Bev's Books

When Mirelle Brandt inherits her late grandmother's remote smallholding on the outskirts of Willowmore, she also inherits something far older—and far more dangerous—than bees. Raised in silence and shadow, Mirelle returns to a land steeped in ancestral memory, only to discover she carries the same rare gift passed down through generations: the ability to commune with bees. What begins as an act of protection—guiding the hives to defend women and children from abuse—soon spirals into something darker. The bees no longer wait for her command. Word spreads. The hives multiply. Justice becomes vengeance. As wild colonies awaken across the Karoo, connected by a hive mind built on pain, Mirelle realizes the swarms are no longer targeting the guilty alone. The innocent begin to fall. Haunted by her past and burdened with the Hive's memory, Mirelle must journey into the heart of the swarm—where rogue queens rise and judgment takes flight—to stop the spread of violence before the entire land is consumed. But the Hive does not forget. And the Queen always returns.

https://books2read.com/u/4Er9eO

In the remote Karoo town of Willowmore, Leora Mouton carries a secret inherited from the women in her bloodline: the power to summon lightning. When the justice system repeatedly fails victims of abuse and corruption—from a farmhand's daughters to a haunted orphan—Leora answers the sky's call and delivers retribution in storms born of clear blue. Haunted by the warnings in her grandmother's journal and guided by an inquisitive journalist, Jethro Koen, Leora struggles with the moral cost of her gift. Each judgment exacts a toll on her soul, threatening to hollow out her compassion. As whispers of a "Lightning Woman" spread through town—once feared, now worshipped—Leora must confront the limits of vengeance and mercy.

In a final tempest born of her own sacrifice, Leora forges a new pact: to relinquish her power in exchange for peace. As the skies calm and Willowmore rebuilds, Leora discovers that the greatest storms can plant seeds of hope. But when distant thunder heralds the next reckoning, she stands ready—no longer as judge, but as guardian of the balance between justice and compassion.

https://books2read.com/u/mdM2Rl

In the quiet town of Willowmore, an ancient pear tree stands as both witness and guardian to generations of love, loss, and promises made beneath its sheltering boughs. When childhood sweethearts Aida de Vries and Simon Venter fall in love under its branches, their bond seems destined — until distance, ambition, and grief pull them apart. Years later, with a wedding on the horizon and the beloved tree threatened by developers, Simon must choose between the glittering future he's built and the roots that still hold his heart. Spanning decades and anchored by a legend of love that once rewrote fate, Promise of the Pear Tree is a moving, lyrical tale of first love, enduring devotion, and the promises that refuse to fade.

https://books2read.com/u/mdMEQl

Celia Brandt thought she'd left heartbreak behind when her husband died—until a chance find at the annual Village Fête plunges her back into mystery. Inside a set of antique bird boxes she's commissioned for her fledgling woodworking business, Celia discovers cryptic notes and carved symbols hinting at the disappearance of a young girl decades earlier. As she follows clue by clue—from whispered warnings in the grain to a reclusive sculptor's hidden secret—Celia must confront her own grief and the town's buried past. With every splinter she uncovers, the stakes grow more dangerous, culminating beneath the old vineyard vines in a storm of revelation. In the end, Celia not only unearths the truth of the missing child but, piece by piece, rebuilds her own sense of hope and belonging.

https://books2read.com/u/mYM95W

In the heart of South Africa's majestic Drakensberg Mountains, environmental researcher Sienna sets out to document a rare alpine flower—only to find herself stranded when a sudden storm descends. Stoic mountain guide Rafael, haunted by memories he hoped to escape, answers the call to lead a daring rescue through treacherous cliffs and snow‑choked passes. As they battle nature's fury and their own vulnerabilities, each step kindles a fragile trust that soon deepens into a passion as enduring as the peaks themselves. In a landscape that tests every limit of courage and hope, Sienna and Rafael discover that some echoes—of love, survival, and unwavering devotion—resonate far beyond the mountains' silent heights.

https://books2read.com/u/mKMWYV

Eco-influencer Jamie Brooks joins a remote elephant conservation camp to boost her image but finds herself paired with dedicated wildlife vet Dr. Shaun Joubert for a staged media relationship when funding depends on publicity. Over one week in the African savanna, their partnership evolves in unexpected ways. Elephants Never Forget explores their journey balancing career pressures and personal growth.

https://books2read.com/u/mq27x8

Having inherited her great‑grandmother Helena's neglected Pinotage vineyard in Hemel‑en‑Aarde, Anika van der Merwe uncovers Helena's secret coffee‑infused oak‑aging method—and the mystery of her disappearance under a harvest moon. Partnering with French sommelier Étienne Laurent, Anika refines experimental rooibos‑barrels while fending off skeptical neighbors and corporate buyout threats. Can her Moonlit Cuvée triumph under the next harvest moon and restore the vineyard's glory?

https://books2read.com/u/38wv5O

Post office clerk Boitumelo Nkosi teams up with architect Ruan van der Merwe to inspect an old cottage, where they find six unsent letters from forty years ago. With the Olive Festival approaching, Boitumelo delivers each letter across the Karoo. At the festival, recipients read their letters publicly, sharing their stories. Afterwards, Ruan proposes a future together, and Boitumelo agrees.

https://books2read.com/u/mYMlAd

After a career setback, archaeologist Dr. Amelia Sinclair boards Rovos Rail to escape her past but soon gets drawn into a smuggling investigation with security chief Thabo Khumalo and travel writer Sam van Graan. Together, they uncover a network trafficking diamonds and stolen antiquities, following leads from sabotaged brake lines to a desert outpost. They recover a rare artifact, expose the operation's mastermind, and see justice served. Romance flourishes between Amelia and Thabo amid the intrigue, culminating in marriage aboard the train. The story ends with them working together in Cape Town, guiding visitors through a museum exhibit inspired by their adventure, ready for more journeys ahead. Love in the Observation Car combines suspense, cultural restitution, and romance in a journey of discovery and partnership.

https://books2read.com/u/4NJlwN

Journalist Karli Venter returns to Willowmore to care for her grandmother—and walks into a death and a decades‑old lie. Local historian Willem Meyer is found "dead" while probing suspicious 1960s land transfers. Following maps, ledgers and a cryptic cassette, Karli uncovers forged deeds that stole farms from families like Koos Mzongwana's and enriched the powerful Van Rensburg clan—including her own grandfather's signature. Fires, threats and a buried cache beneath an abandoned well raise the stakes, until Karli exposes the truth at a town‑hall showdown. In a twist, Willem's note reveals his plan. Justice begins as Willowmore learns to remember honestly.

https://books2read.com/u/4Er9QM

In the sleepy Karoo town of Willowmore, children are vanishing from neighboring communities—and no one seems to care. Whispers travel faster than the wind, but the truth remains buried… until the child of someone prominent disappears. Suddenly, the eyes of the country are on Willowmore. Panic rises. The police scramble. The media descends. At the center of the storm stands Inspector Ingrid van der Merwe, a seasoned officer with secrets of her own. As she follows the trail of missing children, all clues lead to a secluded farm recently bought by an odd couple who never mingle, never explain the late-night trucks, and never answer questions. When townsfolk start speaking out and a brave schoolteacher uncovers a chilling connection to her students, the truth shatters the town's silence. What emerges is more horrifying than anyone imagined: a child trafficking syndicate operating in plain sight—protected by power, wealth, and fear. As Ingrid races against time, she must navigate betrayal, corruption, and unthinkable cruelty to bring the children home. But in a town where everyone knows everyone—and no one is who they seem—how do you know who to trust? Willowmore is a raw, nail-biting crime thriller that exposes the dark underbelly of small-town secrets and the extraordinary courage of those who refuse to look away.

https://books2read.com/u/bO0kGo

Set in the windswept Karoo farming community of Willowmore, this novel follows Gregor van der Merwe—a solitary sheep-farmer whose soul is mysteriously bound to a pack of black-backed jackals. As a child, he first tasted the thrill of the hunt; now, he feels their hunger, shares their senses, and communes with them under moonlight. Branded a "jackal witch" by fearful neighbors, Gregor ekes out a lonely existence—tending fences by day, running with the pack by night—haunted by stigmatizing folklore and his own divided nature. When a ruthless poaching ring begins slaughtering livestock and framing the jackals for the crimes, tension explodes: farmers demand a brutal cull, their traps and poison stalking innocent beasts. Gregor, with the help of wildlife ranger Nkosi and neighbor Magdalena, uncovers the syndicate's network, confronts betrayal and bloodshed, and exposes the true predators. In a nail-biting showdown beneath the stars, he must choose between siding with fearful humans or defending his wild kin. Guided by ancestral lore—tales of the "Grysbakkie" trickster-spirit and the charred sun-dog—and forging an uneasy alliance with the farming community, Gregor negotiates a fragile peace: a protected corridor where jackals keep vermin at bay in exchange for safe passage. In a climactic ritual within a hidden cave, he fully embraces his dual identity, balancing human conscience and animal instinct. Ultimately, "Song of the Black-Back" is a tale of belonging, stewardship, and the delicate dance between civilization and the wild, showing that true harmony comes when blood and earth, man and beast, learn to walk together.

https://books2read.com/u/38wLEV