My Favourite Books of 2021

Every January, I like to take a moment to revisit the books I read for the first time in the previous year (they may have been published in a different year) and pick my favourites. I’ve had the pleasure of reading some wonderful books over the past 12 months, so picking a handful has been tough, but here they are:

My Favourite Book of 2021:

the boy who loved Wicked by C.P. Harris
If I could only recommend one book I read this year, it would be this one. It was the first book I read by C.P. Harris. I was already hooked (and crying, which doesn’t happen often) by the end of the prologue. I don’t usually read age-gap romance, but I could not resist that cover and decided to give it a go. It totally blew me away. Phoenix and Sebastian broke my heart over and over again as they slowly, haltingly, worked their way towards their happy ending. Amazing writing! Plus, if you’re a fool for men talking about philosophy (which I am) you will be in absolute heaven. *swoon*

My Other Favourite Books of 2021 (in no particular order):

Not So Sincerely, Yours (For Him, Book 2) by A.M. Johnson
I haven’t read the first book in this series, but I picked this second book up when it was on sale and… WOW. Again, A.M. Johnson was a ‘new to me’ author. The other books in the For Him series are now firmly on my TBR list. Ethan and Anders’ story was cleverly written and well-paced. It had plenty of laughs along with the angst and tenderness. The emails sent between the two main characters were perfect. Loved it so much!

In the Middle of Somewhere (Middle of Somewhere, Book 1) by Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish is my favourite author of all time. She’s the kind of writer I want to be when I grow up. I enjoyed all three of the books in the Middle of Somewhere series, but I think this first one is my favourite. Daniel and Rex were just beautiful together.

Ever After: A Gay Fairy Tale (Forbidden Love, Book 1) by Christina Lee and Riley Hart
The sweet romance of a fairy tale, but with lots of hot and steamy thrown in. What could possibly be better than this? Add a prince who falls head over heels for his valet, and I was totally in love. Lee and Hart are a magical combination every time.

Virgin Flyer by Lucy Lennox
This was a couple who had sex before they ever spoke a word to each other. In fact, that was entirely the point. Their story was sweet and romantic (despite the less than traditional way they began) and I was enamoured with them from start to finish. Runner up favourite (because I can’t bare not to mention it): Say You’ll Be Nine, also by Lucy.

Charisma Check (Roll for Love, Book 2) by Charlie Novak
Charlie Novak is the third ‘new to me’ author to make it to the list. This book was all kinds of fun. Comic cons, costumes, hate sex, and forced proximity. What’s not to love? Also, I’d been binging Castlevania on Netflix and this book was like watching two of the lead characters (Alucard and Trevor) get it on. I was absolutely 100% into that! 🙂

Moon Flower (Fated, Book 1) by Christina Lee
Soft bois in a fantasy setting. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Soft bois, everywhere. Galen and Azriel needed to be together. The fact that they found a safe place to live out their happily every after made me so relieved. A different and refreshing story.

Wrath by Elle James
This was a monster of a book. The author admits at the back that she would have turned it into two books if she’d realised it was going to be so long. And yet, in no way did it feel too long. Josh and Ezra were a complicated, but devoted, couple. They were co-dependent in a way I found unhealthy at times, which managed to put me off and pull me in deeper at the same time. Because angst = gah! Ultimately, it was a great book that spanned multiple years and left me completely satisfied at the end.

If you missed any of these amazing stories on your book travels, I highly recommend each and every one.