A Special Note to Our Readers
As we near the end of our Best of 2023 with our lovely leader Dani’s list tomorrow, I wanted to take a moment, as the person who designs these lists each year, to thank all of our readers and the authors who so graciously provide us with ARCs to review. On behalf of my fellow Love Bytes reviewers, I’d like to say it’s a privilege to help you choose books you’ll most enjoy in any MM genre.
This year, fourteen active Love Bytes reviewers bring you their 138 favorite books of 2023. Fourteen books or series appear on multiple lists with the most going to Garrett Leigh’s Rebel Kings MC series, Nicky James’ Valor and Doyle series, and Mary Calmes’ Tied Over from her Marshals series.
Valerie’s 2023 Favorites
Real life decided to get in the way this year so I was not able to review as many books as usual but I still read well over 200. I had no problem, however, finding oodles of fantastic romances from some of my favorite authors and a handful of new-to-me authors I was pleased to discover. My list is heavy on books with the hurt/comfort trope (I love angst!) and rom-coms. In no particular order …
Finding Mr. Fabulous by Con Riley
Finding Mr. Fabulous is beyond brilliant. I don’t know what I’d do without Con Riley’s romances and her delectable leading men in my life. They bring me such pleasure and enjoyment. Rex and Dev’s story is no exception, of course, because Con’s never written a bad book.
There’s some heartbreak but the angst is so worth it in this utterly heartwarming love story. We watch Rex and Dev slowly and gently fall in love, one day at a time and more each day. As usual for Con, there are some underlying messages about strength, support, and family quietly mixed in with the laughs and wonderful feels. There’s an ever-present tenderness and strong connection. And all those sublime kisses! So much kissing. Sweet, scrumptious, sensual kisses. Rex and Dev turn it into an art form; they just can’t keep their lips off each other. You’re going to be drawn into kissy bliss and it’s simply…fabulous! Oh…let’s not forget lovely, hilarious Charles and his shenanigans…he has a lot of presence here as Rex’s close friend (past lovers). Run, don’t walk, to grab this treasure.
Until You (Until #1) by Briar Prescott
Until You is nearly perfect – sweet, sad, romantic, heartbreaking, and fun. It’s very well written, as all of Prescott’s books are, but this one surpasses them all. The book starts as a gentle, unassuming romance between Jude and Blake, whose childhoods left them both damaged. Jude hides behind a carefully constructed brick wall, maintaining mostly superficial relationships. He’s been alone and lonely for years. But he can’t – doesn’t know how to – trust people, knowing they’ll always let him down. Blake, with his positive attitude and happiness, brings Jude peace. He fills the deafening silence that smothers Jude. Sharing the pain of their pasts brings them closer. I loved Jude and absolutely adored Blake. They are destined for each other, two magnets pulling them together.
It ripped me apart, breaking my heart in the best of ways before reaching a fabulous happy ending. As Blake says, “The highs have been well fucking worth the lowest of lows.”
And Then You (Until #2) by Briar Prescott
And Then You, the follow up to Until You, is simply marvelous, possibly even better than its predecessor. It’s chock full of fake dating, quasi-enemies to lovers, and angst along with humor to offset the pain. Still, I cried and I had a heck of a book hangover before I could pick up another book. At its heart, this is a beautiful story about Quinn unearthing the true Steph (Jude’s best friend) behind the masks he wears for self-preservation. He suffered the worst of tragedies as a youth and has been pretending his whole life. It’s a hurt/comfort dynamic at its best, delivering a story rich in healing and hope. The prologue is devastating but the epilogue, set five years in the future, is the perfect, heartwarming ending.
Disrupted Engagement and Matrimonial Merriment (Valor and Doyle #6 and 7) by Nicky James
An engagement! This book truly lives up to it’s name. Boy, is it disrupted. Poor Quaid… he’s a mess with insecurity, fear and vulnerability. I got caught up in the romance but there’s quite a compelling case, too, with many possible suspects to keep you guessing till the end. One of our guys ends up in mortal danger. I was all about the Best. Proposal. Ever. To get there, there’s some serious heartbreak you’ll have to endure. Heavy, heavy angst, this one. The actual proposal is one of my favorite, emotional scenes ever in a book. It’s so very Quaid and Aslan at it’s heart. It’s terribly sad in parts – tear jerking sad – but these scenes epitomize the hurt/ comfort nature of their relationship.
And then there’s the (not a Christmas) wedding. *swoon*
Matrimonial Merriment is utterly perfect…a wonderful culmination of Quaid and Aslan’s love story. So far. There will be more to come eventually. In my review of Disrupted Engagement, I said it was absolutely, positively, indubitably the best Valor and Doyle book yet. Well, guess what? This one might beat it. I’m so glad Quaid got everything he wanted and deserved for his storybook wedding to the love of his life. The wedding planning provides a veritable sneer-a-palooza for Quaid and plenty of opportunities to delight Aslan with the face. The side characters – including Ruiz, Torin, and Graham – outdid themselves.
The Unlikely Heir (Unlikely Dilemnas #1) by Jax Calder
This forbidden rom-com features England’s Prime Minister, Oliver, and the new heir to the British throne, twenty-five year old American, Callum, falling for each other as one heck of an unlikely pair. I thought there might be too many parallels between this book and Red, White, and Royal Blue but the only thing they share in common is their excellence.
Jax Calder is a new-to-me author and I’ve already started to work my way through her back list to find more gems.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman and A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books Duet) by K.J. Charles
I’ve read plenty of this author’s historical romances and find this pair to be my favorites, hands down. Set in the early 1800s in Kent, England, these books are delightful, romantic, and witty, and contain some mystery and tense thriller moments. The world building is top-notch. In The Secret Lives…, charming Joss from the Doomsday smuggling family, falls in love with a newly titled baronet, fish out of water, Sir Gareth. In A Nobleman’s Guide…, young, abused Luke Doomsday finds love with Rufus, an Earl, after he begins working for Rufus. These opposites attract stories may sound too similar but they’re unique and both fantastic. If you enjoy historicals, you should love this duo and if you’re new to the genre, these would be great gateway reads.
Tied Over (Marshals #6) by Mary Calmes
Mary Calmes’ Marshals series is one of my all-time favorite series. I love everything about Miro and Ian and hoped, after reading Eli’s uninspiring story (#5), that this would be a winner. And it is. Such a wonderful, exciting story. This is Deputy US Marshals Redeker and Callahan’s love story, combined with the action filled adventures found in their line of work. All of our favorite Marshals are back, including Miro, Ian, Sam Kage, and the others in the office, as Calmes returns to her winning formula from books 1-4. And Chickie Baby has an important role! I can never get enough of Chickie!!! Immediately upon completing this book, I knew it would be in my 2023 Top Ten.
The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S.E. Harmon
What a magnificent book! The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer is so unique, the perfect book if you’re looking for something different. I’ve never read anything like this in the MM romance genre before and it’s delightful. Comparisons to Indiana Jones are inevitable as stepbrothers and opposites Kit and Ethan embark on a suspenseful adventure through the Mexican jungle. A touch of the paranormal creates intrigue and humor. S.E. Harmon had me frightened in one moment and laughing in the next. And of course, there’s romance…a yummy story of falling in love with the man you were always destined for.
Until I Saw You by Dianna Roman
This is such a heartwarming, delightful, hurt/comfort story – my favorite trope. I love damaged main characters and here we have two. Riley, who recently lost his sight in a terrible accident, is utterly scrumptious. He’s funny and kind with a positive attitude and upbeat energy. He’ll soon be questioning how straight he really is when he starts falling for his new in-home caregiver. Harper, who recently experienced a horrific trauma, feels helpless and wants to learn to stand on his own. They are hurting in vastly different ways, physically and emotionally. Bring on the angst – I love to be brought to tears. But although it deals with some heavy topics, it’s swoony, humorous, and sometimes lighthearted.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
This haunting book was recommended to me by one of my favorite authors and I’m so glad I took her advice to read this profound, historical novel. The author’s debut novel shares the horrors of the Great War in 1914 as experienced by Gaunt and Ellwood, and their classmates at an English boarding school. Winn leads us on a poignant, heartbreaking journey through the battlefield trenches where our two leading men fall in love. Both the characterization and the imagery are remarkable. It is violent and sometimes gruesome, though, if you have a weak stomach. Otherwise, I can’t recommend this wartime novel enough. It will haunt you for days.
Hamartia by Scarlett Drake
Have you ever read a book you fell in love with but you’re not quite sure why? That’s Hamartia for me; I’ve now read it twice and just listened to the audio as well. I’m not a huge fan of rockstar romances, I’ve never been drawn to K-pop, and I wasn’t familiar with the author, but she created a story I can’t get enough of. Raphael is the straight, American rockstar who is engaged to a woman but becomes obsessed (not in a creepy, stalker way) with Jaehyun, a Korean K-pop idol. Jae, who must hide his true self and play by the rules set by the group’s managers and record label, doesn’t think Rapha will be able to deal with those restrictions. They endure miscommunications, sometimes due to language and cultural differences, but mainly because Jae has difficulty articulating his fear of being rejected and his belief that he’s not good enough for Rapha. I loved these guys and was grateful for the HEA Scarlett Drake provided for them. I was particularly fond of Jae for whom I took inspiration from real life K-pop idol, Hyunjin (when he’s blond and somewhat androgynous) from the Stray Kids. Look at me…a little googling and now I’m becoming a K-pop fan!!
Reluctant Renegade (Rebel Kings MC #5) by Garrett Leigh
Reluctant Renegade is yet another fabulous Rebel Kings MC book. I love each and every one of these men so much. I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did considering I wasn’t as invested in Decoy and Folk the way I was with the other men in the series. Holy cow, I was wrong. This five star/heart book is wonderfully heartwarming, exciting, and suspenseful. I felt real fear for these men at times, knowing that danger was lurking somewhere right around the corner. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that this group of bikers represent the best found family I’ve seen in MM romance. That’s all due to the magic of Garrett Leigh.
This series is just about the last place I’d expect a fake boyfriend trope to play out. It works, though, and the fake part doesn’t last long; they obviously become a real couple, but not before plenty of UST builds up in a delicious slow burn. Decoy and Folk are awesome characters and perfect for each other. This is perhaps my second favorite after the OG, Devil’s Dance. With the magnificence of this series, that’s saying a lot.
We Only Kiss at Christmas (Christmas Collection #2) by Con Riley
*Squee* This book! It’s simply F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S., a gorgeous Christmas gift from Con to her devoted fans. She dished up just the right amount of Patrick and Sebastian’s relationship dynamic and their super-glue bond in last year’s His Last Christmas in London that we’ve been jonesing for this book a year in advance. That says something about Con’s outstanding writing and development of side characters.
Pat and Seb are a very special, very passionate couple. I think the word “adorable” was created just for them. If ever there was an inevitable couple – soul mates if that’s a thing – it’s these two. They compliment each other so well. I feel lucky to have been invited to travel along with these men on their journey from best friends to lovers, gradually learning more about their histories and struggles.