Carried Over from Last Month’s TBR

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – I have been reading this little by little throughout February. It is sitting on my nightstand and I try to read every evening; however, usually I don’t get very far before I turn off the lights and go to sleep. It is an interesting story so far. This is Book #2 in the series and the Prince of Gluttony is fighting a secret threat to his circle that involves the ice dragons to the north of his territory. At the same time, a young reporter is trying to feed her ungrateful family by writing about the Prince’s exploits.

New Releases

Just Friends by Haley Pham – Most people know of Haley’s husband, Ryan Trahan, as a popular YouTube personality, but I found Haley’s YouTube channel first and enjoyed her bookish content. Once I start enjoying someone’s content, I do like to support them when I can. I also like that Haley prefers closed-door/low spice romances herself and is proud of her Christian faith, so I’m eager to see how this reflects in her first novel. It tells the story of Blair and Declan, childhood friends-to-lovers, who suffer some kind of traumatic event that disrupts their relationship. I’m interested in seeing how Haley navigates the dual timelines in her storytelling. This book releases on March 3.

Off-Limits Love in Shenandoah by Olivia McCarthy – Olivia is a local author who attends my church and writes closed-door romances and YA fantasy. This book is the second in her National Parks RomCom series and releases on March 6. I will 1000% read all of the books in this series, both to support Olivia, and also because I love National Parks and love seeing places I’ve been used as locations in novels. This story contains age gap and brother’s best friend tropes. The FMC, Lynette, runs into trouble hiking the Appalachian Trail and Ben comes to her rescue. While I haven’t been to Shenandoah National Park yet, I have hiked about 0.0002% of the Appalachian Trail! (Yes, I did the math.)

Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard – Releasing on March 10, this follows Allegra, a principle ballerina who is told that she needs to work on her sex appeal. Enter Cord, who needs help choreographing a partner piece for his show. While I do love sports romances, those set in the dance world have been hit-or-miss for me, but something in the blurb caught my attention when I was perusing the anticipated releases.

The Wings That Bind by Briar Boleyn – Also releasing on March 10, this is the third book in the Bloodwing Academy series. I pre-ordered the special edition to match the first book, On Wings of Blood, which I read and liked. I do not yet have the second book in the series (I think I’m waiting to see if they publish a matching edition), so I’ll likely not add this book to my TBR this month. I didn’t read the blurb too much, because I didn’t want any spoilers.

Beneath by Ariel Sullivan – Releasing on March 24, this is a prequel to Conform. I have a copy of Conform, but I haven’t read it yet, so while I may pick up this book this month, I won’t be officially adding it to my TBR. This book is set hundreds of years before Conform and follows characters 6 years after a nuclear disaster.

The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez – Abby’s novels have been consistently enjoyable for me, so it’s no surprise that I added this one to my list as soon as I heard that a new book would be releasing on March 31. Since it’s releasing so late in the month, I won’t be adding it to the TBR. I’m a little confused by the blurb. It sounds like Larissa connected with a guy during a car ride home from a concert, but then gets into a relationship with his best friend. Did the boyfriend steal his friend’s identity? So curious…. This is a sequel to Say You’ll Remember Me.

What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally – Being the only boat leaving the marina as the dark clouds roll in sounds like a bad idea to start with. The boat is chartered by Emma’s new boyfriend, but is he an innocent victim of the weather alongside Emma, her best friend, Hannah, and her brother, Jackson, or is something more sinister going on? We will find out March 31. I also will not be adding this book to my official March TBR, due to the late-in-the-month publication date.

Book Club Picks

For my brother’s Moon Lit Bookclub selection for March, we will be reading The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen. Raised as a warrior to fulfill her father’s revenge against another kingdom, Lara is sent as a peace offering to be the rival king’s bride.

For my brother’s Welcome to the Apocalypse book club, we will be reading The Girl in Red by Christina Henry. A post-apocalyptic Little Red Riding Hood retelling.

Overdue Library Books

Now that I’ve finally gotten that email from the library, letting me know that they will no longer auto-renew my selections and I really, really need to finally return them… I will put them on my TBR so that I can actually read them and then get them back.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood – Two elite athletes working through the stressors of college life, high level competitions, and past traumas. Do they have a no-strings agreement, or something more permanent?

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune – This is the sequel to Every Summer After, where we are now following Charlie’s (Sam’s brother) story. The first book was very atmospheric and made me think back to my days at my cousins’ cabin on the lake in Michigan. I gave it 5 stars, so I have high expectations for this story. Alice once took a photo of three teens in a yellow speedboat, and that photo changed her life. Years later and now a photographer, Alice returns to the lake to help her Nan recover from an injury. Who else should return but one of the boys from the speedboat.

Random Selections

Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen – This was the February Romance Book Mail selection from Love & Other Books. Roslyn and Liam are headed for divorce after nine years, but before they can tell their family, they are asked to facilitate Roslyn’s grandparents’ vow renewal in Hawaii. Stuck on the cruise boat together, can they fake a healthy relationship long enough to actually repair what they have together?

The “Possibles” List

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde – I’m thinking about reading this one in March, solely because it has green clovers on the cover. Melody is newly dumped and now stuck on a camping trip with her brother’s best friend, Zac.

The Price of Honey by Liane Moriarty – This was the free short story offered through the Amazon First Reads program for being a Prime member. A tech billionaire’s widow and three ex-wives gather for his funeral and one final betrayal. Looks like this is Book 1 of the Deadly Ambition series, part of Amazon Original Stories.

Maybe It’s Fate by Heidi McLaughlin – This was my pick from the Amazon First Reads program. Antonia leaves her corporate life behind in order to raise her terminally ill best friend’s children. Will she fall for the present and supportive coach? The correct answer is yes. The only question is: Will this book make me cry?

The Names by Florence Knapp – This was a free selection from the 2025 Lolly Finalists. It explores the idea of your name determining your path in life and a young, abused wife deciding between three different names for her newborn son. In alternate timelines, we get to see what his life might be like for each name she considers.

How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh – This my Book of the Month pick for March. The daughter of a famous fantasy novelist is tasked with completing the last book in her late father’s series. Faced with writer’s block and a crumbling Irish estate, it doesn’t help that the publisher sends an editor to her doorstep to protect their investment.

Final List

My final initial TBR for March consists of 9 books, and 5 bonus books:

• Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco
• Just Friends by Haley Pham
• Off-Limits Love in Shenandoah by Olivia McCarthy
• Toe to Toe by Falon Ballard
• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
• The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
• Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
• One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
• Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen
  — Bonus —
• Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde
• The Price of Honey by Liane Moriarty
• Maybe It’s Fate by Heidi McLaughlin
• The Names by Florence Knapp
• How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh

I feel that — for me — TBR lists are always going to be a fluid thing, with me adding books and taking some off the list as the month goes on. Typical mood reader behavior. But also, I’m a planner girl and it makes me happy to have lists and goals, so…. Let’s make a list at the beginning of each month and review it at the end of the month to see what happened.

Carried Over from Last Month’s TBR

Could I have finished Six Crimson Cranes in January? Possibly. However, on the last day of the month, I finished the audiobook for Dating After the End of the World about 11:30 pm, and I was only 50% through Cranes. It was a battle I was going to lose, but I picked up my Kindle and read for the final hour of the month. I didn’t try to skim through it, though, because I am enjoying this story. It has a Brothers Grimm fairy tale vibe that reminds me of my childhood. I will finish this book up this month. It will be the first time that I’ve finished both of my brother’s book club selections in a while (even if technically I didn’t make the deadline).

I am very excited to read Catch Her If You Can because I’ve read the previous books in the Big Shots series and really liked them. Honestly, I would have started reading it already, but I wanted to do justice to my book club selections.

While I had placed all of the January new releases on the January TBR, I knew that some of them I actually wanted to read in February. For example, Chasing the Ring is about an NFL quarterback seeking a Super Bowl ring, so obviously I should read that the week (or day) before Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, right?

The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will be held from Friday, Feb. 6 to Sunday, Feb. 22, so I want to read Fated Skates in that timeframe, assuming that I can pull my attention away from 24/7 Olympics coverage to read.

One of my local indie booksellers, Love & Other Books, didn’t have Only on Gameday in stock when I was there for book club, so didn’t pick it up in time to be read for January, but this would be another good book to read leading up to the Super Bowl.

So, a couple of questions for you:

1. When I decide to read a book in a different month, do I officially take the book off my January TBR (when this will make my completion percentage look “better”), or do I leave it there as an indication of an unfulfilled plan?
2. I have some books on my TBR that I intended to buy and read, but ultimately did not. Should these be taken off the TBR until I have purchased them? Should I have a separate section for To Buy?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Books that I absolutely, definitely meant to read in January but did not for whatever reason (book club picks, I’m looking at you!), I will leave on the TBR in all of their incomplete glory.

I started Axe and Grind in January, but it was so confusing in the first few pages that I set it aside on my nightstand. I tried picking it up again, but didn’t get very far. Right now, I have it set to a Paused status on StoryGraph. I don’t think I’ve given it a fair shot yet, but I’m also not in the right mindset to want to struggle through a tough section.

Rings of Fate I just did not get to. I do think it sounds like a good story, but I’m not sure that I will be able to complete it in February.

New Releases

The next set of books added to my TBR are the books that will be releasing in February that I’m interested in.

Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco – This book releases on Feb 10, however I have been buying the paperback versions and this is the hardcover release. So, I went out and bought Throne of Secrets, which is Book #2, and will have that on my TBR for February instead. But the Throne of Nightmares release reminded me to pick the series back up. I won’t add Nightmares to my TBR until I buy it.

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood – I tend to enjoy Ali’s books; there’s just something about the banter and the STEM settings of many of them that appeals to my nerdy side. This one is also giving Ready Player One vibes, so maybe a 5 star prediction for me?

You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees – The married couple in this book find a time machine and get to rediscover how they fell in love. The dangerous temptation is to alter the past, which can threaten their future.

Half City by Kate Golden – A demon hunter falling for a demon? Trying to find her father’s murderer? Training up her skills in a school for special people like her? Tell me more….

Survivor: Forged by Fire by Jeff Probst – I have been binge watching seasons of Survivor lately and am excited for Season 50 to start on Wednesday, Feb. 25! They have a site with merch and I pre-ordered this book.

To Buy

From January’s new releases, I still need to purchase:

Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan – Their mothers were best friends. And now, August needs a fake-fiancée to rehab his public image and Penelope needs someone who can help her pay the taxes on her grandparents’ house she inherited.

Love Goes Viral by Camille Stochitch, Alexander Berman, and Estelle Laure – Love is a pop star with a public image crisis and Austin is a small-town boy from her past that is struggling to save his family diner.

My Book of the Month selection for February is Stolen Midnights. It’s a YA Fantasy about a girl anticipating a special gift from the Fates on her 18th birthday, and a young thief hired to steal that gift. But what does it mean when the gift is a locket with the thief’s image inside? This is a new release for February 3rd, and is set to be the start of a series.

I still have to pick out my Amazon First Reads selection for February, as they haven’t updated the site from January’s selections.

Book Club Picks

Another set of books on my TBR are book club selections.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – My brother has two book clubs that he runs on Fable. This is February’s selection for the Moon Lit Bookclub (horror, sci-fi, fantasy). To be honest, I had to read the blurb a few times to try and get a grasp on what this book is about. There are two women: Harrowhark, who is a necromancer trying to save her family legacy, and Gideon, who is a reanimated corpse trying to regain her freedom. They were rivals in the past, but now they need each other to achieve their goals.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry – This is the February selection for my brother’s other book club on Fable: Welcome to the Apocalypse, which titularly focuses on apocalypse-related reads. Zombies are everywhere and Benny turned 15 and needs a job if he doesn’t want his food rations to be cut. What happens when your zombie hunter is a teen who thinks the job is boring?

Random Selections

At the beginning of the month, these are likely going to be books that I impulse bought the month before. But, occasionally, I’m sure I’ll decide to throw some backlist books in here that I want to tackle, or that fit the season.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – This series follows Princes of Sin, which correspond to the seven deadly sins. Secrets follows Gluttony’s story. It makes me happy that I was able to buy the sprayed edges, paperback edition that matches my copy of Throne of the Fallen.

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen – I had nominated this book for my brother’s book club this month, but it was not selected. However, it still sounds intriguing and the salesman at Barnes & Noble said he really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to read it this month.

The “Possibles” List

These are books that I acquired in January, but haven’t read yet. I do intend to read all of the books that I buy, but I’m not sure if I want to officially place these books on my February TBR, or slot them in somewhere else. I’ll likely add these to the TBR that I track in StoryGraph as “Bonus” books.

In His Wake by Chad Zunker – This was an Amazon First Reads selection for January. A presidential candidate has been assassinated and his murdered father might not only have been involved, but may also be alive?!

The People’s Library by Veronica G. Henry – This was another Amazon First Reads selection. They gave us 2 selections for January. The library is under attack! But this isn’t just any library, it’s a collection of human consciousness. It sounds like a good sci-fi thriller, but also promises a contemplation of the ethics of this new technology as well.

Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde – This was an impulse purchase from Love & Other Books while I was there for book club. Tropes: brother’s best friend, sports romance, second chance, small town, forced proximity — I may check of all of the romance bingo boxes with one book!

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart – I was originally interested in this book as something that both Donald and I would want to read. It’s marketed as “if The Martian and The Twilight Zone had a baby,” and I love the Martian. We both have enjoyed space dramas like For All Mankind on streaming as well, so I picked it up during a recent Barnes & Noble date.

Final List

My final initial TBR for February consists of 13 books and 6 bonus books:

• Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
• Catch Her If You Can by Tessa Bailey
• Chasing the Ring by Lauren Rowe
• Fated Skates by Victoria Schade
• Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
• You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
• Half City by Kate Golden
• Survivor: Forged by Fire by Jeff Probst
• Stolen Midnights – by Katherine Quinn
• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
• Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco
• Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen
  — Bonus —
• Only on Gameday by Kristen Callihan
• Love Goes Viral by Alexander Berman
• In His Wake by Chad Zunker
• The People’s Library by Veronica G Henry
• Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K Wilde
• Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

I feel pretty good about this list, and 13 books will keep me on pace to complete my goal of reading 120 books this year (plus a buffer). Wish me luck! And let me know what’s on your TBR!