Three Books I'm Reading Now, 5/18/26 Edition

The Books I'm Reading Now

I'm reading the newest (eighth) book in Martha Wells's Murderbot science fiction series, Platform Decay, in which SecUnit is tasked with complicated rescue efforts; I'm reading Carley Fortune's newest friend-based, ultimately steamy romance, Our Perfect Storm; and I'm reading the second installment in Devney Perry's adventure-romantasy Shield of Sparrows series, Rites of the Starling.

What are you reading, bookworms?

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01 Platform Decay (Murderbot #8) by Martha Wells

In Platform Decay, we catch up with the delightfully grumpy Murderbot (SecUnit), who in this eighth book in the series is faced with another high-stakes rescue attempt--this time, of its beloved Mensah's family.

Then SecUnit, along with its charges, finds itself tasked with an additional time-sensitive side rescue effort, adding challenge to the group's own escape from evil corporation pursuers.

The inconvenient "emotion checks" SecUnit has been tasked with exploring allow the reader insight into the grumbly, begrudgingly invested ties it develops with the messy, imperfect humans under its protection.

You can click here to find my Bossy reviews of Murderbot books 1 through 3, as well as the sequels Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry, and System Collapse.

I received a prepublication version of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Tor Books.

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02 Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Frankie and George, her best friend since childhood, were once so close they tattooed each other's names on their bodies. But they've been on the outs for a year or so.

After Frankie’s wedding is called off, the two of them go on Frankie’s paid-for honeymoon, hoping to repair their friendship.

George is determined to help his friend through this life crisis, and he's got a research-based plan for each day to usher Frankie through to a healing place.

But Frankie is starting to fall for George, even as she fears making a move that would ruin their friendship forever.

Carley Fortune is great at crafting a romance story with characters I like to root for and steamy, poignant, friendship-based relationships.

Fortune is also the author of Meet Me at the Lake, Every Summer After, One Golden Summer, and This Summer Will Be Different.

I received an audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.

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03 Rites of the Starling (Shield of Sparrows #2) by Devney Perry

The first installment in the Shield of Sparrows series set up an overlooked princess who became a heroine; deadly monsters being treated unfairly; an enemies-to-lovers romance; and shifting loyalties.

This sequel is told through split points of view. We hear from Odessa Cross, the Princess of Quentis, who is on a quest to find her missing warrior husband Ransom while trying to understand an enigmatic journal detailing events that appear in Odessa's visions. Oh, and she's got six-year-old Evie and a fierce baby monster, Faze, tagging along with her with her through every imaginable danger.

We hear at times from Ransom's point of view, and we hear frequently from Caspia, a new-to-us character and a Starling who has not yet transformed into her animal state. She is learning the mixed, disturbing history and heritage of her line while falling in love with Andreas, a man who saved her in the wilderness and who has a secret lineage of his own.

Click here to read my review of book one in the series, Shield of Sparrows.