This year has been filled with good reads and some not-so-great reads, but also a lot of busy life stuff that kept me from reading as many books as I have wanted to. I picked my favorites this year based on stories that truly surprised me. Whether that be emotional or with a plotline twist, I didn’t see it coming. This year, I read 114 books according to Goodreads, which I use to set my challenge every year. This list is in no uncertain order, but I classify the books as must-read books. Here is a look at my year in books. Want to check out what I read? For all the info, click the picture below to go to GoodReads to see the stats for my year in books.
I have picked books or series that mostly fall into the two main genres I read Contemporary and Paranormal Romance. I was given an arc for one series. I can’t wait for the next book to be available. Some of these I read from arc requests, FB ads, or saw them on Amazon.
Top Reads of 2023
Blake Stone doesn’t believe in Happily Ever After.
Having been bumped around the foster care system for most of her life, she knows just how cruel and heartless the world can be. But with her new foster parents, Blake believes she has finally found her home.
That is, until Supernatural Services discover she’s a Shifter and whisk her away to Dorn, the Supernatural Academy hidden in the depths of the Scottish Highlands.
Forced to part from the only two people she has ever trusted, Blake puts her head down, determined to get back to the life of safety and security she has carved out for herself. But when her animal never emerges, and she unwittingly gains the attention of the enigmatic Shifter Alpha, Grayson Hunt, she’ll not only have to confront their growing attraction but also dark secrets from her past.
Can she overcome her demons? And accept that the quiet life she longed for may not be her true destiny?
I love an academy romance that adds supernatural, paranormal, and a hot protective Alpha, and I couldn’t put this book down. I can’t wait for the next one in the series. I’m hooked on Blake and Grayson. This book is a must-read masterpiece.
2. The Last Wolf Prince by Jade Ember
Things can’t get any worse for werewolves like me.
For centuries, we’ve been kept prisoner by the Faceless, the creatures who hunt us for their own entertainment. They keep us alive just long enough to procreate so their supply of prey doesn’t run out. We have no lives of our own beyond mere survival.
At last, we’ve had enough. Through years of hard work and innovation, the wolves in my enclosure have created a portal that will send one wolf back in time, back to the point where it all went wrong. In the year 1629, the last wolf prince Bertran was slain, and with him went our ability to defend ourselves against the Faceless. If his death never happens, we might have a chance.
We only get one shot at this, one wolf who can try to change it all. And the wolf they’ve chosen? A 24-year-old she-wolf with a talent for self-preservation, thanks to a secret carried in her blood.
That’s right: it’s me.
No pressure then.
All I have to do is find Bertran, warn him of the danger, and make sure he doesn’t die. How hard could it be?
This book wrecked me from the dystopian style time travel to the historical paranormal; it was way out of my normal reads. But I enjoyed this story it is one i would reread, it was that amazing. Yes, it was a blubbering mess at the end of this story.
3. Beneath This Mask by Meghan March
Former Navy fighter pilot. Son of a congressman. Successful businessman in my own right. With a résumé like mine, women have never been a challenge.Until I met her. This sexy, tatted-up bad girl wasn’t part of my plans, but that punch to my gut every time I see her tells me I have to know more.She’s a mystery. An enigma. A challenge. I’m going to figure her out—and then I’m going to make her mine. We’ll find out what she’s hiding . . . beneath this mask. *
This story was an epic contemporary romance. I really enjoyed this contemporary romance with a little twist and suspense set in New Orleans. The bad girl, the southern gentleman, a lot of steamy scenes, romance, and a little intrigue as life doesn’t work out perfectly for them. This was the rare book where the happily ever after wasn’t the immediate ending to the story. I enjoyed the real-life consequences.
Alexander Summerset, future King of Bellerive, doesn’t believe in love.
When a coronation clause has him seeking a wife, an arranged marriage suits him. His criteria is simple. She must be tolerable to him, and she must be good for the country.
Aurora Wilson followed her boyfriend to Bellerive after college and joined his family’s business. When she discovers him cheating on her, she flees their apartment, and the life that’s trapped her.
After an unlikely and unexpected meeting stuns them both, suddenly Alexander only has eyes for her.
There’s only one problem. Alexander can only marry royalty or a native Bellerivian, and she is neither.
This story is a rollercoaster of angst and emotion with a forbidden love and forced proximity tropes and, of course, characters you can’t help but connect with. It was surprising and predictable, but it was a great read. I truly enjoyed the rollercoaster of this love story.
5. Substitution Clause by Emma-Lee Johnson
Leila Monrose has a life many would envy. In her prestigious career as an injury specialist in Elite English Football, she meets interesting people and travels the world. Beautiful and clever, she has a nice car, a stylish home and has made plenty of friends since she moved up north for her job. Sooner or later, someone will come along to share it all with her.
Could it be the younger footballer Jack Cardal, who Leila helped regain form after a nasty injury? Handsome, rich and confident, Jack always wants what he can’t have. When Leila declines his invitation to dinner, he sees it as a challenge.
Or maybe it will be his older brother, billionaire property and technology tycoon turned football club investor, Nate Cardal, who is a perfect gentleman with a massive skeleton in his closet.
When one brother hurts her, the other helps her seek revenge, but with conditions attached.
In a world of high-stakes contracts, will Leila activate the Substitution Clause?
This book has it all…
- Sweet romance
- Football action and suspense
- Spicy scenes
- Real life issues
- Angst
- Personal growth
It is a book of self-discovery and hard-hitting experiences that touch on serious health issues, including mental health issues.
This book was a bit of a tear jerker, but I enjoyed the contemporary sports romance, the billionaire and fake relationship tropes, and, of course, the real-life issues. This read was inspirational, romantic, swoony, and filled with enough steamy scenes to include a little adventure.
6. A Recipe for Magic by K.C. Lapointe
When they touch, sparks fly. Literally. But can she make him believe in magic?
Trixie Tompkins is done with guys who don’t already know she’s a witch. She’s had her heart broken enough for one lifetime. And then her childhood crush Rafe Greensbury walks back into her life, looking way too good. Turns out he’s inherited his grandma’s bakery—which was supposed to be Trixie’s—and he’s looking to sell.
Even worse, his touch sends magic tingling through Trixie’s skin. Which makes no sense, because he doesn’t even believe in Moonbrook’s magic anymore. He thinks it was all just childish games.
Which means she can’t let herself fall for him, no matter how he makes her feel.
Unless she can figure out the unexplained magic that’s sparking between them, and show him that it’s real. And convince him not to sell the bakery she loves.
But is it worth the risk to open herself up to a man who might never accept who she really is?
Welcome to Moonbrook, where the magic hides just out of sight.
Visitors see a cozy town known for enchanting festivals. What they don’t see are the horns, tails, and fangs. A veil of magic lets witches, sirens, minotaurs, and more mingle undetected with outsiders.
In Moonbrook, even the monsters belong.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming, magical small-town romance that has plenty of steamy chemistry but keeps the explicit business behind closed doors, you’ll feel right at home in Moonbrook. A Recipe for Magic will make you believe that magic just might be real—and love definitely is.
This book is filled with a heartwarming romance, paranormal characters, and all the seasonal vibes of fall. I love the ending of this enchanting story. Trixie and Rafe, their familiars, and all the friends in this small town make this a magical read.
That concludes my top books this year. I spent the year discovering some new series that just didn’t pan out and, of course, some great standalone books or interconnected standalones. I didn’t do a lot of arc reading this year, but I did discover some new indie authors. I look forward to more books, stories, and new authors next year and, of course, continuing to Read-Love-Review.
Thank you to the authors who have given me arc reads and for those who have shared my content and reviews. Your support means the world to me. I look forward to a new year and continuing this book review blog.
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