Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2026

Monthly Wrap-Up is my once-a-month post recapping all the books I’ve read.

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What a difference from last month where I only read 4 books! The curse has definitely ended. I had a few 5 star reads even!

Bookish Stats:

Books read: 9

Physical books: 1

Ebooks: 2

Audiobooks: 6

Rereads: 1

Babylon: Mesopotamia And The Birth Of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek — 3/5★
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer — 5/5★ (reread)

Sex Scandals of Ancient Greece and Rome by Monica Cyrino — 4/5★
She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva — 5/5★ (my review)

The Swamps by Seraphina Nova Glass — 3/5★
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White — 4/5★ (my review)

Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell — 5/5★ (my review)
The Hidden History of the Black American West by Alaina E. Roberts — 4/5★

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher — 4/5★ (review to come)

Have you read any of these books?
What was your favorite book of the month?

Cover Reveal: Marked by the Alpha by Sheritta Bitikofer

Welcome to the cover reveal of Marked by the Alpha by Sheritta Bitikofer, a paranormal romance.
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Marked by the Alpha by Sheritta Bitikofer
Publication date: June 11th 2026
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

An alpha with a storied legacy. An independent woman rebuilding after grief. Forbidden desire—for only one is human….

After her mother’s death, photographer Erica Barrett, buys a home she and her mother obsessed over during her childhood in the quaintly historical town of Tolstone. Her magnetic next door neighbor intrigues and disturbs her. The sensual pull feels otherworldly.

Wolf shifter Dominic Beaumont never wanted to be the prime alpha of the sanctuary city, Tolstone, but when his father dies, he’s forced to step up as pack leader and prime alpha over all the wolf packs sheltering in his town. Erica’s arrival is dangerous. The attraction is fierce and instant, but duty comes first.

When revelations about Erica’s past and parentage create chaos, and she questions everything she thought she knew about herself, Dominic is her strength. But as tension builds in the pack, and his leadership is challenged, love becomes a risk that could cost him his authority, his people, and everything he’s sworn to protect.

Perfect for readers craving illicit wolf-shifter romance filled with fate, secrets, rebellion and an alpha willing to risk everything for love.

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Author Bio:

Sheritta Bitikofer writes paranormal romance with a particular fondness for wolf shifters and witches. Her stories are driven by one guiding belief: love inspires courage. Through fierce romances, unbreakable pack bonds, and the magic of covens and family, her characters fight for the lives—and loves—they deserve. Sheritta lives in northwest Florida, where she drinks far too much coffee and joyfully balances life as a wife and mother while crafting her next heartfelt paranormal love story.

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Review: Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell

Title: Honeysuckle
Author: Bar Fridman-Tell
Publication: March 24, 2026 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Folklore
Find it on: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Blackwell's | Waterstones
Rating: 5/5★

The Bear and the Nightingale meets Weyward in this deeply compelling debut about love and power, autonomy and consent.

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Once upon a time, on the edge between meadow and forest, there was a lonely child with only his older sister for company. In exchange for being left in peace, his sister made him a playmate—Daye, a girl woven from flowers and words. And for the first time, this boy, Rory, had a friend.

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Rory couldn’t be happier, until he learns that Daye is a short-lived creature. At the end of each season, she must be woven back together or fall gruesomely apart. And every time Daye falls apart might be her last.

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As Rory and Daye grow older, and the line between friendship and romance begins to blur, Rory becomes desperate to break this cycle of bloom and decay. But the farther Rory pushes his research and experiments to lengthen Daye's existence, the more Daye begins to wonder just how much control she really has over her own life.

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As a loose reimagining of the story of Blodeuwedd from Welsh mythology, Honeysuckle is an entrancing, inventive, and unsettling debut.​

Honeysuckle by Bar Fridman-Tell is loosely inspired by the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd. It weaves folklore together with an empowering feminist theme and delivering a powerful message.

Daye was woven from flowers to be Rory’s childhood playmate to keep him occupied. But each season Daye must be rewoven or risk falling apart for good. As they grow up their friendship turns into romance and Rory gets more desperate to stop Daye from unraveling. The boundary between love and obsession starts growing thin as the years go on. As Rory’s experiments to keep her alive grow bolder, Daye begins to doubt her own autonomy and see how little control she really has.

Honeysuckle is Bar Fridman-Tell's debut novel and it impressed me so very much. It was wonderfully written, even when things turned hauntingly dark. Daye and Rory's relationship started innocent in a friendship as children but as it turned to romance as they grew up it was hard not to wonder how much it was actually shaped by Rory's desires. Could Daye truly consent to any of it since she was created for Rory?

Honeysuckle explored the themes of dependency, the ethics of creation and the delicate balance of power and consent. The story also showed how a relationship can turn toxic when one person manipulates or disregards the other's autonomy. It was an atmospheric read with touches of botanical horror and dark fairy tale vibes. I would highly recommend it!

About the author:

Bar Fridman-Tell has a BA in art history and an MA in English literature. (She gleefully wrote her thesis about Victorian vampires.) She has worked as a bartender, a bookseller, a translator, and a library assistant. She is currently studying for a master's in library and information sciences, hoping to stay in a library for good. She lives in Toronto with her professor husband and two very fluffy cats. Honeysuckle is her debut novel.

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