This has been another insane month. From uber inane politics where friends have gotten fired to a polar vortex that kept DC frigid to moving (more on this later), this has been another majorly stressful month. Hopefully, March will mellow out a bit.

Because I moved, I did not read as much this month as I did in January. I seriously rocked it in January finishing the month with a total of 48 books. For February, I only read 18 books.

Okay, 18 is still rocking it even if it’s a smidge over 1/3 of what I read in January. But I’m on track to have my best reading year ever.

My Off My Shelf Reading Challenge continues to be super motivating. Both Part 1 and Part 2 Off My Shelf are on StoryGraph here and here. Of course, my progress on this challenge will slow down a bit because the majority of my books are in boxes and I won’t see them until probably the end of April.

February Reading Stats

Up and down because that’s the kind of month it was.

• Total Books – 19
• DNFs – 1
• Off My Shelf – 2
• 5 star reads – 0
• 4 star reads – 0
• Audiobooks – 8
• Paperbacks – 4
• Hardbacks – 1
• E-books – 5
• Rereads – 1 (that I tracked)

Favorite Read

I didn’t really have one. But if I had to pick one, it would be Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb.

This series is so formulaic that it’s laughable. And yet I pre-order every single one. Why? Because I like the characters—Eve Dallas, Roarke, Summerset, Peabody, McNab, Galihad, Dr. Mira, Mavis, etc. I like seeing how Eve is still Eve after all this time. She’s grown and changed but she still makes me laugh. So while the story is formulaic, it’s still fun.

This is book 60 of the series (not counting the novellas), and it was especially fun because it features Summerset. This book finally delves a bit more into his past and the Urban Wars.

The best part about this series, which at this point I suspect may have a ghost writer, is that you know a new book will come out every September and every February. Like clockwork. Of course, Nora Roberts is known for writing a book every 45 days. She is a writing machine!

And yes, I’ve already pre-ordered book 61, Framed in Death, to be released on September 2.

Most Disappointing Read

Sadly, I had a couple of disappointing reads this month. But if I have to pick just one, it would be my 1 DNF: Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti.

I tried. Really tried to get into this book. The premise was promising. The characters had potential. But the story just become painful. Probably a large part of that was the narrator. Her New Orleans’s accent for Peter was just not good and I think this audiobook would have benefitted from a male narrator. The female MC Selena calls the male MC Peter’s voice “lightly accented,” but this narrator did not have “lightly accented” southern accent for Peter. Instead, she sounded exactly as a female British person attempting to sound American with a British interpretation of how a southern accent sounds.

The other part of why I DNF’d it was the plot. Selena’s endless repetitions of why she cannot have Peter. Her constantly repeating that Belvoirs/her Venus library is a scandal just waiting to happen and then using that as an excuse to stay away from Peter despite the fact she kept dreaming and daydreaming about him was just annoying. It was a flimsy excuse to keep them apart. Then Peter’s endless repetitions of why he should not want Selena and how he’s so impulsive. Gag.

Lastly, while this wasn’t the dealbreaker, I felt that I was dropped into the middle of the story. Selina’s brother Nicolas mentions how Selena met Peter, which sounded like a fun meet-cute. Yet, we didn’t get to see it. We’re dropped in at a point sometime later when they already know each other.

Between the cringe-worthy “Nawlins” accent, the repetitions, and the plot just plodding barely along, I DNF’d at 40%.

Maybe at some point in the future I might give the paperback a try. Maybe.

Favorite Romance

I have to go with the When In Rome series by Sarah Adams. Book 1, When In Rome, was my 1 re-read that I tracked. I first read it in June 2023. I decided to track it because I intended to finally read Book 2, Practice Makes Perfect, which I’ve had in my Libby app for a while now, and also Book 3, Beg Borrow or Steal, which just came out in January.

Sarah Adams is one of those 50-50 authors for me. Some of her books, like When In Rome, I enjoy. Others are meh and mostly forgettable. I really liked Book 1 because it had the whole Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday tie-in. The first book is an easy, light-hearted, spice-free/closed door read. Book 3 is my least fave, mostly because I’m not crazy about the female MC. Plus the title just doesn’t work, which bugged me.

Overall, this is a sweet, easy, light-hearted, low stakes, fluff filled romance series that’s perfect for super stressful times.

Up Next in March

So it’s a new month and . . . well I haven’t started anything new. I’ve been in re-read (or rather re-listen) mode. But I totally intend to start Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Even though it is a reread for me, I’m participating in the Realm of the Elderlings book club & reading challenge. And . . . I’m already behind. I also hope that the books I mailed myself will arrive this week and I can dive back into my Off My Shelf challenge.

What books did you enjoy this month? What books are on your TBR for March?

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