The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Once a Rebel

Amanda Cabot Why did I love this book?

Although I’ve been a fan of Mary Jo Putney’s books for – dare I admit it? – decades, somehow I missed this when it was first released. I enjoyed all of her Rogues Redeemed stories, but this one was extra special because rather than being set in England, it takes place during the War of 1812 against the backdrop of the burning of Washington and the siege of Baltimore.

The American setting and the inclusion of historical personages, including Francis Scott Key, resonated with me, bringing back memories of visiting Fort McHenry and seeing the scene that inspired "The Star Spangled Banner". 

By Mary Jo Putney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Once a Rebel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Separated by society once before, this time they'll fight to stay together.

As Washington burns, Callista Brooke is trapped in the battle between her native England and her adopted homeland. She is on the verge of losing everything, including her life, when a handsome Englishman cuts through the violent crowd to claim her as his.

Lord George Gordon Audley was Callista's best friend, but his attempt to rescue her from a loathsome arranged marriage had him sent on a one-way trip to the penal colony of Australia. Against all odds, he survived, and now he vows to do whatever is…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of All's Fair in Love and Christmas

Amanda Cabot Why did I love this book?

Each fall, even though Christmas is months away, I start searching for books that will bring the magic of Christmas to life for me. This year I ordered three that sounded promising. The first was okay but nothing special. The second was so boring that I couldn’t finish it. Was I going to strike out? Fortunately, this book hit a home run.

With one of the most unusual heroines I’ve met and a premise that had me laughing out loud at times, Monzon created the best Christmas book I’ve read in several years. This is a definite keeper.

By Sarah Monzon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All's Fair in Love and Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two workplace rivals. One festive competition. And a romance that upends it all.

Every December two things are guaranteed for graphic designer Mackenzie Graham--Christmas celebrations and the annual promotion at her workplace. Those two things are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the better an employee is at harnessing the Christmas spirit, the more likely they'll win the new job. With her social anxiety, Mackenzie never thought she'd be a contender in her company's holiday competition, so how exactly has she found herself dueling her workplace crush with wrapping paper tubes and using tinsel as her weapon of choice…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Last Chance Cowboy

Amanda Cabot Why did I love this book?

Since I write historical romances set in the American West, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I enjoy reading books in that genre. I’ve enjoyed Jody Hedlund’s other series, but when I saw that she had one set in Fairplay, Colorado, a town I’ve visited, I suspected they’d be among my favorites. I was right.

I was hooked from the first of them, A Cowboy for Keeps, and thought the next three were excellent, but this one, the final book in the series, surpassed the others, giving readers a deep emotional connection to the characters and their plights. Oh, how I hated to see the series end.

By Jody Hedlund,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Chance Cowboy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With danger drawing ever closer, their only hope of saving their futures lies in each other.

As a midwife, Catherine Remington is successful in bringing new life into the world, but she's failed one too many times in finding true love. When she's accused of a murder she didn't commit, she's forced to flee to Colorado to honor a patient's dying wish by delivering a newborn infant to his father.

The repentant prodigal Dylan McQuaid is finally back in Fairplay. As sheriff, he's doing his best to prove to the town he's a changed man and worthy of their trust.…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

After the Shadows

By Amanda Cabot,

Book cover of After the Shadows

What is my book about?

Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected.

First, she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.

Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. 

Book cover of Once a Rebel
Book cover of All's Fair in Love and Christmas
Book cover of The Last Chance Cowboy

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