Best M/M Romance Books of 2023
These are the absolute best M/M romance books of 2023.
When putting together this list, there were two ways I could think of looking at it.
Option 1: I just look at my five star reads and share them with you. Cool. Easy.
Option 2: ✨Vibes✨
So, of course, I chose vibes.
These are the books that, when I think back to them, I feel warm and fuzzy and so happy. These books have characters or storylines that are so compelling I still think about them months later.
These books aren’t perfect. Some of them I didn’t even rate five stars, but these are the books that I will probably be rereading in 2024.
Let’s jump in!
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Best M/M Romance Books of 2023
Harper Reid has no money and nowhere to go, but he can’t spend one more day under the same roof as his abusive boyfriend. Desperate to start fresh, he takes on a special case through the caregiver agency that contracts him. The client has fired everyone else, but this job includes lodging, so Harper will find a way to make it work until he’s back on his feet.
High-flying, eccentric Riley Davenport has lost his sight, effectively clipping the vivacious man’s wings. Learning to navigate in darkness is difficult enough without being treated like a house plant by his girlfriend, parents, and friends. The last thing he needs is another pushy caregiver, hovering over him, curtailing the last of his freedom. But Harper Reid is different…very different.
Nervous, quiet, reserved. It’s almost like Harper has secrets and is the one who needs to be taught how to live again. And why does he smell like sugar cookies? Men aren’t supposed to smell delicious.
Until I Saw You stands out in my mind because of Riley Davenport. He is so strong and optimistic in the face of adversity. He and Harper are incredibly sweet together.
I love the depth of emotion between the men, and I love the amount of trust that each man has to have in the other for this relationship to work. Simply beautiful!
For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks.
Casey treats Landon like an old friend, even though they’ve only interacted briefly in the past. He’s endlessly charming and completely laid-back in a way that Landon absolutely can’t relate to. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.
As roommates, Casey refuses to be defeated by Landon’s one-word answers. As friends, Landon comes to notice a few things about Casey, like his wide, easy smile and sparkling green-blue eyes. Spending the holidays together only intensifies their bromance-turned-romance. But as the new year approaches, the countdown to the end of Landon’s time in Calgary is on.
Landon Stackhouse is easily one of my favorite characters of 2023. He just might have the top spot. I want to read Time to Shine again because I miss him! I want to relive his struggles and triumphs. I want to experience him falling in love again. He’s everything.
I do have to admit, this book isn’t perfect. I didn’t even rate it five stars in my review, but Landon is pretty darn close. Time to Shine isn’t Rachel Reid‘s best work (i.e. Heated Rivalry), but it is absolutely worth a read if you haven’t had a chance yet!
When Devon Sawyer desperately searches for his brother in the middle of the night, beaten and broken, he finds Maddox Kane instead. With his dad on his trail, he has no choice but to stand on his enemy’s doorstep and let Maddox help.
Maddox has never seen Devon this vulnerable. Living in Garron’s trailer park means families dole out discipline on the regular and violence is a part of life, but something about how far Jim Sawyer takes it this time has Maddox unnerved.
Rivals in motocross, work, and life itself, they’re forced to work together for one night. Perspectives change and their friction morphs into something unexpected.
Hatred turns to lust.
Tensions switch from hostile to aroused.
While their competitiveness remains, their dynamic shifts. Their acceptance is anything but graceful.
Two guys who come from nothing, with very little to look forward to, find themselves craving each other in new and fiery ways.
Reluctantly.
I couldn’t leave Garron Park off this list. It’s pure insanity and escapism. It’s enemies to lovers who are still basically enemies. It is violence and heat and passion.
To put it mildly, I really enjoyed reading this book.
My favorite way to think about a book like Garron Park (or, say, For The Fans) is to classify it as nearly fantasy. The book has no paranormal aspects. It isn’t set on another planet or in some post-apocalyptic wasteland. However, the attachment to reality is completely missing. It just isn’t there. But, honestly, this book is all the better for it!
Tyler’s first priority is to protect his coven. Not because he’s the High Witch’s right-hand-man. Not because he was born a Dom. But because this is his home, and a protector is who he is.
When a new person is fostered by the coven, Tyler is immediately suspicious. Roman is a sub, sure, but his old coven is bad news. They’re all convicted of practicing Chaos Magic, so…why isn’t Roman?
Tyler is sure that Roman is up to no good. The sub refuses to integrate with the coven. Will avoid meals, barely leaves his room, doesn’t talk to anybody. There’s something wrong there, and Tyler won’t stop until he finds out what.
Turns out, there’s a lot more to Roman than meets the eye—a dark past that’s left scars he can’t even imagine. In the end, Roman might not be someone Tyler has to defend against…but someone he needs to protect.
I wanted to put four Marina Vivancos books on this list. I genuinely debated it. It really felt like she couldn’t miss in 2023.
I decided to go with Oh, Sacred Dark because of its originality and depth. However, I very easily could have chosen Rough Heat, Overtime, or Out of The Wild Night. Marina Vivancos’ books are a spicy, gritty wonderland. She has really quickly solidified herself as one of my absolute favorite authors.
Oh, Sacred Dark is so cool. It is nothing like the D/s romances you’ve read before. If the little summary above makes you think this book isn’t for you, ignore it.
Read this book.
Then come back here and let me know in the comments how much you love it.
West Owens grew up suffocated by his overprotective family. To prove he’s not the frail child he once was, he’s shredding through local rodeos on the wildest broncs around. But the man he most wishes would stop seeing him as a sickly child is Michael.
Since the moment they met, West had hoped that one day Michael would look at him with desire, seeing him as a true equal and not just a responsibility.
Michael Whittaker has devoted his life to protecting others, but he’s failed at every turn. He’s always been just a little too late to save anyone. When he discovers the boy who’s wriggled under his skin is risking his neck riding broncs—and realizes he’s no longer a boy at all—the tough-as-nails cowboy is forced to make a decision.
He’s old enough to know better.
Straight enough to know better.
Seducing West may ruin their friendship, but maybe it will save his life.
Each moment together is delicious torture. Passion hotter than either of them expected. Michael may be old enough to be West’s daddy, but there’s nothing fatherly in his sinful gaze and rough hands.
As they grow closer, Michael realizes that trying to keep West safe might just break the young cowboy’s heart. Because West is looking for more than just a roll in the hay; he’s looking for love—and the one thing Michael can’t give away is his heart.
Even though it feels like West has already stolen it.
What was that you said? Age-gap cowboys? No questions, I’m in!
Down in Flames is great! Literally every book in the Down Home series by Parker St. John is a hit.
I love this book for the relationship that Michael and West have. They are incredibly sweet together. They took the time to develop a deep, meaningful friendship before becoming romantically involved. This makes the romance so much more authentic and compelling.
The cowboy elements in this series are fun and interesting. I always feel like I learn so much about the rodeo and farm life in general when I read anything from Parker St. John.
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.
Like I mentioned above, For The Fans solidly falls into the nearly fantasy category for me. So much is improbable, but somehow all of the elements come together to make a super compelling and sweet read.
It also must be said that this is one of those stepbrother romances. So, it has the super fun forbidden romance vibe that just adds to the excitement of an enemies-to-lovers book.
Also, I seriously love Kyran. He is not likable at all, but he is super relatable. He just wants what he can’t have so badly. He can’t even admit what he wants to himself, let alone others. I found his story super compelling. He makes this book!
When musclebound frat bro Brad gets run off the road by a reckless driver, he thinks it’s game over. When he wakes up inside his twin brother’s favorite corny shifter romance novel, he realizes the real game is just beginning.
Desperate to get back to a world where he’s top dog, Brad finds himself in the crosshairs of Raul, the menacingly hot hero of The Wolf’s Mate, who’s intent on teaching Brad a whole new meaning to the word alpha.
Not only does Raul insist that Brad is an omega–his omega–but Brad is going to have to come to terms with the fact that he isn’t just a part of this fictional world. He’s a stand-in for the main character, and the only way out is to make sure he gets to his happily ever after.
The entire The Wolf’s Mate series by L.C. Davis is the most wild ride. You can find, what I believed to be, my review of the entire series here. Little did I know, more books would follow.
Believe it or not, L.C. Davis has produced the first six books from The Wolf’s Mate series in 2023 alone.
Bro and the Beast is one of those books that I had to restart a few times to finally understand what all the hype was about. I started off thinking the book was similar to the weirdest fan fiction I’ve ever read, but by the end of it I was ravenous for the next book in the series.
Thankfully, L.C. Davis is not one to leave us hanging for long. Catch up on the series now to be ready when book number seven drops in February of 2024!
Be obedient. Be grateful. As the neglected illegitimate son of a powerful family, Corin is expected to follow his magic-gifted brother to the palace as a servant. He’s unwilling but resigned—and allows himself one night of distraction in a stranger’s arms.
Corin never knew pleasure and pain could be so exhilarating. So comforting. Corin only regrets he’ll never again see the anonymous man who ruined him for anyone else.
Until the next morning, when Corin meets his brother’s new arranged fiancé.
Prince Audric doesn’t want a loveless political betrothal, but he’ll do anything for his kingdom. His last night of freedom is a rare indulgence—and a terrible mistake. Corin is sweet, beautiful, and sees Audric like nobody else does.
He’s also Audric’s fiancé’s younger brother. Audric’s arranged betrothal might be a relationship in name only, but he can’t touch Corin again.
Constant proximity hurts when they can’t be together. But avoidance is impossible when Corin might be the key to unraveling the conspiracy behind Audric’s betrothal—
And when Corin keeps fainting into Audric’s arms.
Perilous Courts by Tavia Lark has been such a fun fantasy series to read. Each book in the series follows a different prince and their partner. Prince and Pawn, as well as two other books in the series, dropped in 2023.
I enjoyed this book in particular for the heat and chemistry between Auric and Corin. Their chance encounter leads to a lot of fun intrigue and secrecy. I liked the mystery tucked in this book as well. Definitely check this series out before it continues in 2024!
He’s a massive blond beefcake with a soft heart and an over-eager smile. The mere sight of him incites a shaking hot rage in me.
He’s everywhere. He’s around me all the time. So sweet and gentle it makes me feel wild. I see him and smell him everywhere. And when I can’t see him or smell him, I hear him. The wall between our bedrooms is paper thin. I can’t help it – I hear what he does in his room when he thinks he’s alone. I hear everything.
I know I shouldn’t do it. It’s obviously a terrible, terrible idea. Still, I bide my time. I wait, and I wait, and finally, I pounce.
The Situationship Series by Jesse H Reign is amazing. I have loved every single book in it. While The Step Bro Situation will always be first in my heart, I did recently review book three in the series, The Daddy Arrangement.
With The Step Bro Situation, we once again have step brothers who start out as enemies. Well, Jessie really wants to be Luke’s enemy. Too bad Luke is literally the sweetest angel ever to walk the earth. He is a gorgeous, virgin himbo who is already mostly in love with Jessie.
Luke’s persistent kindness and wholesomeness eventually win Jessie over in one of the sweetest love stories of 2023.
Travis Wyatt
All I’ve ever wanted was to go to college and get out of Kensley.That small town is all I’ve ever known. I want to be free to be myself, not stifled by small minds in the football-loving town where I grew up.
And then I blew my one and only chance.
So now, I’m just stuck. Stuck in small-town life, with the same small-town people I’ve always known. Stuck where I don’t want to be. Constantly on the defense and hiding secrets about myself. To never be the real me.
I’m lost, and I’m angry. But those people I was desperate to get away from, they don’t stop. They insist on showing me that maybe it’s not about my location.
That maybe I can be free right where I am.
Oakley Easton
Travis is way too uptight. I don’t know why. He has everything a guy could want—a steady job and friends who would do anything for him. A great simple, small-town life. But I guess that’s not what he wants.
He’s always been different. Better. Smarter. Stronger.
Still, I find myself wanting to show him everything he’s dreamed of is within his grasp. That he doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. That he can be himself wherever he is, and I’ll back him up.
Because that’s what I’m good at—on and off the field. I’ll always be his defender.
If he’d only let me.
I’ve talked a decent amount about the Kensley Panthers series from Nicole Dykes. In fact, just this week I reviewed another book from this series, Protector. Why do I keep mentioning it? Because this is small-town M/M romance done right.
The entire series feels so real. Kensley is ridiculously similar to the small town that I grew up in. I understand small towns, and the people in them, really well. So does Nicole Dykes.
I love the book Defender in particular because of Oakley Easton. Oakley is the sweetest most happy-go-lucky guy in the world. Where Travis is frustrated and angry Oakley is steady good humor. He is everything that Travis needs, but nothing that he wants. I would describe this book as frenemies to lovers. It is definitely worth your time!
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
