Reviews

Caught in Time: A Kendra Donovan Mystery by Julie McElwain

brodir14's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

nooneyouknow's review against another edition

2.0

Why do I read these things? Please stop me before I read the next one!

mrs_gippy's review against another edition

2.0

I couldn't stand Kendra in this book (though I'm pretty sure she has been this obnoxious for the whole series...so I guess I just overlooked it in the previous books (based on how I rated them)?¯\_(ツ)_/¯) She's antagonistic towards EVERYONE, including the people she supposedly cares for; it seems like every page she is getting offended or annoyed by something. She also can't seem to go more than two sentences without cursing, which is not only unnecessary, but also very distracting; I'm pretty sure it's the author's attempt to remind us that she is a "modern" woman, but really it just makes her seem immature. Further, for someone who is supposedly a genetic prodigy/genius, you'd think she'd make a better effort to try and fit in to the time period (surely her scientist parents would have taught her the concept of "adapt or die"?), so as to draw less attention and suspicion to herself, but instead she constantly tries to intentionally flaunt convention. Not only does this behavior tend to _hinder_ her "investigations," but it sure is an awfully poor way to repay the people who have made it possible for her live comfortably in this time period (because her flaunting convention puts _them_ under scrutiny, too). [Speaking of repaying the Duke & Alec poorly for their kindness, Kendra complaining about them giving her money was incredibly selfish; I understand the desire to make your own money, but seriously, they're _helping_ her, yet all she can do is whine and resent them for it? She'd be far worse off without them, so some gratitude would be more appropriate.] And good grief at her "investigating," which basically consists of her interrogating person after person relentlessly. Yes, she is an FBI agent in her time, but the people in this time have no concept of that,so she needs to get it through her head that being so pushy and sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong is not the best way to go about it; it's pretty ridiculous to expect people to entrust their secrets with some random Duke's ward they've never met. But then again, it's Kendra's way or the highway, and she is ALWAYS right, so that won't be changing any time soon. ::Sigh::

Kendra wants to be a strong female lead, or rather, _thinks_ she is a strong female lead...but in reality she is just a whiny, selfish, immature heroine I no longer have any interest in rooting for. But I will give kudos for a bit of a "twist" at the end that I didn't see coming, that was fun.

lornreadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

jbsangel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The twist in this book in the series really made it worth the read. As always, the development of the relationship between Kendra and Alec is what keeps bringing me back. I really enjoy this series. I just want to be entertained when I read, and this book in the series continued to check all of my boxes: mystery, a little romance, hope, conflict, and twists and turns. 

smorrison4's review against another edition

4.0

Ooh, I was not expecting that reveal but I loved it! It makes perfect sense that this would have happened and I am hoping that it leads to Kendra making some important decisions. 

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

sadeyes2's review against another edition

3.0

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agrinczel's review against another edition

4.0

I wasn’t liking this one as much, but the ending made it worth it.

hannahkatt's review against another edition

3.0

I wasn't super hooked on this style of writing, with the older language dialogue. But, in saying that, it was a cute book. Kendra was a strong lead character, and I loved her for that. Looking past some of the dialogue, the mystery was great and when it ramped up at the end I couldn't put it down.

traceyyoung's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Things are getting interesting in this series. I like the twist at the end, which I wasn’t expecting but was glad to see it. I look forward to finding out what will happen next and where the next mystery will take place.