I'd venture to guess I'm probably not the only indie author who drops newsletters into your inbox semi-regularly. That being the case, you've probably already found out that today is the illustrious Yolo With Kobo event, tailored to binge readers with an urge to vanish into a giant pile of books.

Word on the "author street" claims that some readers who subscribe to Kindle Unlimited in order to affordably binge have given up on Kobo's similar program—Kobo Plus—because they couldn't find enough spicy romance books to keep them occupied. 🫢 (Insert whatever you're preferred genre or subgenre is, and you get the drift.) Since Kobo Plus is new to the largest reader market, it's taking all of us some time to figure out how to navigate it and find the best reads.

That's why a bunch of us indie authors have banded together to present several Kobo Plus events throughout the year in hopes of keeping your TBR piled high. Today's event is romance-focused, and there are over 600 books involved! 🤩

If you're new to the concept of Kobo Plus, it's basically another eBook subscription program similar to Kindle Unlimited. The best part about Kobo Plus is that it's a lot more affordable to use than KU. With the economy in the state it's in throughout most of the world, I know many of us (myself included) are looking to cut costs while still enjoying what we love most.

Kobo Plus gives you a chance to do that! From what I've been told, you can download the Kobo app to nearly all types of electronic devices. Whether you've got a tablet, an iPad, an iPhone, an Android, or just your desktop computer, the Kobo app can make a home right there without a glitch. It even works on some Kindle readers (though not all, unfortunately).

Here's a Google Doc that explains how to download the Kobo app to Kindle Fire:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/162YCd3XYpYwtYAUlEHefDtm0vFA3qZ8VNoLUG8AkhPU

Here's where you can download the Kobo app:

https://www.kobo.com/p/apps

Here's where you can learn more about Kobo Plus:

https://www.kobo.com/plus

And here's a universal link for all the countries with Kobo Plus:

https://geni.us/KPlus

Check out over 600 romance books waiting for YOU in Kobo Plus:

https://koboplusromancebinge.com/

Magical Gift: What Readers Are Saying

Early reviews have started rolling in for Magical Gift, the latest novella set in my Teutonic Fantasy Realm. So far, readers are loving Sylvia's story! (As always, that's a huge relief for this author, who has this nagging worry that readers are going to despise everything she writes. 😅)

If you're part of my ARC team and haven't found your BookFunnel link to Magical Gift, be sure to check your spam folder or scroll back in your inbox for an email from BookFunnel sent last Saturday. I'll be sending a couple follow ups for latecomers and review reminders later on, so you've still got time to dive into Sylvia's love story and share your opinions with the world!

Magical Gift: Snippet #2

Last week we took a peek into a fun cupcake-snatching scene that happens shortly after Sylvia arrives at the Heydt castle for a masquerade ball. Today let's check out what drives Sylvia to slip away from the crowds in the first place—an encounter with someone she was not expecting to meet....

***

While securing my mask upon my face, I directed Josef to take a gated drive off the main road along the lake. The driveway turned to the right after passing through several rows of thick conifers, rendering the locked gate invisible to those traversing the main road. I spoke my farewells to Nelke and Tobias there, pledging to meet them later. I remained standing by the gate until the Bentley disappeared around the corner toward the main road, then cast my elemental sense over the wooded grounds. No one guarded this area. Not even any outsiders.

Taking a deep breath, I drew my clutch against my chest and mentally went down the list of everything I needed to do at this event. Give Marlisa’s apologies to Prisca for her absence. Retrieve a small cake from the kitchen. Bring Nelke to the hidden corridors. Keep her away from my father. Get Siegfried alone and tell him everything I could remember about the blood rituals my father performed upon me each season. Share that information with other priests so they could dissuade the Keyholder of Wels from defiling his daughters’ blood.

Would it be enough to gather a group of elder priests to rebuke him? Or would we need the support of another Keyholder, maybe one from a metropolis like München or Regensburg?

“Not Regensburg,” I murmured to myself, frowning beneath my mask. “Not Regensburg, not Wechmar. It’s just a rumor. Siegfried would never agree to marry some witch he hardly knows.”

Shoving my father’s lunchtime comments into a back corner of my mind, I focused on the dark energy within me, summoning it from my spirit and blood to flow through my veins and grant me an excess of stamina. A violet veil cloaked my vision, sparks of black electricity snapping along the edges of my sight as I hiked up my skirt and dashed around the gate and along the winding driveway. It led to the expansive garage where the Heydt family kept their vehicles, a road I had taken many times with Siegfried. The garage stood near the conservatory, where I planned to enter the castle. Most guests would use the main entrance. Siegfried’s mother had likely arranged for a red carpet rolled out to receive everyone.

Slowing to a normal pace once my element informed me of other humans in the vicinity, I lifted my gaze to see the northern section of the castle walls peeking through the trees. I smiled to myself at the snug turret rising upon one corner. My beloved and I had played many games there as children, imaging ourselves rulers over the entire Traunsee. This place held many fond memories for me, despite my father’s attempts to taint my devotion to this castle’s future master.

Passing by the garage, I strolled into a neat garden lined with rose bushes, all of its plants preparing to crawl beneath the blanket of winter’s slumber. My element withdrew from my vision and my blood as I reached to open the glass door to the conservatory. As much as I would have loved to attend this ball with purple-black irises rather than those of my natural blue, many of the guests were outsiders. And red was my color tonight. Red for my partner’s fire.

Autumn’s breeze followed me into a space replete with ornamental plants. When I secured the door behind me, a middle-aged woman clad in an elegant sea green gown with a cinched waist let out a gasp. “Oh dear, that waft of winter took me by surprise! I fear my water may have turned into ice.”

She spoke in Teutonic dialect rather than standard German, the antiquated language classifying her as a witch along with the elemental water swirling within her aura. She gazed up at me with round eyes of an ocean blue, her mask sweeping back from her face in a pair of artistic waves. While I did not recognize this woman, propriety demanded I acknowledge her greeting, unusual though it was.

“Apologies, madam. I trust you’re enjoying the gala so far?” I counted five other guests admiring the shrubs, cacti, and flowers. None were Teutons, and none paid attention to us.

“Oh yes, but it has only just begun. I’m afraid your gown doesn’t match your element. Did you not notice?” She traced her slim fingers along the ruffles on my left sleeve, her full lips pursed. She wore golden hued lipstick that matched her earrings and necklace, the scent of luxury perfume hovering around her.

“I wore this gown to please my fiancé.” Uncomfortable, I edged away from the matron, intending to leave the conservatory and strike out for the ballrooms. It was just after five p.m., and dinner would not begin until seven.

“Isn’t it wonderful to give your heart to a striking young man? I remember when my Truhtein proposed to me so long ago. We were at the seaside. He wove his cords of love around my heart right after.” The matron threaded her right arm through my left and matched my pace along the stone pathway. She referred to her husband as her Truhtein, a Teutonic term for a priest in charge of protecting a witch’s heart. Why had he left her to wander the conservatory alone?

Maybe I could find another witch her age to divert her attention once we got to the nearest ballroom. I set my face into an agreeable expression while she rattled on, moving from her own experience with engagement to that of her children.

“I must tell you why I’m so deeply honored to be here tonight. My precious daughter Karin earned herself a suitor just a few weeks ago. Tonight he plans to propose to her while they’re on the dance floor. Isn’t that exciting?”

A sense of dread came over me as we broke out of a clump of philodendrons, the glass door to the atrium steps away. “Who is your daughter’s suitor?” I studied the woman’s face, my instincts preparing for misfortune.

She lifted her gaze to mine and exclaimed, “Why, he’s the Heydt heir!

“I—I beg your pardon?” Swallowing around a lump in my throat that had not been there seconds before, I blinked at the water witch glued to my side. The Wechmar matron?

She beamed as we passed into the atrium and leaned closer to me. “I can thank no one but divine providence for Karin’s good fortune. Her suitor came to our city for business purposes, and they met at church just days after his arrival. Tonight he will pledge his lifelong fidelity to her. I don’t have the words to describe my happiness for both of them!”

The woman touched her free hand to her heart, a wistful sigh exuding from her pert nose. Meanwhile I found myself cast into an internal battle for which I was not prepared. Cracks etched their way through my assurance of Siegfried’s love, but I forced myself to maintain a demure pose while my walls of protection began to dissolve. She could be referencing any of the guests at tonight’s masquerade. She might have called her daughter’s suitor the ‘Heydt heir’ to appear more significant than she was. An attempt at preening in front of a young stranger.

“That’s wonderful,” I finally managed to say, stretching my elemental sense out to find others of my people. I had no wish to spend the next half hour listening to a proud mother going on and on about her children’s accomplishments. But I interjected a pertinent query nonetheless. “Does your family live in one of the Teuton cities nearby?”

“Oh no, dear child!” She fluttered her free hand in the air. “We’re born and bred in Regensburg, my family and my husband’s family going back generations. This fortress is nestled in such a primeval forest, I must say. Untouched by the cruelties of the past decade. Wouldn’t you agree?”

***

As if poor Sylvia doesn't already have enough drama going on in her life, now she's learned her red-fired fiancé, Siegfried, is teetering on the brink of accepting an arranged marriage with a witch from Regensburg. 👀 Can Sylvia get to the bottom of all this without a broken heart? Find out today by grabbing your copy of Magical Gift from your favorite retailer. It's a quick read, so it won't take you long to find out how everything comes together.

C.L. Carhart's book shop:

https://clcarhart.com/products/magical-gift-ebook

Amazon:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBGZ3S8J

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DBGZ3S8J

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DBGZ3S8J

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DBGZ3S8J

Universal: https://books2read.com/magicalgift

Other retailers:

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/ebook/magical-gift

Apple Books:

https://books.apple.com/book/magical-gift/id6587570646

Google Play Books:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=EMIWEQAAQBAJ

Barnes & Noble/Nook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magical-gift-c-l-carhart/1146068813?ean=2940185974728

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1596255

Everand (used to be Scribd):

https://www.everand.com/book/754381417/Magical-Gift

Other Books You Might Like

Got two more books for you to check out today, along with a couple other bookish events linked down at the bottom. Whether you lean more towards fantasy or romance in your reading, my fellow authors have got you covered. Hope you can find some riveting stories to keep you busy this weekend!

Nevie knows her path: join the elven council and change the corrupt system. But when a spell she casts turns deadly, the council uses the tragedy to banish her. Lost without a sense of purpose, will Nevie live her long exiled life in remorse or can she find peace? Someday even reclaim her path and change her world?

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

I want a second chance with Rachel but I feel there is something she is hiding from me.

I'm thrust into a high-profile murder case with Rachel. A prosecutor and my former flame.

She's not just beautiful and passionate; there's something about the way she looks out for others that pulls me in.

Our past is a silent storm, but duty forces us to unravel the truth together.

As we dig into the case, Rachel's intensity matches the heat between us, making it hard to ignore the connection we once had.

The tension is palpable, and memories we've buried resurface.

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

That's all I've got for you this week, but you can be sure I'll be back again next Friday with some fresh bookish deals and first hints about whose story comes next in the Elemental Gifts series. If you've read any (or all) of the books in Elemental Bloodlines, you might have recognized Sylvia as a side character in Gift of Snow. Want to drop a guess about whose romance is coming next?

One hint: It's another side character from Gift of Snow. 😉

I hope you have a wonderfully weird week filled with lots of reading!

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Get Magical Gift:

https://clcarhart.com/products/magical-gift-ebook

Get Gift of Snow:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-snow-ebook

YOLO with Kobo—all the books:

https://koboplusromancebinge.com/

YOLO with Kobo—event page on Kobo's website:

https://www.kobo.com/p/kobo-plus-romance-binge