, turns up missing. It’s Dovey’s responsibility to find and return the stolen artifact before it wreaks havoc for both mystics and unbound alike in this thrilling magical whodunnit.

While it took me some time to feel settled in the world this book creates, I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery alongside Dovey. I did not see the twist at the end coming - Dovey solved the crime well before myself or Special Agent Gib did. I personally thought the story wrapped up a little too soon. When the thief was revealed, it would have been satisfying to see how the diplomat received the resolution. All in all, it was a fun ride and as it’s the first in a series, I will be looking forward to returning for another mystery where Dovey and Gib are on the case.

I’d like to thank Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"A Trinket For the Taking" by Victoria Laurie is an engaging entry into the fantasy mystery genre, offering a story filled with magical intrigue, a touch of romance, and a mystery that keeps you turning pages.

The novel is set in a richly imagined world where magic is woven into the fabric of society, and ancient secrets lie buried beneath the surface. The protagonist, Dovey, is a skilled mystic who finds herself drawn into a dangerous assignment by her boss and lover, Elric, to recover a mysterious and powerful trinket. To do this she must work alongside an unbound (mortal) FBI agent, Grant Isaac Barlow (Gib)

Dovey is drawn into a labyrinth of puzzles, hidden and obvious dangers (perhaps the most obvious in the form of FBI agent Gib), and must uncover the truth before a looming catastrophe can be unleashed.

The mystery and the magic at the heart of the story are well-crafted, with a series of clues and twists that unfold at a steady pace. Victoria Laurie does a commendable job of building tension and keeping the reader engaged. The world-building is detailed, with a clear sense of history and mythology that adds depth to the narrative. I thought Laurie's integration of the "bound" and "unbound" would, aka magic and non-magic world was well done, and liked the integration of the two worlds, it felt believable, and I felt like I was learning the world like an unbound in the book might!

Dovey is a likable protagonist—intelligent, resourceful, has a conscience but also extremely materialistic. She is defintely a character born to the 1840s upper class, and who has lived with money for the duration of her life, however this privledge does not make her unlikeable. I think she is a product of her upbringing, and also her relationship with her lover and boss, Elric. I think that she was also beginning to question things by the end of the book as her relationship with Gib develops.

The romantic subplot created tension, adding a nice layer to the story without overshadowing the main mystery. I hope to see this further develop in subsequent novels.

"A Trinket For the Taking" is a good read, particularly for those who enjoy a blend of mystery and magic with a dash of romance. The book delivers a satisfying and entertaining story that will keep you engaged from start to finish. I hope there are more in the future to read for this series!

Thanks NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I always have a soft spot for paranormal books, so I was thrilled that I was allowed to read this book. Took a while to get into the characters but soon I was swept up into Dovey's life. Overall a solid read with mystery, romance, and paranormal all blending in to make a really good start to what I am hoping will be a long series with Dovey and her friends. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I wanted to like this book, the description made it sound so interesting and the magic system definitely is something I hadn't seen before. I just really was not enjoying Dovey as a character. She just seemed a bit too superficial to me.

Thank you Net Galley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for letting me read this!

Victoria Laurie has a way of writing that draws me in within the first few pages and doesn’t let go until the very last page. I greatly enjoyed reading her new book, which I hope is the start of a new series. The way Ms. Laurie blends the magical world with the “real” is so much fun and this series, in particular, has me wishing I could find my own “trinket”! The mystery was a challenge to solve and I was very surprised to find out who the main criminal was. It all made sense in the end, but it was a fun, twisty, turning ride to get there. I would love to read more about these characters, their magic and I would love some more back story about how they came to be so powerful.

I did wish that there had been a little less focus on what the characters were wearing and a little more explanation of their backstory and thinking processes. Hopefully the backstory will be coming in future books because I would really like to know more about Gib and Dovey.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

What a delightful new (fingers crossed) series. The characters were fun and the plot fast and suspenseful. The beginning felt very sudden like you were dropped in, but it didn't take too long to get the back story and make sense of it. Looking forward to more from this author.

A Trinket for the Taking
by Victoria Laurie
Pub Date: Nov 26 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Van Dalen has a gorgeous day planned for her 200th birthday: driving her new Porsche, admiring the cherry blossoms abloom in her adopted city of Washington, D.C., and a little pampering. But her boss has other ideas. A powerful artifact has been stolen, and he fears it’s causing chaos in the unmagical world . . .

The rich and connected Ariti family has suffered a string of suspicious deaths, with no signs of foul play. Yet each member has died in the way they feared most. As the enchanting agent most skilled at blending in with mere mortals, Dovey must find answers and retrieve the dangerous trinket.

There’s just one unexpected wrinkle: By the time Dovey arrives at the art gallery where the Ariti patriarch died, FBI agent Grant “Gib” Barlow has taken control of the scene. Dovey needs his cooperation to investigate—but she’ll have to hide her abilities, and her true objective, from a man who uncovers deceptions every day. And as they inch nearer a deadly truth, both will face danger even the spellbound would be lucky to survive . . .

Prolific writer Laurie has created a fascinating world where the “unbound” (regular humans) live alongside the “bound” (mostly immortal mystics). Main character, 200 year old Dovey Van Dalen, is charged with retrieving a valuable and potent trinket that is likely the cause of a mysterious death. The bodies begin to pile up and Dovey is forced to join forces with an unbound and very handsome FBI agent.
As a fan of the author’s more traditional mysteries, I wasn’t sure about venturing into this mystical territory. However, Dovey and friends are appealing and fun, her pet hedgehog is a great sidekick, the mystery is solid and the book is chock full of Laurie’s trademark humor. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a magical mystery series. After all, there are more trinkets to wreak havoc and Dovey has nothing but time.

A Trinket for the Taking follows Dovey Van Dalen, a 200-year-old mystic who specializes in the procurement of magical objects, called trinkets. When one of the world’s most powerful trinkets goes missing, a trinket that can kill just about anyone who looks at it, Dovey is assigned to recover it by her employer and lover, Elric.

The case is far from easy for Dovey, who finds herself chasing a thief and a killer who is slowly working through murdering each member of a wealthy unbound family. Things are more complicated, as she grows closer with the unbound FBI agent also working the murders.

This was my first foray into any of Victoria Laurie’s work, and the world-building that went into this novel alone had me hooked. It felt both magical and real, two important aspects for a novel that takes place in the here and now while weaving more magic into our world. I found myself starstruck by the mystic world that Laurie created but never out of my depth. I felt like one of the unbounds in the novel, ready to learn and be dazzled by the mystic world hidden around me.

As while I love a well-built world, I’m always in a book for the characters. Dovey grew on me as the book progressed. While she still focused heavily on the price tag that came with everything she and the people around her wore, her personality softened with her time around Grant. Well, maybe less softened and moreso that we caught a better look at who Dovey really was behind her person she felt she had to be with Elric and the other cutthroat mystics.

I really do hope that Laurie decides to return to this world in the future. A Trinket for the Taking felt like a nice opening foray into the mystic world, and I would love to see where else Laurie would be interested in exploring within it. What do the other Pandora trinkets do? What is life like in the territories of some of the other powerful mystics? Will Dovey confront her lessening love for Elric, and what will he do if she does? I’ve been left intrigued, and I hope this won’t be the end for the mystic world.

I have to admit that I struggled with this book. I made several attempts to read it, but in the end, I really don't think this book is for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book.

Alright, what a fun story! I loved Dovey immediately. She’s kind of living a dream life if we’re being honest. I also really liked Grant. The mystery was so fun and intense and I ate it up! Can’t wait for more.