This was a good reading month for me, considering we only had 28 days to cover. One of the books was an overlap from January, but I am counting it here since I actually finished it in early February. Six of the twelve books I read were in print, four were in digital format, and two were audiobooks. This will be a longish post, which I am making into two parts, so grab a hot beverage and settle in with me to hear all about these books. I hope you find something that you might enjoy!

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a bestselling book you may be hearing a lot about, because many people are raving about how amazing it is. I am an outlier here because, while I enjoyed the book overall, I had some issues with it. The basic setup is that an older mysterious stranger (Theo) shows up in a small southern town and begins buying up all the portraits that decorate the walls of the local coffee shop. His mission is to return the portraits to the subjects who were depicted in them. The “rightful owners,” if you will. We get a backstory for each individual featured in a portrait, and some of these folks have quite a story to tell. Here is the publisher’s description: “Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted story about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the far-reaching possibilities of anonymous kindness.”

There are many poignant moments in the book, and I won’t lie, I was moved at times. We learn early on that Theo is a man with a secret, which was intriguing. What bogged me down was the massive middle section of the book where Theo is making his 92 bestowals. It dragged on in such a tedious manner that I had to put the book aside several times, not sure I had it in me to finish it. This book should have been 100 pages shorter. The ending had a great payoff, but I definitely lost my engagement with the story throughout the middle. I also felt the author was hitting me over the head with the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” message of generosity and community. Only 3 stars from me, but you may be one of the majority who say it is the best book they have read in years.

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson tells a multigenerational story about Dakota women, their relationship to the land, and the cultural legacy carried in seeds. The novel centers on Rosalie Iron Wing, a Dakota woman who grew up in foster care after losing her father, a man who taught her the importance of plants, stories, and ancestral memory. After the death of her white husband, Rosalie returns to her childhood home in rural Minnesota. There, surrounded by familiar woods and riverbanks, she begins to reclaim her identity and understand the deeper history she had been separated from.

The novel weaves Rosalie’s story with those of her ancestors, including women who protected seeds through war, displacement, and forced assimilation. Their narratives reveal the resilience required to preserve both culture and land in the face of environmental and cultural devastation. As Rosalie reconnects with surviving relatives and uncovers the truth about her family’s past, she comes to see that seeds are more than food—they are living vessels of memory, resistance, and hope. I absolutely loved this beautifully written novel. 4.5 stars

Homeschooled, a memoir by Stefan M. Block was quite the story. In the book, Stefan describes how he was pulled out of school at the age of nine and subjected to five years of homeschooling by his emotionally unstable mother. Set in Plano, Texas, just as homeschooling was first becoming legally acceptable, the book chronicles the years Stefan spent largely cut off from peers and traditional education as his mother took on the role of his sole teacher, friend, and world.

Stefan describes an existence marked by erratic lessons, bizarre experiments (like bleaching his hair and enforcing crawling to improve handwriting), and deep emotional dependence with little meaningful academic structure. After five years of this, he insists on attending regular high school, where it becomes clear that he is socially awkward and completely unprepared academically. He ultimately adapts and claims independence outside his mother’s control, and the story will certainly make you question whether there should be stronger supervision and control over homeschooling situations. 4 stars

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is a work of literary fiction deemed among the top ten of the year by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. All I knew about the book going in was that it was about a woman who gives up her life to live with nuns in an isolated convent in Australia. Ok, tell me more. It turns out we never learn the main character’s name, whose past is glimpsed only in brief recollections. I found the book very strange. Our main character spends all her time in self-reflection on the meaningless life she has led and the evils of capitalism. There is a horrendous mice invasion, a school bully turned super-nun, and the revelation that our main character is an atheist. I just didn’t get it. 3 stars for originality.

After reading the previous book, I needed a major palette cleanser. I turned to two works of Regency Romance by Mimi Matthews, an author I was unfamiliar with, but heard recommended on the podcast Currently Reading. I picked up A Work of Art by Mimi Matthews, which was a huge hit for me.

Growing up in Devonshire, Phillida Satterthwaite was always considered more odd than beautiful. Circumstances force her to stay with distant, unaffectionate relatives in London. Her unusual beauty quickly makes her a sensation in society, which is uncomfortable for our shy heroine. She makes the acquaintance of Captain Arthur Heywood, a wounded war hero suffering from PTSD who is in London to handle some family business. The book isn’t so much about the plot (although there is a mystery and a villain) but about the sweet romance between our two main characters. This isn’t your typical bodice ripper tale of a rake and a spunky heroine. It is the story of a friendship that develops into a love relationship between two really lovely people. It was exactly what I needed after the previous two books I had read! 5 stars (free on Kindle Unlimited)

I found I couldn’t stop with just the one book by this author. I immediately moved on to a second one, Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews. This book did not disappoint. It had more plot and mystery than The Work of Art, and the relationship between the two main characters was full of tension and physical passion (while staying “closed door”).

Here’s the setup: Wealthy squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her odious neighbor Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it is childhood friend, illegitimate Nicholas Seaton, who has always had her heart. Raised on her father’s estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. Unscrupulous Fred frames Nicholas for theft, and Margaret helps him escape, with the goal of finding his legendary father. After fleeing into the night, nothing more is ever heard of Nicholas, although his memory burns brightly in Margaret’s heart.

Years later, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has returned to England after years spent on the continent. He’s tall, powerful, handsome, and dangerous, and very determined to restore his family’s honor. If he is able to also dole out a dose of revenge to those who deserve it, so much the better. What he hadn’t counted on was meeting up with Margaret Honeywell, who is absolutely certain he is actually someone else.

You guys, this book was SO good. I won’t tell you anymore, but there are highwaymen, tawdry taverns, duels, desire, loyalty, betrayal, and so much more. This book was everything. 5 stars

Check back later this week for six more reviews for the books I read in February!