February 2026 Reads...

Below are the books I read in February along with my thoughts on them. I'm not doing any formal reading challenges this year, but I am continuing to read diversely. I'm trying to get through the books I already own as well as new ones. I started reading another book later in February but haven't finished it yet, so I will include it in March along with (hopefully) a couple others.

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THE KISS COUNTDOWN by Etta Easton

Event planner Amerie (Mimi) is having a rough patch in her life after being fired from her job, the end of her relationship, and facing the realities of her mother's illness. She is already lying to her parents about what is going on in her life so they have one less thing to worry about, but when she comes across her ex and his new girlfriend at the coffee shop, she tells him she's already moved on, too. When he asks who, she grabs the guy she spilt coffee on the week before.

Vincent is an astronaut who is getting ready for his next mission to the moon. His mother is trying hard to convince him to take a desk job as she doesn't want to lose another child. He avoids most family functions for this reason.

Vincent goes along with Amerie's story under the condition that she will do him a favor as well. This leads to the two of them fake dating, not only to impress Mimi's ex, but also to take some of the family pressure off Vincent. But the lies get out of hand when feelings get involved. When the truth comes out to those most important to Amerie and Vincent, they both must decide how real their relationship is.

This was a fun and cute story with very realistic lives and feelings. Perfect for those who enjoy meet cutes, fake dating, real feelings, family, and happy endings.

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SKI-CROSSED LOVERS by Allison Temple

Ski-Crossed Lovers is a rivals to friends to lovers to maybe friends to lovers mm romance with lots of skiing, pinning, intimacy, and emotional trauma. Cedric first met Austin on the ski hills as a competitor. After many years and races, they become friends, both representing Canada at many events. It's after a qualifier for the Olympics that Austin confesses his feelings for Cedric go beyond friendship, and that leads to a night of record-setting passion between them. But their new relationship is short-lived when Austin crashes during a ski run and barely survives. His recovery happens far away from Cedric and a portion of Austin's memory is gone, including qualifying for the Olympics and the night he confessed his feelings to Cedric. But Cedric remembers that night and finding him in the woods after his accident, not sure if his best friend and new lover would survive. Cedric must try to work through his emotional trauma while Austin goes through tons of physical therapy if they are ever going to compete in ski cross or even be friends again. This story was such a great romance and perfect to be read during the Olympics, but also can be read any time. I look forward to reading more from Allison Temple as well as other Love on the Podium stories!

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