What I Read in February 2023 {Monthly Wrap Up}

“Even though February was the shortest month of the year, sometimes it seemed like the longest.”

― JD Robb

Did anyone see where February went? I know it's the shortest month of the year, but it shouldn't have disappeared THAT quickly. Wowzers.

Let's jump into some updates.

Life was pretty quiet. Thankfully. One of my kids did have a doctor appointment, but that was just our quarterly check-in. In other words, nothing exciting. I also attended school conferences for my elementary crew, and all are doing well. It does look like summer school is in the works for two of them. Neither are exactly thrilled by that, but I keep explaining that it will only benefit them in the long run. So for as long as their teachers recommend it, they will be attending. I'm a mean mom, I know. The only other "newsworthy" thing would be the snow storm that hit my state. My kids had already been off for Presidents day, as well as a teacher inservice day. So that storm allowed them two more days home. It isn't high school tournament season if there isn't a snow storm. If you're in Minnesota you understand what I'm saying. 

Spotify was playing quite frequently in February. I alternated between my 2022 wrap up, my little bit of everything playlist, and Midnights {3 AM edition}. Surprisingly I also listened to the radio a lot. My channel of choice is KQQL, which is KOOL108. They play 80's and 90's music, so it's my wheelhouse. It's the music of my childhood and I'm always open to listening to it.

When it comes to television, I watched Picard, The Masked Singer, and The Flash. I also watched, but didn't really watch, The Curse of Oak Island. It's one of my husband's favorite shows, and he was watching while I was reading. Every once in a while my head would pop up to see what was happening, but I couldn't tell you what was going on. As per usual though I did watch the channels that I subscribe to on YouTube.

My book total for February was ridiculous. Seriously. I did read 9 novellas/essays that were under 100 pages, so that helped quite a bit with my number. Time to stop beating around the bush and disclose my total. In February I read 29 books. TWENTY NINE! I don't understand how I did that, but it happened. All of the books were romance this month, which is standard. It's very rare that other things mix in. Ten of the books were ARCs, which I am so thankful to receive. The others though all came from Prime Reading or my kindle library. 

As for my blog, I was very successful this month with posting. I think I had a good variety of content too. From my weekly wrap ups, to my anticipated reads, to book tags, to trope posts, I liked what I put out. My favorites though were my Thoughts While Reading posts. I am definitely going to be carrying those forward.

Book stats for February are as follows:
Books Read: 29
Pages Read: 6,686
Average Page Count: 256
5 Star Reads: 2
Physical Books: 0 
E-Books: 29

What was my favorite book of the month? That would go to Broken Love Story by Natasha Madison. This was one of her older titles, but the story has stuck with me. I can't even begin to imagine what Samantha had been through, but I am so glad that Blake came into her life. Although I will say that I could have easily given this "title" to Off to the Races by Elsie Silver. That book was fabulous also.

My favorite cover of the month goes to The Owner by Xavier Neal. It's the simplicity of it, along with that pop of green, and the skates. 

Last month I shared the general link for my reviews on Goodreads. This month though I'm switching it up. Since I create weekly wrap ups, where I also put in little mini reviews, I have broken the books up by the weeks I read them in. So each week has a link to that wrap up. IF a book has it's own post, I have that linked as well. 

Week One

When We Meet by JH Croix
Take the Lead by Jessica Simpson
Movie Star by Jessica Simpson
Princess of Hawthorne Prep by Jennifer Sucevic
You Can't Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne
Final Offer by Lauren Asher
Made for You by Natasha Madison

Week Two

Defensive Hearts by Alley Ciz
As You Wish by Angela Quarles
The Disaster on 21st Street by JS Wood
The Right Swipe by JS Wood
The Baby Blitz by Lex Martin
Unexpected Love Story by Natasha Madison
Healing My Heart by Gina Azzi

Week Three

Love, Pucks, & Other Stories by Elise Faber
Broken Love Story by Natasha Madison
The Owner by Xavier Neal
Curveball by Lisa Suzanne
Recovering Beauty by Gina Azzi
Reclaiming Brave by Gina Azzi

Week Four

One Last Chance by Gina Azzi
This Time Around by Gina Azzi
One Great Love by Gina Azzi
Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
Fastball by Lisa Suzanne
Bad Boy's Downfall by Gina Azzi
Out of the Gate by Elsie Silver
Yours to Lose by Emily Silver

Did you see all those Gina Azzi titles on my list? I've been working on getting through her backlist titles, and I'm almost complete. I have one series left to go, along with her standalone. Maybe by the end of 2023 I will have read all her books. Time will tell. Fill me in on the books you read in February! Any favorites? Any misses? Any recommendations? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, tell me your thoughts on the various stories.

Happy Reading,
Laura

Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!

Thank you to the authors who provided me with advanced copies of their books.

A to Z Reading Challenge 2023 {February Update}

It's time for my second check in for 2023's A to Z challenges! I've knocked a few more letters off my list, and I am so happy to be making progress. Here's hoping that 2023 is my year to complete these reading challenges. 

Were you able to complete any letters this month? How many do you have left to go? Also are you doing the title challenge, the author challenge, or are you doing both?

See you back here at the end of March for another update!

Happy Reading,
Laura

What I Read Last Week

Happy Monday! After the snowstorm last week, we are back on our usual routines this week. Thank goodness! We ended up with about 12 inches of snow, and that is 12 more than I'd like. I'm ready for spring! It's winter in Minnesota though, so snow happens.

Last week I read 8 books! I finished up a series, continued on in another, and started a new one. If you know me, you know I'm wild about series. Love them! My favorite read of the week was Off to the Races by Elsie Silver. I could not get enough, and am continuing on with the series. Obviously. Also I made great progress on Gina Azzi's backlist titles! I have 5 books left (a series + a standalone), as well as a kindle vella story. I'm going to press pause on that mission though, as I also want to work through the other books on my kindle.

Before we get to the books I read, spill the details on what you've been reading. What was your favorite? Any flops? Read any new (or new to you) authors? What's the reading plan for this week?

Happy Reading,
Laura

Thoughts I had while reading The Owner

Going into The Owner, I figured I would do another thoughts while reading post, as well as add in a tiny review at the end. Before we dive in though, LOOK AT THIS COVER! I absolutely love it. The simplicity, the colors, the team logo, all of it. More of this please.

For those who do not know The Owner is the first book in the Dalvegan Dragons hockey series from Xavier Neal. This fictional town is in Texas, and the owner of the team recently died. So the team has now been handed down to his daughter Harlow Hennington. Harlow has been raised around hockey. She lives and breathes the sport. To say she knows the ins and outs would be an understatement. This is her passion, and nothing will stop her from curating a fabulous team. Not even the life changes that are thrown at her. A spontaneous Vegas wedding? No big deal, she can get it annulled. A surprise pregnancy from that Vegas wedding? Uh, that's going to be a bit more of an adjustment. Falling for her husband? Well that is not in the plans, but it might be happening. First though she needs to take care of her team. Everything else can wait. Or can it.

When I first heard the premise of this book I thought it was going to be an owner/athlete relationship. That was where my mind went, and so when I was reading and that WASN'T the case, I was confused. Guess that's what happens when you make an assumption. What this book is though (trope wise) is age gap, opposites attract, Vegas wedding, surprise baby, and workplace. The Owner is also FULL of hockey lingo and chirping. After all Harlow is the owner of the team now, and hockey is life.

My 3 Favorite Antagonists

Every so often when you read a book, you'll come across that ONE character who you just love to hate. These characters stand out with their actions, their words, and so much more. There is just something about them that has you hoping they do not get a redemption arc in any future books from the author.

Who are the characters that I have a love to hate relationship with? I'd love to tell you.