On the Shelf: September 2026

I read 20 books in September, bringing my YTD total up to 193. It would've been 21, but I bailed out of a book at the 80-percent mark. Some would say that's enough of it to count, but I'm okay with leaving a few titles off my lists every year for idiosyncratic reasons. One that I'm happy to keep on my list is A Midnight Proposal.

Given my neverending "emotional support Lorraine Heath reread" situation, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy. Who am I to question Avon dropping ARCs of a June 2027 title so early? In this sixth Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James book, Jamie Swindler takes center stage with Desdemona, a widow accused of murdering her husband. It's straightforward, enjoyable, historical romantic suspense. I'm a little bummed by the absence of other characters we love, but this is a trade paperback, a rebranding, and obviously meant to be accessible to a wider audience. On the bright side, it makes for a tight focus on Jamie and Mona, and I loved how much interiority and intimacy building we got. And that's my cue to mention The Roommate Subtext by Elia Winters, an erotic contemporary twist on the Scarlet Pimpernel. Botanist Blake's a secret Dom. Journalist Maggie starts exploring her submissive side when she's tasked with unmasking him. It's a sweet, funny, and very, very sexy journey for them both.

The Reading Rundown
Battle of the Round House by Tananarive Due (western, fantasy, short story)
A Midnight Proposal by Lorraine Heath (out 6/1/27, historical romance)
Chasing the Wild by Elliott Rose (contemporary romance)
Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman (contemporary romance)
The Roommate Subtext by Elia Winters (contemporary romance, BDSM romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I started the month by finishing a reread of Mercy Fletcher Meets Her Match by Aydra Richards. I had a hankering for older romantasy (i.e. written before the term existed) and hit up my paperbacks for The Twelve Kingdoms trilogy by Jeffe Kennedy. When I returned from the kingdoms, I went back to summer camp—Kink Camp: Hunted and Possession by Adriana Anders. I inevitably moved to historicals afterward with Scoundrel of My Heart, Beauty Tempts the Beast, and Return of the Duke by Lorraine Heath. Since they didn't hit for me like I needed, I did a reread of her London's Greatest Lovers trilogy. You can never go wrong with Waking Up With the Duke. I also got in some new-to-me reads. I laughed my way through Swordheart by T. Kingfisher and enjoyed Rilzy Adams's short and sweet second-chance romance Love in the Time of Corona as well as Judith Ivory's Angel in a Red Dress, aka Starlit Surrender—which is a far better title, because at no point did the heroine wear a red dress.

Currently reading: Before the Dawn by Beverly Jenkins and The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty.

On the TBR/wish list
Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
One For the Road by Elliot Fletcher
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
Wickhills by Premee Mohamed
Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Empire by Sabaa Tahir

On the Shelf: August 2026

With 25 books under my reading belt, August is tied with June for the second highest count of 2026 thus far. The "Are you okay, Suleikha?" award goes to May with a whopping 29. Since I was dealing with numbers anyway, I went ahead and totaled up the year to date: 173. Would I remember the plots of all 173 if pressed by internet people who worry about shit like that? Probably not. That does not negate how each title made me feel—whether it was joy, stress, fear, or disappointment. This is not a competition. This is not a test. I read voraciously because I have always read voraciously. And, holy crap, I voraciously read a lot of frontlist books this past month.

Naina Kumar's Just a Highland Fling had me sniffling by chapter five. The cover kinda gives rom-com, but Neelu and Jacob's story packs an emotional punch too. I told the author that it turned from a gut-punch into a tattoo needle pain because she's so good at slipping in those little moments that hurt. I also love that her protags are from South Indian Christian backgrounds. Desi romance leans North Indian and Hindu, but there's so much more cultural diversity to explore! Elsewhere, Heir by Sabaa Tahir got me primed for Empire. It actually took me a few tries to get into it. It was this latest attempt that clicked and I couldn't put it down, just like the Ember in the Ashes quartet. Proof that sometimes it's the mood that's off, not the book. Speaking of mood, Karina Halle's new gothic romance definitely set one. Atmospheric and sexy, rooted in Irish folklore that I haven't come across in romance before. Have I been privately thinking of it as Bonertide? Yes, of course.

The Reading Rundown
Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend by Abigail Barnette (erotic romance)
The Daddy's Girl by Sara Cate (erotic romance)
A Curse of Beasts & Magic by Jeaniene Frost (paranormal romance, urban fantasy)
Bonetide by Karina Halle (gothic romance, paranormal romance)
Learn to Love You by Jade Hernandez (contemporary romance)
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (horror, suspense)
Just a Highland Fling by Naina Kumar (contemporary romance)
When the Duke Loved Me by Lydia Lloyd (historical romance)
Captured By the Werewolf Highwaymen by Eva Leigh (out 9/9, paranormal polyam romance)
Possession Island by Sarah McCarry (out 12/1, suspense, for professional review purposes)
Big Trouble in a Little Mafia by Tanvier Peart (dark rom-com, mafia romance)
Look What the Cat Dragged In by Jason Rekulak (out 10/13, suspense, horror, for professional review purposes)
Heir by Sabaa Tahir (young adult fantasy)
Silent Flames by Cate C. Wells (contemporary romance, dark romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I went to my physical bookshelf for rereads of Joanna Bourne's six Spymaster books, historical romances set during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Then it was back to the Kindle for my first time through Remember When by Judith McNaught and Captured by Beverly Jenkins. The latter sent me to rereads of Through the Storm, and Forbidden. No regrets. Reading Ms. Bev is always fulfilling and also a huge comfort. I snapped up The Secret by Julie Garwood on sale, just like I did the McNaught, and that was the end of my backlist adventures for August. I'm not mad, because my frontlist title consumption more than made up for things.

Currently reading: I'm almost done rereading Mercy Fletcher Meets Her Match by Aydra Richards.

On the TBR/wish list
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Lady X by Molly Fader
One For the Road by Eliot Fletcher
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

On the Shelf: July 2026

July was really a reread month for me, which means I needed comfort and familiarity. When I'm struggling with my mental health "meeting" new characters is a lot of work. Luckily, the latest installment of the Veronica Speedwell series was a welcome visit with old friends, Veronica and Stoker. (I'm actually not cool enough to be their friend. Veronica would hate me.) And I eventually did rally and get to know several intriguing fictional strangers. Some of whom the general reading audience won't meet for a while—like the denizens of Beth Revis's Dragons of the Deep. OMG. I don't want to say too much this far in advance. Remind me to squee in late September or October.

I will, however, rave now about Namrata Patel's The Truth About Isha. I've known Namrata for years and enjoyed every book of hers that I've read. This one hit close to home, because Alya is a protagonist who lives in her head. Insular, self-protective, prone to fantasy over reality. (Just tag me directly next time, Nam. lol.) The titular truth about Isha forces her out of her shell, but it's not all "Hooray, she's an extrovert now!" It's a rough ride for Alya, painful and poignant, but I'm glad I accompanied her on it.

The Reading Rundown
The Trouble With Anna by Rachel Griffiths (historical romance)
The Cold Read by Tara Laskowski (out 11/10, suspense, for professional review purposes)
Shadows & Light by C.M. Nascosta (paranormal romance, novella)
The Truth About Isha by Namrata Patel (out 11/17, mainstream/women's fiction)
A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn (historical mystery)
Dragons of the Deep by Beth Revis (out 1/26/27, romantasy, fantasy romance)
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (contemporary fantasy, magical realism)
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (suspense, horror)

Backlist titles & rereads: Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell was first up, and I wrote 75 percent of a thinky newsletter about it. I may not get to 100. I did keep going with historical romances, of course. Like Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros, His Forgotten Bride by Aydra Richards, and three of The Game of Dukes books by Grace Callaway. I didn't get to four because I had a hankering for paranormal high jinks. So I tore through all six of the Blue Blood Conspiracy books by Bec McMaster and Desire in the Blood by Zoey Draven. All of those titles were rereads! The only new-to-me book was Amanda Quick's Dangerous from 1993. (Quick's Surrender was one of the first historical romances I ever read.)

Currently reading: Heir by Sabaa Tahir and A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost.

On the TBR/wish list
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
One For the Road by Eliot Fletcher
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
The Lines We Cross by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite