On the Shelf: February 2026

I read 17 books over the course of my birthday month, and one of the stand-outs was A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander. I should've gotten to it last year so it could be on my Best of 2025 list. Better late than never! What a charming slow-burn trans love story! Bonus? It had me walking around saying "valet" in an exaggerated British accent for days. I was also lucky enough to hit upon one of my first top-tier romances for this year—Sarah T. Dubb's Honey Bee Mine. Starring a beleaguered beekeeper, a reformed bad boy, and a great supporting cast of diverse characters, this contemporary romance did everything right. It was richly drawn, funny, and heartfelt enough to make me choke up several times. I've been sort of burned out on contemporaries lately, and Dubb's sophomore effort reminded me that authors are still doing plenty of fresh and fun things. Penny and Zander actually talked through their problems—with each other and with other people. Will wonders never cease? 

The Reading Rundown
This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara (romantasy, dark romance)
A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander (queer historical romance, trans m/m romance)
Beast Business by Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy, paranormal romance)
This Time, Next Year by Ruby Barrett (contemporary romance)
Three Chances to Cherish by Grace Callaway (historical romance)
Honey Bee Mine by Sarah T. Dubb (contemporary romance)
Hyacinth by S.M. LaViolette (historical romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I kicked off February with Beverly Jenkins's Always and Forever and A Chance at Love. The latter was extra fun because heroine Loreli had to tell Jake that he was bad at sex and subsequently give him pointers. Then came a reread of the five components of the aptly named Mindf*ck series by S.T. Abby. I finally finished Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory, which proved to be a bit of a slower journey for me. Then I reread of Elizabeth Hoyt's Duke of Sin and got Duke of Pleasure from the library. It's one of two Maiden Lane books I'd yet to get to...and I probably should've kept it that way. I was bummed out by the handling of gender identity and masculinity vs. femininity. Needing a reset, I switched over to Lorraine Heath and tied up her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series with An Affair With a Notorious Heiress and Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses. Then I reread one of my faves, Waking Up With the Duke, because I haven't done so since 2024. My last blast from the past was Still Lake by Anne Stuart, originally pubbed in 2002.

Currently reading: Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden and Sundown Girls by L.S. Stratton.

On the TBR/wish list
An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai
Score by Kennedy Ryan
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite
The Re-Do List by Denise Williams