March put the U.S. smack in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and pretty much all of my creative interests took a massive hit. Very little writing. Very little reading after the shelter-in-place order. But before everything went topsy-turvy, I fell into some of my favorite books of the year, as well as books that… Read More Mala’s March 2020 Cool Reads

I packed a lot into a short month—and I didn’t even finish a book on that extra leap day! Ann Aguirre was generous enough to give me a sneak peek at her latest Ars Numina book, The War Priest, and I was immersed immediately in grumpy bear (literally!) Callum and sunny songbird Joss’s romance! I… Read More Mala’s February 2020 Cool Reads

I started 2020 as I mean to go on—-by reading a lot! The find of the month was definitely Ann Aguirre’s Strange Love, an inventive, sweet, sexy—and side-splittingly funny at times—tale that’s equal parts Predator, The Bachelor, and The Hunger Games. This is an alien romance where the alien isn’t just some oversized humanoid with… Read More Mala’s January 2020 Cool Reads

I set myself a goal at the beginning of the year to read at least five more books than I did in 2018. I finished 2018 with 121 books under my belt. 2019? 135! Goal met! Whoo-hoo! Now here’s my last reading rundown for the year—featuring delightful food-centric contemporary romances like Adriana Herrera’s Mangoes &… Read More Mala’s December 2019 Cool Reads

I’m not gonna lie: November’s reading round-up kicked ass. Probably because I used the time I should’ve spent writing to read instead. Oops? I have no regrets, though, because playing hooky introduced me to some of my favorite books of the year. Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri is just as exquisite as last year’s Empire… Read More Mala’s November 2019 Cool Reads

October was light on the romance reads, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t bring some heat! I was so very glad to see erotic romance author Katie Porter back in the game with a steamy short, Christmas is Coming, and I tore through Olivia Waite’s hilarious and hellacious (in the best of ways!) demonic duology,… Read More Mala’s October 2019 Cool Reads

Yes, they’re cool reads now. Because I got tired of calling them hot. (And they were only hot because I ran out of book-related puns.) But enough about temperature! Let’s take a look at all the awesome books I read last month! Like Mia Sosa’s trade paperback debut, The Worst Best Man—which isn’t out until… Read More Mala’s September 2019 Cool Reads