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