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.
Sue’s 2023 Favorites
Resurrection Reprise (Soulbound Universe) by Hailey Turner
When you love a series and you get to the final book, you read it with a heavy heart knowing you won’t get any more. Imagine my joy when a new book from the Soulbound Universe appeared. This book is about Spencer, who as a necromancer is under strict government control and Takoma, Master Vampire of the Seattle Night Court. It was great to find out more about Spencer who had featured in many of the Soulbound books but as a minor character. Its an interesting twist Vampires who had a bad reputation and were feared in the previous books, that they worked with but still held them in distrust. To see the romance develop between Spencer and Takoma was lovely and unexpected, it was also great to see Spencer get out of the Government control that would have ultimately destroyed him.
The Hitman’s Guide to Codenames and Ill Gotten Gains (The Hitman’s Guide #5) by Alice Winters
A fantastic book returning to the mayhem of Leland and Jackson, it made me laugh so much. You never know what will happen next, there is a method to Leland’s madness but it isn’t always apparent at the time. There were so many twists and turns to this book with no one very sure who are the bad guys and what is really going on. I loved that Leland stepped up to help the young man that he saw himself in. There are gun fights, car chases and the fate of the Fence is revealed. A brilliant, funny read.
Rise (Wings and Wands #2) by AJ Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake
This book continues the spin off series about the Ice Dragon clan in Brazil. This was an enchanting tale. A slumbering Magi clan thought lost for the past 500 years. Two dragons who have been everything to each other, who dread the thought of finding their mates as that would mean they have to part. They both dream a wonderful dream and set out to find out if the dream is real. I loved Amaru, who tinkers and takes apart everything they find and best of all I loved that he is mate to both the dragons so that they never have to part. The series just keeps getting better and better.
A Ruse to Unchain Us (The Magi Accounts #4) by Michele Notaro
This book has it all, I cried buckets, so many times, the writing is raw and emotional and the characters that I’ve grown to love, endue so much all the while fighting for not only their family but for all the Magi and Shifters in the
country. There are moments of joy and the love between Mads and Cos shines out of the page despite the hardships they face, they love each other so deeply and that connection keeps them going, determination to end this once and for all and reunite their family and to enable them to finally go home.
Ghost Train (Haunted Souls #16) by Pandora Pine
Another fantastic book in the Haunted Souls series. Let’s take a ghost train and stop at haunted places along the route, giving readings along the way. What could possibly go wrong for Copeland and Tennyson. A ghost mother who is determined to be reunited with her son killed during the American Civil
War. I really enjoyed this book, lots of tension and a very strong ghost determined to keep others with her in her quest to be reunited with her son. However, she didn’t bank on Copeland and Tennyson and their abilities to get ghosts to rest in peace. A great book with a happy ending for everyone.
When A Man Loves An Alien by Chloe Archer
River just keeps on getting better and better, he is so quirky, funny and the person I would like to have as a best friend. He genuinely likes everyone and is so enthusiastic about the aliens he meets. He manages to disarm the most hardened, cynical individual and somehow manages to turn them into allies
and friends, which is amazing and so well written, it’s totally believable. There were so many great parts to this book, and I really enjoyed the continuing references to Star Trek and Star Wars which appealed to my inner
sci fi geek. I can’t wait for the final book in this series.
Axe to Grind (The Road to Rocktoberfest) by Gabbi Grey
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was so good. The writing is exceptional, I really appreciated the tension that permeates the story and as a reader I am taken along wondering what the big secret is and when that secret will be revealed. As I journeyed along, I became so invested in Ed and Thornton’s romance and felt dread about what would happen once all the secrets they were both holding came out. I was also invested in the band and how the fallout would affect them. A great book that makes you feel so many emotions.
Drowning in Danger (Liquid Onyx #3) by BL Jones
I couldn’t wait to read this book, I dived straight into it, as soon as I finished book 2, as I was intrigued to find out what happens next. So much happens in this book and the excerpts from Mia are chilling, she is so single minded in her pursuit of wiping out the liquid onyx survivors, to right the wrong she has done, but is doing so much wrong and hurting so many people, it is mind boggling.
There are twists and turns with this book, the ongoing battle with the Mages heats up and their arch nemesis Mia, having more in common with Rex than he could ever imagine. Secrets buried for years come to the fore and her despicable end game is revealed. The finale to this book is heartbreaking and I cried copious amounts of tears, using up a box of tissues and left puffy eyed and reeling. No, no, no, it just can’t be true, this can’t be the end, how can Rex ever come back from this and what does it mean for his family and friends?