If you read my latest post, then you'll already know how busy March was for my family. There were competitions and practices and homework and sickness and everything in between! So while the month started off strong in the reading department, it kind of fizzled as my attention became and then stayed divided. That said, I have two really good books to share with you this month, a nice fantasy book, a book that had so much potential, and the start of a series I'm currently reading. Let's dive in!

Author: Sulari Gentill

We're starting with my one-woman-book-club pick, and can I just say WOW!  This murder mystery book kept me guessing until the very end! I did suspect the right killer pretty early on in the book but wasn't sure until the end.

Okay, so, this book is about a famous author who is writing her latest book, a murder mystery set in a library. She is sharing chapters of with a super fan who lives in the city she's based the book on and is giving her suggestions and insight on the places she's including. Then he starts sharing pictures of actual crime scenes, so the feds get involved. They convince the author to keep communicating and sharing chapters with her fan, who they believe is a serial killer.

If you like murder mysteries, read this book! If you like true crime docs, read this book!

The Lipstick Bureau

Author: Michelle Gable

I've read a lot of books set during World War II. It is, after all, when the greatest generation earned their title, and rightfully so. But this book was entirely different from others I've read in this time period. For one thing, it's told from the perspective of people who worked behind the scenes as part of the newly-formed OSS, which was the precursor to the CIA, and it focuses on the black propaganda created by the so-called Morale Operations unit that was stationed in Rome.

Niki is a newlywedded American citizen who escaped from her home country of Czechoslovakia just before it was taken over by the Nazis, leaving her parents and brother behind. She's recruited by the OSS because of her language skills but doesn't make it through spy training. She's assigned to Morale Operations where she is tasked with writing black propaganda targeted to Nazi troops. Her team, deemed the Lipstick Bureau, is sent to Rome after it's been liberated from Nazi control. While there, they create an underground Nazi magazine filled with false reports based on half-truths that they distribute behind enemy lines by any means possible. Their job is thankless and their success almost impossible to measure, but their work was an integral part of the Allies' success.

Little Fire

Author: Hollee Mands

Evangeline doesn't remember her past. Declan is haunted by his, especially the little girl whose death he believes is his fault. During an attack on Evangeline's village, the two end up in the demonic realm together. Through their journey to get back home, Declan and Evangeline grow closer, and Declan realizes that she is his mate. It's an impossible situation: Declan is an archmage blessed with immortality, and Evangeline is a commoner, or so they all think. Eventually Evangeline gets her memories back and discovers that she is most definitely not human. She is the last surviving member of the Seelie fae with a rare but coveted power, a power that the Unseelie king will do anything to control.

This was a pretty decent romantasy. There were some parts where I got a bit confused because of unclear details, but overall it was fairly easy to follow. There were some unanswered questions at the end of the book, which I assume will be resolved in the next one. This book is billed as being part of a duet but able to read as a standalone.

Author: Mary Ann Weir

Posy is the runt of her pack, kept locked away and abused by her father until a group of alphas comes to investigate and rescues her. This is going to sound bad, but I don't remember very much of this book. Posy has a lot of trauma, and it makes many appearances, which is understandable considering what she's lived through. Other than finding her mates and the insta-love (that's kinda cringey to be honest), I don't really know what the point of the book, or series, is. In case you haven't figured it out, I won't be continuing.

Lost and Forgotten (Silver Falls University book 1-2)

Author: M. Sinclair

Effie doesn't remember anything from before she was 13. That's when she was bitten by a wolf and taken in by the White Claw Pack. She spent her teens being abused and bullied by everyone in her pack, then mysteriously gets a full scholarship to the prestigious Silver Falls University. Once there, she realizes that the way she grew up wasn't normal and that there's a lot more to herself than she previously thought.

I really like M. Sinclair, especially her character development. I'm currently in book 3 of this series, and I honestly feel like not much has happened. I was hoping for a little more action, like in her other series. Don't get me wrong: this is good and I'm not putting it down. I just wish the pacing was a little faster. Right now, I feel like I'm getting a lot of inner thoughts and not much movement in the actual plot.