Short months create less time to read. Maybe two or three days don’t make that much of a difference, but I definitely felt it in the reading department. So let’s jump into it shall we?

Truth or Beard – By Penny Reid

I’ve joined a local spicy book club and this was the pick for February. It’s initial premise was interesting. Twin brothers, and a woman that has been pining for one of them since they were all teens. It starts out as a mistaken identity setup,  but that was quickly dropped as things got spicy. I’m cool with that. I don’t know if I could have handled the misdirect unless it was a slow burn, but as this is a spicy book club, slow burns are not in the mix. The setting is rural Tennessee. It gets a little southern trop-ish at times with accents and phrases. There’s even a local biker gang that causes problems for the Winston brothers and Jessica who’s the sheriff’s daughter and her brother is the deputy. My only hang up was the hot and cold trope. I’m not much into those, but overall, I enjoyed the story.

Tall, Dark & Deadly – By Kharma Kelley

If you’re looking for the typical vampire love story, this isn’t it. It’s better. Chloe is a dhampir who works for Ethan at the Bureau that deals with supes when they do less law abiding things. I wouldn’t call this a slow burn exactly, maybe a mild burn because there is nice tension and an almost thing until Ethan panics, because he’s hiding something that he doesn’t want to let out. (Yeah yeah, I said it) 

I like the world setting a lot. It leans on supernatural common knowledge and then shifts it a bit to bring it’s own uniqueness. And when the spice starts to flow, it’s spicy! There are more books in this series that are in my TBR. 

Deeper – Edited By Ioanna Arka

This is an erotic anthology that touches down on many different genres. There’s contemporary of course, but you also have sci-fi, historical, horror, and BDSM. 

When I originally submitted my stories, I wasn’t sure they would be accepted for this anthology. They are not what someone would find in a typical erotic anthology. I love that Arka leaned into that bit of strangeness and put together a group of unique stories with unique voices that you wouldn’t find together. But don’t take my word for it, you can pick it up on Amazon for kindle and paperback.

No Strings – By Lucy Bexley

I don’t think I was ready for how endearing and special this story would be. It’s definitely a slow burn, but it’s completely worth it. I grew up watching the Muppets. The Muppet Show was a staple in my house as a kid who only had access to one clear channel – PBS – and it wasn’t because other’s didn’t exist. It was before cable was cheap enough to get the basic five without watching a layer of static. 

While the puppets aren’t the main story, it does revolve around them a little bit. Along with the two main human characters, Elsie and Jones. The additional humans of Avery and Bentley round out the cast. This isn’t a shallow love story either. It’s dealing with loss, mental health, income stability, and abandonment. While those sound like  weighty topics, the book is every elegant in dealing with each subject. And you get a love story too! 

Fornever After – Edited By Jonathan Lambert and Autumn Miller

This is another great anthology. These aren’t romances, but instead are stories of horror with everything from failed crushes to unrequited love. The horror sub genres involved span from supernatural to zombies to contemporary. 

If you’re someone that likes to read something that’s non-romance during February to counteract all the V-Day drama, this will be a nice addition.  

Happy Reading! 🙂