It’s that time of year again people. The time where we, the voracious and obsessive readers of LGBTQ romance, look back and reflect on what an amazing year of books it’s been. If you’re anything like us then you’re already compiling your 2020 “To Read” list, but first, let’s share some of our favourite books from the year just gone.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be posting our top reads of the year. Please feel free to tell us your own favourites, or simply comment on our choices.

DAN

 

Mercs and Strippers (Ore 5 #3) by Meraki P. Lyhne

I’ve really enjoyed this series from Meraki P. Lyhne. His books are always on my must-read list. This series is fairly light reading, compared to the other works by the author… but it kept me entertained through all three books. The series, which is set on a mining planet somewhere far out in space, has intrigued me since I read the first installment.

I like the world that Mr. Lyhne created and I really like the characters. Ethan was my favorite. He’s a pudgy, hairy bear of a guy with insecurities. What’s not to love! I’m glad to say that he came into his own in this third installment. When book two ended with the cliffhanger of the corporate lawyer’s identity being revealed, I was chewing at the bit waiting for what happened next. Well, I got it and I’m happy to say I loved where the story went.

The last page closed the story down a little too quickly for me, but it is clear from the ending that the story is done.

I is sad. I wanted more! (And yes, I purposely used ‘is’, LOL.) If you like a light sci-fi story, give the series a shot. I think you’ll enjoy it. It has to be read in order. All three books flow together and you wouldn’t have the backstories if you picked up mid-stream.

 

Magic Triumphed (The Mages’ Guild Trilogy #3) by Andi Van

I read this book right after it was released back in March, reviewed it on my laptop while traveling and somehow the entire review disappeared. In May I finally got a chance to finish that review. In my opinion Andi Van is an author to watch. I love the Mages’ Guild Trilogy and I really enjoyed the latest installment in the series. My only complaint? I wanted it to keep going. I’m hoping the author will reconsider that this is a trilogy, much as Douglas Adams did with his Hitchhiker’s trilogy. There is more to tell in this story in my opinion.

I loved the diverse characters that the author created during the course of these three books. They seemed so realistic and I will admit I got sucked into wanting more because of some of the new characters and their storylines that seemed to spring up in this one. If you’re in the mood for a very well written young adult fantasy series, you should check out The Mages’ Guild series. I think you’ll enjoy it.

 

When Heroes Fall (Champion of the Gods #5) by Andrew Q. Gordon

It took me a while to get this review done back in the spring when I read this book. I wanted to start over with the first book in the series and re-read them all before starting this final chapter and let me tell you it was a momentous undertaking. All five books are quite long and very detailed. I’m very glad that I went back and started over. There are so many complex characters and locales in this series that it would have been hard for me to pick up this final book and remember everyone.

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote a masterful fantasy series, culminating with this final chapter. If you’re a fan of high fantasy then I highly recommend this entire series, but like I said above… you will need to read all five books, starting with number one to enjoy the nuances and character plays throughout the story.

Trust me, you’ll love it.

 

Keeping Secrets (The Castaways #3) by Alexa Land

 As usual when I read a book by this author, I loved every word. In this installment of Ms. Land’s newest series, we finally found out what Beck has been doing on his weekends away from Catalina, and I for one was surprised. I didn’t expect the reason, but once you find out what it is, it all makes sense, especially with the upkeep costs on the ranch.

My favorite part of the book was when Beck’s love interest, Lee, comes face to face with Dante Dombruso and the rest of the Dombruso clan. It seems there is a history there, and it isn’t clear for a minute or two who will walk away from the meeting…

As with every book by this author, it was over too soon, leaving me eager to read more. I highly recommend this one, and every single, and I mean EVERY single, word this woman has ever written. I love her and her stories. If you aren’t reading Ms. Land’s works and you call yourself a mm romance reader, you are definitely missing something.

 

Guns n’ Boys: Unshaken (Book #9) by K.A. Merikan

I’ve read and reviewed every book in this series, and I loved them all. They are dark. There is a lot of blood, and lots of man on man sex. Oh, and violence. Can’t forget the violence.

I highly recommend this series and everything else I’ve read by these ladies. If you like a dark crime thriller type series with mafia bosses and lots of blood, severed ears and the like, with lots of man on man sex thrown in, you’ll love the series. Remember though, the series is dark. I’d recommend getting started immediately, so you’re up to date when book 10 comes out. The story seems like it is building to a crescendo. I could be wrong? But my bet is there will soon be an end to this story that I’ve been eagerly reading along with. I’ll be sorry to see it come.

 

More Than This by Alexa Land

I’ve always said that the books Feral and The Tinder Chronicles were my favorite books by Alexa Land. They are set in a world just slightly different from ours. One where magic is real, and there are vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings. Now we finally got another book in that world!

More Than This was billed in its blurb as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it that way. Start with Feral, the story of how a lonely young man ended up falling love with a vampire. Then move on to The Tinder Chronicles, where we meet the next couple… this time a vampire hunter and another vampire. Then you can move on to More Than This. The only reason I say that is because the characters play rolls in the next books as they go along. Nate and Nick from Feral are important side characters in The Tinder Chronicles and they, as well as Tinder and August from that second book all appear in this third book. August in particular has a fairly large roll in this one, so my advice is to binge read all three, back to back. Trust me you won’t be sorry and think of it this way… the story is even longer!

I loved this story. I loved Griffin and Ari, I loved that August and Tinder played parts and I liked that the other characters I’ve gotten to love in the series were also around. The story was a light-hearted romp which pulled me and made me stay up until 2AM finishing the book. I didn’t want to… I wanted to keep some for this morning… it didn’t work. I kind of hate Ms. Land. Her stories always do that to me. I always want MORE! I will say that I was very happy with the last couple paragraphs. I was afraid something wouldn’t happen and was a little sad about it, but then Ms. Land turned right around and left me happy! And best of all, thankfully it says at the end of the story that there is more to come in another upcoming book. This time it will be the further adventures of Fig (No spoilers there).

 

 

Deosil (Whyborne & Griffin #11) by Jordan L. Hawk

So… I’m crying big old tears of loss that this series is done. It is no secret that I love this author and this series in particular. In my opinion, the author has found the perfect way to end this beloved series.

When I got the book via email, I immediately dropped re-reading a favorite book that I was in the middle of and dived right in. It was like coming home. I’ve read and reviewed each of the Whyborne & Griffin books and loved every single one of them. This final chapter was no exception.

I loved how this story continued to pick up the pace and it dragged me to the end of the book all in one sitting. I never put it down! If you are a fan of Whyborne & Griffin, you will love this last installment. If you don’t know Whyborne & Griffin… it is high time you met them. Begin with book one and catch up. Run along… we’ll wait. You can thank me later.

I highly recommend the series and this final installment!

 

The Ghost of Ellwood (Ivy Grove #1) by Jaclyn Osborn

I’m not sure how I stumbled on this book on Amazon. It might have popped up in one of those recommended lines, or I might have been scrolling through books looking for something to read. Regardless, I’m super stoked that I found it. I’ve never read anything by the author, so she was a new to me author, even though some other reviewers at Love Bytes had reviewed other books by her in the past.

In The Ghost of Ellwood we meet a best-selling author named Ben. Ben has written a bunch of very successful horror novels but doesn’t really believe in ghosts. All that changes when he buys a huge Victorian manor home in a small town named Ivy Grove.

I loved the mystery of the ghost and what happened to the young man named Theo. I’ll admit though that I was quite horrified when I learned the details of his death.

I highly recommend this book if you’re into ghost stories. It is well written, and I’ll be looking for other books by the author.

 

Memoirs of the Human Wraiths Box Set by F.E. Feeley Jr.

 When I sat down to write a review on this box set, I looked back through our Love Bytes reviews to see if anyone had reviewed the other books in the series. I knew that I originally reviewed The Haunting of Timber Manor, and Donna originally reviewed Objects in the Rearview Mirror. It turned out that neither of us ever reviewed Still Waters, which I think is my personal favorite of the three stories included in this box set. I highly recommend you pick up this this one up if you’re a fan of ghost stories, especially if you have Kindle Unlimited since the box set is included in that membership.

It was a joy to see such well written ghost stories in this genre. Not that there haven’t been others, but they are so few and far between. F.E. Feeley Jr. has brought us three very readable and very well written stories, starting with the story of a young man being drawn into his family’s dark past in The Haunting of Timber Manor, then moving on to a young writer and his husband purchasing their dream home, but one that includes a couple spirits in Objects in the Rearview Mirror. Finally, there is a third story, which as I said above was probably my favorite. That third one is Still Waters. Still Waters is a classic ghost story of the spirit of someone done wrong and a lake and revenge. I loved it.

If you enjoy a good ghost story, I would suggest you pick up this book today. With three stories all packed into the one book, it is one that I highly recommend.