Books of the Month April 2022

As April ushered in the second quarter of the year it also provided our readers with plenty of great books to enjoy. Some readers took this opportunity to get started on the first novel of a long-running series while others opted for self-contained stories or bite-sized tales. To find out which ones our readers found to be the best in each category have a look at the books of the month for April 2022.

Best Romance

Killer Looks

by Tawna Fenske

 

Killer Looks is a suspense prequel novella for the Assassins in Love series by Tawna Fenske. It features Dante who plans on doing one last job as a favor to the Duke of Dovlana before putting his life as a hitman behind him. To assist him, Dante calls on his comrades Matteo and Sebastian “The Dentist” LaDouceur as they all have their own skills to take out threats. However, things do not go as planned and the three killers with a conscience have to choose between sticking together or saving themselves.

Best Mystery & Thriller

The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club

by Ann Warner

 

 

The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club by Ann Warner is the first novel in the series of the same name. The setting is Brookside Retirement Community where one of the residents, Josephine Bartlett, discovers that a lot more is going on than what meets the eye. From art theft to dodgy deals and naked poker, Josephine enlists the help of her friend Lil Fitzel to investigate. These two go on to befriend a young woman Josephine tries to prevent from making the same mistakes she has made. 

Best Children’s Novel

The Tent Mouse and the RV Mouse

by Loretta Sponsler

 

The Tent Mouse and the RV Mouse by Loretta Sponsler is a modern twist on Aesop’s fable, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. It is a children’s novel aimed at kids ages 3-6 and where adventure awaits the two outdoor-loving cousins. Thomas Tent-Moue and Harvey RV-Mouse. Thomas loves to camp in his tent where he feels connected to nature while Harvey prefers his RV where he feels safe. In addition to the easy-to-follow storyline and likable characters, the book is also filled with rich illustrations.

Best Young Adult

They Stay

by Claire Fraise

They Stay is the first book in the young adult supernatural thriller series of the same name by Claire Fraise. Shiloh Oleson is a headstrong teen whose world shatters when her beloved six-year-old brother goes missing and her abusive father gives up the search. Shiloh and her friends are frantic to uncover the truth of the disappearance but are not ready to believe in the paranormal when a weirdo classmate claims that a dead spirit told her of the missing boys' location. However, during their investigation of a similar disappearance, they uncover disturbing secrets about Shiloh’s family, the school, and a sinister force on her tail. 

Best Fantasy

Snowblind

by Anna Velfman

 

Snowblind by Anna Velfman is a fantasy novel with complex characters and dramatic intrigue. The protagonist, Lanna, wants nothing more than to find peace in a tiny village on the edge of the empire. However, after catching the attention of a noblewoman from the distant First City she is forced to travel to the palace at the heart of the empire. Here, she has to deal with court power games, a spiteful nemesis, and a fickle Emperor while making a decision that could change the fate of the whole empire.

Best Historical Fiction

Kissing The Enemy 

by Leighann Dobbs

 

Kissing The Enemy by Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams is the first book in the Scandals and Spies series. The story is set in London, 1806, where Fredrica “Freddie” Vale would do anything to protect her younger sister. This includes stealing a codebook from enemies of the British crown. Meanwhile, Tristan Graylocke is the duke’s younger brother reaping the benefits of diminished expectations. It is also what keeps anyone from suspecting him of espionage as he prepares to pass on the codebook. However, when Tristan spots an enemy spy in the crowd he has no idea whether she’s simply bad at her job or a master of deception. 

Best Horror

Nocturnal Nibbles

by Miranda Kate

 

Nocturnal Nibbles is an anthology of short, dark horror tales by Miranda Kate. These thirty bite-sized pieces of flash fiction contain everything from murder and revenge to penance, sacrifice, and supernatural scares. Each story is short enough for horror fans to chill themselves even if they don’t have the time for full-length tales.  

Best Literary Fiction

Murder on Tyneside

by Eileen Thornton

 

Murder on Tyneside is the first book in the Agnes Lockwood Mysteries by Eileen Thornton. Agnes Lockwood has recently been widowed and is catching up with her past by spending a few days on Tyneside in Northeast England. Here she rekindles her friendship with a friend from her schooldays, Alan Johnson, who is now working as a Chief Inspector. Alan is investigating the theft of expensive jewelry at the hotel, but after dinner with Agnes one evening the pair finds a body laying on the roadside. Alan warns Agnes to stay away from the case for her own safety, but she is too inquisitive to stay away.

Best Science Fiction

Galaxy Cruise: The Maiden Voyage

by Marcus Alexander Hart

 

Galaxy Cruise: The Maiden Voyage is the first book in the Galaxy cruise science fiction comedy series by Marcus Alexander Hart. Leo MacGavin used to be a second-rate lounge entertainer, but after inadvertently rescuing a flirty alien heiress, he’s promoted to captain of the galaxy’s most sophisticated cruise ship. However, Leo has to deal with a human-hating executive ordering him to complete the vessel’s maiden voyage unless he wants to see mankind’s last colony turned into a sewage dump. This is just the start of Leo’s problems, which also involve a militant cyborg, giant spider, and sentient beer stealing plant. 

Best Paranormal

Dark Descent

by Nicole R. Taylor

 

Dark Descent is the first book in The Arondight Codex by Nicole R. Taylor. It’s the story of a sassy London bartender, Scarlett Ravenwood, who is attacked and ends up becoming entangled with the mysterious man who saved her. Scarlett goes from being a nobody with zero future to learning that she’s not quite human. Instead, she is actually a demon hunting mage with powers unlike anything in the supernatural world, but to protect humanity she must leave behind everything she’s ever known or risk losing her soul forever. 

Best Non-Fiction

How to Read People Like a Book

by Ian Tuhovsky

How to Read People Like a Book by Ian Tuhovsky is a guide to accurately reading intentions, body language thoughts, and emotions. It helps readers discover to read between the lines and see the bigger picture, remove their bias and read people more accurately and the science of how people’s personalities work. With this book, there's no reason to be left guessing about what is going on in someone else’s mind.