The Best of 2023 – Caz’s List
2023 has been another pretty good reading year for me, although I will admit that I’ve reached a stage where I carefully curate my reading – life’s too short to read crappy books – which undoubtedly contributes towards the large number of A and B grades I give throughout the year. That means I’ve had to leave some books off this list because it would have taken me over my alloted ten :( **
Because a lot of the books I read for review are books in same-couple series, I’m presented every year with the problem of which book to choose to include on my Best of list, because I hate picking, say, book four, when it really doesn’t make sense without reading the other three! So perhaps I can ask you, dear reader, to take as read that I’m recommending entire series as much as I’m recommending individual books in those cases.
Okay, so here are my favourite books of 2023.
The Girl in the Wind by Gregory Ashe
I know of no other author who can maintain such a consistently high quality of output while publishing five or six full-length novels and a handful of short stories every year, but Gregory Ashe continues to do exactly that. Not only did he bring us his take on the legendary Sherlock Holmes with his brilliant Adventures of Holloway Holmes series in 2023, he also embarked upon an epic crossover series of four books featuring four of our favourite Asheverse couples – Hazard and Somerset, North and Shaw (Borealis Investigations), Theo and Auggie (The First Quarto) and Jem and Tean (The Lamb and the Lion), with each couple taking the narrative lead in one book. The Girl in the Wind is book two, and I’ve chosen it simply because I adore Theo and Auggie – the story in this book is told from their perspectives, and as always, the author does a great job of balancing out an intriguing mystery full of thrills and danger with ongoing relationship development. Like the other couples in the series, Theo and Auggie are in a committed relationship, but they still have to work on it, and I really like that aspect of Gregory Ashe’s writing, that he shows us what happens after the HEA. The Iron on Iron series is a real tour-de-force; we have an overarching plotline across all four books, and Mr. Ashe does an amazing job of keeping every single character perfectly IN character; their personalities and voices are very distinct yet they are never anything other than themselves. This series is probably not the place to start with Mr. Ashe’s work, as some degree of familiarity with these characters and how they’ve come to be where they are when the series starts is necessary, but for the author’s myriad fans, this series is a must. The final book – Hazard and Somers’ book – is out in early 2024 and it promises to be one helluva finale. I can’t wait.
Buy it at Amazon
Best Supporting Actor by Joanna Chambers & Sally Malcolm
Best Supporting Actor is book three in the Creative Types series and, for my money, the best of the lot. It’s a sexy, emotional and insightful opposites-atract romance set in the world of live theatre that makes terrific use of the intimacy of a small-scale production and the play-within-a-play scenario to develop the romance. The research is excellent and I’ve long been a fan of both authors’ skill in crafting thoughtful and intelligent stories and characters, conveying intense emotions in a realistic way, and creating situations that allow the characters to come together organically. It’s a superb read and a gorgeous love story full of heart and humour.
Buy it at Amazon
A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles
I suppose it’s inevitable that there will be a book by KJ Charles on my Best of list every year! This time around it’s the second in her Doomsday Books duology and easily the best historical romance of the year – A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel. As always, the author imbues her story with a real sense of time and place, peoples it with wonderfully complex characters who, while flawed, are easy to root for, crafts a fascinating and intricate plot which unfolds at just the right pace, and infuses the whole thing with humour, warmth, insight and intelligence. It’s a superb combination of mystery and romance, and the love story – between a reluctant Earl and his super-efficient, wily (and captivating) secretary – centres personal growth, honesty and compassion as these two seemingly mis-matched men fall in love and work out how to be together.
Buy it at Amazon
Cloud White by Fearne Hill
This final book in Fearne Hill’s Nailed It! Trilogy marks her second appearance on one of my Best of lists. Cloud White is an angsty, emotional friends-to-lovers romance featuring two long-time best friends who, thanks to a combination of insecurities and bad timing have been dancing around each other for years. Ms. Hill is going from strength to strength as a writer; she’s incredibly good at balancing the dark and light in her books, and here, the genuinely funny humour, the warmth of the friendships and the depth of the characterisation act as a beautiful counterpoint to the angst, the hurt and the soul-deep pining in the story. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an incredibly good one that will break your heart, make you laugh and make you want to throw things, sometimes all at once.
Buy it at Amazon
Inevitable Disclosure by Nicky James
I could have picked either of books four (Inevitable Disclosure) and five (Defying Logic) in Nicky James’ exceptionally good Valor and Doyle series of mystery/romances for this list – they’re both terrific reads that combine clever, complex plots with the continued and skilful development of the central relationship, and both stories present a particular career-based dilemma for one of the leads. In the end, I picked Inevitable Disclosure simply because I could only pick one of them! Nicky James does a tremendous job of balancing the central relationship that is the beating heart of these books with gripping, intricate mysteries that unfold at a good pace and which really put our heroes to the test. Quaid and Aslan have come a long way, both individually and as a couple, since we first met them, but relationships take work and they still have things to learn about each other. This is easily one of the best romantic suspense series of recent years – if you’re a fan of the genre and haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favour and get stuck in!
Buy it at Amazon
Twisted Tome by Vanora Lawless
Vanora Lawless is my “discovery” of 2023 – I read (and loved) her Imperfect Illusions, a paranormal historical romance from 2022, and immediately pounced on its follow-up, Twisted Tome when it came out in October. Unlike many book-twos in trilogies, this one doesn’t suffer from ‘middle-book-itis’ or feel like filler – it’s another cracking story full of action, nail-biting tension and swoonworthy romance as Elliot and Sully and their team are charged with a mission fraught with danger but vital to the war effort. The balance between plot and romance is excellent – the author keeps the action moving at quite a lick, building tension and raising the stakes, and the historical background is clearly very well researched. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in late 2024.
Buy it at Amazon
Broadway Butchery by C.S. Poe
C.S. Poe is another author who’s appeared regularly on these lists, and for very good reason. The mystery in this third book in her Memento Mori series is every bit as complex and twisty as those that have preceeded it, and there’s the added element of the gradual reveal of a bigger picture. The cases Larkin and Doyle have investigated have all involved some element of Victorian funereal ritual – death masks, mourning photographs, and now, black crêpe – and connections between them are beginning to appear. The relationship between the troubled Everett Larkin – whose unique memory condition means he’s unable to forget pretty much anything – and “the treasure of his heart”, Ira Doyle, continues to be deeply romantic and totally swoonworthy, and the author does a wonderful job of balancing the light and the dark by incorporating plenty of humour alongside the more gruesome aspects of the story. Clever, beautifully written and extensively researched, this is another fantastic instalment in the series.
Buy it at Amazon
Until You by Briar Prescott
I’ve read and enjoyed books by this author before, but Until You really blew me away. It’s an emotional, touching and heartfelt slow-burn love story about a young man who, for good reasons, has spent most of his adult life avoiding attachments of any kind. Then he meets someone who makes him feel for the first time in years, and who forces him to admit how much he wants to love and be loved, to feel happy and secure – only for life to take yet another unexpected turn. It’s a compelling read – funny, insightful, heartbreaking and sexy – and I couldn’t bear to put it down. Incidentally, I could easily have chosen the next book in the series – And Then You – for this list, because it’s every bit as good. You can take your pick, because neither will disappoint!
Buy it at Amazon
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid
It was hard to believe that Rachel Reid could possibly come out with something as good as the later Game Changer books, but Time to Shine was every bit as fantastic a read as it was a very different one. In this story, two young hockey players – one of them already a superstar, the other still working his way up through the ranks – who are very different personalities, somehow stumble into friendship and then into more in this brilliantly written and delicious, achingly tender slow-burn romance. Like the Cat Sebastian book below, Time to Shine isn’t plot-heavy and works so well because of the humour, the wonderful characterisastion, the chemistry between the leads and some truly insightful writing.
Buy it at Amazon
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
The second historical romance on my list this year is set in New York in 1959 and is Cat Sebastian’s best book yet. We Could Be So Good is one of those books I’ve seen described as “vibes over plot” – which doesn’t always work for me, but this time, it really did. The story is tightly focused on the romance between a hard-working reporter and the son of the owner of the newspaper he works for; the cross-class element is mostly in the background (although far from ignored) and centre stage is given to these two guys working out who they are, who they want to be and how to make that happen. The writing is absolutely beautiful; lyrical and insightful with lots of gentle humour and a wonderful eye for historical detail, and the story is extraordinary in its ordinariness – heartbreaking, uplifting and utterly delightful.
Buy it at Amazon
** The books I had to leave off (after a great deal of thought and swapping in and out on an almost daily basis!): Once a Rogue by Allie Therin; 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall; The Mechanics of Lust by Jay Hogan. I suppose it’s never a bad thing to be faced with an embarassment of riches!
I get a lot of my book recommendations from Caz so this is the list where I have read the most books, although still only half because my TBR is so huge. I completely agree with Until You and second the recommendation for And Then You (I liked Until You the best). I love the Valor and Doyle series and Inevitable Disclosure is also the one I would pick as the best of those published this year. For Fearne Hill’s Nailed It series, I agree with WendyF and liked Cloud Nine the most. I loved Time to Shine and We Could Be So Good for their characterization and focus on the relationships. I have Broadway Butchery, Twisted Tome, and Best Supporting Actor in my TBR. Thank you for the list, Caz. I’m looking forward to reading your reviews in 2024!
Thanks for the kind words – I love knowing that people are finding good books to read from reviews!
Thank you, Caz!! Based on your reviews, I’ve read 6 of these, and they’re all great. My hands down favorite was the Sebastian, followed by the Poe. Both books are beautifully written with terrific characters and a great sense of place. I’ll have to try the Lawless and the Chambers/Malcolm is on my TBR, although I really prefer their individual works over the joint. Caz, if I were to try a Gregory Ashe series, is there one you would suggest that isn’t too full of angst or too long?
There isn’t really such a thing as “not too full of angst” when it comes to Gregory Ashe’s books, tbh. There’s relationship angst and tension arising from the situations the protagonists find themselves in, and some of those can be quite violent (I’d say it’s movie-level violence).
The two series you could try without a massive commitment are The Lamb & the Lion or The Adventures of Holloway Holmes, which are 3 books each plus a few short stories. (We’ve reviewed most of the books here). The shorts tend to be funny rather than angsty, but won’t really make a lot of sense if you don’t know who the characters are.
GA has said he’s working on a series of cosy mysteries he plans to start publishing later this year (I think) so maybe those might appeal more. Although I won’t be surprised if a GA ‘cosy’ is still a bit angsty!
Oh, the cozy series sounds great, and I will look forward to those.
Thank you for suggesting the two shorter series. To ask another way, how would you compare the angst in either of those GA series to the Memento Mori series by Poe? Memento Mori is a little past my maximum, largely because of the violent, twisted and gruesome nature of the crimes the guys are investigating. Larkin and Doyle’s relationship is what keeps me going, and so far I don’t view it as terribly angsty, although they each have their own issues they are dealing with.
I’d say you’re looking at a higher level of both in Greg’s books most of the time, tbh. I have a fairly high tolerance for angst (i.e. I love it!) and a strong stomach – I wouldn’t say the content is gruesome in every book, but there are a couple of times even I’ve gone “eeew”. (And it’s probably more frequent and on the page.) He writes the most amazing relationships though – they all have baggage up the wazoo, and their relationships are complicated and messy. Much as I love Ira and Evie and know they have some seriously messed up stuff still to sort out, they’re a lot… ‘softer’ together than most of Greg’s couples are. Except maybe Jem and Tean. And Holloway and Jack. The thing is that while the angst levels can be high Greg ALWAYS brings the HEA in the end – but they (and we) do suffer on the way there!
The two series I mentioned do have some violence in them, but I really really recommend giving them a try. And if you do audio, the narration is fantastic.
Just for a reference point, the Momento Mori books are within my tolerance range but I read Orientation and tried to read The Same Breath (Lion and the Lamb Book 1) and Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset) and had to stop both. :-) It wasn’t just the angst factor for me, though. I felt like Ashe’s characters and plots were rather convoluted, meaning there is a lot of complexities to unravel, in character motivations, conversations, and plots. It’s part of Ashe’s genius, but I struggled untangling it all. I was legit confused about why characters acted the way they did. This is most likely my limitation, and not the author’s.
If Ashe does come out with a cosy series, I’ll still wait until Caz has read and reviewed them. She’s knows my tolerance level pretty well so I’ll trust her judgement!
Thanks to both of you for clarifying. I guess I can give one a try, and if it’s too much, I will set it aside and await the cosy series!
Love your list Caz, and happy to see some of the same books on it that I chose!
Well, we clearly have excellent taste! ;)
Another great list Caz! I’ve read most of these; and like Carrie below, the rest are already on my Kindle with the exception of the Lawless. Adding it to my tbr . . .
I know we all have mountainous TBRs but the two Lawless books really are worth making room for.
I loved the Sebastian and of course the Charles and Reid; the rest are on my TBR!
Except for the ones I haven’t read yet, these are all on my list as well. I’ve read the first two books in the Hill’s Nailed It series so Cloud White is on my TBR list. I haven’t read the Lawless series yet, either, but plan to. I’ve been waiting for a price drop on Best Supporting Actor, but I bought it a few days ago when I had some credit on Amazon. The Gregory Ashe is the lone exception because I can’t handle his level of inflicting pain on his protagonists! But I’ll bow to your superior knowledge of his work and accept that I’m missing out due to my lower tolerance for angst. ;-)
Just some advance warning – Cloud White is a lot angstier than the other books in the series (and involves an unpleasant family situation).
Quite a lot of crossover with my list here, although I’ve chosen different books from the same series in some cases.
Are we going to have a place to post our favourites or should I do it here in response to your list?
I would just pick a whole series as one choice – my argument there is that it’s a single romance spread across several books! But I have to pick individual titles, so I did the equivalent of closing my eyes and sticking a pin in a map *shrug*
I’m also writing a Best of 2023 for AudioGals, so there will be some familiar titles there, too!
Feel free to post your faves here – I’m interested to see what others have chosen!
Okay, going in the same order as your post, then:
Gregory Ashe’s Iron on Iron series is superb. I’m always staggered by what he manages to pull off! I would choose The Face in the Water (Book 1) as my favourite because of the clever way Ashe sets up for the whole series and all that wonderful Jem-ness. Jem is my favourite of all his characters, with only Auggie having a chance of pushing him off top spot – or maybe Shaw on a good day…. I’m really looking forward to the conclusion of this series next month.
I’ll come back to Best Supporting Actor.
2023 gave us both of KJ Charles’ Domesday Books and I preferred the first one, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, mainly because I liked the two MCs better. That red hot start between Kent and London!
Cloud Nine, the second in the trilogy, was my favourite of Fearne Hill’s books this year.
I haven’t read the books mentioned by Nicky James, Vanora Lawless or Briar Prescott.
Broadway Butchery by CS Poe was another great book in a terrific series.
I thought Time to Shine by Rachel Reid was absolutely lovely.
As was We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian.
So you bounced possibly my very favourite of the whole year! That would be Alexis Hall’s 10 Things That Never Happened, both in ebook and audio. Actually, I’d say the audio is essential for those who struggle to read in the necessary Liverpudlian accent. Will Watt’s narration is superb – special blessings to the Amazon reviewer who praised his Scottish accent;)
I would add two other books:
Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly, which took me by surprise. I loved the trail setting and the way Alexei’s grief was written. There was something fresh about the book.
The other is the only m/f book on my list and I just found it stunningly beautiful – You Made a Fool out of Death with your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi. (Although this was published in hardback in 2022, the paperback and ebook were not released until 2023).
Tenth spot on the list is between Best Supporting Actor by Chambers and Malcolm and The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray. I enjoyed both of these books but, IMO, the first doesn’t reach the heights of books the authors have written individually, and the second, whilst good, didn’t thrill me like Honeytrap or Tramps and Vagabonds.
Wendy, you and I have very similar tastes! I enjoyed the same books you did, for the same reasons. (BTW, you’d like the Nicky James series and the two Prescott novels ;-)
I just wanted to chime in here with your rec for Emezi’s You Made a Fool Out of Death With Your Beauty. I read it at the beginning of this calendar year and was blown away by it. Such gorgeous, lush writing.
I’ll probably read the Nicky Janes series now it’s finished – I just didn’t have the bandwidth for another ongoing series. I’ll also get around to the Prescott’s eventually!
Yes, Emezi’s writing is beautiful. Also, I want to live in that house!
Leaving 10 Things off was HARD – but I knew it would be on my AG list, so it’ll be getting a Best of nod…
I loved your list and why you chose them. I recently posted my Best Audiobooks list on AG, and realized too late that I’d left out Something Wild and Wonderful!! I was so bummed when I realized it because its a lesser-known author and narrator (at least for me) and I thought it was a wonderfully moving read. The audiobook is excellent.
I listened to 10 Things after I submitted my list of best audiobooks, but I agree it deserves a place at the table. The narration was perfect! I haven’t read The Sleeping Soldier yet, but I’ve got in on my TBR list.
I’ll listen to the sample of Something Wild and Wonderful as I think I’d like that in audio. I’ve got very fussy about narrators, so fingers-crossed! At least it’s a single narrator not dual, which rarely work for me.
I reviewed it on AG and I really enjoyed Mark Sanderlin’s narration and gave him an A.
It doesn’t seem to be available in UK!
No it isn’t – it’s one of those audiobooks subject to geographical restrictions :(
Oh, shoot! That’s too bad.
We will have a post for favorites!
I’ll post twice then ;)