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Best Reads of 2023


 2023 has come to an end and  as a result I have had some time to look back on my best reads from last year.  It is always fun to remember the fantastic books I read.  I love thinking about the worlds the authors created for my escape and enjoyment.  I also am able to see where I had some gaps in my reading.  I read most sub-genres and tropes, but I did not read a single fantasy romance last year.  That made me sad.  I will need to fix that in 2024.  My reading is typically on the lighter side of the spectrum.  Dark romance readers will only find a couple of books in that category here.  Most of my reads are also steamy, with open door scenes that are sometimes explicit and appropriate for mature readers.  My reviews are available on the blog if you need more details about what I liked about a book.  Also, I am including Amazon links to the books so you can read the blurb and decide for yourself if you think my favorite reads are books you might enjoy.


Looking at the numbers at the end of each year is always very interesting to me.  I try to read new-to me authors before I attend signings.  Sometimes I am more successful than others.  I am happy with reading 45 new-to-me authors this year.  I know I found some new favorites along the way.


I am thankful to each author above authors for having me on their ARC teams.  I love being their cheerleader and promoter.  I never hesitate to read any book these ladies publish.  Several of their books are on my best of list, so don't be surprised when you see their names over and over.

I am thrilled with reading the new-to-me authors below.  Several of their books are also on my best of list.  Many of these authors have been recommended to me in the past by other reader friends.  A few were names I picked out to read before attending a signing.  And of course, there are a few that I met at signings then rushed home to read their books.



I have listed some of the my top reads of the year below divided by trope category. 

Every book listed here was a five-star read for me.  Honestly, I am not a huge fan of the star rating system.  A five star read for me means I would read it again.  There is a range within that feeling from,  "I could read that again" to "I need to reread this right now."  I probably rate more books five stars than many readers.  About half of my reads are ARCs.  I rarely sign up for ARCs unless I am pretty confident I will like them.  Almost half of the ARCs I read are from authors where I am a member of their ARC teams. When I commit to an author's ARC team it is because I already know I like what and how they write.  These two factors alone probably skew my reviews to a higher star rating, so that could be taken into consideration. 

There are also some tropes that I absolutely adore.  Trying to get a list of more than thirty books with five-star ratings for a trope down to a small number of "the best" is tough.  Sometimes a book may appear in more than one trope.  Sometimes it may appear in a different place that one might expect as I sorted books to try to present as many of my best reads of the year as possible.  Reviews can always be found on my blog.  And remember that there is a search function as well as a label lookup available if you are looking for a particular review.

There has been a recent trend where authors are recovering their books or series.  I did not take the time to go back and make sure I had the current cover on my graphics.  The covers shown are the covers as they were when I read the book.  A couple of these books have also changed titles this year.  I have noted that below the link.  There is also one book that has a new author pen name since I read it.  That is also noted.  

The links included are to Amazon.  If the book is not in Kindle Unlimited then the e-book should be available on other sellers if that is your preference.  For simplicity, I used only the Amazon links and they were current at the time of this publication.

I hope that these wonderful reads I found this year help you find a new book or maybe even a new author to read.  Enjoy.


Accidental Marriage

I love this trope and these are some fine examples of the push and pull that happens when the characters wake up married.

Age Gap is another favorite of mine.  In this section the gap is older man to younger woman.  You will find the opposite below under Reverse Age Gap.

Anti-Hero

I separated anti-hero and morally gray heroes this year.  Let me know what you think about it.  Should they be together?

One of my goals this year was to listen to more audiobooks. I managed to listen to twelve.  Some were read & listen, which I have found works really well for me if I haven't already read the book.  As noted above, many of the books I read are ARCs and rarely have an audio component ready when I am reading them.

These BDSM books are all club based.   There are some other books in different areas that also fall into both this and the erotica categories.  For example, anything by Golden Angel would fit the two categories perfectly.

This one is always a good trope for me.  I love the aspect of becomeing part of your best friend's family.

These billionaire romances offer a wide range of the trope.  I enjoyed the all immensely.  There also other billionaires sprinkled in some of the other sections.

Apparently I read quite a few bodyguard romances last year.  You may see some others that could fit here sprinkled in other areas.

Always one of my favorite tropes. I love it when the guy she has been crushing on, or sometimes the guy she can't stand,  becomes her forever.

I probably could have put celebrity and rockstar together this year since I did not read as many of them as I have in the past. 

I love a good cinnamon roll hero so much that I married one.  These guys are all heart and do what they need to do to win their girl.

Good men in hats and boots with horses. What's not to like?

I love a curvy heroine in a book.  

These erotica books are all club based.   There are some other books in different areas that also fall into both this and the BDSM categories.  For example, anything by Golden Angel would fit the two categories perfectly.

I didn't read very many escort novels this year.  For me they are a wonderful way to break a book hangover by changing the expectation of the relationship in the beginning, and then figuring out how they are going to make a relationship work after that.

One of my all-time favorite tropes.  I had a whole typed page of 5-star reads in this category.

In my review I realized I didn't read as many paranormal, and therefore fated mates, books this year as I have in the past.  This is another thing I need to fix in 2024.

They're strong, brave, and can always be counted on.  It doesn't hurt that they can put out a fire.

Our everyday heroes in this category are all cops this year.  Last year, I had a couple of paramedics.  I should try to diversify this category for 2024.

I love it when they get together and then cannot stay away from each other after that. *sigh*

Every now and then I like to read a little forbidden or even a little taboo. They shouldn't, but they can't say no.

I love reading as a couple figures out how much there is to know about each other when they are stuck together for a while.

One of my favorite things about this trope is how their history impacts their present and their hopes of the future.  Do they risk everything for love?

Is there anything better than reading as the grumpy hero learns to smile?

I love it when sunshine comes along and lights up the grump's world.

I confess, these types of books impact me the most in my emotions.  When the character is broken, struggling, and has given up on love.  Then their person comes along and proves that they can be loved and that they can be whole and happy. Then they are offered all the patience and good love their person can give them.  I love the hope in these stories.

I use historical romances as another way to break a book hangover.  In the process, (as you can see) I fell down the Stacy Reid rabbit hole and didn't come out for almost a week.  Now I just need to get back in there and read some more.

Holiday romances are all the fun of the season with a few spicy moments added.

I am a sucker for  an insta-love story.  They see each other and they just "know".


The first book was one that I read prior to meeting the author.  The second is only military because he is active duty.  His military role doesn't have a huge impact on the story.  Obviously, I have a lot of gaps in my reading for 2023 to fix in 2024.

Though this trope has generated some discussion this past year, I have been reading this trope for a really long time.  It is one of my favorites and the pillow divider in the bed never works.

They want to hit it and quit it, but they just can't stop.

I think I had a page and a half of five-star reads in this category. Search the labels on the home page and you shouldn't have any trouble finding even more than these six if you are looking for a good read in this category.

I love it when they aren't fully human.  It brings a whole new dimension to the relationship and to the characters.

Famous, sexy, hot, and falling in love with their girl.

Many of the books in other categories would also fit here.  I read a lot of rom-com. It makes me happy.


When the characters are facing forces outside themselves which are trying to hurt them or tear them apart.  There is always some action in these books.

I was surprised I only had three five-star reads in this category this year. I love it when the bride makes her getaway.

Everything But You by Harlow James
The Trouble with Runaway Brides by Piper Rayne
Wild Tides by Annie Dyer

Science Fiction: Alien Romance

I started down the alien romance rabbit hole with Ruby Dixon a few years ago.  When I met Golden Angel and she talked about this series I knew I had to read it.  Now I just need to finish it. I need more (fictional) aliens in my life.

Alien Captive by Lee Savino and Golden Angel
Alien Tribute by Lee Savino and Golden Angel

Second Chance

This trope is a favorite of a lot of people but it is honestly the last one I will pick up.  That said, I loved every one of the books in this graphic and I highly recommend them.  They did second chance in a way I adored.
Series

For a series to be listed in this category, it has to be complete and I had to have read it all in 2023.  There are a lot of wonderful series that I read part of this year that are not included because of that criteria.

Who doesn't love the single dad who can braid hair and make pancakes and still look hot?

Single moms offer all the wisdom of the world with none of the time to enjoy it. One of my favorite things is when they find a love that is all theirs.

How slow is slow to you?  Though they all had their reasons, it takes these couples a while to get there.

Keepsake by Amy Oliveira 
Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant
The Issue with Runaway Brides by Piper Rayne
A Deal With the Devil by Elizabeth O'Roark
Adrift by Swati M.H.
Ablaze by Swati M.H.

Sports Romance

I read a lot of sports romance.  Picking six for the graphic was really hard. Hockey, football, baseball, auto racing, MMA, boxing, basketball, rugby, soccer, winter sports: I am here for it. (Did I miss any?)

Fumbled Beginning by S. Jones
Puck Yes by Lauren Blakely
Bad Boy's Downfall by Gina Azzi
You Can't Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne
Over My Brother's Dead Body, Chase Andrews
Plays Well With Others by Lauren Blakely

Surprise Baby

This is another one-click trope for me.  I love to see how the pressure of a baby changes and challenges the status quo.  They have to work together to get their happy ending.

Bought for Marriage by Fiona Davenport 
Wild Tides by Annie Dyer
Bad Boy's Downfall by Gina Azzi
Something Like Lust by Piper Rayne

Virgin

This goes along with a lot of the other tropes.  I actually read a lot of virgin characters this year.  (At least they were virgins a the beginning of the book.)
Why Choose?

Lauren Blakely's hockey menage series rocks in a serious way.  One pleasant surprise this year was Caera Everly.  This is her debut book and it landed tops in two of my categories. I didn't read a lot of debut novels this year, so I eliminated the category.  But I am excited about what is coming next from Ms. Everly.

Tried and true.  It doesn't seem to work out well in real life very often, but in romance book the boss/employee or coworker relationship always leads to a happy ending.



Final Thoughts

People always ask me what my favorite book of the year was.  It is a question that is impossible to answer.  That is why I started doing this year-end best list.  Like I said before, all of these books were five-star reads for me.  I would read them again.  

There are some books that stay with you during the year.  They are books that stirred my emotions for one reason or another.  They are books that made me laugh more than normal, or made me cry.  That's not easy to do.  They are books that I felt so invested in the characters and their well-being that they invaded my dreams and interrupted my day with thoughts of them.  These are characters I am still remembering fondly, and thinking of frequently, months after I finished the book.  This year I asked myself, "Which books made this happen most often?"  Below are the ten books that I am still thinking of.  They are books I considering a reread of soon.  They impacted me and became part of me.  


In a way, all good books do this.  Every book on this entire post has impacted me in some way.  I hope my favorite reads of 2023 can be added to you list in 2024.  

In this new year, I wish everyone many books and lots of happy endings in 2024.


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