Colleen’s Kindle: September 2022 Reads, @FineAngeline, @maeclair1, @stacitroilo

I’ve been exploring the Kindle Unlimited offers on Amazon, and I’ve been happy with everything I’ve found. This has become an affordable way for me to feed my voracious book reading habit. For book reviewers like me, this is also 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 reading this month! ❤

Click on the images to visit the listings on Amazon.com.

My Recommendation:

From Mark W. Sasse comes the touching and heartfelt story of nine-year-old Roberta, who must come to grips with the fact that her father has been killed during WWII. When the two uniformed men knock on their door on Christmas Eve 1944, it forever changes her life.

Before her father left, he told the young girl he had to cross the water far away to help fight for their country. Now crippled by grief, Roberta believes that if she can cross the large lake by their house, she will find her father and learn the truth about what happened to him.

The story follows Roberta’s life that first year after losing her father up to the anniversary of his death. She has a lot of growing up to do and she makes plenty of mistakes. When her mother becomes romantically involved with one of her father’s friends, Roberta learns the true meaning of family.

This is a wonderful story to read together as a family during the month of December. Young and old alike will connect with Roberta as she copes with her grief. There is a lovely epilogue that adds more depth to the storyline. If you love Christmas stories, this book will find a place in your heart. This book releases October 1, 2022. Pre-Order HERE. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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#1 Best Seller in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Substance Abuse

My Recommendation:

Meet Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine from the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan. She’s always had a hard time fitting in with the two genetic parts of her world—being white and Ojibwe, while still trying to make these parts work for her. Her dream is to start over in college, but misfortune strikes, and Daunis stays to look after her mother. The one decent thing in her life is meeting Jamie, the newest recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

Before long, Daunis falls hard for Jamie. When Daunis’ best friend is murdered, she witnesses the horrifying event. The mystery unfolds as Jamie draws her into an FBI investigation featuring a lethal new drug.

Daunis agrees to go undercover as a confidential informant. She uses her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But be prepared. Daunis’ search for the truth is worse than ever imagined.

As the death count of her friends continues to grow, Daunis learns what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman). She learns how far she’ll go for her community, even if it means losing everything dear to her.

I could not put this book down… they list the book as “young adult,” but it pushes the limits of the genre. There’s sex and plenty of drug references that could act as triggers. Daunis is also a victim of a vicious sexual assault. But… this is life now. It’s a tough look at life on and off the reservation. It shocked me that this activity happens in my state of Michigan every day! However, it’s not just happening in my state. It’s a real wakeup call!

What also made this book shine was the sharing of Anishinaabe cultural elements such as the Seven Grandfather Teachings, the sacred fire following death, the profound connections to the land, their sacred ceremonies, and the love for their Elders. This author grabbed all the good and bad cultural elements and wove them into a story you’ll never forget. I couldn’t get enough.

This is an excellent debut novel written by a Native American writer, Angeline Boulley.
By the way, the names and places are accurate, as well as the tribal names. Knowing these facts made the story come alive for me. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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My Recommendation:

I’m fascinated with dual timeline novels. The Haunting of Chatham Hollow is a paranormal ghost story which takes place in two time periods, 1888 and 2022. Ward Chatham, the man who founded Chatham Hollow, is a shallow man possessed by greed. So much so, he places a curse on the gold he’s hidden in his home. The book begins with his death.

In 1888, we meet Victor, a genuine medium that doesn’t use his talents to the fullest. He often fakes it to save his own soul from what lies beyond the veil. One night, he attends a seance run by another medium. Benedict and his unusual sidekick are grifters searching for the Chatham gold. However, they’re good entertainers, not genuine mediums. During the seance, a vengeful spirit crosses the Veil at Benedict’s request.

The 1888 seance traverses time and affects what happens in 2022. Now meet Aiden, a journalist who disagrees with the town’s decision to invite a popular ghost show to film a reenactment of the seance. The town sold tickets to the event! He’s disgusted by the entire situation.

But Aiden has his own issues. He claims he doesn’t believe in ghosts, but in reality, he possesses certain talents of his own. His grandmother pushes him to embrace these gifts. Is Aiden ready to claim his true inheritance? Will events from the past come back to haunt Chatham Hollow?

I’m a huge fan of both authors, Mae Clair and Staci Troilo, so I was excited to see what the two would come up with. The authors split up the writing, each taking a specific time frame. We know Mae Claire for her paranormal novels, and Staci Troilo for her contemporary romances. Each author’s writing style blended perfectly in this novel.

The book is long, around 500 pages. Yet every day, I couldn’t wait to dive back into the book. There were plenty of twists in this story! Along with the mystery, there’s a clever riddle to solve. If you think you have the story figured out, think again! This was an excellent read! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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