Books of the Month March 2023

With a third of the year already in the rearview mirror, March has been a time for many to reflect on what they’ve accomplished so far in 2023 and what still lies ahead. However, for book lovers, it has also been a month of great stories, fantastic worlds, and compelling characters. So here are the best books of the Month for March 2023 as chosen by our readers. 

 

Best Romance

Tease Me

by Tara Wyatt

Tease Me is a prequel to the Kings of Hell’s Kitchen series by Tara Whyatt, making it a great book for fans as well as new readers. The story centers around Killian, a man who narrowly escaped from the Charlestown Gang in Boston that kills both his father and brother. Killian ends up working for a man named Lucian Prescott in New York, where he meets and falls in love with a woman named Whitney Vanek. However, she’s his boss’s girl’s best friend, and despite his feelings, Killian believes he is not good enough for her due to the terrible things he’s done in his past. However, he vows to watch over her and be the ugly that makes anything that tries to hurt her bleed. 

 

Best Action & Adventure

Xtreme Behavior

by Em Petrova

Xtreme Behavior is the third book in the Xtreme Ops series by Em Petrova. The story sees Special Operative Alix Broshears having to team up with K-9 handler Vivian Valentine to stop a man responsible for a string of deaths. Unfortunately, things are a little strained between Alix and Vivian after a steamy encounter in a closet that they refuse to discuss. However, when Vivian’s life is in danger, Alix is determined to rescue her and inflict his wrath on their enemies. 

 

Best Mystery & Thriller

Fake It To The Limit

by Mary Frame

Fake it to the Limit by Mary Frame is the first book in the Castle Cove Mystery Series. It is set in the small town of Castle Cove, where the local authorities ask Ruby Simpson to assist with finding a thief. Unfortunately, the person who the police believes is the psychic Ruby Simpson is actually a woman named Charlotte who is trying to lay low with her younger sister. As a reformed con artist, the last thing Charlotte wants to do is get involved with the police, but the unusual circumstances leave her with little choice. 

 

Best Biography

A Tooth in My Popsicle

by David Haldane

A Tooth in My Popsicle is the work of award-winning journalist David Haldane who left America behind for a life on the Phillippine island of Mindanao, where his Filippino wife, Ivy, grew up. David and his wife had to endure everything from bridging huge cultural gaps to navigating COVID in a foreign land and even childbirth during a lockdown. The book was originally published as a weekly column for Mindanao’s leading newspaper and contains a comprehensive look at what adapting to life in a strange new place is like. 

 

Best Children’s Book

Jack’s Farm Adventure

By J.P Anthony Williams

Jack’s Farm Adventure by J.P Anthony Williams is a fascinating story for kids ages 4-6. It is filled with stunning illustrations and teaches children about the values of friendship and teamwork. The story features students who take a field trip to the countryside to visit a farm, and the vivid illustrations perfectly capture every moment. In addition, the writing is easy to follow and explains important topics in a manner understandable for younger children. 

 

Best Young Adult

Wolf Songs of Sky and Sea

by Teng Rong

Wolf Songs of Sky and Sea by Teng Rong is the second of three novelettes that follows the events of the original novel, Brilliant White Peaks. The story centers around the daughter of Notch-Tail and the protagonist from the original book as she leaves home in search of her older sister, Bluetail. She ends up befriending a playful raven and another wolf who knew her sister before exploring the mainland with them. 

 

Best Fantasy

Must Love Ghosts: Coffee and Ghosts 1

by Charity Tahmaseb

Katy, the protagonist of Must Love Ghosts by Charity Tahmaseb, used to be a ghost hunter along with her grandmother. However, her life changes after her grandmother’s death, and a rival ghost hunter moves to her town. She also has a lot of distractions to deal with, ranging from the charismatic ghost whisperer to her new partner and even a short stint behind bars. In addition, there might be something dark and sinister that has a long-held vendetta against Katy lurking in the shadows.

 

Best Historical Fiction

The Girl From San-Daniele

by IIan Bahar

The Girl from San-Daniele is a World War 2 historical novel by Ilan Bahar that was inspired by the true story of a Holocaust survivor. In 1938, during Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy, Simone, and Rebecca Schmidt disguised themselves as Christian refugees and fled to the remote village of San-Daniele. They hope to keep their four daughters, especially the youngest one, Liliana, safe from the oppression of war. Years later, Liliana promises to grant her mother’s dying wishes, which are to bury her in the Jewish cemetery after the war ends and to hold on to her Jewish faith at all costs. 

 

Best Literary Fiction

Buying Time

by Paula Kay

Buying Time is the first book in the Legacy Series by Paula Kay. Arianna Sinclair has led a privileged life of private schools, fancy country clubs, and other luxuries. Her parents had given her everything, but at age twenty-two, tragedy struck, and she finds herself without their support for the first time ever. All Arianna wants to do is escape and take the trip of a lifetime to get her mind off the hardship. However, her life changes once more when her trip becomes an emotional journey with friends. 

 

Best Science Fiction

Day of the Devourer

by D. F. Pieper

Day of the Devourer is the first book in the Devourer Chronicles series by D. F. Pieper. The story sees an unlikely group consisting of a disgraced former galactic agent, a regulation-obsessed weapons specialist, and an unpredictably clairvoyant antique dealer trying to save the day. After landing in prison on a remote third-world planet, Rej Antares has little choice except to accept a mission involving a merciless alien race and their plans to deploy a mysterious weapon. In return for his freedom, Rej is tasked with finding out what the weapon is and how to stop it from being used to eradicate an entire colony of humans. The only catch is that he only has three days to complete his mission. 

 

Best Paranormal

Wolf’s Blood

by Laura Taylor

Wolf’s Blood is the first book in the House of Sirius series by Laura Taylor. Dee and Laura are from entirely different worlds but find themselves thrown together by fate. Dee is kidnapped and held prisoner in a sinister lab, where Mark rescues her. However, she is shocked to discover that not only is Mark a wolf shifter, but that she is one too. She also learns that the twisted scientists who kidnapped her were Noturattii, the wolf-shifters’ most dangerous enemy. However, while Mark is eager to help her adjust to her new life, Dee wants to escape from the shifters and return to her quiet, peaceful life. 

 

Best Non-Fiction

If Love is a Blessing, Why Do I Feel Cursed

by Jess McCann

If Love Is a Blessing, Why Do I Feel Cursed by Jess McCann is a book about overcoming the sabotaging habits you never knew you had regarding relationships. The author shines a light on the five primary binge-thinking habits people who believe themselves to be unlucky in love tend to have. She also explains how to identify your own specific mind habits and provides steps on how to create new ones that can transform your love life.