I enjoyed this book. I have not read the previous book in the series but I had read one or two of the Stockton novels featuring some of the same characters. This book held my attention and kept me occupied trying to figure out whodunit. The concludes satisfying and they left a few loose ends to tie up in future installments.

Edit/update. I really did not like the beginning of this book (whiny children) so set it aside after several chapters. However, I needed a book to read and forgotten I'd quit this one so picked it up again last night because of the great title. This time I did like it and finished the book. I didn't recall it was a mystery/thriller. It definitely had an interesting plot line and the writing was better/more interesting after the first twenty-five percent of the book. Great setting and some interesting, atypical characters.

Once again, I dislike having to say I dislike a book. This one seemed like it would be interesting but it seemed to be the same old riff on a kid that goes missing in the woods. The writing style seemed stale to me but maybe I just prefer books that pull the reader along..Either way, this was a DNF for me. The Yukon was an interesting choice of settings.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for gifting me an early copy of this novel. Below you'll find my honest review.

Haven's Rock is a fledgling little town, Eric and Casey's attempt to rebuild a better, stronger Rockton. This one really raises the stakes as we learn that the "neighbors" hinted at in the first book have built themselves up and are now a full-fledged mining camp, very close to Haven's Rock and threatening the safety of Haven's Rock's residents.

In addition, Haven's Rock has made some drastic changes from Rockton, including the acceptance of families with kids into the fold.

When one of those kids goes missing, Casey and Eric and the rest of the town go into full search and rescue mode, and are reminded yet again that nothing is ever as it seems in the wilderness of the north.

I absolutely loved this one. No complaints whatsoever.

Highly recommend, but please please please read the rest of the series (both Rockton and Haven's Rock).

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Haven's Rock series. I got a copy of this to review on ebook through NetGalley.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this overall. It started a bit slow but then the pace really picked up about 25% of the way in.

The story starts some time after Casey and Eric have opened Haven's Rock and started accepting residents. Haven's Rock is different from Rockton in that they are allowing families and couples. However, trouble arises when one of the kids sees a bear while on a group hike. While investigating the bear they find out it might not be a bear at all but something more sinister. Then one of the kids goes missing and the hunt is on.

This book switches POV between Casey and Matt (the kid that goes missing). I think that the POV switching made the beginning a bit slow. It just took some time for us to meet the new characters and get going before the story really grabbed me and started pulling me in.

In addition to the overall mystery about the bear in the woods and Matt's disappearance, there is also some drama going on in Casey and Eric's life that should be intriguing as the series moves forward.

While I wasn't huge on the turn the story ended up taking, (without spoilers I can only say it ends up involving the miners that are camped nearby) I did find the story very engaging. There are numerous twists and turns which kept me guessing.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this, I just thought it started a bit slow. I did enjoy a lot of the new characters introduced and also liked the twists and turns to the mystery here. I also enjoyed some of the new story elements introduced and am curious where future books will go with those.

This is the second book in the Haven's Rock series, a spinoff from the Rockton series. Haven's Rock is the new Rockton, only more selective of the people that it admits. It is a very small town hidden in the Yukon. a place where people can go who need or want to disappear.

One thing I love about these books is how well the author makes the reader feel how menacing being in the woods can feel: where silence is a sign of danger, there are no bars between humans and apex predators, and how easy it is to get lost.

There is a lot going on in this book. A bear may be approaching their town too closely, and may have stalked Max, the youngest resident. Or was it a bear? Even though they have vetted every person admitted to Haven's Rock, now they begin to question if their investigations were thorough enough.

Men from a mining company have also been seen uncomfortably near their settlement, and Casey and Eric realize that there are gaps in their town planning. They also have a very personal decision to make.

I don't think it is necessary to have read the previous books to appreciate this one, but it might certainly inspire a desire to read the Rockton books and the first Haven's Rock book for the backstory. I received an e-ARC from publisher St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Every time I think Kelley Armstrong won't top the last book she wrote, she proves me wrong. This book was everything I wanted, and needed it to be, as a longtime reader who was nervous about a new series with familiar characters.

As with any Rockton, or now Haven's Rock book we are introduced to a small new cast of characters, keeping with the theme of the Haven's Rock being that haven for someone needing to escape a bad situation in their life, or seek protection.

Like with Rockton money talks, but not as much as the morality of the characters who live their, with Casey and Dalton wanting to genuinely be able to help people without being worried about what they might've done prior to arriving in Haven's Rock.

In this book we are introduced to the curious, and frankly adorable Max, his angst ridden older brother Carson and their injured mother, Dana.

When Max disappears, the Haven's Rock squad is on the case to find him and get him back to his mother. But as always there are sinister forces at work, some of whom despite their nickname of Mr. Rogers I do not trust.

I also might not trust Gunner, and might have lost my mind at the very real problems that faced Casey and Dalton in this book.

But as always, as long as Haven's Rock exists in literature form, I will keep on reading.

Best one yet to come out of Kelly Armstrong anything she writes I will devour she is an insta but author for me

Thank you to Netgalley for this read !

Loved this book, but then again I am a little biased as I love this author and the series.
Another great novel, could not put down and had to read all the way!

Pros
Great to see the storyline for this series to continue but in another different way.
Can not wait for more!

Cons:
The storyline is starting to be similar to other storylines, and the dialogue back and forth seemed pointless at times

This is the third book I've read by Kelley Armstrong since I've joined NegGalley this year alone, I can't wait to check out more of what she has to offer. I didn't realize this book was the second book in the Haven's Rock series, I enjoyed it without knowing the first book and didn't feel lost, but I look forward to reading it just to get the full background story.
Haven's Rock is a community that brings in families displaced by the witness protection agency, each member of the group has their own unique skills to bring to the table. When a Mother and her two sons are brought in after surviving an attack that left their mother injured and their father killed. Soon 10 year old Max spots a bear in the woods, but when he begins saying the bear has human eyes they are left wondering what to believe. Is it just a bear or a 10 year old confused and scared from a recent trauma. But when Max disappears and they are forced to join forces with another group living in the woods to save him.
I really enjoyed all the characters and the woodsy setting described in the book. Although I wasn't really sure what to make of Max's story, it quickly became apparent that things aren't what they seem. I love a good mystery and this checked all the box's.

This is turning out to be a really great series! I haven’t read the Rockton series (which this series is a spin-off of) but I would definitely read more from this author. I love the idea of such a remote town where people are screened first before they can live there. Dana and her two sons are a new family in town. When her one son Max swears that he sees a grizzly bear with unusual (possibly human) eyes, Casey and Eric are on the case. I could not put this book down and was intrigued and thrilled the entire time. This is a really great series and I can’t wait to read more! It is both thrilling and entertaining. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I feel so blessed to have received this advanced copy of my favourite spin off series.

As always, Kelley delivers 10 fold in this book. The characters were beloved and epic, Haven's Rock continues to grow and build, and the twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending too, I just know there's more to come!

Absolute must read. While you wait for this, read Rockton and the first Haven's Rock!!!

4.5 stars - I was sad to see the end of Rockton, but am overjoyed that Haven's Rock is giving us everything that was great about the previous series and adding enough new elements to freshen thing up.

The Boy Who Cried Bear was solid. I liked the addition of the families to the hidden town and I liked that mysterious new neighbors look to give Casey and Eric a reason to stay alert for trouble. It was great to see the continuing cast and there's fun news to wrap this episode up with a bow. Can't wait for more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this new book in the Haven’s Rock series by Kelley Armstrong. Thank you to Kelley and Minotaur books for allowing me to read this book (and feed my addiction to this series)!

While each book tells its own mystery, it is very much part of a series. Haven’s Rock is the “spinoff” to the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong. So far, this series nails it, being just different enough to be a whole new storyline (you could read it alone), but is a great continuation of the story left off in the Rockton series.

This book is told from the usual POV of Casey Duncan, town detective. It involves your already-beloved characters, and digs deeper into newer ones that you just know have more going on. It’s a new forest with new dangers, and everyone brings their past fears to town.

As usual, Kelley Armstrong brings the atmosphere of the town and it’s dark surrounding forest to life, letting you tag along while the mystery unfolds for Casey. If you think you’ll beat Kelley to the punchline in this one—you won’t!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Another solid addition to the Haven’s Rock series.

This was such a cool book. In a tiny well-hidden town buried deep in the forest, Detective Casey and her husband feel at home in their new town. When one of the younger residents, 10 year old Max, sees a bear in the woods (that he swore had human eyes), Casey and her husband know they need to find it to protect the town.

Riveting from the beginning. The mystery of the town and its people, the woods, and the bear kept me turning pages from the very beginning. Lots of things I didn't see coming, which is always a treat for me! Absolutely loved this! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I know the author's work from her middle-grade series Royal Guide to Monster Slaying so I wanted to try one of her adult mysteries. I always loved the writing style of this author. It doesn't matter how long the book may be it always flows well and keeps us turning the pages. Also, the author knows how to write mysteries well. Chapter 10 of this book is fabulous. After this one, you can't stop.

I only realized this was a second volume when I was ready to review it. If you jump right into this mystery it reads as a standalone and you still get the setting and characters as if it was a first book. I never felt lost.

What I loved most about this mystery is that the first ten chapters, set the reader into the path of different possibilities. Is this going to be a paranormal story with macabre rituals, a well-planned revenge from some psycho, or something completely unexpected? Then the author takes us on a journey to explore the possibilities and if the ending leads up to your favorite answer and type of mystery then you are in for a treat of twists that makes sense.

I loved Max and Gunnar but I didn't connect with the female cop who is mostly the main character and narrator of this investigation. Her relationship and personal life compete with the tension of the missing child.

I love a book that focuses on a mystery/murder in an enclosed location. This was a great setting, the forest and a place where everyone living there has a potential for dark secrets or crimes.

Thank you Publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is book two of the Havenrock series and let me tell you what!!! I was absolutely riveted to my seat. I absolutely loved it and could not put it down. Such mystery, intrigue, and questions upon questions. I was really blue away by his much can be is Jed j to one novel and his invested I am in the series. I love that the entire town comes together even as suspicious behavior by residents cause turmoil. Everyone shoulders the weight and decides how to handle the situation.

Was it a Bear? Was it a wild hermit man? Are Havenrock and the mine in danger? What exactly is so top secret about the mine and does that pose a threat to town residents? Is Storm the best rock star ever 🙌 dog love has to be in here lol.

And the ending so completely not what I expected but so profoundly moving I cried a little. Well ok I actually cried and yelled at the book while reading it a few times lol 😆. I was definitely very into the world building and characters I have grown to love so much. I really really hope to see more of them in a future book! But this is a slam dunk home run please grab the series m. It is a heart stopper that keeps you guessing at every turn and finding that love, family and community truly does conquer some of our greatest fears and challenges about our own challenges and struggles. You are never truly alone! Highly recommend this series!

This is the second book in the Haven’s Rock series. It is a spin off from Rockton. You don’t need to read the first one to enjoy this book. You are once again met with familiar faces of Casey and Eric. These two left Rockton and created a refuge and sanctuary for those people who need help but were unable to stay in society.

This story starts you immediately in the action. You will have your fill of twist, turns, and lots of action. This is the ultimate mystery thriller book. You will dive deeper into the new residents of Haven’s Rock, the mining camp, as well as the core of what this town truly stands for.

You are brought into a mystery of a missing boy and why families/kids never allowed before. The risk and consequences of families being allowed. This is Haven and everyone should have a second chance at starting over. That’s part of why Casey and Eric wanted to create this New Haven for people. Many new dangers are lurking in the Yukon and their new backyard.

This book set up a nice foundation for many more books to come in this series!

This was my first Armstrong read but I’ve seen nothing but great things about her books so I was super excited to try this one! Because this is the second in a series, a series that is a spin-off of another series, I was worried I would be lost when it came to the characters! But this can totally be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The characters felt real and were easily relatable. There was an underline feeling of suspense for much of it and the twists and turns really delivered for me! I can tell some remaining loose ends were addressed from the previous book while also setting up a new story for the next book. This has me wanting to go back and read the prior books stat. I love a good series and this seems to be a fun and twisty one to dive into! Based on this book alone, I highly recommend if you’re interested in on-going mystery/thriller stories 🤩

This book starts out with a strange encounter.. Then, continues with a strange story. I loved this book! I think this author has some really good descriptive talent, and I just liked the way the story enfolded. I will not give any of the plot development, but I will say this book is definitely worth reading even if you are not a mystery fan. I would recommend it to everyone, and I want to read more by this author.