A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

A time-slip mystery. First in the series.
Bronwyn has inherited an old house she remembers having a ghost when she visited as a young girl. They were friends and playmates. Now that she has returned to Thorne Manor she finds she still has the ability to slip through time and interact with William in his time. They are the same age and resume their friendship which turns into more.
More than one ghost inhabits Thorne Manor and not all are friendly. When a mysterious disappearance becomes the village legend with William as the villain, Bronwyn starts to listen closer to the ghosts that continue to vie for her attention.

Tense until the very end. Is he the hero or a victim?
Gripping and thrilling. With a romance between the centuries that you can’t help be sad about the span of time and ultimate ending.
Reminded me a bit of the old movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve.

I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. The audio is narrated by Samantha Brentmoor who I loved for her tone, emotional portrayal and timing.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to share.

A haunted house, unsolved murders, & a time travel romance.

Years after a tragic accident took place there, Bronwyn returns to a beloved haunted old manor on the English moors. When her childhood dreams of ghosts & an old love prove to be true memories, Bronwyn travels back to Victorian times to meet her old boyfriend. Yet the ghosts in her present time are desperate for release. Desperate enough to cause another tragic accident, one that Bronwyn won't be able to escape from again.

This isn't a horror book. It has elements of spookiness, but only ones that give you minor chills down the back. Not the heart stopping fright type. It's more of a time travel romance with a side of mystery, where Bronwyn has to figure out who murdered the ghosts who currently haunt her new home. Of course, that's all connected to her history with William, her old childhood flame from Victorian England. And there are cute kittens. A horror book would never have cute cuddly kittens.

It was a good whodunit mystery case too. I like how the plot pointed fingers at characters I cared about, making me question their actions, until the final reveal. It added some good suspense, which mixed very nicely with the spooky atmosphere. (Think ghosts & murderers on the quiet lonely moors.)

The romance was nice too, a re-connection of two childhood friends/teenage lovers, who now meet again as adults. There were some steamy moments. This is an adult book.

The book ended with almost everything neatly resolved. I think the next book in this series will be more of a companion book for the side characters. I was very happy with the way things ended here.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A historical fiction written by not only an amazing author but an author that is also one of the best for mysteries and original concepts? Yes please! Add in romance and some paranormal woo hoo and you have a read that kept me reading long into the night because I just couldn't put it down, creepy ghosts be darned.

A story that truly is the epitome of why book hangovers are a thing.

This story! This story! Where do I even begin except to say that I am so very thankful Armstrong took a chance and wrote something out of her usual genre. It was everything I was hoping it would be and at the same time everything I knew she could do with this genre. It is going to be so very hard to pick a book up in this genre again and not expect the same perfection that this book truly is.

5 stars

*I was sent an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this book. It was exciting, thrilling, nail-biting, and romantic. I think we're all dreaming of the day we are able to travel to Victorian-era time and fall in love with someone like William. This book was essentially Outlander by Diana Gabaldon but with only the lovey-dovey parts (with a murder mystery included). I thought I had it down who the murder was BUT I WAS SO WRONG. I also absolutely LOVED how this incorporated items from our time and being able to take them to the past (no one ever does this!). All I could say about the romance was that I NEEDED MOREE!!! The ending was also so satisfying. I only have good things to say about this book.

Thorne Manor has always been haunted. As a child, Bronwyn Dale visits with a boy her own age named William Thorne who was born two centuries prior. A family tragedy during her teens resulted in the house being boarded up and over time Bronwyn's acceptance that William and the ghosts she saw as a child were just her imagination. 20 years later, after the death of her aunt, Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. Upon her arrival, the ghosts appear and she begins slipping through time once again to see William. Now a grown man, William has suffered tragedy of his own, been linked to several disappearances, and chooses to live in exile. With William's help, she must piece together a puzzle from the past and free the ghosts before she becomes the next victim.

A Stitch in Time is the first novel in this exciting new series by author Kelly Armstrong. This novel was a fun blend of time travel, paranormal-ghosts, mystery, and a sexy romance which I couldn't put down. After the death of her aunt, Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor where she spent summers with William her childhood friend and first love...a boy who lived two centuries prior. 20 years later she has convinced herself that William and the ghosts she saw as a child were not real so when she once again slips through time she begins to question her sanity. The novel has several charming characters to love as well as two very special cats named Pandora and her mischievous kitten Enigma. As a twist on the mystery genre, Bronwyn must solve cases from two centuries prior or be haunted by their ghosts in the present. I really enjoyed this novel and devoured it in a day. I look forward to seeing Bronwyn and Williams story develop as the series continues.

CW: [heroine’s first husband died of cancer; murder; heroine is convinced she suffered mental breakdown as a teen and spent some time in a hospital (hide spoiler)]

“Is that what you think this is? A time slip.”

“More like a stitch in time.”

“Saves nine?” I manage a smile. “Fix something today, while the problem is small, to avoid a larger fix later. That proverb has nothing to do with time travel, though.”

Freya picks up two decorative cushions. “Imagine this pillow is Thorne Manor right now, and this other one is the house in your William’s time.” She holds his pillow under ours, separated by a few inches. Then she catches a fold in the fabric, tugs it down and pinches them together. “This is your room. A stitch between the two timelines. A spot where they intersect.”

You will likely enjoy this book if the following things appeal to you:

- Gothic romance with time travel/slips back into Victorian England
- This is HEAVY on the romance, not just a side romantic arc (yes, there are several on-page sex scenes)
- Atmospheric, spooky setting in the English moors with an uncountable number of ghosts (so many ghosts, lol. Like five, maybe more. Many people die here. I lost track at one point)
- Lots of angst generated by separation misunderstandings and the heroine wildly speculating that everyone is potentially a murderer 😅
- Broody, scandalous English lord who has been pining after the heroine for twenty-three years
- Adorable, mischievous time-traveling kittens and their fierce calico mother
- A time travel ending that I actually like! Lol, I’m notoriously bitchy about how these stories usually end, but this was a good resolution.

I’m three starring this because I think I was in the wrong mood; it was a decent/easy read but nothing phenomenal ... sigh... Why are my reading preferences/moods so difficult? I think A STITCH IN TIME is exactly what the premise promises and Kelley Armstrong is a terrific writer. Definitely check it out if the blurb appeals to you. Perfect Gothic, spooky read for the month of October.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a different style for this author. I truly enjoyed this book. It puts a different spin on time travel. I am not usually a bif g can of time travel, but this seemed different. This is a romance, with suspense! I was super envious of Bronwyn. Lol. This is William Thorne and Bronwyn's story. Well worth a read. Romance readers, paranormal and time travel fans will enjoy this book. 4.5 stars

In a A Stitch in Time (A Stitch in Time, #1) Kelley Armstrong has managed to write an old fashioned ghost story, mixed with time travel and a love story, seasoned with a haunted house mystery. Armstrong has a talent for making the paranormal, the frightening, and the unusual all seem normal. Or almost normal.
I really want to forget this book, so that I can read it fresh to enjoy again. At my age forgetting would normally take a couple of weeks, but this pleasurable book will stay with me. That seems to happen with many of Armstrong’s books. They stick. Doesn’t matter, I will reread again this winter; or maybe next month.
When Bronwyn Dale was two and visiting her great aunt and uncle’s Thorne Manor, she tumbled through a time slip or a stitch in time, and into the bedroom of another two year old. William Thorne lived 200 years before Bronwyn, but for the two year old kids it seemed a perfectly normal way for summer playmates to get together to play marbles. If Bronwyn occasionally talked about William living in her bedroom, well, imaginary friends are quite common. Around age four both of them instinctively realized they needed to stop talking about one another.
As one knowing woman put it: "When Judith asked, you pretended not to what she was talking about. She said you were adorable. Like a tiny MI6 agent protecting top-secret data. All shifty-eyed and “I don’t know what you mean, Auntie.'”
Then Bronwyn’s mother stopped the visits for ten years in a nasty divorce dispute. Finally Bronwyn was able to return when they were fifteen. Bronwyn and William reconnected and their secret summer friendship started to deepen until they were torn apart by a tragic death. The death forced Bronwyn to flee Thorne manner and forced her to deny something she in knew in the deepest part of her soul to be true.
Twenty-three years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne manor and returns, still sure William was a dream. Almost sure.
Very few are happy with Bronwyn. William, a mother cat, and some very active and maybe deadly ghosts all carry grudges. Bronwyn wants a future with William, but she realizes unless she solves the mysteries surrounding the ghosts, she is unlikely to have one.
There are enough suspects to keep the reader intrigued in what turns out to be a possible serial killer mystery. Did I mention Thorne Manor was located on an English moor? Where else can a haunted house-time travel-romance-mystery be located than on a wild English moor with its bogs and winding paths? Of course you can’t really have a moor unless there are missing young girls, right? Or the scary guy with the sharp spade.
William and Bronwyn had their share of flaws. William sulked at the beginning, but soon got over them. Bronwyn was a bit selfish, only wanting to go through the stitch when it was convenient for her.
It might be me, but I was a bit confused on the rules for to-ing and fro-ing. I was mighty amused by Armstrong deciding to ignore some of the time travel “rules” such as the butterfly effect. Good for her, it’s not as if we actually know.
All in all I thought A Stitch in Time a vastly entertaining book. One I can’t wait to read again. Well heck, maybe I’ll just start again now.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. All of the review comments are my own.

Imagine being thirty-eight years old and returning to your aunt's home that she has just willed to you in a quaint village in England. This is where we find our narrator Bronwyn. The reader quickly finds out though that this home does not hold all good memories for Bronwyn. The last time she was in the house a great tragedy happened, a tragedy that changed the course of her life forever and altered the person that she is today.

Twenty-three years ago Bronwyn was at the home of her Aunt Judith and Uncle Stan known as Thorne Manor. When tragedy struck forcing her to not return to the home until it is deeded to her in her Aunt Judith's will. The home is old, two hundred years old, and has been passed down through Uncle Stan's family for generations. Bronwyn used to spend her summers with Aunt Judith and Uncle Stan and did for as long as she could remember up until the age of fifteen. She is an only child and made a childhood friend at a young age in their home. His name is William and only Bronwyn can see him. William and Bronwyn grow up in the house together, spending their summers together and even experiencing awkward teenage years together. Until that night, twenty-three years ago...

Bronwyn at thirty-eight has been through a lot. She has been in therapy, gotten a PhD, married and been widowed, lost her mother, and has now lost her aunt. She has been through a lot in her short lifetime and coming back to the manor brings all those memories rushing back and she finds herself wishing she had her childhood friend back, William. William was always there for Bronwyn, always supportive, never questions her motives, just relishes in her company. He is a wonderful childhood friend that turns into Bronwyn's first love. When tragedy at Thorne Manor strikes Bronwyn at the age of fifteen she is quickly rushed off to a psyche hospital and forced to believe that William never existed, that he was only an imaginary friend created by a child who was lonely and is now too old to have imaginary friends.

I greatly enjoyed A Stitch in Time. The story itself was a very unique idea. I felt that Bronwyn was a very complex character. She has dealt with a lot and is still trying to deal with a lot on her own now. Any support system that she ever builds for herself seems to always be tragically ripped away from her. She is made to believe that William is a figment of her imagination, and after reading I still find myself wondering the same. Is William a coping mechanism for Bronwyn? The reader is able to draw their own conclusions and it is a mystery to ponder. The novel also contains some really steamy romantic scenes that paint a picture of the closeness that William and Bronwyn share with each other. And the mystery of the murders on the moors gives the reader plenty of twist and turns to try and guess who was responsible. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a story that makes you question realty and versus imagination.

Special thanks to Net Galley and Subterranean Press for an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

"A Stitch in Time" by Kelley Armstrong is the story of Bronwyn, William, and Thorne Manor. When Bronwyn and William were children, Bronwyn discovered that from her bedroom she could travel back in time to that same room in the Victorian era. There she befriends William, a Victorian boy the same age as her. They grow up together until, at the age of 15, Bronwyn leaves Thorne Manor and William. It would be 23 years before they saw each other again. Each of them has grown and changed. What hasn't changed is Thorne Manor and the ghosts that haunt it. In order to find peace for herself and the spirits trapped in limbo, Bronwyn embarks on a quest to solve the mysterious disappearances that occurred on her beloved moors. Was William involved? To what extent? Bronwyn is helped along by a couple of locals who are absolutely delightful. While technically categorized as a romance, that really takes a back seat to a well thought out mystery. There's just the right amount of spookiness to make my gothic-loving heart happy. This book was great.

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about gothic romance and how it might be the next hit romance subgenre. At first I thought that might just be wishful thinking on my part, but I got enough interaction with the post and on Twitter that I know I’m not alone in wanting more mystery-shrouded castles and brooding, haunted heroes in my reading life.

After publishing it, I’ve been slowly working my way through the titles on that list. I started with Master of Salt & Bones . It was a five-star read for me. A Stitch in Time is the second one I’ve read, and now I’m two for two.

Can I pick good books or what?

This story is different than anything else I’ve read from Armstrong. I was obsessed with her Women of the Otherworld series back in the day, and so I had faith that she could make the switch from paranormal romance to gothic romance seamlessly. She did. Obvi.

I’m low-key struggling not to fangirl in this review, because I truly loved this book. In a way that makes me want to grab you by the shoulders and shout things like, “GAH!” ,”i MeAN”, and “YA KnoW???”

Does any of that make sense? No. Would any reader who had just finished an incredible book and was now staring down the barrel of the resulting book slump immediately understand me? Yes.

*deep breath*

This book is a time-traveling romance set half in modern time, half in Victorian England. The heroine, and yes, I’m calling her a heroine because she truly deserves that title, Bronwyn, recently inherited a large English home (named Thorne Manor) from her aunt.

Oh yeah, and she can see ghosts.

I loved how this aspect of the book was handled. It felt real. Believable in a way that so few other paranormal-themed books do.

The first time Bronwyn saw ghosts and made the mistake of speaking about them, she was institutionalized by her mother. Between her stay in a mental health facility and countless years of therapy, she now believes it was all in her head.

And then she goes back to Thorne Manor and everything she thought she knew quickly goes up in flames. Because in addition to seeing ghosts, she’s a time-traveler.

Her old bedroom is something of a stitch in time, a small wormhole, and when she’s in it, all she has to do is think about him and she falls back through the ages.

This mysterious him is William Thorne. Bronwyn knew him as a boy, when they were childhood playmates, and then as a teenager, when they shared their first kiss. But then her mother dragged her away and hospitalized her. Now, at 38, Bronwyn and William are strangers to each other, and the last thing Bronwyn expects is to ever see him again.

If you’re worried that this book pulls that tired, cliched theme of “is she or isn’t she crazy?”, rest assured, it doesn’t. Bronwyn is rational and intelligent and lucid. She figures out pretty quickly and scientifically that she isn’t having psychosomatic hallucinations and is legitimately traveling back in time.

But the more she and William reconnect, the more ghosts haunt her when she returns to her own time. Thorne Manor is surrounded by wild British moors. It’s a place where people, and especially beautiful young women, are known to go missing. The rumors about hauntings and sightings go back years, but they all seem to center around one certain time period. The time when William Thorne lorded over the manor.

Is he behind their disappearances?

Bronwyn is understandably desperate to clear his name of the murders he’s accused of, but the more she learns, the more she begins to question everything she knows about the boy she fell in love with.

This book is equal parts mystery and romance. While I adored the way the romance was handled, it’s the mystery that truly makes this unputdownable. It’s also quite creepy. This is a gothic romance, after all, and it wouldn’t be complete without a touch of the paranormal. I made the mistake of reading this late into the night, which I ended up regretting a little, since I live in a centuries-old house with plenty of creaks and groans that can easily be mistaken for the wailing of specters.

The best part of this mystery is that I didn’t guess the twist. I thought I did, following Armstrong’s expertly laid false trail, and so at the end, when the “big reveal” happened, I was both surprised and elated.

This is a standalone, but I’m hoping Armstrong writes more books like this. Because GAH, YA KNOW?

A Stitch in Time is a hauntingly atmospheric romance with seriously gothic vibes. Yet it’s also a boldly modern twist on the classic genre. Progressive, feminist, inclusive, and as sexy as it is spooky, you’ll find yourself thinking of it long after you reach The End.

Masterful!
I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but this story has changed my mind and I may have to try more. This sort was the best of everything. The time travel element and mystery are probably what sold it. I can't wait for the next book in this series. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Outlander. It is a must read!

time-travel, romantic, historical-fiction, historical-research, mystery, situational-humor, supernatural, suspense, no-gratuitous-erotica

An old Victorian mansion in the North Yorkshire moors is in the late eighteenth century as well as the present time, as are select people like widowed Bronwyn and William who have known each other since childhood but with a twenty three year gap. There are apparent ghosts, mysteries, suspense, and more. Of course I loved the story, but what was best was the clarity of the imagery and the way the characters are so real to me. This story is so well crafted that, as the reader, I felt totally involved and a part of it all.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Subterranean Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

**I was provided a copy of the book through Netgalley for an honest review.**

A Stitch in Time is a time traveling muder mystery romance thar follows Bronwyn as she returns to her family manor for the first time in 20 years.

I picked up the book for 2 reasons: One, it was provided by Netgalley and Two, I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong's YA books.

I LOVED the descriptions of the moors. It is perfect for the fall/spooky season! I wished more of the book took place there. However, the adult scenes were highly edited and made me double check multiple times if this was YA, NA, or Adult fiction.

Overall, I liked the antagonist but I could tell how the story would end. However, fans of the time traveling romance genre will LOVE this addition. I look forward to the swcond book in the series.

#Netgalley

As a child, Bronwyn Dale spent summers at her aunt and uncle’s manor in the moors of the English countryside. Bronwyn has a secret: she often traveled back in time to befriend a boy who lived in the same house 200 years earlier. However, a haunting and a family tragedy the summer she was fifteen led her to never again revisit the house and to try to forget the boy she knew. When Bronwyn inherits the house from her aunt and returns, she finds that the portal to the past is still open. Her initially rocky reunion with her childhood friend William brings hope of new love into her life but also brings her into contact with the many ghosts haunting Thorne Manor (many of whom seem to have died ~ 200 years ago).

Review: I enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s books, and in this book particularly enjoyed how she is able to explore different genres and styles of storytelling while still maintaining a consistent writing voice. The main character, Bronwyn, is likeable and easy to root for (though perhaps not as afraid of ghosts as I think most people would be!). I enjoyed her explorations into the backstory of the ghosts at Thorne Manor, and especially enjoyed her friendship with Freya in her own time so that she was not completely alone. This may be dense of me, but it took me about 75% of the book to realize quite how intertwined the ghosts in the present and William’s timeline in the past were. To me, solving the ghost mystery earlier in the book didn’t seem that pressing when things were going pretty well for Bronwyn and William. However, at the 75% mark of the book I feel like the thrill-value of the plot and the stakes for the couple increased considerably. After that point, it was hard to put down the book as the mystery unfolded. Overall, to me this was an enjoyable and relaxing book with vivid imagery that made it easy to picture the moors and Thorne Manor.

When I saw this book by kelley armstrong I jumped on the chance to read it. This is very different from the types of work that I am used to reading by her however like all of the other times she changes direction I was not disappointed. She always manages to put her own unique spin on everything that she writes and this is no different. I found the characters just leapt off the pages and I couldn't get enough of them especially William. This book is about a young woman, Browyn, who inherits her aunt's house and has to return after not being there since she was a young girl. When she returns she comes to realise that the celestial being she remembers as a child was actually a ghost who still resides in the home, only now he is a young man and
no longer a little boy. As sparks start to fly again between William and Bronwyn, I found the way that Kelley Armstrong described what was happening in Browyn's time and what was happening in Williams time was perfectly described. She took what is sometimes difficult and allowed the reader to experience the time jumps with ease. What could have been disastrous considering the whole book is about jumping through time was thankfully spared by Kelley Armstrong's gift at words. This book really did have everything, romance, but not to much thankfully and the mystery about the ghosts, was perfect. I found myself unable to put this book down. I loved William's character, he was very bitter at times but he was also so realistic and I loved how he acted in response to Bowny, each one thinking that the other is a ghost. When the mysterious death of Teddy and Elsia
start to come to the surface that is when the book really kicks off. Another out of the park smash hit by Kelley Armstrong, and I'm starting to expect non the less from her. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this thank you Kelley Armstrong as well as Subterranean Press. This is one book that everyone should read but be warned after finishing this book you won't be able to resist any other works that Kelley Armstrong releases.

“A Stitch In Time” is a fantasy book about a girl named Bronwyn Dale, who visits (and eventually inherits) a haunted building called Thorne Manor, where she previously interacted with a man named William Thorne.

I thought that the plot of this story was interesting, and I will say it definitely started off that way, and there were some parts later on in the story that caught my interest as well. That aside, however, I wasn’t as captivated by this story as I hoped or thought that I would be. That being said, I still think that it’s a pretty good fantasy book and that fellow YA fantasy fans should give it a chance.

#A Stitch in Time, by Kelley Armstrong, is a time-traveling/ghost/love story, with a hint of mystery.

It's about a woman, Bronwyn, who as a child visited Thorne Manor and had a very dear, but secret childhood friend, William, who she'd visit in his time when his family owned the home, and over the summers she visited they grew up together. There an accident when she was 15, and nobody wanted to be there, including her, being convinced that her friend was imagery. Twenty years later, she inherits the place and goes back to find he was still there in his time, but the ghost she thought she saw on that fateful night, also wasn't her imagination.

My thoughts of this story, it was slow. The main reason that it so slow for me was because the main character rattled on, and on, and on, and on... (Maybe if it wasn't in first-person, it wouldn't have been so slow.)

But the mystery surrounded the ghosts, and her friend, William made it a good story, with twists that led in one direction, quickly turning to another, and then going back to where you were, only to take a side trip down another path. There was a jolt towards the end because the characters were well-thought-out and relatable.

Overall it was a good read, but because there as so much inner thoughts that kept on going, and felt as if they were repeated a few times, which made the story slow way down, I can only give this book 3 stars.

A Stitch in Time is a story for those who are faint of heart but still want to enjoy a book with ghosts in it. It’s not terribly scary—this comes from someone timid about anything frightening—so the book is certified for reading alone at night but just to be safe you should leave the light on. The ghosts won’t have you hiding under the covers, but they’re creepy enough that you’ll shrink into yourself to get away from the pages while your eyes stayed glued for what’s coming next.

Part of the reason why it isn’t as scary is that the haunting of Thorne Manor takes a backseat to the romance. I always find rekindling lost love to be compelling and Armstrong makes a strong case for Bronwyn and William reuniting. What’s better than lost love except lost love separated by hundreds of years? Also, can you deny them a relationship after how they meet again more than twenty years later? While I liked the romance a lot, sometimes the excessive focus on the romance meant less time for the mysteries surrounding the ghosts.

I like time slips but one of the most difficult things about crafting a book with time travel is all the rules that come with it, and the book didn’t seem to have many of those. Overall, the book is entertaining but it is best enjoyed when the time travel rules, or lack of them, can be overlooked.

A Stitch in Time is a hard one to categorize. It is a heartfelt and warm book, with a solid core of sappy romance that screams healthy communication and respecting boundaries. It is also LGBT inclusive and goes out of its way to challenge our intrepid main character on her stance. Or at the very least, make her commit to it. It was a little ham-handed but ultimately well meaning. The utter likable nature of our characters is only allowed to flourish given our lack of conflict through the first half though. In the second half the pace changes somewhat drastically to suit the new mystery set up, and as the true character challenging moments come and go, we are unable to fit in the development seen in the beginning. The characters feel whole, but the book ends too tidily for everything to feel answered. I give it a solid 3.7, even though my opinion would only be able show accurately with a page-by-page scoreboard. Good, earnestly written supernatural romance that feels a tad too convenient. Perfect if you want to turn your brain off for a while and just enjoy someone else's much neater problems.