Colleen’s Kindle: March 2022 Reads, Alex Craigie, @SarahMallery1, @FranchH45083335, @Virgilante

I’ve been exploring the Kindle Unlimited offers on Amazon, and I’ve not been disappointed! This has become an affordable way for me to feed my voracious book reading habit. For book reviewers like me, this is an excellent way to read books. It’s also a great way for authors to up their readership and still get compensated for the read. If you have your book available through Kindle Unlimited… thank you! Now, let me introduce you to some novels I absolutely loved! ❤

March went by in a flash! There were so many things happening this month, I don’t know how I got through it all… but here I am! I even found time to read every night before bed! I read some excellent books this month. Wait until you hear…

Eighteen months ago, Gwen Meredith left the job she loved and came back to Pembrokeshire to help support her irritable and increasingly confused grandmother.

But someone is pursuing a vendetta against her.

As the attacks become more malicious, her old anxieties begin to build.

She’s attracted to her new neighbour who is keen to help…but can she trust him?

When those closest to her are threatened, her desperation mounts.

Who can she trust?

Gwen has a dark secret of her own.

Can she even trust herself?

Amazon.com

My Recommendation:

Gwen moves back to Pembrokeshire to care for her elderly grandmother who shows signs of early dementia. For Gwen, being a part-time caregiver is difficult, and her grandmother is especially taxing. Add to this stew of problems a guilt-ridden memory of a childhood tragedy and you understand the pressure Gwen is up against.

Besides caring for her grandmother, Gwen also works in the local school, which is a hotbed for gossip. One morning, she discovers someone spray painted obscene language on her car. The tension builds. Who could have done something so vile, and why? When the strange drawings appear, Gwen knows she’s up against an unknown evil.

There’s plenty of help from her family, friends, and neighbors. But Gwen can’t help wondering if one of them isn’t behind the strange occurrences. The police don’t seem to be much help, which increases the tension even more.

I could not put this book down. The tension builds in a slow arc, mimicking Gwen’s confusion and worries about her own mental health. Nothing is as it seems in this mystery, so if you think you have it figured out, you probably don’t! I never figured it out until the very end, when all was revealed.

Alex Cragie is a new author for me and I can’t wait to read more of her books. If you love mysteries that ramp up the tension, you will love “Means to Deceive.”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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HIDDEN SPELLS: Book #2 of the Award Winning Witch/Mystery Series

Picking up seven years later, this second witch book features the feisty, middle sister, Carly Good. Tough on the outside, vulnerable on the inside, she’s determined to not only prove her magical prowess to her family and the world, she also has worked hard to forget how her ex-boyfriend, Josh, had inexplicably left her so long ago––without a trace.

But in a flash, things are flipped upside down. Suddenly, Josh is now back in town, having written an article about a fifty-year-old missing person case. And if that weren’t enough, a murdered woman’s body has just been found, rocking the little community of Wheelton Connecticut and causing everyone to wonder: How can two such different, separate cases cause so much havoc?

But are they really different cases? And will Josh and Carly get back together?

#Magic, #Romance #MurderMystery, #Time Travel, #CockatooHumor

Amazon.com

My Recommendation:

Carly Good would do anything to improve her spell work. She’s never been good with spells, but now she is determined to prove her spell mastery to her coven. So she sets to work with the attitude that practice makes perfect. Before long, Carley is shocked to learn her spells actually work!

However, seven years ago, Carly’s ex-boyfriend Josh left her without a word. Suddenly, he reappears in town. With the discovery of a woman’s body, Carley struggles to understand why Josh wrote a book about a missing person case from fifty years ago. And how are the dead woman and the cold case related? And what about Josh? Did he come back to her for good this time?

This is a delightfully lighthearted mystery filled with witchy goodness. Not every witch has to be bad, you know. Another fun character to watch for is Joselyn, the cockatoo. She adds a bit of laughter to the family. This cozy mystery kept me wondering who did it, right up to the end! I look forward to more stories featuring the Good clan.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This is a book of original poetry and quotes by the author.

Amazon.com

My Recommendation:

This is a small book of poems and personalized quotes that are filled with poetic wisdom. I love the rich imagery of her descriptions. She talks of “autumn leaves, the color of marmalade, and the beauty of crystal snowflakes.” After each poem, the author shares her personal thoughts. These quotes give the reader a glimpse into the author’s personality. You will like what you read!

We know Franci Hoffman as Eugi from Eugi’s Causerie.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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A free poetry book to celebrate National Poetry Day 2015 with poems on the theme of light from Deborah Alma, Brian Moses, Chrissie Gittins, Liz Brownlee, Michaela Morgan, Jan Dean, Paul Cookson, Roger Stevens, Joseph Cohelo, Indigo Williams and Sally Crabtree.

National Poetry Day is a mass celebration, a special day on which all are invited to discover and share the enjoyment of poems. It’s a chance to let language off the leash and to relish the sounds that words can make when they are spoken with delight.

We hope that the poems in this book – all inspired by this year’s National Poetry Day theme of light – will kindle an enthusiasm for poetry that continues to grow long after the day itself, Thursday 8 October 2015, has passed.

Amazon.com

My Recommendation:

I stumbled across this book while doing some research for a future book. The introduction in the book states, “The poems here are the work of the National Poetry Day ambassadors—twelve extraordinary poets who spend their lives thinking of fresh ways to make words resonate.”

I enjoyed the free verse and free style poetry, all written using the theme of light. The poets each had a section dedicated to them which explained their thoughts on poetic inspiration, including their favorite poem written by someone else. I found the poetry writing tips to be helpful. This was a lovely read, and the book is free. If you’re looking for some poetic inspiration and enjoyment, have a read!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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Someone is murdering members of the local witch’s coven. They turn to Lizzie and the hat for their unique skills that might help eliminate the killers.

A religious zealot might be a monster, but is still a human being. This task isn’t the same as staking vampires or shooting zombies. It isn’t the usual project Lizzie takes on for her night work.

This all takes place during a recovery period for Lizzie. She needs to keep her cover band together and find a new way of getting them gigs. More bands and less venues are making finances tight. The hat didn’t make things easier during her absence, by spreading rumors about why she took her sabbatical.

Someone killing others over a point of view insults Lizzie’s sensibilities. She has secrets to keep. Her employers have secrets, too. It doesn’t make for a comfortable working environment, but she agrees to do what she can.

Convincing her strong willed employers to stay indoors during all this poses another problem. Can she keep them alive long enough to finish her task?

Good Liniment is full of magic, magical creatures, and an entire underground community living amongst us.

The Hat Series consists of short novels that can be read in a single afternoon. They’re full of snarky, dark humor and can be easily read out of order.

Amazon.com

My Recommendation:

I’ve been waiting for years for this author to introduce witches into his repertoire of magical beings… and I’m so glad he did. He does not disappoint! This is the fifth book in The Hat series and it is my favorite.

After Lunar Boogie, book four, Lizzie and the Hat get back together again to come to the aid of a coven of witches. There’s a religious zealot killer on the loose, and the coven wants this person brought to justice… witch justice, that is!

The new characters are some fascinating witch-folk, along with an elemental being that ends up as a star in her own right. Cyrus Yoder and his apprentice, Dash, are gifted witches who work with ambergris, found in the bellies of bog-trogs, members of the troglodyte family. I hope to see more of these characters in future novels. They are a totally different representation of witches, finally.

I also loved the name for non-witches—mundanes, which is a throwback to “muggles” of Harry Potter fame. Watch for the antics of Noodles, an otherworldly creature. I’m always amazed at this author’s creativity and I know you will be too!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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