Every year, without fail, romance and its various sub-genres are my most-read books of the year. I devour them with a zeal I reserve for little else. I read every single one of the books on this list last year, and this is the official Nora Theory list of the best romance novels of 2023.
These are the best books that I read published in 2023, not necessarily the best books I read on the whole. Many of my yearly favorites were published in other years, so if your favorite isn’t on this list that might be why. Remember, reading is always subjective, and what works for me may not work for you. Always check trigger warnings, particularly for dark romances, and if you are under 18, these are not the books for you.
Note: the links below are Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you purchase through the below links, The Nora Theory gets a cut.
Katee Robert’s books are a cornerstone of the current romance novel market, and for good reason. Their writing takes stories that we think we know, like Greek myths and Disney villains, and turns them all around, infusing them with kink and LGBTQ+ characters in a way that feels both familiar and deeply refreshing.
Radiant Sin is part of a series of standalone spicy retellings of various Greek myths. I love these stories so much because they speak to both the nerdy academic and the whore in me, which is a rare mix to find. If this sounds like your thing, go back and read them all, starting with Neon Gods.
The Knockemout Series by Lucy Score was recommended to me by my best friend, and I can’t even explain how happy I am that these came into my world. Things We Left Behind is the third book in a series of standalones, and while the first book is still my favorite of the three, the third does not disappoint.
The Knockemout Series is heartwarming and heartfelt, but with enough drama to keep the reader hooked from the first page. This installment is an enemies-to-lovers second chance romance with a solid found family element in the mix. If you’re looking to get into romance for the first time, these books are an excellent place to start.
Sara Cate is one of my immediate must-read authors in the romance realm. When she publishes something, it’s on my Kindle in a matter of minutes, and Madame was no exception.
This is a standalone novel but is part of the Salacious Players Club universe, which follows the owners and staff of an elite sex club and their various love interests. This one follows Eden, also known as Madame Kink, in a love triangle turned throuple with her former client and his new girlfriend. Madame Kink is a domme, and this book follows her journey in coming to terms with herself as much as the throuple’s love story.
Grimstone is a book I discovered towards the end of 2023 and I knew as soon as I finished it that it belonged on this list. This is a romance novel according to the official genre, but it’s just as much a satisfying and twisty mystery as it is a love story. The combination was something I’d never read before, although many romance novels have mystery elements, this book and its twist ending took it to a whole new level.
With such a creative combination of two of my favorite genres, and with interesting characters and a rich setting, it was impossible not to love this book.
You have all heard of these, but I’ll tell you about them anyway just in case.
Violet Sorrengail is a new recruit at the Bagiath War College, a militaristic school for dragon riders. She has significant physical drawbacks compared to her colleagues, especially since she trained her whole life to be a scribe. Her list of enemies is long and ever-changing, and the enemies-to-lovers spice is nothing short of magical. If there has been a hole in your heart since A Court of Silver Flames, this just might be the thing to fill it.
This is an ongoing series, at the top of everyone’s best of 2023 list, and the hype is absolutely justified.
This is the third book in an ongoing series, and it’s perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The world-building is excellent, the spice is even spicier than most of the ACOTAR books, and the characters and the battles they face (both physical and emotional) are very well done.
What Lurks Between the Fates uses some of the most classic tropes, like fated mates, and long-held Fae lore, like the legend of Queen Mab, but does it in a way that doesn’t feel tired. I will read every ‘fated mates’ story that comes my way, and this one was an immediate obsession. I’ll be preordering the next installment the second it’s available.
This is the second book in a complete duet, set in a fantasy world of vampires. Now, vampires aren’t normally my favorite of the fantasy supernatural beings. I am a product of the Twilight generation and I burned out on the whole trope by the time I was thirteen. This isn’t necessarily my favorite novel on this list because of that, but I have to give credit where credit is due.
The feisty heroine of this duet is ready to fight for her life, in a land of lots of political intrigues and fierce danger. Not as spicy as others on this list, but a fun read nonetheless. If you like vampires, this is a story for you.
This book is part of a series of standalone books written by the queen of mafia romance. I love all of Sadie Kincaid’s books, but this might be the best one yet.
This is a grumpy/sunshine romance that hits all of the marks. It’s suspenseful, deeply emotional, and filled with incredible spice. This is one of the few books of 2023 that made me cry whole actual tears but didn’t sacrifice any of the steam to do it. Getting to know these characters and experiencing their happily ever after was such an incredible journey.
This is not the book to read if you’re looking for a serious plot and exceptional writing. However, if you are looking for top-tier smut, Ames Mills is your writer.
All of the books in the Abbs Valley series, and its spin-off The Saviors, have a similar structure, but why mess with what works? Girl meets boy, and all of his friends. Danger occurs. They all (yes, I mean all. There is MM content in these books) get down about it.
Pretty much every other scene in these books is an orgy and I, for one, think that is just so much fun. These books are hot, fast, and easy to read, and while they probably aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I adore them.
This is a dark book, both in theme and in vibe, and I ate up every second of it. The Hallows Queen is the second in an MFMM duet, which for the uninitiated means there is romantic interaction between one of the guys and the heroine, and then the heroine romantically interacts with two other guys who also are romantic with each other. And they all live happily ever after. It’s filled with dark creepy Halloween energy and lots of intrigue. All kinds of secrets make this an incredibly suspenseful read and it is, of course, also completely filthy.
All of the characters in this book are twisted and beautifully damaged, and I just love a romance where deeply dysfunctional people fall in love.
Emily Rath’s books are not for the faint of heart. These are extremely kinky hockey romances and please don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is an MFMM romance in which the team doctor falls for the goalie, the star player, and his best friend the equipment manager.
While the dynamics are complicated, they don’t seem that way once the story gets going. The relationships between the four of them feel authentic, even though this is not a situation most of us would ever find ourselves in. There is just as much sweetness as there is spice, striking a balance I love to see in romance novels.
Like the previous pick, this is an extremely spicy book but it has the plot to match. Pucking Wild is an age-gap romance featuring a curvy heroine and a younger man, who is a member of the same hockey team in the same universe as Pucking Around. Like its predecessor, this book perfectly blends tender romance and spectacular smut.
