What do you think?
Rate this book
Cainsville #Shorts
Portents: A Collection of Cainsville Tales
Cainsville, Illinois. A town founded by fae escaping the Old World. A town both part of the world and cut off from it. A town that a young woman will run to, fleeing her past, only to discover that her past extends further than she ever imagined, into the distant history of Cainville itself. Collected in this volume are the stories of the town’s past, of the people and the fae she will eventually meet.
A child tormented by visions of fae castles and fierce dragons.
A hobgoblin who strives to avoid his role in an ancient prophecy.
A boy who wants the perfect Solstice gift for his aunt.
A writer who discovers all publicity is not good publicity after all.
A much-maligned orange cat who won't quite stay dead.
Another cat with more than his nine lives, one continually reborn to right an ancient wrong.
And, finally, a story of the young woman who ran to Cainsville, now running away, searching for answers she can’t quite find.
*******************************************************************************
Collection Contents:
1) The Screams of Dragons
2) Devil May Care
3) Gabriel’s Gargoyles
4) Bad Publicity
5) The Orange Cat
6) Matagot - brand-new for this collection
7) The Lady of the Lake
A child tormented by visions of fae castles and fierce dragons.
A hobgoblin who strives to avoid his role in an ancient prophecy.
A boy who wants the perfect Solstice gift for his aunt.
A writer who discovers all publicity is not good publicity after all.
A much-maligned orange cat who won't quite stay dead.
Another cat with more than his nine lives, one continually reborn to right an ancient wrong.
And, finally, a story of the young woman who ran to Cainsville, now running away, searching for answers she can’t quite find.
*******************************************************************************
Collection Contents:
1) The Screams of Dragons
2) Devil May Care
3) Gabriel’s Gargoyles
4) Bad Publicity
5) The Orange Cat
6) Matagot - brand-new for this collection
7) The Lady of the Lake
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2018
197 people are currently reading
1441 people want to read
About the author
Kelley Armstrong
293 books33.6k followersKelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 24, 2018
Portents is a collection of short stories from the Cainsville series. It is listed as #5.7.
Collection Contents:
1) The Screams of Dragons. I read this in August of 2014. Here is my original review:
The Scream of Dragons is a novella in the Cainsville series by Kelley Armstrong.
The story is about a young boy named Bobby whose mom was from Cainsville. He goes there and visits. This boy is different and his grandmother beats him.
The story is dark and different although it was pretty interesting. We get to see a few characters from the series. I'm looking forward to reading book two, Visions.
2) Devil May Care. This is a short story from the book Led Astray. Here is my review from September 2015:
The Patrick story, Devil May Care is fantastic. However, I would caution reading it before reading Omens and Visions. This story is about Patrick and contains spoilers.
3) Gabriel’s Gargoyles. This is from the book Gifted. This is my review from December 2014: Gabriel’s Gargoyles is a Cainsville short story, featuring 10 year old Gabriel Walsh. This story is told in 3rd person narration.
I have really enjoyed the first two books in the Cainsville series. So I was happy to get a story featuring 10 year old Gabriel Walsh.
Now that I've seen Gabriel as a man it is fascinating to get to see him as a child. I really enjoyed this story!
4) Bad Publicity
5) The Orange Cat
6) The Lady of the Lake
I originally read The Orange Cat, Bad Publicity and Lady of the Lake in October of 2016. Here is my original review: The Orange Cat and other Cainsville Stories is #3.5 in the Cainsville series. It should be read after book 3, Deceptions.
This novella inclues:
- The Orange Cat: Gabriel story based on Poe’s The Black Cat, originally in Nevermore
- Bad Publicity: Patrick story
- Lady of the Lake: a new Liv & Ricky novella (set right after Deceptions)
The Orange Cat is a prequel. Gabriel is the narrator. He has a case involving an orange cat.
Bad Publicity is a prequel. The narrator is Patrick. The story has to do with his book writing career.
Lady of the Lake takes place right after Deceptions (which is why you must read Deceptions first). The narrators are Ricky and Olivia. The story is about their vacation in Cape Breton and a case that they are involved in.
These stories were very enjoyable. And now I can't wait to start Betrayals.
7) Matagot – brand-new for this collection.
This is the only new story in this collection. It is about Olivia's cat, TC and it is set in Cainsville. It was nice to see more of Olivia's cat (the story is from the cat's POV). But this story was very short.
Overall:
I like having all of these short stories put together in one book. However, for a big Kelley Armstrong fan like me I've already read all of these stories. And the one new story was too short. I would have really liked to have something new that was longer and set after the final book.
Collection Contents:
1) The Screams of Dragons. I read this in August of 2014. Here is my original review:
The Scream of Dragons is a novella in the Cainsville series by Kelley Armstrong.
The story is about a young boy named Bobby whose mom was from Cainsville. He goes there and visits. This boy is different and his grandmother beats him.
The story is dark and different although it was pretty interesting. We get to see a few characters from the series. I'm looking forward to reading book two, Visions.
2) Devil May Care. This is a short story from the book Led Astray. Here is my review from September 2015:
The Patrick story, Devil May Care is fantastic. However, I would caution reading it before reading Omens and Visions. This story is about Patrick and contains spoilers.
3) Gabriel’s Gargoyles. This is from the book Gifted. This is my review from December 2014: Gabriel’s Gargoyles is a Cainsville short story, featuring 10 year old Gabriel Walsh. This story is told in 3rd person narration.
I have really enjoyed the first two books in the Cainsville series. So I was happy to get a story featuring 10 year old Gabriel Walsh.
Now that I've seen Gabriel as a man it is fascinating to get to see him as a child. I really enjoyed this story!
4) Bad Publicity
5) The Orange Cat
6) The Lady of the Lake
I originally read The Orange Cat, Bad Publicity and Lady of the Lake in October of 2016. Here is my original review: The Orange Cat and other Cainsville Stories is #3.5 in the Cainsville series. It should be read after book 3, Deceptions.
This novella inclues:
- The Orange Cat: Gabriel story based on Poe’s The Black Cat, originally in Nevermore
- Bad Publicity: Patrick story
- Lady of the Lake: a new Liv & Ricky novella (set right after Deceptions)
The Orange Cat is a prequel. Gabriel is the narrator. He has a case involving an orange cat.
Bad Publicity is a prequel. The narrator is Patrick. The story has to do with his book writing career.
Lady of the Lake takes place right after Deceptions (which is why you must read Deceptions first). The narrators are Ricky and Olivia. The story is about their vacation in Cape Breton and a case that they are involved in.
These stories were very enjoyable. And now I can't wait to start Betrayals.
7) Matagot – brand-new for this collection.
This is the only new story in this collection. It is about Olivia's cat, TC and it is set in Cainsville. It was nice to see more of Olivia's cat (the story is from the cat's POV). But this story was very short.
Overall:
I like having all of these short stories put together in one book. However, for a big Kelley Armstrong fan like me I've already read all of these stories. And the one new story was too short. I would have really liked to have something new that was longer and set after the final book.
February 17, 2019
Overall I enjoyed each of these stories for different reasons. I haven’t read any of the Cainsville series so maybe this is all part of that but I still enjoyed the short stories this is my thoughts on them being as I am fully new to any of these characters.
1: The Screams of Dragons.
Bobby really intrigued me and the fact that he dreams and hears dragons intrigued me as I said but it was more than that. It was what does this mean?
Oh, that ending I swear it gave me goosebumps.
The elders … evil or saints guess it’s up to us to decide.
2: Devil May Care: Ok this one was interesting Patrick seems like an odd kind of guy but he didn’t deserve what happens to him or Gabe.
3: Gabriel’s Gargoyles: I don’t have any backstory I just enjoyed getting to see him learn about and then go on a quest to find the last one.
4: Bad Publicity: This is more of Patrick and some of what makes him who he is.
5: The Orange Cat: Hahaha this is hilarious and funny not going to lie when it first started I was like what is this but then I got it the cat came back ;) over and over again. Great side story.
6: Matagot: This was from the cats POV it was good.
7: Lady of the Lake: This was interesting and Liv and Ricky are a favorite of mine I think. What they go through and how they get there is really fun and interesting to listen to. I liked how they really worked together to find what they were after. I liked the Canadian’ facts for sure.
Overall I enjoyed each of the narrations, they all brought something new to each story and I liked that it was easy to go from one short right into the next.
Each had a way with the characters that really made listening to an interesting experience.
1: The Screams of Dragons.
Bobby really intrigued me and the fact that he dreams and hears dragons intrigued me as I said but it was more than that. It was what does this mean?
Oh, that ending I swear it gave me goosebumps.
The elders … evil or saints guess it’s up to us to decide.
2: Devil May Care: Ok this one was interesting Patrick seems like an odd kind of guy but he didn’t deserve what happens to him or Gabe.
3: Gabriel’s Gargoyles: I don’t have any backstory I just enjoyed getting to see him learn about and then go on a quest to find the last one.
4: Bad Publicity: This is more of Patrick and some of what makes him who he is.
5: The Orange Cat: Hahaha this is hilarious and funny not going to lie when it first started I was like what is this but then I got it the cat came back ;) over and over again. Great side story.
6: Matagot: This was from the cats POV it was good.
7: Lady of the Lake: This was interesting and Liv and Ricky are a favorite of mine I think. What they go through and how they get there is really fun and interesting to listen to. I liked how they really worked together to find what they were after. I liked the Canadian’ facts for sure.
Overall I enjoyed each of the narrations, they all brought something new to each story and I liked that it was easy to go from one short right into the next.
Each had a way with the characters that really made listening to an interesting experience.
March 14, 2019
LOVED this collection! Among the stories was it finally a story that gave Patrick's side of the story about his "meeting" with Gabriel's mother.
Also stories with cat's and young Gabriel, what's not to love. Listened to the audio version and had one of the best working days ever! ♥
Also stories with cat's and young Gabriel, what's not to love. Listened to the audio version and had one of the best working days ever! ♥
December 28, 2018
Nothing like jumping in mid stream. This is my first Kelley Armstrong book and boy I can't wait to read them all. I loved everything about these not-too-short stories. It gave me a great feel for the characters and their stories so I KNOW I will love the full length novels but also made me thrilled to find a new (and prolific!) author who writes humor, steam, tension and poignancy so well. I loved the Welsh mythology. An amazing writer, great characters and moving stories. What more could you want? (Ok, the answer is: all the other books in the series!)
August 12, 2018
I don’t normally get on with short story collections but I love this one! Armstrong is an excellent writer that keeps me coming back for more. I love Cainsville, Liv, Gabriel & Patrick and this collection is wonderful. Consistently well written, absorbing and enlightening, I have learned so much about the mythology of the world and about the characters’ back stories. Can I just read Cainsville stories forever? Please? The more I learn about Patrick, the more my heart breaks for him and Gabriel. Tragic - and it’s all Seanna’s fault. I may dislike her immensely but she is incredibly well crafted, like all of them, and complex. If you’re a fan of this series, I really recommend this collection! But definitely read Lost Souls and Rough Justice too.
Below are some of my immediate thoughts after I read each story... essentially I love Patrick & Gabriel.
The Screams of Dragons - spooky as hell and deeply disturbing
Devil May Care - ah Patrick is such a great character, my heart broke for him in this one, and for Gabriel, all over again. Bloody Seanna.
Gabriel’s Gargoyles - This world is so good. Heartbreaking, but so good. The Patrick/Gabriel relationship is just so tragic.
The Orange Cat - excellent feline, good old Gabriel not being phased by anything.
Bad Publicity - Another Patrick story - i love this guy, his attitude/actions all make so much sense now!! Poor Bocan. So much heartbreak - he and Gabriel could have had such a different life. I hate Seanna. But v clever writing.
Matagot - this was really fun! It was cool to have a story from Olivia’s cat, ‘TC’, and learn why it sticks to Liv and how it links to the greater mythologies of the series. I’m loving this!!
Lady of the Lake - Brilliant! Weird to be getting a Ricky & Liv story but really well done. Another fascinating insight to the lore and how Arawn & the Otherworld are linked. Keeping everything crossed that more stories are released.
Below are some of my immediate thoughts after I read each story... essentially I love Patrick & Gabriel.
The Screams of Dragons - spooky as hell and deeply disturbing
Devil May Care - ah Patrick is such a great character, my heart broke for him in this one, and for Gabriel, all over again. Bloody Seanna.
Gabriel’s Gargoyles - This world is so good. Heartbreaking, but so good. The Patrick/Gabriel relationship is just so tragic.
The Orange Cat - excellent feline, good old Gabriel not being phased by anything.
Bad Publicity - Another Patrick story - i love this guy, his attitude/actions all make so much sense now!! Poor Bocan. So much heartbreak - he and Gabriel could have had such a different life. I hate Seanna. But v clever writing.
Matagot - this was really fun! It was cool to have a story from Olivia’s cat, ‘TC’, and learn why it sticks to Liv and how it links to the greater mythologies of the series. I’m loving this!!
Lady of the Lake - Brilliant! Weird to be getting a Ricky & Liv story but really well done. Another fascinating insight to the lore and how Arawn & the Otherworld are linked. Keeping everything crossed that more stories are released.
August 6, 2018
There is one new story, and the others are previously released...however most of them is from The orange cat and other Cainsville tales which was not for sale but available to anyone who pre-ordered Betrayals. I thought I had read them all but realised I had not read Scream of Dragons, and Devil may care. Matagot is the new tale and is about TC - Liv's cat.
The scream of dragons is about Bobby (who is mentioned in the series) and takes place before Gabe and Liv are born. It was a wonderful, nasty story, and also features Aunt Rose.
Devil may care is Patrick's story and how Gabe was born. This was a great story to get more background on Patrick and how he really did try to do the right thing...and how fate keeps stepping in.
Gabriel's gargoyles is one of my absolute favorite tales, and shows us Gabe as a child. I loved the Gargoyles in Cainsvilles, and was thrilled that we got to hear about Gabe's quest to find the last one.
The orange cat is based on Poe's The black cat. Gabe is front and center as the lawyer to a guilty client who keeps trying to get rid of his cat. I loved this story and the song "The cat came back" kept going through my head as I read it!
Bad publicity is another Patrick story. I wasn't a big fan of Patrick at the beginning of the series, but he has grown on me. This is another background story.
I totally LOVED Matagot. TC is front and center and this is how he became part of the series. This is told from TC point of view and the story takes place during Visions.
;
Lady of the Lake is the novella that was in The orange cat and features Liv and Ricky on the road trip to Cape Breton after the end of Deceptions. I enjoyed this story because I was a real Liv and Ricky fan at the beginning of the series, and the fact they were in Canada was great and brought me some of the most hilarious quotes ever! The story though is somewhat creepy and once again we see more of the original triad which comes into play with Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky.
"You can't come here. You don't have a passport". "I'm sure my driver's license would suffice. It's only Canada. They hardly need to worry about terrorist's invading from the US. That would be rather pointless."
The scream of dragons is about Bobby (who is mentioned in the series) and takes place before Gabe and Liv are born. It was a wonderful, nasty story, and also features Aunt Rose.
Devil may care is Patrick's story and how Gabe was born. This was a great story to get more background on Patrick and how he really did try to do the right thing...and how fate keeps stepping in.
Gabriel's gargoyles is one of my absolute favorite tales, and shows us Gabe as a child. I loved the Gargoyles in Cainsvilles, and was thrilled that we got to hear about Gabe's quest to find the last one.
The orange cat is based on Poe's The black cat. Gabe is front and center as the lawyer to a guilty client who keeps trying to get rid of his cat. I loved this story and the song "The cat came back" kept going through my head as I read it!
Bad publicity is another Patrick story. I wasn't a big fan of Patrick at the beginning of the series, but he has grown on me. This is another background story.
I totally LOVED Matagot. TC is front and center and this is how he became part of the series. This is told from TC point of view and the story takes place during Visions.
;
Lady of the Lake is the novella that was in The orange cat and features Liv and Ricky on the road trip to Cape Breton after the end of Deceptions. I enjoyed this story because I was a real Liv and Ricky fan at the beginning of the series, and the fact they were in Canada was great and brought me some of the most hilarious quotes ever! The story though is somewhat creepy and once again we see more of the original triad which comes into play with Olivia, Gabriel and Ricky.
"You can't come here. You don't have a passport". "I'm sure my driver's license would suffice. It's only Canada. They hardly need to worry about terrorist's invading from the US. That would be rather pointless."
December 27, 2018
Loved getting to get back to these characters! TC's story and the Lady of the Lake novella were probably my favorites. Followed closely by Gabriels Gargoyles!
September 6, 2025
An anthology of seven short stories in the Cainsville urban fantasy series revolving around the tale of Mallt-y-nos and her relationship with Gwynn ap Nudd and Arawn.
Series Order
"The Screams of Dragons", 0.5
"Devil May Care", (Seanna gets pregnant)
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" (ten-year-old Gabriel)
"Bad Publicity" (Patrick when 18-year-old Gabriel is in his first year of college)
"The Orange Cat" (Gabriel, two years after passing the bar)
"Matagot" (TC is following Olivia and then kidnapped)
"Lady of the Lake" (Olivia, who doesn't have her PI license yet, and Ricky's motorcycle road trip)
The Stories
"The Screams of Dragons" is a scary tale that is about a little boy with dreams of dragons, a superstitious set of parents and grandmother, and the part played by elders in the town of Cainsville. Nothing to do with Matilda, Gwynn, or Arawn. And it's that nasty Gran who turns Bobby into a sociopath! Urk! A rather extreme example of why bullying and abuse is so wrong.
"Devil May Care" finds us looking through Patrick's eyes at the original disaster that befell Matilda, Gwynn, and Arawn. It's a long introduction into the legend of the three before the intended story begins with Patrick meeting up with Seanna Walsh, Rose Walsh's niece and Gabriel's mother. Hoo, boy.
I did love that paragraph about Patrick's career: "...exploiting human emotions. A teller of stories, a merchant of fantasies, but mostly, a dealer in the drug of secondhand emotions."
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" is from Gabriel's perspective, as he struggles to earn enough money to buy Great-aunt Rose that pack of cards. It's a fascinating look into Gabriel's struggle to survive and how he found that last gargoyle.
"The Orange Cat" is also from Gabriel's perspective and gives us some background on his early start as a lawyer and the case that brings him that notoriety he craves. Although, that's not the case that is the focus, which does provide more insight into Gabriel's cold reasoning.
"Bad Publicity" is a one-two punch. One for the pushy new publicist who forces Patrick into an event, but even more important sorry, Patrick, for writers signing contracts!
"Matagot" is from TC's perspective, the cat Olivia acquires in Cainsville, whose origins we learn. Of TC's start as a matagot who has been given the chance to do better next time.
"Lady of the Lake" uses a dual third-person point-of-view, providing perspectives from Ricky and Olivia who are enjoying a motorcycle vacation and are currently in Canada where they encounter a water fae and a kidnapped baby. There are three angles: an aspect of the Cŵn Annwn, the parallels between Ricky's birth and Maggie's birth, and how Gabriel hurt Olivia.
I love, love that comment Ricky makes about the "bargains" they're writing each other when he tells Olivia to "write it down ... I'm starting a scrapbook." Then there's Ricky's realization that he will die one day, and how he could choose to embrace the life he has while he has it. Deep.
There were a number of other scenes I enjoyed, including Jeanne's horror of serving her guests lobster that reminds me of my school lunch days when I longed for the Wonder Bread of my peers instead of this homemade bread with peanut butter and homemade jelly! It does crack me up that Olivia describes Gabriel's ethical code as so small that it could be written on the back of a postage stamp, lol. Yet another interesting scene is the comment Armstrong makes about how Olivia accepts Ricky's illegitimate family business...turns out, poor Ricky, that girls think he's boring...!
The Cover and Title
The cover is strong in its simplicity. A blurred background of grays with a close-up of three birds sitting on a bare tree branch. There is an info blurb at the top with the author's name immediately below it in black. The title is below this in gold with the information about this book being a collection from the Cainsville series, also in black.
The title is the signs of future events, the Portents warning of Arawn, Matilda, and Gwynn coming again, and the chance for change.
Series Order
"The Screams of Dragons", 0.5
"Devil May Care", (Seanna gets pregnant)
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" (ten-year-old Gabriel)
"Bad Publicity" (Patrick when 18-year-old Gabriel is in his first year of college)
"The Orange Cat" (Gabriel, two years after passing the bar)
"Matagot" (TC is following Olivia and then kidnapped)
"Lady of the Lake" (Olivia, who doesn't have her PI license yet, and Ricky's motorcycle road trip)
The Stories
"The Screams of Dragons" is a scary tale that is about a little boy with dreams of dragons, a superstitious set of parents and grandmother, and the part played by elders in the town of Cainsville. Nothing to do with Matilda, Gwynn, or Arawn. And it's that nasty Gran who turns Bobby into a sociopath! Urk! A rather extreme example of why bullying and abuse is so wrong.
"Devil May Care" finds us looking through Patrick's eyes at the original disaster that befell Matilda, Gwynn, and Arawn. It's a long introduction into the legend of the three before the intended story begins with Patrick meeting up with Seanna Walsh, Rose Walsh's niece and Gabriel's mother. Hoo, boy.
I did love that paragraph about Patrick's career: "...exploiting human emotions. A teller of stories, a merchant of fantasies, but mostly, a dealer in the drug of secondhand emotions."
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" is from Gabriel's perspective, as he struggles to earn enough money to buy Great-aunt Rose that pack of cards. It's a fascinating look into Gabriel's struggle to survive and how he found that last gargoyle.
"The Orange Cat" is also from Gabriel's perspective and gives us some background on his early start as a lawyer and the case that brings him that notoriety he craves. Although, that's not the case that is the focus, which does provide more insight into Gabriel's cold reasoning.
"Bad Publicity" is a one-two punch. One for the pushy new publicist who forces Patrick into an event, but even more important sorry, Patrick, for writers signing contracts!
"Matagot" is from TC's perspective, the cat Olivia acquires in Cainsville, whose origins we learn. Of TC's start as a matagot who has been given the chance to do better next time.
"Lady of the Lake" uses a dual third-person point-of-view, providing perspectives from Ricky and Olivia who are enjoying a motorcycle vacation and are currently in Canada where they encounter a water fae and a kidnapped baby. There are three angles: an aspect of the Cŵn Annwn, the parallels between Ricky's birth and Maggie's birth, and how Gabriel hurt Olivia.
I love, love that comment Ricky makes about the "bargains" they're writing each other when he tells Olivia to "write it down ... I'm starting a scrapbook." Then there's Ricky's realization that he will die one day, and how he could choose to embrace the life he has while he has it. Deep.
There were a number of other scenes I enjoyed, including Jeanne's horror of serving her guests lobster that reminds me of my school lunch days when I longed for the Wonder Bread of my peers instead of this homemade bread with peanut butter and homemade jelly! It does crack me up that Olivia describes Gabriel's ethical code as so small that it could be written on the back of a postage stamp, lol. Yet another interesting scene is the comment Armstrong makes about how Olivia accepts Ricky's illegitimate family business...turns out, poor Ricky, that girls think he's boring...!
The Cover and Title
The cover is strong in its simplicity. A blurred background of grays with a close-up of three birds sitting on a bare tree branch. There is an info blurb at the top with the author's name immediately below it in black. The title is below this in gold with the information about this book being a collection from the Cainsville series, also in black.
The title is the signs of future events, the Portents warning of Arawn, Matilda, and Gwynn coming again, and the chance for change.
August 31, 2018
Rating: 3.5/5
Review to come!
Review to come!
February 17, 2019
All but one of these stories have previously appeared in other anthologies.
"Matagot" is the only new story and it was somewhat disappointing compared to Kelley Armstrong's other short stories in the world of Cainsville. (3 stars)
In "Devil May Care" we learn more about the legend of Mallt-y-Dydd (Matilda of the Day) vs. Mallt-y-Nos (Matilda of the Night) from Patrick's perspective. (5 stars)
"The Lady of the Lake" is a playful tale of Liv and Ricky on a vacation in Canada, with text messages or telephonic suggestions from Gabriel regarding problems they encounter. (5 stars)
"Matagot" is the only new story and it was somewhat disappointing compared to Kelley Armstrong's other short stories in the world of Cainsville. (3 stars)
In "Devil May Care" we learn more about the legend of Mallt-y-Dydd (Matilda of the Day) vs. Mallt-y-Nos (Matilda of the Night) from Patrick's perspective. (5 stars)
"The Lady of the Lake" is a playful tale of Liv and Ricky on a vacation in Canada, with text messages or telephonic suggestions from Gabriel regarding problems they encounter. (5 stars)
February 8, 2019
Short stories of Cainsville. I enjoyed them. They expanded on some of the characters in the series. It's a quick read. If you read the Cainsville Series and liked it, I think you would enjoy this book of short stories. Happy Reading ☺
June 6, 2022
All solid short stories. Of course my favorite was the one of Gabriel as a child.
March 11, 2019
I always love visiting Cainsville. This collection of stories gives some insight into Patrick's past and how Gabriel was raised. My favorite was the story about TC. We finally know the cat's story.
March 31, 2020
Oh I want more of this series!
Read
October 30, 2019I enjoyed seeing how all the short stories related to the Cainsville series, and showed other aspects of some of the characters in Cainsville.
April 9, 2019
Was great to dive back into Cainsville and get sole insight into different things. Kelley created a world that just keeps getting better
January 19, 2020
Short or long, Kelley Armstrong hooks me from the first sentance to the last!
December 12, 2019
Excellent collection of Short stories from Armstrong’s Cainsville series. The stories fill in some gaps and entertains.
June 13, 2019
Several short stories, including the 3 found in "The Orange Cat and Other Ciansville Tales, from the Cainsville series are found in this book.
July 9, 2018
Great collection of Cainsville novellas. Most were published previously, definitely one new one in this collection. You have to have read the books for these stories to make complete sense, to know the relationships of the major players and characters of the past.
April 30, 2019
Loved this collection!
June 13, 2023
I love how Kelly Armstrong adds short stories and novellas to her series. Despite loving her Women of the Otherworld, I was hesitant to try her Cainsville series when it first came out. I changed my mind after reading three Cainsville stories in her anthology, Led Astray.
Now after reading the five-book Cainsville series, I'm getting to all the extras, this collection, Portents, and then three more novellas.
The first three stories in Portents are the three I read previously. While I often skip the stories that I've already read in anthologies, I eagerly re-read these looking for new connections after reading the series.
The Screams of Dragons, was as dark and fascinating as the first time, but didn't gain much from the series. The next two, Devil May Care and Gabriel's Gargoyle feature main characters in lead roles so connect much more to the larger story. I understood Devil May Care more after reading the series while Gabriel's Gargoyles evoked a stronger emotional connection.
The remaining four stories were new to me and overall disappointing. The Orange Cat was the best, but very weird with just a hint of the mythology. Bad Publicity gave some more insight into Patrick and his writing career, but otherwise fell flat. Matagot shares the perspective of Liv's cat, which could have been more interesting if it revealed more. Lady of the Lake had a great plot mythology-wise, but too much of the story was Liv and Ricky's foreplay.
Now after reading the five-book Cainsville series, I'm getting to all the extras, this collection, Portents, and then three more novellas.
The first three stories in Portents are the three I read previously. While I often skip the stories that I've already read in anthologies, I eagerly re-read these looking for new connections after reading the series.
The Screams of Dragons, was as dark and fascinating as the first time, but didn't gain much from the series. The next two, Devil May Care and Gabriel's Gargoyle feature main characters in lead roles so connect much more to the larger story. I understood Devil May Care more after reading the series while Gabriel's Gargoyles evoked a stronger emotional connection.
The remaining four stories were new to me and overall disappointing. The Orange Cat was the best, but very weird with just a hint of the mythology. Bad Publicity gave some more insight into Patrick and his writing career, but otherwise fell flat. Matagot shares the perspective of Liv's cat, which could have been more interesting if it revealed more. Lady of the Lake had a great plot mythology-wise, but too much of the story was Liv and Ricky's foreplay.
August 4, 2018
FanFreakingTastic
This collection of Cainsville short stories not only enhance the series, it expands the back stories of some of the major characters, very minor ones and Cainsville. In Armstrong's series not only are people characters, but so is the town, it isn't just a backdrop where the action happens, it is a place of love, heartache, trials, tribulation, sorrow and joy it is home. I normally don't give short story collections five stars but these shorts are better than most full length novels. Patrick's short is one that will turn any readers perception of this bocàn. Wow! They are in fact all WOW worthy.
I would love a book about Patrick, okay to be honest I think Cainsville could have gone on, as the town has so many stories to tell. You truly can't find a more unique town unless it's Armstrong's Rockton.
Just buy the book, even new readers will enjoy the stories, as Armstrong is a powerful story teller and knows how to write to clue even newbies in.
This collection of Cainsville short stories not only enhance the series, it expands the back stories of some of the major characters, very minor ones and Cainsville. In Armstrong's series not only are people characters, but so is the town, it isn't just a backdrop where the action happens, it is a place of love, heartache, trials, tribulation, sorrow and joy it is home. I normally don't give short story collections five stars but these shorts are better than most full length novels. Patrick's short is one that will turn any readers perception of this bocàn. Wow! They are in fact all WOW worthy.
I would love a book about Patrick, okay to be honest I think Cainsville could have gone on, as the town has so many stories to tell. You truly can't find a more unique town unless it's Armstrong's Rockton.
Just buy the book, even new readers will enjoy the stories, as Armstrong is a powerful story teller and knows how to write to clue even newbies in.
April 15, 2020
This book helped clicked details into place that I seemed to have missed when I last read the series. Picking up this book makes me want to reread the series again; it's been awhile. It's crazy that no matter how much time passes, you can still easily dive back into their story like it's no problem.
August 26, 2018
Always fun to read the small novellas and short stories!
December 14, 2019
I started out listening to this collection on Audible and did enjoy it there, despite the male narrators - I often find I have trouble with those, I don't know why. Think it is how high piched they often make women sound - but when I came to the last story in the collection, I couldn't deal with the female narrator, ironically! So I ended up buying the collection on kindle and wait until i was able to read the last story there.
THE SCREAM OF DRAGONS
Not really sure what to think of this one. It was ok, but I kept being annoyed at the paranoia. Probably because the MC was a boy, in which case, the paranoia seemed like entitledment.
Probably the point.
2/5
DEVIL MAY CARE
I respect K. A. a lot more after this story about how Gabriel's parents met. It was a bit long and round-about, but I'm glad she tackled the author-stereotype well, as well as male-rape.
4/5
GABRIEL'S GARGOILS
This was a re-read for me, and I did enjoy it a lot more now that I knew the world and the characters. I liked seeing this side of Gabriel, as well as his dynamic with Patric and Rose.
Also, cute story.
I wish we'd get to see his gargoil, though
4.5/5
BAD PUBLICITY
This was a fun one. I like Patrick as an MC, and I also liked seeing how hos role in... Stuff... Affects his everyday life
4/5
THE ORANGE CAT
This was a fun one. Not only did I enjoy Gabriel as the POV and the way he views the world, but I also really much liked the story. Would love to see the cat again in a later story, just as a easteregg.
5/5
MATAGOT
I liked this story about TC. That we get to know what he is and why he does what he does. As well as getting to see a new side of Grace - if we didn't read between the lines before.
I do get so angry at the original boys, tho. Seriously, talk about entitlement.
4.5/5
LADY OF THE LAKE
A story about Ricky and Liv's adventures set just after book 3 in the series. It was an interesting story, with an interesting mystery. I'm curious what happened with the puppy, though.
I also had some questions regarding Liv's visions. I didn't get the idea that she actually disappears when she gets a vision before. Especially not considering in one scene, she's actually watching Gabriel try to reach her (in one of the other books) so that was kind of weird.
It was also weird actually reading this story. I will admit that I think the narrators are pretty good and would love to listen to the audiobooks, but they aren't available here, so... *shrug*
4/5
-------------------------------------------
As always with this author, the writing and characters are good, and most of the stories were good as well, but it still only gets 3/5 stars, as I don't think I'll ever return to read any of these stories in the future.
THE SCREAM OF DRAGONS
Not really sure what to think of this one. It was ok, but I kept being annoyed at the paranoia. Probably because the MC was a boy, in which case, the paranoia seemed like entitledment.
Probably the point.
2/5
DEVIL MAY CARE
I respect K. A. a lot more after this story about how Gabriel's parents met. It was a bit long and round-about, but I'm glad she tackled the author-stereotype well, as well as male-rape.
4/5
GABRIEL'S GARGOILS
This was a re-read for me, and I did enjoy it a lot more now that I knew the world and the characters. I liked seeing this side of Gabriel, as well as his dynamic with Patric and Rose.
Also, cute story.
I wish we'd get to see his gargoil, though
4.5/5
BAD PUBLICITY
This was a fun one. I like Patrick as an MC, and I also liked seeing how hos role in... Stuff... Affects his everyday life
4/5
THE ORANGE CAT
This was a fun one. Not only did I enjoy Gabriel as the POV and the way he views the world, but I also really much liked the story. Would love to see the cat again in a later story, just as a easteregg.
5/5
MATAGOT
I liked this story about TC. That we get to know what he is and why he does what he does. As well as getting to see a new side of Grace - if we didn't read between the lines before.
I do get so angry at the original boys, tho. Seriously, talk about entitlement.
4.5/5
LADY OF THE LAKE
A story about Ricky and Liv's adventures set just after book 3 in the series. It was an interesting story, with an interesting mystery. I'm curious what happened with the puppy, though.
I also had some questions regarding Liv's visions. I didn't get the idea that she actually disappears when she gets a vision before. Especially not considering in one scene, she's actually watching Gabriel try to reach her (in one of the other books) so that was kind of weird.
It was also weird actually reading this story. I will admit that I think the narrators are pretty good and would love to listen to the audiobooks, but they aren't available here, so... *shrug*
4/5
-------------------------------------------
As always with this author, the writing and characters are good, and most of the stories were good as well, but it still only gets 3/5 stars, as I don't think I'll ever return to read any of these stories in the future.
September 5, 2024
Portents should probably be read after you’ve read the main Cainsville series as it does contain story spoilers. Probably best to add it in, as I did, chronologically on a reread. Or just enjoy the stories on their own. I can’t tell you what to do.
So here we run into another problem I, personally, have with anthologies: stories published in multiple books. I purchased Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong for my Women of the Otherworld read through two years ago. I was initially pleased to encounter a few of the stories I would need to complete a Cainsville read through. This year, I purchased Portents and… the first three stories were the ones in Led Astray. Not really a giant deal, as I’ve got more to read anyway, but I’m still annoyed about it.
I read everything in Portents except the Lost Souls excerpt, because I believe Lost Souls is the next book in my chronological read-through anyway.
"The Screams of Dragons": I was not expecting that to be as seriously dark as it was. Just… wow. Even after the child abuse from Bobby’s grandmother, I was not expecting… wow. This was very well done.
"Devil May Care": I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Not entirely sure I needed Patrick’s side of Gabriel’s backstory, though I do like Patrick as a character. Also, this one is definitely one to read after reading the main Cainsville series, as Patrick’s role in things is a mystery to Olivia and Gabriel.
"Gabriel’s Gargoyles": Cute, if also somewhat maudlin. Gabriel’s childhood was not the best. I was not expecting a cute Gabriel story, to be honest.
“Bad Publicity”: Exciting. Now my interest is more piqued about how useful “Gwynn” is outside of Cainsville and the purpose he has there.
"The Orange Cat": I really liked the way this was told. Felt noir-ish to me. Also, gotta love a determined cat.
"Matagot": Eh, it was alright. Another little piece to the puzzle I’m not sure really needed to be there… does explain a bit about TC and how he got stuck in the Carew House, but… also included another retelling of the Matilda thing, so that was less interesting.
"Lady of the Lake": This was interesting. I feel like Liv and Ricky are a little too comfy casually discussing the Fae stuff for when this is timeline-wise. However, it was actually fun to get the pair of them without any drama involved. The mystery here was also well done. I, too, was fooled by the puppy. Not sure where it was going after that, but I was definitely fooled.
So here we run into another problem I, personally, have with anthologies: stories published in multiple books. I purchased Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong for my Women of the Otherworld read through two years ago. I was initially pleased to encounter a few of the stories I would need to complete a Cainsville read through. This year, I purchased Portents and… the first three stories were the ones in Led Astray. Not really a giant deal, as I’ve got more to read anyway, but I’m still annoyed about it.
I read everything in Portents except the Lost Souls excerpt, because I believe Lost Souls is the next book in my chronological read-through anyway.
"The Screams of Dragons": I was not expecting that to be as seriously dark as it was. Just… wow. Even after the child abuse from Bobby’s grandmother, I was not expecting… wow. This was very well done.
"Devil May Care": I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Not entirely sure I needed Patrick’s side of Gabriel’s backstory, though I do like Patrick as a character. Also, this one is definitely one to read after reading the main Cainsville series, as Patrick’s role in things is a mystery to Olivia and Gabriel.
"Gabriel’s Gargoyles": Cute, if also somewhat maudlin. Gabriel’s childhood was not the best. I was not expecting a cute Gabriel story, to be honest.
“Bad Publicity”: Exciting. Now my interest is more piqued about how useful “Gwynn” is outside of Cainsville and the purpose he has there.
"The Orange Cat": I really liked the way this was told. Felt noir-ish to me. Also, gotta love a determined cat.
"Matagot": Eh, it was alright. Another little piece to the puzzle I’m not sure really needed to be there… does explain a bit about TC and how he got stuck in the Carew House, but… also included another retelling of the Matilda thing, so that was less interesting.
"Lady of the Lake": This was interesting. I feel like Liv and Ricky are a little too comfy casually discussing the Fae stuff for when this is timeline-wise. However, it was actually fun to get the pair of them without any drama involved. The mystery here was also well done. I, too, was fooled by the puppy. Not sure where it was going after that, but I was definitely fooled.
January 23, 2021
Review first published on My Blog.
A collection of several short stories and novellas set in the Cainsville universe. Most have been published before but are now gathered in one place. I enjoyed dipping back into the universe even if I had read many of them before.
"Scream of Dragons" was originally published in Subterranean Press Magazine. I hadn't read it before and it was seriously creepy. It takes place when Rose is a teen and Seanna is a toddler and shows what can go wrong when the fae blood mixes badly and the child is taken away from Cainsville.
I know I've read "Devil May Care" before but can't remember if it was an extra at the back of a book or something else. It is the story of how Patrick and Seanna got together just long enough to produce Gabriel. Shows just how broken Seanna always was and doesn't do Patrick any favors either.
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" shows Gabriel about 10 years old already having figured out how to navigate his mother and ready to con and pickpocket and it's heartbreaking to see how broken he is because of Seanna.
"The Black Cat" is Gabriel's take on Poe's "The Orange Cat" and "Bad Publicity" is a Patrick prequel that again doesn't show him in the best light. Both were originally preorders for Betrayals.
"Matagot" is a new story and reveals more about TC's true nature and what happened during his kidnapping in Visions. It was interesting as it also reveals more about the start of the Matilda, Gwyn, and Arwen legends.
"Lady of the Lake" was another Betrayals preorder bonus but I don't remember having read it before. It takes place during Olivia and Ricky's vacation when they find a haunted lake.
I do hope that Ms. Armstrong continues to play in this universe from time to time as I do enjoy getting to go back with new stories.
A collection of several short stories and novellas set in the Cainsville universe. Most have been published before but are now gathered in one place. I enjoyed dipping back into the universe even if I had read many of them before.
"Scream of Dragons" was originally published in Subterranean Press Magazine. I hadn't read it before and it was seriously creepy. It takes place when Rose is a teen and Seanna is a toddler and shows what can go wrong when the fae blood mixes badly and the child is taken away from Cainsville.
I know I've read "Devil May Care" before but can't remember if it was an extra at the back of a book or something else. It is the story of how Patrick and Seanna got together just long enough to produce Gabriel. Shows just how broken Seanna always was and doesn't do Patrick any favors either.
"Gabriel's Gargoyles" shows Gabriel about 10 years old already having figured out how to navigate his mother and ready to con and pickpocket and it's heartbreaking to see how broken he is because of Seanna.
"The Black Cat" is Gabriel's take on Poe's "The Orange Cat" and "Bad Publicity" is a Patrick prequel that again doesn't show him in the best light. Both were originally preorders for Betrayals.
"Matagot" is a new story and reveals more about TC's true nature and what happened during his kidnapping in Visions. It was interesting as it also reveals more about the start of the Matilda, Gwyn, and Arwen legends.
"Lady of the Lake" was another Betrayals preorder bonus but I don't remember having read it before. It takes place during Olivia and Ricky's vacation when they find a haunted lake.
I do hope that Ms. Armstrong continues to play in this universe from time to time as I do enjoy getting to go back with new stories.
September 20, 2018
This is a collection of stories from the Cainsville universe. Some of these stories have appeared before in other anthologies. What I enjoyed the most was being able to delve deeper into some of the characters from the series. To be able to see events from a different perspective or to get a story from an event that was mentioned in a book but didn't get much air time. This book is well worth reading for those who enjoyed the series and are not yet ready to say goodbye to the characters. I have to say that the two sneak peeks at additional novellas at the end left me wanting more! Can't wait to see another collection and to revisit Cainsville.
February 7, 2021
My favorite of these Cainsville short stories was Lady of the Lake. I wish I'd read it sooner as it provided some additional details about Olivia and Ricky's relationship. There was an excerpt of another short story, Lost Souls, that seems to immediately follow in the timeline so I'm hoping to find a copy soon.
Devil May Care concentrated on Patrick and how he became involved in Gabriel's life. It changed some of my feelings regarding his motivations. Gabriel's Gargoyles was also fun as it was additional background for details l remembered from the series.
These additional novellas are softening my disappointment with the final book of the series.
Devil May Care concentrated on Patrick and how he became involved in Gabriel's life. It changed some of my feelings regarding his motivations. Gabriel's Gargoyles was also fun as it was additional background for details l remembered from the series.
These additional novellas are softening my disappointment with the final book of the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews