Hello Readers! February was a whirlwind of a month for me. From an epic snowstorm, to a blog crisis, to Valentine’s and my birthday. I did manage to read 8 books (and a short story), including my first five-star read of the year!

Looking back at My February TBR, I ended up reading all of the books I had planned (plus a few extras), which means I read 2,471 pages. Most of them were ARCs, but I did manage to reread Chain of Gold before I pick up Chain of Iron coming out in March!

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

February Wrap-Up

After I read an excerpt of Love at First on BookishFirst, I used my points to snag an early copy and I couldn’t keep from reading it as soon as it showed up in the mail! It was my first five-star read of the year, and I couldn’t be more pleased.


My Rating [usr 5]
My Review

My next ARC to read was The Love Proof by Madeleine Henry. I really enjoyed this more thoughtful novel, and it had me contemplating deep questions into the wee hours of the night.

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I was so excited to read The Smash-Up, a modern-day reimagining of Ethan Frome, one of the books that ignited my love of reading. This one would be a great book club choice!

My Rating [usr 4]
My Review

I was invited to read Prepped through BooksForward, and I couldn’t say no to this unique young adult book about doomsday preppers.

My Rating [usr 3.25]
My Review

Next I started Float Plan, an upcoming blog tour ARC I couldn’t resist reading early. I loved this refreshing romance! My full review will be up on my blog tour day, March 12!

My Rating [usr 4.25]

My first non-ARC of the month AND my first reread of the year was Chain of Gold, which I read in anticipation of the next installment in the series, Chain of Iron. I’ve pre-ordered Chain of Iron and it should be here next week! Reading Chain of Gold was a much different experience than last year when I read it while the pandemic was becoming a reality. I enjoyed it so much more this time, and I even changed my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars!

My Rating [usr 5]
My Original Review

My father’s favorite Christmas movie is “The Homecoming” which is based on the book The Homecoming that inspired “The Waltons” television show. I found a large print copy of the book and gave it to my dad for Christmas. After he read it, he loaned it back to me to read. This one is one you can read in one sitting. While I didn’t watch “The Waltons” very often (I was more of a “Little House on the Prairie” watcher), I did enjoy this sweet story.

My Rating [usr 3]

After I finished Chain of Gold, I wanted to revisit a few of the short stories that lead up to the events in the book. I shared My Chain of Gold TBR: What to (Re)Read Before Starting Cassandra Clare’s Next Novel last year, and it’s still very applicable for Chain of Iron, as well. I’m hoping to make my way through several of the stories, but I did manage to read “The Midnight Heir”, a short story included in The Bane Chronicles.

My Rating [usr 4]

My ARCs kind of took over my month, but I wanted to read a book for Black History Month. When the New York Times T Magazine’s Book Club announced their next discussion would be over Passing—a book waiting on my shelf—on March 9th, I decided to read it so I could participate. (By the way, it’s free to watch the virtual discussion. I don’t subscribe to the magazine. You just have to create an account!) I enjoyed this quick read, and I think it’s one that should be required reading.

My Rating [usr 4]

February Book Haul

I added several eARCs to my TBR (HELP! I’m out of control!), as well as some physical books to my shelves thanks to paperbackswap.com and some birthday money! 😉

My eARCs

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• Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras – This is another one I read an excerpt for on BookishFirst. I jumped over to Netgalley to request it and was happily approved! I can’t wait to get back to it. Available 4/27/21
• The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave – I’ve read and enjoyed two previous books by Dave, Eight Hundred Grapes and Hello Sunshine, so I didn’t hesitate to request this one—even though it’s a mystery unlike the previous two. Available 5/4/21
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – I’ve also read and enjoyed Weir’s two previous books, The Martian and Artemis, so I couldn’t resist accepting when I was invited to read his latest. Available 5/4/21
• Brat: An ’80s Story by Andrew McCarthy – I was a big fan of the “Brat Pack” in my teens, faithfully watching on Saturday afternoons when they ran marathons of their films. Anyone else remember that?? I’m so excited to get to this one! Available 5/11/21
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I was thrilled and surprised to get approved for this one—my first Reid novel to be approved for. It’s already getting great early reviews! Available 6/1/21
• Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler – I snagged this one from one of those rare ‘available to read for 48 hours’ emails from Netgalley, which is how I snagged Fable, one of my favorite reads of last year. Available 7/6/21

My Paperbackswap books

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• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• Ashen Winter (Ashfall, #2) by Mike Mullin
• The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
• Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

My Purchases

When I pre-ordered Chain of Iron with my birthday money, I included King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo and The Duke and I by Julia Quinn, the first in the Bridgerton series, to get to that free shipping threshold at Target. 🙂

Free Digital Book

I also picked up a free copy of My Perfect Ex-Boyfriend, a second chance romance that has great reviews. It may still be available for free!

Amazon First Reads

I chose Infinite as my Amazon First Reads in February, a psychological sci-fi thriller that has great early reviews. It’s available March 1st!

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How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!