On the Shelf: September 2025

When last we checked on my reading habits, I'd hit the milestone of 150 books. Now, as September falls behind us, I'm up to 166. Two hundred by the end of the year is looking pretty realistic. And I'm not trying to hit a particular number on purpose. It's just that, as our real world grows all the more nightmarish, books—especially good books—provide all the more solace and escape.    

It's not a genre romance, but Starling House by Alix E. Harrow is probably one of my favorite romances that I've read in recent years. Honestly, if you give me something with southern gothic vibes and a strong love story you're already halfway to winning. Harrow engaged me from start to finish and I may have shed a few tears at the end. Have you ever sniffled reading the acknowledgments and a "post-credits" scene? Sure, I could blame PMS. But I think it's the author's talent that did it. And speaking of talent, V.E. Schwab's Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil is a gorgeously dark and gothic vampire story spanning centuries—emphatically not a romance. It left me haunted and a little bit in awe, and will no doubt land on many a "Best of" list for 2025.   

The Reading Rundown
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (gothic, horror)
Not Here to Make Friends by Jodi McAlister (contemporary romance)
Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab (horror, gothic)
[Redacted] by TK (suspense, thriller, for professional review purposes)
[Redacted] by TK (suspense, thriller, for professional review purposes)

Backlist titles & rereads: I kicked off by finishing Sabaa Tahir's A Sky Beyond the Storm and giggling at Rear Admiral by Nathan Burgoine—which is probably the most wholesome novella involving sex toys I've ever encountered. Then I checked out The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt, since I liked The Raven Prince so much. I had my expected dose of Lorraine Heath new reads and revisits with She Tempts the Duke, The Duke and the Lady in Red, The Viscount and the Vixen, and Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman. Though Ravishing the Heiress has been a favorite for years, this was my first time through Sherry Thomas's Beguiling the Beauty. At the end of the month, I holed up with some comfort reads—the first three books in Ilona Andrews's Hidden Legacy series. Because sometimes you need a ferret heist, Sgt. Teddy, Grandma Frida, and Connor Rogan to get through your week.

Currently reading: Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles.

On the TBR/wish list
The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
Three Chances to Cherish by Grace Callaway
In a Second by Kate Canterbary
All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Felicity Cabot Sells Her Soul by Aydra Richards
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James