Welcome to the Love Bytes Reviewers’ Best of 2025
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 2025, 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 2025. 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.
“Taylin’s” favorites
The 39 Steps – A Contemporary Reimagining by LM Somerton – Buy Link
The adage ‘be careful what you wish for’ applies here, but to what end: death or saving the world? The 39 Steps is LM Somerton’s modern retelling of the 1915 classic – and it’s a rollercoaster of a tale that maintains its action-adventure momentum to the end. It includes themes of environmental issues, woke culture, conspiracy, murder, MI5, an encounter with a gorse bush, landed gentry, extremists, beautiful scenery, and much more, ultimately putting one’s life on the line. I was completely engrossed. I put my feet up and kept reading this London to Scotland delight until the very end.
Millennium Bug by Yvonne Knop – Buy Link
This is a tale that began with a ‘UH’ note, then ‘OH,’ and finally ooooohh. It’s a bit like The Wacky Races meets Doctor Who, where the only answer is 42 and all the chapters are kept in a library somewhere in the universe. All it missed was a dog with an evil laugh. Meanwhile, amidst the dry, excellent humor, 1999 is more than just a song by Prince and Two is more than a number. Gender can be anything on any given day, and being human is considered a nice-to-have. Confusion leads to chaos, and inner turmoil follows, while mysteries are unraveled and an eclectic quartet strives to save the Earth.
This is a style of story I’ve never encountered before. Millennium Bug is the kind of tale where you should get your tea and biscuits ready before opening the cover. It’s a wild ride. And by the end, you may be asking, Could AI take away the freedom of creative writing?
Kael (Monsters & Mates) by Becca Seymour – Buy Link
In a place where slices of other worlds get ‘rifted’ in, I was treated to a tale that features elements, such as a vortex and a library that, in theory, doesn’t exist and is more challenging to access than any Indiana Jones adventure. Also, Becca Seymour uses her wonderful imagination to come up with original, sexier, much more intimate phrases than I’ve read before – I whooped with joy to read.
Sonny is a practically minded, determined sceptic whose mastery of sarcasm is his primary language, a mask, a way of coping, and an irritant in varying degrees. Kael is a loyal royal guard whose personality deepens as the book progresses. Kael is a tale of fated mates set in a world where one doesn’t know what slip of land is around the corner. These quirks make the story unique and a thoroughly engaging page-turner.
You Can Make Me (Carnival of Mysteries) by RL Merrill – Buy Link
From the first page, I was absorbed into the story involving an investigative journalist, obsessed with the healing abilities of the Carnival of Mysteries. And by the end, I was a mess. My heart had gone on a rollercoaster, and I’d been truly entertained. The story is more than reclaiming life after horrific trauma. It’s about accepting help, recognizing inner beauty, and helping others in the process. Among other things, the story contains serial killers, kidnapping, fire, recovery, teamwork, camaraderie, friendship, an odd toy gifted by the carnival, and let’s not forget the magic of the carnival. The story shows people at their best and worst. And for me, it is RL Merrill writing at its best.
Bait and Switch: Karne and Lundin (Subtle Deceptions) by Elle Keaton – Buy Link
As a grifter in hiding. Gabe navigates an ever-thickening plot that contains murder, corrupt cops, plenty of secrets, and drama that I didn’t see coming. I was completely absorbed by the characters, setting, and story. Also, the pace and adrenaline increase as we approach the climax. Elle has a wonderful affinity for setting a scene and immersing the reader in it. When she describes a place, I can imagine myself there. Also, it’s little things, like telling the dog, ‘You don’t have time for the cat.’ Those are the things that make the difference between good and blooming marvelous. The contents had me avidly turning the page, and raising my pom poms with a sqweeeeee at the brief but memorable crossovers with another series.
Repentance (Dark Earls) by Rebecca Cohen – Buy Link
I found Repentance enchantingly marvelous. I didn’t put it down from the first page until the last. Chris is a wonderfully unique character, and his journey with Jack is a delight. Also, the reader is kept on the edge, wondering who is a force for good, evil, or something between.
As with many good books, the protagonists can be fantastic, but things can fall flat without a good supporting cast. The extras here are superb and include some crossovers from other books – namely Sebastian Hewell. He doesn’t have much page time, but damn it’s memorable.
Seeing Death (The Augur) by LM Somerton – Buy Link
From the first page, I was hooked. The story is different because Bryn and Gunnar get involved in many police cases – they do their part, then move on. Gunnar has all the wolf instincts and attributes, minus four legs and fur. In recent years, Bryn has had little choice over what he does, where or with whom. He lives in the free world, but has no freedom, and Gunnar is enough of a rebel to try to give Bryn what he needs. Bryn’s defense mechanism is sarcasm, which leads to some superb banter between the two. Because Bryn and Gunnar’s lives are filled with lots of case-solving consultations, the drama is kept at a page-turning, high level, and just about anything can be expected at any time.
Cursed (Witchbane) by Morgan Brice – Buy Link
I loved the return of the Witchbane Series, and this story captured everything I love about the books. It was awesome to see the teams come together to take on the big shipping magnet-witchy-foe, including scene-stealing ghosts and characters from other tales, whose presence was brilliantly utilized. But, life can’t be all search and destroy – so good experiences are added for balance. The word balanced is the best way to describe this tale. All aspects had their respective page times without anything being over- or underdone. My heart went on a journey alongside my head, and I was thoroughly entertained.
Falconguard (Falconsaga) by Robert Winter – Buy Link
Falconguard is the second and last book in this Falconsaga duo. Oh, my word, what a follow-up. Falconsaga set the scene and introduced the characters with pockets of action-packed drama. Falconguard solidified the knowledge base and upped the ante on the action. It is a story of Icelandic Folklore, revelations, action, humor, chaos, confusion, acceptance, and growing into the person you were meant to be with the family you deserved. I will read this story again and again. And who knows, by the end, I might be able to pronounce some of the Icelandic words.
Silent Is The Heart by Dianna Roman – Buy Link
Silent is the Heart is a story whose characters captured my heart and whose journey took some unexpected twists. There are some tales that a person can predict – not this one. The first part developed the characters, allowing me to embrace Easton and Aaron. The second had me turning the page, eager to know what happened. The cat-and-mouse game between the protagonists is shown from both sides and their resulting epiphanies. There are heartwarming moments and twists where I couldn’t read quickly enough to find out what happened. It was unexpected, brutal, thrilling to read, my heart pumped out of my chest, and totally brilliant.
