Top Romance Novels of 2023
From fiction to nonfiction, from romance to thriller, from hot new releases to under-the-radar gems, here’s all shesaidyestobooks’ favorites of 2023.
The Never King
by Nikki St. Crowe
Series: Vicious Lost Boys #1
➥ Young Adult Romantasy
Tropes:
- dark romance
- cruel hero
- forced proximity
- abduction
- enemies to lovers
- polyamorous
- reverse harem
- ménage
- age gap
- alpha male
- fantasy
- fae
Content Warning:
- dubious consent
- slut shaming
Blurb:
The stories were all wrong — Hook was never the villain.
For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.
Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.
But it’s pointless.
Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.
* Release Date is not final and will likely be much sooner. Target release date is March 2022 *
The Never King is a dark retelling of Peter and Wendy. If you like your enemies to lovers romance with hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests, you’ll enjoy The Never King and the Lost Boys. You can expect hate kissing, fighting, bickering, and ‘touch her and I’ll unalive you’ vibes.
The Right Move
by Liz Tomforde
Windy City #2, interconnected series
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- sports
- grumpy & sunshine
- fake relationship
- rich hero
- opposite attract
- roommates
- slow burn
- funny
- alpha hero who are actually a dirty-talking cinnamon roll
- multicultural
- sister’s best friend;
Blurb:
RYAN
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.
I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.
But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.
The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.
Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.
INDY
I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.
Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.
Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.
Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.
I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all
For the Fans
by Nyla K.
➥ New Adult
Tropes:
- sports romance
- college romance
- step brothers
- grumpy & sunshine
- secret relationship
- ménage
- m/m romance
- bi-awakening
Blurb:
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.
** For The Fans is a full-length standalone MM forbidden romance with an HEA. This book contains sensitive subject matter that could make some readers uncomfortable. Please heed foreword warnings and proceed with caution.
Binding 13
by Chloe Walsh
Boys of Tommen #1, part 1 of a duet, interconnected series
➥ Young Adult
Tropes:
- sports romance
- friends to lover
- rich hero
- virgin heroine
- small town
- slow burn at is best
- Irish
Blurb:
He wants to save her. She wants to hide.
She’s damaged. He’s determined.
Fate brought them together. Love binds them.
Johnny Kavanagh is the definition of popular. He is an all-star rugby player with loads of friends, which means he should be enjoying the many perks of his life. But what people don’t know is that he has been dealing with a painful injury that could halt the magnificent trajectory of his career. This means he has no time for distractions or mistakes. Especially not a girlfriend.
Shannon Lynch has been bullied all her life. She is shy and would rather hide herself away to make it through school. But when she arrives at Tommen College for a fresh start, she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day in a not-so-romantic way. What follows is a complicated friendship that turns into undeniable chemistry. It seems that Shannon won’t be able to hold onto the anonymous status she once hoped for. But maybe that’s alright?
Johnny won’t give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.
The Choice
by Ashley Jade
Star-Crossed Lovers #1 Duet
➥ New Adult
Tropes:
- dark romance;
- rockstar
- love triangle
- forced proximity
- the wrong brother
- cinnamon roll hero
- angst
Blurb:
The world thought I belonged to another man…
they were wrong.
He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most.
I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart.
He was the gifted guitarist destined for big things.
I was the small-town girl battling her demons.
He was my earth….always keeping me grounded.
And I was his sky…always just out of his reach.
Our love was everything I wished for.
Until I destroyed it.
I never thought I’d see Memphis Payne again after I broke his heart, but the stars had other plans.
Because here he is…needing me to clean up his mess this time.
Only problem is…
Doing so will break both our hearts.
They say only the strongest love can survive an apocalypse.
That if two people are meant to be, they’ll find their way back to each other.
I hope they’re right.
Please note:This duet is an angsty, spicy, dark romance with flawed characters and contains material that may elicit a strong emotional response for sensitive readers.
Do Not Disturb
by Freida McFadden
➥ Psychological Thriller
Blurb:
Quinn Alexander has committed an unthinkable crime.
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.
But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.
Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick’s ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.
In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She’ll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.
But first, she must survive the night.
Do Not Disturb is a Hitchcock-style psychological thriller that will keep you tearing through the pages until you reach the shocking conclusion!
My Fault
by Mercedes Ron
Culpable #1 Trilogy
➥ Young Adult
Tropes:
- stepbrother
- enemies to Lovers
- bad boys
- forbidden love
- virgin heroine
- bullying
- cruel hero
Blurb:
*Now an original movie from Amazon Prime*
*A BookTok and Wattpad Viral Sensation*
Fast-paced and sizzling with a forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance, My Fault is the first book in Mercedes Ron’s Culpable trilogy. This suspenseful YA series untangles the threads of love, trauma, and secrets, perfect for fans of Ugly Love and After.
Seventeen-year-old Noah Morgan loves her quiet, normal life in Toronto. But when her mother returns from a cruise unexpectedly married to a billionaire and announces they are moving to L.A., Noah is suddenly shoved out of her comfort zone and into a glittering world of illegal street races, lavish pool parties, and spoiled rich kids.
And her new stepbrother Nicholas is the most spoiled of them all. Arrogant, aloof, and viciously attractive, Nick is everything she hates, especially when she learns his bad boy persona isn’t just a façade. She’s spent her life running from danger, and Nick is danger incarnate. Yet neither of them can prevent the powerful attraction that flares between them―enough to turn their worlds upside-down and tempt them beyond all reason.
But Noah’s past may be even more dangerous than their forbidden romance. And if he wants her, Nick will have to decide if he’s willing to risk everything.
For nEver
by Aurora Rose Reynolds
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- fake Relationship
- workplace
- forced proximity
- one bed
- billionaire
- family dynamics
Blurb:
From New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Aurora Rose Reynolds comes a brand new romantic comedy about a girl who understands how short life is, and a man who quickly learns there are things way more important than money.
I had no idea that taking a temp job for the summer would send my life into a tailspin, but that’s exactly what happened when I started working for Jace Ellis.
One day I was his secretary and the next I was sitting on his private plane, wearing an obnoxiously large engagement ring, after he asked me if I would pretend to be his fiancé for one week.
I can admit that greed got the best of me. But the money he offered in exchange for my lie would help not only me, but my mom out tremendously.
I just had no idea what I was actually getting myself into.
I didn’t think about the fact that we would be sharing a bed, that we would have to pretend to like each other, and I sure didn’t know that I would be surrounded by his entire family at their annual family reunion.
But if the guy want’s a fiancé, I’m going to be the best one he’ll ever have.
I just hope I can remember that this isn’t forever; it’s for never.
Don’t Forget to Write
by Sara Goodman Confino
➥ Historical Fiction
Tropes:
- set in the 1960s
- coming of age
- jewish culture
- LGBTQIA+
- interracial relationship
Blurb:
In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good . When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye. To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly. As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches—for anyone but Marilyn, that is. Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her future: return to the comfortable life she knows, or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own.
Before the Sunset
by Laura Pavlov
Cottonwood Cove #4, interconnected series
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- childhood best friends
- fake dating
- it’s always been you
- small town
- movie star
- family banter
- unexpected surprises
Blurb:
He’s an actor in need of an image makeover. She’s determined to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?
Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps.
She’s the yin to my yang.
The peanut butter to my jelly.
It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line.
But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year.
To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement.
She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
And then she presents me with a proposition…
Pretend to be her boyfriend.
I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake.
It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on.
My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.
But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts.
There’s also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position.
And she isn’t in any hurry to leave.
We get lost in the moment and now I can’t think of anything else.
We are way past a gray area at this point.
We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area.
The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating.
And I stopped faking it a long time ago.
The Five Stages of Falling in Love
by Rachel Higginson
➥ Contemporary Romance
Tropes:
- friends to lovers
- neighbors
- second chances
- single mom
- grief/death
- emotional
- book to cry over
Blurb:
The Five Stages of Falling in Love is a Contemporary Romance.
Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.
Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady’s prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?
Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.
When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn’t just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she’s capable of ever giving again.
As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there’s more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there’s more to life than death.
Betting on You
by Lynn Painter
➥ Young Adult
Tropes:
- friends to lovers
- opposites attract
- fake dating
- closed doors
Blurb:
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.
Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.
Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?
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