Goodbye, January!

January was a blur of cold and wind and snow and more cold. Also, Christmas seems aggges ago.

2026 Resolutions:
     (1) Don't stop reading
            (b) Complete Monthly Reading Challenge(s)
     (2) Make memories
     (3) Share love of books/reading
     (4) Be kinder to myself

(1) Book's Read This Month: 48.

    (b) Monthly Reading Challenge(s): Shape = Capricorn. Got some A-Z stuff recorded. Some ARCs. Got a lot of Beat The Backlog done.

(2) January Memories: I saw Clue at the theater (sooo good!) and dinner with my mama, my grandma, and my aunt. Cleaned my grandma's. So many record breaking cold days. SO much snow (like sooo much). A looot of read though, a lot a lot.

(3) Posts this month (including this one): 46.

(4) Quite a few days of telling myself I'll get up at a decent time and then sleeping in; my bed it just so warm and the world is cold and mean. A few depressive moments, but nothing crazy. The reading helped. My anxiety was high, trying to juggle so very many, many work projects and life and weather. Lots of self-care moments (I made some lego flowers today).

Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?

Any exciting February reads? Any existing 2026 reads?
Anything I should check out?

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyejanuary #hellofebruary #hello2026 #dontstopreading #makememories #shareloveofbooks #shareloveofreading #bekindertomyself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Crossed Lines (Close Quarters #3)

Continuing on a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's "Crossed Lines" by Sierra Bennett. It's the third novella in her Close Quarters series. Now sure when I read the first one, but GoodReads says I did so...

["Spencer Hall is everything I shouldn’t want—star soccer captain, my roommate, and my best friend.

Luke

I’ve worked hard to get to the Collegiate semi-finals and make my dad proud by achieving what he never could. But everything changes when I have to share a dorm with my gorgeous best friend.

We’ve always been competitive, making harmless bets with dumb forfeits. He knows exactly how to get under my skin, and his constant flirting makes my heart race in ways I can’t explain.

As far as I know, I'm 100% straight. But when a bet turns into a kiss, my walls start to crumble. One kiss, and now I’m hooked. His touch ignites a fire in me I’ve never felt before, and I’m terrified of getting burned.

Winning the semi-finals has been my dream since I was a kid. I can’t afford any distractions—but Spencer is impossible to ignore.

The more we cross the line between friends, the less I want to stop."]

Idiots. Idiots who kiss and fuck and dare each other into more and more and more instead of thinking through (let alone talking through) their feelings. They’ve been half in love with each other for years, only falling more and more, but the individual insecurities keep them from understanding what they truly feel. And when these bets and these kisses start, it’s feel oh so natural (and looks oh so fucking adorable)c you wonder what took them so long (idiots). 

Trigger Warnings: internalized homophobia, past death of a parent, mention of past abuse, and more.

#snowangel #motelfever #crossedlines #closequarters #closequartersseries #sierrabennett #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Motel Fever (Close Quarters #2)

Continuing on a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's "Motel Fever" by Sierra Bennett. It's the second novella in her Close Quarters series. Now sure when I read the first one, but GoodReads says I did so...

["I’ve always been obsessed with my best friend. Now we’re stuck together for three days in a small-town motel… And we have to share a bed.

Callum

Driving home for spring break with my best friend should have been just a straightforward trip back to our families. But when my pickup truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere, we’re left stranded at a small-town motel with only one bed.

We’ve been inseparable since junior year of high school, sharing everything—late-night talks, our deepest secrets, dreams—except the one thing I've been hiding for the past five

I’m hopelessly obsessed with him.

I can’t get him out of my mind, even when we’re around each other. But if he ever discovers the truth, it could destroy our friendship. The longer we're stuck together, the harder it becomes to keep my feelings hidden, and the closer I come to risking everything we've built."]

A little cliche, but a lot sweet. This story was about trusting yourself and being brave and second shots at communication. It was about memories and togetherness and doing something that scares you.

#snowangel #motelfever #crossedlines #closequarters #closequartersseries #sierrabennett #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Ultimate Goal (Brooklyn Blades #1)

Here's Felice Steven's latest "The Ultimate Goal." It's the first book in her Brooklyn Blades series. 

["Rip
In the fifteen years I’ve played for the Brooklyn Blades, I’ve won all the awards except the most important one. The Stanley Cup.
But my annoying ex-boyfriend is the team’s goalie, and the paparazzi is loving it. What’s worse is, my absentee father decides to make an appearance and won’t leave me alone.
I’m ignoring it all. My ultimate goal is to win the Cup.
Then my best friend’s younger brother, Adrian, shows up to interview me for the sports segment of the evening news. He’s nervous and unsure, so I have to help him. We grew up together,but I barely noticed him then.
I’m definitely noticing him now.

Adrian
Our sports reporter is injured, so I have to cover the hockey game when my ultimate goal is to be a hard news reporter. Not only am I camera shy, but I know nothing about sports. Sure, I know Rip Tremaine—I’ve had a crush on him for years. Not that he’s ever noticed me.
Maybe I can fake it.
Nope, I can’t.
But Rip saves my interview, and now the station wants me to follow the team. With my job on the line, Rip comes up with a Get my own sports show to prove I can be on camera. I’ll pretend to be his boyfriend, and no one will know, not even my brother.
I’ll have unlimited access to the team.
And Rip.
We can do this. We’re professionals. He’s teaching me all about hockey…and kissing. And I’m helping him navigate his father’s betrayal.
Except neither one of us is pretending anymore. And our ultimate goal now is to win it the Cup, my job, and love."]

TO BE UPDATED SOON

#gayromancereviews #grr #arcs #arcteammember
#theultimategoal #brooklynblades #brooklynbladesseries #unpredictable #unpredictableseries #felicestevens #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Win You Over

Continuing on a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's "Win You Over" by CS Autumn.

["𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧
My life changed when my father died, and in the time since, I’ve learned to accept that my voice will never be the same. There are years and a literal ocean between the boy I was and the man I am now.
Scholarship student.
Loyal best friend.
Talented fighter.
The only thorn in my side is Remington Langford. Cocky, popular, far too handsome for his own good, and insistent on calling me his friend.
When a lost bet turns into a trip to Italy as his fake boyfriend, we grow closer than we ever intended, and it’s not long before the lines between what’s for show and what’s not blur.
Something not everyone is happy about.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧
Holden Booker is a mystery—quiet, strong, guarded, and seemingly immune to my charm.
Not only do I want to know 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 about him, but I need to show him he can trust me.
I don’t intend to fall in love with him. I don’t even do relationships, but he’s everything I never knew I was looking for.
Faking our relationship is impossible when everything we feel is so 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.
Enough to have someone I trust out to destroy us, breaking my heart along the way."]

I needed something sweet and addictive and wholesome and relatively angst-less (well…the romance was low angst).

They were so fucking adorable, even if Holden wanted to push Remi off a cliff. They fit. That feeling of contentment and safety and silliness was there from the beginning. It was understanding and soft and kind (even if the dirty talk was hot as hell). 

Though that prologue was rough as hell. 

Trigger Warnings: bullying, mentions of death of a parent by suicide, violence, anxiety, PTSD, and more.

#winyouover #csautumn #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

That One Moment (Altered Paths #1)

Continuing on a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's "That One Moment" by CS Autumn. It's the first novel in the Altered Paths series.

["𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲
In one moment, I found the man of my dreams. In another moment, I lost him.
Without Cooper, my world was fractured, and I made sure his twin brother knew it. I unleashed all my pain onto Caiden, ignoring the fact that he wasn't to blame. Afterwards, I spent three years pretending I’d moved on, pretending that I’d left the past behind me. I became so good at it. No one saw the heartbroken man behind the mask.
Until one phone call brings Caiden back into my life. Seeing him again opens old wounds, forcing us both to be painfully honest and making me question everything I believe about love.

𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻
Cooper isn't just my twin, he's my best friend and a better person than I could ever be.
I regret all the choices I made that hurt him, but none so much as the ones that led to the worst night of our lives. For three years, I punished myself until it all became too much, and I made a decision that I hoped would bring me closer to him. Instead, it only brought Jamie Durand back into my life.
I’ve tried to hate him - ever since he and Cooper fell hopelessly in love - but I never could. Because secretly, even though it made me a terrible brother, I wanted Jamie to look at me the way he did Cooper. Now he’s back in my life, and there’s something between us that neither of us can deny.
Only, it’s very possible we’ll both end up hurt again, and I’m not sure either of our hearts can take that."]

Well if you feel like sobbing uncontrollably for a few hours, with no hope of stopping any time soon, this is your book. It will destroy you (more than you can even imagine). Just when you think you might not cry, just when you think you're okay, just when you think you can't possibly cry anymore..gut punch.

I've held off reading this one for so long because I knew it would destroy me. I knew it would be hard and harsh. I knew I wouldn't love the timeline of things and the "reality" of things and the horrible things people would say (that they would say to each other). It sucked. It sucked a lot.

But...But healing is also just as powerful. The sunshine after the rainstorm is just as bright as it was before the clouds moved in. Family and friends and support can be stronger after a tragedy. You can be stronger, braver, bolder after you break.

Trigger Warnings: parental neglect, self-harm (on-page), sexual assault (on-page), death by motor accident (on-page), mentions of illegal substance use, cheating (not between MCs), grief, suicide attempt (on-page), anxiety, depression, negative self-talk, and more.

#thatonemoment #justustwo #csautumn #alteredpaths #alteredpathsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

January's Book Shape Challenge 2026

2026 Book Shape Challenges... Last year, I went with an animal-theme. This year, I'm thinking zodiac constellations (which is less--and yet more--of a challenge (we'll see how it goes)).

Here's January's Book Shape Challenge! Capricorn!!

#reading #readingchallenge #readingdare #bookdare #bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge #beatthebacklog #monthlythemes #monthlychallenge #bookshape #bookshapechallenges #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks