My 2025 year in books is ready to share. These are my top read books in 2025 and by that I mean my five-star rated books of last year.
I have five books to share and four are romances and one is a psychological thriller.
Here they are in order of when they were read in 2025.
Top Rated Books of 2025
My first five star read of 2025 was Losing Sight by Tati Richardson. I received a digital advanced reader copy and I loved this. I can vouch that the audiobook is also good but I didn’t get experience 100% of the story via audio for technical reasons. Nevertheless from what I listened the narrators started off strong. I loved the advanced reader copy so much that I pre-ordered a physical copy which I intend to read (or re-read) very soon.
Losing Sight by Tati Richardson synopsis:
What if a mysterious pair of glasses helped you to see life—and love—clearly?
Sports reporter Tanika “Nikki” Ryan is at the top of her game until she isn’t. Squinting at the teleprompter and flubbing lines, she loses her coveted Thursday Night football spot to a younger, less qualified woman—and that’s only the start of her troubles. After her impaired sight leads to an accident nearly costing her life, Tanika finds herself in the office of handsome widowed optometrist Gideon Miles. There, mysterious circumstances lead Tanika to an enchanted pair of glasses, changing her world—and Gideon’s—forever. With help from her “boss chick village” and a bit of magic, Tanika finally learns to see the love that’s right in front of her eyes.
In this high-heat and hilarious rom-com that harkens to the golden age of Black romance, celebrated novelist Tati Richardson proves life is sweeter after age forty, and gives readers of all ages a reason to believe in second chances.
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This is a contemporary romance that I highly recommend featuring main characters that are over 40 years old. I have an advanced copy of book two in the series, Struck Speechless. I read Losing Sight in January 2025.
My next five star read came along in April when I read, Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan which is book three in the Skyland series. I adored the main character Hendrix.
Can’t Get Enough is about:
“Can’t Get Enough balances brutal emotion, whip-smart humor, and delicious spice. Moving, romantic, and thrumming with life, this is Ryan’s best work yet.” ―Talia Hibbert
Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry’s rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.
She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she’s facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent. Who has time for romance? From her experience, there’s a low ROI on relationships. Anyway, she hasn’t met the man who can keep up with her. Until…him.
Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer’s hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.
But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?
I enjoyed all three books in the Skyland series and I am really looking forward to the TV adaptation of the series.
The only historical romance to my top reads of 2025 was book three in the Le Veq family series, Captured by Beverly Jenkins.
Captured is:
A high-stakes historical romance from Beverly Jenkins, award-winning author of Night Song and Jewel, in which a stunning young slave and a roguish privateer share forbidden passion on the high seas.
Dominic LeVeq, the most notorious privateer ever to command the high seas, has just captured a coveted prize: a British frigate. On a dangerous mission against the Crown, Dominic should be thinking only of his ship’s safety. But the rebel captain is utterly entranced by Clare Sullivan, the stunning slave on board. Consumed by desire, desperate to have her, Dominic offers Clare her freedom in exchange for a forbidden night in his bed-a night he assures her will be most pleasureable indeed.
Clare believes that Dominic is nothing more than a seductive rogue used to getting what he wants. But she too feels a tantalizing passion between them, and so she submits to just one night of bliss. She’ll soon realize that Dominic has captured more than her body. He’s captured her heart . . . and she doesn’t want him to ever let go.
If you have been around for a while you may know how much I enjoyed the Le Veq series by Beverly Jenkins. I read Captured in May.
Then months went by and I was in the worst reading slump since the pandemic but in November I received an advanced digital copy of How Can I Resist You? by Jeevani Charika and I loved it.
Vidya isn’t in Waterloo Bay for a holiday. Officially, she’s visiting the beautiful, quirky seaside town for work – but unofficially, she’s on a mission. One of her colleagues hooked up with her sister at a party, and as the sensible one in the family, it’s her job to find out who.
But there’s a catch: all she has to go on is a vague description of a shoulder tattoo.
Vidya has just two weeks to glimpse her colleagues shirtless without getting fired, but crazy hotel guests, malicious seagulls and her pesky day job keep getting in the way.
And then there’s Leo, the most frustrating, patronising, handsome man she’s ever met…
I have read four Jevaani Charika books so far and I enjoyed each one.
Then lastly at Christmas I read, The Night Before Christmas by Maria Frankland and I was blown away by this psychological thriller. And it made me miss my former book club because I felt like the group would really like this one too.
Here is the overview:
It was all happy families. Until she arrived…
As the car pulls up to my husband Dominic’s family home the night before Christmas, I suppress a shudder. I’ve never felt welcome here. His parents make it clear I’m a poor comparison to his perfect first wife, Carla. But I’m determined to lean into the festive cheer.
Until Dominic’s mother bustles into our bedroom and blindsides me: ‘You won’t mind, will you. Carla is coming for the holidays. She’s still one of the family, and she can’t get home because of the storm.’ My eyes widen – did she and Carla plan this on purpose? I know Dominic won’t stand up to his parents. Apart from marrying me, I guess – with my past, I wasn’t exactly what his family wanted. But then I see the smallest hint of satisfaction cross his face. Did he know about this too?
When Carla arrives, arms laden with presents, her beautiful smile doesn’t fool me. And with the howling snowstorm promising days of ice-white isolation, we’re stuck here. And it’s quickly clear that not only does she want Dominic back, she wants me gone. Forever…
But while we sip mulled wine and unwrap our gifts, carols merrily playing in the background, I hide a secret smile. None of them know that I’m far, far tougher than they give me credit for. I’ve survived before. And if I have to, I would kill to survive again, even if it is Christmas…
This tense, twisted and utterly gripping festive psychological thriller is filled with deadly family secrets hiding in plain sight. Perfect for fans of Daniel Hurst, The Housemaid and Lisa Jewell.
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Those are my top five books of 2025.
What was your favourite book that you read in 2025?
The book blurbs or summaries were copied from Goodreads
