Picks from the Bottomless List: February
Welcome everyone to our first monthly Bottomless Picks where we talk about our favourites of the past month and books we’re excited for in the new month.
January wasn’t such a great month (reading wise I mean!) because I only read 7 books overall. Not really complaining about that though, because I also got to spent the second half of the month in the US, visiting a friend, watching LOTS of hockey (on tv and live) and doing other fun stuff. I wasn’t there to read, but that limited the books I could choose from a bit. Though in the end there was one book that really stood out for me: Daily Grind by Anna Zabo.
I was very lucky to get an early copy for this and absolutely loved it. (Review will be up closer to release date :)) I enjoyed the coffee/cream puns, loved the characters, the amazing bi-rep and really, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It’s the fourth book in the Takeover series, and might be my new favourite. (I should probably add that I haven’t read Due Diligence – yet!)
Brian Keppler, owner of Ground N’At, the coffee shop beneath SR Anderson Consulting, doesn’t have time for a relationship. His most recent girlfriend broke up with him because he’d become married to his shop, which is falling apart without his favorite barista, Justin.
As he struggles to stay afloat, the arrival of handsome British high-tech whiz Robert Ancroft becomes another complication. Rob quickly becomes a fixture at the shop with his sharp wit and easy charm, and Brian soon finds himself looking forward more and more to Rob’s visits—to the point where his heart skips a beat when he walks in.
But will Brian be able to come to terms with his previously unexplored sexual identity and find happiness now that he has a chance?
Goodreads / Amazon
Release Date: February 21st
My favourite read during January was the awesome Half by Eli Lang. I won’t lie, Eli is my friend and I knew I wouldn’t be completely impartial when reading this, but it was even better than I was expecting it to be. Eli’s writing is amazing, her descriptions just pulled me into the story and the characters felt real and lovely. Don’t miss this one if you have the chance to read it.
Living between worlds has never been comfortable, but it’s where I’ve always fit: between human and fey, illness and health, magic and reality.
I’ve spent the last six years looking for a cure for the nameless sickness eating me up. If I believed there was one out there, I would keep searching. But there isn’t, so I’ve come back home, where my past and present tangle. Come home to live . . . and to die.
But my father insists I meet Kin. He’s a healer, and determined to help, even though I’m not so hopeful anymore. But Kin isn’t what I expected, in any way. He sees me, not my illness. He reminds me of what it’s like to be alive. And I can’t help falling for him, even though I know it isn’t fair to either of us.
Kin thinks he has the cure I’ve been looking for, but it’s a cure that will change everything: me, my life, my heart. If I refuse, I could lose Kin. But if I take it, I might lose myself.
Goodreads / Amazon
Release Date: February 13th
Holy smokes I did a ton of reading this month! It’s hard to pick what I loved the most — particularly as some things I LOVED were ARCS for books way in the future. However, I did get to do some reading of older books y’all might already have read. But I absolutely LOVED. The Blinding Light by Renae Kaye and A Kind of Truth by Lane Hayes. These were both new authors to me, and when I have some money, I’m definitely grabbing more of their stuff!
The Blinding Light caught me by surprise. The first page had me unsure — perhaps because of the POV? By the second I was hooked. Jake’s voice is so clear — his personality absolutely believable and so well fleshed out by the author. He made me laugh out loud more than once, and this love story was really well executed. And it was…whew! I do not know what Kaye harnessed, but wow was it sexy!
Jake Manning’s smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it, he can’t hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it’s prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake’s so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude… and blind man.
Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he’s met his match with Jake, who doesn’t take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.
Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: the girls are starting their own lives and his mum’s sobriety might stick this time. He’s sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it’s time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he’s not alone anymore.
I picked up A Kind of Truth because I’m a sucker for rock star romance (who isn’t, amirite??) I also have a secret thirst for Will as Billie. Particularly in fishnets. Their chemistry was incredible. I literally held my breath through their first intimate scene it was so hot. These reviews are making me seem a bit pervy, but I swear, my love for these books is only partly based on their sexy levels. Rand and Will have a great, complex relationship. I love a book with complicated characters who don’t always do what we want, what makes sense; who are imperfect and lovely.
Rand O’Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a rock god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, which include he keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.
Will Sanders is a gifted musician who dazzles Rand with his ability to coax gorgeous notes from an electric guitar one moment and play the piano like a professional the next. He’s a geek, but Rand isn’t concerned about Will’s pressed exterior clashing with his tattoos. His focus is music. Yet there’s something about Will that makes Rand think there’s much more to the quiet college student than he lets on. As Rand’s dreams begin to materialize, he’s forced to reconsider his priorities and find his own kind of truth. One that might include Will.
The book I’m most looking forward to is Hard Wired by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell. I love the cover, I love the blurb and I can’t wait to have it *finally* on my kindle. Especially because I finally started Fast Connection, the second book in the series and it’s SO good. Not that I really expected anything else. 🙂
My FallenCon agenda is simple: sit on a couple of panels and let people meet the real me. Jesse Garvy—mod of a famous Twitch channel and, if I ever come out of my shell, future vlogger. I definitely didn’t plan to sleep with a moody tattooed fan-artist, but he’s gorgeous and can’t keep his hands off me. There’s a first time for everything, and my first time with a guy turns out to be the hottest experience of my life.
But the next day, I find out my moody fan-artist is Ian Larsen AKA Cherry—someone I’ve known online for years. And he’d known exactly who I was while shoving me up against that wall. Before I figure out whether to be pissed or flattered, the con ends.
Now we’re back online, and he’s acting like nothing happened. But despite the distance between us, and the way he clings to the safety of his online persona, we made a real connection that night. I don’t plan to let him forget.
Goodreads / Amazon
Release Date: February 13th
I’m twisting the rules a bit, because I’ve been lucky and I’ve already read this book, but I’m looking forward to everyone reading An Unseen Attraction by KJ Charles. I love – scratch that, I adore – KJ Charles, and I can’t wait to read this whole trilogy. Her characters are just amazing, and I love how he can pull the reader into the historical setting of her books.
Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He’s happy with his hobbies, his work—and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship…
Rowley just wants to be left alone—at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding… it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered.
Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they’re to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets—and their hearts.
Goodreads / Amazon
Release Date: February 21st
What I’m looking forward too? I’ll admit to cheating a bit here. February 2nd is Pene Henson’s book birthday as her second novel, Storm Season comes out. It is just stunning. I’m so enjoying the influx of F/F books I’ve been seeing lately, and this one makes a beautiful case for everyone who isn’t sure about the genre. Claudie is this beautiful, secretive complex woman whose been hiding away in the Australian bush for three years as park ranger. She foils Lien, who is so full of verve and drive and energy beautifully. Henson is so gifted in her prose style. It’s spare yet lush. There’s a stripped down way of 
writing that invites the reader into such intimacy with the scenery and characters; I just cannot say enough about it.
The great outdoors isn’t so great for Sydney It-Girl Lien Hong. It’s too dark, too quiet, and there are spiders in the toilet of the cabin she is sharing with friends on the way to a New South Wales music festival. To make matters worse, she’s been separated from her companions and taken a bad fall. With a storm approaching, her rescue comes in the form of a striking wilderness ranger named Claudia Sokolov, whose isolated cabin, soulful voice and collection of guitars bely a complicated history. While they wait out the weather, the women find an undeniable connection—one that puts them both on new trajectories that last long after the storm has cleared.
Goodreads / Amazon
Release Date: February 2nd
And I have to second Annie with the gushing love for Hard Wired. I read this ARC within 24 hours of receiving it. In true weird fangirl fashion, I must confess that I’ve read the other books in the Fast Connection series at lease 5 times each. Needless to say, I’ve been DYING for this one. You’ll definitely hear more from me when I review it, but I promise. Pick up these two books for this month and you’ll be such a happy reader.
Other February releases we’re excited for:
Thick & Thin by Charlie Cochet; February 1st
Peter Darling by Austin Chant; February 15th
Beneath the Stars by Lynn Charles; February 16th
Moment of Fate by Karen Stivali; February 24th
Fangjunkie27 by Lyssa Dering; February 2nd
The Start of Something New by Tamryn Eradani; February 13th
Queer Books Unbound 