Jae's Blog, page 10
September 7, 2023
Sapphic boss/employee romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #18)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic boss/employee romance novels.
One of the main characters falls in love with her boss, which means it’s also usually a workplace romance. This trope is also known as “hot for boss.”
15 sapphic boss/employee romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic boss/employee romance novels:
Under a Falling Star by Jae
Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn’t off to a good start. Her first assignment—decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby—results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company’s second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper.
Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She’s determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss.
Available at:
If I Don’t Ask by E.J. Noyes
Rebecca Keane has it all figured out. With a successful career as an Army surgeon and a fresh promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, she loves her life leading a surgical team. Even if that life means she’s spent years hiding her sexuality and ignoring her desires under the Army’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Then Captain Sabine Fleischer’s arrival sets off an attraction that cracks Rebecca’s carefully cultivated armor and brings about fresh complications.
As Sabine’s direct commanding officer, Rebecca knows she cannot act on her attraction, but that knowledge does nothing to squash her desires. Unable to keep her thoughts about the alluring other woman under control, Rebecca resigns herself to years of censoring her thoughts and feelings until Sabine’s time in the Army is done. She’s spent decades suppressing parts of herself for her job, so what’s a few more years?
But as Rebecca and Sabine work closely together on Army bases in Afghanistan and the States, the undeniable sparks between them begin to ignite. And despite Rebecca’s constant self-censure, her denials and her knowledge of every obstacle standing between them, her resolve crumbles with each passing day. But when the consequences of your love run deeper than just breaking one of the unbreakable rules of the military, you risk losing more than just your heart.
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Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It’s a tough job, but her ice queen boss won’t settle for less than perfection.
Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That’s what she tells herself, anyway.
When the unthinkable happens, Vivian’s regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!
This single, shocking moment throws boss and assistant together into an intimacy neither could have imagined. With their lives in chaos, every day brings a new challenge bigger than the last. But everything will work out…just so long as they don’t do anything totally ridiculous.
Like fall in love.
Available at:
Something’s Different by Quinn Ivins
Unemployed academic Caitlyn Taylor comes home to family drama. Her carefree twin Chloe plans to ditch her job to visit a guy she met online. Caitlyn steps in to impersonate Chloe so she won’t get fired for skipping town. Unfortunately, this means answering phones for an icy, dismissive boss.
Busy college president Ruth Holloway never paid much attention to her mediocre assistant. Suddenly, “Chloe” demonstrates insight into faculty politics and a baffling talent for analytics. And since when has she been so attractive?
Caitlyn dreams of getting closer to her sister’s boss but how can she? Everything they’ve shared has been based on a lie.
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New Ink on Life by Jennie Davids
Leaving a dependable job to apprentice as a tattoo artist was a drastic step after surviving breast cancer, but Cassie Whiteaker is nearly five years cancer-free. Nearly. She’s not ready to go out on her own until she clears that all-important hurdle. Also off-limits are relationships and sex—something Cassie is sure she’ll never want again.
Struggling tattoo shop owner MJ Flores doesn’t give a damn what people think, but losing Thorn & Thistle would mean losing everything. When her former mentor’s protégé arrives at her door, MJ hires her out of obligation…at first. Cross-stitching goody-goodies are not her type, but Cassie’s business background might just get the shop back on solid footing. They strike a bargain: Cassie will enact new marketing plans and MJ will teach her to find her inner bitch.
Only when clients request to see Cassie—having learned of the beautiful, compassionate tattoos she creates for survivors and their families—does MJ realize all Cassie has endured. And as Cassie’s fears fade, she finds it harder to keep her admiration for her bad-girl boss from reawakening all she’d feared was lost.
Available at:
The Headmistress by Milena McKay
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night.
And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it’s with a roar and not a whimper.
Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything.
Can she and the Home of Dragons withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all crumble?
Not everything is as it seems, and as she slowly unravels the mysteries behind the centuries-old walls, Sam realizes that home is much more than oak and stone.
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Being Hers by Anna Stone
Melanie has spent her entire life working her way up in the world. By day, she studies at law school, and by night, she serves drinks at an exclusive club to afford her tuition. But she will never admit her true desire—to escape from her fast-paced, high-pressure life, if only for a moment.
When she meets Vanessa, a glamorous executive and a regular at the club, she is drawn to the enigmatic raven-haired woman. Vanessa is relentless in pursuing what she wants—and what she wants is Melanie. Soon, Melanie is caught up in Vanessa’s sensual games of submission.
Melanie insists that their affair remain purely physical. But as her limits are tested, so is the line between lust and love. When ghosts from the past reappear, both women must face their deepest fears. Can Melanie surrender her everything to Vanessa, or will old wounds prove too deep?
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Whispering Oaks by Stephanie Shea
Nothing ever happens in Whispering Oaks.
The air is clean; uncorrupted by a tawdry downtown. Birds twitter. Crime is nigh non-existent. It’s the picture-perfect suburb with all the effects of classy restaurants and diverse nightlife. Not to mention block parties marked by face-forward flattery and back-biting.
Cassidy Linden hates it. Rather, the false mystique of it all disturbs her.
Nothing ever happens in Whispering Oaks.
So, when Cassidy’s younger sister vanishes one night, it’s not just surprising, it’s unfathomable—the only trace of her disappearance a trail of red petals and her cell phone left in the grass of her backyard.
No witnesses.
No suspects.
A police department who claim to be doing everything they can, and the poorly-timed return of a family friend.
When a one-night stand with the charming, enigmatic Ashlyn Castille reveals an unforeseen connection, Ashlyn and Cassidy realize they have more in common than either expected.
But one thing is certain, seventeen-year-old girls don’t just disappear. Someone must have taken her. Can Cassidy prove it in time to bring her little sister home? Or is she a fated anomaly?
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The Bartender’s Pride by TJ Dallas
Lara’s world is turned upside down when her boyfriend cheats on her with her best friend and she’s forced to move to a new city. Desperate for money, she lands a job in an LGBT nightclub, but her racing heart and inappropriate thoughts about the club’s owner, Harry, must have everything to do with the stress she’s under. She’s not gay.
There’s something about Harry. She’s stunning, cocky, and looks far too good in a shirt and tie, ignoring the fact she’s telepathic and can read Lara’s emotions like a book. Harry is one of seven managers at the Cardinal, and she has a set of skills that can help Lara, but she has to manage her own feelings about three of the other managers in the meantime—Lust, Gluttony, and Envy.
When things go downhill for Lara, can Harry ultimately make her proud of who she is without admitting their deadly secret? Or will Lara’s shame, depression, and her homophobic parents, lead her down a path of destruction?
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Face the Music by Aimée
England, 2011. Phyllida Reynart has come back from Afghanistan wounded and bitter, having lost both her army career and the love of her life. Through a friend, she gets an audition for the local orchestra, directed by Trishia Knight, a woman who has fought hard to get where she is. Both women are strong-willed, and serious about their work – both women struggle to keep their lives together and neither of them is looking for love. However, it is usually to be found in the most unexpected places.
Available at:
Tropical Storm by Melissa Good
Dar Roberts, corporate raider for a multi-national tech company, is cold, practical, and merciless. She does her job with razor-sharp accuracy. Friends are a luxury she cannot allow herself, and love is something she knows she’ll never attain.
Kerry Stuart left Michigan for Florida in an attempt to get away from her domineering politician father and the constraints of the overly conservative life her family forced upon her. After college she worked her way into supervision at a small tech company, only to have it taken over by Dar Roberts’ organization.
Her association with Dar begins in disbelief, hatred, and disappointment, but when Dar unexpectedly hires Kerry as her work assistant, the dynamics of their relationship change. Over time, a bond begins to form.
But can Dar overcome years of habit and conditioning to open herself up to the uncertainty of love? And will Kerry escape from the clutches of her powerful father in order to live a better life? The answer to both questions is no – unless these two women can strengthen and cement the tenuous bond that forms between them. First they must face storms that neither expects . . . and live to tell the tale.
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The Block Party by Nicole Pyland
Talon Mitchell had gotten a job right out of college, had her own coffee mug at the office that no one else could use, and planned to keep her job as sales manager for a long time because she had practically grown up working for this company. She was content and not looking for anything when a new sales director showed up and changed everything.
Emerson Bagley just got a new job, and while she felt ready for the next step, when she sees someone she recognizes from a holiday party working on the same team, she can’t believe her luck, both good and bad. Good, because Talon Mitchell was very attractive, very smart, and seemingly, very interested in Emerson, too. Bad, because she couldn’t date someone who worked for her, especially in her brand-new job.
Feeling the simmering heat begin to boil over, the two women decide to at least take one step and deal with the rest later. When neither of them had been prepared to seek out love, they managed to find it where they least expected it.
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If It’s Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen
Dr. Alexandra Edison lives a life that many would be envious of. A beautiful world-famous fiancée, more money than she could spend, and a career that she loved. To honor her grandfather’s wishes, she moved from L.A. to Seattle to take over one of her family’s hospitals. When her perfect life fell apart, the last person she expected to be there to help her pick up the pieces was Dr. Blake Westmore. The woman who was cold and indifferent towards her since the day they met. But one touch from Blake made Alexandra question everything she knew about her life. In the end, life forced her to make choices that could end up costing her more than she bargained for.
Dr. Blake Westmore thought she had all she needed. A career that she loved and her fill of women with no commitments as she did not do relationships. When her very engaged new boss arrived on the scene, the last thing Blake wanted was to be attracted to her. Despite doing everything in her power to stay away from Alexandra, when her world fell apart, Blake could not stay away. When she got her first taste of Alexandra, she knew there was no going back. Always in control of her emotions, Blake felt anything but in control around Alexandra. Consumed with lust and possessiveness, she just had to have her. Consequences be damned.
One night of passion turned into a week of romance in Paris. A week of romance in Paris turned into a love affair filled with passion that will change both women forever. Circumstances beyond their control forced Alexandra to choose between her past and her present and Blake thought she had no choice but to let her go. In the end, life made choices for them and maybe it was just not meant to be, or was it?
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Cursed by Edie Marr
When Kat Kerrigan is dumped and fired by her ice queen boss in one text, she does the sensible thing. She puts out the call on the group chat and drowns her sorrows with her friends — but things get weird, later that night when she drunkenly stumbles on a mysterious woman who might be a witch and that witch offers her the power to curse someone.
Kat doesn’t believe in curses, but a few months later her ex Stella Steel is suffering a terrible run of bad luck and Kat is still not over the love of her life.
Did Kat curse her glamorous ex? Or is there a simpler explanation?
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Perks of Office by Liz Rain
After high-powered politician Bridget O’Keefe sweeps into the uninspiring life of Australian electorate officer Emma Ives, nothing is the same again.
Hapless, hopeless Emma is smacked with an instant crush on the polished woman who’s her new boss…her hot, untouchable, straight boss. Yes, she knows she’s an idiot because unrequited lust at work is a terrible idea. Even so, she can dream.
One long night changes everything. A political scandal leads to a fall from grace and Emma suddenly finds herself the one Bridget turns to for comfort. There’s a lot for Emma to wrap her mind around, even as her body loves wrapping itself around Bridget’s curves.
Is it just a meaningless night of passion, nothing more? Because there’s absolutely no way ambitious, beautiful Bridget wants anything more from Emma. Is there?
Available at:
Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the sapphic boss/employee romance novels category!
The post Sapphic boss/employee romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #18) appeared first on Jae.
August 24, 2023
Sapphic coffee shop romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #17)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features coffee shop romance novels. One of the main characters either works in a coffee shop or spends significant time in one throughout the book.
15 sapphic coffee shop romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic coffee shop romances:
Just for Show by Jae
What happens when an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies and an impulsive, out-of-work actress start a fake relationship?
Claire Renshaw thought she had it all: a successful career as a couples therapist, a publishing contract for her self-help book, and a happy relationship. But her perfect world falls apart when her fiancée calls off their engagement. Because of that, even her book deal might be off the table. After all, readers don’t want relationship advice from someone who can’t even make her own relationship work.
So Claire sets out to hire herself a fake fiancée.
Lana Henderson, the actress who shows up to audition for the role, is not exactly Claire’s ideal woman. Her frankness and the messes she leaves everywhere drive Claire up the wall. At least she won’t fall in love with someone like Lana.
But soon, Lana starts to win her over with her big heart, tickle fights, and—gasp!—carbs after six. The longer they pretend to be a love-struck couple, the less fake their kisses feel and the more the lines between reality and role begin to blur.
Once the book contract is signed, will they walk away or is their relationship no longer just for show?
Available at:
Ransom to Love: A Sapphic Romance with Cat-itude by Chloe Keto
Teri Simlake is a computer scientist drawn to the dark side of freelance hacking in order to keep a roof over her head and cat food on the table. She has a soft spot for cute cat ears and Number One, her grey British Shorthair, plays that to his advantage.
Sophie Keegan hates hackers with a passion. They make everything in life difficult, as if having her friends constantly pressuring her to date wasn’t hard enough.
Will a chance encounter bring Number One’s catnip empire to it’s knees? Will a story of insecurity, gender identity and confrontation become an unconventional tale of love and peace with oneself?
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Cafe A’Moor by Elle Armstrong
There’s an instant connection when Max and Lauren’s eyes meet across a crowded café. But their attempts to get to know each other, are constantly thwarted by either Max’s mysterious alarm or Lauren’s frenemies, who Max nicknames the three witches.
As the witches stir up a storm, Lauren tries desperately to escape the spell binding her to them. Meanwhile Max is left wondering if her and Lauren are meant to be, or destined to be fated lovers.
A visit from an ex, kickstarts a chain reaction, leading to drama on the moors, that will have far reaching repercussions. Will Max and Lauren get to be each other’s amours, or will outside sources combine with the witches, to spoil everything?
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Coffee Breaks by Eva Reddy
‘Coffee Breaks’ is a fresh-brewed blend of Lesbian Erotica.
A book full of tips, twists and titters for lesbians to enjoy. From strap-ons to home-waxing, often with hilarious undertones – and sometimes – an unexpected surprise.
On offer here, is a tantalizingly funny and yet thought provoking selection of well-written stories; all having lesbian erotica as their underlying theme.
Available at:
Love In Action by Frankie Duncan
When Hollywood comes to Scotland, for the filming of a new epic tale of highland romance, the boundaries between reality and fairytale become blurred. It takes a brave heart to keep believing and this romantic comedy challenges you to find out if you too would be brave enough to trust your own heart.
Kat is a force of nature; a free spirited woman who knows how to have fun and never wants to be tied down. Kat, loves life, women, gin and sex although not always in that order. Jennifer Michaels is an oscar winning American actress, often described as “one of the best actresses of her generation.” At 53, she had led a full career but little is known about her personal life although that has never stopped the rumour factory. When Jen arrives in the small village, Kat is handed an opportunity, to which she cannot say no. A simple “yes” sets in motion a series of events with an outcome, neither expected.
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Everybody Needs a Hero by KC Luck
The daughter of an actress superstar, Ashley Landish wants nothing more than to simply run her popular coffee shop on the Venice Beach boardwalk and enjoy the sun and beaches of beautiful southern California. There is only one thing missing in her life—someone special to take her breath away.
Marine Corporal Bryce Cooper is home on leave after taking care of her father in his last days. Although the Marine Corps is calling, she has a new outlook on life, leaving one last box to check—to tell the woman she knew in college, Ashley Landish, that she loves her.
Award-winning author Drew Andersen’s mission in life is to spread the message of her novel to the world by having it made into a movie. Everything is going perfectly until a last-minute switch gives the lead actress role to Hollywood diva Tess Landish. She’s ready to do whatever she can to have her kicked off the movie—until the chemistry between them sends Drew into a tailspin.
Forty-eight-year-old Tess Landish realizes her illustrious career as an A-list celebrity is starting to fade. When the opportunity comes to take the romantic lead in a film based on a popular novel, she jumps at it only to learn the author of the book doesn’t want her for the role. Tess is determined to change her mind—especially after they meet and sparks fly.
When a powerful earthquake rocks Los Angeles, the four women must find a way to not only work together to save themselves but also to protect their hearts.
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Duo Act: A Sapphic Enemies-to-Lovers Sports Romance by Lainee Ash
Sofia has waited her entire life to get to perform in a real circus show. Better yet, she’ll get to create two acts! The only catch? One performance is a duo act.
And her partner is a nightmare.
The blue-haired, tattooed, pierced Phoenix dismisses Sofia the second they meet. What did Sofia do to deserve the cold shoulder? It doesn’t help that Phoenix is … very freaking hot.
The other catch? Phoenix is non-binary, and ever since him, Sofia has promised herself only women. Dealing with the heat between them while trying to perform a high-level aerial silks act might prove more than either Sofia or Phoenix can manage. Maybe it’s best to just kiss and get over it…
Available at:
The Flaw in Our Design by Monica McCallan
Olivia Carver’s life in Lake Cabot, New York is simple. That’s how she likes it, even if she can’t stop the town she loves from being overrun by wealthy tourists each summer. When she’s not working at her family’s paddleboard shop or spending time with her lovable but infuriating brothers, she puts her energy into writing professionally, a dream that has yet to materialize. Valerie Maycomb used to summer in Lake Cabot with her family when she was younger, until school and planning for her future became the driving forces in her existence. For the first time in years, following her college graduation, she’s spending a few months in the small, lakeside town she loved as a child. All she wants is a little time to decompress before law school in the fall and maybe even strike up the courage to talk to a woman. A chance meeting at the lake opens up the possibility of a summer romance, with the explicit understanding that it can’t become something more. Olivia’s not built for falling in love, and Val needs to keep her eye on the prize of a successful career. But neither of them can deny the attraction, and summer quickly takes on a life of its own.
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The Rules of Forever by Nan Campbell
Public school teacher Cara Talarico is determined to pay off her student loans by the time she turns thirty-five and has sworn off everything fun to make it happen—including dating. Attending her high school reunion definitely ranks in the not-fun category. The last thing she expects is to reconnect with Lauren Havemayer, her unrequited crush from ten years ago.
Having just returned from Europe, Lauren barely remembers Cara from their school days but can’t deny the sparks flying between them now. It’s too bad Lauren is abstaining from romance—love has caused her nothing but pain and she doesn’t trust herself or anyone else.
They embark on a cautious friendship with benefits—no feelings allowed. But with their chemistry off the charts no matter how much they try to fight it, feelings are being felt. They both agreed to the rules at the start, but keeping them is more complicated than it seems.
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She’ll Steal Your Heart by Rachel Lacey
Last year, Lauren Booker fled New York with a warrant out for her arrest. Now she’s back and ready to make amends for her crime. She wants to rebuild her life, and Brooklyn is home. There’s not much waiting for her here now, though, nothing except an online friend who’s brought her so much joy during one of the hardest years of her life. When they finally meet in person, Lauren’s unprepared for her attraction to Mia, but she’s even less prepared to discover that Mia has an unexpected connection to her crime, putting Lauren’s plans in jeopardy.
Mia Solano has also had a difficult year. Recently divorced, she walked away from her legal career after a health scare caused her to reexamine her priorities. Now Mia owns a cat café, and she’s struggling to adjust to a slower pace of life. She finds an unlikely friend in Lauren, but Lauren’s legal troubles force Mia to revisit a part of her life she’s trying to leave behind. She can’t explain why she’s so drawn to Lauren. They shouldn’t have much in common, and yet, they just seem to click.
As the connection between them strengthens, Lauren and Mia wrestle with growing feelings, but neither wants to risk their friendship by crossing that line. With Lauren’s court date looming ever closer, they might lose everything, including each other.
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Christmas, Pursued by a Bear by Ryann Fletcher
Andie is on the hunt for the perfect photograph. She’s broke, her career is stalled, and her friends keep ghosting her. Winning the Christmas wildlife photography competition is her only chance to change her life – but stumbling into a bear in the woods might end up changing more than she bargained for. Cat has a secret. A big, furry secret. She’s working sixty hours a week to keep her sister and the rest of her found family safe, when the terrible news arrives in the morning paper. Syndicorp, the huge multi-national company, is about to tear down half of their local wildlife reserve! To make matters worse, poachers find a cub in the woods, and Cat barely manages to save it. With the bulldozers waiting to rip apart the forest they both love, sparks fly between the two women. But will Andie discover Cat’s secret, putting them all into even more danger?
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Nothing But A Fling by Sabrina Kane
Vanessa Murray owns La Vida Mocha, the hip new coffeeshop in Carlsbad, California. But after the Covid pandemic hit, business is practically non-existent.
Megan Baldwin started the year having her heart shattered by her girlfriend but now she has just gotten an exciting new job promotion which will force her to leave Carlsbad and move to New York City.
But one day, Megan walks into La Vida Mocha and lays eyes on the gorgeous barista behind the counter.
Their attraction to each other is out of this world.
But with Megan leaving California soon for her dream job in New York, and Vanessa needing to focus solely on making sure her coffeeshop survives Covid, both women only want a harmless, no-strings-attached summer fling. Just a bit of fun.
But what happens when a meaningless fling develops into so much more for each of these women?
Does the other woman feel the same way?
Or is this truly nothing but a fling?
Available at:
Get It Right by Skye Kilaen
Finn is finally out of prison, which is great. Having no job, no car, and no place to sleep except her cousin’s couch? Not so great.
Plus, her felony theft conviction isn’t doing wonders for her employment prospects, so she can’t afford her migraine meds without the public clinic. The last thing she ever expected was for the gal who stole her heart to come walking down that clinic’s hallway: Vivi, the manicure-loving nurse who spent two years fighting the prison system to get proper medical care for her patients, including Finn.
Finn could never believe she imagined the attraction and affection between them. But acting on that in prison, especially as nurse and patient, had been a serious No Way. She’s had eight months to get over Vivi, who abruptly left her job without saying goodbye. Finn is over it. Honest! It’s totally and completely fine.
Except Vivi, here and now, doesn’t seem fine. And Finn couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t try to help.
Is fate offering Finn a second chance? Or is finding love as likely as finding a job with health insurance?
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Song of Serenity by Brey Willows
Being a muse in the twenty-first century is a lot harder than it was in Ancient Greece.
Life was simple when Calliope Ardalides, firstborn of the nine Muses, only had to concentrate on music and justice. But now she’s arbitrating between arguing gods, answering complaints from cantankerous humans irked by how their prayers are being answered, and keeping her eight sisters in line. When it’s time for her annual break from Afterlife, Inc, she goes to the one place she can count on to keep her sane: the Temple of the Muses in the quiet countryside of Scotland.
But Jordan James shows up with her contractors, builders, and noisy equipment. Her adventure park will take up most of the idyllic region, turning the serenity Calliope treasures into a haven for adrenaline junkies.
Jordan is resistant to Calliope’s powers of persuasion, but Calliope’s beauty remains a potent force. Stubbornly, Jordan vows to take on even the most beautiful immortal to make her dream come true, especially if it means spending more time with her.
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Enchanted Autumn by Ursula Klein
When Dr. Elizabeth Cowrie shows up in Salem, Massachusetts, to study the witch trials, Hazel and her best friend, Roxy, are both instantly attracted to the workaholic professor. Roxy snags a date with Elizabeth first, but when their chemistry fizzles out, Hazel sees an opportunity to pursue Elizabeth herself—until she realizes Elizabeth is avowedly anti-magic.
That’s definitely a problem since Hazel is a bona fide witch: rides a broom, has a black cat, brews love potions, lives in a haunted house, and has a vampire ex-girlfriend. Roxy is the only person who knows the truth, and Hazel has gotten used to hiding who she is, but she can’t live a lie with the person she loves most. Can Hazel give up magic to make it work with Elizabeth? Or will she give up on the love of her life instead?
Available at:
Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the sapphic coffee shop romance category!
The post Sapphic coffee shop romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #17) appeared first on Jae.
August 17, 2023
Sapphic book with a Person of Color on the cover (Book Unicorn #8)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo features sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover.
Not only are People of Color still underrepresented in sapphic fiction, it’s still relatively rare to find People of Color represented on covers, even in books featuring Characters of Color.
For examples of whitewashing covers in publishing, check out this blog post by The Book Smugglers.
15 sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover:
Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde
Chance has been in love only once, but it wasn’t with the girlfriend she stayed with for far too long. The same girlfriend who dropped Chance when she became too inconvenient. Or maybe just boring.
To bury her disappointment, Chance tries to return to the woman she loved back when she was too afraid to be herself. A stud attracted to other studs.
Instead of her old love, though, Chance finds Garett: a new and persistent admirer with the kind of swagger that leaves Chance weak in the knees. Garett is hot and very popular with her half a million followers on social media. She’s also a lot younger than Chance is used to. Not to mention there’s something familiar about her, something dangerous, that Chance can’t quite put her finger on.
Available at:
The Honeymoon Mix-Up by Frankie Fyre
When her fiancée leaves her at the altar, Basil Jones’s picture perfect life turns upside down, but nothing can stop her from enjoying her honeymoon—not even the luxurious island resort’s strict “couples only” policy. Basil’s vacation and her six-figure wine deal with the resort’s owners are riding on her finding a fake wife ASAP, and her sights are soon set on tall, dark, and gorgeous Caroline.
If only she knew Caroline had eyes on her first…
Caroline King never stays in one place—or in a woman’s bed—for too long. After risking her career in the past, the emotionally detached private investigator created two rules: always finish a job and never mix business with pleasure.
But when she gets roped into a false marriage with her breathtakingly beautiful target, she finds herself teetering the line of not just one but both rules.
Basil always gets what she wants—but Caroline’s professional reputation is on the line.
As Basil and Caroline’s attraction blazes like the island sun, both women struggle to fight delicious temptation while protecting their secrets—as well as their hearts—on the most romantic honeymoon island in the world.
Available at:
Changing Spaces by Karmen Lee
Star has spent the past five years making Clover Hill’s Anisse & Clover Diner her home away from home. She’s turned her job there into a fulfilling career and has never felt more content. If her dating life is a little lackluster, well, that’s just how it’ll have to be. But when ownership of the diner changes hands from mother to daughter, Star finds herself scrambling to keep up…and to keep far away from the attractive woman who’s now at the helm.
Anisse moved back home to reconnect with her roots after too many years in the city, and she’s excited to bring the diner her family founded into the current decade. Unfortunately, she might have more to worry about than just reinventing the recipes she grew up with. Star, the gorgeous manager whose cooperation she needs to make the refreshed Anisse & Clover a success, hardly gives her the time of day.
But once Star and Anisse are pushed into sitting down together, their mutual attraction is undeniable. Going from coworkers to dating would be tricky, but neither of them wants to walk away from what might be the relationship they’ve always wanted.
Can these two women navigate their burgeoning connection, or will too many changes too fast leave both of them singed beyond repair?
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An Outsider Inside by RJ Samuel
For Irish-Indian lesbian activist, JAYA DILLON, an outsider who craves belonging over all else, survival depends on hiding the truth of who she is and who she loves – from herself. In the heated run-up to Ireland’s referendum on same-sex marriage, she finds herself trapped between the “Yes” and “No” sides. And Jaya’s got a boulder on her shoulder about bisexual women and being brown in Ireland. While clearing out an Indian couple’s rental house in Galway, she discovers a manuscript, written by the wife, Lana, who disappeared in worrying circumstances. When Jaya travels to France, she comes closer to the characters in Lana’s unfinished novel than she ever imagined possible. And she is shoved back into contact with her ex- fiancée, Chloe, who is planning her own wedding. To a man. Jaya is drawn into a fictional world that may be truer than reality. As she fights to uncover the truth, everything she thought she knew about her politics and her place in the world turns on its head as she falls for the elusive Lana, is attracted to the charming, gay French-Algerian Ishmael and his beautiful sister Isabella, and confronts her unresolved feelings and dread over the choices Chloe is making. Can she find Lana and the truth in time to save Chloe … without losing herself?
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Take Two by Stephanie Shea
Being in love is Whitney Dimaano’s favorite past time. Though lately, she can’t seem to get it right. She’s tried—she is trying—but it just hasn’t…clicked, and maybe her time would be better spent focusing on all the things that are actually good in her life. The gym she all but built with her own two hands, the new-found bond with her brother and sister, her friends… Anything but chasing the ghost of how it felt with the woman who left her behind.
Award-winning documentarian Andy Vahn dreamed of being an extraordinary filmmaker. Her recipe for success is a fusion of meticulous planning, diligence, and never letting anything stand in her way. Not even love. When a trip to convince a misanthropic celebrity chef to appear in her docuseries leads her home, Andy knows it won’t be easy. Least of all because she hasn’t been back in six years. Hasn’t seen Whitney in six years. Still, it’s true what they say. You never forget your first.
Maybe Andy’s return is the closure Whitney needs. But what if all it does is reaffirm Andy’s deepest fear?
She should never have left.
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Errant, Volume One by L. K. Fleet
Aspen Silverglade used to be a force for good, but now she’s just a sword for hire. On the run from the people she once trusted most, she needs to keep her head down and keep moving.
But old habits are hard to quit. One night in a tavern, Aspen tries to save a woman from some unwanted attention. The woman, Charm Linville, is in the middle of a subtle and delicate act of thievery, and she does not appreciate Aspen blundering in.
The disastrous and public rescue-gone-wrong makes the townspeople think Aspen and Charm are a couple. This mistake sets Aspen’s bloodthirsty betrayers on Charm’s trail, tying the two of them together.
Even if Aspen can’t run from her past any longer, Charm shouldn’t have to suffer. Despite Aspen’s determination to work alone, Charm insists on helping—and she has a past of her own. The two of them don’t care for each other’s methods, but as they journey through the villages and wildernesses of Falland, solving problems and meeting magical friends and foes, Aspen and Charm grudgingly come to care for each other. Can these two guarded, stubborn women admit their feelings, or will Aspen’s enemies kill them first?
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Catching a Coyote by Serenity Snow
Mallory wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, but she still wasn’t interested in getting caught in a woman’s snare. Leading her pack and watching her friends fall in love was enough for her. After all, her club kept her busy.
But the curious gaze of a cat turned her head and, before she knows what’s happening, Mallory’s more than interested in an affair with the mysterious red-headed dancer with intriguing flower-blue eyes.
Only Mallory isn’t prepared for the trouble stalking Cordelia that led right back to Mallory’s door. Determined to save Cordelia, Mallory soon realizes it’s love not lust driving her actions—but will the fall cost her the pack?
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One Last Dance by Anna Stone
Twenty-eight-year-old Zoe is heartbroken. After an injury brings her career as a principal dancer at a prestigious London ballet company to a screeching halt, she returns home to the States, where she runs into her former ballet teacher—and once forbidden love—Natasha.
The ice to Zoe’s fire, Natasha captured Zoe’s heart a decade earlier. Undeniable sparks danced between them, yet they could never give in to temptation. When Natasha rejected Zoe the night before she moved to London, they were both left shattered. Neither woman has been able to move on since. Now, they find the same heat smoldering between them, but the specter of how they last parted still casts a dark shadow on them.
Secrets from the past, desires of the present, and the uncertainty of the future stand in the way of Zoe and Natasha seizing their chance at true love. Or perhaps they’ll realize fate brought them back together to dance the ultimate pas de deux.
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Under the Mistletoe by Everly James
Samantha Evans, popular lesbian romance author, has writer’s block and a book due by New Year’s Eve. When she signs up for a writing retreat in an attempt to overcome her lack of creativity, she expects a single-occupancy cabin and plenty of silence for crafting her new book.
What she doesn’t expect is a roommate. A gorgeous, woman roommate.
Gia Torres is an aspiring novelist eager to break into the publishing world and leave her horrible day job as a barista behind. She travels to a Colorado retreat to finish her very first novel, not expecting to find beautiful Samantha waiting for her there.
The only problem? The two women hate each other.
How will they overcome their first impressions and let Christmas sparks fly?
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Securing Ava by Anne Shade
Ava Prescott has had one goal in life, to carry on the Prescott legacy by taking the reins of Diamond Unlimited Wealth Management. Her father’s determination to uphold the company’s wholesome family image propels Ava into a reluctant fake relationship with Kyle, a man she’s sure is a threat to the business. When her father is the victim of a suspicious accident, Ava believes Kyle is responsible and has no choice but to run.
Paige Richards saw enough violence to last a lifetime during her years as a counterintelligence specialist. She’s ready for some peace on her ranch in Oklahoma and is paying the bills as a private investigator. Paige takes a case to locate and bring back runaway heiress Ava Prescott. It seems simple enough, until she stumbles upon a bungled kidnapping attempt and her peaceful life is turned upside down. Now she must use every skill she has to secure Ava.
As they try to figure out who is out to hurt Ava and her family, Paige and Ava fight to stay one step ahead of the threat and resist their growing attraction. But ignoring their feelings may prove impossible when their hearts and lives are at stake.
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Bodies in Motion by Elizabeth Andre
Gorgeous Shondra Frazier gets that chance. It all starts at the “40 Under 40” reception for high achievers under the age of 40. Even though she really doesn’t want the attention, she is honored because she is the first African American woman to be named manager of one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
At the reception she unexpectedly reunites with her still beautiful college ex-girlfriend who broke Shondra’s heart many years ago. Lynette Johnson is a former cheerleader who can still make male and female heads turn. As Lynette walks away promising to be in touch soon, Shondra spots Denyse Gabriel, one of the few African American female PhD physicists in the world and a fellow “40 Under 40” honoree. Shondra realizes attention from Denyse, with her long black hair and high collar tweed jacket, is what she wants. This beautiful scientist, however, is heading to a months-long project in Antarctica, but Lynette is sticking around and is more than willing to keep her company. Shondra has to decide whether she will stay safe and start up again with her long lost college love or if she will wait for Denyse to return. Shondra can’t stop thinking about Denyse, but Shondra isn’t even that sure, after only one night of passion, whether the sexy physicist will want to see her when she comes back from the ice.
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Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole
While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.
When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.
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Tailor-Made by Yolanda Wallace
Before Grace Henderson began working as a tailor in her father’s bespoke suit shop in Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn, she established a hard and fast rule about not dating clients. The edict is an easy one for her to follow, considering the overwhelming majority of the shop’s clients are men. But when Dakota Lane contacts her to commission a suit to wear to her sister’s wedding, Grace finds herself tempted to throw all the rules out the window.
Dakota Lane works as a bicycle messenger by day and moonlights as a male model. Her high-profile career, gender-bending looks, and hard-partying ways garner her plenty of romantic attention, but she would rather play the field than settle down. When she meets sexy tailor Grace Henderson, however, she suddenly finds herself in the market for much more than a custom suit.
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Deadline (Harrietta Lee Book 1) by Stephanie Ahn
Disgraced witch Harrietta Lee has made a lot of mistakes in her life; there’s a reason she’s got a sizable burn scar slapped across the side of her neck and a formal letter of excommunication from the international underground magical community. But who has time to dwell on the past when you’re trying to make rent in New York? Things are mostly clean and simple, until her next odd job is brought to her by the representative of a powerful corporate family—a family she once had close personal ties to. As she unwillingly digs through six years’ worth of personal baggage, she’s also got to contend with an inhuman admirer shadowing her in the street.
But hey, maybe it’ll be worth it for the beautiful women she gets to kiss…
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Half a Heart by Kim Hartfield
Jenelle is facing her worst nightmare. Through no fault of her own, her seven-year-old was placed in foster care. No one understands what the hard-working single mom is going through – especially the beautiful, heartless social worker standing between her and Mercy.
Sylvia’s job is to bring families back together. She’s doing her best, but it’s not easy when Jenelle is determined to hate her. As Sylvia tries to understand the fiery young woman, she begins to appreciate her courage and strength.
Sylvia tells herself her feelings are professional and platonic. Jenelle has more important things on her mind than romance. Both only want what’s best for Mercy – but what if following their hearts is best for all of them?
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Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the sapphic book with a Person of Color on the cover category!
The post Sapphic book with a Person of Color on the cover (Book Unicorn #8) appeared first on Jae.
August 3, 2023
Sapphic low-angst romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #16)
After last week’s category featured 15 high-angst romances, this week, it’s time for sapphic low-angst romance novels!
A low-angst romance is feel-good book that feels like a warm hug. It’s more on the light-hearted side, without a lot of relationship drama. The main characters usually don’t have a traumatic past.
15 sapphic low-angst romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic low-angst romance novels:
Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
Flirting has never been Denny’s strong suit, but so what if she’s too shy to ask women out? She’s content with her simple life, working as a cashier and helping her sister raise her niece.
But then she gets a wrong-number text message from a stranger named Eliza, asking her of all people for dating advice!
Eliza is Denny’s total opposite: witty, outgoing—and straight. Despite their differences, the accidental text sparks an unlikely friendship. Soon, Eliza—self-proclaimed queen of disastrous first dates—would rather banter back and forth with Denny than to keep trying her luck at online dating.
When they meet in person, there’s an instant connection. But what Eliza is feeling can’t be attraction, right? It doesn’t mean a thing that she’s starting to wish the guys she dates would be more like Denny. Or does it?
Can the wrong number lead to the right woman after all?
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The Roads Left Behind Us by Kat Jackson
After some unexpected life detours, Callie Lewes is determined to complete her PhD program and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Her laser focus is finely tuned and she’s ready for total immersion in literature, subpar student essays, and all the joys that come with being a graduate teaching assistant. She has no time for, or interest in, anything else. Especially not dating.
Even if Callie were to entertain the idea of dating, she’s certain it would be with someone vibrant, open, and close to her own age. Definitely not someone like Dr. Kate Jory, a new member of Pennbrook College’s English department. Kate is both intimidating and a closed book. And the age difference between them is not small. But Kate is also brilliant and fascinating, and Callie is drawn to her in ways she’d never imagined possible.
Not that Kate notices. Or does she? Callie can’t tell. Even though they develop an engaging and flirtatious friendship, Callie struggles to work up the courage to put herself directly in Kate’s romantic path—wary of the type of fire she suspects their sparks could ignite.
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Birds of a Feather by Laina Villeneuve
Adrienne Stecher has always known she’s different, and she’s fine with her place on the spectrum. She loves her job and her apartment, and she’s happy to help out her grandfather a few times a month. If she could just get the peacocks that plague his neighborhood to stop destroying his yard, she’d be set.
Native to Mississippi, Casey Knight knows beautiful when she sees it, and California is full of beauty. She appreciates everything about her college town—the weather, her job, and the majestic birds that populate her neighborhood.
Though every encounter Casey has with Adrienne seems designed to scare her away along with the birds, Casey keeps finding herself drawn back to her neighbor’s granddaughter. Adrienne is adamant that her quirks make it impossible to date, but something about her makes Casey just as certain that they could be birds of a feather.
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Off the Menu by Alaina Erdell
In less than 48 hours, reality TV sensation Restaurant Redo and its gorgeous host will arrive to film in chef Taylor Mobley’s kitchen…and she just found out.
Fixer Erin Rasmussen has a reputation for saving failing restaurants with her take-no-crap attitude. She gets the job done on time, under budget, and millions of viewers tune in to watch her do it.
The fine dining restaurant Taylor works for has some serious problems, and management doesn’t want her input. It’s time to leave. But how is she supposed to find a new position when a TV host with delusions of grandeur keeps painting her as a problem chef? Taylor refuses to play nice with Erin, especially on camera. They make each other’s blood boil, which is why it’s even more annoying that they can’t manage to keep their hands off each other.
Erin only cares about entertaining viewers. Taylor is unprofessional and immature. Or at least that’s what they each think. As the cameras roll and their careers hang in the balance, will Erin and Taylor make the jump from enemies to lovers?
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Highland Whirl by Anna Larner
When city girl about town Roxanne Barns reluctantly accepts a holiday invite to her best friend Eve’s birthday party in the Scottish Highlands, the last thing she expects is to fall for the very person she’s been dreading seeing again—the feisty Highlander, Alice Campbell.
The moment Alice learns that Roxanne is visiting her home hamlet of Newland, she couldn’t be more suspicious or defensive. A warm welcome is certainly not the plan, let alone falling in love.
Despite Eve’s warnings that Roxanne is not relationship material, Alice can’t ignore her growing attraction. She absolutely trusts Eve’s judgment, but taking her advice just might break Alice’s heart.
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Destination Bedding by Allison Temple
Kate’s fine. Just fine.
Sure, her ex-fiancé is marrying Kate’s little sister in scenic Summit Springs. Sure, her friends and family don’t think that plot twist is weird. And sure, her pink bridesmaid’s dress is a fashion crime.
But it’s fine. Just fine.
Until Kate comes face to face with Piper. They’ve known each other their whole lives, but Piper’s gone from awkward teen to walking temptation. And she’s not shy about showing Kate exactly how grown up she is.
Kate’s ready and Piper is willing, but it’s impossible to find time alone with alpacas and bridezilla on the loose. If they can just get the happy couple down the aisle, then Kate can reach her true destination: one night in Piper’s bed.
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She Keeps Me Warm by Abigail Taylor
The much-awaited sequel to No One Compares to Her has arrived, and it’s time to catch up on Rory and Hazel’s red-hot, second-chance love story.
Back together, after years apart, they are having the time of their lives in their very own love bubble, enjoying the freedom to explore each other and making up for lost time until Hazel receives shocking and unexpected news.
Will Rory stand by her twin flame and love her unconditionally, or is this simply one life event too far?
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The Woman at the Top of the Stairs by Jamey Moody
Dru Rae gave up everything to get away from her mafioso family. She disappeared with hopes they’d never find her. All she wanted was a quiet life with a few friends and the woman she knew in her heart was out there.
Marina Summit was an uber successful realtor in a thriving housing market. She gave someone two dates, if there wasn’t a spark then she moved on. Besides, she was too busy for love.
As a house stager on the first day of her new job, Dru was waiting to meet the realtor for a final walk through.
Marina was set to approve a new listing when she went to check on the house staging. She wasn’t prepared for what happened to her heart when she saw the woman at the top of the stairs.
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The Arc by J.A. Rainbow
Carly Fletcher’s body is pulled from the River Clyde in the heart of Glasgow. DCI Ellie McVey must solve the mystery surrounding her death. The story follows her investigation and a possible new romance for Ellie as she meets beautiful redhead Kate by chance in the park. Kate is battling insecurities based on her disability but finds the detective so attractive she shirks her self-imposed loneliness for a chance at real happiness. Can Ellie solve the mystery and keep the girl?
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A Matter of Trust by Sabrina Kane
Chloë Marchand knows everything there is to know about coffee. Her talented palate can discern hints of hibiscus in a Tanzanian peaberry blend and notes of coconut in an Ethiopian Harrar. Which is why she loves working at La Vida Mocha, the hip coffee spot in Carlsbad, California. But she also has dreams of opening her very own coffeeshop someday soon. One night at work, though, Chloë sees the woman she had a huge crush on in high school: her former teacher, Miss Banks, who is just as stunningly beautiful now as she was when Chloë last saw her. Not at all the shy type, Chloë doesn’t waste any time approaching her to say hello…Morgan Banks doesn’t understand what is happening to her! But ever since she reconnected with her former student, Chloë, Morgan has not been able to get the younger woman off her mind. Not only that, but Morgan is certainly enjoying the way Chloë flirts with her! One problem, though: Chloë is a woman and, well, Morgan has only ever dated men. What starts off as an innocent friendship between these two women ends up becoming a passionate and soul-fulfilling love affair, the kind each woman has been looking for. Yet both of them will have to learn new things about trust—trust in each other and trust in themselves—in order to make this romance work.
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Spells, Snow, & Sky by Coffee Quills
Sky needs breathing room. Keeping a photographer on a short leash is, in her opinion, an act of cruelty. Fleeing Florida and landing in Hokkaido might just be the act that saves her sanity, even if it dooms her romantically.
Yuki wishes to leave Japan. Not forever, but to at least travel the world for a while with a lover at her side. The hard part is figuring out how a being of ice and snow can survive outside of Hokkaido’s winters.
Nyssa needs to find her runaway girlfriend. Too bad she doesn’t want to be found and has turned off her phone. When Nyssa receives a panicked farewell though, all her wants center on arriving in enough time to save her love. It’s going to take honesty, communication, and some heart-felt apologizing for things to be okay between everyone… but Sky’s not going to settle for just “okay” when, with a little push, there’s happiness on the horizon for all of them.
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Christmas, Pursued by a Bear by Ryann Fletcher
Andie is on the hunt for the perfect photograph. She’s broke, her career is stalled, and her friends keep ghosting her. Winning the Christmas wildlife photography competition is her only chance to change her life – but stumbling into a bear in the woods might end up changing more than she bargained for. Cat has a secret. A big, furry secret. She’s working sixty hours a week to keep her sister and the rest of her found family safe, when the terrible news arrives in the morning paper. Syndicorp, the huge multi-national company, is about to tear down half of their local wildlife reserve! To make matters worse, poachers find a cub in the woods, and Cat barely manages to save it. With the bulldozers waiting to rip apart the forest they both love, sparks fly between the two women. But will Andie discover Cat’s secret, putting them all into even more danger?
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Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue
Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business. Mischief and little fingers around expensive materials? No thanks!
But then her gorgeous friend, Sarah Santoro, winds up in a custody battle with Sarah’s former in-laws and now… Well, somehow Andi’s agreed to pretend she’s Sarah’s live-in partner.
She’s still not quite sure how she got stuck playing a role she’s so utterly clueless about and that’s everything she doesn’t want in life. But as long as Sarah and Noa, the world’s cutest seven-year-old, don’t get a hold of her heart, she’ll be fine.
Easy, right?
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From Fan to Forever by Tiana Warner
Talented A-lister Cate Whitney is the gorgeous middle-aged movie star almost every lesbian has a crush on.
Rachel Janssen, an introverted medical physics student, is no exception. So when her celebrity crush starts filming near her Vancouver apartment, she can’t believe her luck.
A chance encounter with Cate leads to a little swooning, small-talk, and a shock offer to help the star as a science consultant on her Marie Curie film. And, wait, could Cate actually be flirting with Rachel?
However, as the chemistry sizzles between them, Rachel struggles with the harsh reality of being linked to a famous actress. Paparazzi keep dragging her into the spotlight when all she wants is to be taken seriously in her medical career.
Is falling for a superstar too much to handle? Even if sexy Cate Whitney is the one everyone wants? Even if she’s everything Rachel needs?
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Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
Frankie Bellisario knows she can get anyone she sets her sights on, but just because she can doesn’t mean she should—not when the person she’s eyeing is Samara Kazarian, the daughter of a southern Republican mayor. No matter how badly Frankie wants to test her powers of persuasion, even she recognizes some lines aren’t meant to be crossed.
But when Frankie learns she’s been on Samara’s mind too, the idea of hooking up with her grows too strong to resist. Only Sam’s not looking for a hookup; she wants—needs—the real thing, and she’s afraid she’ll never find it as long as Frankie’s in her head.
Forced to choose between her first relationship and losing the girl who’s been clawing her way under her skin, Frankie opts to try monogamy…under her own condition: 30 days of keeping things on the down low and remaining abstinent. If she fails as hard at girlfriending as she’s afraid she might, she doesn’t want to throw Samara’s life into upheaval for nothing. But when neither the month nor Frankie’s heart go according to plan, she may be the one stuck fighting for the happily ever after she never knew she wanted.
Available at:
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Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the sapphic low-angst romance category!
The post Sapphic low-angst romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #16) appeared first on Jae.
July 20, 2023
Angsty sapphic romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #15)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features angsty sapphic romance novels.
An angsty or high-angst romance is a book in which the author puts the characters (and the readers) through the emotional wringer.
When it comes to romance novels, “angst” usually means that the characters are going through inner turmoil and painful emotions such as longing, dread, fear, pain, and insecurity. There might be trauma and heartbreak before they characters finally get their happily ever after.
15 angsty sapphic romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended angsty sapphic romance novels:
The Loudest Silence by Olivia Janae
Rising star cellist Kate Flynn is new to Chicago and her job at the Windy City Chamber Ensemble. On day one, she is surprised by the board’s intriguing president, Vivian Kensington. Not only does the woman come with a formidable reputation, but she’s also Deaf.
However, between a familiar face Kate isn’t ready to see again and the difficulties of being a single mom, she isn’t sure Chicago is the right place for her.
When tendrils of friendship develop with Vivian, Kate finds beneath her prickly ice queen persona unexpected kindness and warmth. Is the promise of more enough to make her stay? Can two such different women, one from a world of sound and one a world of silence, truly understand one another?
Available at:
The Forever and The Now by KJ
Bron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.
Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust.
When her orange smoothie explodes all over her business suit while she’s on her afternoon walk, Kate simply shakes her head in resignation.
Bron, having witnessed the smoothie eruption, races to help, and suddenly her life takes an unexpected turn.
Falling in love is like watching the grandest sunset on the calmest ocean where the tiniest ripples wear silver sparkles as their hats. Kate and Bron find that sunset on that ocean with those ripples of love, but what happens when you take that love for granted? What happens when your person disappears? The answers are hard to hear and Bron chooses not to listen.
After a relationship break, a family intervention, and conversations that rip apart seams, Bron and Kate eventually find themselves, each other, and their now. And what they discover is that love is the large and the deliberate, and the simple and the small.
So when tragedy strikes, they call on its strength because, when you think about it, love can live on in the forever, particularly if it lives courageously in the now.
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Conflict of Interest by Jae
Workaholic Detective Aiden Carlisle isn’t looking for love—and certainly not at the law enforcement seminar she reluctantly agreed to attend. But the first lecturer is not at all what she expected.
Psychologist Dawn Kinsley has just found her place in life. After a failed relationship with a police officer, she has sworn never to get involved with another cop again, but she feels a connection to Aiden from the very first moment.
Can Aiden keep from crossing the line when a brutal crime threatens to keep them apart before they’ve even gotten together?
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Can I Trust Her? by Frances Lucas
When the body of a student who threatened to reveal information about others is found at the bottom of an unlit staircase, everyone assumes her death was an accident. Days later, another girl mysteriously goes missing. High school juniors Virginia and Katie are determined to find out what happened to their classmates, but first they must trust each other with their own dark secrets.
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A Whisper Of Solace by Milena McKay
Neve Blackthorne, head of one of the most successful Studios in Hollywood, is the one to rule them all. Powerful, beautiful, and aloof, she’s ruthless, yet irresistible. Above all, she has an unquenchable survival instinct.
Surely a fleeting entanglement with one Audrey Avens, a bright, young, rising star in her company, won’t bring down the Wicked Queen of Tinseltown. Or will it?
Neve’s public persona has no chink in the untouchable armor, but when the lights go out and the cameras stop rolling, what becomes of an Ice Queen whose heart is ruled by love and fear?
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The Veracity of Lies by Anna Woiwood
The Wes Goodwin Show was a comedic hit in the 1950s. All across the country, families tuned in weekly to find out what wholesome mischief Kathryn Anderson as Paula, on-screen wife of Wes Goodwin, would get into with her quirky and single neighbor Kay, played by Alice Kincaid. But life off-screen, out of the spotlight and away from the adoring public, was far from wholesome.
When The Wes Goodwin Show becomes one of the top syndicated programs of 1981, The Holly Singer Show wants to capitalize on the moment with a live cast reunion.
Now a fallen starlet from the golden years, Kathryn has been making art house pictures in Germany with her second husband. When news about the reunion comes in, she finds herself wasted on a plane headed for Los Angeles. Is she strong enough to deal with what she did after all these years?
When Alice receives a call from her agent about the reunion, she nearly passes out in front of her concerned and confused son. She owes the television series her name in the business, but how can she face her past in the flesh?
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Broken to Belong by Charity Muse
For singer/songwriter Dani Williams, music has always carried her – until now. No longer able to ignore her pain, Dani travels south to volunteer at a safe home for LGBTQ+ youth. While there, she meets Mae, an advisor to the residents whose warmth is contrasted by guardedness and uncertainty. Dani and Mae form a special bond which blossoms into love.
But more than their relationship becomes threatened when an attack is launched against the home, endangering its existence. To help save the home and the authentic love she yearns for, Dani must face heartbreak from her past and use her talents to confront the same prejudice that wounded her. As the strength of their bond is tested, Dani has the choice to walk away and lose everything or stay and redefine love, family, and spirit.
Available at:
Playing Catch-Up by Zoey Lennox
Twenty-three-year-old Alexis Lenz’s life is a mess: she hates her job, has lost touch with most of her friends, and her love life is non-existent.
When she meets LGBTQ youth counsellor Ramie Ramirez at a dinner party, sparks fly. But Ramie is still putting herself back together after an acrimonious split from her long-term girlfriend and is only looking for something casual. If living with the repercussions of her ex’s lies has taught her one thing, it’s to keep her heart locked up tight.
As the two women begin to date, Alexis finds herself in a predicament. She’s never dated a woman before and is afraid Ramie will dump her sorry arse once she finds out.
What’s a girl to do? A little white lie can’t hurt, can it? It’s not like they’re going to do something stupid like fall in love…
Available at:
One More Chance by Tiffany E. Taylor
Seven years after her wife’s tragic death, a still-mourning Aimée “Jake” Charron finds herself unexpectedly intrigued by a personal ad sent to her by one of her best friends. It was a femme sucker punch right to the gut, and Jake finds her inner alpha butch responding with an almost predatory desire.
After two failed relationships, Geneva Raineri doesn’t believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-afters anymore. Her neighbor posts a personal ad Gen wrote as a joke on a butch/femme romance site—and when a self-professed alpha butch named Jake responds, Gen finds herself swept up into a sensual game of cat-and-mouse that soon has a captivated Gen feeling like Jake’s prey.
Jake knows she’s already had one chance at a forever love, but lost it when her wife died. She wants Gen with a desire she’d thought was long dead—but Jake believes expecting to find another great love after you’ve already had one and lost it is a fool’s game.
Gen, however, is determined to prove to Jake that anyone lucky enough to be given another shot at happiness needs to grab it with both hands and never let it go.
As Jake and Gen navigate personal journeys that include heartbreak, self-discovery, passion, and courage, they both discover that risking everything to take one more chance on love might ultimately be their salvation.
Available at:
Honey in the Marrow by Emily Waters
Stella Carter is a former criminal prosecutor and new widow facing down middle age alone in Los Angeles. Without being a prestigious lawyer and someone’s wife, she’s not sure who she is anymore or where her life is headed.
When she invites her niece to move in with her, Stella accidentally reconnects with her former colleague, LAPD Captain Elizabeth Murphy. The woman is beautiful but cold; someone she was always at odds with on the job.
Surprisingly, Stella finds herself leaning on her niece and Elizabeth more and more to navigate her loss. But as time goes on, Stella can’t keep seeing Elizabeth and pretending she’s not attracted to her. Besides, there’s absolutely no way Elizabeth feels the same way. Is there?
Available at:
One Golden Summer by Clare Lydon & TB Markinson
Saffron Oliver is the golden girl. Golden hair. Golden skin. Golden movie career.
Only one problem: she hates it.
She flees to her sister’s seaside town – where she meets the confident & charming Kirsty McBride.
Kirsty is everything Saffron wants to be. Perhaps also, everything she wants.
But Saffron can’t have it all. So now, she has to decide: does she crave Kirsty enough to blow up her golden life?
Available at:
Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It’s a tough job, but her ice queen boss won’t settle for less than perfection.
Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That’s what she tells herself, anyway.
When the unthinkable happens, Vivian’s regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!
This single, shocking moment throws boss and assistant together into an intimacy neither could have imagined. With their lives in chaos, every day brings a new challenge bigger than the last. But everything will work out…just so long as they don’t do anything totally ridiculous.
Like fall in love.
Available at:
Unbeliever by Karin Kallmaker
Professor Hayley Carnegie has no time for the puzzle of a large book of blank pages delivered to her doorstep. University politics don’t matter, her research doesn’t matter. Her entire life is wrapped around caring for her twin, Kylie. As the New England winter sharpens both sisters know that Kylie will not see the spring. New neighbor Aurora Lowell is immediately sympathetic, helpful … and alluring. But Hayley has no time for that either.
It’s a completely different side of Aurora that Hayley experiences when she chances to open the mysterious book near the firelight and muses aloud the vaguely familiar words that appear on the old pages… Love is magic is love in Unbeliever.
Available at:
The Visitor by Angela McKenna
Lesbian Professor Helen Miller arrives in England from America. The last thing she expects is to be lodging with her friend Sophie’s reserved and anxious mother, Ingrid, but Sophie has told a big lie which pushes them all together under one roof and when Ingrid catches them both in what appears to be a compromising position, sparks fly.
Helen lurches from one calamity to another as she attempts to navigate through the storm of a family drama, teetering on the verge of being cast out, but desperate to stay. You see, despite Ingrid’s angry words and cold demeanour, Helen likes her, in fact, she likes her rather a lot and she’s wondering if, underneath all that cold fury, Ingrid likes her too…
With only three weeks left until she must return home to San Francisco, Helen fights for the true love she has always craved but will her own past, and Sophie’s lies, wreck any chance of future happiness? The clock is ticking.
Available at:
All Things Beautiful by Alaina Erdell
Leighton Vaughn’s prestigious fine art atelier—and her life¬—appear to be settling down after a messy divorce. She prioritizes her daughter, art, and, teaching—that is until gifted Casey Norford joins the close-knit New York academy.
Casey didn’t receive the artistic education she expected from her bachelor’s degree, but a spot at Atelier Vaughn will remedy that. Even more than the opportunity to study with the famed Leighton Vaughn, Casey wants to give her son a stable childhood that won’t resemble her own. She’s not sure of the true extent of her artistic talent, but she’s keenly aware of her attraction to her instructor, and that attraction appears mutual.
Their sticky teacher-student relationship puts the future of the atelier in jeopardy, the needs of their young children are at odds with their dreams, and Leighton’s obsessive ex tracks her down. Will they sacrifice everything to be together?
Available at:
Amazon (out in November 2023)
Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the angsty sapphic romance category!
The post Angsty sapphic romance (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #15) appeared first on Jae.
July 13, 2023
New sapphic author (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #14)
I’m always trying to help out new sapphic authors who are just getting started or who aren’t very well-known yet, so for this week’s category of the Sapphic Book Bingo, please read a book written by a new or new-to-you author.
For the sake of the book bingo, “new author” means someone who has written no more than two novel-length books (not counting shorter works) at the time you read their book.
A “new to you” author is someone from whom you have never read a book before.
New sapphic author (or new-to-you author):
Here’s a list of 125 new sapphic authors for you to discover:
AJ Mason, author of The Helion Band Alaina Erdell, author of Fire, Water, and Rock & Off the Menu Alison Grey, author of Contract for Love & Hot Line Ally McGuire, author of Where the Heart Leads Alyson Derrick, author of She Gets the Girl Alyson Root, author of A Dance Towards Forever & Diving Into Her Amanda Owens, author of Weight of Her World Amber Perez, author of Shay’s Gamble & Lexi’s Cup of Tea Ami Spencer, author of Broken Ana K. Wrenn, author of Strange Attractors Angela Greenman, author of The Child Riddler Ann Tonnell, author of Not Sorry Anna Woiwood, author of The Veracity of Lies Anne E. Terpstra, author of Beyond Any Experience Audrey Wilson, author of Only Human (coming in October 2023)Aveda Vice, author of Vicious Devotion Avery Brooks, author of Other Girls Barbara Lynn Murphy, author of Two Lives, One Heart and When It’s True B.W. Hope, author of Chrome Painted Heart & Romancing the Dish Caitlin Alise Donovan, author of In the Way of All Flesh Catherine Young, author of Love and Duty Charity Muse, author of Broken to Belong Charley Clarke, author of Always a Love Song & The Business of Love Chloe Keto, author of Ransom To Love Chloe Spencer, author of Monstersona Chris Zett, author of Heart Failure & Irregular Heartbeat Claerie Kavanaugh, author of Love Among the Stars and Love Beneath the Stars Claire Forsythe, author of Business of the Heart C.M. Castillo, author of The Pages of Adeena & The Trunk D. A. Hartman, author of Round Trip Dee Holloway, author of Little Nothing Diana DiGangi, author of Last Chance Chicago Elizabeth James, author of The Turkey Baster Diaries Elle Armstrong, author of Cafe A’Moor & Who Stole Santa’s Squeakers Elle Hyden, author of Lost & Found and Evermore Ellie Khelliver, author of Almost the Right Girl Emily Fohr, author of Just a Birdhouse Emily Noon, author of Aurora’s Angel Emily Waters, author of Honey in the Marrow Emily Wright, author of Tamara King Erinne Bates, author of The Wife App and The First Love Estela González, author of Arribada E.V. Bancroft, author of Of Light And Love & Warm Pearls And Paper Cranes Faith Prize, author of The Fifth Surgeon Finley Chuva, author of The Game Changer & Reindeer Games Frankie Fyre, author of A Flight to Love & A Honeymoon Mix-Up Georgina Kiersten, author of Fall Into You H.A. Clarke, authors of The Scapegracers & The Scratch Daughters Hartley Blaze, author of The Place I Call Home & Surviving Christmas with the Family Helene Greer, author of Season of Love Iona Kane, author of A Game of Two Hearts & Sleepless Nights Jac Sherry, author of The Seductress Trap JC Rycroft, author of The Blood-Born Dragon JD Wilburn, author of A Far Better Thing Jen Lawrence, author of Fury & Guardian Jen Lyon, author of The Senator’s Wife Jennifer Karter, author of The Witch Queen’s Mate J.J. Hale, author of Truly Wanted & Truly Enough Jo Havens, author of Once in Berlin & The Blood We Spill Jolie Dvorak, author of Enthralled in Her Design Judy Sapphire, author of Radiant Kate Fussner, author of The Song of Us Kate Rounds, author of Catboat Road Katherine Blakeman, author of The Summer We’ve Had Katherine Rupley, author of Calculated Risk Kathleen Brady, author of The Language of Light Kathleen de Plume, author of Dragon Queens Katie Trapp, author of An Unlikely PartnershipKayla Kimmell, author of Overhauled K.L. Gallagher, author of Hat Trick (co-authored with Ali Spooner)Krystina Rivers, author of Something Between Us & Last New Beginning Kurt Johnson & Ellie Johnson, authors of The Barrens L.A. Rae, author of Catalyst L A Wright, author of Changing Gears Lainee Ash, author of Duo Act & Match Play Lianyu Tan, author of The Wicked and the Willing & Captive in the Underworld Liz Rain, author of Perks of Office & Onside Play Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine This Christmas Lori G. Matthews, author of #CassiNova and I Dare You to Love Me Louise Vetroff, author of Yours, Cara: A Dark Mystery and The Ones Who Care: A Kate Brody Novel .Lydia Stryk, author of The Teachers’ Room M.A. Myers, author of Candle on the Water Marci Violetta, author of Save the City, Get the Girl (and Other Misconceptions) and Hedge Witch, Hex Thyself Marie Bassette, author of Magnetic North Mary P. Burns, author of Suspecting Her and Forging a Desire Line Merlina Garance, author of The Flourishing Mia Kazi, author of An Unusual Year & The Fabergé Egg Mickey Brent, author of Underwater Vibes & Broad Awakening Mindi Briar, author of Petrichor Blooms M.L. Eaden, author of Rare Temptations Morgan Rogers, author of Honey Girl Nan Campbell, author of The Rules of Forever & The No Kiss Contract Naomi Rivers, author of THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story Neen Cohen, author of Cold as Hell & Black as Day Olivia Janae, author of The Loudest Silence Racquel Marie, author of Ophelia After All and You Don’t Have a Shot R.D. DeLisle, author of Suite Secrets and Finding Colette R.E. Ward, author of Hot Keys Rebecca K. Jones, author of Steadying the Ark René Roberts, author of Strong Force Rhiannon Grant, author of Between Boat & Shore and Carving a New Shape (coming in September)Rojana Krait, author of Delirium Nocturnum: House of Glass Rosalie Rayburn, author of The Power of Rain Rosy Dee, author of I Love You, Lola Bloom Ruby Roe, author of A Game of Hearts and Heists and A Game of Romance and Ruin S.E. Smyth, author of Criminal by Proxy Samara Breger, author of Walk Between Worlds Sami Garcia, author of Light Em Up Sandra Leigh Gable, author of Thunder Edge Sara Scott, author of The Touch of Her Voice and The Sound of Her Smile Sarah Zane, author of Beautiful Little Fool and Off Script: A Book Ball Fantasy Adventure Shaya Crabtree, author of Tight Knit and You’re Fired S-Jay Hart, author of Oh My Stars Skye Rowan, author of Craving Cassie Skye Von Triessen, author of If It’s Meant to Be & When We’re Meant to Be Sue Graham, author of For the Love of Life & Playing With Fire Sue Still, author of Ghost Tour and Special Delivery Suzanne Lenoir, author of A Talent Within Suzanne Moss, author of Observations on the Danger of Female Curiosity Terri Cutshall, author of Fall Into Me & Breakthrough Thea Belmont, author of Principle Decisions (coming in November)TJ O’Shea, author of Beyond the Blue & To Be With You Ursula Klein, author of Enchanted Autumn Venetia Di Pierro, author of The Lines of Happiness & Happiness is a Shade of Blue Verónica Gutiérrez, author of As You Look Virginia Black, author of Consecrated Ground Waverly Decker, author of The 30-Day EngagementHuge upcoming giveaway
July 15 is Give Something Away Day, so I will join forces with 90+ fellow authors to put together a huge book giveaway with 150+ prizes (ebooks, audiobooks, and paperbacks)! If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss it, please sign up to my reader newsletter!
Leave a commentLeave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “new sapphic author” (or new-to-you author) category!
If you are a new author of sapphic fiction with no more than two novels published, send me an email and I’ll add you to the list.
The post New sapphic author (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #14) appeared first on Jae.
July 6, 2023
Sapphic book with a stunning or unusual cover (Book Unicorn #7)
For this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo, read a sapphic book with a cover that is stunning, unusual, or stands out in some way.
Of course, “stunning” is a very subjective term, and what stands out to one person might be considered nothing special by another. So for this category, just go by whatever cover you think is amazing or unusual in some way.
I picked the books I recommend for this category either because they won a GCLS Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design or because they were among the top 10 favorite covers voted on by readers in my Facebook group.
15 sapphic books with a stunning or unusual cover
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a stunning or unusual cover.
Art of Magic by KJ
Cath Monroe loves her teaching job, her friends, her family, and her colleagues. They fill her life and her heart. She knows that it’s important to share love with actions and words, but that last one? About the words? That’s a problem. Because when it comes to saying ‘I love you’ to her forever person, Cath discovers that she doesn’t really know anything about love at all.
Then, Rica Diamandis strolls into her life. Rica is all stardust and sexy, and Cath is intrigued. The sudden availability of a romantic blank canvas takes Cath’s breath away. But when her father is taken to hospital with a life-threatening disease, Cath boxes up the romance with Rica, and packs it into the back of her heart. Fortunately, the Universe has other ideas and Cath begins to realise that embracing emotional chaos is actually the art that creates the magic.
Available at:
The Headmistress by Milena McKay
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night.
And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it’s with a roar and not a whimper.
Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything.
Can she and the Home of Dragons withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all crumble?
Not everything is as it seems, and as she slowly unravels the mysteries behind the centuries-old walls, Sam realizes that home is much more than oak and stone.
Available at:
Plain English by Rachel Spangler
When Claire Bailey left London to open her own art gallery in the tiny village of Amberwick, she’d hoped to make an honest go at simple living right up until the moment a shockingly attractive aristocrat rocketed o the road and knocked her world n its axis.
Pip has learned to play the part of a ne’er-do-well upper elite: charismatic, enigmatic, and a little bit erratic. Luckily, women tend to like that. After leading such a charmed existence, Pip finds that Claire’s complete lack of interest in money or status sparks both curiosity and attraction.
Surrendering to both boredom and sheer chemistry, the two agree to an unconventional, no-strings, romantic adventure designed to provide them both a bit of freedom and entertainment. However, once released from the pressure to project perfect images of themselves, the walls they depended on for protection begin to crumble. Worlds blend and identities blur as their whirlwind romance quickly becomes more than they bargained for. Will their almost elemental attraction be enough to overcome the complexities rushing in from all sides? Or will the pressures they’ve both sought to escape force them to forge a new path neither of them had dared to dream of?
Available at:
An Outsider Inside by RJ Samuel
For Irish-Indian lesbian activist, JAYA DILLON, an outsider who craves belonging over all else, survival depends on hiding the truth of who she is and who she loves – from herself.
In the heated run-up to Ireland’s referendum on same-sex marriage, she finds herself trapped between the “Yes” and “No” sides. And Jaya’s got a boulder on her shoulder about bisexual women and being brown in Ireland.
While clearing out an Indian couple’s rental house in Galway, she discovers a manuscript, written by the wife, Lana, who disappeared in worrying circumstances. When Jaya travels to France, she comes closer to the characters in Lana’s unfinished novel than she ever imagined possible. And she is shoved back into contact with her ex- fiancée, Chloe, who is planning her own wedding. To a man.
Jaya is drawn into a fictional world that may be truer than reality. As she fights to uncover the truth, everything she thought she knew about her politics and her place in the world turns on its head as she falls for the elusive Lana, is attracted to the charming, gay French-Algerian Ishmael and his beautiful sister Isabella, and confronts her unresolved feelings and dread over the choices Chloe is making.
Can she find Lana and the truth in time to save Chloe … without losing herself?
Available at:
Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair
Jules Moretti is newly single, an aspiring writer, and the hyper-competent assistant to the most powerful woman in fashion. It’s a tough job, but her ice queen boss won’t settle for less than perfection.
Vivian Carlisle helms the internationally revered fashion publication Du Jour. She might be smack in the middle of a messy divorce, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best. That’s what she tells herself, anyway.
When the unthinkable happens, Vivian’s regimented world is turned upside-down. Her life is about power, success, and dominance—not a baby!
This single, shocking moment throws boss and assistant together into an intimacy neither could have imagined. With their lives in chaos, every day brings a new challenge bigger than the last. But everything will work out…just so long as they don’t do anything totally ridiculous.
Like fall in love.
Available at:
House of Agnes by Fiona Zedde
Agnes Noble is private, mysterious, and untouchable. She rules House of Agnes, the most exclusive escort agency on the East Coast, with a diamond fist. Crossing her is a mistake no one makes twice.
Investigative reporter Lola Osbourne is not afraid. She’s gunning for the House and its so-called queen. She’ll make sure no other innocent gets dragged into Agnes’s alluring web, to be used and discarded the way Lola’s sister was.
But her plan to get close to the elusive madam shatters the moment her eyes meet the Queen’s. One look and everything’s different. More complicated. Dangerous.
Now, Lola’s not just fighting to topple a queen from her throne, she’s also scrambling to escape their explosive collision with her suddenly vulnerable heart intact.
Available at:
Nottingham by Anna Burke
After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest. All she really wants to do is provide for her family and stay out of trouble, but when the damnable Sheriff of Nottingham levies the largest tax in the history of England, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. Relying on the help of her merry band of misfits and the Sheriff’s intriguing—and off-limits—daughter, Marian, Robyn must find a way to pull off the biggest heist Sherwood has ever seen.
With both heart and freedom at stake, just how much is she willing to risk to ensure the safety of the ones she loves?
Available at:
Outcaste by Fletcher DeLancey
Rahel Sayana is desperate to escape the life her parents have planned for her. She runs away to the dangerous port city of Whitesun and becomes an outcaste: a person of no caste and few rights.
From backbreaking labor on the docks to fighting off bullies, Rahel learns the lessons that propel her to the life of her dreams. Happiness does not last. A planetary threat pulls her into the biggest battle in Alsean history, then into a treacherous game of power.
The loss of both her honor and caste sends her reeling, but Rahel has always made her own fate. She gambles everything on one final chance.
Will giving up her hopes lead to the highest honor of all?
Available at:
Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon
Joined in a battle for survival, a broken-winged angel and a shapeshifter huntress with a bloody past form a bond that may change their world. Alone since her father’s murder, Aurora has spent years hunting his killers. Battle-weary she’s ready to start over where no one knows who or what she is – she just has one last mission. Everything is going to plan until she discovers the beautiful winged girl caged underground. Her decision to rescue Evie and to help her get home safely, despite avians being infamous for selling out shifters like Aurora to cutters and black-market flesh dealers, will put her on a perilous path.
As the women travel together their attraction grows but Aurora is guarding her lonely heart almost as much as her dangerous secrets and Evie is struggling to accept how important Aurora has become to her.
With their enemies conspiring to kill them, they may be each other’s only hope. Aurora is powerful but she’s also emotionally scarred. It will be up to Evie to save her from herself and to fight for them, or innocent people will die along with the guilty ones and Aurora will disappear from Evie’s life forever.
Available at:
The Lily & the Crown by Roslyn Sinclair
Ariana “Ari” Geiker lives an isolated life on an imperial space station commanded by her father. The skilled, young botanist rarely leaves her living quarters, where she maintains an elaborate garden. When an imperious older woman is captured from a pirate ship and given to her as a slave, Ariana’s perfectly ordered life is thrown into chaos. Her nameless slave is watchful, intelligent, dangerous, and sexy, and seems to know an awful lot about tactics, star charts, and the dread, marauding pirate queen, Mir. What happens when the slave also reveals an expertise in seduction to her innocent mistress?
Available at:
A Breathless Place by Harper Bliss
Isabel ‘Izzy’ Adler used to dominate the world’s stages with her vocal acrobatics. But since she lost her voice ten years ago, Izzy’s been to hell—and hasn’t found her way back.
When journalist Leila Zadeh is brought in to finish her biography, Izzy’s dark plans for her life are challenged by the brilliant and gorgeous new woman in her life.
Will the instant attraction between them be enough to stop Izzy from playing out her final song?
Available at:
The Forever and the Now by KJ
Bron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.
Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust.
When her orange smoothie explodes all over her business suit while she’s on her afternoon walk, Kate simply shakes her head in resignation.
Bron, having witnessed the smoothie eruption, races to help, and suddenly her life takes an unexpected turn.
Falling in love is like watching the grandest sunset on the calmest ocean where the tiniest ripples wear silver sparkles as their hats. Kate and Bron find that sunset on that ocean with those ripples of love, but what happens when you take that love for granted? What happens when your person disappears? The answers are hard to hear and Bron chooses not to listen.
After a relationship break, a family intervention, and conversations that rip apart seams, Bron and Kate eventually find themselves, each other, and their now. And what they discover is that love is the large and the deliberate, and the simple and the small.
So when tragedy strikes, they call on its strength because, when you think about it, love can live on in the forever, particularly if it lives courageously in the now.
Available at:
Under a Falling Star by Jae
Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn’t off to a good start. Her first assignment—decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby—results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company’s second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper.
Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She’s determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss.
Available at:
Cast Me Gently by Caren J. Werlinger
Teresa Benedetto and Ellie Ryan couldn’t be more different, at least on the surface.
Teresa still lives at home. As much as she loves her boisterous Italian family, she feels trapped by them and their plans for her life. Their love is suffocating her.
Ellie has been on her own for years, working hard to save up enough to live her dream of escaping from Pittsburgh to travel the world. Except leaving isn’t that simple when she knows her brother is out on the streets of the city somewhere, back from Vietnam, but not home.
When Teresa and Ellie meet and fall in love, their worlds clash. Ellie would love to be part of Teresa’s family, but they both know that will never happen. Sooner or later, Teresa will have to choose between the two halves of her heart—Ellie or her family.
Available at:
A Calculated Risk by Cari Hunter
Detective Jo Shaw has it all worked out. She’s good at her job, she has loads of mates, and she likes being single. She doesn’t need complications, but an emergency call to the stabbing of a young woman brings plenty of those. Jo has to risk her career to save the woman’s life, and a bad night gets worse when the trauma surgeon turns out to be Isla Munro, Jo’s only real love, who walked out on her fifteen years ago and never came back.
With the victim’s children missing and the husband the prime suspect, Jo’s investigation is stonewalled by a community living in fear. As one dead end leads to another, she and Isla are forced to put their differences aside and work together. But the case is far more dangerous than Jo realizes, and her determination to sort the truth from the lies may put her own life on the line.
Available at:
Upcoming giveaway event
July 15 is Give Something Away Day, so I will join forces with dozens of fellow authors to put together a huge book giveaway! If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss it, please sign up to my reader newsletter!
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “sapphic book with a stunning or unusual cover” category or what your favorite book cover is!
The post Sapphic book with a stunning or unusual cover (Book Unicorn #7) appeared first on Jae.
June 29, 2023
Sapphic book with a same-sex wedding (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #13)
It’s been 8 years this week since the US Supreme Court has struck down all bans on same-sex marriage, legalizing it in all US states. That’s why this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category celebrates sapphic books with a same-sex wedding.
The wedding needs to play an important role in the book, so it can’t be just the two main characters getting married in the last chapter or epilogue.
Sapphic books with a same-sex wedding
Here are 15 recommended sapphic books in which a same-sex wedding plays an important role:
Three Ways to Ruin a Perfect Wedding by Chris Zett
Jess and Lena plan a low-key, stress-free wedding with their daughter, family, and close friends. But when a series of accidents threatens to ruin their wedding day, they learn what is really important.
Available at:
Bookfunnel (free ebook)
Not the Marrying Kind by Jae
Can a closeted florist and a too-busy-for-a-relationship bakery owner mix up the perfect recipe for love in this lesbian small-town romance?
Small-town florist Ashley Gaines loves her little flower shop and putting together the perfect bouquets for weddings and other happy occasions. Her own love life, however, is far from blossoming. Ash has decided that staying in the closet is safer than risking her heart again.
Local bakery owner Sasha Peterson hasn’t had much luck mixing it up with romance either. Besides, she’s too busy whipping up delicious treats to have time for a relationship.
But when their town’s first lesbian wedding forces them to work together, Ashley and Sasha discover they have more in common than they imagined.
During food fights, cake tastings, and slow waltzes, they begin to see each other in a new light. Soon Ashley has to admit to herself that Sasha is tempting more than just her sweet tooth.
Available at:
Vicious Devotion by Aveda Vice
Her pack is destroyed. Her Alpha is dead. All that Pheir has left israge.
According to the Conclave, that isn’t punishment enough. For her mutiny, she’ll be married into the enemy Timber pack and forced to abandon her old loyalties.
As far as Pheir’s concerned, being held captive is just a hitch in her plot for revenge. She will find a way to bring her former leader back from the dead. If the Timbers try to stop her, they’ll learn what happens to people who get in her way.
But the Timbers aren’t as united as they seem.
Even outside of Alpha Lev’s newly-assigned marriage, there’s tension between her most trusted officers. Aren and Caius are diametrically opposed, yet the three of them keep finding their way into each other’s beds.
Adding their rival, Pheir, to the mix is fuel to the fire – but the more they learn of their entwined histories, the less they recognize each other.
What if they aren’t the people they thought they were?
What if digging for each others’ weaknesses unearthed their own?
What if the restless feelings they have for each other have developed into something other than hate?
Available at:
Ready for Love by Catherine Maiorisi
After watching the woman she’s professed to love for more than twenty years marry someone else, Renee Rousseau vows to free herself of the unrequited love before she and her friends meet the married couple in Paris. In ten weeks.
Then Renee encounters Lady Constance Martindale—the only other woman she’d ever imagined a future with—and she’s sure the universe is playing with her. Sixteen years ago they’d agreed to a casual, time-limited relationship. But when it turned to love, they both panicked and Constance dumped Renee before Renee could dump her. A first.
But the past is the past and sixteen years is a lifetime. Can passion be renewed? And what about her love for the woman who just got married?
Available at:
The Business of Love by Charley Clarke
Driven, reserved businesswoman Mackenzie Watson has one goal—take over her family company and secure her little sister’s future. The only wrinkle is her late grandmother’s decree that her company’s CEO must be married.
Adding marriage into Mack’s well-ordered life is a recipe for disaster. Her oh-so-logical solution? She’ll just hire a woman to be her wife for a year. Besides, maybe a little chaos is exactly what she needs…
Enter Taylor Sutton, the woman Mack accidentally stood up for a date six months ago. With a mountain of college debt, the barista could seriously use the money that comes with playing Mack’s wife. The big hitch—so to speak—is that her new wife is pretentious and arrogant and Taylor can’t stand even being in the same room with her.
God, Taylor pities anyone who’d fall in love with annoying, gorgeous Mack Watson and her kissable lips.
Wait, what?
Available at:
The Turkey Baster Diaries by Elizabeth James
Introverted Lizzie and international traveller Anna meet; fall in love and marry. Anna had always wanted children; Lizzie was surprised but receptive. The couple make baby plans, but circumstances change and tension builds.
Will Lizzie and Anna be fairly treated?
Will they become parents?
Will it cost them their relationship?
As well as being a roller-coaster of a ride The Turkey Baster Diaries contain useful guidance for those on their own family quest.
Available at:
I Always Will by Jacqueline Ramsden
When Alexandria met Hailey on their first day of secondary school, the last thing she was expecting was to become best friends with the chatty girl beside her. But friendship blossomed into first love, until different universities threatened to tear them apart.
Seventeen years later, Alexandria’s brother is set to marry one of Hailey’s employees, and their whirlwind romance drags Hailey and Alexandria back into each other’s lives.
Suddenly, all of the reasons they had for parting don’t seem compelling, and they can’t deny the attraction between them. But, with a wedding to plan, family in the way, and years of pain between them, will Hailey and Alexandria be brave enough to risk the hearts they’ve spent years protecting, or will they miss each other again?
Available at:
The Woman Who Climbed A Mountain by Jamey Moody
One great love. Two horrible mistakes. Do second chances really exist?
Victoria Stratton tried to heal her broken heart by working. When she was focused on saving her father’s legacy, she couldn’t think about Shelby Kimball. She knew it was too much to ask when suddenly five years ago Victoria’s father sent her to Japan to save the company. Shelby wouldn’t come with her, but now, she was coming home and prepared to do whatever it took to get another chance with Shelby.
It had been five long years since the love of Shelby Kimball’s life left for Japan without her. Five years of questioning why Shelby didn’t go with her. What she would give for a do over.
Out of the blue Victoria appears and asks Shelby to do the strangest thing: “Would you climb a mountain with me?”
Was this the second chance Shelby hoped for? Could they figure out what went wrong and do it right this time? Could they really climb this mountain and come back down together?
Available at:
Captive in the Underworld by Lianyu Tan
In the land of the dead, Queen Hades’ word is law. Hades gets what she wants–always–and what she wants is a certain goddess of the springtime.
Innocent Persephone chafes beneath her mother’s hawkish gaze and mercurial temper. Demeter has rebuffed all her daughter’s suitors, but she is not yet satisfied; she strives to crush Persephone’s spirit.
Still, when Hades pulls her into the dark realm of the underworld, Persephone longs for the world above, even if it means an eternity under her mother’s thumb.
With her tears and pleas for freedom ignored by pitiless Hades, Persephone must learn to satisfy her keeper in all ways, lest she suffer the consequences.
And though she cannot deny that something blooms within her, something forbidden, Persephone despairs of ever feeling the sun upon her skin once more.
No matter the cost, Hades intends to keep her.
Forever.
Available at:
Just Tell Her by Nicole Pyland
Charlie Adams has two best friends. Ember Elliot and Hailey Grant, the woman she’s secretly been in love with since the moment they met over a decade ago. She has watched Hailey date all the wrong women and never said anything about how she wanted to be Hailey’s forever love.
Hailey Grant had a first love that she was comparing every other woman to. When that woman comes back into her life, Hailey has to get to know her again after all this time. As Hailey tries to figure out if her first love is actually her forever love, she sees something is different about Charlie.
When the two women embark on new relationships, they’ll have to finally confront their growing attraction for each other and decide if they can be brave enough to risk the most important friendship they have for possibly something more. Charlie might just be the girl who gets the girl after years of watching Hailey be miserable with other women who didn’t deserve her, and Hailey might have just had the right woman by her side this whole time.
Available at:
Miracles by Serena J. Bishop
After three years together, Aurora and Leela have settled into a cozy life. The only complaint is their lack of quality time together. When the opportunity arises for a trip to paradise, they can’t turn it down. A week of romance among Hawaii’s natural wonders is exactly what they need to reconnect. When they return home, their relationship is the strongest and most stress-free it’s ever been.
Then, Aurora learns she’s pregnant.
There was no infidelity. There was no assault. There’s no logical explanation for the conception, but the pregnancy is undeniable. And it feels right to Aurora.
Aurora and Leela debate whether a scientific or spiritual reason is the cause, but the mystery takes a backseat as maternal instincts take over. Aurora’s connection ranges from the ordinary to psychic, but her experiences are nothing compared to Leela’s. A new, primal voice from within directs her to do whatever is necessary to protect their child.
Can they keep the cause of the pregnancy and the psychic connection to their child a secret? Can they come to terms with the uniqueness of their child and the circumstances around her conception? And can they accept the grandest miracle of them all?
Available at:
Electric Love by Shannon O’Connor
Five years ago, Alexandria and Eden were thriving in the moment, falling fast and loving deeply. But when Eden broke Alexandria’s heart, she had to figure out how to carry on alone.
She created a life and family for herself. Alexandria never expected to see Eden again, but then they run into each other—literally—and sparks fly. Alexandria thought it would be nothing, until she couldn’t forget the way it felt to be near her again. With Alexandria’s new life and Eden’s fiancée waiting for her they shouldn’t be thinking about each other, but when they keep running into each other they can’t ignore the signs any longer.
So many things have changed in the last five years, but have their feelings?
Available at:
If the Shoe Fits by EJ Noyes
Jana Fleischer loves her life—wonderful family, best sister in the world, awesome soon to be sister-in-law, fabulous job, and a never-ending stream of men to chew through and spit out. So what if everyone says she’s too picky and she’s never had a real relationship?
When a chance meeting with Brooke Donnelly leaves Jana literally and figuratively off-balance, it doesn’t take long for her initial annoyance to turn into the first sparks of friendship. Jana always thought she was happy with her life, but the more time she spends with Brooke, the more she realizes something is missing. And maybe not just in the friendship department.
But how do you make that leap when you’ve never even considered kissing a woman, and have spent your whole life avoiding romantic commitments? Being brave, taking the first step, and admitting she wants to try to make things work with
Brooke is only the beginning. Whether it’s the beginning of a disaster—or everything Jana hadn’t realized she wanted—depends on if Brooke can also be brave enough…
Available at:
The Wedding Party by Tracey Richardson
Dani and Shannon are blushing brides-to-be. Shannon’s niece Amanda, with friends Claire and Jordan, will soon be witnesses to the forthcoming nuptials. Together, they’re a party of five intent on having an unforgettable week in Las Vegas.
Though far from home, none of them can outrun the pasts that have shaped their lives so far. The brides each harbor a secret that could bankrupt their wedding dreams. Jordan, the self-avowed eternal bachelor, finds herself in an unexpected high stakes game of love. Claire, a doctor still grieving the loss of her long-time partner, hits a jackpot she isn’t sure she wants. And Amanda, carrying a secret of her own, decides to gamble it all on love.
It’s a dizzying, exhilarating week of discovery, passion and surprises, and no one knows where the spinning wheel will stop.
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A Good Chance by Ali Vali
Harriet “Harry” and Desi Basantes spent sixteen years waiting to find each other again, and now they’re weeks away from a wedding and the baby they’ve planned since high school.
Desi’s sister Rachel Thompson is happy for them. Rachel might wish for her own grand love affair, but her attraction to Harry’s ex Serena Ladding doesn’t exactly spell happily ever after. She’s pretty sure Serena is still in love with Harry and isn’t prepared to take the chance on a broken heart. So then why can’t she stop thinking about Serena?
Angola State Penitentiary is one of the toughest prisons in the country, but when Desi’s ex-husband Byron Simoneaux sees the chance to run, he does with only one goal in mind: to finish what he started and kill Desi, Rachel, and Harry, the women who stole his life.
Can you really outrun your past? For Harry, Desi, and Rachel, it’s a matter of life or death.
Available at:
Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “sapphic book with a same-sex wedding” category!
The post Sapphic book with a same-sex wedding (Sapphic Book Bingo 2023 #13) appeared first on Jae.
June 21, 2023
Catfishing in the sapphic fiction community
How AC Adams aka Adam Gaffen deceived readers and fellow writersFor a while now, I had intended to write a blog post about how important it is for authors to respect their readers and community, with the first and most important point being to not lie and pretend they’re someone they aren’t.
It turns out I now need to write an entire blog post just about that topic, because an author within our community has lied and deceived readers, fellow authors, and the rest of the community in a way that is inexcusable.
Let me start at the beginning to give you a better idea of what happened and why I’m posting about it.
If you know anything about me, you know I have a reputation for helping to uplift and promote my fellow authors, especially authors who are just starting out.
Last year, I was approached by AC Adams—a young, out lesbian woman from Boston… Or so I thought because that’s what her author’s bio and all her social media profiles said. This is what her author page on Amazon looked like:
As you can see, her author photo showed a young woman. I thought she was probably using a pen name (or just her initials) because she was an associate professor (or so her bio said) who doesn’t have tenure yet and who can’t be out at work.
She asked me to read her debut novel and recommend it to my readers, and while I didn’t have time to do that, I invited her to participate in several cross-promotions I organized, including my Advent calendar. I included her in my Sapphic Book Bingo, and I featured her as a newbie author in my Facebook group.
I introduced thousands of readers to AC’s writing, and I also gave her advice whenever she emailed me with questions.
At some point, she told me—unprompted—her first name is Amelia. Here’s a screenshot of that email:
I would not say we were friends—it was definitely a one-sided relationship of me helping out a new author—but she liked to name-drop and mention “her friend Jae” on social media.
This year, I noticed that she started promoting sapphic books by an author named Adam Gaffen in my Facebook reader group and on her social media, not just once or twice but a lot.
That’s when I started getting suspicious because those posts didn’t read like an enthusiastic reader giving shout-outs to a favorite writer. They read like self-promotion posts.
So I emailed AC and asked her if Adam Gaffen is a pen name of hers. She answered that Adam is just a friend who helped her promote her books, so she’s helping him in return. Here’s a screenshot of AC’s answer:
But something seemed off, because she was promoting Adam Gaffen’s books more than her own.
So a few days ago, I started playing detective. I did a reverse search on AC’s author photo and found it on a stock photo site, which means it’s the picture of some unsuspecting model, not a photo of AC. I also found out the LLC set up to publish AC’s audiobook was registered to Adam Gaffen.
At this point, it seemed pretty clear to me: AC Adams wasn’t a young lesbian woman; he is actually Adam Gaffen, a straight man in his fifties. Not even the job or city mentioned in AC’s author bio are true.
At the same time, I started talking to a couple of author friends of mine for advice on how to proceed, and it turns out one of them had exchanged emails (screenshotted on her blog) with Adam Gaffen, who writes books with sapphic main characters too, and he had casually mentioned his pen name, AC Adams, as if it were no big deal.
Please don’t get me wrong. Having a pen name is no big deal. It’s actually pretty common, especially among romance authors and authors of LGBTQ+ fiction. Authors have many reasons for using pen names—protecting themselves from stalkers or having to separate their author life from their personal life because it’s not safe for them to be out. Or just because they want to protect their privacy. That’s all valid. Authors using a pen name can still build real connections with readers and fellow authors if they’re honest about everything they do reveal about themselves. I use a pen name, yet any time I interact with readers, I’m still authentically me.
There are also authors who prefer not to reveal their sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or other personal details. That’s just fine too. Authors don’t owe readers their identity, and there’s a huge difference between not revealing personal information and deceiving people.
This also isn’t about men or straight folks writing sapphic fiction. I personally have no problem with that. To me, sapphic fiction is about the respectful representation of queer women and sapphic people, regardless of who writes the books. Readers get to make their own choices about what authors they want to support.
I know someone will probably bring up that women used to publish under male aliases in past centuries. That’s not the same thing Adam did. Back then, women were excluded from publishing and had no other way to make themselves heard because publishing was (and still is to some extent) a white, cishet man’s world. Adam is one of those white cishet men. He had no reason to assume the persona of a queer woman other than to deceive a marginalized community for his own gain.
No one would have stopped him from publishing sapphic books under his own name or a male pen name. If Adam thought revealing himself to be a straight man would be a disadvantage, he could have just used a gender-neutral pen name, used a photo of his cat as his profile picture, and avoided revealing any information about himself. He could have let his books do the talking instead of talking about the person behind the books.
But that’s not what he did. As AC Adams, he talked about being an out-and-proud lesbian in interviews like this one:
He sent out a Pride Month newsletter, passionately ranting about the injustice of queer people “like her” needing a special month to be who they are. Here’s an excerpt of that newsletter:
Just a few days ago, he posted a “gay ID card” signed “Amelia Adams” across all his AC Adams social media:
That’s way more than having a pen name. That’s creating an entire fake persona with a fake life. It’s catfishing. It’s appropriating a queer identity as a marketing tool to sell books, when he’s neither a woman nor queer—nor does he understand (or care about) all the ways in which his scheme is harming the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s not only that he swindled his way into debut author spots in my promotions by pretending to be a new author, taking away a spot from someone who actually is. Or that he got around the “no self-promotion” rule in my Facebook group by having his fake persona promote his books for him.
As AC Adams, he also published anthologies and worked with sapphic authors. He built relationships and friendships with fellow authors. Some of them were even friends with both AC and Adam Gaffen, without realizing they are the same person—so now these authors will lose not just one but two friends. I later found out that he wrote a book with a fellow author as AC Adams. That author then paid AC’s preferred editor, Adam Gaffen, to edit the manuscript! That’s not just deception; that’s fraud!
I bet he also got emails from readers opening up to him (or rather to AC), revealing personal details.
The sapphic fiction community is small and tight-knit. You can’t be a part of it without forming relationships in some way. He wasn’t lying to anonymous masses. He was deceiving people who trusted him because they thought they knew AC Adams and thought he knew what it’s like to be part of a marginalized minority.
He also harmed members of the sapphic fiction community he never even interacted with—the few men who write sapphic fiction respectfully, under their own name, without appropriating the identity of queer women. Some readers might take what Adam Gaffen did as a reason to boycott all cishet men writing sapphic fiction.
Because of Adam’s scheme, authors of all genders who write under a pen name—especially new, fairly unknown authors—might struggle to get readers and fellow authors to trust them. I have to admit that, at least for a while, I’ll probably wonder with every debut author I’m helping out whether this is Adam using a new pen name…or someone just like him, who thinks nothing of deceiving people and appropriating a queer identity for their own gain.
I’ll try not to let it affect me, and I’ll still help out fellow authors, but if someone who is part of the sapphic fiction community breaks our trust in such a fundamental way, it affects everyone.
Unfortunately, it seems Adam doesn’t understand that. Or maybe he just doesn’t care, despite claiming to be an ally.
When he got caught, he deleted AC Adams’ social media profiles as if that would resolve the problem he had created. But that will leave all the people he formed relationships with forever wondering what happened to AC.
He did send out a newsletter to the people who had subscribed to AC’s mailing list, but not everyone he formed relationships with is a subscriber, and his apology was lukewarm at best—he didn’t even sign it with his real name or admit that he, as Adam Gaffen, also publishes books with sapphic characters and built friendships with people in the sapphic fiction community.
Edited to add: He later sent out a short second newsletter that reveals his name, but only after someone called him out for not doing that before.
His apology newsletter also contains what I believe to be more lies. He says he realized months ago that he had gone too far and was planning an “exit strategy” that would “reduce the character [AC] to a pen name again.”
But if that were true, why did he post an interview where he talks about being an out-and-proud lesbian and post the “gay ID card” with his fake signature just a few days ago?
It also doesn’t take into account the friendships he has built as AC Adams and the people he deceived. There’s no “exit strategy” for that.
After getting caught, he changed his author’s bio on Amazon, but not in a way that avoids any deception. Instead of the fake personal information he shared before, it now says: “This is a pen name. This name is used to write sapphic fantasy romance novels.” The picture next to it is still the same stock photo of a young woman, though. Which means he hasn’t learned a thing or understood what the issue is. This has never been about pen names. He is still pretending to be someone he’s not, manipulating people into thinking he’s a (queer) woman who’s writing under a pen name.
He didn’t unpublish AC Adams’ books or any of the sapphic books he wrote as Adam Gaffen. He merrily continues to profit from his scheme. He’s trying to mitigate the harm for him and his career, not the harm he caused other people.
Which is why I’m posting about it. Not just to tell the people Adam harmed what really happened but also to draw a clear line between using a pen name and not wanting to put details about your private life out there versus creating a fake identity and building friendships as a person who doesn’t exist. That’s not acceptable in any literary community, but it’s especially harmful in a marginalized community that relies on working together to make our voices be heard.
If you are one of the people Adam harmed and you need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can find my email address on the contact page.
Please reach out any time,
Jae
The post Catfishing in the sapphic fiction community appeared first on Jae.
June 15, 2023
Sapphic book with an immigrant or expat character (Book Unicorn #6)
This month’s Book Unicorn category of the Sapphic Book Bingo features sapphic books with a main character who’s either an immigrant or an expat.
Both expats and immigrants are people who left their native country and now live elsewhere. The difference between an immigrant and an expat is that immigrants move from the country of their birth to another country to live there permanently, while expats (expatriates) have relocated abroad only temporarily.
But sometimes, the situation changes, so someone can start out as an expat and then stay permanently, as it happened in my novel Shaken to the Core.
15 sapphic books with a main character who’s an immigrant or expat
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended books featuring a main character who’s an immigrant or an expat:
Shaken to the Core by Jae
Kate Winthrop, the only child of a wealthy shipping magnate, has the course of her life charted for her by her parents. She’s expected to marry well and produce a successor to the Winthrop empire. But Kate has a very different path in mind. Her true passion lies with photography—and with women.
Alone in the city after losing her brother, Sicilian immigrant Giuliana Russo starts working for the Winthrops as a maid. Despite their different social status, Kate and Giuliana become friends, much to the dismay of Kate’s parents.
As the connection between the two women grows, a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco and ignites fires that sweep through the city for three days and nights.
Will the disaster shatter their tentative feelings for each other, or will they find the courage to save each other’s lives—and their hearts?
Join Kate and Giuliana on a journey of danger and discovery in the action-packed historical romance Shaken to the Core, set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Available at:
Both Ends of the Whip by Brenda Murphy
Octavia Vargus had everything she wanted at Rowan House, Skye’s most exclusive pleasure house, except the one thing she craved. Longing for the freedom to explore both sides of her nature, she leaves Rowan House and her mistress, for a new start in Italy with her partner Bridget Murray.
Vivian Abiola is a connection to a past Octavia would like to forget, and a love she never expected to see again. After Octavia’s past relationship with Vivian is exposed, Octavia and Bridget explore the limits of their desires with Vivian. When an arsonist threatens to destroy their vineyard, past loyalties and secrets endanger their lives, and the three women’s relationship. Their love may be the only thing that helps them survive the firestorm of doubt, intrigue, and jealousy.
Available at:
Score to Love by Johana Gavez
In the field, hate can easily turn into love.
Antonia Carvalho left her native Brazil in search of a dream: a professional soccer career and better opportunities for her and her brother. The plan is simple; score as many goals as possible with the Houston Starlight and become one of their top players. She won’t let anything get in the way. Not even Camila Sánchez, her attractive but annoying teammate.
Camila Sánchez spent all her life in the shadow of her father, a former soccer star and coach. There’s no time for distractions as she fights to show everyone she deserves her spot on the team. Playing for the Houston Starlight is her opportunity to shine. She won’t let Antonia steal her spot on the team, no matter how much chemistry they have in bed.
Available at:
The Sting of Victory by S D Simper
Haunted by a history of horror and abuse, Flowridia, a witch with a tender heart, finds a second chance in the home of her kingdom’s royal family. With employment comes friendship, and perhaps she has finally found a place to belong—until she catches the eye of Lady Ayla Darkleaf, a woman with enticing grace and a predatory smile. The corrupt world of politics consumes her, and Flowridia falls into a toxic love affair surely doomed for heartbreak. Yet when Ayla’s legacy as a monster unfolds, Flowridia sees only the tender soul hiding beneath.
An ancient deity returns, hell-bent on restoring the world to its natural order, and Flowridia’s kingdom is tasked to stop him. Caught in the ensuing clash of gods, her loyalties will be tempted at every turn—by family, by fate, and by the woman whose claws grip her heart.
Available at:
Last Chance Chicago by Diana DiGangi
Attorney and recovering cocaine addict Sam DiCiccio didn’t think she was ever going to see her ex-wife Amy Igarashi again, much less wind up defending her against felony insider trading charges.
But Amy’s been falsely accused, and Sam, who’s still in love with her, can’t bear to watch her take the fall for a crime she didn’t commit. Amy is holding on to resentment from their broken relationship and is hesitant to let Sam back into her life. But that all changes when her assets are frozen by a judge, and Sam is the best and only lawyer she can afford.
As Sam and Amy pull the threads of the alleged crime, they begin to unravel a mysterious corporate conspiracy that runs deep and wide. But as the clock ticks faster each day, the chance to prove Amy’s innocence and keep her out of jail begins to slip away.
Sam and Amy keep inching closer to the truth, but each step draws them closer to shadowy enemies and amplifies the heat between them.
Available at:
Of Light And Love by E.V. Bancroft
Carolyn Trent-Parker is one of her generation’s best artists but after losing her wife two years ago, she can no longer paint. In fact, she doesn’t want to do much of anything except hide away. Unwilling to move from her home but with no means of income, she’s forced to get a lodger.
Laura Kingston-Lopez is heartbroken and disillusioned, and she heads to England to pursue her masters in animation. She needs a place to stay but isn’t prepared for what she gets. Her new landlady, Caro, is unwelcoming, grumpy, and completely fascinating.
Opposites in every way, they push each other in unexpected ways. Can Caro rediscover her creativity? And even if she does, can Laura let go of her past so they can paint a new future?
Available at:
The Escape Artist by Judith Katz
Set in the brothels and gangster dens of Jewish Buenos Aires at the beginning of the twentieth century, The Escape Artist catapults us into the lives of Sofia Teitelbaum and Hankus Lubarsky.
Sofia, a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is lured away from home by Tutsik Goldenberg, a wealthy traveling businessman who claims to be a lonely Argentine diamond merchant in search of a wife. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, Tutsik dumps Sofia at his sister’s brothel.
Hankus, also a nice Jewish girl from Poland, is passing as a man. Having escaped the pogroms of Poland that killed her family, she lives her life as a handsome and mysterious magician and escape artist.
When Tutsik spots the talented juggler and acrobat Hankus he envisions success as his manager, seeing Hankus as the means to get out from under his sister’s thumb.
Sofia and Hankus fall in love and their attempts to walk the tightrope of love, freedom, and independence are quickly put to the test.
Available at:
The Language of Light by Kathleen Brady
It’s 1982, and China has just barely begun to open to the West.
When Lu McLean sells all her possessions and leaves Los Angeles to study Mandarin Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute, she imagines a life of serious scholarship and an eventual job as a translator at the United Nations. On the night of her arrival, Lu meets the captivating, Ming, a Chinese teacher at the institute. Still recovering from a failed ten-year relationship, Lu has vowed never to give her heart away again.
But as Lu struggles to balance Beijing’s simple beauty with the confounding rigidity of ageless custom, her feelings for Ming deepen. She soon finds herself vacillating between letting herself love Ming and her escalating fears about the certain barriers that would prevent them from ever navigating a life together. Against the backdrop of China’s Spiritual Pollution and a tightening cultural climate, it becomes clear that Ming cannot leave—and Lu cannot stay indefinitely. Events soon force Lu—and Ming—to balance the love that binds them against the social and political forces that threaten to tear them apart.
Available at:
Underwater Vibes by Mickey Brent
How to survive that pivotal moment when admiration turns to attraction?
Hélène Dupont, a scientific translator in Brussels, Belgium, cherishes two things: flowers and her cat. She writes bad poetry to help her survive her painful existence with her husband, until she is forced to undergo a radical lifestyle change. Sylvie Routard, a young Greek photographer, enters Hélène’s world as her new private swim coach. During their daily lessons, Hélène’s admiration toward Sylvie turns to attraction. As unsettling feelings hijack Hélène’s mind and body, daydreams featuring Sylvie enter her world—even her poems. While the two athletes increasingly feel underwater vibes in the pool, Hélène questions her relationship at home, and everything else in life.
Available at:
Moon over St. Augustine by Renn Loraine
Meg doesn’t believe in ghosts. And yet…
One night in a foggy St. Augustine cemetery, Meghan Thomas is startled by a beautiful woman who seems to have stepped out of Florida’s Spanish past. Stunned, but thinking the woman needs help, Meg follows her – only to discover she has disappeared.
The incident leaves Meg unnerved, but it’s only the beginning of what happens next: faint footsteps in her apartment at night, the sound of small items scraping across surfaces, and furniture that seems to have moved of its own accord.
And then one day – among the graceful palm trees and historic buildings of the oldest city in the U.S. – Meg seems to be the only one who sees the sensual woman in the black mantilla and long red skirt moving through the ancient coquina streets. Meg follows, not knowing the way leads to a mystery – and the woman who will change her life forever.
Available at:
Casting Shadows by RJ Samuel
Kiran is still the only vision painter in Ireland but she cannot express her gift as she struggles with the consequences of its misuse. When everything she loves is threatened, she must protect her family by uncovering the history and secrets of the vision painters in Kerala. But there are those who will do what it takes to keep the truth locked away in the shadows of the past.
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Wildflower Words by Sam Ledel
Hazel Thompson prides herself on being a beacon of earnest goodwill in Cedar Springs, Utah, where she works alongside her mother as a cook in a raucous restaurant and dance hall. But lately, Hazel wonders if she hasn’t clipped her own wings by always putting her family and neighbors first, leaving no time for her own wants.
Lida Jones, the daughter of roving Eastern European immigrants, treks West with her father in search of a better life on the rapidly developing American frontier. To help make money, Lida takes a job in the Pack Horse Library and gets to know the rowdy, tough residents of Cedar Springs. Getting close to anyone is a waste of time, though. She won’t be here long.
Hazel and Lida can’t help but get to know one another as Lida travels through on her route. When Lida’s father begins to struggle at work, Lida fears she’ll have to leave Cedar Springs—and Hazel—behind. But how can she when, finally, she’s found a place, and a person, to call home?
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Heartlines by Simonetta Pastorini
Dianna Laydon is an actress starring in one of TV’s top series, Treasure Hunt, but she has never gotten used to fame. In her heart, she’s still the simple Southern girl who had moved to Los Angeles years ago to make her dream come true. She’s also a control freak, a play-by-the-book kind of girl, and a totally rational person. Her life, though, is turned upside down when a new actress is cast as a recurring character in Treasure Hunt. Vivien Reese has spent her whole life under the spotlights, being the wild daughter of a renowned British director, and a famous actress herself since she was just eighteen years old. With her party-girl reputation and her go-with-the-flow attitude, she seems Dianna’s polar opposite, so when the two girls meet sparks start flying, and not necessarily in a good way. But as they work together and they get to know each other, they discover that they might be more similar than they had initially thought, and more importantly, they’re terribly drawn to each other.
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Beyond the Blue by TJ O’Shea
Numbers rule Dr. Mei Sharpe’s life. She has no husband, one friend, two daughters, and three random meetings with the same woman within four weeks. Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but upon the third meeting, even Mei in all her empirical rigidness must admit that perhaps the universe is giving her a nudge. A nudge that lands her directly in the path of Lieutenant Morgan Kelly—an affable, charming detective for the Sheriff Department’s brand-new cold case team working down the hall from Mei’s morgue.
More golden retriever than hard-boiled detective, Morgan is determined to pull the asocial widow out of her shell. As the icy scientist warms to her cheerful new friend, an irrepressible chemistry develops, and Mei begins to realize she’s perhaps a different number on the Kinsey scale than previously considered.
As Mei and Morgan struggle with guilt and grief, drama and desires, Mei finds her scientific austerity is no match for the universe and its nudges toward the startling revelation of what her heart really wants.
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Velvet in Venice by Karin Kallmaker
Artie Bryson came to Venice to finish her PhD. Five years later the PhD still isn’t done, but life is okay. Leading guided tours of the magnificent city pays the bills. The days are all the same — until she seeks respite from the summer swelter in the Casino di Venezia cabaret.
Nikki Velvet has finally found her musical niche singing Postcards from America in a solo tour across Europe. Her bluesy, jazzy, sultry voice brings Artie back the next night. And the next…
The two Americans find they have a lot in common, but Nicki’s gig in Venice ends in two short weeks. Not long enough for anything more than a bit of fun, right? One very old coin knows otherwise.
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Plain English by Rachel Spangler
When Claire Bailey left London to open her own art gallery in the tiny village of Amberwick, she’d hoped to make an honest go at simple living right up until the moment a shockingly attractive aristocrat rocketed o the road and knocked her world n its axis.
Pip has learned to play the part of a ne’er-do-well upper elite: charismatic, enigmatic, and a little bit erratic. Luckily, women tend to like that. After leading such a charmed existence, Pip finds that Claire’s complete lack of interest in money or status sparks both curiosity and attraction.
Surrendering to both boredom and sheer chemistry, the two agree to an unconventional, no-strings, romantic adventure designed to provide them both a bit of freedom and entertainment. However, once released from the pressure to project perfect images of themselves, the walls they depended on for protection begin to crumble. Worlds blend and identities blur as their whirlwind romance quickly becomes more than they bargained for. Will their almost elemental attraction be enough to overcome the complexities rushing in from all sides? Or will the pressures they’ve both sought to escape force them to forge a new path neither of them had dared to dream of?
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Win books in the Pride Month Trivia
If you haven’t discovered the Pride Month Trivia yet, check out this fun, month-long event! You can win books every day by answering a daily Pride Month Trivia question about sapphic books.
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Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “sapphic book with an expat or immigrant main character” category!
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