Welcome to the Love Bytes Reviewers’ Best of 2023
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 2023, 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 2023. 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.
Lesley’s 2023 Favorites
Seeking Sky (Art of Love, Portland #2) by Rowan McAllister
I love imperfect characters in books. They are just so much more realistic. In this book both the main characters are imperfect . They both have baggage from their pasts and the fact that one is super rich and one is super poor doesn’t change that . Together though they can help each other become better. I also enjoyed book one in this series Danny Doormat but for me personally book 2 was my favourite.
A Daddy In Cameron (Love On Tap 2: Pain & Healing #2) and I love all Sammi’s books set in the Takonda/ Tap universe and this new series by her is no exception . I love that in the two books I have called out we get to see the stories of characters we have met many times before Cameron & Ollie respectively . How long have we been waiting for Cameron to acknowledge he is a Daddy and to get a boy of his own???? And Ollie, haven’t we always wanted to find out more about the enigmatic bouncer at the Tap who always has wise words of advice for the staff & patrons there, I cannot wait for the rest of this series.
Dragged to the Wedding by Andrew Grey
From my review: READ DANIEL IN YOUR FAVOURITE DRAG QUEENS VOICE!!!!
No that is not an OOPS Cap Lock moment it’s meant to be shouted. I actually read this book twice. The first time I read it with my normal narrator’s voice in my head and really enjoyed the book. I found it a bit heart wrenching that someone had to go through all this (James) because they were so scared of their family’s reaction to them being gay.
Then I pondered the book for a couple of days thinking this should have been funny what did I miss. Then I twigged, I needed to re- read Daniel in a drag queens voice. I did and everything took on a new and a hilarious slant. Mama’s Commandments take on a whole new perspective when you read them in a completely over the top way of a queen full on sassing it and let’s face it only the Queen of Queens could manage to save an entire wedding from disaster. For me I pictured my favourite “looks” queen. You know one that is incredibly beautiful and then they talk and so much shade come out.”
The Vers Podcast Series by Riley Hart
I am not sure I can call one specific book out in this series as better than others I really enjoyed all four. This is a series about 4 very different best friends that host a queer podcast. There is The Loner, The Romantic, The Realist and The Charmer. I really enjoyed how different the main characters and their books were. I also loved the way the four friends interact together and call each other out on their bad behaviours. If you like contemporary romance, then this is a must-read series.
Life After Love (Calston Cove #1) by JJ Harper
I love me a little angst in my books, and I am also a real sucker for a single dad. This book has both. My heart just broke for Merrick , trying to get on with his life after the death of his partner whilst raising their baby girl. Then there is Drew. Drew has always wanted the Old Mill house to make his own and then an outsider buys it. This is a truly lovely romance that made me laugh and cry .
Blindsided (Nashville Parliament #1) by Carly Marie
Carly Marie is an automatic buy author that never disappoints me. She is also possibly the only author that would get me to read series about ice hockey teams. This book is a spinoff from the Nashville Grizzlies series and is about the new AHL team, Nashville Parliament. – Not sure what AHL is as I know nothing about Ice hockey but I do know I always enjoy these stories and Carly manages to explain anything Ice hockey specific in a way that I can understand.
Murder In Shades of Blue and Green (DS Charlie Rees #1) by Ripley Hayes
I have reviewed all 3 of the DS Charlie Rees books and I have enjoyed them all, this one though was my favourite. This book is a really well written crime story, where the focus of the book is on it being a murder mystery, not the characters sexuality. Yes, DS Charlie Rees is gay and yes there is a love interest (and one sex scene) but that is just a relatively small part of the story, which is kind of refreshing.
Where There’s A Will (Dads & Adages Book 1) by Anna Sparrows
I know Anna Sparrows from her Littles & Lace series. This series is very different. Still really enjoyable but very different. The are no Littles and the daddies in the book are daddies to their offspring. It feels like Anna has matured as an author in this book with its emotional storyline.
This book is so full of heartbreak and hurt yet somehow is still so sweet. It is about real, true love. The love of a non-biological parent, the love of biological fathers for their children, the love between siblings and the love of two men who just fit perfectly.
In His Sights (Second Sight #1) by K.C. Wells
I am not normally a big fan of most paranormal books but as K.C. Wells is an author I really enjoy I gave this one a go and I didn’t regret it at all. I loved the interplay between the main characters and whilst I could see the sad bit coming it still really got to me.
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
I am not normally a big fan of most paranormal books but as K.C. Wells is an author I really enjoy I gave this one a go and I didn’t regret it at all. I loved the interplay between the main characters and whilst I could see the sad bit coming it still really got to me.
Great choices but your review of In The Lives Of Puppets has a little problem.