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 A Different Blue

Jennifer Ivy Walker Why did I love this book?

I absolutely loved this story of Blue Echohawk, a rebellious young woman who was abandoned as a toddler and raised by a Native American artist and bohemian spirit. I loved how a passionate young teacher helped Blue see the world differently and helped her discover the beauty within herself through the history and literature lessons that resonated with her artistic soul.

As a former teacher and lover of nature and Native American lore, this gripping, emotional tale had me crying, smiling, and experiencing Blue's growth as she left her cynicism behind and emerged like the free hawk for which she was named.

By Amy Harmon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Different Blue as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Spencer Hill Press release has bonus content never before available.

Blue Echohawk doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know her real name or when she was born. Abandoned at two and raised by a drifter, she didn't attend school until she was ten years old. At nineteen, when most kids her age are attending college or moving on with life, she is just a senior in high school. With no mother, no father, no faith, and no future, Blue Echohawk is a difficult student, to say the least. Tough, hard, and overtly sexy, she is the complete opposite…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of All That Glitters

Jennifer Ivy Walker Why did I love this book?

This was a spell-binding, nail-biting suspense thriller about a young French woman who must steal flawless diamonds from Belgium and deliver them to the Allied Forces before the industrial-grade gems fall into the hands of the Nazis. 

 I loved the intricate, well-developed plot, memorable characters, and imminent danger at every turn. As a French teacher who spent a summer in Normandy and visited many of the sites of the Allied invasion, I appreciated how the heroine was a French woman trying to save her country by aiding the Allies.

This novel was one of the best WW2 stories I have ever read!

By John Anthony Miller,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All That Glitters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Belgium, 1940, during the German invasion. Camille Bonnet accepts an impossible challenge: steal the most valuable industrial diamonds in the world from an Antwerp bank before the Germans get them.

Needed for advanced technology the Allied war effort demands, the diamonds are secured in an impregnable basement vault. As Germans swarm the city, Camille sneaks into Antwerp, breaches the vault, and steals the diamonds. Her escape launches the most intense hunt in military history, almost certain to fail.

Chased by allies, enemies, crooks, and con artists, she confronts a complex cast of characters: a Gestapo major who hates people but…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Desire's Ransom

Jennifer Ivy Walker Why did I love this book?

I loved this story of a feisty female Robin Hood who lives as a woodland outlaw with an odd group of very likable bandits. As a young girl, I adored adventure stories set in Sherwood Forest, with memorable characters such as Little John, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck.

This medieval romance combined all the elements that I loved about Robin Hood but with a delightful twist of reverse gender roles. As a dog lover, I adored the heroine Temair’s loyal wolfhounds and how the hero Ryland de Ware charmed them in subtle, humorous ways as he wove his way into capturing Temair’s heart.

This was a fabulous, steamy, and entertaining medieval romance.

By Glynnis Campbell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Desire's Ransom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AI-FREE! 100% certified organic author-created content. No artificial intelligence was used in the making of this book.

Lady Robin Hood steals a knight's heart!

Heiress to her Irish clan, spirited Temair O'Keeffe forsakes her destiny to join a band of woodland outlaws who rob from the rich and give to the poor-those impoverished by her greedy father. So when a powerful English knight, Sir Ryland de Ware, is sent by the newly crowned King John to form an alliance by wedding Temair, Ryland's first quest is to find his runaway bride. Independent Temair doesn't wish to be found, but she…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle

By Jennifer Ivy Walker,

Book cover of Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle

What is my book about?

 A passionate medieval romance between a fiery French princess descended from Viking Valkyrie and the chivalrous knight who suffers an impossible love for her, the daughter of the king he is sworn to protect. 

A Yuletide Joust will determine the winner of Gabrielle’s coveted royal hand in marriage, as well as her valuable dowry, the French kingdom of Finstère. Without a title of nobility, the knight she loves is ineligible to compete, and Gabrielle will be forced to marry a villainous man she loathes. Yet, Yuletide wishes for a wondrous winter solstice in the glorious Crystal Castle might make impossible dreams come true. 

Can the valiant knight win the coveted hand of his Viking Valkyrie?

Book cover of A Different Blue
Book cover of All That Glitters
Book cover of Desire's Ransom

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