Welcome in, welcome in everyone! We have some awesome books coming out this month, not to mention four fabulous choices for the March review. So let’s dive in!

February book recommendations

the Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Known for taking the usual tropes and characters and making them a bit darker and a bit weirder, I was thrilled to find out RJB had written a Holmes and Watson-style mystery with a female lead.

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

It sounds pretty on par with a Holmes-Watson style mystery, but you just know if you’ve ever read Robert Jackson Bennett that there are going to be some crazy twists in there. So I can’t wait to dive in. And the great news is, this book is already out! It published on February 6th.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

I’m not normally an historical fiction reader—pure historical fiction, that is—but the pitch of The Warm Hands of Ghosts sounds irresistible. Not to mention, it comes with a Diana Gabaldon quote and I loved Outlander. So if it has a similar feel, I’m already on board.

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital, where she soon hears whispers about haunted trenches and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

I can already tell it is going to make me cry, but you can feel the tension even just from the copy, so I’m in. This makes me want to go binge Band of Brothers. This book just came out on February 13th. Not exactly Valentine’s Day reading material, but I’m here for it.

Only Hard Problems by Jennifer Estep

I am late to the game on this series! Only Hard Problems is actually a book three, so let me back up a bit.

If you love fantasy romance, Jennifer Estep needs to be on your list with her Crown of Shards series. It is enemies to lovers, slow burn (ish), and a trilogy that you can really sink into with magic, mayhem, and fabulous characters. Seriously, go get it. You won’t regret it.

So I am failing as a fan that I didn’t realize she also had a sci fi series!

The Galactic Bonds focuses on Vesper Quill, a seer and lab rat who works in the research and development lab of a corporation run by a powerful Regal family. When Vesper uncovers a deadly conspiracy, she crosses paths with Kyrion Caldaren, a psion and an Imperium Arrow who is one of the most notorious killers in the Archipelago Galaxy.

The series is pitched as perfect for readers who like space operas, soul mates, and enemies-to-lovers stories. I’d read anything by this author, but this especially sounds right up my alley and we NEED more fantasy sci fi out there. So I’ll be starting with book one, which is Only Bad Options, and quickly reading my way through in preparation for book three’s release on February 20th!

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

The biggest thing—other than the GORGEOUS cover—that caught my eye about Lore of the Wilds is that the copy has it as the female lead that is chasing power. I’m so intrigued! It always seems like it is either the male mmc or the villain whose goal is to gain more power, versus making that incidental in their journey, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.

Fair warning, though, this is book one of a duet and it sounds like it has a heck of a cliffhanger. Also it may have a love triangle? It isn’t clear if it is a love triangle or “why choose.” Given that it is traditionally published and YA, I’m guessing love triangle. So that may sway you one way or the other as well.

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.

This is out Feb 27.

Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw

Finally, you all know I’m a huge fan of pirate/sea fantasy stories, so Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw is of course on my list.

This world of sea and storm runs deep with bargains and blood.

On the remote isle of Rosevear, Mira, like her mother before her, is a wrecker, one of the seven on the rope who swim out to shipwrecks to plunder them. Mira’s job is to rescue survivors, if there are any. After all, she never feels the cold of the frigid ocean waters and the waves seem to sing to her soul. But the people of Rosevear never admit the truth: that they set the beacons themselves to lure ships into the rocks.

When the Council watch lays a trap to put an end to the wrecking, they arrest Mira’s father. Desperate to save him from the noose, Mira strikes a deal with an enigmatic wreck survivor guarding layers of secrets behind his captivating eyes, and sets off to find something her mother has left her, a family secret buried deep in the sea.

With just nine days [LOVE a tense, tight timeline!] to find what she needs to rescue her father, all Mira knows for certain is this: The sea gives. The sea takes. And it’s up to her to do what she must to save the ones she loves.

Fair warning – this is the beginning of a trilogy, so there is bound to be some sort of cliffhanger, but I can’t wait dive into the action and see what Mira really is! This one is also out on Feb 27.

March book review: vote

Okay, now that I have you set for February, don’t forget to vote on what I should review for next month! These are your options, and I’ve also linked them below if you want to find out more.

What are you reading this month? Anything I should add to my TBR? Tag me with your February reads!

And until next week, keep reading!

February 2024 Book Recs