The Best of 2023: BWBH Edition
Welcome back, romance readers!
2023 was a year packed with enemies-to-lovers, why choose, and queer love. Here are the authors, series, and books that stood out above the rest. This is the best of 2023: BWBH edition.
But before getting started, this is a friendly reminder to be aware of your triggers and to check for any necessary trigger warnings associated with the titles below.
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Favorite Authors of 2023
Favorite Series of 2023
Favorite Books of 2023
Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
An Inheritance of Monsters by Cate Corvin
Court of Nightmares by K.A. Knight
Favorite Authors of 2023
The BWBH’s Favorite authors of 2023 are:
Tate James
Harley Laroux
Sierra Simone (Guide coming Early 2024)
Who were your favorite authors in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!
Favorite Series of 2023
The BWBH’s Favorite authors of 2023 are:
The Madison Kate series by Tate James
The Madison Kate series by Tate James is for readers who enjoy:
- Alpha Males
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Suspense
- Why Choose
Hate
“Madison Kate Danvers was murdered tonight.”
Those words changed my life, and not for the better.
They were wrong, of course. I wasn’t dead. But I was set up.
After being charged with a string of offences–and made an example of by my political minded father–I’m eventually released back into Shadow Grove with one thing on my mind.
Hate.
Someone is going to pay for derailing my carefully laid out future. Someone is going to catch the full force of my hate. How very convenient that someone just moved into the bedroom down the hall from me.
Archer D’Ath and his boys messed with the wrong chick and they’re about to learn just how cold Madison Kate’s hate can run.
Liar
Fake
Kate
Vault
The Hades series by Tate James
The Hades series by Tate James is for readers who enjoy:
- Age-Gap Romance
- Friends-to-Lovers
- Mafia Romance
- Suspense
- Why Choose
7th Circle
Five years ago, I masterminded the infamous massacre of the Tri-state Timberwolves.
The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of those members loyal to my father were spared mercy. Not a single one.
I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves in spreading false news, in covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct.
But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. We changed, we grew, we evolved and came out stronger than ever. Now, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Timberwolves. I’ll do anything to keep my empire safe and thriving. To keep the people depending on me safe.
So, what do I do, when it’s my own weakness that places us all in danger? When I let sex cloud my judgment, and my people pay the price?
Simple. Kill the distractions.
I’m called Hades for a reason, after all.
Anarchy
Club 22
Timber
The Guild series by Tate James
(Guide coming January 2024)
The Guild series by Tate James is for readers who enjoy:
- Alpha Males
- Badass FMCs
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Suspense
- Why Choose
Honey Trap
honeytrap
noun
a stratagem in which an attractive person entices another person into revealing information or doing something unwise.
Those who have reached a certain level within the mercenary guild, know that it’s not merely a job. It isn’t a hobby or a career or a fun pastime. It’s a calling. A fucking honor.
Being in the Guild is our life…. Or death.
Not everyone is created equal, and not everyone is truly cut out for the work we do. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous, and it’s sure as shit not moral or good. The weight of the sins we carry can become too much for some, and they crack.
When they do, they become a threat.
No one quits the Guild. Not really. Either they cut a deal to make themselves useful in another capacity, or they get eliminated.
But who, you might ask, can kill a killer?
Who scares the boogeyman into running and hiding?
Men like me.
The Guild is my life. My love. My very existence.
Anyone who poses a threat to that, is eliminated. No questions, no hesitations, no mercy.
Until her.
Dead Drop
Kill Order
The Boys of Bellerose series by Tate James and Jaymin Eve
(Guide coming February 2024)
The Boys of Bellerose series by Tate James and Jaymin Eve is for readers who enjoy:
- Forced Proximity
- Mafia Romance
- Rockstar Romance
- Second Chances
- Why Choose
Poison Roses
You know that saying, things can’t possibly get worse? They always can.
I thought I’d hit rock bottom when I turned sixteen. The day I broke my first love’s heart, ending things before I could ruin his career as a rock star.
But damn, was I wrong.
Things got progressively worse from that moment on, until now. Eight years later, when I find myself homeless, jobless, covered in blood, and running from a ghost of my past.
Angelo Ricci–the second boy I ever loved–knows I saw him shoot a man. He’s coming for me, has men out all over the city looking for me, and if they find me I’m as good as dead.
But I’m not giving up so easily. I’ll do whatever it takes to escape the Ricci family’s wrath, even if it means seeking sanctuary with the most unlikely, and unwilling of allies.
Bellerose is the hottest rock band in the world right now–in popularity and looks–and it’s just my luck that I stumble into their laps while running for my life. It’s not the best plan to hide out on their tour, but it’s the best I’ve got.
Except, the only person that Bellerose’s frontman hates more than Angelo Ricci… might be me. Too damn bad. Jace owes me. After all, I’m Billie Bellerose.
Dirty Truths
Shattered Dreams
Beautiful Thorns
The Kit Davenport series by Tate James
(Guide coming early 2024)
The Kit Davenport series by Tate James is for readers who enjoy:
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Ménage
- Shifters
- Slow-Burn
- Why Choose
The Vixen’s Lead
I want vengeance so badly that I can almost taste it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. So, I did what any privileged, adopted boarding school girl would do. I slapped on a secret identity and became an internationally renowned thief, known as The Fox. Nobody knows me. Nobody can catch me.
Or so I thought…
It turns out; I have what they want. Special abilities. And trust me, these abilities are coveted–and dangerous. Now, I don’t know who to trust or where to go. Peril lurks on every corner as I try to uncover my past and origin. Teaming up with unlikely allies may be my only chance at survival or my biggest mistake. Only time will tell.
I’m Kit Davenport and this is only the beginning.
The Dragon’s Wing
The Tiger’s Ambush
The Viper’s Nest
The Crow’s Murder
The Alpha’s Pack
The Losers series by Harley Laroux
(Guide coming early 2024)
The Losers series by Harley Laroux is for readers who enjoy:
- BDSM
- Bully Romance
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Revenge
- Why Choose
The Dare
Jessica Martin is not a nice girl. As Prom Queen and Captain of the cheer squad, she’d ruled her school mercilessly, looking down her nose at everyone she deemed unworthy. The most unworthy of them all? The “freak,” Manson her favorite victim.
But a lot changes after high school.
A freak like him never should have ended up at the same Halloween party as her. He never should have been able to beat her at a game of Drink or Dare. He never should have been able to humiliate her in front of everyone.
Losing the game means taking the a dare to serve Manson for the entire night as his slave. It’s a dare that Jessica’s pride – and curiosity – won’t allow her to refuse. What ensues is a dark game of pleasure and pain, fear and desire.
Is it only a game?
Only revenge?
Only a dare?
Or is it something more?
Losers: Part One
Losers: Part Two
The Order of the Unseen series by Molly Doyle
(Guide coming early 2024)
The Order of the Unseen series by Molly Doyle is for readers who enjoy:
- Masked Men
- Secret Societies
- Stalkers
- Suspense
- Why Choose
Scream for Us
After wandering into an alluring Halloween party that is said to go down in history, Quinn finds herself captivated by three masked men. As she immerses herself in a night of both pleasure and pain, she finally has the perfect opportunity to bring her darkest fantasies to life.
Or death.
Bloodshed
Melt for Us
The Ravenhood Trilogy by Kate Stewart
(Guide coming early 2024)
The Ravenhood Trilogy by Kate Stewart is for readers who enjoy:
- Age-Gap Romance
- Angst
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Small Town Romance
- Why Choose
Flock
Can you keep a secret?
I grew up sick.
Let me clarify.
I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy.
Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness.
When I lived this story, my own twisted fairy tale, it was unbeknownst to me at the time because I was young and naïve. I gave into temptation and fed the beating beast, which grew thirstier with every slash, every strike, every blow.
Triple Falls wasn’t at all what it seemed, nor were the men that swept me under their wing. But in order to keep them, I had to be in on their secrets.
Secrets that cost us everything to keep.
That’s the novelty of fiction versus reality. You can’t re-live your own love story, because by the time you’ve realized you’re living it, it’s over. At least that was the case for me and the men I trusted my foolish heart to.
Looking back, I’m convinced I willed my story into existence due to my illness.
And all were punished.
Exodus
The Finish Line
The Bonds That Tie series by J. Bree
(Guide coming early 2024)
The Bonds That Tie series is for readers who enjoy:
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Paranormal Romance
- Slow-Burn
- Why Choose
Broken Bonds
After the death of my mother and her Bonded, I was relieved to find my own Bonds.
I was sure everything would be okay if I had them.
It wasn’t.
The fate of our people is in my hands and I know we’re better off if I’m alone.
After five years on the run, I’m caught and dragged back to face the men I ran away from.
I thought I was doing the right thing.
Now, I’m not so sure.
North, Nox, Gryphon, Atlas, and Gabe may never forgive me but one thing is for sure.
I won’t ever forgive myself.
Savage Bonds
Blood Bonds
Forced Bonds
Tragic Bonds
Unbroken Bonds
What was your favorite series in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!
Favorite Books of 2023
The BWBH’s favorite books of 2023 are:
Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
Souls Trilogy, Book One
Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux is for readers who enjoy:
- Age-Gap Romance
- BDSM
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Monster Romance
- Paranormal Romance
Leon: I earned my reputation among magicians for a reason: one wrong move and you’re dead. Killer, they called me, and killing is what I’m best at. Except her. The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed – I didn’t. The cult that once controlled me wants her, and I’m not about to lose my new toy to them.
Rae: I’ve always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient – something evil – is waking up and calling my name. I don’t know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes. All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn’t just want my body – he wants my soul.
Get your copy of Her Soul to Take from Bookshop or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
Check out Summon the Sinful: Six Books for Fans of Her Soul to Take
Untamed Vixen by Luna Pierce
Sinners and Angels, Book Two
Untamed Vixen by Luna Pierce is for readers who enjoy:
- Age-Gap Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Mafia Romance
- Second Chances
- Why Choose
I am wild. I am free. And I will not be tamed.
I don’t do relationships. I stick around long enough to have a little fun, and then leave before I can be left.
It’s not like anyone has ever held my interest very long anyway.
Not until three delectable, mysterious, and frustratingly persistent men show up in my life and completely throw it off course.
It was only supposed to be a one-time thing with each of them, but no matter how hard I try to stay away, we keep getting thrown together.
Before them, everything was mundane. The typical college, work, party, occasional random hookup experience—rinse, repeat. But now, I’m unwillingly thrown into a world of chaos and danger. And if I’m being honest, I love the thrill of it.
The second their rivals catch wind of me, I become a pawn in the twisted war they’re in and if I’m not careful, I will end up being just another of the many casualties in this battle of claiming the throne.
Get your copy of Untamed Vixen from Bookshop or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
Villain Era by Luna Pierce
Sinners and Angels, Book Three
Villain Era by Luna Pierce is for readers who enjoy:
- Badass FMCs
- Bodyguard Romance
- Mafia Romance
- Second Chances
- Why Choose
He was once our enemy, but now he’s my bodyguard.
After our rival gives up the throne as my dying wish, my men trust him to keep a close watch on me and protect me from any danger that may come my way.
He keeps me safe, somehow understanding the darkness that lurks inside of me. He knows it cannot be caged, and he allows me the ability to set it free when we’re alone.
The things I’ve done don’t hold a candle to the things I will do.
I have everything I could possibly want…three sexy, attentive, mafia boyfriends. All of us are under one roof, and they spoil and provide for my every desire.
But why do I have a nagging feeling that something—or someone—is still missing from my life?
Am I selfish for being insatiable when I already have more than most?
When our true enemies, the ones we thought we eliminated, come back to finish what they started, I worry I may not be able to escape death this time around.
I end up sharing a secret with the one man I shouldn’t let in—a secret that holds the power to ruin us all.
I may have crossed a line, but whether my men like it or not, this vixen is entering her villain era.
Get your copy of Villain Era from Bookshop or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
An Inheritance of Monsters by Cate Corvin
The Void, Book One
An Inheritance of Monsters by Cate Corvin is for readers who enjoy:
- Fast-Burn
- Fated Mates
- Ménage
- Monster Romance
- Why Choose
Here there be monsters.
It was an offer too good to refuse: spend one month in the most haunted house in the world. When the reclusive owner of Duskwood Manor opens the door to five teams of paranormal investigators, there’s no way my team can say no.
But there are no ghosts here.
There are monsters.
They live under my bed, in my closet, and watch me from the shadows, whispering filthy visions in my ear at night.
Begging me to come with them to their world—the Void, where the monsters roam free… where they teach me what it really means to want.
Every night I disappear from the mortal world to play in theirs, swallowed by their insatiable, terrifying shadows.
Consumed by their claws and fangs.
Caressed by slick tentacles and endless, delicious hunger.
But the longer I stay in the Void, the harder it is to ignore its call.
There is a price to pay for stepping foot in this manor…
And the monsters have demanded me.
Get your copy of An Inheritance of Monsters from Amazon or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
For the Fans by Nyla K.
For the Fans by Nyla K. is for readers who enjoy:
- College Romance
- Enemies-to-Lovers
- Football Romance
- Queer Romance
- Slow-Burn
Kyran Harbor is everything I’m not.
Rich. Popular. A superstar football player who’s awfully broody for someone who has it all. Basically, he’s a preppy jock who hates me. Oh, and he’s also my stepbrother.
That’s right. We’re stuck together, sharing a school, a house… A bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn’t care… If he wasn’t such an uptight control-freak who messes with me just because we’re different.
I had every intention of avoiding him when we got to college… Until abrupt misfortune forces us both into a compromising position.
Now the grouchy jerk I was hoping to evade might be the only person who can help me out of it.
Avi Vega is everything I despise.
A dreamer. A flake. An artist who smokes too much weed and thinks aliens exist. And by some sick cosmic joke, he’s now my stepbrother, following me on what should’ve been my escape plan.
It was already a disaster. Add a sudden financial disruption to the mix, and let’s just say my options are heavily limited.
If I want to stay an all-star quarterback on the way to the NFL, I’ll need to do something drastic. Unfortunately for me, and my desperate desire for control, the perpetually smiling stoner has a plan.
Maybe we can stop hating each other just enough to pull this off. As long as we remember we’re only doing it… for the fans.
Get your copy of For the Fans from Amazon or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
Court of Nightmares by K.A. Knight
Court of Nightmares by K.A. Knight is for readers who enjoy:
- Fated Mates
- Forced Proximity
- Paranormal Romance
- Shifters
- Why Choose
There are many things that go bump in the night, and I am one of them. As a vampyr who was born to fulfill a prophecy, my life was planned before I was created. I obeyed every rule, and I became the perfect vampyr, but one night changed everything. Rejected by the man who was destined for me, who was supposed to love me forever, I do the only thing I can, I flee… Into the night, nursing my broken heart. Being a rejected mate corrupts the soul, however, and in this game of Courts and Kings, nobody wins. Nobody except the monsters in the shadows. The monsters that save me, welcome me, and make me one of them. Welcome to the Court of Nightmares, where all your wicked dreams come true.
Get your copy of Court of Nightmares from Bookshop or check your local library! This book is also available with Kindle Unlimited.
Thirsty for more book recs?
Check out ‘Tis the Season for Spicy Reads: My December 2023 TBR.
