Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2026

February 28, 2026 GoodeyReads1 Comment

The month of looooove.

I always love seeing all of the book covers together because the fluctuation of contemporary to fantasy to historicals is always cool to see. Reviews for these books are either out now or coming soon!

His & Hers by Alice Feeney
A Heart so Green (Fair Folk #3) by Lyra Selene
[ARC] The Cowboy’s Game (Pride and Pranks #3) by Cindy Steel
[Novella] Lonely Hearts Day by Kasie West
A Fortunate Miscalculation (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Karen Thornell
[ARC] Mail-Order Baroness (Lords of the Rockies #2) by Misty M. Beller
[ARC/ALC] The Trident and the Pearl (The Fisher King #1) by Sarah K.L. Wilson
Worth Fighting For (Meant to Be #5) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A Fate so Dark and Delicate (Compelling Fates Saga #4) by Sophia St. Germain
[Reread] From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
[ARC] A Love Most Daring (Bow Street #3) by Joanna Barker
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman
[ARC] Bridge of Betrayal (Falcon Point Historical #3) by A.L. Sowards
Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces #1) by K.M. Moronova
Jane Stays Dreaming by Britnee Meiser
Pride and Prejudice Audible Original by Jane Austen
Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen
Savage Lands (Savage Lands #1) by Stacey Marie Brown
Invictus (Esperance Trilogy #2) by Heather Frost
The Silent Canary by Angela Bricker
The Darkest Gift by Nikki Welton
[ARC/ALC] Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove #1) by Catherine Cowles
A Vow in Vengeance (Immortal Desires #1) by Jaclyn Rodriguez
Racing Hearts by Ann Adams
A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann
[ARC/ALC] The Dragon and the Sun Lotus (The Three Realms #2) by Amelie Wen Zhao
[ARC] To All the Guys I Loathed Before (Lucky in Love #3) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Half City (Harker Academy #3) by Kate Golden

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ARC Book Review: To All the Guys I Loathed Before (Lucky in Love #3) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

February 27, 2026February 26, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 270 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: February 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The man I met in the holding cell is my new boss.
Holding cell.
New boss.
Nightmare.
Roman Drake is younger than me, inconveniently gorgeous, and way too good at pushing my buttons. I don’t need a playboy like him in my life, especially because I’m already plagued by my poor taste in men.
Case in point? I’m currently working with my ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend…at a matchmaking company. To make matters worse, my first love has just dumped a pile of debt in my lap, leaving me scrambling for an extra job. Good thing I can take care of myself; I’ll shoulder this burden on my own. But when my problems keep piling up, it’s none other than Roman freaking Drake who rides to my rescue, offering a solution too tempting to resist.
So I’ll work with him for a while—just long enough to rejuvenate my bank account—and then I’ll move on, leaving him and his laughing eyes in the rearview mirror.
Except the more time I spend with Roman, the more I realize I was wrong about him. It’s not his flirting I need to watch out for; it’s the way he looks at me. Somehow he sees what I’m trying to hide. He’s delighted by the things that have scared other men away.
I’ve sworn off love, and I refuse to soften now. I’ve had too many bad experiences in the past to go down that road again. If only the man from that stupid holding cell didn’t make it so difficult to stay away…

Thank you to the author for the eARC.

LIGHT AND SWEET.

Oh I needed a book like this. Something quick, on the lighter side and filled with sweetness. I love the sibling relationship between Aurora and her sisters. I long for those kind of bonds and the way they take care of each other is just my favorite. This also included Roman and Denice’s relationship too!! Give me all the good family vibes pleeeease.

And I LOVED that she was older than Roman??? The dynamic between them was perfect. I loved how Roman played with Aurora and the slow but sure way he showed Aurora how to let her walls down a bit. The slow burn was just right and I couldn’t get enough of them in each other’s orbit. Both characters with flaws they were working through showed wonderful growth and willingness (even if stubborn willingness) to change and adapt for the better.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: The Cowboy’s Game (Pride and Pranks #3) by Cindy Steel

February 18, 2026February 3, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 356 pages
Author: Cindy Steel
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 18th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

He’s coaching her love life…and losing control of his own.

Jake Evans knows a thing or two about heartbreak. Recently divorced and raising his four-year-old daughter on his own, the cowboy has sworn off women for good. When a job opens up at a dude ranch in his hometown, he comes running, emotional baggage in tow.

An unexpected bonus? Spending the summer with his childhood best friend.

Shelby Tucker was always better at sinking three-pointers than navigating relationships. With a promising new job on the horizon, her life needs a change. She’s determined to stop sitting on the sidelines while life happens all around her.

First thing to tackle? Dating.

But after one too many cringeworthy moments, Shelby turns to the one person she trusts completely. Jake reluctantly agrees to coach Shelby through the dating world, certain his heart is safe where it is. Soon they’re back to their old routines—placing bets, shooting hoops, and putting Jake’s strategies into play.

Except this time, every touch lingers. What once felt safe now feels dangerous. And the line between practice and something real is blurring fast.

When an accident threatens to fracture Jake’s carefully rebuilt life, he’s forced to confront the one truth he’s been the woman he’s never allowed himself to date might be the one he can’t live without.

★ The Cowboy’s Game is a closed-door romantic comedy full of heart, sizzle, and witty banter, but without explicit content.

This is the third full-length novel in the Pride and Pranks Series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but you will see character crossovers!

Thank you to the author for a gifted eARC.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW.

This book was 10000% worth the wait. I kept wanting to put this book down to hold on longer but could not stop reading it because JAKE and SHELBY? ARE YOU KIDIDNG ME? I am absolutely positive I am still a puddle from the first kiss alone. I’ve been burned by multiple friends to lovers romances lately and this took on a different dynamic and let me tell y’all again, IT WORKED.

I LOVED the setting. The dude ranch x cowboy vibe was aesthetically pleasing on all fronts. It’s got this perfectly sexy and heated vibe while still being closed door. You can feel the dawning tension and chemistry turn to romance from the moment Shelby is back in Jake’s life. AND OMG, the hat scene??? IS THIS MY NEW FAVORITE MICRO TROPE? BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE.

And I think this did a beautifully job of balancing the light with the heavy. Jake has a lot of baggage and things to work through and I loved seeing his anger and joy and frustration and hope. He comes to the realizations and truths he needs to and leaves what’s not serving him in the past. It’s one of the best male character romance arcs I’ve ever read.

Seeing the characters from previous books is always a good time and all of the ranch shenanigans only added to the plot. I am a smitten fool for this book and Cindy Steel’s writing.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very low
Romance: make-outs
Violence: low
Content warnings: absent father, car crash (side character, harmed but okay), parental abandonment, divorce

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Book Review: Here’s the Thing (The Seddledowne #4) by Susan Henshaw

February 16, 2026February 4, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 354 pages
Author: Susan Henshaw
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 8th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nine years isn’t that big of an age gap…unless you’re grading her papers.

Tally’s semester

✓ Finish thesis
✓ Graduate (finally!)
✓ Figure out why my boyfriend of four years suddenly feels like the wrong puzzle piece
✗ Do not fall for Professor Dupree

Too bad my heart didn’t get the memo about that last one. When my handsome thesis advisor suddenly bows out, I’m devastated. My friends are these messy, intense feelings are not for my boyfriend of the past four years.

And I’m in major trouble.

Professor Dupree’s Professional

✓ Grade midterms
✗ Stop noticing how beautiful your student is
✗ Maintain professional distance
✗ Do NOT become her best friend
✓ If all else fails, resign as thesis advisor

Good men don’t fall for students. But apparently, I’m not the golden boy our small town thinks I am, because that’s exactly what I did. I planned to wait until after her graduation to tell Tally how I felt. Then she told me I was her person and everything changed. Now, I have to figure out how to turn forbidden romance into a happily ever after. Because letting Tally go?

That’s not an option. Not anymore…

Here’s the Thing, book 4 in The Seddledowne series of interconnected standalones, is an angsty, emotional, contemporary romance full of banter, steam, and dark secrets. Download today and get ready for a love that’s worth the wait.

I CAN NO LONGER CONTINUE.

I have read four books in this series and I have officially decided that I won’t be continuing with this series and probably this author. While truly compulsively bingeable type of writing that draws you in and makes you want to flip the pages, there is one big issues that has continually come up.

The drama is always taken a step too far. It feels as if the traumatic moments are added in to see what kind of punch can be created. The authenticity of the character’s stories seems to disappear the further the book goes on. While some of it makes sense, other’s do not and it started to make me feel icky and frustrated.

Overall audience notes: