You would think that this being February, I’d be reading more traditional romance novels, but instead, I’ve been steeped in romantasy, murder mysteries, historical fiction, and memoirs.

I wanted to see what all the hype was concerning the Empyrean series, so last month, I dove in to read the three published novels so far in the series. I finished Iron Flame and Onyx Storm this month. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the series. I don’t mind an enemies-to-lovers trope; however, something bothered me about the relationship between Violet and Xaden. It was a little too “violent” at times. While they claimed to love each other, there was a lack of tenderness that I expect from a loving relationship. Perhaps the military academy setting and the constant threat of war explain the relationship.

Carla Simpson did not disappoint me in the latest addition to the Angus Brodie-Makaela Forsythe mystery series, Deadly Curse. Makaela and her partner/husband Angus Brodie assist the Metropolitan Police in solving the murder of a well-known and respected Egyptologist and his assistant and uncover a ring of thieves selling stolen ancient artifacts. Makaela’s voice as narrator is one of the things I enjoy most about the series; she is often cheeky and doesn’t take herself seriously.

I am not a real Jodi Picoult fan, but I had to read By Any Other Name. The title hints at the story since it is a direct allusion to Shakespeare, namely to the play Romeo and Juliet (Juliet’s monologue in the famous balcony scene in Act II). Picoult explores the possibility that William Shakespeare was not the factual Shakespeare but a closet Jew named Emilia Bassano, a courtesan and later a tutor and teacher. Bassano is historical; she was the first woman in English to have a book of poetry published. In this dual-time period historical novel, Picoult traces the dilemma women playwrights have had getting their works produced on stage. I have to admit that so far, this has been my favorite book so far.

My book club is reading The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou as our February selection. The memoir recounts Angelou’s life during the late 1950s and early 1960s when she began her work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and with the movement toward the end of apartheid in South Africa. I mostly listened to this book in Audible. Hearing the author read her own work brought it to life. This book has given me new insights into her poetry, especially “Phenomenal Woman” and “And Still I Rise.”

When I checked it, my Google Pixel phone suggested articles I might read. I clicked on one with suggestions for other books similar to the Empyrean, and Faebound by Saara El-Arifi was mentioned. Similar to the Empyrean books, the protagonists are bound to mythical beasts called obeah. Yeeran, her sister Lettle, and a Waning province’s army captain find themselves as prisoners in the fae kingdom. Yeeran and Rayan discover that they are half-elf, half-fae. Most of the novel covers the time they are in the underground world of the fae as they try to figure out how to return above ground to the world of elves. The novel has some romance, one of which is the enemies-to-lovers trope. I found this book a very slow starter; however, the last three or four chapters made me not want to put the book down. I enjoyed the story, though it is not a novel I would reread.

I have quite a few novels on my TBR list; the biggest problem is deciding which one to read next. That will be the decision for tomorrow.