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 800 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.
“Mal’s” favorites
Don’t Shoot Me Santa (To Love a Psycho #4) by CF White – Buy Link
I love CF White’s deeply intimate style of writing, there is no distant sharing of perspective even though it’s written in third person, micro emotions bleed out, vivid descriptive metaphorical language is used to enunciate the moment.
This story is beautifully laid out as juxtaposition between safety and terror.
It was eerie, chaotic, fast but Aaron and Kenny remind you this is a romance at the heart of it, ahhhh i swooned.
On The Land, We Shoot Straight by Sasha Avice – Buy Link
It’s a love story, it’s an unwavering love, a protective love, a love filled with fire and heat and a love with understanding, a love that sees. A BIG love. A love story that will stay with me forever.
The String Of Destiny (Viking Bloodlines #3) by Sam Northman – Buy Link
This book really kept me invested I could not put it down, this saga is truly epic, spellbinding storytelling, the language rich and divine.
The world building, the complex layered characters and multi POV, the action and adventure, the swoon, the emotions, the friendships, the family, the life and death and beyond situations – all of it will make this saga an iconic series and I can’t wait for the next one. Start with A Kingdom Of Dreams and go on this epic adventure, you won’t regret it.
Becoming Us (Us Duet #2) by Alex Cross – Buy Link
Is Echoes of Us a complete book and hugely satisfying read… imo yes! Is Becoming Us a complete book and hugely satisfying in and of itself… imo yes! Do you need to read both YES!!!
I will end on love.. I love Atty and Noah and they found family.. it’s a beautiful story .. please take care of your mental health and read this story if the triggers arnt triggering but so worth it.
Catcher’s Lock (Broken Boys of Cirque #3) by AK Blythe – Buy Link
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and and it blew me away. AK Blythe is a phenomenal author, the writing is lyrical, poetic, sweepingly descriptive in parts and then raw gritty pushing in other and then lulls of deep emotional wells stilling still and then roiling aching tactile passion. Gahhhh I cannot tell you how much o loved it how much I loved Josha and Gem. Both learning themselves while so enmeshed in the deep bonds that hold them together.
What Death Forgets by Thea Verdone – Buy Link
Moody, Eerie, Deliciously edgy, obsessive love, intense, a bit melancholy, high drama… trying to describe the experience of reading this book is so hard but all of these fit perfectly. Such an interesting, gripping read and I absolutely loved the world Thea Verdone immerses us in as we navigate this unique tale of love and healing.
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve read a story quite like Lev and Asher’s love story, it’s very cinematic, immersive and even the place is a character unto itself, bringing the inanimate to life. The ocean setting the tone of passion, pain, fear as a backdrop to the twists and turns of the story.
Try Again Later (Try for Love #2) by Jemma Croft – Buy Link
This is it, this might be my favourite book, how is this so perfect, how are Lan and Harry so perfect. You know those stories that’ll stay with you for a long time and characters that deeply entrench themselves in you or you see reflected back at you I dont know which but characters that’ll probably become a part of you, this is that, them is this and this is Everything Magical you need from a story.
I could go on tbh and then it’d be the whole book cause I really did love it
To Beguile A Banished Lord (Regency Rossingley #3) by Fearne Hill – Buy Link
Fearne Hill writes spectacular stories. I love this series by her, it’s truly perfect. Memorable characters that you absolutely need to see get their HEA, lovely stories swirling with swoon and romance, beautiful prose painting vivid pictures of regency England of the Ton emoting feelings strong enough to draw you in and absolutely stunning humour that has you laughing out loud absolutely cheeky and acerbically witty and then there is the slow building burn, the passion the glances and the touches and the giving in. I love historical romances in general but I especially love the way Fearne Hill crafts them.
This And Every Life by Emmy Sanders – Buy Link
Unbelievably moving! Unique! Gripping! Brimming with romance! Unending unconditional unwavering love! These are some of the things that instantly stand out for me as I finish this book and the very much needed bonus chapter.
I think this might be my favourite book from Emmy Sanders yet. Lyrical, poetic, writing saturated with soft emotion. Telling a tale of love. While it isn’t ridden with angst at all I found myself moved, a lump in my throat as Sanders shares a very unique fresh take on an extremely romantic premise that epitomises love.
Merry and Bright (Hartbridge Christmas Series) by NR Walker – Buy Link
Oh NR Walker, how do you do it, tell these utterly hopeful, beautiful, romantic tales of love. I am but a swooning puddle on the floor, a beatific smile afixed on my face, just blow away by this gorgeous love story.
It’s a lovely slow fall into a lifetime of love and their story is unique and I couldn’t put it down. The neurodivergent rep and the ace rep were absolutely beautifully handled and it’s one of my favourite holiday romances till date.
First Oaths (The Bone Men #1) by Quinn Cameron CJ Tuma – Buy Link
This was an EPIC read! Wow, I don’t know where the time went, I spent the whole day reading this and I was completely immersed. Fantastic world building, everything is perfectly paced, introduced to add layers to the myth and lore of the characters lives and the legends of the Bone Men. The story is full of adventure, a righteous quest, heroes a tad worn maybe not perfect, battling the burdens of their pasts, their families curses but with enough resilience and fire to right the wrongs they see. You want to rally with them.. goosebumps
This Might Hurt by Riley Nash – Buy Link
This book is somehow a sweeping and an intimate look into how two men cross huge insurmountable odds to build a better life than they got handed because they found each other. I am so moved by this story I simultaneously want to gush and still have no words on how to explain the impact it’s left on me.
I don’t know how to layout the plot, it’s deep, complex, gripping and organic – I loved it.
