Down the Rabbit Hole

J.D. Robb (Contributor), Mary Blayney (Contributor), Elaine Fox (Contributor), Mary Kay McComas (Contributor), and R.C. Ryan (Contributor)

Synopsis:

You’re late for a very important date…

Enter a wonderland of mesmerizing tales. It’s a place that’s neither here nor there, where things are never quite as they seem. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s whimsical masterpiece, ranging from the impossible to the mad to the curiouser, these stories will have you absolutely off your head.

Don’t be afraid to follow them…

Review:

This is an interesting collection of short stories, with a bit of a magical and whimsical flair.  Please see the below break-down of each story.  The final story was my favorite so I guess they did save the best for last.

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2 Stars

Wonderment in Death

In Death, Book #41.5

By J.D. Robb

Author’s Website:  https://jdrobb.com/

When Eve Dallas arrives on the scene, it looks like an open and shut case.  Darlene Fitzwilliams arrives at her brother’s apartment, stabs him three times and then jumps off his terrace to her death.  However, Darlene and Marcus were good friends of Eve’s friend, Louise, who insists that it can’t be what it looks like.

So, Eve delves deeper and discovers an evil plan of a man praying on the grief of others, one that happens to line his pockets quite nicely to boot!  But can she catch him before he poofs away once more?

This was an okay read…. Not something that made me truly think or left me on the edge of my seat.  However, it is a novella so it’s about what you can expect from a shorter story.  The murderer has a gift that he exploits.  He plays the part of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland and his finale is always a great tea party!  

We get to see our usual cast of Eve, Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Morris, Mira, and Feeney along with Charles and Louise.  It is always nice to reconnect with old friends, however the interactions in this one are pretty brief considering the size of the story.  Luckily, the team is able to wrap this one up fairly quickly, so we can see what kind of horrors and suspense the other authors, in this anthology, have in store for us!

4 Stars

Alice and the Earl in Wonderland

By Mary Blayney

Author’s Website:  http://www.maryblayney.com/

Earl Weston is struggling with his current lot in life.  The woman he loves, Alice Kemp, refuses to marry him because, being the daughter of divorced parents, she’s worried she will sully his reputation.  And, now the family is nearly in financial ruin and he must figure out how to pull them out of it.

The two of them wake up unexpectedly in the year of 2005, nearly 200 years into the future!  They see women wearing men’s clothes, having jobs, and how uncaring people seem to be about relationships and even divorce.  It makes them both realize that they should live the lives they want and not the ones society dictates.

However, when they go back to their rightful time, can Weston finally convince Alice to be his?

I actually really enjoyed this story.  It’s been a while since I’ve read a historical romance and it was nice getting a short trip into that world.

I felt the time travel was well done too.  Nothing can leave the future unless something from the past is left in its place.

This was a nice story that you could easily read in one sitting and I would be interested in reading more from this world.

1 Star

iLove

By Elaine Fox

Author’s Website: http://www.elainefox.com/Home.html

Macy has finally had it with her boyfriend’s inattention.  He’s always looking at his phone instead of paying attention to her.  And, she breaks up with him and walks out over breakfast.

Jeremy was shocked.  Nobody has ever broken up with him before.  And, boy does Macy owe him an apology! However, when he looks back at his phone he’s wracked with pain and is actually sucked into his phone!  Now he’s in a world where everybody stares at their computer screens in a zombie like trance.  The place is ruled by an evil woman constantly yelling for everyone to pay attention.  He must figure out how to get back to the real world and to the girl he loves.

This story gives a whole new meaning to being sucked into your phone.  And, it does shine a light on our society as a whole.  How we are all so attached to our electronic devices that we don’t see life passing us by!

I found the concept of the story to be interesting, but it quickly got boring.  And, I also hated how Macy started second-guessing her decision and started saying that she was to blame for the whole situation.  Like it’s so wrong to want your boyfriend to actually pay attention and see you instead of his phone.  This was definitely my least favorite story of the anthology. 

2 stars

A True Heart

By Mary Kay McComas

Elise goes into a costume store with her sister-in-law, Molly.  One minute she’s trying to get out of going to the costume party and the next she’s on a magical adventure that will change her forever.

This story was okay, but it was pretty confusing at times as her and Martin both kept changing into other things.  And, because of that confusion once I put the story down, I really had to force myself to pick it back up.

However, Martin showed her things about herself that she didn’t want to see and it had a Christmas Carol feel to it, but without the holiday, of course.  It made Elise realize her faults and how unfair she has been to the people she loves and those she doesn’t too.  It was an interesting concept, but kind of hard to follow.

4 stars

Fallen

By R.C. Ryan

Author’s Website:  https://www.ryanlangan.com/

Beth lost her parents and grandmother at a young age.  She then was raised by her cold Aunt Darda.  Darda didn’t show love, but she groomed Beth to follow in her footsteps in the law firm she took over (and completely changed) from Beth’s parents.  

Now Darda is merging the firm with another large firm.  And, if Beth wants to keep her job she must travel to Scotland and convince Collin Gordon to sell his precious ancestral land to the firm.

However, on her way to meet Collin, Beth’s rental car breaks down.  She can’t be late so she starts walking, and falls down a tunnel.  

When she wakes she is in the past and runs into Collin.  Either the place is magic or she’s truly lost her mind.  She keeps seeing people turn into animals!  And, she overhears a plot to kill Collin!  And as a spark grows between the two, she must tell him what she heard and try to save him!

This is probably my favorite story of this book.  I truly enjoyed it.  It’s a historical romance, time travel, and magical read all in one.  It did remind me of the Outlander series as well.  There were a lot of the same character names, and of course the same setting.  The time was different though and of course the story wasn’t nearly as long as an Outlander tome.

The characters were engaging and I couldn’t wait to see how the story would end.