Aaliyah's Book Corner

Hello, love month! February is one of my favorite months of the year for several reasons but the most prominent reason for this year is the mesmerizing book releases happening this month. We have romances, mysteries, and thrillers to satisfy every reader’s thirst.

The Hermit by Michelle Heard (February 3)

Grace Devlin enters into an arranged marriage to allow her younger sister Cara to marry for love. After only three years, Grace finds herself widowed and finds out that her father repeated history, arranging for Cara to marry Dominik Varga, a notorious assassin and arms dealer. Grace intervenes on her sister’s behalf, determined to stop her sister from going through the same hell she had already been through.

Dominik Varga refuses to let Grace interfere with his plans to take half of the Devlin empire and the two headstrong main characters wage a war of words and fight the attraction brewing between them.

Tropes: Mafia Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Opposites Attract, Arranged Marriage, Grumpy x Sunshine

The Trials of Darkness by Kathryn Breaux (February 3)

This romantasy story follows Briar Blackbourne, the princess of Daramveer who is “cursed” with a darkness inside her; she refuses to use magic after her mother died. Upon her brother’s return to the kingdom, Briar’s father announces his intention to put Briar into an arranged marriage. The men will compete for her hand in a series of brutal trials. Briar, tired of men deciding her future, decides to enter the trials and fight for her own path amid the stir of ancient magic awakening throughout the kingdom.

Tropes: Found Family, Touch Her and Die, Morally Grey protagonists, He Falls First

Given Grace by H.B. Skinner (February 4)

Grace McEntire finds herself back in her hometown of Blackwater, Texas, to clean out her grandparents home as her grandmother’s health is declining. As she readjusts to her childhood place, she encounters her first love and brother’s best friend Dax Collier. Grace struggles to find closure in the memories of her youth and old flames find themselves rekindled as Dax blurs the lines.

Tropes: Small Town Romance, Second Chance, Childhood Friends, Plus Size FMC, Brother’s Best Friend

Threads of Flames and Starlight by Katie Ubele (February 5)

Sienna Osiris is a fire-wielding descendant of the gods and leading a structured life serving alongside her great grandmother, Queen Lilith. She grew up hearing about how dangerous the fae were and to never travel to the South Sea but upon Jasper’s arrival, Sienna finds herself intrigued by the broody fae who claims that only she can help him save his kingdom.

With only 12 weeks before Sienna’s arranged marriage to a man in service to the Queen, Sienna throws caution to the wind and embarks on a journey to help Jasper and uncovers secrets kept by her loved ones.

Tropes: Forbidden Love, Enemies to Lovers

Whirlwind by Kayla Grosse (February 6)

Finley is a college student enthralled by storms so it’s a match in heaven when she learns that Professor West, a renowned storm chaser, is her teacher for the semester. A mutual attraction turns into a passionate love affair when a tornado strikes during the duo’s first chase. Boundaries are shattered and as they attempt to rein in their emotions during their trek across Oklahoma, Finley and Professor West find themselves in the eye of a love storm.

Tropes: Student x Professor, Age Gap, Forced Proximity, Breeding Kink 

The Heart by Rosaline Jay (February 6)

“Three’s company but four’s a good time…”

The continuation of Jay’s Deck of Hearts series, The Heart follows Leena and her former bodyguards-turned-lovers as they run a successful security company and continue to deepen their bond. Expanding their team to handle more operations, one of the new additions catches Leena’s eye and eventually joins the fun, turning the throuple into a foursome 😉

When the Deck targets the trio after the events of the previous book, they find themselves in the fight for their lives. 

Tropes: Reverse Harem, Why Choose, Forced Proximity, Bodyguard romance, Touch Her and Die, Friends to Lovers

A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin (February 11)

Party girl and reality TV star Maya Miller lands eligible bachelor Colin Sterling, a member of the Sterling family known for their media empire. With Maya’s ascent into the upper echelon of society, people have their opinions from her embodying the American Dream to her being a trashy gold digger. The varying opinions then converge to Maya being a coldhearted killer when Colin’s cousin Arianna, the heir to the Sterling empire and fortune, is murdered. 

The Sterlings sequester themselves in their ancestral home in England, telling themselves that it’s for protection. Maya’s intuition leads her to unlock the secrets of the Sterlings who make it clear that they use Maya’s against her. It becomes a game of survival and outwitting her in-laws.

Tropes: Forced Proximity, Family Drama, Whodunit

Sweet and Spiteful Rivalries by C.K. Darling (February 11)

The second book in the Sweetheart Scones and Stories series follows romance novelist and small business owner Brittany Quinn as she runs a successful business alongside her best friend Callie (the protagonist from the first book). When the shop receives a less-than-thrilling review from the town’s newcomer and celebrity chef Holt Hawthorne, Brittany gives him a piece of her mind and from there a rivalry is born. The two find themselves working together and battling not just for who has the better business but also their growing feelings for each other.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance

Scythe and Sparrow by Brynne Weaver (February 11)

The thrilling conclusion to Weaver’s Ruinous Love Trilogy, Scythe and Sparrow follows Dr. Fionn Kane as he lands in a small town in Nebraska, nursing his broken heart after a failed marriage proposal. Enter Rose Evans, a traveling circus motorcycle performer, who indulges her dark side with a little murder in her downtime. The duo meets when Rose gets injured during one of her murder attempts and Fionn helps nurse her back to health. 

Tropes: Friends with Benefits, Partners In Crime,  Small Town Romance, Touch Her and Die, Forced Proximity

Candle In The Wind by Tamisha Kuenee (February 14)

Juliette Rhodes finds herself with no money or prospects. Desperate to get back on her feet, Juliette finds herself in a small town and becomes a surrogate for a young couple from the richest family in the town, the Oakes. After becoming pregnant, the Oakes end up in a car accident and the couple are comatose. Juliette’s uncertain future is complicated when Callum Oakes, the brother to the comatose Oakes heir, shows up. 

Callum is nervous about the future of his brother’s baby and decides to become the guardian of the child while mentally preparing himself that his brother and sister-in-law may never wake up. He and Juliette find themselves drawn to each other and as her pregnancy progresses, he steps into the father role and plans to keep the gorgeous woman with him.

Tropes: Pregnancy, Small Town Romance, Friends to Lovers, Dual POV

Revive by Taisha Ryan (February 20)

Samira Sanders is the wife of the powerful mayor of Atlanta and has everything she could want. But tragedy strikes when her beloved grandmother dies and Samira finds herself back in her hometown of Thornville, Mississippi. The place of bittersweet memories. When she receives a final letter from her grandmother, it asks her the impossible: reunite with her first love Emrys Davis. Samira and Emrys’ attempt to honor her grandmother’s legacy dredges up old wounds and secrets that the two former lovers will have to face together.

Tropes: Small Town Romance, First Loves, Forced Proximity

Eyes of Devious Burgundy by Lacey Lehotzky (February 27)

A war between angels and demons has raged for ten years and the demon’s merciless general Rokath is all that prevents extermination. The general hears about a prophecy predicting that a woman with burgundy eyes will shift the balance of power, naturally enticing Rokath to find the woman. 

Assyria, the burgundy-eyed beauty, is trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage with a nobleman who only married her for her power. When Rokath arrives with his army to enforce a decree, Assyria’s life irrevocably changes when her husband is slain. She assumes his identity and plots to take revenge on the men who killed her family but finds her match in the ruthless general.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Feminine Rage, Slow Burn

Which books are you excited for? Are you reading any of these on release day? Share your thoughts below and be sure to follow the blog for book releases, reviews, and other fun content. You can also find me on social media.