Finding Charli (Lake Scugog Mysteries) Book 4

by Maighread MacKay

In life, Charli’s grandma was her rock. Her safe harbour. After Martha’s murder, she is left grieving and angry. Her world turned upside down. The family is pressuring her to ‘get over it’ and continue Martha's legacy of preparing salves for their animals. Also, Ben, her boyfriend, is bullying her to marry him! It’s all just too much. Driving home in a blinding blizzard she stumbles across a quaint inn with equally eccentric inhabitants. Sharing their wisdom and insights, Charli has an epiphany about life, her future, and where she goes from here. Returning to the ranch and family, will she have the courage to take charge of her destiny, or will the pressures of life make her crumble?

If you like a fascinating tale filled with complex emotional intrigue and mysterious magical influences, this book is for you. With elements of high fantasy, romance and magical realism interwoven seamlessly with thought-provoking feel-good philosophy, you’re sure to enjoy MacKay’s latest novel.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2023

About the author

Maighread MacKay is a Canadian Author and member of the WCDR (Writers’ Community of Durham Region), and the Visionary Fiction Alliance (VFA). Her novels are set in Ontario, Canada . She loves life and to explore its meaning through nature, art, animals and listening to stories. Her genre is Visionary Fiction which is described as follows: Visionary Fiction is a literary style that weaves threads of fantasy into a depiction of everyday life. Its heroes aren’t fairies or sorcerers, they’re ordinary people — whose lives happen to butt up against the extraordinary.
Besides telling a good story, the genre enlightens and encourages readers to expand their awareness of greater possibilities. It helps them see the world in a new light and recognize dimensions of reality commonly ignored.
Embracing spiritual and esoteric wisdom, the story makes VF relevant for our modern life. Gems of this spiritual wisdom are brought forth in story form so that readers can experience the wisdom from within themselves. The story oftentimes uses reincarnation, dreams, visions, paranormal events, psychic abilities, and other metaphysical plot devices

Reviews

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

5☆☆☆☆
Finding Charli is a wonderful book full of fantasy, magic, and a little romance. Beautifully written and loveable characters. After an accident, Charli has to find out who she is and what she wants in life. Not what everyone else wants. Join Charli and her friends at the Inn for a magical ride..

No, there is no such thing as too much love..

[Lindsey's Literary Leanings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginitive, Intriguing, Charming
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Fantasy
'Finding Charli': Book Four Of 'The Lake Scugog Mysteries' by Maighread Mackay
👱‍♀️🐕‍🦺👧
Charli had so many thoughts and questions bombarding her brain, and she had really needed to meet with Ben to discuss the fight they'd had that morning and possibilities for the future, together or apart. She'd waited for him for an hour but he hadn't shown, she'd left the shop and battled her way to her vehicle, only for Ben to appear in the passenger side of the Jeep, apparently now ready to talk. But having discussed what was on her mind with Rhys, rather than her boyfriend as she had originally intended, she wasn't now in the mood for a repeat performance, particular when she suspected she was likely to get less helpful feedback. Also, the weather was really setting in and she needed to get home whilst she could.
Meanwhile, back in 'Granny's Kitchen', Rhys was now listening to Ben recount both recent altercations with Charli. He tried to call her to ask if they could meet but she wasn't picking up. He then decides to drive to the ranch and try to locate her. Will Ben find his girlfriend....and what does divine intervention have in store for Charli?
This has been a very enjoyable series to read and it has been lovely to follow so many different characters on their respective journeys. Book four, once again changes direction and focuses on the Bancroft family (who were introduced in Book two), particularly one individual. Although Martha played a part in Book Three, we hadn't heard from the rest of the family, and as Charli wasn't greatly featured in Book two, it was good to know how her life had progressed since the departure of her beloved and feisty grandmother. In fact this book re-visits a number of her family members. We are introduced to Ben, Charli's boyfriend, a seemingly very single minded person when it comes to what he wants, and is very intent on getting his own way. We also meet Charli's friend Rhys. I would like to be friends with Rhys. She drops everything when Charli needs her, and is very happy to lend an ear, for her best friend even when she is working. Either she owns 'Granny's Kitchen,' or has an extremely understanding employer! 👱‍♀️👩🏼‍🦰
The other characters, the reader is lead to believe, may have been conjured up by Charli's subconcious, or as Ben believes as a result of concussion. However, when the mystical world becomes intertwined with the real one, both Ben and Rhys are forced to suppose that Charlie could be telling the truth.🐕‍🦺🐈‍⬛
For me, the Author's imaginitive and cosy cast of fantastical beings, together with the 'other worlds' in which Charli finds herself, give the narrative an 'It's A Wonderful Life' vs every animated and make-believe tale you can think of, kind of feel. The appearance of the characters were fun to conjure up whilst reading and the manifestation of a number of them appearing on the 'other side' made me smile. I adored the Rutherfords. I like to imagine Arthur as an old Army Major, and Eleanor as a bit of a straight laced but kind 'Mary Poppins', with a bottomless carpet bag. It took me by surprise to discover Agnus-Rose's part in Charli's story. I had thought she represented a much different element to Charli. When I pictured Molly and Mason, all I could think of were the elderly couple from The Never Ending Story, Engywook and Urgl. I think because I haven't tended to read much fantasy, my go-to default setting to imagine the characters of this genre are films of the same. 🧝‍♂️🧝‍♀️
The reunion between Charli and a very important person to her, was cleverly constructed as an integral part of Charli's process towards realising her destiny, as it is this meeting that provides her with the courage and determination to move forward and helps dispel any feelings of disloyalty she had been harbouring. Her voyage of self-discovery and the way in which her experiences alter her thinking is so profound, as it not only affects her, but everyone around her including her relationship with a very special little boy who, up to now she been somewhat dismissive of.👩‍🦳👶
The only thing that I would have perhaps liked to have played out, was a meeting between Charli and Adele, whilst she is in the company of 'The Presence'. That would have been an interesting exchange.
My favourite of the four novels remains the first, that I have on my book shelf. I hope the Author writes more adventures for these wonderful characters who I have got to know over the last twelve months. I will certainly be needing to read them. 📖

[David Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy stories with alternate realities or parallel universes, you've likely enjoyed a tale or two by the author, Maighread MacKay. "Finding Charli" is such a tale, although I hesitate to minimize the novel by the confines of a single genre. Elements of high fantasy, romance and magical realism are interwoven seamlessly with thought-provoking feel-good philosophy reminiscent of "The Little Prince."
The main character, Charli, is a young woman who's lost her way after the death of her supportive grandmother. This loss, the condescending men in her life and some deep-seated resentments from her youth combine to trap her in a very dark place. She is unsure of who she is, the direction she wants for her life and even her own worth.
After an argument with her boyfriend over the immediate need for marriage (his need), she drives towards home in a blizzard- only to wreck her vehicle on the icy roads. The accident is the trigger for her "out-of-world" experience. With her vehicle out of commission, Charli sets off on foot. Spying a distant light, she moves towards what she assumes to be home. What she discovers is a mystical inn with... But wait...no further spoilers here. I don't want to ruin the surprise. (Suffice it to say I'm actively searching to make reservations there).
The author deftly conveys the character's disbelief (and ultimate belief) along with the precise setting descriptions in a manner that I soon felt I was right there at the Inn with Charli. Her experiences, along with the colorful characters she meets, lead to dramatic changes in her life and relationships.
I highly recommend this as a must read, and an important one. It's a feel-good emotional roller coaster, and a thought provoking read you won't soon forget
If you haven't read this author before, you're missing out on a real treasure. Well done.

[Jena Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a fun and captivating book to read? I highly recommend “Finding Charli (Lake Scugog Mysteries) Book 4 by Maighread McKay. The lovely Province of Ontario sets the stage for all of her novels and it is beautifully featured in this book.

Charlotte “Charli” Bancroft is the young heroine, although when we first meet her, she is angry and confused. She lives on her family’s ranch, and creates herbal remedies for horses. But her home life has changed. Her grandmother has died, her boyfriend comes on too strong, she and her family are at odds with each other, and she really doesn’t know what to do with her life. “I don’t know who I am or what I want.” One snowy evening, as she drives back home, she skids off the road into deep woods. Badly shaken, she tries to walk through the storm for help, and finds herself at a mysterious Inn.

And then the book goes from being a pleasant romance to a delightful and insightful story of “magical realism” or “visionary fiction.” Oh, what a fun and encouraging story this is! Charli meets several people at the Inn- a precocious 6 year old, a couple who seem to have come from the British Victorian era, and a friendly dog and cat. Can Charli “begin to give life to her dreams?”

Author Maighread is a born story-teller and this is a charming and meaningful story. The book is written with joy and is truly a heart-warming, “must read” book. I don’t want to give away too much, but part of the story focuses on the Ontario Search and Rescue Organization, which was fun to learn about.

“Be the hero of you own story!” I truly enjoyed reading this book. (I have read several other books by Maighread MacKay and they are all good reads.) I hope you love this book as much as I did.

[Maighread MacKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Reader's Favorite:

Finding Charli is a work of fiction in the visionary, mystery, and magical realism subgenres, and it serves as the fourth installment in the Lake Scugog Mysteries series. It is suitable for the general adult reading audience and was penned by author Maighread MacKay. In this fascinating tale filled with complex emotional intrigue and mysterious magical influences, we meet protagonist Charlotte Bancroft when she is at a crossroads in her life. Overcome by grief at the death of her grandmother, Martha, Charlotte finds herself in even more trouble when a winter storm sees her stranded at a strange hotel with a collection of people who are truly never what they seem.
It is rare to find a work of magical realism that actually settles into the realism side of itself so swiftly and convincingly, but author Maighread MacKay has a real knack for making you believe every mystical and unusual happening in this work. As such, the emotional realism of the work also becomes all the more convincing, as though any one of us could find ourselves wandering in a storm for shelter and end up in just as unnerving a situation as Charlotte does. The characterization of the piece is also a huge highlight, from Charlotte's own highly relatable journey through to the weird and wonderful people she meets along the way, each of whom is easily memorable in the cinematic descriptive style of the author. For a highly engrossing mystery that stands alone well, but will also introduce readers to a talented, atmospheric author, look no further than Finding Charli.