Everything I Read in March 2026
My March was full of great reads, from sweet rom coms to compelling non-fiction history. There were a few sort of misses, but the good outweighed those, for sure. I had been so excited for Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score after loving the first book in the series, and this new release definitely delivered, as did No Matter What by Cara Bastone. For a new twist on historical fantasy, I cannot recommend The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty enough — you’ll see why in my full review below!
If you’re looking to be more intentional with your reading this year, download my free reading tracker here to help you stay organized and discover patterns in what you love.
Of the 8 books I read this month, here are my top favorites:
- Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score
- This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
- The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty
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Table of Contents:
March 2026 In Books
Contemporary Fiction
Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score
5/5 Stars
The much anticipated follow up to Story of My Life, Mistakes Were Made is just as sweet and funny as the first book in Lucy Score’s Story Lake Series (both currently available with Kindle Unlimited). Mistakes Were Made follows Zoey Moody, the best friend and agent of Hazel (protagonist from the first book), and Gage Bishop. He’s looking for something serious, while she’s only sticking around town for her friend’s book event. The book has all the Gilmore Girls-esque banter that made Story of My Life great and then some. Plus, I appreciated the late-ADHD diagnosis storyline Zoey goes through; it is handled with sincerity and honesty, without making fun of her or making her ADHD traits into manic pixie dream girl “quirks,” as so often happens.
Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score is available from Bookshop.org here.
No Matter What by Cara Bastone
5/5 Stars
After the emotional rollercoaster of Promise Me Sunshine, I was eager to dig in to Cara Bastone’s latest, No Matter What. The audiobook was fantastic, with moving narration that brought the tumultuous story of a marriage turned rocky after a traumatic accident to life. A slow-build type of novel, layers of trauma are slowly peeled back as the reader gleans a slightly clearer image of what happened to the protagonist couple. It is moving and frustrating and funny, all at different times and in different measure. An absolute must-read.
No Matter What by Cara Bastone is available from Bookshop.org here and as an audiobook from Libro.FM here.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
2/5 Stars
A short, dark, existential dystopian read, I Who Have Never Known Men asks a lot of questions and offers few answers. It was an interesting concept, following an unnamed narrator who has been raised in an underground bunker with a group of women who are unceremoniously freed without explanation as to how they got there, where they are, or why they were either imprisoned or liberated. The short novel is not split up into chapters or sections, so it almost felt like you had to try to read it in one sitting. If there was a lesson in the story, it went over my head.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is available from Bookshop.org here.
The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
3/5 Stars
This book had a compelling premise, but it didn’t pan out for me. The novel follows three women, all the wives of convicted killers, who find themselves trying to solve a string of murders that feel a little to close to home. The audiobook narration was good, but the characters all kind of blended together to me, and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who or what motivations each of the women had. If you like murder mysteries, you may prefer this more than I did.
The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott is available from Bookshop.org here and as an audiobook from Libro.FM here.
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
5/5 Stars
I absolutely adored this audiobook. It had a great narrator who really brought the story to life. A touching novel about the power of books and the importance of local indie bookshops, This Book Made Me Think of You follows Tilly Nightingale in the year after her husband’s death, when he had set up a year of books, with a new book to be given to her each month. It’s a story of self discovery and emotional growth after loss, as well as a love letter to all the special books that make a difference in our lives.
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page is available from Bookshop.org here and as an audiobook from Libro.FM here.
Fantasy
The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty
5/5 Stars
For fans of Arthurian lore, The Once and Future Queen is an absolute must-read. I picked up this gorgeous sprayed edges version from a local bookstore and could not put it down. It was a curiously unique retelling, bringing in time travel in a way that could easily have been clunky and silly but that managed to work well with the storyline. Described as “Outlander-meets-The Princess Bride plus Camelot,” this book really had it all — courtly love, witty banter, Arthurian lore…. My only complaint is that it is the start of a series and only just came out, so we’re in for a bit of a wait for the next installment.
The Once and Future Queen by Paula Lafferty is available from bookshop.org here.
Historical Fiction
The Queen’s Rival: A Novel of Lady Margaret Clifford by Raymond Wemmlinger
4/5 Stars
A quick, engrossing historical fiction read, The Queen’s Rival tells the story of Lady Margaret Clifford, a young noblewoman with a tenuous claim to the Tudor throne. Set in the tumultuous period between King Edward V’s death, the rise and fall of Lady Jane Grey, and into the reign of Queen Mary I, I enjoyed seeing a part of Tudor history that is often overlooked when it comes to historical fiction. Well researched and detailed, I enjoyed how immersive the story felt and look forward to reading other books in the author’s Tudor Royals Series.
Non-Fiction
Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots by Rosemary Goring
5/5 Stars
Following Rosemary Goring’s Homecoming: The Scottish Years of Mary, Queen of Scots, Exile covers Mary’s life from when she crosses onto English soil in 1568 through to her death as prisoner of Queen Elizabeth I in 1586. Goring does a fantastic job following the footsteps of Mary, Queen of Scots, describing the various castles and manor houses that she was housed in during the months and years that followed her flight from Scotland. The book also investigates different themes and attitudes that the queen held, both in relation to where she was housed, who she lived with, and the major political players at the time. In all, Goring does a great job illustrating the long-and-short years of Mary’s captivity, shedding new light on what this time was really like for both the queen and those around her.
P.S. Looking for more great reads about Scotland? Check out my full Scottish reading list here!
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*Some of the novels featured here were gifted to me as part of various book review programs in which Cats & Coffee participates.
