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

On the Shelf: January 2026

Welp, it's already February and here's my first reading round-up of the year! I'm starting right out of the gate with 16 books (17 if you count my eleventh hour bail-out). I don't have any sort of formal goal for how much I want to read going forward. But I do have a lot of 2026 releases that I'm anticipating—and that I expect to be clinging to as supplemental therapy.

So, yeah, there was a lot of Sierra Simone happening last month. I wanted to see if her kinky political books held up, especially given our real-life governmental trashfire. I have a lot of thoughts, but I'll be circumspect and say that Tristan & Isolde worked better for me than a return trip to Camelot. Speaking of trips, I went through 10,000 portals with my new obsession Alix E. Harrow and then was catapulted all the way back to ancient China for debut author Shen Tao's The Poet Empress. It is not a romantasy. There is no romance. I am more than okay with that. Because this book is such a twisted ride that I was worried about the titular poet empress, Wei Yin, catching feelings as she pursued her goals. It's pretty dark and will appeal to people who love historical C-dramas full of betrayal and skullduggery. On the other side of the spectrum is Olivia Waite's cozy-ish sci-fi mystery, Murder By Memory. Waite gives ship's detective Dorothy a wonderful, witty voice and it felt like a classic old-timey whodunit. The next book is out in March!

Editorial note: If I neglect to dash off a line or two about a particular title, it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it! It just means my brain ran out of batteries. 

The Reading Rundown
Soon By You by Dahlia Adler (out 5/19, contemporary romance)
TK by [Redacted] (out 4/7, domestic suspense, for professional review purposes)
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow (fantasy, short story)
One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker by Timothy Janovsky (contemporary m/m romance)
The Seduction of Mr. Alfred Saintsbury by Lydia Lloyd (historical romance)
The Right Story by Asha Mara (contemporary romance)
Salt Kiss by Sierra Simone (erotic romance, Tristan & Isolde retelling)
Honey Cut by Sierra Simone (erotic romance, Tristan & Isolde retelling)
Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone (erotic romance, Tristan & Isolde retelling)
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (historical fantasy)
Murder By Memory by Olivia Waite (sci-fi mystery, novella)

Backlist titles & rereads: I started 2026's backlist adventures with Judith McNaught's Once and Always. I reread American Queen and American Prince by Sierra Simone. I confess that I DNFed American King before the last few chapters (everyone loves Ash but me) and then jumped to her more recent Lyonesse series. Then I reread Kennedy Ryan's Reel in anticipation of Score coming out on May 19. I'm practically doing the Kermit flail as I await Monk and Verity's story. And of course I'm still enthralled with Alix E. Harrow, so I went through The Ten Thousand Doors of January. In January. Ha. Completely unintentionally, I assure you.

Currently reading: Always and Forever by Beverly Jenkins and Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory.

On the TBR/wish list
A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander
An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong
Three Chances to Cherish by Grace Callaway
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden
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

On the Shelf: December 2025

I was a woman on an unintentional mission in December. I barely read any backlist titles and loaded up on new releases—and it took me up to 220 books read for 2025! There's been a lot of discourse about reading goals and numbers and how it's highly likely a person can't remember most of what they've read. Guess what? That's a problem whether you read six books or 26 or 260. So I'm not worried about failing a pop quiz on something from May. If I liked it enough, I probably remember enough to get at least a C+. (Which is an Asian F, but I digress...) 

I'm not even going to be coy about which book I liked the best this past month. It was The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. Holy shit. Definitely one of the best I read all year—alongside Starling House, which I read for the first time in September and had to read again. Harrow's writing is exquisite and heartbreaking and immersive and so damn romantic. I loved Una and Owen so much. You know who else wrote a hella romantic book? KJ Charles. That All of Us Murderers is expertly done is no surprise. What made it extremely romantic for me was Gideon braving spiders for Zeb. A man who will go into a room full of spiders to get your stuff is a keeper. I'm not sure if the same can be said for a man who chases you through the woods for primal thrills, but Allie Oleander's Willing Prey has me thinking yes. I love books where characters explore and expand their kinks together. Honestly, my end-of-year reading slate was all kinds of great. T. Kingfisher? Silvia Moreno-Garcia? A bunch of high-heat romances? I went out with a bang—more like several bangs, actually. 

The Reading Rundown
Cold Truth by Toni Anderson (romantic suspense)
Goaltender Interference by Ari Baran (m/m romance, contemporary romance)
In a Second by Kate Canterbary (contemporary romance)
All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles (gothic, historical m/m romance)
Faster by Andie J. Christopher (contemporary romance)
[Redacted] by TK (domestic suspense, for professional review purposes)
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (contemporary fantasy)
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow (contemporary fantasy, gothic)

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher (contemporary fantasy, horror)
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (gothic horror, historical fantasy)
Willing Prey by Allie Oleander (erotic romance, contemporary romance)
The Last Man on Earth by Shae Sanders (contemporary romance)
Huntsman by Naima Simone (dark romance, mafia romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren and Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston.

Currently reading: a suspense book for review purposes and The Seduction of Mr. Alfred Saintsbury by Lydia Lloyd.

On the TBR/wish list
Soon By You by Dahlia Adler
Three Chances to Cherish by Grace Callaway
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Score by Kennedy Ryan
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James