Welcome to the Love Bytes Reviewers’ Best of 2021
Another year has passed in which books have brought all of us a much needed escape and sense of comfort. Our Love Bytes team reviewed approximately 1,300 LGBTQ+ books in 2021, from contemporary romance to fantasy, paranormal, historical, adventure, mystery, comedy, and everything in between. Each day for the next few weeks, we will feature one of our reviewers’ top picks from books and audiobooks published in 2021. With thousands of fantastic new books each year, written by hundreds of creative and talented authors, it’s so difficult to narrow our lists down. We all have many favorite authors not featured here and wish we could acknowledge them all.
Larissa’s 2021 Favorites
The Sheltering Tree by J.R. Lawrie
2021 boasts a bevy of excellent M/M romances but far and away the best book of the year title goes to J.R. Lawrie’s stupendous The Sheltering Tree. This remarkable book, shockingly her first full-length novel, reads as if it came from the pen of a seasoned writer with multiple bestsellers to her credit. My review of this masterpiece was, shall we say, effusive. (Some may argue that’s an understatement.) Ms. Lawrie’s story of Alastair Harding and Jay Fielding’s emotionally complex, heart-wrenchingly beautiful, swoon-inducing romance transported me into a story rich with sex and love, power and peril. Alastair and Jay push and pull, grapple with how much to tell, how much of their feelings to show. Their sexual encounters are liberating, sensual, erotic, and emotionally potent. Their story, two lonely older men (40s/50s) navigating their way through first love like fluttering teenagers, contains everything you could possibly want: overwhelming love, endearing characters, a riveting storyline, suspense, sex, intrigue, angst, romance, and glorious love and devotion. The Sheltering Tree is a shining gem of a story you don’t want to miss. The first line of my review of The Sheltering Tree best encapsulates my feelings about this book:
“Never have I been as devastated to see the words “The End” as I was when finishing J.R. Lawrie’s extraordinary The Sheltering Tree.”
The Harder We Fall by Rebecca Raine
Rebecca Raine’s The Harder We Fall is an angsty story with a poignant, meaningful, and very rewarding HEA. This fairly new, unsung author deserves every accolade and then some. She consistently crafts and expertly executes complex, emotional storylines. (Remember The Experiment? It was on my “best of” list last year.) Her characters embed themselves in your heart and mind. You finish reading and don’t know where to turn because you’re devastated that it’s over and desperate to fangirl over it to all who will listen (and even those who won’t). I simply can’t imagine not having met Tristan and Sam and being a part of their breathtaking story of hope and healing. The Harder We Fall is a love story best enjoyed without any prior knowledge of what is in store for these two very special men, so I won’t say anything more other than this: read it.
Full Contact – Audiobook (Wrecked: Guardians #2) by Kelly Fox (author) and Zane Daniels (narrator)
Full Contact may be one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. Full stop. This is a flawless performance of an excellent book by a narrator who completely flies under the radar. Zane Daniels, aka Zachary Johnson, is perfection. Auditory bliss. Paired with Kelly’s Fox’s intriguing, completely addictive story, part of the equally unputdownable Wrecked: Guardians series, this is a one-click wonder. If you have credits lying around, cash one of those suckers in for this audiobook today.
Star-Marked Warriors Series (Captured, Declared, Submitted) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes
Sam Burns had a banner year with her Fantastic Fluke series, as well as the excellent Wolf Moon Rising series she co-wrote with her oft-writing partner, W.M. Fawkes. They also co-wrote the out-of-this-world (sorry, I couldn’t resist 🤣) Star Marked Warriors Sci-Fi romance series. It’s utterly creative yet deceptively simple, and I loved everything about it, from the muscled aliens to the unusual romantic pairings, the fish-out-of-water element, and of course, the top-notch witty writing and well constructed and executed stories. I highly recommend you give this dark horse of a series a try.
RELIC Series (Smash & Grab, Sink or Swim, King & Queen) by Maz Maddox
Speaking of creativity, Maz Maddox’s truly inspired, uber-creative, over-the-top, zany dinosaur romp of a series, RELIC, is one you don’t want to miss. Her writing is superb, the storylines are fresh and absorbing. There’s plenty of fun, humor, tender moments, steamy times, and the best part is the found family of these reincarnated dinosaurs and their unlikely mates.
The Team Series (The Jock and The Quarterback) by Tal Bauer
I couldn’t pick between these two phenomenal sports romances, so I’m picking the series (yes, I know … again. *sigh*). Tal Bauer’s books should come with a box of tissues because plenty of tears will be shed. But it’s all worth it for the highly satisfying HEA. The Jock and The Quarterback are glorious love stories that will break your heart and put it back together again in the best way, all told through Mr. Bauer’s inimitable style. Swoon-worthy stuff here, folks.
Mixed Messages: The Complete Series by Lily Morton
In a hypothetical world where you could only have one M/M romance title to read for the rest of your life, Lily Morton’s Mixed Messages: The Complete Series would be my choice. ‘Nuff said.
OK, I lied. There’s more to say here because Ms. Morton released three brand new stories in 2021, in addition to the glorious Mixed Messages box set. For my best of 2021, I could have (maybe should have) named Ms. Morton herself. She gave us the gorgeous gem, Beautifully Unexpected. And I could endlessly crow about her age-gap, Majorca/Venice heartbreaker The Cuckoo’s Call. Then there’s the just-released surprise Christmas release, On a Midnight Clear, which contains the most perfect, beautiful HEA ever. They’re honorable mentions for my top 10 , I mean 20, ummm, maybe approaching 30 (?) list. 🤣 But who’s counting.
Inevitable by Briar Prescott
This book is astounding for its plot, its three carefully and thoughtfully developed leading men, the exceptional writing, and perhaps most remarkably, because it’s MMM. MMM/Ménage is not a genre I read much of because it’s a very difficult genre to get right. But Briar Prescott gets it right here. This is not your typical MMM romance. Ménage is usually equated with sex and this book actually has very little sex in it. There’s a larger exploration at work here, and a bit of poking at societal norms and prejudices against homosexuals and polyamorous relationships. It’s an elegantly, poignantly written book that digs deep into the emotional turmoil and scars of these exceptionally created men.
You are Cordially Invited (Auckland Med #5) by Jay Hogan
You are Cordially Invited is the conclusion to Jay Hogan’s amazing Auckland Med series. I adored everything about it, especially the very first chapter which showcases all of the previous couples and spotlights the extended found family of this group of men. Of course, the stars of the show are Cam, one of my favorite characters, and Reuben, who together are one of my favorite couples. Ever. Cam is a force to be reckoned with and is steadfastly, unapologetically himself even in the face of adversity. He’s a model we should all aspire to.
You’ve no doubt gathered by now that I find picking between my favorites to be like Sophie’s Choice. Hence, I’ve also called out the series audiobooks (reviews) because they display Ms. Hogan’s consistently exceptional writing, channeled through the superb narration of Gary Furlong. They are audio gems featuring one of the best author/narrator collaborations around. I recommend you scoop up the first four audiobooks – audio for You are Cordially Invited is not out yet, but hopefully will be soon.
Undone (Vino & Veritas #18) by Leslie McAdam
It’s hard to believe that Undone is Ms. McAdam’s first M/M full-length novel. It’s a stunning, swoon-inducing story that concludes Sarina Bowen’s lengthy, multi-author Vino & Veritas series set in her True North world. Undone is deceptively straightforward with a seemingly predictable trajectory that proves to be complex, meaningful, and completely unputdownable. Loved it.
Fix Me (Tattoos & Temptation #2) by Mia Monroe (Author) and Kale Williams (Narrator)
Mia Monroe’s Tattoos & Temptation series was, for the most part, published in 2020. However, the first three audiobooks (four if you count the prequel Date Me) were published in 2021 and are some of the best audiobooks this year. But Fix Me is next-level, sublime stuff as narrated by the vocal phenom, Kale Williams. I could fangirl endlessly over his voice. Like melted chocolate. Sensual, smooth … addictive. And his Scottish accent for Saint? Like fire. 🔥🔥🔥🔥 The Fix Me audiobook showcases Mr. Williams’ gorgeous, fluid vocals and spot-on execution. If you read my review, you’ll see my effusive praise for this stellar piece of vocal artistry. It’s a Kale Walliams stunning tour de force you do not want to miss.
Thank you so much for your amazing review, Larissa. It makes me incredibly happy to know you enjoyed Tristan and Sam’s story in The Harder We Fall.
It’s such a beautiful story. Thanks for the opportunity to review it. 🙂