Spells and Oregano

Jumping into book two, Spells and Oregano, of The Spice Café Trilogy, Patricia V. Davis does a great job at drawing you in beyond the thriller mystery parts.  Davis makes her characters relatable with lines like,

“Reading…brought far away realms to her… above all reading did a better job… at quieting her devils for a time…she loved the tactile feel and even the smell of the book’s pages.”

I can immediately connect to this dependance on books to survive life’s sometime harsh realities.  In this book, Davis, touches on some of the hardest calamities that has her reader’s sympathizing with her characters.  She brings to light topics on mental health for Veterans, sibling rivalry, and alcoholism.  Then balances these adversities with elements of reconciliation and compassion.  If you read the first book, Cooking for Ghosts, you feel a little more connected to the characters as they continue to develop in this book.  That being said, I still think this book can be enjoyed all on its own.

This was my first audio book experience, and I was not sure how it would change my engagement in the story.  I found it quite enjoyable to just listen and let my eyes rest.  I was brought back to my own childhood, when we had books on record (lol), and you would hear a ding, so you knew when to turn the page.  It’s actually really nice to have someone read to you!  These days with time seeming to be the enemy, Libro.fm’s audiobooks have allowed me to squeeze more stories into my schedule.   I would recommend this book either on audiobook or hardcopy for anyone looking to escape into a little magic realism, romance, and mystery.   If only for a moment, you can experience the side stories of a “…couple reunited over slow cooked Kahlua pork,” or find inspiration in the overcoming of tragic misfortune with bold statements, like “I refuse to let it destroy my life,” then will you see the treasures intertwined within the pages of this book.