It’s the month of love, but my February reading wrap-up isn’t full of my usual romance-only books (that is to say, two of the books include romance but not as a co-genre).
I bounced around with my reading this month, with a good sprinkle of ARCs. It was a split between thriller/horror and a mesh of literary, fantasy, and children’s. Since I started these wrap-ups, this month might be my most diverse in selection.
The blizzard of ’26 definitely helped boost my reading number this month!
6. Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
Published July 9, 2024
Rating: 3 stars
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+, Queer
Summary: Misha is a scriptwriter for Hollywood nominated for his first Oscar and feeling like his career could be on a high. Except when his producers ask him to kill off his gay characters in his running show’s season finale. Now he’s haunted by his past and past mistakes. Misha has to do what’s right before it’s too late.
5. Grief Eater by Emma Osborne
Publishing June 1, 2026
Rating: 4.25 stars
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Queer, LGBTQ+, Novella, Adult
Summary: A novella through the eyes of Kristina, rising from death into the mind of a powerful zombie. She’s not only hungry for the blood that pumps through human’s bodies, but those of her past who hurt her–her mother, her father, her brother. She travels from the city through the Australian bush to reach home and get her vengeance. While the story is full of pain, it is also one of love and found family.
Grief Eater was a very early eARC provided through NetGalley, the author, and their publisher. This is my first book in a zombie’s perspective, and I loved it. It was introspective, creative, and descriptive in the best ways. I loved the slow building of anger towards vengeance. It was satisfying in the end because it was realistic, not because it was some huge overcoming with a happy ending. I felt for her at every moment, like I was walking in-step with her journey. Some parts definitely verged a little on unrealistic or convenient, but this is sci-fi at the end of the day. The internal journey was more important than the physical narrative anyway!
4. No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe
Published July 15, 2025
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Thriller, Romance, LGBTQ+, Sapphic
Summary: It has been years since that fateful sweet 16 night when two girls shared in a murder of a boy and fell hard for each other. Yet, when the one who became a rural PI is finally hunting down the other who disappeared with her heart, more secrets unravel. Their past love simmers back to the present, or was it ever really gone? Now, Mel and Chloe have to trust each other on a new horrific journey.
At first, I was pretty sure this would end up a 4-4.25 star book. I was a bit confused at the start, trying to get all the POVs straight and understand the narrative. Once I had my feet under me and the story started heating up (somewhere before the 40% mark), I was totally hooked. The pieces started to click together, yet the plot twists caught me off guard at every turn still. That’s primarily what bumped this to 4.5 stars. I love that it wasn’t predictable, whether the mysteries or the solutions. Mel and Chloe have a great banter, and their yearning for each other was good. I would’ve loved to see more of their relationship from the past.
Also, small pet peeve. The characters specifically state they’re bisexual, yet the lesbian colors are used for the cover. Strange.
3. Renegades #1: The Magic Awakens by Erin Hunter
Publishing May 19, 2026
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Fantasy, Cats, Animals, Children’s
Summary: Two orphaned cat sisters discover a world of magic and the humans that are out to control it. Willow and Luna have have been on their own since their mother’s death, thrust into surviving in the city. When they lose their temporary shelter to a mysterious fire, the sisters discover “attuned” animals. While Luna’s powers are easily unlocked and she’s swept into this new world, Willow is more skeptical of them and their story against “bound” animals. The sisters begin to realize their own unique magic and find themselves at odds, separated by destiny, with the whole city in their paws.
What’s this?! An Erin Hunter book that isn’t Warriors? Surprise! On an excited whim, I decided to request an ARC of their new series through NetGalley and happily received the copy. This is the furthest a publishing date has been for me to read a full book ARC (Grief Eater is a novella), but I couldn’t resist diving right in. I’ll say quickly that I’m definitely interested. The story has similar veins and feel as Warriors, but with huge differences that make it fresh. You can read my full spoiler-free review of it here.
2. This Splintered Sea by Haley J. Munroe
Publishing March 19, 2026
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genres: Romantasy, Pirates, LGBTQ+, Sapphic, Lesbian
Summary: Once the Princess of the Sea and the ruthless captain of The Twelfth Night, Briar tried to escape an arranged marriage by killing her betrothed. Ten years later, she’s stuck on land and forbidden from the sea as punishment for her transgressions. She’s hiding in an enemy court, the king’s favorite courtesan, a secret pickpocket, and having an affair with the queen. Her curse is to be forgotten by all, allowing her to be in plain sight. Then the King announces a competition in which the winner will be granted a wish. Briar disguises herself as a pirate to enter, determined to win her life back. Yet, in the competition is Kressa, a bounty hunter after Briar whose kiss ignites her locked-away powers. Let the games begin.
This story is vivid, full of pirates, court intrigue, magic, and some great push-and-pull romance. If you’re interested in fated mates, secrets, and women fighting against corruption, this is definitely something to pick up. I am obsessed with Briar and Kressa together. Characters who are so drawn to each other is a trope I eat up. The story has a nice twist on a magic system and isn’t overly detailed. Plus, I feel like the plot twists were pulled off very well. My only gripes, pulling it down half a star from a perfect score, were small but present. A few chapters here and there, the narrative felt like it didn’t transition as smoothly. Some of the plot points could’ve been followed through stronger, also. I would’ve liked to see more of Isolde. I do wish we got a little bit more consistency from Briar and Kressa in terms of their relationship. The maddening back and forth was surely intentional but I’m an impatient person! I can’t wait for a sequel.
1. Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Published October 1, 2001
Rating: 5 stars
Genres: Literary Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult
Summary: A fictional island called Nollop, named after Nevin Nollop, author of the pangram, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,” exists off the coast of South Carolina. Ella Minnow Pea is a girl who lives there happily, in a society that exemplifies literary excellence. Now she finds herself trying to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens as the totalitarianism of the island’s Council begins outlawing certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from the great Nollop statue. As readers continue on, they’ll find the letters also disappear from the book.
A fun little book club started up with my friends at work, and this was the first book I could begin to participate with. This is an extremely timely, mysterious little book that was both fun to decipher and achingly tough. It was rife with irony, too. It was also horribly reflective of our world of listening-without-thinking and A.I. slop being created by non-thinkers. As a person in education, the story fills me with ideas on how to use it. The final sentence made me gasp out loud. I feel like the last few pages were actually the most important of them all. Superiority is an evil, and at the very end, of course, aren’t humans just as smart as the robots we create? This feels like a book I’ll want to purchase a physical copy of and come back to time and time again.
2026 monthly wrap-ups: January
Check out last year’s monthly wrap-ups: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
