In 2021, I mostly read books by independent authors. Other than a couple, this year has been pretty much the same. I’ll always have my favorites, but I love finding good books by authors who may not already have a big following, or who are just now finding their way in the writing world.

One thing that’s most definitely different are the types of books I read in 2022 as compared to 2021. 2021 was a year for reading a lot of kink. 2022 had me going back to what got me reading in the genre to begin with – gay fiction and romance. There were still a few Daddy/boy books in the mix, but none that I felt belonged on this list.

Not all my favorite books of 2022 were given 5 stars by me. Some are rated 4.5. And as with every year, only the #1 book is numbered. The others are listed in complete random order.

You can check out my reviews by clicking the book titles, and the purchase links right below them.

Thank you to the authors for keeping us entertained. Thank you to my amazing blog partner and best friend who has been on this reviewing journey with me for over a decade. Thank you to all our followers. Without you, we wouldn’t still be doing this ten years later.

My number 1 book of the year is…

Seaspray by Rick R. Reed

Published on July 12, 2022 by NineStar Press

Contemporary, Addiction (Brief Mention), Domestic Abuse, Insta-Love, Mystery, HFN Romance, Interracial Couple, Self-Discovery

‘Seaspray is a magical place that will leave you wondering if it’s real, a dream, or merely a figment of one very overactive imagination. Regardless of what it is, it’s a place I’d love to visit, maybe even sit and have a cup of tea and conversation with Frankie.’

I doubt this is a surprise to anyone who reads my reviews. Seaspray isn’t just one of my favorite books by Rick R. Reed. It’s one of my favorite books of all time. There was a lot of confusion by some readers who read it, which is understandable to an extent. You have to really pay attention to all the characters, all the side stories, and all the settings to get it. I was confused early on, but everything came together nicely.

‘If you’re looking for a typical gay romance, this isn’t it. It’s more of a story of personal growth for Winslow and his realizing that the life he had before was just a stepping stone to the one he’s meant to have. A painful stepping stone, but one that gave him strength and courage to move on to where he’s supposed to be.’

~~~

The rest of my favorite books of 2022…

The Anonymous Hookup

Published on Amazon on June 2, 2022

Contemporary, Humor, Low Angst, Romance

I’d never read this author before but the blurb drew me in and I took a chance. I’m so glad I did! What a great book. There’s almost zero angst, lots of humor, two very amazing characters, and one hell of a good story.

~~~

Oblivious by Colette Davison

Published on Amazon on February 14, 2022

Contemporary, First Times, Friends-to-Lovers, GFY/OFY (?), Romance

I’ve read some books by this author that focused on kink. Oblivious wouldn’t fit into the kink category, which tells me that Colette Davison can pretty much write anything and I’d still be entertained.

~~~

Billion Dollar Sugar Baby by E.M. Denning

Published by Paper Gold Publishing on February 23, 2022

Contemporary, Opposites Attract, Rent Boy, Romance

Nine times out of ten if I see billion or billionaire in a book title or blurb I run the other way. To me, those books rank up there with secret baby books that I loathe. I took a chance with Billion Dollar Sugar Baby because it’s by an author I’ve enjoyed in the past, and one of the main characters is a rent boy. It’s definitely a new favorite by E.M. Denning.

~~~

Finding the Right Forever (Sheltered Connections, #2) by R.M. Neill

Published on Amazon on March 7, 2022

Contemporary, Age Gap (8 Years), Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

This is another author I don’t think I’d ever read before this year. While I enjoyed the first book in the series, I LOVED Finding the Right Forever. A true opposites attract story.

~~~

Straight Battle (Heroes at Home, #1) by Willow Dixon

Published on Amazon on February 24, 2022

Contemporary, Bi-Awakening? / GFY (x 2), Former Military, Romance, Series

It’s a good bet that if I see gay-for-you in a blurb, I’m not going to read the book. The same applies to miltary type books. The former because I find it to be unrealistic. The latter because it’s just not my thing. Something had me reading this one. It was such a great book. I went into it thinking it wouldn’t work for me. I ended it loving it.

~~~

Extended Stay (California Crush, #1) by Mia Monroe

Published on Amazon on February 9, 2022

Contemporary, Bi-Awakening (x 2), First Time, Friends-to-Lovers, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series, Slow Burn

This is another one that kind of fell into the gay-for-you or bi-for-you category. Thankfully, it was a slow burn so I never felt like the two men jumped into something too quickly when they’d only been with women before. They were really good together.

~~~

Hired: Hadley (The Foster Brothers, #2) by Nora Phoenix

Published on Amazon on April 8, 2022

Contemporary, Age Gap (9 Years), Boss/Employee, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

This book took grumpy/sunshine to a whole new level. Since I read the Perfect Hands series, Nora Phoenix has become a go-to author for me. I’ve not read all her books, but I’ve read quite a few. She never fails to suck me in. I absolutely loved Hired: Hadley.

~~~

Crankshaft (Big Bull Mechanics, #1), K.M. Neuhold

Published on Amazon on June 3, 2022

Contemporary, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

K.M. Neuhold is another author who has gone on my go-to list, though I’m fairly behind on her series. Crankshaft was a fun story. I loved watching these two total opposites find each other.

~~~

The Falcon and the Foe & The Mayor and the Mystery Man by A.J. Truman

Published by Truman Books on January 24, 2022 and March 28, 2022.

Contemporary, Enemies-to-Lovers, Family, Humor, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

&

Contemporary, Fake Boyfriend, Friends-to-Lovers, Humor, Local Politics, OFY, Opposites Attract, Romance, Series

I’m putting these two books together because both are worthy of this list, and they’re in the same series. They were each fun in their own way. I’ve only recently discovered this author. I can’t wait to read all of their books. Anybody who can have me cracking up one minute and saying, “Aww!” the next is an author I want to keep reading.

~~~

Congrats to all the authors! And thank you again to Kazza, who took a chance with this unknown Goodreads reviewer (me!) a little over a decade ago. It’s been a fun ride. I can’t wait to see what 2023 will bring.