Welcome to the Love Bytes Reviewers’ Best of 2022

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 2022, 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 2022. These lists highlight how diverse our tastes in reading are, and offer something for everyone. 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.

Lisa’s  2022 Favorites

I found myself with a lot of time to read this year, getting through a book almost every day. I found it impossible to choose my 10 ‘top’ books, so instead, I chose the 10 that made me happy. 2022 was a difficult year for many people around the world, so here are 10 low angst books that will make you laugh and fall in love. They are in no particular order.

 

 

A Mage’s Guide to Aussie Terrors (R’iyah Family Archives #2) by AJ Sherwood (Author) & Tim Paige, Michael Ferraiulol & Greg Boudreaux (Narrators)

 

Another outing for my favourite thrupple and the bromance of the century. The thrills, laughs, romance and heat continue in this fantastic sequel with the best comeuppance ever. I can’t wait for Wicky’s book.

 

 

 

The Sceptic (The Arcana #1) by Lily Morton

 

With Blue and Levi living their HEA, it’s time for Jem to get his own series. What’s not to love about a ghost hunting cinnamon roll giant and his sexy camera man beau falling in love in a haunted house.

 

 

 

 

Lost in Amber (RELIC #4) by Max Maddox

 

I love these dinosaur shifters so much. Have and Yu are there ultimate in second chances, 100 years later! The story is exciting and action packed, and the romance is sweet and funny. I love how Maddox creates a detailed and different world in these highly recommended urban fantasies.

 

 

 

 

 

The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem (The Hitman’s Guide, #4) by Alice Winters

 

This is one of my favourite weird and wonderful series of crime capers, and in this book Leland, Jackson, and the gang deliver as always. It’s funny, silly, sweet and exciting, with a great new character who offers possibilities for the next book.

 

 

 

 

A Lady For a Duke by Alexis Hall (Author) & Kay Eluvian (Narrator)

 

This book totally blew me away. A tale of second chance love with a twist. The characterisation is so beautifully drawn and sensitively handled. This book is packed full of romance and sweetness with a small side of angst. A triumph.

 

 

The Sunny Side (Model Agency #1) by Lily Morton

 

Morton always said that she wouldn’t write Dean’s story, but I’m so glad that she did. She found a way to give the loveable character who had always been the light relief in other people’s stories his chance to shine. Making Dean a complex man with hidden depths was a stroke of genius and made this my favourite book in an already glorious universe.

 

 

 

How to Hack a Hacker by AJ Sherwood

 

This series just gets better and better. Kyou and Newman are perfectly suited in this hilarious, sexy and sweet tale. Kyou has been pining for Brannigan for years and Brannigan has decided it’s time to take matters into his own hands. And extra points for added Ivan hilarity.

 

 

 

So This is Ever after by FT Lukens

 

The premis of this book is so much fun, starting where many other books end. The cast of characters are all entertaining and the book made me laugh throughout. It’s charming and basically a complete delight. I read it one sitting and wanted to read it all over again.

 

 

 

Masters in this Hall (Lilywhite Boys #3) by KJ Charles

 

Finding out that this was another Lilywhite Boys book made me so happy. It was so clever and so beautiful written (as expected from KJC) that I read it twice, back to back. It’s less laugh out funny than the rest of the books on the list, but it left me with the warmest glow off them all.

 

 

 

The Missing Page (Page & Sommers, # 2) by Cat Sebastian

 

Leo and James are back, 3 years after they met, to solve a mystery from Leo’s families past. Set in a country house in Cornwall where everyone has a secret, there is an Agatha Christie feel to this charming book that delighted me.