February, the month of love and slush falling from the sky. In my house, it's the month of birthdays and overscheduling myself. Also the month of congress doubling down on funding genocide. Maybe by the time I write the next one of these, we'll have a ceasefire. If photos speak to you, take a look through this piece from NPR. I'm aghast at the "activists" sitting in the road to block humanitarian aid from getting into Gaza. 90% of Gazans regularly go an entire day without food. (That's from a month ago. I can't find any evidence it's gotten better.)
The world continues to be a lot. Fuel up.
Here are some books coming out this month.
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A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, by Tia Williams - February 6
From the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an epic love story one hundred years in the making…
Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.
Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.
When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.
One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.
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Why I Want to Read It - Seven Days in June blew me away and the buzz for this book has me thinking it could be even better.
Buy a copy: Amazon
Lore of the Wilds, by Analeigh Sbrana - February 27
A stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together.
A library with a deadly enchantment.
A Fae lord who wants in.
A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.
In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile—her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a Fae lord. She will leave her home to catalog/organize an enchanted library that hasn’t been touched in a thousand years. No Fae may enter the library, but there is a chance a human might be able to breach the cursed doors.
She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.
As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two Fae males to survive. Two very different, very dangerous, very attractive Fae males. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.
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Why I Want to Read It - I see your dislike of the love triangle trope and I walk in the other direction.
Buy a copy: Amazon
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Books I've Read Early:
Disclosure: I received copies of these books from the publisher for review.
Bride, by Ali Hazelwood - My favorite book by Ali Hazelwood so far! It follows some of Hazelwood's usual tropes--big grump who's actually a marshmallow inside, she thinks he hates her but he very much doesn't--but I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects. Fighting the mate bond is (problematically?) one of my favorite things about PNR and the FMC's trust issues made absolute sense given her upbringing. Parts dragged a smidge, but I was having a great time throughout. Audio narration was great, too. Thanks to Berkley and PRH audio for early access to the book!
When Grumpy Met Sunshine, by Charlotte Stein - I'm so sorry to report that this book is both Ted Lasso self-insert fanfic (I hear you, we all love Roy Kent) and boring. Nothing here reminds me of the searing eroticism and emotional depth of Stein's earlier work.
The Catch, by Amy Lea - This was a fun book to send off the Influencers trilogy. City girl goes to small coastal fishing town for a resort trip only to find that the resort made a booking error and she has to lodge at the only open place in town--a rundown B&B currently undergoing renovations. Grumpy fisherman/innkeeper with a strong love of his town meets lonely fashion influencer at a crossroads. An interesting take on plastic surgery and bodily autonomy and a generous helping of rom-com vibes.
The Women, by Kristin Hannah - The Kristin Hannah/Julia Whelan combo continues to hit me right in the tear ducts. Hannah looks at the experience of being in the Vietnam War and the experience of coming home, patriotism and love and disillusionment, the mix of grief and anger and denial in the US during the war and the last effects of PTSD. I'll be interested to discuss this with people who lived through that time because my experience with the 20 year "war" in Afghanistan is quite different.
The Friendship Study, by Ruby Barrett - Friends, I loved this book. My full review went up yesterday here and on Instagram.
Not Your Crush's Cauldron, by April Asher - This is third in the Supernatural Singles series and Asher gives us another funny, happy paranormal rom-com. I've enjoyed all three of these and I really hope we get Harper's book (succubus bestie). These aren't terribly inclusive, but they also don't engage in the "supernaturals are so oppressed even though they have powers" trap. Pierced, tatted guardian angel x bookish professor witch room-mance with a get-out-of-your-comfort-zone list. This is the first in the series I read on audio and while I'm glad I read it, narrator Zura Johnson didn't do enough to differentiate between all the female voices for me to keep track without careful attention to dialog tags. I would also have preferred dual narration since the book is in dual POV, but at least the POV switches were easy to note.
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The Longlist:
All titles in red are links to Amazon. Check out the full list here.
February 6 - Infinity Alchemist, by Kacen Callender
February 6 - To Woo and to Wed, by Martha Waters
February 6 - When Grumpy Met Sunshine, by Charlotte Stein
February 6 - The Wrath (Rise of the Warlords), by Gena Showalter
February 6 - Next of Kin, by Hannah Bonam-Young
February 6 - The Absinthe Underground, by Jamie Pacton
February 6 - Girls with Bad Reputations, by Xio Axelrod
February 13 - Ready or Not, by Cara Bastone
February 13 - Fangirl Down, by Tessa Bailey
February 13 - The Friendship Study, by Ruby Barrett
February 13 - Sex, Lies and Sensibility, by Nikki Payne
February 13 - Not Your Crush's Cauldron, by April Asher
February 13 - At First Spite, by Olivia Dade
February 13 - The Frame-Up, by Gwenda Bond
February 13 - The Book of Love, by Kelly Link
February 13 - The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden
February 13 - How You Get the Girl, by Anita Kelly
February 13 - The Catch, by Amy Lea
February 13 - The Sitcom Star, by Jackie Lau
February 13 - Meegan: A Holidate for Hire, by Rebekah Weatherspoon
February 14 - Steal the Stars, by Ann Aguirre and P.T. Maylee
February 20 - The Neighbor Wager, by Crystal Kaswell
February 20 - In Want of a Viscount (The Chessmen #3), by Lorraine Heath
February 20 - Frenemy Fix-Up, by Yahrah St. John
February 20 - Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth #1), by Kristen Ciccarelli
February 20 - The Diablo's Curse, by Gabe Cole Novoa
February 20 - Night for Day, by Roselle Lim
February 20 - To Cage a God (Monstrous Gods #1), by Elizabeth May
February 20 - The Single Dad Project, by Naima Simone
February 20 - At Her Service (Out in Hollywood #2), by Amy Spalding
February 20 - Remedial Magic, by Melissa Marr
February 27 - Fathomfolk (Drowned World #1), by Eliza Chan
February 27 - Lore of the Wilds, by Analeigh Sbrana
February 27 - Once Persuaded, Twice Shy: A Modern Reimagining of Persuasion, by Melodie Edwards
February 27 - The Partner Plot, by Kristina Forest
February 27 - The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Death of the Necromancer (Updated and Revised Edition), by Martha Wells
February 27 - A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated), by Danielle L. Jensen
February 27 - Compass and Blade, by Rachel Greenlaw
Reminder: all of these books are collected in a list over at Amazon for your convenience.
What February books are you looking forward to reading?
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