Top 5 previously-read authors of 2025

Every year since discovering Elle Kennedy’s books (2021) I dig some more out of the backlist and squish them into my TBR. Via my Kindle Unlimited subscription. And every year I find another niche romance genre to love.

I freely admit we started in the university-sports genre, meandered into small town romance, and then went back to high school for angsty teens. This year I discovered military romances with the re-release of some earlier books in the newly packaged Out of Uniform series. So far I’ve read three of the four re-releases (in their shiny new covers) and I’m down with them.

Who knows where 2026 will take me, but honestly, it’s never not a good time, and there are SO MANY options!! I don’t know another author with such a long backlist!!

I freely admit that I only started down the Elsie Silver path late last year. In fact, I actually picked Flawless up in December 2024. So, very late in the game.

However, this year I have ticked off the remaining Chestnut Springs books, read all of Gold Rush Ranch, AND smashed through Rose Hill. For someone who never ever thought they’d have a cowboy era, I have wholeheartedly embraced that lifestyle. Except when my mum calls me to visit the farm. Then I run in the opposite direction. (I am 1000% not a farm girl IRL.)

I think Wild Side is my fave of the new books because apparently I’m a closet WWE fan (all hail Roman Reigns). Anyway, bring on Emerald Lake in 2026!

In 2025 India Holton gave me a story about magical birds. And I was delighted by it. Not the birds themselves. Some of them sounded truly horrifying. But the drama of seeing ankles, running in corsets, and *gasp* a kiss on the hand(!) made ALL of it worth every second.

Yes, despite still not quite finishing the Dangerous Damsels series, I did manage to start the Love Academic series with The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love. Of which I’ve read one book, and bought another. Progress!

And can I please give the biggest of shoutouts to the audio narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden. Because it only took me listening to her not quite say Ornithologist about 17 times before I realised it was deliberate. (God help my colleagues when I’m not having a smart day.)

Another author who’s backlist I am making headway with this year is, of course, Ali Hazelwood. This year I managed to get through three books plus a short story, so I’m hailing it a success.

Of course, Ali actually released four full-length novels, two short stories and an audio-only book of which I am unaware of the length, so obviously I’m still behind. But, you know, it hopefully means that if she ever has a dry-spell of writing, then I will still have books to consume.

Fingers crossed that never happens though.