Hello everyone! A couple of days ago I shared a post about the best books I read in 2023, but I did not include romance books on that list since it’s the genre I read the most of (40% of my reading) and I read a lot of incredible romance books in 2023, so I decided to write a separate post to shout out the best romances I read last year:
I love books where the guy falls first and spends a big part of the book pinning for the girl, while she is oblivious, and this book delivered that perfectly. It also did a great job showing the development of their relationship from dislike to like to love. It was believable, I was rooting for the main couple the entire time, and the hero is very swoony.
Also, this is set against the backdrop of academia and, as someone who works in academia even if it’s in a completely different field, I could relate to a lot of what was happening in this book and that was fun.
At first, I was a bit worried about the main character but I ended up loving her. She is carrying a lot of anger due to a trauma in her past as well as the racism and misogyny that she has experienced, so she was a bit abrasive at first, but I loved seeing her let go of her anger and slowly let her guard down. I also appreciated that it didn’t take too long for the character growth to start taking place.
Seeing the two main characters go from dislike to like was captivating and fun, the chemistry was there from the very beginning even when they didn’t like each other and they both knew it so it was funny to witness how hard they were trying to stay away from each other. The romance overall was sweet but it was also very steamy. Moreover, this book was so well written, the tiny sprinkle of paranormal elements gave it a unique touch, the complicated family dynamics were interesting to read about, and I appreciated the way it explored gentrification as a main plot point.
As always, Emily Henry’s writing is fantastic, she has the skill to make me like things I usually don’t. For example, I’m not usually a fan of second-chance romance, because it feels unrealistic sometimes, but in this case, it worked so well because the two main characters had been together for years and the break up was recent. Also, I normally don’t love a book that has a lot of flashbacks but I LOVED the flashbacks in this, seeing how the main character fell in love and how much they loved each other was captivating. I was so intrigued by what tore the main couple apart, and I was actually satisfied with the revealed. Both the relationship trouble and the friendship troubles felt so realistic to me. I LOVED the group of friends, seeing them struggle to stay friends despite the changes in their lives but loving each other enough to try. Also, I really appreciated that this book focused a lot on the personal growth of the characters.
While the premise of this book sounded like something I would enjoy, I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. The two main characters had so much chemistry, they made sense together and they had such an easy and fun dynamic between them. I love how their relationship transitioned from friends to best friends to lovers, it was very organic and it was so captivating to see them develop an intimacy between them and fall in love. Also, the forced proximity and the nursing someone back to health tropes were fun plot elements. One of my favorite parts of the book was the emails that Graham wrote to Claire and I loved how he used them to confess his feelings. I’m a big fan of more intimate gestures and this was so swoony. In terms of the conflict, it made sense to me but I’m glad they didn’t drag it out too much. Also, Claire’s gesture at the end was also really sweet.
It’s been a while since I read an Adriana Herrera book and this made me remember why I love her books so much. Luz Alana is a savvy businesswoman who faces all the obstacles in her way with courage and determination, Evan is so supportive and swoony, they have great chemistry from their first interaction, the banter is fantastic and this is so steamy. I also loved all the supportive characters. This isn’t higher on the list because there were some elements of the plot at the end that didn’t come together as well as I hoped, but nothing that prevented me from loving this.
This has great main characters that had a ton of chemistry and the tension between them was incredible I loved the time travel element, it kept me engaged the entire time wondering when the hero was going to find out and what was going to happen. It was a really sweet romance, particularly, their interactions in the past, and the hero was so swoony in both timelines but especially in the past. I also appreciated the journey that the heroine goes through dealing with her grief and deciding what she wants to do with her life. The only reason this isn’t higher on the list is that I wish the main couple had more moments together in the present timeline, but overall, it’s a fantastic read.
Honorable Mentions
*if you click the images, they will take you to the Goodreads page for the book*
Since the Latinx Book Bingo ended on October 15th and I posted a wrap-up, I decided to talk about the books I read in the last two weeks of October in my November wrap-up. The only issue was that I read too much during those weeks, because of that, I’m posting my october/november wrap up divided into 2 parts, one where I talk about all the romance books I read (this post!) and another where I talk about all the other books.
So here are my thoughts on all the romance books I read in the last 6 weeks, which are mostly 2023 releases:
Better Hate than Never by Chloe Liese (between 3.5 and 4 stars): I had a hard time getting into the story. I don’t like when the hero is mean to the heroine because he likes her but doesn’t want to, men who can’t appropriately deal with their emotions really frustrate me. Nonetheless, once he started to try to make it up to Kate and they started to be tentative “friends” I started to like the book a lot more. I really liked Kate and the portrait of her ADHD, I enjoyed the way the romance was developed after the initial tension, I liked the steamy scenes and the demisexual representation, and I appreciated how the conflict was handled because both of them actually behaved like adults and communicated with each other.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez (4 stars): I loved the start of this book. There’s a misunderstanding between the main characters when they first meet and I loved the way it was handled, how Briana slowly realized that Jacob is actually an anxious cinnamon roll and they become friends writing letters back and forth. I think they have chemistry from the very beginning, I really appreciated the anxiety representation, I loved the friendship between the main characters and once they started to fake date things got really fun. I had a bit of an issue with the second misunderstanding that happened later on, the miscommunication frustrated me a little bit, but I think it was understandable and I also liked the fact that it didn’t get dragged on for too long.
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (4 stars): This is a traditional romance with a lot of thematic depth, it heavily deals with mental health (anxiety and OCD) and does it really well. I really appreciate that this showed a first time that wasn’t that good because sex is not always fantastic from the very beginning and while it made for some awkward moments, it also led to some honest and healthy conversations about sex and also to the sex lessons trope, which was well-executed. The two main characters had such a sweet connection. they had a great relationship based on honesty and things between them got really steamy.
Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez (4 stars): I loved the main character, Gillian, and the character development she goes through was my favorite part of the book. I loved the side characters, as well as how the Latinx community is represented and the importance heritage has on the story. The writing is fantastic. The romance was sweet and there were some really good steamy scenes. My one issue is that the hero, Nicky, was not as fleshed out as Gillian, so at times I wasn’t completely invested in the romance because of that.
The Seven Year Split by Ashely Poston (4.5 stars): This is a romance with a time travel element that has great main characters that have a ton of chemistry and the tension between them is incredible. It has a really sweet romance, particularly, their interactions in the past timeline. The time travel element kept me engaged the entire time wondering when the hero was going to find out and what was going to happen. I also appreciated the journey that the heroine goes through dealing with her grief and deciding what she wants to do with her life. The only reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is that I wish the main couple had more moments together in the present timeline.
The Nanny by Lana Ferguson (3.5 stars): I liked this even if I had some issues with it. The main characters had great chemistry, there were some good steamy scenes, the hero’s daughter was adorable and I loved her relationship with the heroine. My issue with this is that it was too long so it dragged at certain points, especially because they get together early on and there’s a big portion of the book that it’s them together while the heroine tries to hide part of her identity and not much else is happening.
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage (4 stars): The main characters had amazing chemistry from the beginning and I loved seeing the development of their relationship from dislike to love. I think the author did a good job of showing how Emmy went from distrusting Luke to seeing how caring he was. I loved the fact that they were there for each other and they communicated with one another. There’s not a big, dramatic conflict in the story, there’s a bit of external conflict and it’s solved rather quickly, and I appreciated that. My one issue with this is that Luke had a couple of behaviors throughout the book that I didn’t love.
Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn (3.5 stars): This was ok but it wasn’t really memorable. I loved the fact that the friendship between the main characters felt believable, the romance was sweet and there were some really good steamy scenes. Nonetheless, this dragged. I usually love slow-burn romances, but in this book, the main characters were not communicating with one another, they were assuming a lot of things about the other’s wants and expectations and that’s the only reason they weren’t together and that went on for a little too long and it started to be frustrating.
Codename Charming by Lucy Parker (3.5 stars): I’m feeling very conflicted about this book. The main couple was so sweet, they understood and comforted each other, they communicated and there was a lack of unnecessary conflict between them, and the steamy scenes were really good. I loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and the slow-burn romance. Moreover, even when it was a low-angst, low-conflict, slow-paced book, I was entertained the whole time. Nonetheless, it made me uncomfortable that it’s established very early on that the hero is ugly – which I appreciated because we need more protagonists who don’t look like movie stars- but this fact was repeated so many times by every single character in almost every single page of this book, so I feel like it was overdone and it reduced the hero to his appearance which I think was the opposite of the message that it was trying to send.
A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña (4 stars): Both main characters were loyal and they were willing to fight for the things that are important to them. The relationship Saint had with his daughter was adorable and the trust and love that Lola builds with her was a highlight of the book. This does a good job of talking about gentrification and activism and also about the importance of not prioritizing our causes over our happiness and instead finding a balance. While this wasn’t that steamy, the characters did have great chemistry and banter from the beginning. The author does rely a little too much on the feelings the characters had for each other when they were younger and sometimes the development of their relationship in the present felt like it came out of nowhere. Nonetheless, I appreciated that they quickly cleared up the misunderstandings of the past and, by the end, they had serious discussions and they had to think about how they were going to make their relationship work in the present.
The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren (3.5 stars): This was a fun, quick novella. While the relationship developed a little too quickly, I appreciated that there were some very romantic moments and also some steamy ones.
A Walk in the Park by Rebekah Weatherspoon (4 stars): This was a sweet story. It had two likable main characters and even if the way they met was a bit hard to believe, I really liked how their relationship developed from sharing a dog as two strangers to falling in love. I also appreciated that we get fat representation of the hero and the heroine.
Crimes of Passion by Jack Harbon (4 stars): The grumpy/ sunshine dynamic worked really well in this, the two main characters are so different but they have common interests and I loved seeing them go from dislike to like. I loved the way the podcast element was incorporated into the story. My only issue is that there was an argument at the end and some things were said that I think needed more groveling to be forgiven and that did not happen. But overall, this was a very fun read.
Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan (4 stars): This was a sweet story. I’m usually not a huge fan of second-chance romances but in this case, it worked because it felt realistic, both characters went and lived their lives (got married, divorced, one had a child) and then they found themselves again in their 40s and decided to give the spark and chemistry between them a chance.
What were the best and worst romance books you read in 2023?
It’s been a while since I participated in Ten Top Tuesday, which is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, but I wasn’t sure what to post, and when I checked the topics for this month, this week’s topic “books set in X” really caught my eye. So I decided to make a list of romance books set in small townsthat I have read and loved in the last couple of years. I kind of cheated and included books in a series just as one entry on the list, so there are more than 10 books in this list, but I couldn’t pick just 10.
Both of these books are set in a small town in Kansas and they have a big Mexica-American family at the heart of the story, some paranormal elements, female characters that go through a lot of character growth, and really sweet but steamy romances. In After Hours on Milagro Street, there’s an opposites attract romance with forced proximity. In Full Moon over Freedom, there’s a second chance romance between childhood friends.
This is set in a small town in Wyoming and if you like cowboy romances, the brother’s best friend trope, two main characters with tons of chemistry, and a reformed bad boy, this book is for you!
This book is set in a small town in North Carolina and it’s a slow-burn romance with two plus-size characters, it includes the grumpy/sunshine trope and there’s a big focus on the healing and character growth of the heroine.
This is set in a small town in Michigan. It’s a second-chance romance between childhood sweethearts, and it’s a perfect example of a low-angst, low-conflict romance book done right.
This is set in a small town in South Carolina, and it’s a romance between someone running TO a small town and someone running FROM a small town that has to come back. It’s a friends-with-benefits, interracial romance with a plus-size female main character.
These books are set in small town in Maryland. Lovelight Farms is a friends-to-lovers romance with a fake-dating plot. In The Weeds is a second-chance, grumpy/sunshine romance, with forced proximity. Mixed Signals is a friends-to-lovers, sunshine/sunshine romance with a little fake dating.
This series is set in a small town in Oregon, both books are sapphic romances and deal with complicated family relationships. Delilah Green includes the sister’s best friend trope and one of the main characters is a single mom, and Astrid Parker is a rivals-to-lovers romance.
A big part of this is set in a small town in Minnesota. It’s an opposites attract romance where there’s an age gap and the woman is 10 years older than the guy, and it deals with heavy topics such as past abusive relationships.
A big part of this book is set in small town in North Carolina and it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance between two people who work in the publishing industry.
Set in a small town in Colorado, and it’s a slow-burn romance, with a grumpy/ sunshine dynamic, a single dad as a protagonist and a bit of forced proximity. It has a very outdoorsy vibe and there’s a lot of hiking.
Is there any particular setting that you love in books, like a specific city or country, large city or small towns, beaches vs snowy places?
Latinx Book Bingo is officially over and I had so much fun hosting for the 6th year in a row. I’m so happy because I got to read some amazing books for this readathon even if I didn’t stick to my tbr 😅 and I completed the bingo board and read one book for each prompt.
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz (5 stars): The narrative voice is distinctive and compelling, and the way the book is written fits the story perfectly with its simplicity, touches of humor, the mix of Spanish and English, and the stream of consciousness. This is a character study that shines because of the lack of artifice of the main character, who is caring and funny, but also flawed and complex, and felt like a real person. I loved how this explored the idea of letting all the pain, resentment, mistakes, and doubts out as an essential part of healing and living. The way important subjects such as unemployment, immigration, poverty, abuse, and gentrification are naturally integrated into the story was very impactful.
After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez (4.5 stars): At first, I was a bit worried about the main character in this but I ended up loving her. She is carrying a lot of anger due to past trauma as well as the systematic racism and misogyny that she experienced, so she was a bit abrasive and not the most likable character, but I loved seeing her let go of her anger and slowly let her guard down. I also appreciated that it didn’t take too long for the character growth to start taking place. Seeing the two main characters go from dislike to like was captivating and fun, and the chemistry was there from the very beginning. The romance overall was sweet but it was also very steamy. This book was well written, the tiny sprinkle of paranormal elements gave it a unique touch, the complicated family dynamics were interesting to read about, and I appreciated the way it explored gentrification as a main plot point.
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera (4.5 stars): It’s been a while since I read an Adriana Herrera book and this made me remember why I love their books so much. Luz Alana was a savvy businesswoman who faced all the obstacles in her way with courage and determination, Evan was so supportive and swoony, they had great chemistry from their first interaction, the banter was fantastic and this was so steamy. I also loved all the supportive characters and can’t wait for their books. This doesn’t get 5 stars because there were some elements of the plot at the end that didn’t come together as well as I hoped, but nothing that prevented me from loving this.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (4.5 stars): This book is a historical romance with speculative elements and strong Western vibes, while it’s very atmospheric and there are vampires, it’s not really a scary book. It’s a mix of so many different things and it executes them all so well, and the writing was fantastic. From the very beginning, I found the characters and their relationship fascinating, I was completely invested, and I loved how the angsty romance was such a big focus of the book. I also appreciated the way this explored class dynamics and imperialism. As I mentioned, there are literal vampires in the story, and I enjoyed that they were depicted differently than usual, they are much more animalistic which made them feel unique. I also loved the symbolic way vampires are used in the story, because “Vampires of El Norte” literally means “Vampires of the north”, and this takes place during the US invasion of Mexico.
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (4 stars): This is a magical realism story that follows three generations of Marte women, each of whom has a special ability. These abilities are varied and go from the bittersweet to the bizarre, and it’s delightful to slowly learn about each woman’s ability and the impacts that they have on their life. Acevedo managed to depict characters who are flawed and sometimes unlikable, but with so much depth and complexity that it’s possible to understand where they are coming from. This book does an incredible job of exploring different types of relationships between sisters, parents, and partners, and those relationships are the heart of this book and what makes it so special.
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro (4 stars): This book is sad, harrowing, and infuriating, but also hopeful. It’s incredibly well-written and it has some eerie moments. My favorite thing about it is the way it explored generational trauma and how isolating motherhood can be, through the legend of La Llorona. The author did such a good job taking the story of La Llorana, giving it her own spin, and integrating it with the story of Alejandra. This book is hard to read because Alejandra’s thoughts and emotions are conveyed so clearly that it’s easy to understand why she is struggling so much, and it is also easy to feel mad at her husband. He is selfish, manipulative, and sexist, and he gaslights Alejandra all the time and offers zero support in raising their children. The story itself of this entity haunting Alejandra and her family is captivating from beginning to end, and I loved the differences pov’s and timelines, they kept the book engaging.
Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin (3.4 – 4 stars): I appreciated that in each story Schweblin managed to make me feel uncomfortable and unsettled, but I will admit that when I finished some of the stories, I thought “That was it?”, I didn’t quite understand the point of some of them, nonetheless,I was interested and engaged while reading all of them. I appreciated the idea of taking houses, which usually represent stability and safety and exploring the idea of these spaces being invaded, haunted, or suffocating. My favorite story was Breath from the Depths, which is the longest story in the collection, it deals with grief, living with dementia, and being haunted in your own house and mind, and it’s both unsettling and heartbreaking. Another favorite was An Unlucky Man because it made me anticipate and dread what was going to happen but then it left me wondering.
Cazadora by Romina Garber(4 stars): It took me a while to get into this because it’s been a long time since I read book 1, and because the main characters are on the run at the beginning and not a lot happens while they are running, it’s just them going from one place to another. Nonetheless, once they stopped running, I got into the story and ended up really enjoying it. The inspiration this takes from Argentinian culture gives this story about werewolves and witches such a unique touch. I also liked the internal struggles that most of the characters go through, there are some interesting secondary characters and the romances were sweet. I hope someday we get the third book because the story can’t end in that cliffhanger!
The Return of the Sorceress by Silvia Moreno-García (4 stars): This was a solid, and well-written novella. I loved that it was a traditional fantasy story with magic, powerful artifacts, and morally gray characters but it was infused with Aztec mythology, which made it feel unique. It was an entertaining and engaging read.
Prime Meridian by Silvia Moreno-García (4 stars):This story is more literary fiction than sci-fi, it’s a character-driven story with little plot, and it’s about a woman trapped in a bleak life that seems to be going nowhere and who wants to escape it by going to Mars. While she is not the most likable character, her growth is interesting to follow throughout the story even if it’s a quieter and slower type of character development. The writing as always with Moreno-García is beautiful.
What the Hex by Alexis Daria (4 stars): I really liked this. I loved the world-building, which was fascinating for such a short novella, I loved the writing, the voice of the characters was compelling from the first page, the cozy vibes, the witchy innuendos, and the dynamic and chemistry between the main characters. It was a bit Insta-lovey, which is my only complaint, but it wasn’t too bad.
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (4 stars): This book tells the love story between an artist from the Caribbean and a duchess who can not be more different from each other. From the start, these two women are pulled to one another and it’s such a delight seeing them verbally spar. The romance does get really angsty and I enjoyed that. My favorite thing about this book is Manuela’s character development, seeing her open her eyes to a new world and new possibilities and be brave enough to go after the life she wanted. Moreover, I really appreciated that this book depicted the queer community in Paris at the time, as well as the contributions of women to the art scene. My only issue was with the pacing, I felt it dragged a little at some points but I still really enjoyed this.
Return to Love by Leonor Soliz (4 stars): I love friends to lovers and this one delivered. The characters had so much chemistry and the steamy scenes were really good. I had some small issues with the writing but nothing that prevented me from enjoying this. It was my first story by Leonor Soliz but it won’t be the last.
One Tough Cookie by Delise Torres (3 stars): I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, I had a few issues with it. The main character is rude and mean to everyone around her. While she grows by the end, it happens almost 70% into the book, so it makes it hard to get into the story. Still, I did appreciate the work the main character put into becoming a better version of herself by the end of the book. Besides that, there was a love interest that at the beginning was basically a saint because he was patient and understanding no matter how rude and hurtful the main character was. But he didn’t have a personality beyond that, so I found him boring. And then, by the end, he became really pushy and it was annoying to see how when the main character finally started to work on herself, he wouldn’t give her the time and space to do that. Still, the writing was really good, so I definitely want to check out another book by this author in the future.
Hermosa by Yesika Salgado (4 stars): This is a beautiful collection. I loved the honest and powerful way Yesika Salgado talked about family, relationships, heartbreak, gentrification, fertility issues, and so much more. One of my favorite things is the way LA comes alive in this collection, this is definitely a love letter to the city.
Submerged by Vita Ayala (4 stars): This graphic novel has an interesting premise where the main character goes to the underworld to save her brother and throughout that journey comes to terms with her decisions in the real world. I enjoyed how the storyline in the underworld is fast-paced while simultaneously, the mystery of the character’s past is slowly revealed. That reveal was interesting and while I saw the ending coming, I still enjoyed it and it made me feel a bit emotional.
Have you read any of these books and did you enjoy them? What was the last book by a Latinx author that you read?
Bookish Wanderess 