Mikail's 75 Book Challenge for 2026 (OMBWarrior47)

Hi there, I'm Mikail. I'm from Minneapolis, MN. I'm a landlord and have little time on my hands but when I'm home I enjoy reading and snuggling with my three cats.

I read all genres. I'm in a local mystery book club so I at least have one from that genre a month.

This is my 16th year participating in this challenge. I have now hit it twice! Once in 2018 and in 2024!

Books I've Finished

~January~
1. Blood & Thunder Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #2)
2. Rack & Ruin Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #3)
3. Insurrection Tom Combs (Drake Cody #4)
4. The Shots You Take Rachel Reid
5. The Woman Who Lied Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #3)
6. Rise & Fall Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #4)
7. Old Dogs & New Tricks Argentina Ryder (Paws and Claws #1)
8. Against The Grain Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #5)
9. Requiem John Palisano
10. Catch a Tiger by the Tail Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #6)
11. The Vanishing Jayne Anne Krentz (Fogg Lake #1)
12. Double Dog Dare Argentina Ryder (Paws and Claws #2)
13. Dark Corners Megan Goldin (Rachel Krall #2)
14. All Bark, No Bite Argentina Ryder (Paws and Claws #3)
15. THIRDS Beyond the Books Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
16. Sweet Nightmare Tracy Wolff (Calder Academy #1)

~February~
17. Smoke & Mirrors Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #7)
18. Thick & Thin Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #8)
19. Broken Things Lauren Oliver
20. Like Cats & Dogs Argentina Ryder (Claws & Paws #4)
21. Darkest Hour Before Dawn Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #9)
22. The Wife Before Shanora Williams
23. Gummy Bears & Grenades Charlie Cochet (THIRDS 9.5)
24. Tried & True Charlie Cochet (THIRDS #10)
25. Thirds Beyond The Books Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
26. Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones
27. Love and Payne Charlie Cochet (THIRDS Universe/Rebels #1)

~March~
28. Gone But Not Forgotten Charlie Cochet (TIN #1)
29. Murder on the Red River Marcie Rendon (Cash Blackbear #1)
30. Cold Light of Day Charlie Cochet (TIN #1.5)
31. Dog Days of Summer Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #1)
32. Like Cats & Dogs Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #2)
33. Cat's Got My Tongue Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #3)
34. Cat & Mouse Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #4)
35. Horse of a Different Color Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #5)
36. Last Christmas Sherilyn Kenyon (Chronicles of Nick #2)
37. The Boy Who Followed His Father to Auschwitz Jeremy Dronfield
38. When the Cat's Away Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #6)
39. Barking Up The Right Tree Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets #7)
40. Scum K. A. Merikan (The Wrong Side of the Tracks #1)
41. Primal (Wrong side of the tracks) K. A. Merikan (The Wrong Side of the Tracks #2)
42. Dickhead K. A. Merikan (The Wrong Side of the Tracks #3)

~April~
43. Three Dark Crowns Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns #1)
44. Grind (Wrong Side of the Tracks) K. A. Merikan (The Wrong Side of the Tracks #4)
45. Wanted (Wrong Side of the Tracks) K. A. Merikan (The Wrong Side of the Tracks #5)
46. Inception Bianca Scardoni (The Marked Saga #1)
47. Stay With Me Patricia Logan (WITSEC #1)
48. Play With Me Patricia Logan (WITSEC #2)

~May~
49. Gay With Me Patricia Logan (WITSEC #3)
50. The Way of Us Patricia Logan (WITSEC #4)
51. Game Changer Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry #1)
52. Blind Spot Nancy Bush (The Colony #3)
53. The Last Agent Robert Dugani (Charles Jenkins #2)
54. The Room Next Door Wendy Walker
55. Heated Rivalry Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry #2)
56. Tough Guy Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry #3)

~June~

Alphabet Challenge - Titles:

# - 3 Dark Crowns - Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns)
A - Against the Grain - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
B - Blood & Thunder - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
C - Catch a Tiger by the Tail - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
D - Double Dog Dare - Argentina Ryder (Paws & Claws)
E -
F -
G - Gummy Bears & Grenades - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
H - Horse of a Different Color - Austin Bates (Sunnydale Vets)
I - Insurrection - Tom Combs (Drake Cody)
J -
K -
L - Like Cats & Dogs - Argentina Ryder (Claws & Paws)
M - Murder on the Red River - Marcie Rendon (Cash Blackbear)
N -
O - Old Dogs & New Tricks - Argentina Ryder (Paws and Claws)
P - Primal - K.A. Merikan (Wrong Side of the Tracks)
Q -
R - Rack & Ruin - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
S - The Shots You Take - Rachel Reid
T - Thirds Beyond the Books - Charlie Cochet (THIRDS)
U -
V - The Vanishing - Jayne Anne Krantz
W - The Woman Who Lied - Claire Douglas
X -
Y -
Z -

Alphabet Challenge - Authors:

A -
B - Austin Bates - Sunnydale Vets
C - Charlie Cochet - THIRDS
D - Claire Douglas - The Woman Who Lied
E -
F -
G - Megan Goldin - Dark Corners
H -
I -
J - Stephen Graham Jones - Only Good Indians
K - Jayne Anne Krentz - The Vanishing
L - Patricia Logan - WITSEC series
M - K. A. Merikan - The Wrong Side of the Tracks
N -
O - Lauren Oliver - Broken Things
P - John Palisino - Requiem
Q -
R - Rachel Reid - The Shots You Take
S - Bianca Scardoni - The Marked Saga
T -
U -
V -
W - Tracy Wolff - Sweet Nightmare
X -
Y -
Z -

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026

Welcome back, Mikail!

Next adventure for the LGBT+ Genre is the THIRDS series by Charlie Cochet. This series has 10 books to it, the first set features 1-3 and is full of action and adventure. I was a bit hesitant on this one because it seemed a little too science fiction-like for me. But it isn’t and I appreciate the world building be on earth and the characters are unique.

The first book, Hell & High Water, features the main character Dex and mainly sets the storyline and setting. Dex has upheaved his life due to a court case against an ex-partner, he essentially loses his job and relationship but in this book gains new ones as he dates his partner in the new organization he works for called the THIRDS. This book is action packed and has a lot of comedy. It gives good insight into the main character’s personality. It is fast-paced and entertaining.

The second book, Blood & Thunder, focuses more on Sloane, Dex’s new partner and his past and how it’s coming into his current life. This second book has more action and sets up the new enemies in a story arc for the THIRDS to follow and track. It also encompasses Dex and Sloane’s new relationship and the mistrust and challenges that they are facing.

The third book, Rack & Ruin, is also fast moving and delves deeper into the enemies and their intentions. Other characters’ storylines are developed in this book and helps solidify Sloane and Dex’s storyline.

The third book ended on a cliffhanger, and I will be excited to start the second set this week, books 4-6. I hope that the next books continue to be action packed and the storyline continues to move along. I would like to see more of the comedic side of Dex like the first book had and hope his relationship with Sloane grows.

Happy New Year, Mikail!

Finished book 4 of Tom Comb’s Drake Cody Emergency Medicine series. Insurrection is the last book that was written and will await book 5. This series is written by a retired trauma doctor who lives here in the Twin Cities where I’m from.

The series is about an ER doctor named Drake Cody and his struggles at a level one trauma center. Each book has one dramatic thing that happens that Drake has to try and stop and nearly get in trouble for. Most of these books are a little over the top and not realistic but it makes it fun when it’s fiction you’re reading.

I liked the first two more than these last two but it’s worth a read. They’re short and quick. They always have happy endings and no cliffhangers. This book was about a terrorist group who took over the hospital. The last book was about an opioid crisis. It’s not for everyone but the medical parts are interesting and educating.

★★★★

Kind Unlimited recommended The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid after my previous reads. I did not know this is the same author that wrote Heated Rivalry. Please note I have not read that series and have never really been interested in Hockey. I gave this one a shot because I was bored at work and it was random.

This book is about two old hockey players who reconnect about twenty years after they played hockey together. They had feelings for each other back in their 20s but never really developed anything past a sexual relationship. Now they’re in their 40s and trying again.

I honestly can say I didn’t care about this plot. Neither characters were likeable. The storyline was a bit repetitive. It’s like they couldn’t move on from their past mistakes but suddenly, they were okay with it by the end. There wasn’t much build on their actual relationship. It was like…sex, talk about their past mistakes, sex, apologize for their past mistakes… Nothing really happened to build their current lives.

I wouldn’t recommend it compared to other gay stories. I do have the Heated Rivalry series in my TBR. Maybe it’ll be better.

January’s book for my local mystery book club was The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas.

This book is about an author who writes her final book in her murder mystery series and then starts having someone act out scenes from her book around her, going as far as to mimic the killer in her series. Throughout this book there are several friends, family members, and colleagues in the storyline to keep you guessing until the end.

I liked this one as the storyline was believable and the characters were likeable. The novel was fast paced and kept moving right until the end. I thought the storyline had just enough twist to keep the main characters credible and didn’t have too much of a dramatic ending.

I would recommend this one. I know I have Local Girl Missing by this author also somewhere on my TBR. One day.

★ ★★★

I made the mistake of judging a book by the cover on this one. Picked up a book at the library and this was featured on a table. Cool cover with sprayed edges. However, Requiem was a disappointment.

I am not typically into anything outer space related, but the storyline seemed interesting. A crew of humans and a robot go up to space to service a giant cemetery. For some reason some famous singer comes with the crew to create a new Requiem that these spirits have to listen to over and over and over. Now you’d think that they’d go insane and attack humans, but that doesn’t happen.

Instead, the storyline is a little confusing and not very well laid out. There’s no character development and it’s a little repetitive. All of a sudden the crew starts to get sick, die, hearing loss, etc., and somehow the main character figures out that there’s an outside entity attacking them. But it’s not like Alien’s it’s more psychological warfare. The storyline finishes rather abruptly by the main girl confronting this thing and making it leave. Then they all go home. H.E.A.

Cool concept but totally fell flat and could’ve been presented better. Wouldn’t recommend. Cool cover though.

★ ★

I finished the second THIRDS collection by Charlie Cochet, books 4-6. This series has been a gem of a find and I highly recommend it. I will not review too much of it as I do not want to give out any spoilers. I would recommend reading this series if you are into MM. It is action packed and the characters are quite loveable.

Book 4, Rise & Fall continues the storyline of the two main characters Dex & Sloan and them figuring out how to work and be in a relationship. It also gets out to their team and family and is a story of personal growth.

Book 5, Against the Grain, and book 6, Catch a Tiger by the Tail feature two sets of couples also on the team and their progression in work and personal life.

Book 6 ends on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get the third collection books 7-10 to finish out this series. As I understand it does not continue after 10 but there are spinoff series that I will look into.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

>11 OMBWarrior47: I could have easily made the same mistake as the cover is a good one for sure.

The library got me again. Went to pick up a book and found this one on the recommended table. The Vanishing is book one of the Fogg Lake series by Jayne Anne Krentz.

The Vanishing book is set around a town that had an event happen and now is constantly foggy. The residents of the town have paranormal things that happen to them, like psychic abilities. The town does not accept visitors or maps and is relatively private. Two friends now live in Seattle after leaving the town and starting their own detective agency. They are quickly pulled back to the city to solve a mystery.

I really liked this book. It was interesting, and easy to read. The characters were likeable. It also ended nicely with no cliffhangers. I was actually surprised that it’s a series. I will put book # 2 onto my TBR but there is no rush on it. I’m interested to see where it goes next. I’m also thankful to the local library system for pulling books that are not as common and recommending them, because I probably would not have found this one if they hadn’t pulled it off the shelf.

★ ★ ★ ★

Book two of Goldin’s Rachell Krall series, Dark Corners was a good sequel and addition to the series. I didn’t think book one needed a sequel but I did enjoy this story.
Rachell Krall is a podcaster who reports on true crime. In this novel she is brought in by the FBI to assist in keeping a man in jail who they believe is a serial killer. Rachel is dragged into the influencer world and assists with solving murders and disappearances that have been happening in the city in Florida.

The characters in this book were unique and the storyline was constantly moving. It had several different crimes and events that kept you guessing. It also developed Rachel’s character with a love interest and an insight into her life as a podcaster.

It is a good series that I would recommend. I am not sure if she’s going to write a third book but I would definitely read it.

★ ★ ★ ★

Sweet Nightmare is the start of a new series by Tracy Wolff called The Calder Academy. It is a spin off from her Crave Series. I will be honest, I really did not like the Crave Series. I think I either gave it a 1 or 2 stars.

I liked the two characters she said would be in this spinoff but I was a little disappointed in this first book. The two characters (Remy & Izzy) were not really the focus at all and were in the background for most of the book. They were more important towards the end but still felt displaced. No other characters from Crave were even mentioned.

I do like the setting of the storyline and the new characters that were introduced but I felt like the events in this book were a little smooshed together. She had a lot going on and not enough pages to portray it which made some scenes a little confusing and rushed feeling. She also introduced even more characters at the end that added to this problem.

I’ll give book two a shot when it comes out but so far, she’s not an author I’d recommend. (No Offense to the die hard Crave fans).

★ ★ ★

Whoa, been reading them faster than I review them. Got them all cataloged. Will work on my reviews another day. Busy reading in 2026!

40 Down for 2026!

50 Down for 2026!

Cool!

Moving along a little bit more slowly. Had a job change and didn't have much free time.
HBO got me hooked on Heated Rivalry so I am working through it.
Looking forward to June!