February was a big reading month over here – I read and listened to 20 books, and 3 of them were full-on 5-star reads. It felt like a little bit of everything this month: some absolute gems I couldn’t stop thinking about… and some that had me wondering why I stayed up past my bedtime to finish them. I haven’t hit a streak of “meh” books like that in a while, but I guess that’s part of the reading life, right? Sharing everything I read each month has become one of my favorite little rituals – it’s my version of a reading diary, and it fits so naturally into this space of real-life inspiration for busy days. How are you liking the reviews? Books are my wind-down at the end of a long day, what I listen to while folding laundry or driving to activities, and what I love talking to people about! So here’s everything I read and listened to in February – the standouts, the surprises, and yes… the ones I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. Let’s dive in. Past reviews here, rating system is at the bottom.
Life, & Death, & Giants 5/5 (Libby) – holy sh$t! This book! Omg! I kinda figured something like that with Rachel but the unveiling of it!!!! This was so good, loved that it was set in WI. Very captivating. Could not put it down, this deserves a spot on your TBR.
Just For The Cameras 4.5/5 (Audible) – such good audiobook cast. This author! She writes such good banter!! Grumpy & sunshine. He’s so mean and grumpy and I love that she cries at the drop of a hat and she doesn’t take any of his shit. Omg their first workout was so funny with the bendable muscles convo. The Gladdy Daddys, love their friendship lolz. Love how hard he falls. There were multiple times I was just smiling or laughing listening to this. God, that letter he wrote her at the end 😭 There is a good amount of spice. Really enjoyed this one. Only reason it’s not a 5 is because I’m not really a fan of the third act breakup, I felt they didn’t need that in this case and it could have been ended in a cuter way.
Super Attractor 5/5 (paperback and audible) – this is a re re re read. I hate rating self help books because they’re so individual but I love this book and I think it’s my 3rd or 4th time reading it and I get something new every time. I have the audiobook and paperback so I can reference and take notes. Whenever I’m feeling uninspired or meh, this is the book that makes everything flow and make sense again. Highly recommend if you read what the book is about and think it sounds good (it is).
Mariposa 5/5 (kindle unlimited)- a super hot military romance. Forbidden romance, age gap. Kade kicking in the door, hotttt. I love how she gives it back to him. Like when he’s like like “if another man touches you I’ll kill him” she’s like “that’s a little over the top, but ok” my only meh is that I don’t like dirty talk that’s derogatory towards women, like “you little slut/whore” but there wasn’t too much. Honestly I loved this book, it felt like it was short and it was just a really good engaging story and very hot when they finally got together. Wish there would have been more of them as a couple at the end. Cannot wait for book 2. If you liked the Dark Forces books you’d love these!
The Everlasting 2-3/5 (library and audiobook) – couldn’t really get into the hardcover so I got it audiobook and it was better!! Loved the accents. Loved when he finds the book missing he makes a list and includes sobbing maybe? On it! Lol. But really had such a hard time getting into this book. Love the name Una. The book was beautiful green edges and pretty cover. Was confused about the timelines. Love the Queens name- Evaine. I liked his dad talking to him about how he became his dad, was kind of sweet. Then omg that escalated, from zero to 100 in chapter 17 at the inn!!!! Ok I had all but given up on this book and one of my girlfriends said it gets better in the 3rd and 4th act and I was like ok, but omg it does!!!! Like after chapter 17 until the end, it’s good. This is not a book you can mindlessly put on, you have to be paying attention. Didn’t like that she never said her name and made a big deal out it. It was like eh, just ok.
Wilder at Heart 4/5 (Kindle Unlimited)- love that her and Elle’s favorite troupe is fake dating and that’s what’s Nora is going to do lol! I like how she describes Theo as emotionally slutty. I love how bad boy and just confident and sweet under it all Theo is. I loved how affectionate he is – the foot rub! He’s so confident in talking about stuff. I love how she’s so confident in what she wants and needs, that’s great! I love how he falls!! And cried to Johnathan!! Just loved. It is v spicy once they start going at it. Would have loved more of them as a couple.
Bourbon and Secrets 4.5/5 (Kindle Unlimited)- I read these way out of order lol, but I came back from book 2 a couple months late lol! Small town romance, single dad, enemies to lovers, content warnings a mile long. “I knew someday I’d have to answer for them. I hadn’t realized that karma would be dressed in Wranglers and a crisp black shirt and dark wool coat, ignoring my presence.” Made me laugh. I love his relationship with his brothers and their ribbing. When the girls skipped school and he brought them to Grants house and he was ribbing him about Laney I died. I don’t understand if he knew what actually happened that night or some idea, why was he still so mean when she came back. I don’t get it. They way he had her try the bourbon was hot. I mean for me I would have been like omg stop but he was cute in the context of the book. Love the curse purse and that doesn’t deter Lincoln from swearing lol. I love when he said “I like me more when I’m around you!” I loved this one. “Thick fit dad bod he’s working with” lol just loved that description-this book is just so cute in so many ways. There’s a lot of swearing and it’s v steamy. This series is so good!
Whisky Bargain 4/5 (paperback) – Got this for $5 on at a local romance bookstore! FIVE dollars. Wasn’t expecting much, but I loved it. It’s about a girl who has to plan her ex’s wedding, and there’s a cowboy turned whisky distiller. Why does this make so much sense in the book? Lol, loved it. That moment he plays the song she wanted to since age 5 so she’d be the first to dance to that song in that space was so cute. Cute romance (lite enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, they fall together, medium spice.)
Under An Endless Moon 4-4.5/5 (Kindle Unlimited) -I read this book because it was on some list or other, and I didn’t want to love it as much as I did. It’s ridiculous and dramatic lol, but it’s great! I love that he’s SO into her and calls her his favorite person! Their declarations of love were so over the top and perfect. I was maybe going to say 3.5/5 but I could not put this one down, so 4-4.5 it is – I was literally up past my bed time 2 nights in a row! This one is book 2 in the series, and it would totally work as a standalone. It was so good that it made me want to read the others in this series (which rarely happens). If you like spicy small town romances with DRAMA (think tattooed motorcycle club kidnappings and dark backstories) this is for you. Very very spicy but it worked with the story if that makes sense. Note added, I read books 1 and 3 and they were nowhere near as good as this one, nowhere close! So just read this one!
From Here To Eternity 3/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – This is book one in the Moonlit Ridge series – read this second so I knew that River and Raven were close, but it was really sweet to read about their closeness/relationship. Love how his brothers give him a hard time and their bond. Love when she said “stalker, much” when they were texting. Why is he acting like what he does is so bad? Like he’s helping abused women disappear and start a new life for Pete’s sake! Okkkkk that big twist in chapter 55. Just no! Like not buying it, what are the chances, it ruined the whole book for me!!!! Wish I would have just read book 2 and called it a day.
Give Me Butterflies 3.5/5 (libby) the male narrator is so good! So manly and dramatic and I loved every second (and I looked and it’s the same narrator as Blood of Hercules, and I LoVEd that one!!) I love her family chats lol. I literally lol’d when he met Theo. Like that they joked about the books with the wingspan joke (4th wing!!) Her dads soup recipe sounds amazing. It kind of petered out at the end for me. Liked that they gave the snickerdoodle recipe but I wanted the soup one lol!
Poetry By Dead Men 3/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – man, right from the get go Harrison is a dbag! How do you stay with or put up with a man like that. If he makes you feel bad about how you take your coffee- byeeee. I just got done with a book that had time travel in it so I was kind of annoyed at the back and forth time lines, like one in the past and one current. It wasn’t as annoying as time travel though lol. It was just jumpy, like a scene would abruptly be interrupted by a jump to the past and then pick back up in the next chapter. Annoying. Their love (Bobby and Beth’s) was very sweet. I didn’t think it needed that twist with the heart transplant. I wish there would have been more spice and an epilogue, I wanted more of the good stuff.
Unperfect 3.5-4/5 (Kindle Unlimited)- this author can write big broody men who are grumpy but secretly sweet and wow can she write emotional abuse victims. I love how big Max is! I love how he calls her emo. Omg her sleeping outside 😭 I loved Yaz and her emergency yoga and just everything that she did, and her crystals lol. Oh Mia. That hair cutting scene, where she wants it short so no one can grab her by the hair, I cried. God I loved the sibling relationship Yaz and Max’s have “Yaz, why do I have a stone for recharging vaginas in my house?” Lol when she met his parents and what happened in the kitchen, heartbreaking and sweet at the same time lowish spice, there’s like 1 scene but mention of more. Could have used more spice and more of the good stuff. There’s a bonus epilogue on the authors website, it’s 16 years in the future, but it doesn’t cover them as a couple and their family life, which I wanted, it talks about another sad domestic violence situation.
Far and Away 3.5/5 (Spotify audiobook)- love the German parts, I have a German mother and love that I could understand the words. Don’t quite buy that a mom would move her kids to Germany without checking the sleeping arrangements for the kids! I mean I had to keep listening because of the Jack story unfold lol. And then it all turned out to be so lame. This was just a really meh book, it was a find romance, no spice.
Sweet Heat 3/5 (Libby)- slow to ramp up but but very spicy at parts and then nothing again until the end. Her moms impromptu therapy session was beautiful, made me tear up. Was very slow, and the parts about their breakup were so sad and heartbreaking- and that’s what like 90 % of the book was about. “How worthy is the fight if you have to ask” Amen. I just didn’t love it, I thought there was too much of the breakup and not enough of them now as a couple, like not enough of their growth. Just didn’t like all the breakup talk, like he was clearly struggling. A lot of people love this book so maybe it’s just me?
The Infiniteness of Yesterday 3/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – I feel like Harlow was just so hard on Spencer, constantly at the beginning. She really doesn’t deserve him. “I’ll love you enough for the both of us until you’re ready” 😭 he was way too nice to her just all around too nice. And I really didn’t like what she did to Jameson, regardless of everything, she did him dirty! Didn’t love.
The Correspondent 3/5 (Libby)- this one was just meh for me, it it had crazy good reviews. It’s a story through emails and letters back and forth, so it’s like a litter and then an abrupt end and then another letter and then an end and then another letter addressing something from a previous letter. Very jumpy. I jokingly described it as grandma letters. I didn’t love it but my bestie did (her review)!
Catch Her If You Can 3/5 (Audible)- I liked the narration – his accent was cute, but he like whispers a lot so you have to turn up the volume. He’s laying it on a little thick with his like over the top love of her from when they were younger – sooo over the top, esp chapter 4, like ok, we get it. Seemed unrealistic. And just over!the!top! And her instant friendship with Veda is a little much. Also, how is everyone calling Veda super young (21) when she’s just a year older at 22. Ok, whose parents let them donate a kidney at 14-15 and why did it have to be a secret? You’re telling me that even after your bff said it was ok, but has been pining after the guy up until what, a month ago, that she wouldn’t be pissed or at least have something to say when you’re now married to him and didn’t tell her? Not buying it. Ok that epilogue omg lol what was that?! You’re giving your business that’s your fathers legacy that you took over for a $1? Again, not buying it. So odd!
The Edge of Surrender 2/5 (Kindle Unlimited) – there are so many partial sentences in this book, what is happening? Within 20 min (being generous, it sounds like 5) of meeting a random guy in a bar she has a sexual encounter with him? And she has a sexual abuse past? Seems vvvvery unlikely. Like she doesn’t even get his name lol. It’s so over the top with words, and he talks so much, like during their intimate time he’s just talking and I’d be like yup got it, you won’t hurt me, you’re here to protect me, can we get back to it? So! Much! So Dramatic ! Talking in the middle of the longest sex scene ever he’s talking about his dead mother- they’re in the middle of the first time they’re supposed to be having sex and he’s STILL talking, I think like 10 pages in and they’ve only removed his shirt lolol. I just couldn’t with this one. It was book 3 and it actively made me not want to read book 4 or 5. Book 2 is the only good one I read in this series.
The Hunting Wives 1.5/5 (Libby) glad this one was free. It was something else, something bad? I cannot tell you the last time I disliked a book so much. I was uncomfortable listening to it. Sophie kept making such bad choices, it was tough to read. It was sad too. “I fight the urge to go sit on his lap” and it’s a high schooler (and she’s in her 40s)!!!!!!! And there are relations between 40 year old women and underage boys with not a word said about how wrong it was, like what? What is happening. And these women have young kids which is worse!!!!! Like omg!! Ugh and then the ending. The one where you want to know what happens with the main character is just left open and not resolved. I really disliked this.
My rating system:
- 5 stars – I loved this book and would recommend it to someone looking for their next book to read. This is a book I would re-read and am slightly jealous of anyone who gets to experience it for the first time!!
- 4 stars – I really liked and enjoyed this book, it was solid. Glad I read it.
- 3 stars – I liked this book enough to finish it, but wish there would have been something more – and probably wishing it had changes
- 2 stars – It was hard to finish, but I made it to the end. I don’t understand why people liked this
- 1 star – Really annoyed I finished this book, did not like it
- DNF – Did not finish, just couldn’t do it
Some links you might enjoy
- My Amazon books list – these are all the 5 star ones over the years.
- My Kindle – I’m in love with it more than anything! It’s so lightweight, I just throw it in my purse!
- Favorite playlist to listen to while I read
- Kindle case – very basic. Maybe one day I’ll find a cute case, any recs?
- Reading is my favorite sport sweater – I have this in navy and wear it to all sporting events lol
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