On the Shelf: April 2026

April was very rough in a lot of ways, so I'm glad the reading part of the month went extremely well! (And not just because I knocked out 23 books.) All the frontlist titles I picked up were great, across genres. Navessa Allen's Caught Up really worked for me in a way that Lights Out didn't quite hit. What can I say? I enjoy when a guy engages in quality groveling and is desperate to make amends. It balances out the stalking very nicely. Alisha Rai's Enemies to Lovers is a fun follow-up to Partners in Crime, and it came through for me when I desperately needed some high-jinks and shenanigans to lift my mood. I'm probably not the only person wondering if a third book with Isha and Avi is in the works. Fingers crossed!

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, like last year's The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, is one of those books everyone's going to be talking about for months—if not years! Are we surprised that Ilona Andrews knocked it out of the park, through a portal, and into a different reality? No. Maggie the Undying's tumultuous journey through the world of her favorite book series had me riveted. I can't wait for more!

The Reading Rundown
Caught Up by Navessa Allen (dark romance, contemporary romance)
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (epic fantasy, portal fantasy)
Cinder House by Freya Marske (queer fantasy, Cinderella retelling)
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (historical noir)
Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo (horror, cyberpunk-ish)
Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai (contemporary romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I reread all nine main books in Kit Rocha's Beyond series plus the three novellas—Beyond Temptation, Beyond Solitude, and Beyond Possession—and two of the Gideon's Riders spin-off titles, Ashwin and Ivan. Since I was engaging in a lot of screen time, I broke it up with a return to my paperback copy of Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt and a revisiting of Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. I also took a break while reading the new Ilona Andrews and zipped through Ice Cold Saint by Cynthia Eden.

Currently reading: The Starter Ex by Mia Sosa and Enemy of My Enemy by Alex Segura.

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
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by Elizabeth May
Score by Kennedy Ryan
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

On the Shelf: March 2026

March was a lackluster writing and book sales month for me, but an excellent reading month. A pitch-perfect rom-com that had me constantly laughing, The Re-Do List might be Denise Williams's best book yet. L.S. Stratton's first foray into young adult fiction, rooted in the history of sundown towns, reminds us that humans are always the real monsters. Simone St. James and Christopher Golden never disappoint and pretty much always creep me out (complimentary!). Kennedy Ryan's steamy novella has me primed for the May 19 release of Score. And a new Aydra Richards historical romance dropped this month too! (Grace Seymour steals a heart, but the cat definitely steals the show.)

The Reading Rundown
[redacted] by TK (out 7/7, suspense, thriller, for professional review purposes)
Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden (out 7/21, horror)
Grace Seymour Steals A Heart by Aydra Richards (historical romance)
The Close-Up by Kennedy Ryan (contemporary romance)
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (horror, paranormal suspense)
Sundown Girls by L.S. Stratton (young adult thriller, horror)
The Re-Do List by Denise Williams (contemporary romance)

Backlist titles & rereads: I started out by finishing up a reread of Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt and moved on to Lorraine Heath's The Duchess Hunt, When the Duke was Wicked, and Once More, My Darling Rogue. Does a month go by without me rereading at least one Lorraine Heath book? I don't think so. I broke from my comfort historicals for a dip into KU with Darkest at Dusk by Eve Silver and Little Deaths by Nenia Campbell. Then I dove into my Kindle library for an old ARC of Sins of a Virgin by Anna Randol. I stayed in backlist territory with Gentle Warrior, Julie Garwood's 1985 debut, and A Baby to Bind His Bride by Caitlin Crews. I've heard a lot over the years about the latter book and finally gave in to curiosity. How long can you possibly resist a European tycoon who is introduced as an amnesiac cult leader? That's a question for readers and the titular pregnant bride.

Currently reading: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Siliva Moreno-Garcia and a reread of The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary.

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
Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher
Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai
Score by Kennedy Ryan
Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

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