I've been in a reading slump for the last year and this book finally pulled me out of it. Once you start you just can't stop you're so invested in the town, the people, and the mystery.

I always feel like I'm right there when reading anything by Armstrong. My heart beats a little faster when things are tense. I feel like I truly know the characters and can picture the setting.

I'm sad to see it ending but I couldn't think of better way to end the series. All the mysteries were solved and it left you questioning what next but knowing it will be okay, everything will work out for our characters. I hope to one day get a look at New Rockton.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This review is a little hard to write because I am totally biased. I love this author and have read all of her books, and I also love this series. When I was approved for an ARC from #Netgalley I was uber excited - I might have even given a little squeal.

So I was approved yesterday afternoon and I have finished the book already. I loved it! I love the direction this story is taking, and each book offers something new and fresh.

The author provides you with a summary of what happened before this book, so you don't necessarily have to have read the whole series. But I highly recommend it. I don't believe this book would be as good if you don't have the vested interest in these people.

There is a town in the Canadian wilderness that is isolated and remote. It is hidden from the world on purpose. It is a refuge for people who are hiding from society. It is run by a mysterious council that doesn't live there. A US police detective goes on the run and ends up here in Rockport. She works along the sheriff and she helps him keep law and order. It has mystery, it has adventure - it has great descriptions of the wilderness. It is a story about survival, friendship and a little romance.

This particular book continues the adventure. I dont want to tell you what it is about, since it might spoil what's going to happen for those of you who decide to start at the beginning of the series. Which you should do - right now..

The latest book in the Rockton series continues to see the town slide away from what it was meant to be and into a more and more dangerous place. It starts with people giving away the secrets of one of the residents. This sets everyone on edge, waiting to see if their secrets will be next. Meanwhile, the council keeps being its helpful self.

This was coming. This is where the series was heading and it would have been boring if it hadn’t. I am interested to see if Kelley Armstrong will continue with these characters. While there are so many that it takes me about half the book to remember all of The Who’s Who, eventually I get back into it.

4.5/5 stars

Let me start of by saying that The Deepest of Secrets was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! I absolutely adore Kelley Armstrong's writing, and this has been one of my favourites series since I picked it up in 2018. This being said, I had very high expectations and high hopes for the 7th and final book in the Rockton series.

If you are new to the series, I strongly suggest starting at the beginning (Book 1: City of the Lost). So much important background and character development, not to mention all the mysteries that have been solved, has happened between books 1 and 7, and I'm sure your reading experience of this book would be more enjoyable if you have all those important details.

With the conclusion of book 6 and the beginning of this instalment, we know that Rockton, a hidden town in the Yukon wilderness where people go to disappear, is being shut down. We just don't know when. In this book, someone's past (the reason they are n Rockton) is exposed and the residents begin turning on one another. Detective Casey Butler must race to uncover who is threatening to expose everyone's secrets while also worrying about the town council and what is to come for the town of Rockton.

One thing that I have loved about this series is all the side characters and the connection/in depth conversations between Casey and these other residents, in particular Eric (the town sheriff/boyfriend). In this book, I felt like some of that was missing. It was mostly Casey on her own running around and trying to solve the crimes and piece it all together. I was left really craving these little conversations and wish I could have seen more from my favourite side characters especially with this being the last book.

I do think that this book ends the series well and gives the characters a "for now" ending. I really hope that we will see more of them in the future (maybe a spin-off, maybe some short stories). There is still so much left to be explored and I want to see what is to come for all these different characters. I am also not ready to let go and say an official goodbye to Casey or Erin (or Will, or Isabel, or April, or Mathias, or Cypher, or Sebastian, ... I could go on and on).

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review
The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong

My Notes
- conclusion of Rockton series
- Easily fall back in step with Casey and Eric
- small town social experiment for those fleeing someone or something becomes something more- a home, community
- Diverse secondary characters and ever changing storylines kept me hooked through the whole series
- last instalment means the end of Rockton as it was and an opportunity for new beginnings but brings the challenge of facing what was left behind and not everyone wants to go back
- Jen. Diana. Mathias. Sebastian. Wil. Isabel. Phil. April

These characters, this series will stay with me for awhile. The whole concept, intriguing with enough plausibility to be considered realistic.
Rockton could exist.
Can you escape the past? Is it as easy as just walking away from the guilt, the fear, the shame, the truth, the law, society…. and starting fresh?

I have enjoyed all the Rockton books and I was sad to see it end. It didn’t feel finished to me though…. I want to follow Casey on the next leg of the journey…

Thank you to the author and publisher for my copy in return for an honest review

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…a town of secrets…the couple try to solve the mystery…but too many secrets…enjoy…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Perfect time that I received the latest Rockton arc during a snow storm and I got to read it all in a day. I love this series and the seventh installation doesn’t disappoint.

Rockton is a small hidden area in the Yukon with a couple of hundred people living in it. The residents are basically in exile as they hide from something in their past. Sheriff Eric Dalton and his GF/detective Casey Duncan are in charge.

I recommend reading the books in order to get the full lay of the community and its residents.

*ARC provided by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books in return for an honest review. Thank you!

I want to preface this review by sharing that I have been with this series since book one first came out, and with this author since her second published book. Needless to say that I adore the worlds Kelley Armstrong creates, and I was dreading the ending of this series. That being said, while I enjoyed The Deepest of Secrets, I was slightly disappointed in the anticlimactic ending. I was expecting the series to end with a bang, but the more I think about it, this book ended perfectly--in such a way that is reflective of Casey and Dalton. Compared to the other books in the series, I thought the mystery was tame but also just what the characters from Rockton needed. Overall, it was a bittersweet story knowing that this was going to be the last book for Rockton considering everything that happened within the seven books.

(I saw in the author's Facebook group that it would be a spoiler to say if she planned on writing future books with the characters but this was the last book for Rockton...possibility for a spin-off with the new town!)

I love Mathias, April, and Cypher. Though the Deepest of Secrets is not based on them, their appearance brings in just the right amount of humor to a series that I don’t want to end.

You will laugh, then reread what made you laugh, and then laugh again. Then you will cry. Maybe only a single tear, but if you have invested in this series, the realization it is coming to an end will grasp you with a bit of melancholy for this town of misfits and the people who are trying to hold it together.

The Rockton Series contained some of my favorite characters of all time, and knowing there will not be another book leaves me with no more words.

Overall, I think the book and the town ended in the only way possible. I want to believe that Kelley Armstrong will surprise us with another book, just to let us know how everyone is doing, but I won’t hold out hope since all good things must come to an end.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The final (SOB) Rockton book! But please, please hopefully not the last we see of these characters. I loved this book as much as I have loved every Rockton book. I am so invested in the lives of these characters, I never want to lose them. If you have yet to check out this series, do it!

Ahhhhhh I cannot believe this series is coming to an end!! Excellent conclusion to the Rockton legacy.

The Deepest of Secrets
by Kelley Armstrong
Pub Date: February 15, 2022
MInotaur
THE DEEPEST OF SECRETS by Kelley Armstrong is book 7 & the last book in her Rockton thriller series! Thank you so much to Minotaur, NetGalley, and the author for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes Feb 15, 2022!
This is well-written and entertaining with complex characters set in an off-the-grid town. A slightly slower start quickly accelerates as the plot develops and Casey’s investigation takes off. While this could be read as a stand-alone, readers will be better served to read the series in order to better understand the full background of the residents and how the town operates. Gossip, Lies, murder, spies, trust, secrets, envy, fear, threats, assault, a guilty conscience, personal vendettas, petty revenge, grief, and a sense of entitlement are all threads that are explored during the novel. I am glad to recommend this book.
5 stars

THE DEEPEST OF SECRETS by Kelley Armstrong is book 7 & the last book in her Rockton thriller series! Thank you so much to the publisher, netgalley, and the author for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes Feb 15, 2022!

If you have been following me for awhile, you should know that this series is one of my all time favs. I started reading them right before I joined booksta, and I have eagerly anticipated each new release. I even met the author at a book signing event! This series is set in the most rural, and deserted part of the Yukon Territory, and the author has made me want to visit this fictional place!

I’m not going to get into too much detail about the book, to avoid spoilers. BUT this book is ripe with blackmail and secrets. Who should you trust?

The characters in these books are among my fav! I’m so happy to return to Rockton and catch up with old friends. It seriously feels like that. Casey is an extremely talented detective, Eric Dalton is the kind of sheriff/town leader you so not want to mess with, and Will Anders is loyal to a tee.

The one part I don’t like? And it’s nothing against the books or the writing at all. Everything is superb! But what, or whom I don’t like is the council!!! Ugh. #iykyk we are made to not like them, and I cannot believe the crap they pull in this book.

I’m so sad I have completed reading the Rockton books. But, the author has hinted that she isn’t finished with Rockton, and how the last book ended, I’m very hopeful this isn’t the last we will see of my fav characters from Rockton. Until we meet again….

I HIGHLY recommend this series if you love detective crime, being in a remote, rural, hidden small town, and enjoy being (or reading) about the wilderness! You don’t have to read these books in order, but I strongly recommend you do, because you will love and appreciate these books, characters and the setting so much more ❤️

Without a doubt I love this quirky town and it's even qurkier characters. I fell in love with Armstrong's writing a long time ago but there is just something about this series that draws me in.

I didn't realize when I first started this it would be the last book (for now) with these amazing characters and I'm not going to lie, because of it, I had to put this one down for a few days because I knew I would plow through it like I always do and I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to these beloved characters yet, The little rascals some how managed to worm their way into my heart and I just knew the goodbye, even a short one would be hard.

This was everything I was hoping it would be. All the drama, mystery, and craziness I love about this series and then some. I truly truly hope that we do get more because this really is a favorite and the book world needs more Casey and Eric.

Another amazing installment in this series and another testament to how wonderful Armstrong's writing is and why she will always be a favorite and one of my go to authors for stand out books that are completely unique.

Book Review Posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

So this is it. The End of Rockton. Somehow I have grown quite fond of these characters over the years and have to say that I’m quite sad to see this day come.

That said, I must say that I was very EAGER to see how it was going to end…and I was, unfortunately, let down yet again.

Why does this happen so often? I think the answer lies in the fact that I anticipate. Lie in wait. Have high hopes. And they continue to be dashed.

Casey Butler and Eric Dalton are the stewards of Rockton, keeping it safe from all others and keeping the town’s secrets. Now, however, someone has decided to take matters into their own hands, spreading the residents' secrets and wreaking major havoc.

Secrets, lies, revenge, and of course, murder. It wouldn’t be Rockton, without that.

This one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, which admittedly surprised me, considering this is (supposedly) the last book in the Rockton series. Like I said at the beginning, I was a bit anxious to see how this ended and now I’m perplexed. Will there be more to Casey and Dalton’s story? Time will tell, I suppose.

Until then, thank you, Kelley Armstrong, for writing about a place hidden deep in the Yukon that I could imagine escaping to, even in the darkest of times. I think I’d rather battle criminals than covid, but that’s just me.

This entire series was a buddy read with Kaceey, which gave us much to talk about these last few years. I love the fact that we have been reading together for so long Kaceey and I can’t wait to continue reading with you for many years to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

3.5*
Book seven of Kelley Armstrong’s ‘Rockton’ series.

So, you’re probably wondering…what is Rockton? Glad you asked! Well, Rockton is a fictional town hidden deep into the Yukon. Where one can go (providing the committee approves you) to remain hidden until the proverbial dust settles in their lives. And the reasons run the full gamut, ranging from staying one step ahead of the law, their spouses, or life itself. Here in this mountain hideaway, they’re mostly living off the grid. A very small community of complete strangers, unable to venture beyond the borders of their town or risk what may be waiting for them in the forest.

If you’re new to the series, no worries! Kelley Armstrong starts the book with a bit of a recap of all the principal characters. Having said that, while I’ve read nearly every book in this series I was still a bit confused. Susanne had to break it down for me…character by character!🤪

When a resident of Rockton is outed with his previous life/crimes, on display for everyone. It’s up to Detective Casey Dunkin and her boyfriend / Sheriff Eric Dalton to find who’s responsible before chaos ensues.

Oopsie Daisy…Too late!🙃

This series runs a bit hot and cold for me. After all, there’s only so much crime you can solve in this cozy little town. But I always enjoy my visit to Rockton.

This may possibly be the end of Rockton? Or…..😱

A buddy read with Susanne.❄️☃️

posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books.

📚 book review 📚

The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong

This is the 7th book in the Rockton series. One of my all time favourite series. It's seriously so good! I love Kelley Armstrong's books. The Cainsville series is also a favourite!

Casey is one of my favourite book characters. She's a great detective in the secret town of Rockton. Located in the Yukon. The settings and characters in this series are amazing.

I highly highly recommend this series to everyone! ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this ARC!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Available: February 15 2022

The latest in the Rockton series, this story sets up the eventual and likely end to Rockton as Casey, Dalton, and friends know it. I’m absolutely obsessed with this series, but have to say I was mildly disappointed in this latest book. It seemed too short, and like many things were rushed or glossed over rather than played out in the previous books. It was still good and kept my interest, it just felt like it didn’t go in depth like past books in this series. I however still recommend.

The last Rockton novel? Say it ain't so! Going into this book, we knew the town was in trouble. The powers that be had stopped sending new people to town and no one was getting extensions to stay longer. The writing was on the wall. Does that mean things will slow down and get boring out there in the middle of nowhere? Of course not. Put together a pile of people who needed to disappear for one reason or another and tensions always rise. This time around, there is blackmail, secrets exposed and, of course, murder.

Casey and Eric need to make some decisions. First and foremost, what are they going to do when the town shuts down? Who is going to be part of their new and improved refuge? Oh, and how hard do they want to investigate missing persons and murders when the missing and murdered were doing their best to cause as much trouble as possible? The Deepest of Secrets concentrated mostly on the "core" townies. There were touches about the supporting cast of characters, but I liked that the mystery was mainly kept local this time. The conflict of wanting to do the right thing even when no one cares anymore was interesting. But now I need to know what happens next! Yes, this is the last Rockton novel... will there be a town X novel? I will be very disappointed if this is the end of the story, the characters are too interesting and the concept of the whole story is too intriguing to leave as is. This was another winner, Armstrong is definitely on her game and having fun with this!

The Deepest of Secrets is book seven in the Rockton Series.

In a town full of secrets, someone is sharing those secrets. When coming to this town they sign an agreement to keep their secrets to themselves and to respect those of the other residents. Now, when the residents suspect that Rockton will be shut down soon, a respected member is outed on a billboard for all to see.

Rockton is home to detective Casey Butler and her partner Sherriff Eric Dalton. This town is off the grid and run by the mysterious group called "the council." As they investigate who is responsible for the sign, Conrad who appears to have instigated the problem, is later found buried alive, and rescued. Others are missing and one is found murdered. Butler and Dalton have their hands full while trying to solve the murder and the council finally saying the town is to be closed and the murder left unsolved. Several characters will rise above the orders and do what is right with many twists and turns in this action packed thriller.

This my second book of the series with this being the finale. An off the grid town has it's appeal and is the perfect setting for a town with people hiding secrets from their past. It was kind of strange to see a secret revealed in such a manner since the premise is these people have escaped their past for a new one, so why disclose a secret past when their own then become at risk. But the reward was the surprising resolution of the main character's true character coming through.