Jae's Blog, page 2

Incendiant by Virginia Black

War witch Joan Matthews wants little more than to build a life with Leigh Phan. Their hometown is rebuilding under Joan’s protection, but not everyone is happy with her solution to the most recent vampire crisis.

Meanwhile, Leigh’s bloodling powers lead to unforeseen consequences, and Joan is forced to honor a favor owed to a dangerous foe. Neither knows a greater threat lurks behind seemingly unrelated attacks across the land.

Together, Joan and Leigh once saved the town of Calvert. Now that they are separated, each must learn to save herself, or all their gains will be forfeited—and everyone they know will pay the price.

Available at:

Bywater Books

One Golden Summer by Clare Lydon & TB Markinson

Would you trade fame for love?

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:

For Better or Worse by Amy DeMeritt

When Toni’s wife, Corinne, receives a mysterious letter that sends her flying out of their apartment without explanation, their once perfect and happy marriage and life become embroiled in doubts and fears.

What was in that letter? Who was it from? Is Corinne in danger?

Before Toni can learn the answers to those questions, she learns something about her own past that shatters everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Her father and uncle didn’t just teach her and her brother, Nico, how to protect themselves against schoolyard bullies and street thugs. With distant ties to the Italian mafia in New York, they were always under a certain undefinable level of danger, even in Denver, Colorado.

While mending their marriage, and preparing their minds and bodies for their new reality, the past catches up to them. Caught in the middle of a war between mafia factions, the promise of for better or worse that Toni and Corinne made to each other on their wedding day over five years ago, is put to the ultimate test.

Can they survive the mafia assassins hunting them? And if they do, will their marriage survive?

Available at:

Last Chance by Claire Highton-Stevenson

Nora Brady has one last shot at the career she adores. After a devastating injury knocks her off the women’s football A-list, the tenacious midfielder accepts an offer to play for a struggling young team longing to compete in the big time. With matches to win and a reputation to prove, nothing can disrupt Nora’s laser-focus on her goal…except her ridiculously sexy new boss.

Gabriella Dean will do whatever it takes to build a top-tier program. Even if it means signing the hot, confident player who awakens her long-slumbering passion. The more Gabby gets to know Nora, the more her attraction and feelings for the younger woman grow, but giving into her desires could lead to professional failure, public embarrassment, and the heartache she’s guarded herself against for so long.

As Nora and Gabby’s connection deepens, it threatens their careers and the future of the lovable, motley group of young women they’ve both come to view as family. With the weight of the entire team’s hopes and dreams resting on them, will they risk everything to follow their hearts?

Available at:

Stormy Ink by Diana Jayne

Art graduate Jade O’Connor is on a mission. She needs an intricate tattoo—something elegant and beautiful—to cover her perceived imperfections. Her search for the right artist brings her to a Hawke’s Bay tattoo studio and the surprising discovery that her crush from eight years ago owns it.

Quiet, confident tattoo artist Taylor King is proud of her business and the life she’s built for herself. When Jade walks into her store, a spark ignites that goes beyond skin deep.

As the women get swept up in each other, disaster strikes. Can Jade and Taylor’s newfound relationship survive the pressure of being forced into each other’s space? Is it all too much? Or is it true there are some things you can only learn in the darkness of a storm?

Available at:

Don’t Call Me Hero by Eliza Lentzski

It’s been over a year since Cassidy Miller retired from the United States Marine Corps, but try telling that to her nightmares. She knew that coming back after eight years in a war zone wouldn’t be easy, but she’d underestimated the real difficulties of transitioning back to civilian life. War is hell, but the aftermath is endless. Looking for a fresh start, she’s left her friends and career in Minneapolis to be a police officer in northern Minnesota.

It’s in the tiny town of Embarrass where she learns more about Julia Desjardin. The city prosecutor is cool, professional, and untouchable. But she and Cassidy have history, and Cassidy isn’t going to let her easily forget that.

For all their surface differences, Cassidy and Julia have more in common than they first realized—both are reluctant to hand over their pasts to be judged and studied. But it might take someone just as damaged as the other to help each cope with the skeletons in their respective closets.

Available at:

Stunted Heart by Helena Harte

A stunt rider who lives in the fast lane. An ER doctor who can’t take chances. A passion that could turn their worlds upside down.

Taryn Taylor lives for adrenaline, on the bike and in the bedroom. Settling down has never been part of the plan. But when she meets brilliant, guarded ER doctor Cassandra Kennedy in Vegas, one night turns electric. Neither of them expects the spark to last… But what if this fire was meant to burn forever?

Available at:

Loving Artemis by Janet Mason

Artemis found the love of her life when she met Linda, but their passionate relationship fizzles when Artemis lands herself on the other side of the law. Pulling the pieces of her life together, Artemis rekindles her relationship with Linda, and together they raise a daughter.

Meanwhile, Grace, running from her past, starts a life with Thalia. At a pride parade, Grace spots someone who reminds her of Artemis, who she was briefly involved with in her youth. Old feelings are rekindled. A lifetime of rejection, abandonment, and fleeing rears its head. Now she must come to terms with her past, put her relationship with Artemis to rest–or risk losing everything.

Artemis and Grace embark on a journey of revolution, love, and marriage and discover that love finds us when we least expect it.

Available at:

The Found Jar by Jaycie Morrison

Horror fiction writer Emily Harris just wants to be left alone with her work. But plagued by writer’s block, she reluctantly agrees to join her friends at their luxurious beach house for the summer. Maybe a change of scenery will inspire her.

Local housekeeper Beck Reynolds keeps her life simple—saving for a boat and avoiding the town bullies while she attends art classes. Meeting successful but prickly Emily leaves her feeling awestruck, and she wants to make a good impression, even though Emily seems determined to run her off. But Beck’s not the one who is just visiting.

Emily knows all about loss, and guilt, and rejection. Opening her heart has always gotten her hurt, and she’s absolutely not letting anyone in, even someone good, or good-looking, like Beck.

Available at:

Bold Strokes Books

Straight Girls I’ve Loved Before by S.E. Chandler

Sometimes one word is worth a thousand pictures.

Perpetual player, Frankie, is dumped by her latest straight girlfriend for her serial philandering. But this time, Frankie knows Megan is worth fighting for. She vows to change her wandering ways to win her back. Her BF Sam encourages her soul-searching as Frankie pens letters to former lovers apologizing for how she hurt them.

An online group of exes emerges revealing one of the very vulnerable letters Frankie sent. After it goes viral, Sam tries to help Frankie see the bright side. Frankie’s grandmother cooks up more than incredible Italian, and an unexpected revelation from an unrequited lover sends Frankie reeling…and right back to Megan.

Will she earn her way back into Megan’s familiar arms with how much she’s changed, or will she take a chance on the woman who’s been there all along?

Available at:

Starting Over by Jen Silver

Ellie Winters, a successful potter, is living on a remote hilltop farm inherited from her parents. Her well-ordered life is shaken apart when her past meets her present. Robin Fanshawe, Ellie’s philandering long-term lover, has a fragile truce with Ellie. The arrival of women from Robin’s present threatens to break that tentative pact. Charming Dr. Kathryn Moss, an archaeologist and an old lover of Ellie’s, arrives on the farm searching for a new site to dig. When she discovers a previously unknown Roman settlement and ancient burial site on Ellie’s farm, Ellie allows her to start an archaeological dig of the area. Will Ellie also allow the rekindling of an old romance or will she stay with Robin? Can that long term relationship, albeit tentative, recover from this collision or will an old romance trump everything she knows? Will Robin, seeing the interaction between Ellie and Kathryn, leave her womanizing ways behind? Will she take a chance on giving herself wholly to the woman she loves? These questions and the mystery of whose royal resting place is disturbed at Starling Hill are answered in this classic romance of simmering passions, anguished loss, and the wonder of love.

Available at:

For The 1000th Time by Jen-Lea Mercy

Years ago, Abi left Vancouver heartbroken. Now she’s back — older, wiser, and sexier. Tess won’t know what hit her.

Abi Young is well acquainted with unrequited love and the void it leaves behind. While she had hoped moving to a different city would extinguish any residual feelings for her best friend’s older sister, it turns out absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

As the maid of honor, all Tess Moore wants is to give her sister the wedding of her dreams. Even if it means stepping out of her comfort zone and organizing a pre-wedding bridal party adventure. To make matters worse, the woman whose heart she shattered years ago will be participating. A woman she’s never been able to forget.

After what happened between them, two weeks in proximity to Tess should be hell for Abi. Instead, she deems it one last chance to show Tess the woman she’s become.

Will Tess be able to relax her role as the responsible sister long enough to notice? Or will Abi forever be seen as the kid with a silly crush?

Available at:

Ignis by KJ

Felicity Davis, principal of Rawson Girls Grammar School, is a passionate educator, an inspirational leader, some say even an ice queen, although she’s not sure about that last one. But one thing Felicity knows is that she is perfectly happy with her life. That is until the trauma, the darkness of her past, comes crashing into her present, revealing a deeply buried secret, and placing Felicity and those she loves in incredible danger. Inspector Tal Diamandis takes on the case, attempting to extinguish the flames of Felicity’s past before they consume her. Matters become complicated as Felicity and Tal realise their mutual spark of attraction but when they finally connect the shocking links, the explosive conclusion will leave everyone reeling.

Can Felicity play with fire or will the fire become an inferno?

Available at:

It’s All About Bex by Melissa Tereze

Ellis Patterson can’t lie, the unexpected visit of her best friend’s auntie could be the most exciting thing that’s happened since Ellis drifted to this small town several months ago. She pictures Bex Naylor as a typical favourite aunt: eccentric, childless, probably flitting about in flowered dresses, burning sage.

But Bex defies every stereotype. Black leather on her long, slim body, motorcycle to match, Bex has been following the wind for a year. And when those bright green eyes lock with Ellis’, she feels like she’s died and gone to heaven.

Bex’s attraction to Ellis is instant and electrifying. Despite the younger woman’s butch appearance, there is a softness to her that Bex finds appealing. When she discovers how easy it is to make Ellis blush, Bex suspects making those dimpled cheeks bloom pink could become her favourite hobby while she’s back in town. But being home again is…complicated. The last thing she wants is to let old grudges and tangled family emotions touch Ellis’ sweetness.

Though Bex can forgive, certain people will never forget. And one of them would like to see her gone—permanently.

Available at:

Coffee, Cars, and Necromancy by Neen Cohen

Stuck in a perpetual nightmare, Lily just wants a break. But a dead body stands in her way of a good cup of coffee and a day basking in the sun. As a necromancer, this job wasn’t hers to take. But this time she can’t turn away as the dead leads to the living—the one living person Lily never wanted to see again.

Detective Larissa Alanor has been a pain in Lily’s existence. Ever since her baby sister died, Alanor has blamed one person and one person only, Lily. But the connections can’t be denied, as the past and the present collide.

Will these two enemies come together to solve the real mystery? Or will they stick to their guns while more lives are at risk?

Available at:

Leave a comment

What book will you be reading for the “character rides a motorcycle” category? Let us know in the comments!

The post Character rides a motorcycle (Sapphic Book Bingo #15) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on July 17, 2025 02:03

July 10, 2025

Sapphic sloth-burn romance (Sapphic Book Bingo #14)

Sapphic sloth-burn romance

This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic slow-burn romance novels!

“Sloth burn” is a tongue-in-cheek term for a very slow slow-burn romance in which the romance between the main characters develops at such an excruciatingly slow pace that it makes a sloth look speedy in comparison! I heard the term for the first time when I was working on my latest duology, Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature, in which it takes the characters two entire novels to turn from enemies into lovers!

15 sapphic sloth-burn romance novels

Below, you’ll find 15 sapphic sloth-burn romance novels:

Damage Control by Jae

An actress practically since birth, Grace Durand has finally made it in Hollywood. When a photo of her in a seeming compromising situation with another woman is plastered all over the tabloids, she fears for her career as a lead in romantic movies.

Desperate for a publicist who’ll convince America that she’s straight, Grace hires Lauren Pearce, one of Hollywood’s leading PR agents, not knowing that she’s a lesbian.

Lauren has dealt with PR nightmares for years, so doing damage control for one more rich, spoiled client shouldn’t be a problem—or so she thinks. But the more time she spends with Grace, the more she realizes how different she is from her television persona.

Getting involved with her client is not in her game plan, especially since it would confirm the rumors and ruin Grace’s career, but the attraction between them is growing as they run the gauntlet of the paparazzi together.

Available at:

The Love Project by TB Markinson & Miranda MacLeod

Joni Fisher is facing economic ruin. The once successful advice column she runs with her mother is on the brink of cancellation, and it’ll take a miracle to turn things around. Joni’s last-ditch effort to save her job and preserve her mother’s legacy is The Love Project, a web series she’s developing to bring the Help Me Henrietta franchise alive for a new generation. All she needs is a willing victim…er, star.

Hope Alvarez dreams of falling in love, but she’s always suspected she’s different. Physical attraction is a foreign language to her. After her only prospect for a meaningful relationship falls through, Hope has to face the fact that she’s completely hopeless when it comes to love. Can her favorite advice columnist, Henrietta, save her from a lonely future?

As the series gets underway, fans swoon for the lovable yet unlucky Hope, and they’re not the only ones. Joni is smitten, too. But she’s been down that road before, vowing never again to fall for a straight woman who will keep her forever in the friend zone. Except, what if she’s been reading the situation all wrong? Helping Hope make sense of her identity might save Joni’s job, but will it also bring her love?

Available at:

The Blank White Page by Ali Spooner

Tatum Chastain, Corporate Officer of Chastain International, her family’s real estate empire, accepts the challenge her father, Charles, has set forth. Charles has tasked Tatum and her brother, Charlie, to survive in the wilderness for six months to prove their skills in taking over the family business once he retires. Charles fails to realize that Tatum would fall in love with the southeastern Alaska cabin he has chosen for her to test her resilience and creativity. Tatum prepares for life in the bush, and shortly after she arrives, Poe, a beautiful raven, becomes her companion and guardian. When River Foster, a designated hunter for her village, crosses Tatum’s path, she finds a different kind of love awaits her.

Available at:

Only Mostly Dead by Alli Temple

No one tells you how much paperwork there is after you die.

I expected to wake up on a cloud where angels played harps and fed me grapes. Instead, I’m a ghost stuck in suburban Toronto. The only one who can see me is an unemployed grim reaper who’d rather play video games.

Turns out the business of dying is a train wreck. But if there was ever a girl boss who could get it back on track, it’s me. All I need is a little help from my new undead roommate, whether they want to be involved or not.

Nothing at Afterlife Incorporated moves quickly and if I don’t find a way out soon there won’t be anything left of me to cross over. They say death can be easy, but being only mostly dead sucks.

Available at:

Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton

Oxford – celebrated city of dreaming spires and class warfare – is an ambition come true for lesbian, geeky, upper-middle-class Charlotte and straight, charismatic, working-class Millie.

Against the odds, theirs is an instant, best friendship. Forever.

Exuberant Millie is a breath of fresh air for polite Charlotte and a force of nature within the university’s hallowed walls. And they are going to be the best lawyers of their year and change the world.

But their world changes instead when things go queerly sideways, and they haven’t seen each other since.

Ten years on and Charlotte returns to where it all began. She has a new job at a prestigious law firm and Oxford is as beautiful as ever. She’s a safe distance from her overbearing barrister mother Nicola and three office floors from her snappy college mentor, Olivia.

Then Millie bounds around the corner wanting to be friends again and it’s as if the last decade never happened. Will it be different the second time around? Can they be friends again? Or will love and attraction change things?

Available at:

Remember Me by Del Robertson

Sarah Lindley followed her brother into the untamed Wild West in search of adventure. She found it – in the form of a woman unlike any she’d ever met before.

Buckshot Bailey Bowen thought she had settled down as a ranch hand. That was until a chance encounter with a feisty, Irish redhead turned her world upside down.

Sarah and Bailey meet again in San Antonio in an old, crumbling mission. As the infamous thirteen-day siege rages about them, they fall hopelessly in love. Surrounded by enemy forces, their future looks uncertain. Will they – and their love – survive against such insurmountable odds?

The cry “Remember The Alamo” has long echoed throughout history. Now, the women that were at the Battle of The Alamo ask you to Remember Me.

Available at:

Lighthouse Keeper by Eliza Lentzski

In 1874, in the quaint coastal town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, the ocean’s waves echo with tales of lost love. Lizzy Darby, a resilient young woman with a heart marked by past sorrows, seeks refuge in the familiarity of her parents’ general store. Scarred by the loss of her first love to the unpredictable sea, Lizzy strives to find solace in the routine of her daily life.

Joana Maria Pascoal is a spirited immigrant from the Azores Islands. In her quest for a brighter future for her family, Joana adopts the guise of a man to secure a lucrative position as the town’s lighthouse keeper. As Lizzy and Joana’s lives become intertwined, an undeniable connection forms, one that transcends the boundaries imposed by their society.

Haunted by the wreckage of her past romance, Lizzy grapples with the fear of opening her heart again. Joana, trapped by a disguise that shields her from prejudice but endangers her livelihood, battles the urge to succumb to a forbidden love. Her dual identity hangs in the balance, a secret that, if exposed, could shatter the financial support crucial for her family’s survival.

Clandestine meetings, stolen moments, and the heart’s yearnings collide with the harsh realities of a world bound by tradition and familial expectations. Will the secrets that Lizzy and Joana harbor tear them apart, or can their burgeoning relationship overcome the circumstances that threaten a promising new love?

Available at:

Speak EZ by Elle E. Ire

On New Year’s Eve, in 1923, someone walked into Michelle “Mickey” McFadden’s queer speakeasy hidden beneath the Big City Little Theater and shot her and her dog, EZ, dead. Or . . . sort of, mostly, kind of dead, maybe? Because instead of crossing over, they become trapped within the bar’s cinderblock walls. And though EZ eventually manages to wriggle his way free, Mickey remains, her spirit frozen in time.

In 2022, employees of the Big City Little Theater begin encountering a stray dog sneaking in and around the premises. When Ciara, the theater’s bookkeeper, saves the dog from being hit by a truck, she begins to suspect there’s something odd about the mysterious canine and makes it her mission to catch him and either return him to his owners or keep him as her own.

That is until Ciara and her friends happen upon the sealed-up speakeasy in the theater’s subbasement —and find the dog inside. But how did he get in there when the door was locked? And why are there bullet holes in the otherwise beautifully preserved bar? Their discovery launches them on the investigation of a lifetime, complete with an ancient murder to solve, strange occurrences to explain, and a missing person to find.

When Mickey’s spirit, which has been trapped in the mysterious in-between for the past hundred years, begins to find her way out, she and Ciara finally come face-to-face. And it’s more than the speakeasy’s old wiring that makes sparks fly. Ciara’s falling hard for Mickey and Mickey for her. Can they solve the murder and figure out how EZ returned to the world of the living before the clock strikes midnight on the next New Year’s Eve?

Because if they don’t, they’re pretty certain Mickey’s time will finally be up—this time for good.

Available at:

Disconnected by Annette Mori

Vanna has always felt like something was off with her parents, leaving her feeling oddly disconnected. She decides to move across the country and establish a new and independent life after college. On the way to her new position in Flagstaff, Arizona, Vanna meets out and proud Trey, who loves to flirt.

Trey has never forgotten the beautiful young woman she met briefly and is determined to ensure their paths cross again.

Thousands of miles from home, Vanna finds out more about herself, but not her feeling of being disconnected from her parents. Will Vanna ever form the connection she desperately seeks? Does Trey’s determination work out?

Available at:

Thunder by Barbara Winkes

She wants her, but she has a job to do.

Get it done, and get out of town. Kelli Jameson is tasked with finding a missing teen accused of a crime he’s never been held accountable for. Neither the town’s authorities nor the residents are forthcoming with information.

She finds a reluctant ally in teacher Merin Burke, but Merin has secrets of her own. Attraction flares between them, but giving in to it would come at a cost.

Will they make it through the storm that’s about to break lose?

Available at:

Unexpected Entanglements by Angela K. Crandall

Vela’s life has always been relatively mundane. Working at the pharmacy wasn’t exactly her dream come true, but it paid the bills. And Brant… she’s lucky to have such a doting husband who supports her views and sexuality. When Vela goes out for a night on the town with her best friend, she isn’t looking for any prospects, mysteries, or intertanglings. It’s supposed to be a fun girls’ night with no strings and no dilemmas —until she awakens with a stranger in her bed.

Available at:

In Bloom by Kat Jackson

Nicole Callahan is certain she has endured the worst heartbreak possible, and she’s in no hurry to dive back into the tumultuous waters of love. She insists that she’s absolutely fine being alone, but a part of her still wonders…

To Avery Pullman, owner of a flower shop filled with thorns less prickly than her exes, the idea of love is just a disaster waiting to happen. She sees no reason to invite pain in, especially when she’s still tending to fresh wounds on her heart.

Neither expects—nor wants—the tiny spark that ignites the moment their eyes lock. If they get too close to it, they might each have to face an uncomfortable truth—that they’ve never really known true love before. And that might be more terrifying than any heartbreak.

Available at:

46 by Lynn Ames

It’s November 3, 2020, and Emma McMasters has just been elected the 46th president of the United States. She’s facing a divided Congress and nation, allies that no longer trust America, enemies that have been emboldened, and the legacy of destruction left by the last administration. She must rebuild and reestablish trust in government, in the media, and in the electoral system, all the while carrying the mantle of first female president, and along with it, the hopes and dreams of millions of women and little girls who need her to prove that a woman can get the job done.

Palmer Estes has devoted her life and her career to the military, rising to become the highest-ranking female officer in the US Army. An enigmatic, battle-tested hero, she’s the perfect choice to brief the new president on one last, urgent, highly sensitive mission before she retires.

Two strong women, both driven to serve the country they love, neither prepared for the sparks that fly between them.

Available at:

Holiday Hostage by Rita Potter

Life for Chicago’s rebellious rich girl Cassidy Kavanaugh isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. She’s miserable and can’t work out why, given all her privilege.

While Christmas shopping for her pseudo-girlfriend at the trendy Graffiti Chic, her whole world changes in a split second.

Meeting an intriguing woman amid the colorful graffiti art is just the start. Then she’s caught up in a terrifying botched robbery with the stranger.

As police close in, tempers fray, and chaos reigns, Cassidy is forced to face who she really is, deep down. And what she stands for.

But can love ever come from such an adrenalin-charged meeting? Or is it just an illusion spun from high stakes and danger?

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:

Leave a comment

What book will you be reading for the “sapphic sloth-burn romance” category? Let us know in the comments!

The post Sapphic sloth-burn romance (Sapphic Book Bingo #14) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on July 10, 2025 00:00

June 26, 2025

Sapphic books with only one bed

Only one bed

This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo features possibly the most popular of all micro-tropes: only one bed.

The “only one bed” trope is a common scenario in romance novels. It gets the two characters into a situation where there’s only one bed (e.g., the hotel booking went wrong or they are snowed in) so they are forced to share it. It’s a guaranteed recipe for cute awkwardness, accidental spooning, and sparks that might ignite into something more.

15 sapphic books with only one bed

Below, you’ll find 15 sapphic books in which there’s only one bed and the main characters have to share it.

Enemies by Nature by Jae

Ever since shape-shifters revealed their existence to the world, tensions between humans and Wrasa have been dangerously high. To improve their public image, the Wrasa council comes up with a bold plan: a fake relationship between one of their own and Faith MacAllister, the human daughter of their most vocal enemy.

Tala Peterson, an aloof fox-shifter with the attitude of an alpha wolf, is anything but thrilled to pose as Faith’s mate. She doesn’t trust her one bit—and rightfully so, as Faith has her own agenda. Their flirty banter is strictly for show, and if Tala finds Faith’s scent annoyingly irresistible, it’s only because of the mate scent their scientists concocted.

But when the wolf pack that raised Tala insists she bring her new mate home for a visit, the fake lovers are forced to not only share a bed but also to confront old prejudices. Soon, Faith faces a difficult choice: Should she keep spying on the Wrasa for her father, or can she trust Tala and her kind?

Available at:

Ylva Publishing

The Love Project by TB Markinson & Miranda MacLeod

Available at:

The Wilding of Em’s Path by Ana K. Wrenn

Untamed and wild, Cynda is an outdoorswoman holed up in the Appalachian backcountry. Her solitary existence is shattered when Kadija, a fierce freedom fighter, tracks her down.

Kadija demands Cynda return to civilization to face the consequences of an out-of-control project Cynda worked on years ago. But how can she take on the destructive research institute preying on vulnerable, sensitive people when it almost destroyed her once? How can Cynda face the outside world again, now it’s awash in so much fear and violence that it suffocates her?

As the warring pair reluctantly journey into an oppressive world, the ties that bind them slowly draw them closer. But what happens if those delicate ties ever break?

Available at:

Stars and Soil by Dax Murray

Caitlin Peddigree faces a dire choice: accept a loveless marriage to the crown prince, or die as a traitor to the throne. While Caitlin still grieves the death of her wife, a rebellion simmers in Fayn, the streets filled with cries for the monarchy’s fall and the rise of democracy. When Caitlin unwittingly befriends a rebel leader, she believes she may have a way out of her unwanted relationship.

Marrying the prince would protect her family’s fortune, but can she also be an informant for the rebellion? Caught in a tangled web of political intrigue and court gossip, Caitlin treads a treacherous path, made more dangerous when a spirited new lady arrives at court and ignites a new fire in Caitlin’s heart.

But power in Fayn is ever-shifting. Whispers of magic and long-forgotten gods stir beneath the surface. Religious orders conspire against each other. New nobles scramble for power and old bloodlines seethe with resentment. The rebellion fractures into factions as they bicker over strategy. But underneath it all and unbeknown to most, dark and ancient forces are waiting, watching, and plotting. Surrounded on all sides, Caitlin finds herself a pawn in a deadly game.

But she must decide for herself: remain a prisoner of her circumstances—or reclaim her own life. And she must decide fast, otherwise the flames of revolution may be put out by a force far darker than a tyrannical king.

Available at:

Until We Weren’t: A Story of Destiny and Faith by Jamey Moody

Destiny and Faith were living and loving the life they’d created. They worked side-by-side at a thriving landscaping company by day and spent their nights together in a lavender haze of love. It was a happy life or so Destiny thought.

One day Faith not only moved all her things out of their apartment, but she quit her job and opened her own landscaping company. On top of that the only explanation Destiny ever received was: you know what you did.

Three years later, Destiny now runs her own landscaping company and has an opportunity to bid on a huge, career-defining project. She knows her company is too small to secure the bid, but if she can convince Faith to team up with her she’s sure they could win.

The only problem is that Faith can’t stand to look at Destiny and Destiny still doesn’t know what she did wrong. Can these two talented landscapers bury their past long enough to let their companies flourish?

Available at:

Amazon

Wild Love by Gemma Addison Dove

Cupcake baker Nelly needs to make it to her sister’s cabin for her birthday, but grumpy mountain woman Lora is the only one available to drive her. When a storm causes a tree to fall and block their path, they’re forced to take shelter in Lora’s cozy cabin. And there’s only one bed.

Available at:

The Orc and Her Bride by Lila Gwynn

RUGA KARRSDAUGHTER, dutiful orc princess with a heart of gold, has spent the years since her sister was elected queen serving the orc country of Torden. Her duties now include marrying an elf princess for a much-needed alliance against an outside threat.

ELKETH CERIDWEN, rakish elf princess with a penchant for chaos, has never lifted a finger in her life. Now that an engagement is sprung upon her by the stern elvish king, she has to fulfill a fifty-day betrothal period in Torden surrounded by strangers…unless she can wreak enough havoc to get sent back home.

These poor orcs don’t know what they’re in for.

Available at:

Outlaw Hearts by Lori G. Matthews

Outlaw Elle Barstow spends her days robbing stagecoaches and her nights bedding women—all while keeping her heart safely locked away.

But everything changes when Isabella “Izzy” Collins enters her life. Banished by her family, the fiery suffragette from Boston is reluctantly traveling west to marry a man much older than herself.

When Elle rescues Izzy during a stagecoach robbery gone wrong, she plans to ransom Izzy for a hefty reward. But Elle soon finds herself drawn to the captivating woman who challenges her every instinct.

As Izzy insists on learning how to survive in the wild, Elle’s plan begins to unravel, and she faces a new peril—the growing attraction that threatens to melt her hardened heart.

Available at:

An Inappropriate Affair by Lyn Denison

Gian Crane, youngest of six, the family underachiever, started out with reasonable goals, but now, at thirty-two, the sum of her life is an uninspiring job and one major broken heart. If it wasn’t for her best friend, Maddie, she’d have no joy in her life.

Then a management shuffle elevates Gian to the new boss’s Personal Assistant, a boss who is reserved, icily attractive, and older. Just Gian’s type. No, Gian will not complicate her life by foolishly allowing herself to be wildly attracted to her new boss. That can’t go anywhere, can it?

Flynn Fox finds her fortieth birthday looming and what does she have to show for it? A failed marriage. A son who doesn’t seem to care if she’s part of his life or not. And she’s still allowing family pressures to leech the colour from her life, while her supposed ‘unnatural tendencies’ have seen her moved out of the limelight in the family company.

She’s under no illusions about why her father suddenly wants her to take charge of the struggling Kingstone branch of Fox and Sons. If it fails it won’t be on him. Is this her chance to show her worth, even if it means going against her father’s instructions?

Into Flynn’s life steps Gian and attraction flares. But Gian is younger, and unlike any of the women Flynn is usually attracted to, and she’s Gian’s boss. If she acted on this attraction it would be totally inappropriate. Wouldn’t it?

Available at:

Benefactor to the Baroness by Melissa Kendall

Plagued by survivors’ guilt after escaping her impoverished childhood selling matchsticks, Fontaine Shepherd, the Dowager Lady Kerry, uses her position on the board of a charitable foundation to relocate starving orphans to the new world—until contact with the new office is abruptly lost. Fearing the foundation will discover she’s been clandestinely using funds to bribe workhouse owners to release children, she decides to travel across the ocean and re-establish communication herself.

Except the only captain who can transport her in time insists that she not travel alone.

Facing a lonely life after marrying off her nieces, Rosemary Summersby reluctantly agrees to attend a ladies’ charity group. There, she meets the vivacious Lady Kerry, who challenges her long-held beliefs of how a lady should look and act. Compelled by a desire to experience the excitement of which her niece often speaks, Rosemary accompanies the dowager baroness to a workhouse and witnesses the cruelty of poverty firsthand.

Then Lady Kerry stumbles into Rosemary’s cottage one night with an outrageous request: to travel across the ocean as her companion and help her uncover the mystery behind the missing orphans.

Unable to convince the dowager baroness of the dangers of her plan and remembering the sense of responsibility that drove her to accept three orphans into her life fifteen years prior, Rosemary decides to join Lady Kerry on her trip. But as the vast ocean and a noble mission stretches before them, a shared purpose and a single bunk ignite an unexpected passion that makes both women question what they truly want for themselves.

Available at:

In Too Deep by Rachael Sommers

Lucy Holloway is dying for an escape. The high-flying lawyer’s life has just spectacularly imploded so it’s time to hit the reset button and soak up some sun, sea, and relaxation at a swanky hotel across the Atlantic.

Laid-back physical therapy student Elena Garcia is home for the holidays. Picking up a few shifts as a lifeguard at Sol Plaza, the hotel her father manages, sounds like fun. Speaking of fun…there’s also that sweet summer flirtation she’s having with a smoking hot American lawyer. But when their sizzling romance slides into real emotions, everything gets complicated.

Also complicated? Wild accusations against Elena’s father about how Sol Plaza’s being run. Teaming up with Lucy, Elena’s determined to clear his name.

But will working together bring the two even closer? Where do flings end and feelings begin, anyway?

Available at:

The Sorceror’s Lament by Sam Dogra

Ever since the restoration of magic, Magicians and Enchanters have been in an uneasy alliance. The Magicians’ power maintains peace, while the Enchanters’ potions prevent magic’s dangerous side effects.

But the Enchanters have become increasingly evasive, and the High Magician suspects foul play. Thus eighteen-year-old Jessie Balthanders, a Magician prodigy, is recruited to investigate. If she can expose their possible treason, she’ll be hailed a hero.

She finds herself apprenticed to Lahara Redford, a powerful but jaded Enchanter who deeply mistrusts Magicians. With tensions running high, the two must learn to work together as they are dragged into a dark conspiracy.

But Jessie needs to find answers soon, and if Lahara discovers her true nature, she’ll have far more than the High Magician’s wrath to fear.

The cost of success, however, may be far greater than failure.

Available at:

Nero by Valden Bush

Stele Hosun has been banished. On Nero, gem shards match people’s eyes and give them their special powers and purpose. But Stele has completely black eyes, and although legend recorded that she could be the chosen one to touch the legendary black shard, fear of her potential power makes her an outcast.

Exiled to Alton, she’s torn from Ariane, her one and only love, who has always accepted Stele for who she is. She drowns her sorrows and wallows in her loneliness until Colonel Kian Ray of the Alton Defense Force offers her the chance to join the ADF and make something of herself. Begrudgingly, Stele accepts, and with the help of new friends, Questa and Domino, she finds new purpose and perhaps even a home.

But Ariane remains the woman Stele wants, the one she needs. When pirates invade Nero to find the fabled and all-powerful black shard, putting Ariane in danger, Stele must lead a rescue that will either destroy them all or fulfil her ultimate destiny.

Available at:

A Lady to Treasure by Marianne Ratcliffe

Louisa Silverton is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, brought up to believe a healthy profit is the only route to happiness. With the family company over-leveraged and in need of a capital injection, she travels to England to find a rich husband. The Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport has no time for romance. The family estate of Kenilborough is mired in debt and only she can save it. Unconventional and outspoken, Sarah is dismayed that somebody as intelligent and attractive as Louisa is willing to sacrifice herself for financial gain. As Louisa pursues her campaign, Sarah realises her objections to the project run deeper than mere principles. At the same time, Louisa finds herself captivated by Sarah’s independent spirit. Yet to indulge their unexpected passion would surely mean the ruin of both their families. Bound by duty, will they ever be free to follow their hearts?

Available at:

There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria

A diehard city girl, 16-year-old Lydia Barnes is reluctant to spend a week in her grandma’s small town. But hidden beneath Fairbrooke’s exterior of shoddy diners and empty farms, there’s a forest that calls to her. In it, she meets Eden: blunt, focused, and fascinating. She claims to be hunting fae treasure, and while Lydia laughs it off at first, it quickly becomes obvious that Eden’s not joking—magic is real.Lydia joins the treasure hunt, thrilled by all the things it offers her. Things like endless places in the forest to explore and a friendship with Eden that threatens to blossom into something more. But even as she throws herself into her new adventure, some questions linger. Why did her mom keep magic a secret? Why do most of the townspeople act like the forest is evil? It seems that, as much as Lydia would like to pretend otherwise, not everything in Fairbrooke is as bright and easy as a new crush…

Available at:

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A free ebook for you

Free ebook A Shape-Shifter's Guide to Romancing a Human

As a thank-you to my readers, I’m offering my new novelette “A Shape-Shifter’s Guide to Romancing a Human” for free. It’s a sequel to my latest novels, Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature.

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What book will you be reading for the “only one bed” category? Let us know in the comments!

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Published on June 26, 2025 02:09

June 19, 2025

Sapphic suspenseful books (Sapphic Book Bingo #13)

Sapphic suspenseful books

This week’s sapphic book bingo category features sapphic suspenseful books. For this square of the bingo card, read a sapphic book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, filled with tension, twists, and high stakes. Typically, you find most suspense in genres such as mystery, thriller, crime fiction, or romantic suspense.

15 sapphic suspenseful books

Below, you’ll find a list of 15 recommended sapphic suspenseful books:

Murder, Mayhem and Sex on the Beach by Alicia Gael

Probation Officer Riley Reynolds has never been good at staying in her lane. Her reckless determination both infuriates and captivates Detective Tate Walker, whose professional cool is constantly tested by her impulsive girlfriend’s knack for finding trouble.

When a stolen vehicle incident collides with Tate’s arson investigation, their carefully balanced personal and professional worlds collide. As evidence points to a vengeful arsonist targeting Riley, the stakes climb higher with each new blaze. Now Riley must juggle her demanding caseload, her complex feelings for Tate, and a killer determined to make her his final victim.

Available at:

Strange Attractors by Ana K. Wrenn

Fierce and frosty high achiever Professor Sonja J. Storey is on the verge of seizing power in her department. She has exacting plans to remake her backwoods North Carolina university, just as she has painstakingly remade herself.

Sonja’s perfectly ordered life takes a dramatic turn when she meets laid-back, magnetic junior professor Crystal Byrd.

But then come threatening notes, sinister emails, and shadowy nocturnal figures, and suddenly, Sonja’s controlled world starts to tremble like a butterfly in a storm.

Is someone out to get her? Is it a specter from Sonja’s past? It’s hard not to be suspicious of everyone, even intoxicating Crystal with her temptingly warm presence.

Seeing danger everywhere, Sonja must hunt down the source of the chaos before she loses her brilliant mind, and her chance at the one thing she’s never known—love.

Available at:

Bury Me When I’m Dead by Cheryl A. Head

Charlene “Charlie” Mack is a PI in Detroit.

Born and raised in the city that America forgot, Charlie has built a highly respected private investigations firm through hard work, smart choices, and relentless ambition. Her team of investigators is highly skilled and trustworthy, but she secretly struggles with her sexual orientation and a mother with early-onset Alzheimer’s. When Charlie and her crack team head to Birmingham, Alabama, following the trail of a missing person, what should be a routine case turns into a complex chase for answers. Shady locals and a southern patriarch with dark secrets dating back forty years obscure their path. It seems like everyone has something to hide, including Charlie.

When the case turns deadly with a double murder, and Charlie is attacked on a quiet neighborhood street, everything suddenly becomes personal. Who can Charlie trust, and will she ever solve the riddles of the Magic City?

Available at:

Bywater Books

Awakening the Path by Angela K. Crandall

I inherited Wiccan books, candles, and tarot cards from my mother, who left in an unexpected rush three years ago. Faced with many questions since her departure, I’ve sought wisdom in the craft alongside my best friend Lily, who informed me today that she’s moving to Oakland. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. Despite that, I’m intrigued my father has sobered up enough to feign interest in what college I should attend. The moment I mentioned Evermoire, he acted like it didn’t exist. Therefore, I must discover the truth for myself.

Available at:

Cutlass Cadaver: The Morelville Mysteries – Book 13 by Anne Hagan

Called to investigate a body found in her brother-in-law’s long lost classic car, Mel digs in to ID the victim and find his killer. Then a family spring break trip turns deadly when Mel’s nephew is accused of murdering a young woman at a haunted house convention.

Using her seasoned investigative skills, Mel uncovers scandalous secrets and puts herself at risk to protect her family and close both cases. But the job is taking an increasing toll, making Mel question how much longer she can continue as sheriff.

For now, justice won’t wait – and Mel won’t rest until the truth is revealed. But the challenges are mounting, forcing Mel to ask herself what matters most – her career or her family?

With two shocking murder mysteries to untangle, only Mel can uncover the cold-blooded killers and bring closure to the victims’ families. But her own family may need her even more in this gripping new tale of secrets, lies, and murder.

Available at:

Love Sins by Annette Mori

Jessica Green’s life is predictable and boring. As the chief engineer for Solar Flair, her career is right on track. Her love life, not so much. Special Agent Amanda Forrester is perplexed by a call to join a homicide investigation. To Amanda’s increasing irritation, the daughter recognizes a picture of the last target and insinuates herself into the investigation. Amanda must join forces with a mysterious organization and the persistent woman she finds increasingly hard to resist. Her instinct to protect the alluring and vulnerable Jessica Green kicks into high gear, taking the reader on a roller-coaster journey for the last book in The Next Generation series.

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Matrimony in Murder by Edale Lane

On a lovely spring day, Jenna enjoys a walk in the park with her fiancée, Randi, and their dog when she’s called to investigate a fatal car crash. More than suspicious, the circumstances point to murder—a case the lieutenant detective has a week to solve before she and Randi’s marriage and honeymoon.

As if Jenna’s emotions weren’t already overwhelmed enough, wondering if her parents would attend, she now has the added stress of discovering her victims were a newlywed couple. It will take all of Randi’s empathic skills to hold Jenna together as she dives deep into the investigation, reawakening old demons and fears.

While the list of suspects in the case grows, Jenna puzzles over a clue that doesn’t seem to fit any of them. All the while, her wedding day creeps nearer. Can Jenna solve the murder in time, or will an unknown killer in the wind cast a harrowing shadow over the happiest day of her life?

Available at:

Harsh Reality by Elle E. Ire

After demon elementals kill the good folks Sheriff Cali McCade has sworn to protect, the last place she expects to find herself is the future.

Cali McCade is happy being the only female sheriff in the West until evil destroys her town of Oblivion and everyone in it. But when a magical creature sends her forward in time, Cali gets a chance for justice—and to stop history from repeating itself.

Now, on the set of Harsh Reality, a television show that challenges average people to survive in historical settings, Cali isn’t just the sheriff of Oblivion—she also plays herself on TV. It isn’t easy to find her path in this new world, but at least she knows what her “character” would do… even if it’s a little strange to be navigating a blooming romance with the woman playing Arlene, her long-lost love.

When the elementals show up to destroy Oblivion all over again, can Cali find a way to defeat the demons, keep her cover, and still ride off into the sunset?

Available at:

The Songbird’s Refrain by Jillian Maria

When a mysterious show arrives in town, seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Brighton is both intrigued and unsettled. But none of the acts capture her attention quite like the blue-eyed woman. Locked in a birdcage and covered in feathers, the anguish in her voice sounds just a little too real to be an act—because it isn’t. The show’s owner, a sadistic witch known only as the Mistress, is holding her captive.And she’s chosen Elizabeth as her next victim.After watching the blue-eyed woman die, Elizabeth is placed under the same curse. She clings to what little hope she can find in the words of a fortune teller and in her own strange dreams. The more she learns, the more she suspects that the Mistress isn’t as invulnerable as she appears. But time is against her, and every feather that sprouts brings her closer to meeting the blue-eyed woman’s fate. Can Elizabeth unlock the secret to flying free, or will the Mistress’s curse kill her and cage its next victim?

Available at:

Ghost Walk by Kay Solo

When mysterious ghosts begin killing the people of her town, Maaya discovers she’s the only one who can stop them. Aided by the ghost of her best friend, and later a beautiful pirate captain, she goes on an epic journey to save her town… and unveils the deadliest secret of the century.

Maaya is used to life in a small town where she’s feared and distrusted because of her ability to see the dead. When she’s forced from her home, she pursues the mystery of what’s causing people across the world to vanish forever.

As she pursues this mystery while trying to stay ahead of those who want her dead, she falls into the unexpected company of a stunning ship’s captain who commands a crew of pirates… but that’s only the first of her many secrets.

Helped by ghosts and magic alike, Maaya crosses the world to keep herself alive and solve the world’s most dangerous riddle… before it threatens to wipe out all life on earth.

Available at:

V.A.M.P. Book Four—Origins by Kimberly A. Todd

With her wedding put on hold, a council seat still to be claimed, and a vampire army on her doorstep, can Katerina fulfill her quest to find something ancient, save her future wife from death, and overcome her fears of becoming a vampire leader?

Heartbreak takes its toll and living for eternity carries it with you forever. Can Serena watch the love of her life face death on a daily basis, battle an evil vampire menace, and learn to leave her past worries behind in order to focus on a future together that may or may not be?

Available at:

The Secret of Matterdale Hall by Marianne Ratcliffe

Susan Mottram lives an idyllic existence until her eighteenth birthday, when her father’s sudden death plunges the family into penury.

To support her mother and younger sister, Susan takes employment as a teacher at a remote Yorkshire boarding school, Matterdale Hall, owned by the radical Dr. Claybourn and his penny-pinching wife.

Susan soon discovers that all is not as it seems. Why is little Mary so silent? What really happened to Susan’s predecessor? Is anyone safe in the school’s draughty halls? Through a life-changing meeting with the beautiful and mysterious Cassandra, Susan begins to uncover the truth about Matterdale Hall, and discovers the cruelty, and love, that can lie within the human heart.

Available at:

The Flourishing by Merlina Garance

When Andy Campbell, Detective Inspector in Leicester, gets assigned the case of Mr Parry’s disappearance, she expects to find nothing else than an umpteenth marriage ruined by a husband taking off with his mistress.

Instead, she ends up investigating a murder case, and struggling to fight her attraction for the wife of the missing man. When she realises the feelings are mutual, things definitely get complicated…

Available at:

The Faberge Egg by Mia Kazi

The second of the Jo Brigg’s novels, The Faberge Egg follows Jo and Izzy’s relationships after “An Unusual Year”, as they try to learn to live together, they get drawn into a world of Russian money laundering involving a lost Faberge Egg and a Russian teacher with a lot of secrets and surprises. Will Jo and Izzy manage to survive their next adventure and end up together?

Available at:

Venus’s Power by Reese Quinn

Shane has been looking for love in all the wrong places because the woman who makes her skin tingle lives just a few miles from her.

Shane’s work allows her to visit many places, but it’s her love for horses that brings her face to face with the woman of her dreams–shy and sweet Miller.

Too bad that Miller’s heart is guarded with reinforced walls, and she doesn’t want to be more than friends.

As a hired assassin, Shane needs to keep her work a secret, which also doesn’t help her score points with her crush. Or the fact that she’s pregnant and plans to be a single mom.

When a twist of fate brings Miller and Shane closer than ever, will Miller allow Shane and her children to be her new family?

Available at:

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?

Available at:

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What sapphic book will you read for the sapphic suspenseful books category? Let us know in the comments!

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Published on June 19, 2025 04:27

June 5, 2025

Sapphic shape-shifter novels (Sapphic Book Bingo #12)

Sapphic shape-shifter novel

This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic shape-shifter novels. For this square of the bingo card, pick a book with a main character who is a shape-shifter, a werewolf (or another were-animal), or another creature who can shift between a human form and a non-human form.

Typically, you’ll find those characters in paranormal romances or urban fantasy novels.

15 sapphic shape-shifter novels

Below, you’ll find a list of 15 recommended sapphic shape-shifter novels or were-creature novels:

Enemies by Nature by Jae

Fake-dating your worst enemy—what could possibly go wrong?

Enemies by Nature is the first novel of a two-book saga that concludes with Shifting Nature. While part of Jae’s shape-shifter series, they can be read independently of previous books.

Available at:

Apple

Ylva Publishing

The Devil’s Tree by Ali Spooner

Torn between her love for the pack and her need to find what’s missing in her life Devin Benoit travels to New Orleans. She senses something calling to her as she enters a small club off Bourbon Street and her eyes are drawn to the DJ spinning music. Without any doubt, she knew she had found the missing piece of herself.

When her new love Tia is kidnapped, Devin and her brother Damen, alpha of the Baton Rouge werewolf pack, must return to the Devil’s Tree, where lives and souls are lost, and sad memories abound.

Will the previous happenings at the Devil’s Tree help or hinder Devin in the fight of her life, and the life of Tia, the woman who now owns her heart?

Available at:

Affinity eBooks

Of Socialites and Prizefights by Arden Powell

She needs a woman’s kiss to break her curse.

When Deepa Patel rejects the wrong man, he curses her: every night, she will transform into a wild animal until her curse is broken by true love’s kiss. The problem is twofold. One: Deepa needs her nights to seduce shallow men into spending money on her—money she desperately needs to buy herself and her mother a better life. Two: she doesn’t believe in love. She’s never met a man she wanted to keep longer than a week, never mind forever.

She never considered her true love might be a woman.

Roz is unlike any of Deepa’s past suitors. She’s working class, with a nose that’s been broken at least once, courtesy of an underground boxing club. And she makes Deepa feel lighter and softer than she ever thought possible. But Roz can’t afford to give Deepa the life of luxury she craves.

Meanwhile, Deepa is posing as a wealthy nobleman’s fiancée. There’s no love between them, but his lifestyle is everything she’s ever wanted. Caught between a real relationship and a loveless fake one, Deepa has to choose: give up on her dreams for a chance at true love, or make her dreams come true but stay cursed forever.

Available at:

A Wolf Steps in Blood by Tamara Jerée

Yasmine is a red wolf girl stuck in rural Alabama. Her world is small: pick up shifts at the greasy late-night diner and endure her pack’s petty squabbles. She’s not good at being a wolf or being human, directionless in life and disconnected from her ancestors.

Blessed by a century-old enchantment, the local red wolves have escaped extinction by blending into the human world. But with the old witches’ blessing wearing thin, the wolves face an uncertain future.

An answer arrives in the form of an exiled blood witch whose magic is steeped in reckless grief. Kalta rides into town in her dead brother’s truck, prophecy following on her heels. Despite the danger Yasmine can smell swirling around the witch, a fated bond tangles their futures—and those of all the wolves.

After an accident threatens the wolves’ secret, Yasmine has no choice but to join Kalta on the road, carving a path through the South’s backroads and hoping the magic brewing between them is enough to overcome their bloody pasts.

Available at:

Empress of Air and Fire by Brenda Murphy

Love, power, and destiny collide in the final fight for the survival of Mahon. Mara and Reika embark on a dangerous mission to retrieve the legendary Seven Elements from the Kingdom of Xixon. Their hopes for a peaceful resolution are shattered when the ruthless Ardat, driven by her lust for power, strikes. Mara and Reika face an army of Ardat’s supernatural creatures, more formidable than any they’ve encountered before.

As Ardat’s army sweeps through the Southlands, chaos erupts in the heart of the Mahon. When Empress-to-be Seraphina is poisoned, her mate, Ava, calls upon her dormant dragon powers to save her mate.

With the assimilation of the Seven Elements, Seraphina is the most powerful being in existence. With time running out and Ardat’s malevolence spreading, she is forced to confront Ardat and the intoxication of her new found powers. Will Seraphina rise to claim her Empire or be consumed by Ardat’s evil?

Available at:

Trusting the Wolf by Brooke Campbell

Seven years ago Mac was forced to leave behind her mate, Kate. Now she’s come home and Mac is determined to win back her love.

Mac’s hidden life, however, makes things complicated. Secretly protecting Kate in her wolf form, she desperately tries to rebuild their bond. Mac will need to navigate her two lives carefully, if she’s to rekindle their relationship.

Their journey takes a dangerous turn when Kate becomes a target, forcing Mac to confront her own fears and secrets. Grappling with threats both internal and external, Kate must decide whether she wants to embrace the extraordinary world Mac belongs to.

Available at:

Elite Born by Chad Maske

Aurora has always been different. She was marked from birth as an Elite and born with an additional skill that allows her, a phoenix, to take human form as naturally as breathing. Now, after five years of living with a cult that worships her kind, learning the local tongue and culture, it’s time to spread her wings and venture out where few of her kind have been before. Filled with tales of the city, the lands beyond, and other fantastical creatures, she yearns to see it all and start a life unlike any other phoenix. But Aurora must remain cautious, for phoenix feathers are powerful, rare ingredients, even from one as young as her. The young phoenix must blend in, lest she end up in a cage.

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:

Royally Sarah by Hadiya Hayes

It takes being tackled in the park to get Sarah out of her rut.

Although, Sarah wouldn’t call it a rut. At 22 years old she’s comfortable where she is in life – living with her dad, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the same job since she was 14 years old. Life has so much more to offer, but she’s not taking any hand-outs. Not even from her best friend Nina who is desperate to get her back on the dating horse. When Riak Royal attacks her in the park, Sarah finds herself more attracted to the tall, dark, and animalistic werewolf than she is afraid. With her dark purple eyes and disarming grin, Riak shakes up her life by claiming Sarah as her mate right then and there. Now instead of maybe rekindling something casual with her ex, Sarah has to figure out how Riak fits in her life no matter how commitment-phobic she is, because the alternative would be insanity.

With the help of Nina, and a whole lot of introspection, Sarah will find herself on a journey of self-discovery she never would have expected, while maybe falling in love with the werewolf she never asked for.

Available at:

Heart’s Claim by Issy Waldrom

When two worlds touch, for only the briefest of moments, the effect is far more reaching than anyone realises. Especially for two woman for whose contact was just as brief as the event.

After a lot of struggle, Elara is finally starting to forge the life that she wants. To write, share her stories, and be accepted for who she is. And find true love. Though that last one seems very much like a dream, something that she pens, but that will never happen to her. Even if the events of the Convergence still haunt her mind.

Riley is a dragon, one of those from the other side who was caught up in the Convergence. A rather dominant force, all things considered. While humanity is largely unaware of her existence and oblivious to her true nature, this side is now as much her home as the other. Not that she’s complaining. She’s enjoying this life that she now has. Mostly.

Except that fate decides that they should meet again, their lives becoming intertwined in ways that neither of them imagined, and suddenly things start surfacing. Thoughts, desires, dreams. And a growing attraction. Yes, there is chemistry between them. Or is it something more? A claim was made after all…

Available at:

Elemental Attraction by K. Aten

Two people find themselves in a quandary: Aderri, a powerful dragon shifter with some light defensive magic, and Ellys, a half-elven swordswoman for hire, one of the best across the six nations.

When Aderri gets news that she must come home for the naming ceremony of a new hatchling, she’s forced to hire Ellys and her telepathic steed, Roccotári, to see her safely there. Of course, things are never as simple as they seem. Not only do they have to traverse the land between two kingdoms on the brink of war, but Aderri’s Clan expects her to return with a romantic interest. So, for the added promise of triple Ellys’s normal fee, the half-elf agrees to pretend to be Aderri’s suitor.

Ellys and Aderri have to convince a Clan full of magical mixed-shifters for a week that creatures of differing elements can burn with the flames of love, without actually lying. A situation made even more difficult by a matchmaking mare, steamy baths, and an innkeeper with mischief on the mind.

Caught between the weight of the past and expectations of the future, they must find their true destiny within the heat of fire.

Available at:

Flashpoint Publications

Her Wolf in the Wild by Rien Gray

The Hounds of God MC live outside the law and protect their own. They only have three rules:

(1) look out for each other

(2) obey the club president

(3) never show a human your werewolf form.

Christiana Arjean needs to get out. She tried to fix her relationship, but making a break for it is her only shot. She almost doesn’t make it, until a butch biker with a shock of white hair tosses Christiana on the back of her bike. Micah is as mysterious as she is attractive, and Christiana wants to know what’s under that tough exterior.

Micah Nubilo knows a little bit about keeping secrets. Rescuing Christiana is a bad idea, and letting her hang around is even worse. But there’s something calling to Micah: an impossible bond no werewolf should ever feel for a human, even one as beautiful as Christiana.

Their growing intimacy is threatened when they realize their pasts are connected in ways they never could have imagined. Christiana and Micah must fight against threats both outside the pack and inside themselves for a chance at putting it all behind them and finding a way forward—together.

Available at:

Bearfaced Lie by Ryann Fletcher

There’s no place like someone else’s home for the holidays…

Leah is working at Syndicorp because she can’t find work as a geologist – but when her manager messes up her shift schedule, she needs to find someone to cover for her, and fast. If she doesn’t, the wrapping paper aisle is going to look a look furrier than it should.

Jasmine is trapped in a dead-end job with a mom who can’t leave the past behind. If she only had a girlfriend for the holidays, she might be able to convince her to lay off and let her move away – but will the farce be uncovered before the presents are opened?

Available at:

First On Scene A Howling Sirens Novel by Selina Rossman

In a small town shattered by violent animal attacks, four first responders must confront their pasts and embrace their destinies as they become humanity’s last line of defense against a supernatural threat.

In the quiet, quintessential small town of Hudson, Massachusetts, a dedicated group of first responders—Kitty, Zuri, Angell, and Eric—commit themselves to the safety of their community. Kitty, a Southern transplant and new medic, is eager to prove her worth and find her place, not knowing that the woman of her dreams, Zuri, is more than just an EMT. Eric, who struggles in his role as a paramedic, learns to lean on his partner, Angell, a skilled medic with a mysterious, bewitched past.

When a series of violent animal attacks shatters the town’s tranquility, it unearths hidden secrets and thrusts these healers onto a warrior’s path. As they rush from one medical emergency to another, each pulse-pounding call brings them closer to each other and their destiny. The perils of the paranormal threaten to destroy everything they hold dear, forcing them to confront their pasts to save their future.

In this adrenaline-fueled world of EMS, the lives of Kitty, Zuri, Angell, and Eric intertwine in ways they never expected. Their call to duty transcends the ordinary as they become humanity’s last line of defense against a supernatural threat. Every siren heralds a potential showdown, challenging them to redefine what it means to be ‘of service.’ Follow these warriors on a gripping journey where every heartbeat could signal a supernatural confrontation.

Available at:

The Last Caspian by Taryn J Dallas

Devin Edwards is the first geneticist after years of research to fully sequence the genome of the classified-extinct Caspian tiger. Her job at the Tiger’s Eye Sanctuary, the most dedicated tiger rescue and conservation effort in the world, is to pull Caspians back from the literal brink of extinction; the sanctuary hosts one very special tiger that isn’t found anywhere else.

Rexleigh Murdoch is the head keeper in charge of the last living Caspian tiger, Balkhash. No one knew Balkhash had been trapped since she was a cub in the backyard of a private collector who didn’t realise what he had until his compound was raided by an animal welfare charity. Balkhash was brought to the sanctuary, and millions of pounds has been spent trying to find a way to continue her rare lineage.

Though when Balkhash and Rex are never seen at the same time, the genetic data doesn’t make sense, and both creatures that have captivated Devin have eyes that are reminiscent of the gorgeous tiger’s eye gemstone that the sanctuary is named after, she begins to suspect something that defies the laws of biology.

Available at:

The Manor by Tiffany E. Taylor

Ashton

In the dark of one dimly moonlit night, a pair of piercing emerald green eyes peers out through the thick foliage that surrounds Vaughan Manor, intensely observing the pretty human female who had stepped out onto the wide stone stairs to look at the moon. The sleek black jaguar shifter turns and silently vanishes, but not before wondering why she is feeling such an unusual pull to a human, of all things. Because human women, no matter how pretty, are best avoided in a place like Jaguar Grove.

Lillibet

When Lillibet Vaughan inherits Vaughan Manor unexpectedly from an unknown family member, she is startled to learn the mysterious mansion has long been considered a supernatural portal by the members of the tiny town of Jaguar Grove—and she is now its Guardian. Scoffing at the silly superstition, the human Lillibet nevertheless moves the one hundred twenty miles from her home in Tampa to Jaguar Grove, welcoming the chance to escape her suffocating ex-girlfriend and thankful her career as a romance writer makes it possible for her to live anywhere.

When Lillibet meets Ashton Panthera, she is at a loss to explain the strange, inexplicable attraction she has to the masculine of center Native American arborist. Ashton, however, realizes that Lillibet is in fact more than human: She is a hereditary witch of considerable power, with access to ancient knowledge, spells, and lore. Bound at birth by her long-dead mother for her own protection, Lillibet holds a formidable power and knowledge within herself that has been blocked from her for her entire life.

And Lillibet is Ashton’s mate.

Zagan Salazar, the Black Warlock of The Tombs in The Underneath, has been biding his time for centuries, waiting for an opportunity to destroy the Vaughan witches and free the demons trapped in The Tombs. Just as he thinks he wins—that the Vaughan witches are finally no more—Lillibet’s binding is shattered by her jaguar shifter mate, her transcendent power flaring for every magickal creature from miles around to see. In a killing rage, Zagan vows that the last surviving Vaughan witch will not impede his plans to control the supernatural world.

When it becomes clear that Zagan is a dangerous threat to Lillibet, Ashton and the town of Jaguar Grove vow the warlock will not get his hands on Ashton’s witch mate and her magick for his own evil use. But Zagan is determined to enslave Lillibet and hold her prisoner in The Underneath, siphoning her powers for himself until every magical creature in existence—including Ashton Panthera—is a slave to him and his villainy.

Or until they are wiped from existence forever.

Available at:

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What sapphic book will you read for the sapphic shape-shifter novels category? Let us know in the comments!

The post Sapphic shape-shifter novels (Sapphic Book Bingo #12) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on June 05, 2025 01:30

May 22, 2025

Wearing the other character’s clothes (Sapphic Book Bingo 2025)

Wearing the other character’s clothes

It’s time for another Micro-Trope category of the Sapphic Book Bingo! This week, we’re covering one of the most swoon-worthy micro-tropes out there: one character wearing the other character’s clothes.

For this category, read a sapphic book where one main character wears something that belongs to the other. There’s something incredibly intimate about slipping into the clothes of someone you’re falling for! It could be a sweatshirt that still smells like her, a too-big T-shirt borrowed after a sleepover, or a jacket draped over shivering shoulders.

15 sapphic books in which we see one character wearing the other character’s clothes

Below, you’ll find 15 sapphic books in which we see one character wearing the other character’s clothes.

Damage Control by Jae

Desperate for a publicist who’ll convince America that she’s straight, Grace hires Lauren Pearce, one of Hollywood’s leading PR agents, not knowing that she’s a lesbian.

Available at:

Flowers and Gemstones by Alaina Erdell

Hannah knows how to grow her family’s jewelry design company into one of the most successful on the West Coast. But share her emotions? Not so much. She needs to break up with her girlfriend, Bren, but tragedy strikes before she gathers the courage.

It’s been years, but Vanessa hasn’t recovered from her ex, Bren, dumping her. She’s owned her flower shop for over twenty-five years and should be confidently anticipating her fiftieth birthday, but she still battles her mother’s criticism.

When Vanessa mysteriously shows up at Bren’s funeral, questions, and a few eyebrows, are raised. Was Bren who Hannah and Vanessa thought she was? Did they really know her at all? As the secrets and lies mount, the shocking truth reveals why their relationships failed. But will learning from the past give them the skills to build a future with one another?

Available at:

Bold Strokes Books

Baking Ice Cubes, A Legal Thriller by Alexi Venice

Former college basketball star Hank Hart is no stranger to making a three-pointer with only seconds left in the game. Now an experienced lawyer, Hank honors a request by renowned Attorney Monica Spade to take over the trial of a case at the eleventh hour.

While working in the charming town of Apple Grove, Hank discovers corporate sabotage, clandestine relationships, and suspicious motives lurking behind a seemingly straightforward medical procedure. She also finds herself trying to keep secret a flirtatious exchange with a powerful woman whose charisma is off the charts. Hank is usually the one blowing up secrets about witnesses, not trying desperately to hide her own. Facing formidable and dangerous opponents, Hank needs to finesse an incriminating bombshell out of a cunning killer to pull off a miraculous upset.

Can Hank deliver justice and secure a victory for her clients as she risks her life to expose the lies and people behind them? While doing so, can she win the heart of the charismatic woman?

Available at:

Midnight Magic by Cameron Darrow

A second-class citizen with a shattered heart, Vimika is ready to start her life over. But as a freelance wizard in Atvalia, that’s easier said than done. So when she’s offered a job that could afford her that new life several times over, what choice does she have but to take it? Yes, it involves tracking down something that is either impossible or highly illegal, but money solves everyone else’s problems, why not hers?

Because no deception is more powerful than self-deception.

Now cut off from her magic in the middle of a job she should never have taken, Vimika must confront herself in more ways than one. Trapped alone with a wizard out of time, she’ll have to fight not only the illusions keeping them imprisoned but the ones guarding her heart. Failure might trap them both forever, while success could grant them a freedom neither has ever known. Or get them killed.

At least she’d never have to wake up with a hangover again.

Available at:

No Good Reason by Cari Hunter

“I can’t do this. I can’t do any of this without her.”

Detective Sanne Jensen (not blonde, not tall, definitely not Scandinavian) and Dr. Meg Fielding (scruffy, scatterbrained, prone to swearing at patients) are lifelong best friends, sharing the same deprived background and occasionally the same bed.When a violent kidnapping stuns the Peak District village of Rowlee, both women become involved in the case.

As Sanne and her colleagues in East Derbyshire Special Ops search for the culprit, and Meg fights to keep his victim alive, a shocking discovery turns the investigation on its head. With the clock ticking, Sanne and Meg find themselves pushed closer by a crime that threatens to tear everything apart.

Available at:

A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray

Strange things can be said of the forest that spans the border of two kingdoms long at war. An evil sorcerer has made it his dominion, or an elegant enchantress has claimed it as her domain and grants wishes to those who chance upon her, or maybe the forest is guarded by an ancient and wrathful spirit. But Katya calls the forest home, living a life of magic and charms with her partner Ivan.

But a threat looms over their forest, some darkness and danger that Ivan swears to protect her from. Katya finds herself caught up in a web of grudges and deception spanning generations, but most dangerous of all is the beautiful princess who stumbled into their woods. A princess who sets Katya’s heart fluttering with both desire and fear.

As forces rally to rescue the princess or go to war, Katya must take measure of her own powers and decide what she is willing to sacrifice. Will she retreat to the safety of what’s familiar or give up everything she knows to spread her wings and fly?

Available at:

Take Her On by Emily Wright

Between pining for her straight best friend, trying to revitalise her football team after another year of defeat, and dealing with her own family problems, she’s already overwhelmed.

When her arch rival, Jamie Mellor, joins the football squad, it threatens to push her over the edge. Not only is it the last chance to prove her worth as captain, Maya must now find a way to play alongside this annoying loud mouth without losing her mind every five minutes.

Jamie is in desperate need of a fresh start after all the drama at her last university. She wants to keep her head down, focus on football, and listen to her eighties music. Yet it’s immediately clear Maya is going to make life difficult for her—both on and off the pitch. Luckily, Jamie finds riling up her new team captain seriously entertaining.

As the championship draws near and feelings intensify, tensions rise and secrets threaten to unravel. The two rivals must overcome their differences and find a way to win together, but are the games strictly on the field? Or have Maya and Jamie finally met their match?

Available at:

Embracing the Moon by Jeannie Levig

Gwen Jamison has been attracted to her best friend Taylor for years but has kept her feelings masked as friendship. Left behind by her mother at age nine, then by her first love eight years later, she’s vowed never to trust her heart to anyone. It’s easier to have casual relationships than risk falling in love.

Taylor Matthews has no interest in a relationship. The one and only time she lost herself in love it cost her four years of her life. Never again. In the three decades since, she’s turned her life around, built a successful career, established solid friendships, and had plenty of women, sex, and fun. No complications, no entanglements, no regrets—until Gwen.

Just as Gwen and Taylor are exploring the new love they’ve found, the present and past collide, threatening the future they long to share.

Available at:

Bold Strokes Books

Deck the Palms by Kat Jackson

For the first time in her life, Allison Bradley feels like she’s on the right path. She’s left the west coast and as the holidays approach, she’s settling into her new home in Clearwater Beach. A warm winter has never sounded so good, and she is absolutely not going to date anyone while she builds the next phase of her life.

Dating is the last thing on Drew Kingsley’s mind. In fact, she’s sworn it off for good. She’d much rather focus on her business—something she can control—and her grandmother, the one person she trusts will love her unconditionally.

Despite being thrown together by the meddling work of little old ladies, Allison and Drew do not want to like each other. But as the magic of the holidays surrounds them, even they will be forced to see that the walls they’ve built to protect themselves might be better taken down to let good love in.

Available at:

The Captain’s Claim by Katie Trapp

Captain Hellebore rules with an iron fist. It is the key to her survival. When she finds an intruder aboard her ship, Hellebore is left with one choice. Throw Honey overboard or turn her over to the King’s guard. Only Hellebore never anticipated the wisp of a woman to be the mate she was convinced would never come.

Determined to save her family from certain death, Honey Stark stows away on the only ship bound for Vulture Island. She finds more on board than she bargained for and must navigate a world and a bond she never knew existed.

As Hellebore and Honey’s connection deepens, the reality of their situation intensifies. With love on the line and the world in her hands, Hellebore sets out to claim what is rightfully hers and to save Honey and her people from ultimate death.

Available at:

These Thin Lines by Milena McKay

In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she’s longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding.

When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives.

With everything tainted, will the thin lines they rend ever be mended?

Available at:

Unadulterated Something by MJ Duncan

Emma Beauchamp and Campbell Jordan’s rivalry on the ice was legendary. Retirement should have closed that chapter of their lives, but when Campbell joins the faculty at Stonebridge—the prestigious Berkshires boarding school where Emma now teaches—it takes on a brand new life. There’s plenty of distrust and lingering animosity, but as circumstances force them to find a way to not only coexist, but work together, Emma and Campbell find that being on the same team isn’t as awful as they’d feared. Will their years spent battling it out for team and country be too much to overcome? Or will they finally acknowledge the truth behind the electric connection they share?

Available at:

Chrysalis and Requiem by Quinton Li

At Adraredon Academy, fervent passion, contemporary companionship, and forbidden desires intertwine with tall gothic spires, ancient halls, and centuries of history. Veaer Rosell can’t imagine a better place to satiate her craving for beauty, knowledge, and art.

Yet senior year shatters her illusion of tranquillity and civil intellect when she witnesses the headmaster’s daughter murder another student and is confronted by an unthinkable choice: avenging her fallen peer or taking this secret to the grave, one way or another.

But fate laughs at Veaer’s expense when the headmaster’s daughter requests her aid. Driven by an all-consuming thirst for answers, Veaer becomes an untimely partner in solving a murder they both know the answer to, unaware of the intricacies that come with learning the bigger picture and playing with death.

Available at:

Don’t Cry for Me by Rachel Lacey

Eve Marlow has her eyes on the prize: a third season of her popular business makeover show, Do Over. But when her ratings take an unexpected dive, Eve needs a blockbuster new client, or she can kiss season three goodbye. She has her work cut out for her, and that’s before she discovers a litter of newborn kittens in a trash can. Now she’s desperate to find someone to take them so she can concentrate on reviving her career.

Josie Swanson had to put her kitten rescue on the back burner when she inherited her father’s bar two years ago. Since then, she’s invested all her time and energy into keeping it afloat, but despite her best efforts, Swanson’s is going under. When she gets a phone call from Eve Marlow, host of the television show Josie applied to earlier that year, the woman she’s convinced can save her bar, Josie hopes her luck has finally turned.

Eve knows what she needs to succeed, and it isn’t Josie—or her bar. There’s no denying the chemistry sizzling between them, though. Josie’s personality is as vibrant as her turquoise-tipped hair. She stirs things in Eve that haven’t been stirred in a long time, but there’s a reason she keeps her heart under lock and key. Eve stands to lose a lot more than her TV show if she lets her guard down, no matter how tempted she is to see if Josie’s love would be worth the risk.

Available at:

Behind the Eyes by Sharon K Angelici

Theirs was a love story for the ages: Rasabel, the captain of the guard living a life devoted to duty and honor. And Isolde, the woman of the territory hungry for more than society’s requirements of a lady.

In a world of swords and arrows, love was indefensible against obsession, lust and a cruel curse. For years, they searched for an end to their torment. When the alarm bells of Acadia ring, Rasabel goes home, but she is unwelcome. Determined to seek revenge her path collides with Bylyn, a young thief on the run from the executioner’s axe. Their meeting entangles their lives forever. Can Rasabel and Isolde find hope in the hands of a girl who will do anything to keep her freedom?

Available at:

Check out the Pride Month Book Calendar!

Join us for the Pride Month Book Calendar

Pride Month Book Calendar

To celebrate Pride Month in June, I have joined forces with 100+ authors of sapphic fiction to bring you a fun event with daily free books, book giveaways, and books you can get at a discount. You can already sign up for the daily reminder emails and can enter a giveaway to win one of 24 book gift cards.

Leave a comment

What book will you be reading for the “wearing the other character’s clothes” category? Let us know in the comments!

The post Wearing the other character’s clothes (Sapphic Book Bingo 2025) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on May 22, 2025 05:57

May 13, 2025

Another catfishing sapphic fiction author

We’re just five months into 2025, and the sapphic book community has already had so much to deal with this year—the political threats to LGBTQ+ rights, the rising fear of book bans, a drop in sales for many authors, and, recently, scammers creating rip-offs of sapphic books with the help of AI.

With all those threats from the outside, it makes me incredibly sad to let you all know that we’re now facing another blow to our already overburdened community.

And what’s worse, this time, the blow is coming from within.

TL;DR—a summary

If you don’t have the time to read the entire blog post now, here’s a short summary. But I strongly suggest you come back later to read it all.

The sapphic book community is grappling with another breach of trust: Author Sabrina Kane is not who she claims to be. Evidence leads us to believe that the person behind the fake persona is most likely a 56-year-old man named Sean David Wright, who used photos of a red-haired model to fabricate an online identity as a young lesbian author.

A familiar pattern of deception

Many of you might remember the Adam Gaffen situation . Short version: Two years ago, we discovered that a 50-something straight guy had been posing as a young, lesbian debut author, making friends within the community as a person who didn’t really exist.

Sadly, we might now be dealing with something very similar, and this time, the author in question—Sabrina Kane—has deceived everyone for an even longer period of time.

We’re not making these accusations lightly. We have investigated this matter very thoroughly and independently of each other, yet we all came to the same conclusion. Our goal isn’t to drag a fellow author through the mud; it’s to protect the people who were deceived by someone they considered a trusted author or even a friend.

Side note: You might be wondering who “we” is. The person who first discovered that Sabrina Kane isn’t who she pretended to be was fellow author S-Jay Hart, who used to beta read for Sabrina.

S-Jay then alerted several other authors, including Alyson Root, Amber Perez, Katherine Blakeman, and me (Jae). We all did our own research that confirmed everything S-Jay was saying. Other people within the sapphic book community have raised concerns about Sabrina years ago, insisting that there was a man behind the persona. Turns out, they might have been right. But back then, there was never any proof, and I don’t support witch hunts based on a “vibe” or an unsupported suspicion, so I want to emphasize that’s not what this is.

Here’s the entire story so you can judge for yourself.

How the truth came to light

S-Jay Hart started beta reading for Sabrina Kane around 2020/2021.

Sabrina presented herself as a white, red-headed, late-20s woman who lived in Carlsbad, California, with her girlfriend Katie.

Since two of S-Jay’s author friends were also beta reading for Sabrina, it quickly developed into daily interactions via Twitter chat, and friendships formed. The group shared details not just about their writing but also about their lives since everyone believed they were talking within a group of sapphic women they could trust.

Initially, Sabrina never shared actual photos of herself or voice messages or joined the others on Zoom calls or in their WhatsApp group. It did seem a bit strange, but everyone respected that she might just be private.

If you follow Sabrina on social media, you know that she’s actually not private at all. She wasn’t shy about sharing details of her life, frequently even posting drawings of herself and her girlfriend in bikinis.

Eventually, S-Jay and a few other beta readers decided to step away. There were growing concerns about how Sabrina handled sensitive topics in her books (using the words schizophrenia and crazy flippantly)—and how she reacted when someone raised those concerns. Some beta readers were also uncomfortable with the way certain scenes were written—they felt as if they were written from a male gaze.

S-Jay had no contact with Sabrina for over a year but still saw Sabrina’s posts on social media. When Sabrina posted a graphite drawing, S-Jay’s suspicion grew because the drawing looked familiar to her.

That’s when S-Jay did a reverse image search of the drawing—and came across an artist named Sean David Wright, a 56-year-old Black man living in Arizona. He was the one who created the graphite drawing and posted it to his Flickr account nearly a decade ago.

Shocked, S-Jay kept digging—and found several other pieces of art that Sabrina had claimed as her own but had actually been drawn by Sean years before.

Below are some side-by-side comparisons of artworks Sabrina claimed to be hers and Sean’s artwork:

Social media post by Sabrina with photo of a woman wearing a bathing suite and a storm trooper helmet

Self-portrait posted by Sabrina in October 2022 Social media post by Sean with photo of a woman wearing a bathing suite and a storm trooper helmet

Hand-drawn digital art by Sean David Wright, posted in August 2017

Sabrina is even selling autographed prints of the stormtrooper “self-portrait” via her website.

Social media post by Sabrina with a black and white photo with a posing Ballerina

Sabrina shared this picture on social media in April 2025 Social media post by Sean with a black and white photo with a posing Ballerina

Sean uploaded a picture of an identical drawing with the same name to Flickr in May 2017

It wasn’t just the artwork, though. Sabrina also posted photos on social media, claiming to have recently taken them—yet Sean had posted the same photos as his own long before.

Here are a few examples, but there were several more following the same pattern:

Sabrina claims to have taken this photo in July 2023 Social media post by Sean with photo of a woman

Posted by Sean on October 15, 2022 Social media post by Sabrina with a black and white photo of a woman's legs

Sabrina claims her girlfriend took this photo of Sabrina’s legs in 2021 Social media post by Sean with a black and white photo of a woman's legs

Sean took this photo in April 2007

Please note: Sean took the photo of a woman’s legs in April 2007. Sabrina claims she’s turning 30 this year, which means she would have been 12 or 13 years old at the time the picture was taken!

That definitely proves that Sabrina isn’t the 30-year-old woman she claims to be, and she also lied about when the photo was taken and by whom.

Did Sabrina just steal Sean’s artwork and photos?

You might think maybe Sabrina just stole Sean’s artwork and photos from his social media and used it as her own, without Sean knowing.

However, we also found plenty of other connections between Sean and Sabrina, so this isn’t just a case of Sabrina stealing Sean’s artwork and photos. All the details that Sabrina shared about her father—that he’s from the Bronx, collects watches, and was born on March 22—are actually true about Sean.

Sean has been to Carlsbad, where Sabrina claims to live, several times.

In a “factoid” about one of her novels shared on her website, Sabrina mentioned that she named one of the characters, Mayor Wright, after her paternal great-grandfather.

Their houses also have several very unique decorations in common—the same white statue appears in photos of both Sabrina and Sean, as does a framed “Metropolis” poster.

Social media post by Sabrina with a photo of a Cinzano Poster in the background.

Sabrina's house Social media post by Sean with a photo of a rather badly lit room with a light that is made out of a female black statue holding a light globe with a Cinzano Poster behind it

Social media post by Sean with a photo of a rather badly lit room with a light that is made out of a female black statue holding a light globe with a Cinzano Poster behind it

Sean's house Social media post by Sabrina with a photo of a room with paperbacks of Sabrina Kane in the front and a white stature of a woman in the background

Social media post by Sabrina with a photo of a room with paperbacks of Sabrina Kane in the front and a white stature of a woman in the background

Sabrina’s house Social media post by Sean an interior photo with a white sculpture depicting a woman in the background

Sean's house

Both Sabrina and Sean also seem to be huge fans of Star Wars and the Dutch painter Vermeer. They both posted about going to Amsterdam to see Vermeer’s art within a few days of each other in October 2022. And check out the dates on the social media posts below—Sabrina posted five days before Sean did, so it wasn’t possible for her to have stolen the idea for the post from Sean.

Social media post by Sabrina about Vermeer

Posted by Sabrina on October 10, 2022 Social media post by Sean about Vermeer

Posted by Sean on October 15, 2022

We considered for a moment whether one of Sean’s daughters (who is a redhead and around Sabrina’s age) might be the person behind Sabrina Kane, but she would have been a child at the time the photo of “Sabrina’s legs” was taken. She’s also married to a man, not living with her girlfriend in Carlsbad, and she doesn’t look like the redheaded woman Sabrina claims is her.

So who is the red-haired woman?

A reverse image search of photos Sabrina had posted of “herself” or shared with her beta readers revealed that the red-haired woman isn’t Sabrina Kane but a model named Anna—a married woman who recently gave birth to her first child.

Below is a comparison:

Social media post by Sabrina with a photo of

Photo of “herself” at the beach Sabrina sent to her beta readers Leah Goodwin and Deb Hall Social media post by Anna with a photo of herself wearing a bikini and posing for the camera with a glass of wine in hand.

Social media post by Anna with a photo of herself wearing a bikini and posing for the camera with a glass of wine in hand.

Photo Anna posted of herself at the beach Social media post by Sabrina with a black and white photo of

Photo of “herself” Sabrina posted in March 2024 Social media post by Anna with a photo of herself.

Photo Anna posted on Instagram in January 2023

We did find a connection between Anna and Sean—he tagged her in a drawing he created of Anna on his Instagram account.

Social media post by Sean addressing Anna with a photo of an unfinished drawing

Clearly, they know each other, but we’re not sure if Anna is aware of her photos being used like that. So this isn’t the case of the person behind Sabrina Kane stealing from two random strangers (the artwork from Sean and the photos of Anna).

Sean seems to be the person connecting everything. Sabrina also posted time-lapse videos showing how the artwork was created—and how would anyone but Sean have access to those?

So while we can’t present definite proof, the most likely conclusion is that Sean David Wright is actually the person behind Sabrina Kane.

There’s also one final clue that likely points to Sean:

He published two sapphic romance novels under his own name—the first one, Two for One, in 2005 and the second one, Two for One—Relatively Speaking, in 2011. Neither book has a ton of reviews, so if Sean really is the person behind Sabrina Kane, maybe he thought his books would sell better if he used a female pseudonym.

By the way, the main characters of Sean’s books are named Katie (like Sabrina’s girlfriend) and Danielle Edwards—which is the name of the photographer who is credited with taking the author’s photo in Sabrina’s first book.

So there are a lot of clues all pointing to Sean being the person behind Sabrina Kane.

If he’s not, I’d like to challenge Sabrina to explain what else is going on, but I have to be honest and say I’d look very skeptically at anything she says, because everything we laid out above clearly proves that Sabrina is a fake persona and very few things she told us about herself were true.

Why this goes far beyond using a pen name

Some people might be saying “So we likely have another male author writing under a female pseudonym… What’s the big deal?”

As I said in the blog post I wrote when Adam Gaffen deceived us, having a pen name is perfectly fine. That has never been the issue. I use one myself, yet I’m still entirely authentic whenever I interact with my readers or fellow authors.

Being a private person and not wanting to reveal much about yourself is fine too. Authors don’t owe readers any details about their private lives or their identity. They can just let their books speak for themselves, if that’s what they prefer.

But if authors do talk about themselves and their lives, everything they share should be the truth. Creating an entire fake persona and making friends under false pretenses is not a marketing strategy or a fun little game. It violates the trust of vulnerable people—people who often had to lie about or couldn’t be open about who they really are, strictly for their emotional and sometimes physical survival.

Lying and deceiving those people is despicable, especially since none of it was necessary. The person who wrote as Sabrina Kane didn’t have to share a thing about themselves. If it really was Sean David Wright, as we believe, he could have just published his books as he did his first two—under his own name. Or even under a gender-neutral name such as S.D. Wright if he didn’t want to reveal his gender. All of that would have been fine.

What’s not fine is creating a fake identity and pretending to be a sapphic woman when that’s most likely a lie. It’s not fine to gain the trust and access to a marginalized community with deception.

The sapphic book community is built on trust. As authors, we’re not interacting with anonymous masses. Ours is a small, tight-knit community so betrayals cut even deeper. This is a time when we need to stick together, rely on each other, and uplift each other—and catfishing schemes like those pulled by Adam and Sean erode that kind of solidarity, and make it harder for people to trust each other.

Let’s be clear: This has nothing to do with being trans

I want to make one thing very clear because when the Adam Gaffen scandal happened, some transphobic people tried to blame trans people for what Adam had done. They equated all the lying and catfishing Adam had done with trans women writing sapphic fiction, and I strongly resent and reject that notion.

First, to the best of our knowledge, neither Adam nor Sean are trans.

We’ve combed all of Sean’s social media, and nothing points to him being anything but a cis man. None of this is about a trans person struggling to come out; it’s very likely about a cis man deceiving everyone about his identity by posting photos of a woman, claiming to be her.

Second, the trans women who are part of our community as writers and readers are not deceiving anyone. They don’t claim to be women; they are women. For some, it might not be safe to be fully out, but none of them go around posting pictures of someone else and claiming that this is them. They live their lives as authentically as is possible while still trying to stay safe.

So please, don’t add more harm to the community by trying to turn this into a trans issue. It’s not.

The issue isn’t an author’s gender; it’s their harmful behavior—lying and deceiving people for years, undermining the trust within our community.

Sabrina’s reaction to being confronted

Before I forget to mention it: S-Jay did reach out to Sabrina, said she knew that “Sabrina” isn’t who she claims to be, and gave her the opportunity to come clean. Instead, the person who we think is Sean doubled down and continued his gaslighting.

Screenshot of a text exchange between S-Jae and Sabrina

For those of you using screenreaders or whose browsers can’t display webP images: Sabrina’s response was: “So, I don’t hear from you for years, and THIS is what I wake up to? No, no, no… First off, who is this “we” you refer to? Secondly, what is this “evidence” you have? I can’t believe this!”

So pretty much a classic example of gaslighting. Clearly, he has no intention of coming clean and apologizing to those whose trust he violated. He’ll just continue with his manipulation.

Which is why we chose to post all the evidence so everyone can make up their own mind about who Sabrina Kane really is.

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Published on May 13, 2025 05:53

May 8, 2025

New sapphic authors

It’s time for a special Sapphic Book Bingo category! This square of the bingo card shines a light on new sapphic authors or sapphic authors who you might not be familiar with.

Authors who are just starting out are often struggling to get any attention for their books, so every year, I try to give them a little extra visibility by featuring them in their own category.

For the purposes of this reading challenge, “new author” is defined as someone who has published no more than two full-length novels (I’m not counting shorter works).

For this category, you can also read a book by an author who has published more than two novels but is new to you. Check out last year’s new sapphic authors post for a list of 200+ authors who, according to the readers in my Facebook group, are underappreciated and deserve more attention.

100 new sapphic authors

Below, you’ll find a list of 100 new sapphic authors:

Aeon Gray, author of Sands and Sparrow & Dandelions in the Wind Aimee Donnellan, author of A Crimson Covenant Alex Harvey-Rivas, author of A Sharper, More Lasting Pain Alex La Bruyere, author of Pyramid Stunt Alicia Gael, author of Murder on Castaway Island & Murder, Mayhem and Sex on the Beach Allison Ashton, author of Sweet, Spicy, Delicate Alliyah Parker, author of Lies Your Wife Told Amy Babiarz, author of After the Last Fall & Before We Rise Ana K. Wrenn, author of Strange Attractors & The Wilding of Em’s Path Angela Greenman, author of The Child Riddler Anne E. Terpstra, author of Beyond Any Experience Arden Powell, author of Of Socialites and Prizefights & The Potion Gardener Arzu Gökyolcu, author of Angel Diaries /Babylonian Spell C. Jean Downer, author of Lies Are Forever & Under the Cold Moon C.R. Jones, author of Women Are from Venus & Jupiter’s Rising Carina Lupo, author of True North Carrie Byrd, author of Loser of the Year Chad Maske, author of Elite Born Charlie Geoffrey, author of Boss Undercover Charlotte Rowan, author of George and IzzieChelsey Lynford, author of Crossing Bridges Darbe Ennly, author of Leap of Faith Darcy Liao, author of Make Room for Love Deanna Grey, author of Outdrawn Diane Billas, author of Does Love Always Win? E. A. M. Trofimenkoff, author of A Kiss of the Siren’s Song E.K. Cozy, author of Murder at the Candlelight Cabaret & The Curse of the Comatose Five E.P. Stuart, author of Evie Elaine J. Daniels, author of Pinned by Love Emi Sasagawa, author of Atomweight Emily Noon, author of Aurora’s Angel Emily Waters, author of Honey in the Marrow and Two Is a Pattern Erica Rose Eberhart, author of Tarnished Erin Branch, author of Di-Curious Evelyn Shine, author of The Librarian’s Gargoyle Evie Marque, author of Wolf Shirt & High Heels G. B. Baldassari, author of Amor Fati Georgina Kiersten, author of Fall Into You Gwenhyver, author of Jasyn and the Astronauts: Under The Ice Skies & Jasyn and the Astronauts: The Sea of Stars Gwin Savage, author of Indecent: A Dark F/F/F Romantasy Heather Werner, author of Summit’s Shadow Isa G.C., author of May I? Isla Briggs, author of Fake For Fame: Sapphic Enemies to Lovers J. C. Rycroft, author of The Blood-Born Dragon & A Hired Blade J. Victoria Tobias, author of Stairs to Nowhere J.C. Snow, author of The Phoenix and the Sword Jade du Preez, author of Outsider Jazz Forrester, author of Shifting Gears Jess Lea, author of A Curious Woman & A Curious Visit Jessie Thomas, author of Once Upon a Dark October Jo Fletcher, author of Back to Back Jules Kelley, author of Stars Still Fall Julia Crawford, author of Bad for You K.L. Gallagher, author of Hat Trick Kristina Kelly and Jonathan Fuller, authors of Trials of the Innermost Kristina W. Kelly, author of Tavern Tale Krystal & Kimberly Wolfgang, author of The Blood Accords: The Fox’s Den L A Wright, author of Changing Gears Lavender Quinn, author of The Intimate Beginnings of Taylor & Suite Enemy Lee Brontide, author of Secondhand Origin Stories & Leslie Allen, author of The Revenge of Captain Vessia Lianyu Tan, author of Captive in the Underworld & The Wicked and the Willing Liliana Pisarka, author of The Stage is Set Lisa Caro, author of Mine Liz Arncliffe, author of Southern Lights Liz Rain, author of Perks of Office & Onside Play Lucy Jacobs , author of Islands of Mice Macon Leigh, author of The Flight Risk Mariah Stillbrook , author of In the Pines Markelle Grabo, author of Call Forth a Fox Mia Barnes, author of Strength Within Mickey Brent, author of Underwater Vibes & Broad Awakening Minita Sanghvi, author of Happy Endings Naomi Rivers, author of THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story Nat Paga, author of Ashe & Dez: Gals with Grit Nicole Hidalgo, author of This Is How Immortals Die Olive J. Kelley, author of As the Sun Comes Up Olivia Janae, author of Colstead & Andie and The Loudest Silence Pip Landers-Letts, author of The Weight of What Was RA Hunter, author of The Many Mistakes of Amy Love Rawnie Sabor, author of Kiss of Seduction Rena Sapon-White & Ella Schaefer, authors of The Christmas Pic Rhiannon Grant, author of Between Boat & Shore & Carving a New Shape Rhonda Webster, author of Not Hers to Possess Ria Wyland, author of Just Come Clean Rian Birch, author of Swept up in You Romy Morgan, author of Fallen Feathers Rory North, author of Van Terra Rosie Evylin, author of Lilac Love: A Small-Town Witch Romance Sam Greenwood, author of The Waterfall Witch Samantha L. Valentine, author of Meet Me in Berlin & Normal Functioning Adult Selina Rossman, author of First On Scene A Howling Sirens Novel Shel Schneider, author of Broken Parallels & Parallel Tales Skye Erikson, author of Dark Little Dreams of Saint Augustine Sunset Wave Press, author of By Her Sword: A Sapphic Fantasy Romance Anthology Suzanne Lenoir, author of Good Game Taleen Voskuni, author of Sorry, Bro & Lavash at First Sight Terri Cutshall, author of Fall into Me & Breakthrough Thea Belmont, author of Principle Decisions Tierney Moore, author of The Escort’s Endgame Zoe Caswell, author of Tall Again

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What book will you be reading for the “new sapphic authors” category? Are there other authors that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!

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Published on May 08, 2025 02:39

May 1, 2025

Sapphic books set Down Under

This week’s category of the Sapphic Book Bingo features sapphic books set Down Under.

This square of the bingo card takes of south of the equator and includes all sapphic books that take place in Australia, New Zealand, or one of the Pacific Islands.

For example, it could be a book set in the Australian outback, on a remote sheep station, the mountains of New Zealand, the queer nightlife of Sydney, or a quiet village on a Pacific Island.

15 sapphic books set Down Under

Below, you’ll find 15 sapphic books set in Australia or New Zealand.

Sometimes We Fly by Cheyenne Blue

At forty-six, Maren McEvoy is Australia’s most popular newsreader, but for how much longer? And now her ex-husband has moved in with his boyfriend, and her sixteen-year-old daughter has been caught carjacking. Something has to change.

Laid-back Jacinta Fowler is furious. Her new neighbour’s daughter with her nightly prowling and disdain for the law, is a serious threat to Jac’s motorcycle tour business. It’d be so easy to stay mad except that the girl’s mother, Maren, is all kinds of gorgeous. And intriguing. And incredibly famous.

But there’s no way Jac should get involved with a closeted celebrity. That way leads to danger… Right?

Available at:

The Temp by Donna Jay

Driven and efficient businesswoman Vivienne Alexander reluctantly finds herself at a speed-dating night after her friend buys her a ticket. It’ll probably be a waste of time anyway, she tells herself. She doesn’t need a relationship to make her whole.

So, when an alluring stranger with bright smiles and a riot of auburn hair predicts Vivienne will be in her bed by the end of the night, she’s not sure which is more surprising: the sheer cockiness or the thrill that shoots through her.

Free-spirited temp Carla Cooke loves living life to the fullest but has decided it’s time to put down some roots. She’s pumped to start her new job working for a finance company until she discovers who she’ll be working for. Who knew the icy woman she’d teased at speed dating would be her temporary boss?

Now sparks and daggers are both flying. How can this possibly end well?

Available at:

A Curious Woman: Murder Under the Gum Trees by Jess Lea

Bess Campbell has escaped to the windswept Australian coastal town of Port Bannir, determined to begin her life again. She is loving her fresh start, thanks to her fun job running a hip gallery, her territorial chickens, and a lot of self-help books to find her new, better self. Port Bannir local Margaret Gale runs an austere maritime museum, and rules her staff with an iron fist. She has no time for that crazy modern gallery or upbeat, earnest Bess sweeping around town on her hipster bicycle. After a heated dispute over an antique collectible dildo, there’s little hope Margaret and Bess will ever see eye to eye. But when Port Bannir is rocked by a senseless murder, both women find themselves implicated. Can they work together to expose the truth––or will the truth prove far too dangerous?

Available at:

Ylva Publishing

Love Is…? by KJ Wrights

Tessa Connor loves everything about love, even though she’s not sure what love actually is. When she’s let go by the family of the children she’s chaperoned for years, and her girlfriend of eighteen months dumps her, Tessa’s tenuous definition of love takes a hit.

Then a phone call changes everything. Would Tessa like to work for an international celebrity in Melbourne? The only answer is “Yes, of course.”

Jayde Ferguson is not a fan of love. According to Jayde, the definition of love is heartbreak. She’d rather have a string of one-night stands and concentrate on her job as a journalist writing articles for local Melbourne papers.

When Jayde is given the opportunity to profile an international celebrity for Culture magazine, she is thrilled. Then appalled. An in-depth interview about the meaning of love? How does someone write about a topic that is impossible to define?

After a mixup at the celebrity’s front gate, Tessa and Jayde discover that they will be spending months working in the same household. So, what happens when two people, who don’t have a clue about love, accidentally discover its true meaning?

One chaperone, one journalist, one precocious teenager, one wedding, one celebrity profile, and maybe all the answers to…Love Is…?

Available at:

V engeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter

Muffin maker Olivia Roberts has had it with her awful exes taking advantage of her good nature. The theft of her nana’s beloved stuffed penguin is the absolute last straw.

She puts up an ad at her local crime bookstore for a henchperson to help her enact a little mild revenge. To her astonishment, Margaret Blackwood, the mysterious, icy, and annoyingly opinionated bookstore owner, applies.

For two clever, capable women, they turn out to be woeful at vengeance. But much to their dismay, they discover they’re pretty good at falling in love!

Available at:

My Road Found You by Lyn Denison

She desperately needed to escape, and it was all going to plan until that fiery accident. Waking in hospital to the sound of a soothing voice gave her a glimpse of a future she’d craved, but could she wish her past away by pretending to have no memories of it?

Lou Baxter liked her straightforward life. Her divorce had been amicable, she loved her job, her daughters, and even her wonderful, irritating mother. Then an injured young woman with beautiful dark eyes called her her guardian angel, and her life became so much more complicated.

Available at:

The Void by Neen Cohen

Kiera never fit in. Not on her aunt’s farm, not at her boring job, not with her ex-girlfriends. But she hasn’t given up hope of finding that elusive place to belong.

A freak storm leaves her stranded, alone in the office.

When something flashes past the upstairs window, the sarcastic voice in her head, Jiminy, insists it’s a figment of her imagination. But Kiera knows she didn’t imagine the flying pirate ship.

Or the dragon.

If she jumps on board—into a hidden world above the clouds—there’ll be no coming back. Is she ready for the quest of a lifetime, and the dark secrets beginning to unfurl?

Available at:

A Will To Love by Reese Quinn

Jessica has just landed her dream job, studying the ocean in Australia. However, settling into her new life proves to be harder than she thought. Everything is vastly different from her life back home. As someone who likes to plan ahead, it’s not the best start.

Although, one day, Jessica runs into someone who will change her life forever…

Willow has lived her entire life in Australia. With an uneasy upbringing and bad experiences with love, she has her walls up.

She runs away from any opportunity to express her feelings, so opening up to Jessica would be far from easy. After a rocky start, the pair begin to spend time together and a romance starts to bloom. But with constant reminders of the past, will Willow let her walls down and move on?

Will the past cast a shadow over their future? Or will they finally embrace their feelings?

Available at:

Best Friends’ Promise by Issy Waldrom & Mackenzie Sutton

Best Friends are forever, are they not? Time spent together, bonds formed, promises made. No matter how fantastical they might seem, how far-fetched. But friendships can change as time takes its toll, and people change.

Miyako might be a bit lost in life. She’s come out as trans, is studying in the hopes of doing something with her life, and perhaps wishing that things could be different. But Luna is still her best friend, and when she gets invited to go to a concert with her, to see Luna’s favourite band and crush, what she doesn’t expect is the offer to be turned into a vampire alongside Luna, because she wants her there with her. Of course, there is no way that she was ever going to refuse.

Decisions, made on impulse or not, have their consequences. Especially when it means that she’s thrown herself into a hidden aspect of society. Sure, she might have the body she’d only been able to dream about, but now she’s involved with a wider group of people, has to prove herself to her family, and there is darkness at the edges. And why does she have to have feelings for that one hot vampire who was an absolute bitch to her. Even if she is exactly her type, and perhaps there might be more to it all.

Available at:

All the Little Moments by G Benson

A successful anaesthetist, Anna is focused on herself, her career, and her girlfriend. Everything changes abruptly when her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths devastate her and her family. Left responsible for her young niece and nephew, Anna finds herself dumped and alone in Melbourne, a city she doesn’t even like. She tries to navigate the shock of looking after two children battling with their grief while managing her own.

Filled with self-doubt, Anna feels as if she’s making a mess of the entire thing, especially when she collides with a long-legged stranger. Anna barely has time to brush her teeth in the morning, let alone to date a woman—least of all one who has no idea about the two kids under her care.

Just when Anna finally starts to feel as if she’s getting some control of the situation, the biggest fight begins and Anna really has to step up once and for all.

Available at:

Southern Lights by Liz Arncliffe

Closed-off teacher Sloane Sullivan sees only shades of gray since she lost her wife. Desperate for escape and healing, she travels from the US to Australia to find color. Instead, she finds an unexpected home with a reclusive, prickly actress and her cheeky daughter.

Actress Ava James chooses her flings the way she chooses her roles: safe, fleeting, and short-lived. Better not to try than to risk humiliating failure—again. Her ordered life is upended when an American she had one sexy morning with only days earlier turns out to be staying in her mother’s guest house—for a whole year!

After an awkward beginning, a tentative friendship forms promising the start of something much deeper…if only they can let go of their ghosts.

Available at:

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:

Gold by EJ Noyes

When you spend your life at the top, there’s only one direction you can go.

Pro alpine skier Aspen Archer’s downfall happened in the worst possible way—a career-ending crash on a gold medal run at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Aspen packed up her broken life, picked up her broken body and now hides in comfortable obscurity at ski resorts around the world, coaching tourists and ignoring her problems.

Cate Tierney knows who Aspen Archer is, but the last place she expected to meet the former Olympian was during a ski trip to Australia. Hurt by a past relationship, and with a teenage daughter to protect, Cate’s initial reluctance is quickly overcome by her intense attraction. But with Cate’s vacation ending in a few short weeks and Aspen’s aversion to staying in one place, can their encounter be anything more than a fling?

When Cate discovers Aspen’s secrets, Aspen is forced to face everything she’d been trying to forget. And everything she’d forgotten she wanted. Aspen already knows the route from start to finish doesn’t always go as planned. Now she needs to figure out how to get herself back on course for good.

Available at:

Under the Southern Cross by Claire McNab

The vast, forbidding Australian Outback… the grandeur of Ayers Rock… legendary Alice Springs… the Great Barrier Reef… the primal beauty of Cape Tribulation…

Two women, from different continents, with different values, collide with spectacular results… UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS.

American Lee Paynter has built her Small travel agency into an international tour company. Brash, confident, openly lesbian, her great love is her business. Women? They’re to enjoy and let go.

Alexandra Findlay is pursuing a career in Australian tourism with quiet focus and determination, convinced that her career is

the best she can hope for in her arid, closeted emotional existence.

Now Alex has been assigned to accompany Lee on the American woman’s visit Down Under, to win Lee’s company over to Australian tourism. Suddenly Alex’s quiet life explodes… And Lee is challenged by a woman unlike any she has ever known.

Available at:

Food for Love by C. Fonseca

When Jessica Harris flies home to Australia to sort out her late brother’s estate, the last thing she wants to face is his altruistic investment—an eatery on the rural Bellarine Peninsula.

The injured British/Indian elite cyclist just wants to settle up, move on, get rehab, and certainly not have to deal with the restaurant’s beautiful owner and artisan foodie, Lillian McAllister, or her sweet, four-year-old daughter.

In order to win, Jessica’s disciplined life is dedicated to controlling her emotions, and she isn’t sure she’d survive letting her walls down now.

Available at:

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What book will you be reading for the “sapphic books set Down Under” category? Let us know in the comments!

The post Sapphic books set Down Under appeared first on Jae.

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Published on May 01, 2025 02:21

April 30, 2025

AI rip-offs targeting sapphic books

AI Rip-offs Targeting Sapphic Books

The sapphic book community has been facing a lot of challenges this year, from the growing fear of LGBTQ+ book bans and censorship to a noticeable drop in sales for many authors.

Now we are faced with a new threat, and I wanted to share it with readers because you are a vital part of the community, and authors are going to need your help and support to weather this latest round of nonsense.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): AI rip-offs are flooding the sapphic book market

If you don’t have time to read the entire blog post, here’s the short version, but I do encourage you to come back and read it all!

The sapphic fiction community is under attack by scammers using AI to churn out rip-off books based on real sapphic novels.

129 suspicious titles were identified, mostly published within the past month, likely all by the same person under 17 different pseudonyms.

This blog post shares a list of red flags to help identify possible AI rip-offs.

Things readers can do:

Spread awareness about AI rip-offs by sharing this blog post.If you come across a suspected rip-off, alert the original author so they can check it out.Be very careful not to jump to conclusions and accuse potential real authors. Some similarities might be coincidental or due to both books being based on the same tropes.Use Amazon’s “report an issue” feature or leave 1-star reviews only if you’re absolutely certain it’s a rip-off—preferably after getting confirmation from the original author.

The longer version of what happened

Last week, a reader alerted one of my fellow authors to a sapphic book that felt suspiciously similar to the author’s. Then another author found another one.

After spending years tracking down stolen translations within the sapphic fiction community, I have developed a good eye for finding illegitimate books, so I went down a rabbit hole and combed through all sapphic new releases of the last month.

What I found was shocking: This isn’t a case of a single person using another’s book as a template to write their own. What I found is a disturbing pattern of AI-generated books based on real authors’ works, and I fear it will only get worse if we don’t stop it now.

What I found so far129 sapphic books that I very strongly believe have been ripped off from other authors using AI. That’s not even counting the translations based on these rip-offs!For 26 of those books, I could identify the originals and alerted the authors.Those 129 books were published by 17 different “authors” (I use that word very lightly because those people aren’t actually authors; they are scammers out to make a quick buck by profiting off other people’s work). There are strong indications that those 17 “authors” are all the same person or, at most, a couple of different people, as they all follow the same pattern (see “red flags” below).

What’s the big deal?

You might be thinking: If this doesn’t meet the legal definition of plagiarism (see below for an explanation of why it likely doesn’t), then what’s the big deal?

Frankly, as an author who spends hundreds of hours creating complex characters, coming up with story ideas, and creating realistic plots, I don’t much care about the legal definition. To me and to all other authors I talked to, this is theft.

Authors who use generative AI to write books or create covers are already in ethically questionably territory because those AI tools were trained on the works of human authors, artists, and graphic designers without their consent or compensation. It was recently revealed that Meta used millions of book from an ebook piracy site to train its AI–including all of my books and those of pretty much every sapphic author I know.

These scammers are taking it even further by stealing from individual authors in addition. These people are not writers. They use AI to scrape our plots, our blurbs, and our characters to make money without putting in any of the work. They steal from real books written by queer women, nonbinary writers, and other marginalized creators, likely without having any idea of what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.

If they published 130 rip-offs within just the last month, can you imagine what it will do to the sapphic book community long-term? They will flood the market with mass-produced AI rip-offs, making it harder for readers to find authentic books and threatening authors’ livelihoods.

These books also erode readers’ trust in authors. Readers might start to hesitate to take a chance on a new or new-to-them author, fearing that any author they aren’t familiar with might be one of the AI-spamming culprits.

For some authors, this might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes them give up writing—because what’s the point if anyone can just steal their ideas, toss them into AI, and make money off it?

That’s why I’m speaking up and taking the time to write this blog post. I know it’s a long one, but it’s important, so please bear with me and read all the way to the end.

Red flags: How to spot AI rip-offs of sapphic books

Below, I’ve listed some warning signs to watch out for.

Important: None of these signs alone can confirm anything, so please read the caveats below carefully. But when a book displays several of these red flags, it becomes more and more likely that you’re dealing with an AI rip-off. Please make sure you read this blog post all the way to the end because the last thing we want is to accuse innocent authors.

Here’s the list of common red flags:

They use generative AI for everything: They create new covers using AI, rewrite the original blurb using AI, and use AI to rewrite the book.Obvious similarities, but with changes: The books are not exact copies of the originals, but the similarities are obvious. They change the character names and often other details, e.g., a soccer player in the original becomes a cricket player in the rip-off. The plot isn’t 100% identical, but the parallels are still very obvious. For example, in the original (Sometimes We Fly by Cheyenne Blue), the newsreader main character is dragged out of a work dinner to the police station because her 16-year-old daughter has been arrested for carjacking. In the AI rip-off, the newsreader main character is dragged out of reading the news to the police station because her 16-year-old daughter has been arrested for vandalizing.Caveat: Not every book with a similar idea is a rip-off. Romance novels often use the same character types, e.g., ice queen CEOs, and the same tropes, which naturally leads to books having similar key scenes. For example, fake relationship romances usually have a scene in which the characters have to kiss to convince others they are a couple. Plenty of them also have an only-one-bed scene. That’s not necessarily plagiarism or a sign of a rip-off. Look for patterns of similarities that can’t be explained by mere coincidence or the authors using the same tropes. In the example above, what are the chances of two sapphic books being published in the same month with a main character who is a newsreader with a 16-year-old daughter who’s arrested so she’s dragged to the police station at the beginning of the book? Those are very specific parallels that can’t be explained by both books using the same trope.More similarities at the beginning of the book: What they seem to be doing is to feed the original blurb (book description) into AI and ask it to write the book. That means the first 25-50% of the book will have more similarities to the original since that’s the part of the book the blurbs covers. The second half of the book will often deviate considerably and might go into an entirely different direction. The plot might become confusing, with entire plotlines going nowhere or becoming tangled, or the book might have an ending that is strangely anticlimactic.Caveat: A confusing plot, dropped plotlines, or an unsatisfying ending aren’t sure signs that a book is an AI rip-off. It could be just bad writing. It’s easy to tell a well-written book apart from an AI-generated book, but harder to differentiate an AI-generated book from a book that just isn’t written well.The blurbs echo the original: The blurb has very obvious similarities to the original, often using some of the same phrases, but rephrasing other parts.Example: In the example below, I put the instances where the rip-off and the original used the exact same words or phrases in ALL CAPS: Original ( The Princess Match by Clare Lydon): Princess Victoria has perfected the ROYAL PLAYBOOK: calculated SMILE, CONVENIENT boyfriend, impeccable press. But behind the tiara ticks a heart that’s tired of playing by the rules.Enter Ashleigh Woods: England’s football CAPTAIN, media darling, and living proof that AUTHENTICITY scores every time. When Victoria PINS AN MBE ON Ash’s lapel, the INSTANT chemistry jolts both their worlds.STOLEN GLANCES become SECRET meetings. Private texts become tabloid gold. And suddenly, Victoria’s tearing up her royal rulebook for a woman who makes her feel like more than her title. Ash has faced down penalty shootouts in European Cup finals, but winning Victoria’s heart? That’s the MATCH OF HER LIFE.When their romance hits the headlines, it’s game on: bow to tradition, or fight for a love that could change history. Victoria’s got a crown to inherit. Ash has a legacy to defend. Neither planned to start a revolution, but when destiny meets desire, sometimes you have to risk it all to win.Rip-off: Princess Evelyn lives by the ROYAL PLAYBOOK: duty first, SMILE always, maintain the perfect image. Trapped by tradition and stifled by a CONVENIENT, passionless relationship with Lord Arthur, she secretly yearns for something real, something more.Freya Brown: England’s charismatic cricket CAPTAIN, a powerhouse on the pitch and refreshingly AUTHENTIC off it. When Evelyn PINS AN MBE ON Freya’s blazer, the connection is instant, electric, and utterly forbidden.STOLEN GLANCES ignite SECRET texts. Witty banter deepens into late-night confessions. Clandestine meetings in borrowed flats and hidden corners explode into passionate encounters that leave them both breathless and wanting more. Evelyn finds herself shedding her royal skin, discovering a fierce desire she never knew she possessed, while Freya navigates the thrilling, terrifying reality of falling for a woman destined for a throne.Their sweet, funny, and intensely sexy affair is a refuge – until the paparazzi lens shatters their secret world. Splashed across the headlines, their love becomes a national scandal. Evelyn faces an impossible choice: uphold centuries of tradition and marry the ‘suitable’ man, or fight for the cricket captain who holds her heart. Freya, accustomed to pressure on the field, now faces the MATCH OF HER LIFE – battling prejudice, protocol, and the palace itself for a future with the woman she loves.Duty demands sacrifice. Her heart demands Freya. In a world bound by rules, can Princess Evelyn make her play and choose a love that could rewrite history, or will the weight of the Crown crush their forbidden romance forever?AI-generated covers, often with issues: As I mentioned, the covers are almost all AI-generated. Many of the covers don’t have the correct author names but either no author name at all, the wrong name, or some AI-created gobbledygook. Some covers do have the correct author name, though.

AI rip-off example 1

AI rip-off example 2

Caveat: As I stated above, using generative AI to create covers is ethically questionable because AI was trained on the works of artists and cover designers without their permission or compensation. An author using AI for their cover doesn’t necessarily mean they stole the blurb of a specific book to create a rip-off, though. However, an AI cover without any author name or the wrong name is a clear red flag that indicates a rip-off. Not a single legitimate author I know would publish a book with a cover that doesn’t have their name on it. It’s not only unprofessional, it’s also against Amazon’s terms of service, so authors know to avoid that.Ebooks only: The books are only available as ebooks, not as paperbacks. Some are in KU; some aren’t.Caveat: While most authors make their books available as paperbacks, there might be some legitimate authors who publish digital only, so that alone is not a red flag.Impossible publishing speed: They publish their books faster than any human author not using AI could, often publishing multiple books within the same week.No author presence: These scammers have no social media presence. Their author profile on Amazon is usually blank, without a photo or author’s bio.Caveat: Not every author who prefers not to use a photo or doesn’t have an author’s bio on Amazon is creating AI rip-offs. They might simply prefer to stay anonymous.Publishing across different target audiences: They often (but not always) also publish M/M and M/F romances, not just sapphic books.Caveat: There are hard-working authors who publish in multiple categories, across sexual identities. That alone isn’t a red flag.Instant AI translations: Many also have translations into multiple languages, mostly French and German. Those translations are AI-generated too, so the quality is bad, at times with pronouns being confused (using “he” instead of “she” in a few places because the AI apparently expects that a love story between two people will be between a man and a woman…).

AI rip-off example 3

Caveat: It goes without saying that not every author whose books were translated into multiple languages is using AI or creating AI rip-offs. Most of my own books are available in German because I translate them myself, and several of my books have also been translated into French by a French publisher. However, the AI translations are often published within a few days of each other, and very few authors paying translators and editors could afford that.Superficial diversity: I hate to say it, but the covers are often more diverse than the average sapphic book, often depicting an interracial couple. Not all of the rip-offs have a person of color on the cover, but it’s more common than you would see it in the top 100, for example. The diversity is only superficial, though, as the book isn’t written authentically from a person of color’s perspective.Caveat: It should go without saying that, of course, not every book that has an interracial couple on the cover is an AI rip-off.Targeting (mostly) bestsellers: Most often but not always, they steal books that are currently in the lesbian romance/lesbian fiction top 100 on Amazon.Repeating names: They often (but not always) repeat the same character names across books: Seraphina, Rossi, Maya, Sterling, Rowan, Thorne, Vance, Moreau. Certain place names are common too, e.g., Willow Creek.Caveat: Just because an author uses any of those names doesn’t mean their book is an AI rip-off. For example, Chris Zett’s characters in Flipping Hearts and Homes are named Rowan and Maia, yet I know for a fact that she spent months coming up with just the right names for her characters.

The suspected “authors” who very likely create AI rip-offs

Here’s a list of “author” names I very strongly suspect of creating AI rip-offs. I’ll keep this list updated and add more names to it whenever I find more scammers, so you might want to check back every now and then.

For the first 12 names on the list, I could identify one or several originals. For the last 5 names, I couldn’t identify the originals, yet I’m confident that these “authors” are creating rip-offs because they show the exact same pattern described above, including using names like “Seraphina.”

Some of them even use their own author names—or those of authors also on the list—for their characters. There’s a very clear connection between all of those authors, and I strongly suspect they are all the same person or at most a couple of different people operating after the same pattern.

Judith Tucker (has already been removed from Amazon)Charlie MyersHailey PotterRachel RileyNicole CarrValerie SmithQueen XavierElena JacobSophia CooperSage HardySandra BensonElara SkyeJuliet WalkerDenise S. WillardMaya RamosAbigail BennettJulie Hills

What has been done so far?

Several authors and I have reached out to Amazon, but we haven’t heard back yet.

The first handful of books we discovered are no longer available on Amazon, but we’re not sure whether Amazon removed them or the culprit took them down because they were garnering too many 1-star reviews.

We don’t yet know Amazon’s stance on those AI rip-offs. Since those people aren’t copying our stories word-by-word and the AI introduced enough differences to the original, it likely doesn’t count as plagiarism. Ideas aren’t protected by copyright, only the specific way an author wrote that idea is. The law hasn’t caught up with what AI technology can do, so authors likely don’t have much legal protection in these cases.

What can you, as a reader, do to help?Spread the word. Share this blog post with fellow readers. The more people are aware of the existence of these rip-offs and how to identify them, the better our chance to stop this.Don’t buy or read rip-offs. Learn how to recognize red flags so you’re not supporting those fake “authors” by buying their books or reading them in KU. The goal is to prevent them from making any money. That’s probably the only thing that will discourage them from continuing their scams.Keep an eye out for rip-offs: While you’re reading, pay attention to books that sound eerily similar to other sapphic books you have read. Readers are often how authors find out about rip-offs and plagiarism since many of you read may more than the average author, so we rely on eagle-eyed readers to alert us of potential problems.Don’t avoid new-to-you authors. We don’t want to create a climate where every author is under suspicion. That could be extremely harmful to authors, especially debut authors who haven’t had a chance yet to establish a relationship with readers.Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s important to be extremely careful when making any claims about plagiarism or AI-generated rip-offs. Accusing an author of copying another’s work can have serious consequences for that person’s career and mental health. The last thing we want is to harm any innocent authors. That’s why I included all of these caveats. Please be careful not to go around accusing authors of publishing AI rip-offs or plagiarism because they might fit a couple of the criteria listed above.Alert the author. If you discover a book that you suspect might be a rip-off, contact the original author. They might be better equipped to tell whether it’s indeed a rip-off or a just coincidental similarity.Report rip-offs, but only if you’re sure. You could report rip-offs to Amazon if you are absolutely, positively certain it’s a rip-off. There’s a “report an issue” link on each book’s Amazon page. But be very careful not to accidentally report the original or a book that just has accidental similarities. When in doubt, don’t report the books yourself but alert the original author.Review rip-offs. Leave a 1-star review and warn fellow readers that it’s an AI-generated rip-off. You could mention the title and author of the original book to guide fellow readers to the original. Again, only do that if you are 100% certain or once the original author has confirmed it’s a rip-off.Help authors whose books have been ripped-off. Some authors will reach out to their readers for help via their newsletter or their Facebook reader groups, letting you know their book has been ripped off. That’s when you can help by leaving a 1-star review or reporting the rip-off as described above.Check out the “authors” listed above. Do any of their books sound familiar? There are still plenty of books I haven’t been able to identify. If you are sure you recognize which original book the rip-off is based on, let me know—I can tell you if I already discovered the same book and reached out to the original author or not.Support the originals. Support real authors by reading their books and leaving honest reviews.

This situation is heartbreaking and infuriating, not just for the authors whose hard work is being stolen, but for readers who deserve authentic, thoughtfully crafted stories instead of regurgitated AI slop without any soul or sense.

I hope we can all work together to spread awareness, stop this exploitation of our community, and support real authors.

Thanks for reading,

Jae

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