Was it just me, or did February fly by in the blink of an eye? It was a busy month, but I read some really great books. I didn’t read as many as I usually do because life got intense and there wasn’t as much time, but I enjoyed every single one of my February reads. In addition to reading books for my Valentine’s Day rec list, I read three ARCs (one from Book Sirens and two direct from the authors).
I mentioned last month that I wanted to finish several series I’ve started and new ones I want to start… Yeah. I didn’t do any of that. This month, I plan to create some Instagram posts detailing these books, sort of as a public reminder to myself. I started one book that’s on my 2024 Mermay list, but I haven’t finished it yet so I didn’t include it.
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Valentine’s Day Romance Books
Because I did a dedicated post for Valentine’s Day romance books and wrote out my thoughts for each of these books, I’m not going to go into detail here. But I will say I loved all of them. They’re all special. I’ll also point out that although I declared in January’s recap that cute monster romance isn’t for me, Petty Cupid proved that statement wrong. It’s a cute monster romance (with some edge) and I adored it. So perhaps I’ll avoid blanket statements and go case by case. Also, Knotty Valentine by Amity Malcom has a brand-new cover for the paperback edition and I love it!!!
Shot Through the Heart by Kate McDarris
Knotty Valentine by Amity MalcomPetty Cupid by Sarah BlueThe Perfect Match by Milena McKayNo Sugar Coating It by DJ RussoLittle Drop of Blood by Clio Evans (Creature Cafe 12)
I included Little Drop of Blood by Clio Evans as a bonus because it has a Valentine’s Day scene. Soon I’m going to create a series overview page for it. This book kicks off Creature Cafe 2.0, set twenty-five years after the original series (you don’t need to have read the original series to enjoy this one, although if you have, you’ll recognize familiar characters). Little Drop of Blood is a strong start to this new series and I’ve already preordered the next one. I’ve read half of Creature Cafe 1.0 and hope to finish that series soon.
February Reads — ARC Reviews
I went a little overboard with ARC reads last month, and this month I read three instead of four. I believe I have two planned for March (there were more I wanted to read, but I restrained myself).
The Root of It by K.L. Thorne
My first ARC of the month, The Root of It by K.L. Thorne, was from Book Sirens. It’s set at a dental office in England and features a forbidden romance between a dentist, Rowan, and his dental nurse, Max. It’s an MM romance with an age gap, and Rowan is married, although his marriage has essentially been over for years. Overall, I enjoyed it. It’s the type of romance that promises to get messy and it delivered on that front (along with all the feels). It’s not overly angsty (just a little bit) and the main characters have excellent chemistry. I rated it 3.75 (rounded up to a four) on Goodreads (you can find my review here).
Hard Bubbles by Leah Legend
Hard Bubbles by Leah Legend has been on my radar since I first saw an Instagram post about it. If you’ve been following me, here or on Instagram, you’ll know I cannot resist a book with mermen or mermaids. I was so excited to be chosen for Leah’s ARC team and Hard Bubbles is everything I could want in a story. There’s excellent world-building, a sexy-as-sin merman shifter, the two mcs have intense chemistry, the story is banging, and there’s a promise of more to come. You can read my full review here.
Hard Bubbles by Legend (Shifter City Book One)
UnConVentional Kiss by K.C. Carmine and Katherine McIntyre
I’ve read a few books by K.C. Carmine (check out my thoughts in my January Wrap-Up) and have Katherine McIntyre in my TBR, so when I saw UnConVentional Kiss, their first book as a duo, I just knew I had to read it. It’s a double bi-awakening MM romance that begins with an unexpected kiss at Comic-Con between Batman and Superman. I fell in love with Beck and Cay and all of the supporting characters to the point where I hope they all get their own books. You can find my full review here.
UnConVentional Kiss by KC Carmine and Katherine McIntyre
February Reads — Writing Craft Book of the Month
I’ve been going back through writing craft books I’ve had in my Kindle library for ages. This month I started Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. While it’s not a long book, it is a “heavy” book in that it’s not the type of thing you choose for some light reading. So, I’ve chosen to span this book over two months. I’ll give my opinion on it next month when I’ve finished. So far, it’s been a mixture of techniques I already use as well as some new insights (many I agree with, a few I don’t). But I think it’s a worthwhile read and look forward to continuing.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
Final Thoughts:
All in all, I’m happy with every single book I read this month. In March, I hope to read a mixture of TBR reads as well as some library holds, and a few from my Mermay picks. I also plan to focus a bit more on my writing, so it may be a “review light” month, but I will do a monthly wrap-up including everything that doesn’t get an individual review.
Happy Reading!
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