Welcome to the Love Bytes Reviewers’ Best of 2024
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 1,000 LGBTQ+ books in 2024, from contemporary romance to fantasy, paranormal, historical, adventure, mystery, comedy, and everything in between. Each day for the next weeks, we will feature one of our reviewers’ top picks from books and audiobooks published in 2024. 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.
Cheryl K’s favorites
It was hard for me to narrow down my list this year, but these are at the top of the list. I’ve listed some of my favorite reads and listens below – please note that these are not in any particular order. I hope you enjoy my eclectic choices. 😊
Readjustment by B.H. Lynn Buy Link
Adam and Caleb are a hot mess in this book, which I love less than perfect main characters. While these two sort out their messiness, they like to solve murder mysteries on the side.
Peacemaker by Morgan Brice & john Solo – Buy Link
Well, who doesn’t love this entire megaverse from Morgan Brice/Gail Martin. I hope she writes more for these two. I love the twist of being set in the late 1890’s and how Owen and Calvin solve supernatural mysteries. Another fantastic narrartion by John Solo. I love his performances.
Jonah and the Narwhal by Vinni George & Declan Winters – Buy Link
Who knew a Narwal shifter could be so sexy… Jonah and Edwin are just perfect together. The very talented Declan Winters brings this sexy age gap story to life.
Midnight Companion by Kit Barrie & Kevin Earlywine – Buy Link
I can’t even describe how much I enjoyed Kit Barrie’s take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Who knew the logistics of a detached head….. The narration for this book enhanced the telling. Kevin Earlywine gave one of his best performances to date with this story.
Molly Boys by Vawn Cassidy & Joel Leslie – Buy Link
I admit, I have a thing for historical, supernatural gay fiction. Vawn does a brilliant job conveying the struggles of being gay in the late 19th century, while incorporating a murder mystery that kept me guessing the whole time. This story is performed by the incomperable Joel Leslie. His accent work in this story is exemplary and I was so enthralled with his storytelling, I didn’t want to turn the book off.
The Last Picks series by Gregory Ashe & Andrew Gibson – Buy Link
I love this cozy, slow burn mystery series from Gregory Ashe. At this time books 1-4 are out on audio and I am eagerly anticipating the release of the next books in the series. Andrew Gibson is the perfect narrator for this series. His ability to combine snark, sarcasm, mysteriousness and even some character whining is just awesome.
The Necromancer’s War by Sheena Jolie – Buy Link
Another wonderful addition to the Beacon Hill Sorcerer series. With each new book, we get to expereince all the ups and downs of Angel Salvatore and his extended family.
A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star by Chloe Archer – Buy Link
Chloe had me at Highland Gargolye with this story. I truly love her ability to incorporate legneds and pop culture references into this book so seemlessly. This is a fantastic fated mates story.
The Men of Echo Creek by N.R. Walker – Buy Link
N.R. Walker brought us another of my favorite historical gay romances. I just loved this story. I was so caught up in this book and read it almost in one sitting. A girl’s gotta sleep, people. Albie and Percy are just perfect for each other.
Sapphire Dawn by C. Travis Rice – Buy Link
If you love modern day, murder mystery, with a lot of romance (sexy times) thrown in, this is the series for you. As the fourth book in the series, you will need to read/listen to the previous three books. I loved the combination of Donnie and Richard in this story. The porn studio owner and the Event Planner are a brilliant pairing.