My February 2024 Reading List: What to Read and What to Skip in Romance

In this book list and podcast episode, check out all of the romance books that I read in February 2024 where I share my mini book reviews and disclose which books I recommend that you read and maybe a few books that I suggest you just borrow or skip because they just didn’t do it for me. This month I read a wide range of romance so there should be something for every kind of reader.

Podcast Episode 41: My February 2024 Reading List: What to Read and What to Skip in Romance

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Books Mentioned In this Episode:

• Just for the Summer
• Mixed Signals
• The Exception to the Rule
• Same Time Next Year
• Give Me More
• A Wicked Kind of Husband
• The Au Pair Affair
• A Cowboy to Remember
• The Architect
• The Could Be Us

Episode Show Notes:

Hello readers!

Welcome back to the podcast and one of my favorite episodes to put together each month where I talk about the books that I read over the past month and tell you which books I loved and recommend that you read or perhaps talk about some books that didn’t quite hit the mark for me so I suggest you skip them or borrow them from the library if possible if you’re going to check them out.

With SO many new romance books releasing every day and TBR list growing and growing, I want to help you read only the best romance books worth reading and that’s what I hope to do today by discussing the books I read this past February.

And my reading list reflects what I love most about the romance genre and that is the variety that it offers. I can pick so many different books based on my mood or what I’m interested in at any given moment and there is going to be something that matches what I’m looking for.

So this month I read historical romance, I read more spicy romance and erotic romance, I read poignant romance and sweet romance. So much variety and I loved it.

And I have to say that most books scored high in my book, not all but definitely the majority so a great reading month for me all around.

Ok, time to dive in with the first book that I read which was Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez.

Just for the Summer
by Abby Jimenez

This is her new fake relationship, guardian ward romance that releases on April 2 of this year. I was in the mood to read something really, really good, and after reading Yours Truly last year and absolutely loving it, I knew that I wanted to pick up Abby’s new book off my TBR list because I had a feeling it was going to hit the spot and it totally did.

I am just in awe of this woman’s writing and the storyline she came up with was amazing. To be honest I went into it thinking I was going to read a fun romcom based on the summary but it actually had a more heavy tone to the book.

That wasn’t a bad thing, just not what I was expecting because I was bawling my eyes out at one point but that’s because she made me feel so much for these characters.

So what’s it about? Well, Justin, the hero of the story has a curse.  Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. Then one day, our heroine, Emma, messages him after seeing a Reddit post or article about his “curse” and says that she has the same problem.

So the two get to texting and then one day Justin concocts this plan and says, hey, why don’t we date for a bit so that we can break both of our curses and we can both finally find our soulmates after we break up.

But what was supposed to be a quick fling turns out to be so much more. Because one- Justin ends up assuming guardianship of his three younger siblings for a particular, heart-wrenching reason which I won’t spoil. And then Emma’s toxic mother shows up and throws her into a tailspin at the same time.

There is honestly so much I want to say and talk about when it comes to this book but I think I’m going to have to check what I say otherwise I’m going to give some spoilers and I really don’t want to do that.

But this book really struck a cord with me. I honestly was off in my own world for several hours after finishing it because I just had to sit with everything that happened and just embrace these characters a bit more before saying goodbye. I just had SO MANY feelings.

I wrote in my review that what makes a great author stand out from a mediocre writer is the fact that they can create such engaging characters with interesting backstories that don’t feel two-dimensional, fake or perfect.

I felt like she created a romance for Justin and Emma that truly read like a “real” romance. Full of sweeping me off my feet moments, but also full of realities that made this happily-ever-after so hard fought and earned.

I think it can be easy for some to write the fairytale romance but to write a romance with characters that have to deal with real-world problems such as neglect, denial, and family responsibilities is something else.

I think the issues of abandonment, trauma, and avoidance that Emma faces could be triggers for some folks and I vacillated from feeling such sadness, anger, and hope for her. Gosh, how I wanted to just tell off her mother so many times.

Then there’s the heaviness that was weighing down Justin’s shoulders. What a man he is. I loved every single thing about this hero who stepped up not only for his siblings but for Emma time and time again.

I also love books with the best side characters and Emma’s best friend Maddy is amazing.  Never has there been a better friend written in romance. I admire her so much.

I cannot recommend this book enough so be sure to add Just for the Summer to your TBR list and grab it when it releases in April.

Another book I read in February was Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison which is part of her Lovelight Farms series. It became available at my local library so I snatched it up and I’m so glad that I did.

Mixed Signals
by B.K. Borison

It’s a super sweet and steamy small town romance that features an amazing cinnamon roll hero, and a baker who hasn’t had the best luck in love and a fake relationship that turns into a bit of some relationship coach tutoring. It was awesome.

Layla Dupree is the baker at Lovelight Farms and friend to Beckett the tree farmer and Stella the owner of Lovelight Farms. She makes these amazing pastries but she sucks at finding love.

Then in walks Caleb Alvarez. Now Caleb is not a stranger to Layla. He’s been going to her bakery every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for years because he loves her croissants and because he may have a thing for Layla.

She on the other had is oblivious to him until she sees him one night at a bar in a Hawaiian shirt for a bachelor party and it’s like she all of a sudden sees him in a different light as though she’s seeing him with different glasses or like the fog has finally been lifted.

He helps her out after a disastrous date and he confides that he hasn’t had the best track record in dating either because he just comes across as “too much too soon.” So they devise this plan that for one month they will start a fake relationship that and go on no-strings dates with the goal of renewing her faith in men with Layla rating Caleb’s dating game.

And I can see why the whole fake relationship thing is popular because it takes the pressure off. You can just be yourself in a no judgement zone instead of trying to mold yourself to impress someone.

But of course their chemistry is amazing and one conversation she admits to never having an orgasm from another person and not knowing what she may like and he is like – let’s figure that out together. I mean this guy is the freakin sweetest and yet their bedroom moments were so hot and just real.

You will seriously fall hard for these two. Their first two dates were hilarious and so not perfect and yet they were. 

At one point she’s worried that she’s taking too long to orgasm and he’s like, don’t worry about it. I like to work for it. I mean this guy- he’s a substitute teacher, had amazing forearms and blushes. He honestly couldn’t be any cuter.

I highly recommend Mixed Signals.

Next up on my list are two novellas that I read this month which count toward the February Romance Book Reading Challenge because one prompt was to read a novella and I read two.

I’m patting myself on the back for incorporating this prompt for this month because it coincided perfectly with the release of the Amazon Originals series of The Improbable Meet Cute novellas – which are six short stories from bestselling authors including Christina Lauren, Abby Jimenez, Sally Thorne, Jasmine Guillory, Ashley Poston,  and Sariah Wilson who turn improbably first encounters into hopelessly romantic happy ever after stories. 

All of these are available to read and listen to with a Kindle Unlimited subscription by the way.

So I read the novella by Christina Lauren called The Exception to the Rule.

The Exception to the Rule
by Christina Lauren

On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in which C and T end up being pen pals, wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day, for years but never sending any pictures and not sharing real names or any personal identifying information.  

But then as years pass, the rules for their email “dates” begin to break and they wonder what if we actually met?

I’m totally not going to give away what happens but it’s a unique twist to the story that made this such a fun, short read. You have to give it a bit where the intial email back and forth those first years is just bare bones emailing but sets the foundation for them to continue this tradition and share more so just stick with it for a few chapters of email exchanges.

I DO have a KU subscription so I’m definitely going to be checking out the other novellas in this series. I know some readers in my She Reads Romance Books Reader Lounge have read them and enjoyed them so I’m looking forward to reading them as well.

The second novella I read in February is Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey.

Same Time Next Year
by Tessa Bailey

This book is on my best books about New Year’s Eve list because it starts off on New Year’s Eve in the bar called Sluggers where Britta works. It’s also the regular hangout spot for the Bridgeport Bandits, the local hockey club, who her half-brother plays for as well as the giant defenseman, Sumner Mayfield.

Now this is no ordinary New Year’s Eve as Britta’s brother and the entire team begs her to marry Sumner that night to keep him in the USA. Because his work visa is going to expire the very next day and he needs to stay on the team because he is THAT CLOSE to being called up to the NHL and if he were forced to return to Canada then his chances would be all but lost.

Well if there was one man Britta would maybe consider breaking her no-dating the hockey players policy and no marriage at all rule it would be Sumner – the guy who seems to always be watching her. And when her half-brother mentions some money may be involved she relents and agrees to marry him so he can get his green card – and stay married for a year to make it look legit.

Sumner was awesome and the cutest cinnamon roll who was gaga over Britta. I understood her hesitation about marriage and love given her past but there was no way she could resist the big guy.

I wish we could a bit more build-up to her finally coming to grips with her feelings and them becoming more but it’s a novella so it’s short but a super cute marriage of convenience story.

After reading those two novellas I read even more to meet the February romance book reading challenge which also gave the reading prompt to read one SPICY romance book. And boy did I pick a super spicy book which was Give Me More by Sara Cate.

Give Me More
by Sara Cate

This is book three in her Salacious Players Club series which have all gotten new covers by the way – all except the last one which hasn’t been released yet.

Now I read book two in the series last month, Eyes on Me, and wasn’t thrilled with it which I think is somewhat because I went into it with different expectations of the story so I wasn’t wowed but I know so many people who love this series that I wanted to give it another shot, plus I was like oh boy when I read the book summary of this one because it features a married couple.

Hunter is part owner of the Salacious Players Club which is an adult club where people can explore and practice their kink. He’s roped in his best friend, Drake, to help with various construction projects for the club and Drake who has a reputation for being a manwhore uses his free membership quite well – always having a new partner or multiple partners on his arm and in his bed.

But now Hunter and his wife Isabel with Drake in tow are taking a cross-country road trip touring other kink clubs and it’s making Hunter question what his own kink might be as it hasn’t really made itself known yet.

Then he has this idea of watching Drake sleep with Isabel while he watches and he realizes how turned on he is by it and actually voices that desire to his wife and best friend.

Now behind the scenes- Drake has always been attracted to Isabel and loves her but would never make a move on her. Plus, he’s always loved his best friend too.

Drake has always been this fixture in Hunter and Isabel’s marriage so Isabel would admit that she finds the man attractive and isn’t opposed to the idea though both Drake and Isabel realize that trying out this kink could have some major repercussions for everyone’s relationship.

I love that Sara Cate unabashedly writes taboo and spicy romance. She’s like I’m here for it and I’m bringing it.

She does such a great job of setting up all the relationships involved – two men who have been best friends through thick and thin for YEARS, two people with a strong marriage and just a really strong friendship between all three.

She does a great job of how they all wrestle with the idea initially and later with how things move from just this opportunity to explore kink to really being more – and more in ways that Hunter maybe wasn’t anticipating.

So the beginning was really captivating and I thought it was really well done in terms of looking at a poly relationship. I gave it 4.5 stars so definitely one I highly recommend if this is your cup of team or have comfort with this level of spice.

I then decided to pick up a steamy historical romance and a throwback title with reading A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy which released in 2018.

A Wicked Kind of Husband
by Mia Vincy

This is book two in her Longhope Abbey series which I only realized after the fact. So I read this as a standalone and had no problems doing so.

This is also about a married couple but a married couple that only met once on their wedding day two years ago when they agreed to a marriage of convenience but then have been living a part ever since.

Cassandra DeWitt only married her husband to secure her inheritance. And since their wedding day she’s been living on her own, looking after her two sisters and her ailing mother. But when it becomes time to launch her sister to society, she travels to London in hopes that her grandmother will aid her in this process.

But at the same time, turns out that her husband, Joshua is in London too, reuniting the married couple much to their displeasure because she now has to share a house with a man who is super infuriating and doesn’t necessarily abide by societal rules and he just doesn’t want a wife disrupting his life and one who tempts him.

But then a person from Cassandra’s past draws up a lawsuit against her husband and the two partner up as a team to confront it and just happen to ignite the passion between them as well.

Which let’s be real – the very quick consummation of their marriage did not make Cassandra a fan of the wedding bed but that soon changes and she’s like oh…this is how it could be.

But they both know that he’s only in London for short business and she’s only in town to launch her sister so the sexual relationship they fall into isn’t meant to last despite them falling for each other.

Then it becomes this story of she just wants a baby to take care of and he can’t fathom having a marriage and a family to love when it could all be taken away but….you’ll just have to read it to see how they manage through it all.

Cassandra was such a fun heroine to root for and I loved her strength. It’s books like this that make me return to historical romance time and time again.

This past month I couldn’t hold off any longer from reading the next sports romance book in Tessa Bailey’s new series, Big Shots, which started with her recent release Fangirl Down and continues with The Au Pair Affair which releases in July.

The Au Pair Affair
by Tessa Bailey

Now I LOVED Fangirl Down which I’ve mentioned before is already on my best romance books of 2024 list – it was that good, so my expectations were pretty high going into The Au Pair Affair.

This book is another sports romance but this one features a hunky grouch of a hockey player who is the best friend to Wells along with the marine biology student, Tallulah who is Josephine’s best friend.

There is one scene in Fangirl Down if you haven’t read it yet where you meet these two main characters and it’s where THEY meet for the first time and come up with the idea that Tallulah, who plans to continue her studies in Boston, will move in with Burgess, to be the au pair or live-in nanny, to his tween daughter Lissa in exchange for a free room basically.

First off – I love these two characters. With SO MANY books under her belt already, I don’t know how Tessa Bailey keeps creating new characters with unique personalities and life experiences but I’m here for it.

I thought I was going into a grumpy sunshine, age gap, nanny romance, which is sort of is but yet it really isn’t. The focus is actually much more on Tallulah and how a situation from her past really shaped her into someone very fearful of trusting men and rightly so. And now she’s moving in with this huge hockey player known as Sir Savage and she’s like what the heck am I doing?

But Burgess was a great juxtaposition. Yes he’s the enforcer of his NHL hockey team and yet with Tallulah he was so gentle, empathetic and caring. He immediately became her safe space when on paper and at first glance he should have been someone who terrified her.

He is top book boyfriend material because he never pushed Tallulah. He instantly became her protector and “bodyguard” for her adventures and only wanted the best for her. He was a total goner when it came to her from the very start.

His hang-up about their age gap really didn’t gain steam and I’m glad because it just didn’t seem to be an issue because both were just mature adults. I also liked that there wasn’t any drama with the ex which can happen in single parent and nanny romance books.

What did surprise me was this guy and his dirty talk. Holy moly….Tessa Bailey should honestly teach a course on writing dirty talk because she is AMAZING at it. I mean it didn’t take much for me to fall for the man so I couldn’t blame Tallulah. How he could say exactly what he wanted in such a hot and filthy way was fire. And the date he planned for her was….Genius.

As someone who lived in Boston for over twenty years it was really cool to have the city as the setting for this novel. I have been to the places mentioned in this book so that was super cool.

There were just a few nitpicky things that prevented me from giving this a five star read like Fangirl Down but they didn’t prevent me from enjoying it. For example, this is definitely an insta-love romance which I have no problem with but they really knew nothing about each other before falling head over heels and they really didn’t have that many heart-to-hearts besides Tallulah’s big one that showed me they really go to know one another.

I didn’t really get their big moment of conflict either…seemed a bit out of character for Burgess and yet I can see why he did what he did.

Also, I think some people will go into it thinking this is a typical nanny romance but it isn’t. That’s not a bad thing but maybe she should have just been a grad student he falls for because there is no nannying involved really. So just saying because if you love nanny romances then it’s just a bit different but I still enjoyed reading it and think you should check it out for these characters.

Next up on my reading list was A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon which has been on my TBR list for a long time – ever since I heard this book and series is going to be made into a TV series- so I finally cracked it open.

A Cowboy to Remember
by Rebekah Weatherspoon

This is a book about hot African American cowboys living it up in California and the girl that got away and who nows has amnesia and is somewhat forced to move in with them as she recovers because she has nowhere else to go to do so safely.

I’m going to be honest and say that I stopped this one – maybe at 40% in, I can’t remember now. It’s not that it was bad but I was finding it hard to get into the story with it being really slow and I felt like it would be better served reading it at another time.

I like the amnesia piece but I think what was missing was some more flashbacks or connection to why the heroine of the story had once fell for the hero and why after one argument they haven’t spoken in 10 years. I didn’t feel like this was built up enough and it just dragged so maybe I’ll revisit it again we will see.

By this time the podcast episode that I was on for Too Stupid to Live with Becky Feldman released and I remembered how much fun we had talking about The Good Girl by Nikki Sloane, so I decided to check out the The Architect which is book three in her Nashville Neighbors series which are all taboo romances.

The Architect
by Nikki Sloane

And FYI- these books are all on Kindle Unlimited and I don’t think have ever been in KU before so head over to read them while they are there!

This is a forbidden, age gap, neighbors to love her romance, but really, at its core a BDSM romance. Lilith is the heroine who is best friends with Cassidy, the heroine from book one in the series but you don’t really need to know that because this book is really a standalone book in this series so you don’t need to have read any prior books nor are these characters really mentioned in the last two books just FYI.

Lilith is living in her parents guest house in the Nashville neighborhood and ends up helping Clay one night as he finds a stray cat at his house and is afraid he’s injured it. He gets Lilith to help because he somehow knows that she is a vet tech so she comes over to help and the two have sparks.

Lilith then convinces Clay to adopt the cat which shows a real attachment to him but since he is going to be traveling a lot for work, he gives Lilith a key to his place so she can come in and check on the cat.

But before he leaves, she surprises him one night and basically offers herself up to him.

And from that point on the two end up having a non-relationship relationship where she learns that he is a Dom and she may actually have this thing for being a sub. But what they really explore together is the S&M aspect of BDSM. As Clay likes to push the envelope of pain and she seems to take pleasure in it.

Now that is just setting the stage. Since Clay is away during the week, he then proposes to have Mr. E stand in for him and deliver the choreographed “scenes” he plans for Lilith while he watches. Though he sets some rules up front. Lilith and Mr. E are not allowed to speak to one another or have any other connection besides the scenes.

I’ll just say I’m not really into S&M so while I think overall, it’s very well written, it’s a book that explores the areas of BDSM but there’s really no characterization to any of the three main characters besides their names and occupations, and there is no build up to their connection or love besides their involvement with scenes with one another.

Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy that piece on its own as I think it is a great book that looks at people who love to give and receive pain. I sort of then delves into a poly relationship too but that is just toward the end.

Overall, I would say that if you’re interested in a book that looks at how these three navigate a very unique relationship between a Dom, a sub and a new Dom and their look at S&M than you can consider The Architect by Nikki Sloane.

Last but certainly not least on my reading list for February 2024 is This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan.

This Could Be Us
by Kennedy Ryan

I was super excited to read this book after reading Kennedy’s first book in her Skyland series, Before I Let Go, which is why This Could Be Us made my list of most anticipated new romance books for 2024 and it did not disappoint.

This book is Soledad Barnes’s story. Soladad is a domestic goddess who’s always had her life all planned out. But then her husband commits the greatest of betrayals (not just one but several) and her life and the life of her three daughters changes forever. Picking up the pieces of this shattered life, Soledad embarks on a path of self-discovery which includes a forbidden man that she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist.

Well I’ll just say it right from the top, this is a fantastic book.

As I wrote in my review, I love reading Kennedy Ryan’s books because she packs so much into it that it’s really more than just a romance. Don’t get me wrong, I read them for the central love story and happily ever after but I always leave her books feeling as if I’ve either learned something new, had my perspective changed or was just given MORE.

This Could Be Us is a book about rising up from the ashes, reminding yourself that you can stand on your own two feet, and demonstrating that parenting is the greatest act of selfless love and yet a bit of self-centered love is necessary too. It’s a book about sisterhood and family and finding your person. It’s all of this and I loved it.

Soladad is a 41-year-old woman who’s been married to Edward for sixteen years and just one scene with Edward and his nasty comment about his wife’s body was enough for me to see that this dude was a bad guy.

Soladad recognized that her marriage was not what it once was but she was completely blindsided when her husband commits the ultimate betrayal in not just one but in multiple ways.

And as I already mentioned, from that moment on we get to see Soladad on a journey of recovery and discovery. Someone who takes her passions and what she’s good at and makes those talents work for her.

She pushes back on those who don’t believe being a homemaker is a “job” or that a “normal job outside the home” is the only way to get it done. And I really appreciated that Kennedy pressed this point. Women who stay at home and raise the children are some of the hardest workers I know as well as those who juggle both home and outside work responsibilities.

Though this was about Soladad’s heartbreak and journey back to love, I fully fell for Judah. He is a man who walks the walk and talks the talk. He is a present father who is there for his two twins who have autism. He is an amazing co-parent with his ex-wife. He is a man who fell first and hard but did not want to get in the way of Soladad’s journey and yet showed her his support is so many small and meaningful ways.

This is one of those books that I think is so well done and definitely deserves five stars.

I will definitely be reading the next book in the Skyland series which will be Hendrix’s story and I think it’s going to be another great one. So yay! This Could Be Us releases tomorrow, March 5 so be sure to grab it.

Check out my book review of This Could Be Us.

Wow- February was a great month for reading I have to say and I’m already so excited for what I have lined up for March which includes Kate Stewart’s latest release, called Euro Dreams, so excited for that one as well as Lynn Painter’s release, Happily Never After, which comes out next week so tune into my March reading list episode to hear about those.

Since it is now March, if you’re following along with me with the annual Romance Book Reading Challenge, this month’s challenge is to read either one contemporary romance book which should be easy to do or one of my favorite reading prompts, read a new author to you.

If you need help with a selection, just drop me an email I’d be happy to offer some suggestions and then once you do make a selection be sure to join me and your fellow romance readers in my Facebook Group, the She Reads Romance Books Reader Lounge to share and talk about it.

Before ending I need to share the answer to the game Name that Book Boyfriend from my last podcast episode where I talked about romance books where love is found after being cheated on. To refresh your memory, here is the clue:

If you guessed Matthew Farrel from Paradise by Judith McNaught then you are correct! Well done. Stay tuned because I’m going to test your romance book knowledge with a new quiz that will be available on She Reads Romance Books very soon so be sure to join my newsletter list so you will be the first to know when that goes live if you’ve been enjoying this name that book boyfriend game.

Thanks as always for tuning in to today’s episode. Don’t forget to show some love and leave a rating. Til next time, happy reading because life is better with a love story.

Related Book Lists:

• January 2024 Reads: What to Read & What to Skip
• February 2024 New Romance Book Releases

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