2023 was a big year in my reading journey. Overall, of the 58 books (!!) I read last year, only three books earned 5 stars from me on Goodreads.

Curious what three books I loved in 2023? Let’s dive in and take a peek at my favorite fantasy romance and sports romance books of the year:

1) A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout (published on October 31, 2023, and I read it as soon as it released; 5 Stars)

SYNOPSIS: The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates.

After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.

Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.

But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.

But there is that foreseen unexpected thread—the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…

What I Loved: This is the third book in the Flesh and Fire series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The first two books in the series absolutely captivated me, and this installment was no different. The character of Sera is so nuanced, and her emotional self is so complex, yet simple at the same time: she loves Nyktos, but she knows that he can’t return the feeling.

While this book was difficult to read at times, due to Kolis’s possessiveness and unpredictable actions, the story of Sera and Nyktos is worth every minute of anguish. I absolutely cannot wait for the final installment in the series to release on August 13, 2024!

2) Unravel Me by Becka Mack (published on August 1, 2023, but I read it in October 2023; 5 Stars)

SYNOPSIS: Golden boy. Notorious serial dater. The NHL’s most eligible bachelor. That’s what the headlines say about me, at least. I wish I could say they’re not accurate, but truthfully? I don’t even know who I am anymore. Between a soul-crushing ex-girlfriend and a never-ending queue of dates gone wrong, one thing has become glaringly I don’t want to be Adam Lockwood.

So when my dog decides to play matchmaker, taking down a sweet little thing with rose gold waves, brilliant green eyes, and a smile for days, I can’t believe my luck that she doesn’t have a clue who I am. I know I should tell her, but for once in my life someone sees the man behind the goalie mask. Rosie gives me all of her–her heartache, her laughter, and her son. But me? I’m holding on a little too tightly to the pieces I’m scared to give up, the pieces she might not like. One small lie becomes a secret hanging above my head, but what if there’s another one hiding right around the corner? Suddenly, my deepest desire becomes my biggest fear. I’m terrified she’s going to unravel me.

Unravel Me is book #3 in the Playing For Keeps series, a series of interconnected standalone mature hockey romance stories that contain relatable characters, lots of heat, swoon, laughs, and a ride on an emotional rollercoaster!

What I Loved: Adam and Rosie’s love story just feels good, like one of your favorite romantic dramedy movies that delights you, saddens you, and then warms your heart. Add a heaping spoonful of spice and banter, and you’ve got Unravel Me, the third book in the Playing for Keeps hockey romance series by Becka Mack.

You’ve read about my love for Becka’s series before, but just in case you’re new around here, I can’t get enough of a steamy hockey romance that features a self-assured (but not cocky) man and a complex woman whose hard heart softens when she meets the right guy. Add in the fact that Rosie’s a veterinarian and a dog lover, and I was grinning before the story even unfolded. P.S. Rosie? She’s a rockstar single mama, and I found myself tearing up countless times at the way she loves her little.

3) Glow by Raven Kennedy (published on June 18, 2022, but I read it in June 2023; 5 Stars)

SYNOPSIS: “I was nothing but a road to Midas. A means to get to where he wanted to go, and I paved that path in gold.”

My life has been made up of gilded lies. But death has been shaped from rot. Like a phoenix caught fire, I will need to rise from the ashes and learn to wield my own power. Because my wings may have been clipped, but I am not in a cage, and I’m finally free to fly from the frozen kingdoms I’ve been kept in.

Yet the world doesn’t want to let me. That’s the thing when you turn against a king—everyone else turns against you.

Good thing I have a different king in my corner. But even with the dark threat of Slade Ravinger, the other monarchs are coming for me.

So I will fight for him and he will kill for me, and if we need to become the villains, then so be it. Because so long as I live in this world, I won’t be used again.

What I Loved: As the fourth book in Auren’s story, I thought I knew how this all would end. I figured that Auren would carve out her own way of life, find happiness with Slade, and make Midas pay. What I didn’t expect? To find fascination in so many other, more minor characters, thanks to Glow. From Osrik and Rissa to Malina (I knowwwww), I was eager for more.

And while I haven’t read Gold yet (which is book five in the series — and don’t come at me, I swear it’s on my TBR), I’m selling it in my mobile book trailer. Why? Two reasons: A) Glow was SO well-paced and captivating, and B) Glow convinced me that I musttttt own this series by Raven Kennedy as physical books (rather than reading it on my Kindle).

What were YOUR favorite reads of 2023?