February 2025 Reads...

Below are the books that I finished in February and my thoughts on each. 

I'm not doing any reading challenges this year, but since February was Black History Month, I read two books from Black authors that were already on my reading apps. I'm having a harder time reading on a screen now. I still do, but I have found a workaround for some books. I make a list of the books on my apps that fit into a certain category. Then I go to my local library's website and see which ones are available to check out there. If I can get a paperback or hardcover version to read, I will read that. Otherwise, I read on a tablet. Phones are way too small for me to read on now. 

Anyway, it was a great month of reading, and I'm almost done my next book, but I didn't finish it before the end of February.

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GIRL OF FLESH AND METAL by Alicia Ellis

Girl of Flesh and Metal is a wonderful YA novel about what could happen when AI is connected to the human brain. It shows that even when technology is used with the purpose of helping people, it can have deadly consequences. I really enjoyed this first book in the series! The fictional futuristic world was easy to immerse into, and I enjoyed learning about all the characters and seeing them grow in the story, especially Lena. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

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THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen

Maggie Bird is a retired CIA spy living in Purity, Maine with other retirees from the same organization. She enjoys a peaceful life raising chickens and helping her neighbors at the farm next to hers. After she is contacted about a former mission, she is unwillingly thrust in the middle of an investigation where she doesn't know who is on her side and who wants her dead. The story goes back in time quite often to introduce characters and give details of the former mission, all while Maggie is trying to gather clues about who is after her. Sometimes her retired friends help her and other times she leaves them behind. Plus, she has local acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau asking a lot of questions that she can't answer. The Spy Coast is an intense thriller that kept me enthralled until the end! The characters were all wonderful and I enjoyed traveling around the world with them. I've enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series and I look forward to more in this series as well.

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​GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert

As a web designer with chronic pain, Chloe Brown doesn't get out much and her only friends are her family. In a moment of adventure, she writes a list of things she wants to accomplish that will prove she has a life. When she comes across a cat in a tree while out for a walk on a good day, she decides to climb up and rescue the cat. Redford Morgan, an artist/ building superintendent comes across his tenant stuck in a tree and offers to help her back down. Though Chloe won't admit she needs help, she allows him to help her and believes he can also help her cross some things off her list. What neither of these two damaged souls expect is to enjoy spending time with each other and to eventually fall in love. Chloe's disability as well as both of their pain from their past relationships play a pivotal role in this book. And while there are some hurtful misunderstandings between the two main characters, this book is a true romance. Though the last few chapters proved quite the roller coaster ride. I look forward to reading more from Talia Hibbert!