Summer's Coven (Book Two: The Ghosts of Minera Springs) - Ebook

I was really excited to read this book after loving the first in the series. I personally think you don't NEED to read the first to understand this book. BUT if you intend on reading both definitely don't read out of order or else the whole first book will be spoiled. This book focuses on Tobi and Riley after dealing with the events earlier and takes up right where book one left off. The town is just getting back into the swing of things when a new murder happens, except this one has freaky facts related to it and the crime scene is gruesome. When a murder exactly like the first happens the town gets paranoid and freaked out. This killer seems to be focused on young adult men and not girls and has a weird witch/ritual about them. All of a sudden Riley and Tobi find themselves in the middle of the crimes and are worried about how similar Riley is to the typical victim. I enjoyed book one better than this one for a few different reasons. ** spoilers below** While I found the suspense and thrill happening equally as interesting as book one it was hard for me to believe how the killer ended up where he was. At first I understood their targeted interest as being revenge for their mom's death, I also can believe them then being drawn into the kill after doing it one time, but where I lost belief is when he started acting like he was an actual witch (he felt more like a cult leader). I couldn't get behind him liking killing to then transitioning into being a witch killer, it would have made more sense to me if that was just a cover to fool law enforcement. I also was not a fan of how religious this book turned. I felt like the first book had the typical small town in the south vibe of believing and praying but didn't make that the sole focus. Here the whole chapter of Riley going to heaven didn't vibe well with me. I wanted to read more thriller and not a book about beliefs and how that will get you through hard times. It felt less realistic and a bit more spiritual of a book towards the end, which is not was I was going for.

This book picks up right on the heels of book 1,
Ghosts of Minera Springs. This little town is full of
so much history, mystery and intrigue. This book
takes place in 1991, and the characters and story
that Charles writes just pull you in. The MCs are
Tobi and Riley, best friends and sweethearts that
have a story that is ridiculously sweet. This book is
all about the brutal murders that have started
happening in town. Young men are being targeted
and killed in gruesome and cultish manners. What
happens when Riley is targeted? Will they catch
the killer before it's too late? If you love YA suspense, mystery novels then I highly recommend this series to you!

Summer’s Coven takes place soon after The Ghosts of Minera Springs where life is getting back to normal for Riley & Tobi. Until mutilated young men’s bodies start appearing. All the while Tobi finds herself play parent to her estranged mother. With everything going on, tall tales of witches being at the bottom of the lake and these boys bodies having symbols carved into them. Minera Springs finds themselves in another type of nightmare.

Summer’s Coven had suspense around every corner, broken families story lines, the most precious Maw & Paw one could ever ask for, an adorable young love story, murder mystery (my favorite) and a spooky witches rumor….or was it just a rumor…..

I do wish we could have had a little dialogue with Maw & Paw when Tobi showed up her mom and surprise baby sister. I felt it jumped from them barely pulling into the driveway to Tobi getting ready for the funeral to Maw and Paw snuggling with the baby with nothing in between, like reactions. I would have just liked to see a little more with that reunion.

From the moment Riley had his talk with Jerome Washington in the diner I knew he needed to connect with Mrs. MacFarland. So I was so happy when they did at the end. I really hope we get a little more storyline of theirs in the next book because they are just sweet souls and I don’t want them to be lonely anymore.

Overall a great story with a bit of everything to keep you entertained from beginning to end!

1st- Absolutely loved Summer's Coven!!

I really enjoyed The Ghost of Minera Springs, but Summer's Coven is my favorite! It picked up where book 1 left off in the little town of Minera Springs. However, this book took mystery and thriller to a whole new level. Plus, the character growth of both Riley and Tobi both together and as individuals was top notch.

Once again, just when you think Minera Springs is a quiet little town in Texas, some mysterious happenings occur. This time, young men are discovered murdered. Naturally, Riley and Tobi, along with some friends, get wrapped up in trying to solve the mysterious murders. This is when the story gets interesting. Who is killing these young men, and why? Does this connect with another local legend and events from the past, or is there something new causing trouble in their town. The story really takes off when Riley is asked to identify one of the murdered boys, and the dreams begin. The suspense just builds from this point on. I was actually kind of surprised when everything came out.

I enjoyed how more characters, new and old, had a more interactive role in the story. The veterans always heckling Riley at the diner, and Tobi continues to visit Mrs. MacFarland all added more dimensions to the story. Bree and Tobi's continued friendship and Kyle the dishwasher all added much more to the story.

Riley, Tobi, and Bree are all trying to work through their grief and past traumas from Book 1. They now deal with new life problems, with Tobi's mom returning with a baby, Riley's Grammy passing, and Bree having poor choices in boyfriends.

I do wish there was more interaction with Mae, Paw, Baby Vee, and Samantha after her return to the story. I'm sure that would have been interesting. It did not take away from the story though!!

I can't wait to read Book 3. If the first two books in the series are anything to go by, book 3 will be amazing. I can't wait to see where our favorite love birds story takes us and find out what else Minera Springs has in store. After reading these books it makes you want to live in this small town full of history and adventure.

After reading book 1 I fell in love with the characters and the town and reading book 2 just solidifies that love and adoration for Toby and Riley even Brew and especially Paw! Summers Coven keeps the mystery/thriller vibe of the 1st book with just enough love story to tie everything together and at the same time being its own amazing story.

It continues not long after the events in book 1 and everyone especially Toby are trying to work and move past the trauma caused by the events in book 1. Of course Riley is there every step of the way doing what he had promised to do since day 1, protect his angel. Only this time it's the handsome guys that are dropping dead all around town so it's Riley who needs protecting and Toby is up for the job I mean who wouldn't be he is the perfect southern book boyfriend anyone could ask for. The twists in events towards the end made my jaw drop when I read them. Anyone who loves a good love story with it being surrounded by mystery and thrills that keep you at the edge of your comfy reading chair will enjoy this book!