Hey readers, another year gone and I am back with my second Revvies. I had read about 80 books last year but I couldn’t get around to publishing the reviews of many of those. All the same, this year’s Revvies will be awarded to books that were published in 2023, with the unpublished reviews coming up later.
Last year, the awards were in the Police-Procedural, General Fiction, Mystery-Thriller and Romance categories. This year I have included one more category, “Psychological Thriller,” as there were quite a number of psychological thrillers that I liked immensely and felt I couldn’t do justice to if they were included in the Mystery/Thriller genre. This year, we also have a Science Fiction/Fantasy category, selected by Brandon Hill.
So, here we go, this is our list of our favorite books of 2023.
Romance
· Ghosted by Sarah Ready
· The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid
· A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter
· Give the Devil His Duke by Anna Bradley
· Two to Tango by Kathleen Fuller
· Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter
This year was not a good one for Romance, at least amongst the books I had read. Denise Hunter didn’t disappoint with her heart-warming and lovely stories but many of my other favorite authors failed to impress. However, Sarah Ready, with the unique premise and most entertaining narrative captured my heart with her “Ghosted”; the story is a must read for anyone who loves to read romance and I guarantee you, the story will never leave your mind.
General Fiction
· A Different Kind of Gone by Catherine Ryan Hyde
· What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre
· Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde
· The Heirloom Inn by Olivia Miles
I got around to reading a very small number of General Fictions books, amongst which “A Different Kind of Gone” by Catherine Ryan Hyde stands out with her unique take on guilt and culpability. She is becoming my most favorite author, particularly for the way in which she explores human nature at its deepest levels. However, Sarah Echavarre deserves a special mention for her moving and heart-wrenching story of overcoming grief.
Mystery/Thriller
· The First Death by Kendra Elliot
· You Should Have Known by Rebecca A. Keller
· The Surgeon by Leslie Wolfe
· Lovely Girls by Margot Hunt
· Her Enemy by Emma Tallon
· The Stolen Ones by Gwyn Bennett
· All the Little Truths by Debra Webb
Most of the mystery-thrillers I liked this year contained revenge in their plots. “The Surgeon” used it cleverly in a situation of professional dilemma and Rebecca A. Keller creates a wonderful whodunit containing a mixture of grief, revenge, forgiveness and absolution. But “The First Death” by Kendra Elliot engaged me mentally and emotionally so very much that it inches ahead of the other books by a small margin. I would still like to give a special mention to Margot Hunt for her exceptionally chilly “Lovely Girls” and to Emma Tallon for her entertaining mafia thriller “Her Enemy.”
Psychological Thriller
· A Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller series by Stacy Green
· Trust No One by Keri Beevis
· Trail of Deception by Amanda McKinney
· The Other Mistress by Shanora Williams
· Detective Erica Sands series by Gregg Dunnett
A good psychological according to me should be inherently engaging psychological with people who are abnormal or are facing abnormal situations. Most particularly, there should be at least a few plot twists a reader will not be able to see coming and logical ones at that. Though all the above mentioned books are all very well done and clever psychological thrillers, the “Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller” series of books by Stacy Green have a complete story with abnormal characters who find themselves in abnormal situations and is a must-read book series.
Police Procedurals
· Her Final Breath by Carolyn Arnold
· Hidden Pieces, Deadly Tides – Misty Pines series by Mary Keliikoa
· Catch Her Death by Melinda Leigh
· Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons
· Break of Day by Colleen Coble
· Detective Beth Katz Books 1, 2 by D.K. Hood
· One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni
This year was a treat for me in case of police-procedurals. I read quite a lot of them and most of them were pretty good; they had confounding cases with thrilling narratives. But the Carolyn Arnold thriller “Her Final Breath” also boasts a great character arc for the primary character Detective Amanda Steele; her emotional journey gives a something extra to the story that sets itself apart from the rest of the books. Equally great was Sheriff Jax Turner of the Misty Pines series by Mary Keliikoa; his character is instantly relatable and Keliikoa is my best discovery of the year.
This is my not-so-short list of favorite books of 2023, a year that was a mixture of exciting finds and failed expectations. Let’s bid adieu to this Revvies hoping for an equally or more exciting 2024, but not before we get into our final category. I turn things over to Brandon.
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Selected and written by Brandon Hill
- Selin Ascends
- A Witch’s Sin
- Our Vitreous Womb
- The Starsea Cycle
- Murtagh
I’ve read some amazing tales this year, and putting together my thoughts for the best of them was
by no means an easy a task; let me assure you. But when it comes to stories that were narratively
spellbinding and constructing a tale that captivated me above all the others, it had to be
Christopher Paolini’s return to the land of Alagaesia to weave the tale of Eragon’s forlorn half-
brother. The entire story was like reuniting with a missing friend and slipping right back into
your grand childhood adventures as if they’d never come to an end beforehand. It is a story that I
believe any sci-fi/fantasy aficionado should drop everything and read.
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