Jae's Blog, page 22

Being Merry by Meka James

Noelle Cameron won’t let being basically homeless in a new state dampen her Christmas spirit. Thanks to her coworker, she has a temporary housing possibility. However, her new potential roommate is about as welcoming as the Grinch. But Noelle refuses to let scowls and snide remarks about her festive attire steal her joy. Winning over the cranky Lennox will be a victory sweeter than sugar cookies.

Lennox Sutton doesn’t want to live with anyone. Unfortunately, one well delivered guilt trip from her sister means taking in the woman wearing a reindeer headband and an attitude that goes past glass half full to it completely spilling over. Now she’s stuck with a person who embodies everything Lennox dislikes about the holiday season. But beneath the ugly sweaters shines someone whose company Lennox could enjoy.

A meddling sister and a dash of Christmas magic might have these two polar opposites finding new ways to enjoy the season of giving.

Available at:

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy… a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle’s new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because… awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Available at:

Detour to Love by Amanda Radley

High-flying executive Celia Scott is on her way to Tokyo to accept a prestigious award heavy with emotional baggage. She’ll make the trip, but she doesn’t have to like it, and she certainly doesn’t have to make nice with a stranger on a plane.

Artist Lily Andersen is excited to finally meet her online crush, the only person in the world who truly gets her. She just needs to survive the eleven-hour flight from London to Japan with a testy seatmate who by turns annoys and fascinates her.

Fate, upgrades, and a troupe of travelling clowns bring them together for a journey memorable for all the wrong reasons. Not only do they have nothing in common, they really can’t stand each other. But people are not always as they seem, and Celia and Lily are about to realise, there’s more than one path to love.

Available at:

Gulf Breeze by Gerri Hill

Dr. Carly Cambridge, wildlife biologist, returns to the Texas Gulf Coast to manage the latest Habitats for Nature project, restoring the woods and wetlands to their natural state. She is devoted to the environmental cause with a passion usually reserved for a lover – something she hasn’t had since a disastrous love affair ten years earlier. Having sworn off women and relationships, Carly is perfectly content to live her life alone while she focuses on her latest project.

Wildlife photographer Pat Ryan is duped into volunteering her talents to the Habitats For Nature cause, but she wants no part of the overzealous Dr. Cambridge.

While they spend most of their time sparring and bickering, an early season hurricane finds them fighting nature – instead of each other – to save the wetlands and the birds that brought them together.

Soon Carly finds her heart opening, little by little, and struggles to ignore the feelings that are growing between them. And Pat, always searching for that certain someone to take her breath away, can’t believe for a moment that the woman she’s been waiting for could possibly be Carly.

Available at:

Make the Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James

Junior editor Grace Taylor is doubling as the temporary assistant to senior editor Nicola Valentine…and harboring a secret crush on her. Grace is devastated when a work conference forces her to miss her big family Christmas. However, she gets a gift she doesn’t expect when a snowstorm strands her and Nicola at a small B&B.

Nicola has no idea how to handle sharing a room with her gorgeous, vibrant assistant. As she learns to share her heart as well, her fear threatens the blossoming relationship. Can she let Grace in, or will Nicola’s past sabotage her chance at happiness?

Available at:

To the Moon and Back by Melissa Brayden

Lauren Prescott had dreamed of being an actress since she was cast as Wendy in her middle school production of Peter Pan. Yes, her nightgown snagged and brought the set tumbling down, but she was hooked. After years of unsuccessful auditions, performing just wasn’t in the cards. Instead, Lauren established herself as a successful stage manager at the esteemed McAllister Theater. Unfortunately, the resident director has cast celebrity Carly Daniel: headstrong, entitled, and always late. So why is their chemistry turning her the hell on?

After partying her way through her twenties and ruining a successful film career, Carly Daniel has to take whatever she can get. If schlepping it onstage will raise her star again, she’ll listen to her pesky agent. Added bonus: the uptight stage manager is a sexy distraction.

When Carly’s costar is sidelined, Lauren must decide whether renewing a long-forgotten dream will jeopardize what she has percolating with Carly. Is the limelight big enough for two?

Available at:

Fire and Ice by Rachel Spangler

Will the heat building between a disgraced reporter and a rising curling star melt the already thin ice they each are on?

Max Lauren made a mistake that shattered her pride, her heart, and her career in one fell swoop. Relegated to covering the lowly game of curling, she already resents the so-called “sport,” and then she steps onto the ice, where things get infinitely worse. She’s been knocked down before, and she’s always gotten back up, but a frosty resolve goes only so far in a world of people who thrive on ice.

Callie Mulligan is the amiable skipper of America’s second-place curling team. Upbeat, optimistic, and with a fiery passion for an icy sport, she has both the mental and physical skills to become Team USA’s top contender. What she doesn’t have is the fame or the funding. Coverage from a journalist of Max’s caliber could be the answer to both problems if only Max wasn’t so cold to the idea. As Callie tries to warm her to the sport, a little bit of heat grows into a fire neither of them can contain.

Passion, competition, ambition, redemption, and raw need collide as the bright lights of success and celebrity grow hotter, but can the fire between Max and Callie be sustained when it’s put on ice?

Available at:

Hunter’s Way by Gerri Hill

Homicide detective Tori Hunter was used to doing things her way. But even after six different partners in seven years, she was not prepared for the hot-tempered Samantha Kennedy.

Samantha, on the other hand, was trying to juggle a new job, a demanding boyfriend, and now finds herself with an even greater challenge — being partnered with the most difficult detective in the entire squad.

After a brief terrorist scare disrupts their serial killer investigation, the two women find themselves growing closer. Sam begins to question the relationship with her longtime boyfriend, and Tori, never one to allow anyone to get too close, begins to feel her defenses slipping in Sam’s presence.

A serial killer and drug deals gone bad; the two detectives struggle with their feelings, trying to maintain their professional relationship while keeping their nearly flammable physical relationship in check.

Available at:

When Tara Met Farah: An Opposites Attract Romance (Bollywood Dance & Drama Society Book 1) by Tara Pammi

Sunshine Girl needs math lessons…

Nineteen-year-old Tara Muvvala didn’t mean to lead a double life. But her bone-deep aversion to math + a soul-deep desire to please her mother = her failing math grade + exploding food vlog ‘this masala life’. Enter her mother’s research intern and resident math genius Farah Ahmed. Tara makes a deal with Farah – help her pass the math course and she’ll welcome Farah into the local Bollywood Drama & Dance Society.

Grumpy girl gets life lessons…

After losing her mom to a heart attack, dumping her small-minded boyfriend (she’s bisexual, not confused) and reluctantly moving to the US to be near her dad – all in the span of eighteen months, twenty-three-year-old Farah has hit the full quota on LIFE. Two things keep her going – her internship with a brilliant statistics professor and the possibility of meeting her dancing idol through the Bollywood Drama & Dance Society. That is, if her new hot-mess housemate will let her.

Soon Tara and Farah are bonding over chicken biryani, dancing to Bollywood Beats at midnight and kissing against all the odds. And maybe beginning to realize that while life’s even more complicated than math, love is the one variable that changes everything!

Will Tara and Farah realize that together they have the recipe for a Happily Ever After?

Available at:

And Then There Was Her by Tagan Shepard

For Madison Jones, there has always been her life in Denver. There has always been her girlfriend, Kacey. There has always been her best friend, her studio and her pottery. She has everything in her life exactly in place. But after the loss of her brother, Madison feels unsure about her own future. When Kacey is offered a new job in Oregon, Madison jumps at the opportunity to follow her.

While Kacey works to open a new restaurant at Minerva Hills Winery, Madison sets up her art studio on the property. But constantly in Madison’s path is the owner and winemaker, CS Freeburn. CS is as serious as they come and seems unlikely to warm to either Kacey or Madison.

Though their initial interactions are awkward—if not downright nerve-wracking—the more they cross paths and the more Madison gets to know CS, the more Madison craves those little moments with the standoffish winemaker.

How could she have known that those encounters would begin to threaten the carefully structured life that Madison has built?

Available at:

Lex Files by Celeste Castro

What is terrorizing a nature preserve near a small town in rural Idaho? Half the town believes it’s the Lake Lowell Ghost and the rest are convinced it’s a diabolical beast. With no end in sight, they need help.

Enter Special Agent Winifred Ford,Federal Bureau of Investigation. She has an eye for the unexplained and a history with the creature at large.

Joining the hunt is State Fish & Wildlife Officer Daya Soto and her partner, Lexy—a specialist in wildlife enforcement who happens to be a Karelian Bear Dog.

Can the two women work together when one faces east toward logic and the other faces west toward the realm of impossibility? In an age where science and facts rule, blind trust can be a lot to ask of anyone.

Available at:

A Woman Lost by TB Markinson

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Petrie has it all. She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees.

Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her?

Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie.

Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets?

Available at:

Don’t Cry for Me by Rachel Lacey

A frosty television host, a bubbly bar owner, and a litter of abandoned kittens. The recipe for ratings gold…or heartbreak?

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:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “grumpy & sunshine romance” category!

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

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The post Grumpy & sunshine romance (Sapphic Reading Challenge #16) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on April 29, 2021 01:00

April 23, 2021

Sapphic high fantasy (Book Unicorn post #4)

lesbian high fantasy

This week’s Sapphic Reading Challenge post features sapphic high fantasy.

High fantasy refers to fantasy books that are set in a fictional world that is entirely different from our reality (as opposed to low fantasy, which is set in our world with some fantastic elements added).

Speculative fiction sale at Ylva Publishing (April 23-25)

The two first novels on my list of sapphic high fantasy books are on sale at Ylva Publishing this weekend, along with 10 other speculative fiction books, including two of mine (my shape-shifter romances True Nature and Natural Family Disaster). If you’re interested, check out the sale in the Ylva Publishing webstore.

15 sapphic high fantasy books

I put together a list of 15 sapphic high fantasy books. I hope you find at least one you’ll enjoy.

Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark (Destiny and Darkness Book 1) by Karen Frost

I am the daughter of winter. My people are strong and unbending as ice. I was born with the frozen winds sweeping through my hair, with snow dusted across my skin. I am. I am. I am…

For Aeryn, a girl born to the remote, wintry Ice Crown region of Ilirya, the outside world is a fantasy: a series of wonderful stories told by occasional passing travellers. She never imagines anything for her life beyond following in her parents’ footsteps.

But the discovery that she has the rare gift of magic shatters her isolated world. Aeryn can create and tame fire. It’s an intoxicating, raw, and thrilling power, but it also sets her apart. And her gift attracts attention.

She is whisked from her home in the wilds to train at Windhall University and master her magic. There, Aeryn slowly learns the truth about the real world, with its strange mix of people and powers, and so many intertwining threads of shadows and light. She’s drawn to unattainable Lyse, a beautiful healer in training who makes Aeryn’s heart soar. But she also senses a creeping darkness all around that could threaten the future of the kingdom itself.

Available at:

Banshee’s Honor (The Tales of Y’myran #1) by Shaylynn Rose

Warleader. This is what the people of Y’Dan used to call the proud warrior Azhani Rhu’len.

Banshee. Oath breaker. Murderer. These are words that slip off their tongues now.

Azhani Rhu’len, once one of the greatest of Y’Dan’s warriors, is now just a common criminal, escaping the justice of the kingdom she swore to serve.

Kyrian Stardancer. Goddess’ Own. A healer and priestess, she is inviolate until one day, when her world is turned upside down and tossed over the back of a horse—literally.

Torn from all she knows, Kyrian finds her fate now rests squarely on the shoulders of the oath breaker, Azhani Rhu’len.

When signs of ancient evil appear, Azhani and Kyrian must choose whether to ignore the warnings or stand and face the terrifying menace.

Available at:

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon—until one sister’s betrayal split their world in two. A Great Abyss now divides two realms: one cloaked in eternal night, the other scorched beneath an ever-burning sun.

While one sister rules the frozen fortress of Aranth, her twin rules the sand-locked Golden City—each with a daughter by their side. Now those young goddesses must set out on separate, equally dangerous journeys in hopes of healing their broken world. No matter the sacrifice it demands.

Available at:

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile kingdoms.

But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a land where magic is forbidden.

Now Denna has to learn the ways of her new kingdom while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses before her coronation—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine, sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two work together, they discover there is more to one another than they thought—and soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

Available at:

Sunkissed Feathers and Severed Ties by Kellie Doherty

Misti Eildelmann is a Vagari—a race whose innate crafting ability is connected to the creatures of the world. She’s also a Moon Knight. Misti is fighting a banished one when he slips a pendant around her neck that saps her strength. The pendant is dangerous. Deadly even. It harnesses crafting in a way not seen before, so she sets off to find help.

Old and new friends join her on this quest, including her longtime crush Dylori Clyofis and a villager named Arias Silverstone. The journey is risky—filled with frightening suncreatures, evil worshippers, and twisted betrayal. Misti is thankful to have friends on this path into the scorching light, but something much bigger is waiting for them in the sunshine. Her pendant is just a piece of puzzle.

Available at:

The Shattering of the Spirit-Sword Brackish: Part I by Sam Farren

Princess Castelle is the last of her bloodline.

Kept safe by the spirits bound to the forest surrounding her, Castelle devotes herself to studying all a future Queen needs to know, waiting for the day she can wield Brackish. The spirit-sword is her birthright. Only those worthy of ruling the archipelago can temper Brackish’s ancient rage without succumbing to it.

After half a lifetime spent waiting to reclaim her mother’s throne, Castelle’s frustration gets the better of her. After yet another assassination attempt, her disenchantment with her exile forces her to act. Castelle wanders into the forest, crossing the lines that have kept her safe.

Available at:

Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff

The Bards of Shkoder hold the country together. They, and the elemental spirits they Sing – earth, air, fire, and water – bring the news of the sea to the mountains, news of the mountains to the plains. They give their people, from peasant to king, a song in common.

Annice is a rare talent, able to Sing all four quarters, but her brother, the newly enthroned King Theron, sees her request to study at the Bardic Hall as a betrayal. To his surprise, Annice accepts his conditions, renouncing her royal blood and swearing to remain childless so as not to jeopardize the line of succession. She walks away from political responsibilities, royal privilege and her family.

Ten years later, Annice has become the Princess Bard and her real life is about to become the exact opposite of the overwrought ballad her fellow students at the Bardic Hall wrote about her. Now, she’s on the run from the Royal Guards with the Duc of Ohrid, the father of her unborn child, both of them guilty of treason – one of them unjustly accused. To save the Duc’s life, they’ll have to cross the country, manage to keep from strangling each other, and defeat an enemy too damaged for even a Bard’s song to reach.

Available at:

The Afterward by E.K. Johnston

It’s been a year since the mysterious godsgem cured Cadrium’s king and ushered in what promised to be a new golden age. The heroes who brought home the gem are renowned in story and song, but for two fellows on the quest, peace and prosperity don’t come easily.

Apprentice Knight Kalanthe Ironheart wasn’t meant for heroism so early in life, and while she has no intention of giving up the notoriety she’s earned, reputation doesn’t pay her bills. Kalanthe may be forced to betray not her kingdom or her friends, but her own heart as she seeks a stable future for herself and those she loves.

Olsa Rhetsdaughter was never meant for heroism at all. Beggar and thief, she lived hand to mouth on the streets until fortune–or fate–pulled her into Kalanthe’s orbit. And now she’s reluctant to leave it. Even more alarmingly, her fame has made her profession difficult, and a choice between poverty and the noose isn’t much of a choice at all.

Both girls think their paths are laid out, but the godsgem isn’t quite done with them and that new golden age isn’t a sure thing yet.

In a tale both sweepingly epic and intensely personal, Kalanthe and Olsa fight to maintain their newfound independence and to find their way back to each other.

Available at:

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran

When Lia, an idealistic queen, falls for Xania, her new spymaster–who took the job to avenge her murdered father–they realise all isn’t fair in love and treason.

Lia won’t mourn her uncle: he’s left her a bankrupt kingdom considered easy pickings by its neighbours. She’s sworn to be a better ruler, but if she wants to push through her reforms, she needs to beat the Court at its own games. For years, Xania’s been determined to uncover her father’s murderer. She finally gets a chance when Lia gives her a choice: become her new spymaster, or take a one way trip to the executioner’s axe. It’s an easy decision.

When they fall for each other, their love complicates Lia’s responsibilities and Xania’s plans for vengeance. As they’re drawn together amid royal suitors and new diplomats, they uncover treason that could not only end Lia’s reign, but ruin their weakened country. They must decide not only what to sacrifice for duty, but also for each other.

Available at:

The Impossible Contract by K.A. Doore

An assassin’s reputation can mean life or death.

This holds especially true for Thana Basbowen, daughter of the legendary Serpent, who rules over Ghadid’s secret clan of assassins. When a top-tier contract drops in her lap — death orders against foreign ambassador Heru Sametket — Thana seizes the opportunity.

Yet she may be in over her head. Heru wields blasphemous powers against his enemies, and Thana isn’t the only person after his life: even the undead pursue him, leaving behind a trail of horror. Her mission leads her on a journey to the heart of a power-hungry empire, where dangers lurk around every corner. Her only ally is Mo, a determined healer set to protect Ghadid any way she can.

As further occult secrets are unleashed, however, the aftermath of this impossible contract may be more than anyone can handle.

Available at:

Shieldmaiden Book 1: Quest for the Jewel by GL Roberts

It is to be their last summer of freedom. When it’s over Thalynder will not be able to escape her duties as Princess of the Realm. Shieldmaiden Bryn will watch her childhood friend marry and rule, her own words of love forever silenced.

Before their predetermined fate overtakes them, however, one last quest to please the Druids and the King sends Bryn, Thalynder, a dragon, and a Knight on a journey across The Realm That Touches Two Seas in an adventure perilous to their lives—and their hearts.

Available at:

Broken Wings by L.-J. Baker

In a magical world where being different is the norm, why must Rye Woods fear for her life if the truth about her hidden identity is revealed? When Rye Woods, a fairy, meets the beautiful dryad Flora Withe, her libido, as squashed and hidden as her wings, reawakens along with her heart.

But Rye is a poor builder’s labourer with a teenage sister to raise, while Flora is a wealthy artist-celebrity with a tree-top condominium and a sporty, late-model flying carpet. If those aren’t obstacles enough to the scorching attraction that rapidly develops, Rye lives under the pall of a dark secret that has made her a fugitive in the very land where she sought freedom. The more Rye reveals to Flora, the more vulnerable she is to her past catching up with her. Can she and Flora find their way to loving one another in the face of their social and cultural differences while struggling with the dark forces that threaten Rye?

Available at:

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.

If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…

With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?

Available at:

The Exile and the Sorcerer (Lyremouth Chronicles #1) by Jane Fletcher

The quest for the stolen chalice is a sham – her family’s excuse to get rid of Tevi. Exiled in a dangerous and confusing world filled with monsters, bandits, and sorcerers, Tevi battles demons within and without as she searches for her place in the strange new world.

Jemeryl has her future planned out – a future that will involve minimal contact with ordinary folk who do not understand sorcerers. Her ambition is to lead a solitary life within the Coven and to devote herself to the study of magic. It is all very straightforward – until she meets Tevi. Two unlikely allies join forces to defeat an insidious evil and on the journey find one another.

Available at:

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

Csorwe was raised by a death cult steeped in old magic. And on her fourteenth birthday, she’ll be sacrificed to their god. But as she waits for the end, she’s offered a chance to escape her fate. A sorcerer wants her as his assistant, sword-hand and assassin. As this involves her not dying that day, she accepts.

Csorwe spends years living on a knife-edge, helping her master hunt an artifact which could change many worlds. Then comes the day she’s been dreading. They encounter Csorwe’s old cult – seeking the same artifact – and Csorwe is forced to reckon with her past. She also meets Shuthmili, the war-mage who’ll change her future.

If she’s to survive, Csorwe must dodge her enemies, claim the artifact and stop the death cult once and for all. As she plunges from one danger to the next, the hunt is on . . .

Available at:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the sapphic high fantasy category!

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

If you’d like to get all future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts sent to your in-box, subscribe to my blog.

The post Sapphic high fantasy (Book Unicorn post #4) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on April 23, 2021 01:00

April 22, 2021

Genre you don’t usually read (Sapphic Reading Challenge #15)

genre you don't usually read

Today, it’s time to read a book from a genre you don’t usually read. Depending on your reading comfort zone, that could be mystery, historical fiction/historical romance, fantasy, science fiction…or maybe even nonfiction. As long as it has a women-loving women character or theme, any book that isn’t your usual reading fare is fine.

Below, you’ll find 5 suggestions for genres such as historical fiction, paranormal romance/urban fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, mystery & romantic suspense, and romcom/humor.

If you would like to read a book from the speculative fiction categories (fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, etc.), but are struggling to find one you’ll enjoy, take a look at these tips. They’re from a previous reading challenge, but they apply to this year’s Sapphic Reading Challenge as well.

Speculative fiction sale at Ylva Publishing (April 23-25)

If you’re planning to read a speculative fiction book (paranormal romance, science fiction, fantasy & superheroes fiction) for this category, keep an eye on the speculative fiction sale at Ylva Publishing starting tomorrow (April 23-25, 2021).

I’ll be sending out an email to my newsletter subscribers because the sale includes my shape-shifter books True Nature and Natural Family Disaster. If you’d like to get an email about the sale too, please subscribe to my newsletter.

Read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge

Remember that you can either read one of the books listed below or pick another sapphic book from a genre you don’t usually read.

Historical fiction:

Her Lady to Love by Jane Walsh (1810s)

Country mouse Lady Honora Banfield arrives in London with one mission: to catch a husband. A perpetual wallflower, she’s going to do whatever it takes to win a proposal from London’s most eligible bachelor, including teaming up with the most popular (and least proper) woman in London.

Miss Jacqueline Lockhart is having too much fun in her sixth season to ever consider settling down, even though she’s been unsuccessful at mingling with the upper echelons of London society.

When Lady Honora agrees to exchange invitations to the most exclusive events in return for Jacqueline’s introductions to eligible gentlemen, neither expects their friendship to ignite passion. Nora and Jacquie begin an affair with the strict understanding that it will end once Nora is married, but as a proposal becomes more imminent, choosing between a conventional life without love, or certain ruination if they stay together, isn’t as simple as it seems.

Available at:

Backwards to Oregon by Jae (1850s)

“Luke” Hamilton has always been sure that she’d never marry. She accepted that she would spend her life alone when she chose to live her life disguised as a man.

After working in a brothel for three years, Nora Macauley has lost all illusions about love. She no longer hopes for a man who will sweep her off her feet and take her away to begin a new, respectable life.

But now they find themselves married and on the way to Oregon in a covered wagon, with two thousand miles ahead of them.

Available at:

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (1890s)

Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine.

Soon after, she becomes Kitty’s dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

Available at:

How to Talk to Nice English Girls by Gretchen Evans (1920s)

In the aftermath of The Great War, everything is changing.

But not for Marian Fielding.

Marian’s life is quiet and predictable in the solitude of the English countryside, where she plans to remain. But Marian’s world is turned upside down when she meets brash, confident Katherine Fuller.

Katherine arrives at the Fieldings’ family estate for the wedding of Marian’s sister and immediately shakes things up. Instead of keeping the ill-mannered American girl out of trouble, Marian finds herself magnetically drawn to Katherine’s vivacious nature, and they are swept into a whirlwind romance that will change both of their lives.

Katherine’s unconventional behavior and the pull of Marian’s old life threaten their chance at happiness together. But these two women from different worlds will find a way to be together against all odds and expectations.

Available at:

Waiting for the Violins by Justine Saracen (1940s)

Antonia Forrester, an English nurse, is nearly killed while trying to save soldiers fleeing at Dunkirk. Embittered, she returns to occupied Brussels as a British spy to foment resistance to the Nazis. She works with urban partisans who sabotage deportation efforts and execute collaborators, before résistante leader Sandrine Toussaint accepts her into the Comet Line, an operation to rescue downed Allied pilots.

After capture and then escape from a deportation train headed for Auschwitz, the women join the Maquis fighting in the Ardenne Forests. Passion is the glowing ember that warms them amidst the winter carnage until London radio transmits the news they’ve waited for. Huddled in the darkness, they hear the coded message, “the long sobs of the violins” signaling that the Allied Invasion is about to begin.

Available at:

Paranormal romance & urban fantasy:

Every Dark Desire by Fiona Zedde

Naomi lives an almost idyllic life in Jamaica. She has a daughter who adores her, a close-knit community that looks out for its own, and paradise as her playground. But she secretly longs for the touch of other women. It is a longing she finally gets to satisfy during a trip into the tourist heart of Jamaica. When she surrenders to the seduction of a compelling stranger, however, she is savagely transformed into Belle, a ruthless beast whose hungers know no bounds.

Now Belle is part of a vampire clan, reveling in an existence that lays bare the dark hungers within every soul. Part of her hates her new world, but another part glories in it and in the explosive sexual connection she shares with the powerful head of the clan. But as magical as her new world is, it also has its dangers. Dangers that threaten the people she loves.

Available at:

Target by L.C. Mawson

Caroline doesn’t remember her crime.

One moment, she’s a Lady of the Demon Court.

The next, she’s sent to Earth as punishment.

Her task? Keep the humans from learning about magic at all costs. Even if it means doing the one thing she’s worst at – dealing with other people.

Detective Mina Sharma is determined to prove herself.

Her new promotion is the one thing going right in her life as a newly-divorced single mother, and she’s not going to let anything stop her from solving her first case.

Not even the aloof and enigmatic blonde with crimson eyes telling her to drop it if she values her life.

Especially not when this Caroline is just as much of a puzzle to solve as the case itself.

And Mina has always loved puzzles.

Available at:

Avenging Avery by Sheri Lewis Wohl

Three hundred years ago, a vengeful vampire turned Isa Meyer into the undead, and Isa has been planning her revenge every day since. That same vampire destroyed the love of Deputy Sheriff Jeni Denton’s life, and she vows to annihilate every vampire she can.

Amid a rash of local disappearances, Isa’s and Jeni’s paths cross, and a common enemy forces them into an unlikely partnership. If their growing feelings for each other have any chance to survive, they must do the one thing they both fear the most: trust. Will that be enough to defeat a vampire set on destruction? Or will it take love to conquer all?

Available at:

Both Ways by Ileandra Young

Danika Karson, field agent of the Supernatural Prohibition, Extermination, and Arrest Regiment (SPEAR), has the highest capture and kill rate on record. That is, until the mayor of Angbec makes her an offer she can’t refuse. Moonlighting as a rogue private investigator, Danika must find the mayor’s son, presumed kidnapped by vampires.

Determined to solve the case, Danika’s only lead is Rayne, a vampire whose power and beauty mask a kind and gentle heart. They race against time to find the missing boy, dodging vampires, evading SPEAR agents, and fighting the attraction that sparks between them. When the stakes rise ever higher, Danika is forced to put her life in Rayne’s hands, but can she really trust a vampire?

Available at:

Ambereye by Gill McKnight

The thing with the Garouls is you never get quite what you think you will. They really are something else.

Hope Glassy loves her job at Ambereye, Inc., despite having Jolie Garoul as her new boss.

Jolie is a moody workaholic. She is awkward, contrary, and on occasion just plain mean. Hope is hardworking, popular, and in recovery from a serious illness. She doesn’t need a bizarre boss. She doesn’t need office politics. And she doesn’t need to work over Thanksgiving either. Nevertheless, that’s what she and Jolie end up doing…in Little Dip, home of the Garoul clan.

An important meeting brings them to the valley where it’s assumed Jolie has brought her chosen mate to meet her pack. Much to her consternation Jolie finds she likes this idea, but Hope has no time for romance. She is eager to get her life, health, and career back on track, nothing more. Jolie is determined to change her mind, but how does a lycanthrope woo a human? A small and super-efficient, bossy boots human at that?

Available at:

Science fiction:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn’t expecting much. The ship, which has seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptillian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful – exactly what Rosemary wants.

Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They’ll earn enough money to live comfortably for years… if they survive the long trip through war-torn interstellar space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.

But Rosemary isn’t the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.

Available at:

Lucky 7 by Rae D. Magdon

Elena Nevares is on the run. She’s a jacker, someone who connects to virtual reality with their brain, and everyone else on her crew was murdered during a mission gone wrong. Sasha Young is planning a rescue. She’s a handler, a team leader whose crew has been scattered by an evil corporation: Axys Generations.

Together, they must find the rest of Sasha’s crew: Cherry, the engineer and explosives expert; Rami, the master of disguise; Doc, the wunderkind Medical Officer; and Rock, the mechanically modified muscle. But Axys Generations has bigger plans than taking down Sasha’s crew. Elena, Sasha, and the rest of the Lucky 7 must go on their most dangerous mission yet—not for credits or tech, but to save the world.

Available at:

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Born in the dirt of the wasteland, Cara has fought her entire life just to survive. Now she has done the impossible, and landed herself a comfortable life on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, she’s on a sure path to citizenship and security – on this world, at least.

Of the 380 realities that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but 8.

Cara’s parallel selves are exceptionally good at dying – from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun – which makes Cara wary, and valuable. Because while multiverse travel is possible, no one can visit a world in which their counterpart is still alive. And no one has fewer counterparts than Cara.

But then one of her eight doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, and Cara is plunged into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and future in ways she never could have imagined – and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her earth, but the entire multiverse.

Available at:

Zero Day Threat (The Ungovernable #1) by R.M. Olson

She’s lost her ship, lost her job, lost her reputation, and is on the run from the law.

Jez is a damn good pilot, and she’s always worked alone. Until she got picked up for smuggling, that is. Now she’s an ex-con and ex-employed, and there are plenty of people with old scores to settle. So when a mysterious stranger in a battered pilot’s coat comes to her with an offer that sounds too good to be true, she reluctantly agrees to listen.

All she has to do is fly one little job.

Four ex-convicts. One charismatic mastermind. And the most dangerous heist the System has ever seen.

Available at:

Bitter Heart by Mary Griggs

When her home planet is invaded by the Babwe, royal daughter Julian escapes aboard a trade ship. She must get to the Unity planet and persuade the system government to intervene before all of her people are slaughtered or enslaved.

Julian discovers more allies than she expected but her choices have deadly consequences back home. With the fate of her people in the balance, can Julian work fast enough to save them?

Available at:

Fantasy:

Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon

Joined in a battle for survival, a broken-winged angel and a shapeshifter huntress with a bloody past form a bond that may change their world.

Alone since her father’s murder, Aurora has spent years hunting his killers. Battle-weary she’s ready to start over where no one knows who or what she is – she just has one last mission. Everything is going to plan until she discovers the beautiful winged girl caged underground. Her decision to rescue Evie and to help her get home safely, despite avians being infamous for selling out shifters like Aurora to cutters and black-market flesh dealers, will put her on a perilous path.

As the women travel together their attraction grows but Aurora is guarding her lonely heart almost as much as her dangerous secrets and Evie is struggling to accept how important Aurora has become to her.

With their enemies conspiring to kill them, they may be each other’s only hope. Aurora is powerful but she’s also emotionally scarred. It will be up to Evie to save her from herself and to fight for them, or innocent people will die along with the guilty ones and Aurora will disappear from Evie’s life forever.

Available at:

The Fate of Stars (Sea and Stars Book 1) by S D Simper

Worlds collide when Tallora is kidnapped from her ocean home and forced to be a pet to a tyrannical foreign empire. Her only hope for rescue lies with a sworn enemy—Princess Dauriel, infamous for her stone heart and conflicted past.

But when Dauriel’s kingdom comes to the cusp of war, could their uneasy alliance be the key to defeating a common foe? Or will their growing feelings for each other lead them to ruin?

Available at:

Breaking Legacies by Zoe Reed

In a land impoverished by a war that started before she was born, Kiena has provided for her mother and brother by becoming one of the best hunters in the kingdom. But when a lifelong friend with connections recommends her to the king to track down a runaway princess, her life gets turned upside down.

Finding the princess is easy. Deciding what to do in a conflicting mess of politics and emotions… not so much.

Available at:

Daughter of Fire: Conspiracy of the Dark (Destiny and Darkness Book 1) by Karen Frost

I am the daughter of winter. My people are strong and unbending as ice. I was born with the frozen winds sweeping through my hair, with snow dusted across my skin. I am. I am. I am…

Available at:

Shalmar (A Tale of Lifetimes #1) by Serena Whynd

Shalmar is an Amazon warrior, feared and renowned among the people of her home country Gilsk. But when a prized statuette from a neighbouring country mysteriously disappears, tensions between the two kingdoms flare and their war reaches an all-time high.

In an attempt to stop the bloodshed, Shalmar recruits the newly-trained Jacqueline to help her retrieve the sacred statuette. As they embark on their search, the connection between them soon becomes undeniable.

But there’s much more to the missing statuette than meets the eye. Unbeknown to all but a few, it holds a frightening and evil power. Only the royals of its rightful owners know of the secret it keeps – and if it gets into the wrong hands, a terrible darkness may destroy Shalmar and wipe out all that she loves…

Available at:

Mystery & romantic suspense:

Meant to Be Me by Wendy Hudson

Trying to find “The One” is never easy and engineer Darcy Harris is finding it tougher than most. It doesn’t help she’s also dealing with a shadowy stalker trying to make trouble for her. But Darcy’s determined not to let anyone ruin her life.

Her loyal best friend and boss, Anja Olsen, is stuck in a strange conundrum, forced to question who she has become and who she wants to be.

Meanwhile, stranger Eilidh Grey’s first instinct is to run fearlessly toward chaos and love. But this time she’s on a collision course with fate.

A chance meeting on a snowy bridge in Inverness, Scotland, binds all three women together, creating an unexpected, tangled, love triangle. What happens when it all unravels?

Available at:

Bury Me When I’m Dead: A Charlie Mack Motown Mystery 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 are 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:

Stoner McTavish by Sarah Dreher

Meet lesbian travel agent turned reluctant detective, Stoner McTavish and her friends, on their first adventure to Grand Teton National Park, where she falls in love with her dream lover, Gwen, whom she must rescue from almost certain death.

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:

Indiscretions by Barbara Winkes

He’s closer than they think…

Ellie returns to the job after a vicious attack, determined not to make any more compromises. She wants to become a detective as soon as possible, and she wants Jordan, the star investigator in the Homicide unit. After nearly losing her life, she deserves that much, doesn’t she?

Jordan’s life isn’t as perfect as it might look to a casual observer. In a dysfunctional relationship, she is struggling with her attraction to a younger colleague and what’s shaping up to be a nightmare case: A killer who abducts and tortures women he considers immoral. Another woman is missing, and now he has set his sights on one of their own.

They will stop him – whatever it takes…

Available at:

Romcom/humor:

Maybe Charlotte by Louise McBain

Charlie Kincaid has moved to Washington, DC, to get away from her spoiled ex-girlfriend Madison and an unsavory association with a popular item at her trendy Portland bakery, The Charlie Pie™. The delicious treat is a frosted blueberry tart secretly named after Charlie’s vagina. Now what was once a sexy secret has turned into the most talked about dessert in southern Maine—with knockoffs in every store and a radio jingle on repeat.

Renaming herself Charlotte, Charlie moves with her twin brother Daniel to the Georgetown guest house of their great aunt, internationally known artist Wellesley Kincaid. On a wild night out, Charlotte notices green-eyed Lily and sparks fly. When chance throws them together again, the sparks take fire. Charlotte finds herself hopeful that a relationship with the young lawyer might grow.

Then the fledgling romance is threatened when Madison makes a surprise trip to DC—looking for a way back into Charlotte’s life. Will the trust Charlotte and Lily have built withstand the test of Madison’s return?

Maybe Charlotte is the story of two women overcoming the disappointments of past relationships to forge one that is uniquely their own.

Available at:

The Big Tow by Ann McMan

“Welcome to the National Recovery Bureau, where your assets are as sacred as God’s holy word.”

Vera “Nick” Nicholson is an overtaxed and underpaid attorney wasting away on the bottom rung of the gilded ladder at Turner, Witherspoon, Anders, and Tyler, PA in Winston-Salem, NC. When a high-priced luxury car belonging to one of the firm’s top clients goes missing, Nick gets saddled with the unenviable job of recovering the vehicle—and its mysterious contents—without involving the cops. Enter Fast Eddie and his quirky band of misfits at The National Recovery Bureau, a repo agency located in a sleepy town called K-Vegas.

When Nick is unceremoniously furloughed from TWAT, she throws caution to the wind and signs on to become the newest agent of the NRB, teaming up with moonlighting third-grade schoolteacher, Frances “Frankie” Stohler. Frankie’s mortician father and beautician mother are stalwarts of the Winston-Salem community—so it’s no surprise that everyone across three counties has some connection to her family. What is surprising, however, is the Slim Jim Frankie carries in her purse and her preternatural talent for jacking cars.

Nick and Frankie’s stumbling entrée into the surreal world of asset recovery takes them on a hilarious, fast-paced and mind-bending journey across the back roads and byways of the Tar Heel state, setting into motion a chain of misadventures that lead them both toward financial independence, cataclysmic legal jeopardy, and the discovery that true love can sometimes lurk in the most unlikely places.

Available at:

#CassiNova by Lori G. Matthews

Samantha Cassidy, award-winning actress, up-and-coming Hollywood “It Girl”, is missing three things in her life: an Oscar, a special someone to share her life with, and a baby goat in pajamas.

Alex Novato married her college sweetheart, but tragedy struck and the love of her life was ripped from her arms. Now she refuses to open her heart again, choosing casual sex over deeper commitments, until a not-so-chance meeting with her favorite Hollywood starlet turns her world upside down.

Will Alex give love another try? Will Sam find the courage to follow her heart, Hollywood be damned? Will anyone get a baby goat in pajamas?

Available at:

Scissor Link by Georgette Kaplan

Savin Aerospace employee Wendy Cedar has a massive crush on her hot older boss, Janet Lace, who’s just gone through a divorce.

Her secret love is all harmless enough until Janet finds an email listing every naughty thing Wendy wants to do to her, inspired by a sex dream Wendy has shared with her friend.

Now Wendy’s been called into the boss’s office. It might be a fantasy come true…if she doesn’t get fired first.

What starts off as a no-strings-attached, office fling could become something more. The women have to decide if a romance is for them or if they’re better off as boss and employee.

Available at:

Just Jorie by Robin Alexander

Some believe that special someone is out there just waiting to be found. Jorie Andolini is one of those people and has spent a lot of time envisioning that moment. She bumps into a woman at a grocery store, the woman drops a can of peas, Jorie picks it up, their eyes meet, and two souls connect. But it’s actually a wasted trip to New York, a snowstorm, and a canceled flight home that puts her in the path of Lena Vaughn.

Lena has found fault in every man she’s ever dated. Her dream of finding a husband is dwindling with every year that passes. Despite what her friends say, Lena doesn’t believe she has a fear of commitment, she simply hasn’t found a man she wanted to commit to. It comes as a surprise that in fact it is a woman who stirs those desires. For Lena, it’s not really a matter of sexuality, it’s just Jorie.

Travel the road to happiness with Jorie and Lena. Two crazy old women, meddling friends, and cattitude are just some sights you’ll see along the way.

Available at:

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Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “character is a medical professional” category!

The post Genre you don’t usually read (Sapphic Reading Challenge #15) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on April 22, 2021 02:08

April 15, 2021

Character is a medical professional (Sapphic Reading Challenge #14)

medical romance

This week’s Sapphic Reading Challenge post features characters who are medical professionals. Most of the books are medical romance novels, but any book with a protagonist who works in health care counts, e.g., a physician, dentist, psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, chiropractor, paramedic, or EMT.

Read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge

Before you pick a book for the “character is a medical professional” category, read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge and download your PDF so you can keep track of the books you read this year.

Remember that you can either read one of the 15 books listed below or pick another sapphic book with a protagonist who’s a medical professional.

15 sapphic books with a character who’s a medical professional

I put together a list of 15 novels featuring a protagonist who works in healthcare. I hope you find at least one you’ll enjoy.

Heart Trouble by Jae

Dr. Hope Finlay loves her job as an emergency room physician, especially since it allows her only brief encounters with her patients. She learned early in life not to get attached to anyone because it never lasts.

Laleh Samadi, a waitress at her aunt’s restaurant, is the exact opposite. She easily connects with people and loves her big, boisterous Persian family, despite their tendency to meddle in her life.

When Laleh needs to be rushed to the ER with heart trouble, Hope saves her life. Afterwards, strange things begin to occur: Why does Laleh suddenly know even the most obscure diseases, while Hope is fluent in Farsi?

Soon, they can no longer deny that there’s a mysterious connection between them—one that becomes stronger with each passing day.

Are they losing their minds…or their hearts?

Available at:

Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett

After nearly a decade as a professional drummer, Diana Petrell leaves her rock-star life behind to continue her residency in emergency medicine. She’s determined not to let anything stop her—not even falling in love with her aloof mentor, Dr. Emily Barnes.

Emily has only ever focused on her career as a senior attending in the emergency department, and she isn’t happy about having to babysit a resident with a ten-year gap in her résumé, no matter how intriguing she is.

But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.

When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship. A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.

Available at:

Ask, Tell by EJ Noyes

Where can you turn when you’re caught in a crossfire of war and passion?
Captain Sabine Fleischer is a skilled and dedicated U.S. Army surgeon deployed to a combat hospital in Afghanistan. She is also one of the thousands of troops who are forced to serve in silence because of the military’s anti-gay policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT).”
Usually driven and focused, Sabine finds that battles raging both inside and outside the perimeter walls are making it more and more difficult for her to deal with her emotions. Dealing with loss and mortality, lack of privacy, sleep deprivation, loneliness and the isolation forced on her by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are all taking their toll. Plus, her long-term relationship with a civilian back home is quickly becoming another casualty of war.
Colonel Rebecca Keane is an enigmatic career officer who runs the surgical unit like clockwork. Well liked and respected by those who work with and under her, she walks a fine line to preserve the military’s chain of command while connecting with those under her care and supervision. Sabine knows the Colonel is way off-limits, but can’t help fantasizing about her. Especially when she starts picking up unspoken cues—a stolen glance, a secret smile, an “accidental” brush of hands. Or is it just wishful thinking? After all, Rebecca’s wedding ring shines almost as brightly as her deep blue eyes…

Available at:

Passion’s Bright Fury by Radclyffe

Saxon Sinclair, the broodingly secretive Chief of Trauma at a busy Manhattan hospital is less than pleased to learn that her new resident is going to be the subject of a documentary film.

The arrival of Jude Castle, a fiery independent filmmaker, soon sets sparks flying as the two driven women clash both personally and professionally. Both have secrets they have spent a lifetime guarding, and both have chosen careers over love. Forced together on the battleground between life and death, passion strikes without warning, and they find themselves struggling with both desire and destiny.

Available at:

All That Matters by Susan X. Meagher

Life is going damned well for Blair Spencer. She’s a very successful real estate agent, happily married to a man who encourages her to live the independent life she loves—and they’re actively working to have a baby.

The wrench in the works is that Blair favors adoption, while her husband David desperately wants to have a biological child. The fates are against them, and they finally seek the help of a group of reproductive specialists. One of the doctors, a surgeon named Kylie Mackenzie, eventually becomes a good friend to Blair. And she needs all of the friends she can get when things start to go horribly wrong at home. As her marriage teeters on the brink of collapse, she relies more and more on Kylie’s friendship.

Kylie’s happily gay; Blair’s happily straight. But the way they structure their relationship leads friends and family to privately question whether the pair is setting themselves up for heartache. They eventually come to a crossroads, which could either destroy their friendship or turn it into what each of them has been seeking. The question is whether each woman can change her view of herself and her needs. The answer is all that matters.

Available at:

L.A. Metro by RJ Nolan

Dr. Kimberly Donovan’s life is in shambles. After her medical ethics are questioned, first her family, then her closeted lover, the Chief of the ER, betray her. Determined to make a fresh start, she flees to California and L.A. Metropolitan Hospital.

Dr. Jess McKenna, L.A. Metro’s Chief of the ER, gives new meaning to the phrase emotionally guarded, but she has her reasons.

When Kim and Jess meet, the attraction is immediate. Emotions Jess has tried to repress for years surface. But her interest in Kim also stirs dark memories. They settle for friendship, determined not to repeat past mistakes, but secretly they both wish things could be different.

Will the demons from Jess’s past destroy their future before it can even get started? Or will L.A. Metro be a place to not only heal the sick, but to mend wounded hearts?

Available at:

Blurred Lines by KD Williamson

Kelli MacCabe is a no nonsense detective with a tough exterior. Only a select few know her as a loyal, loving friend. Committed to her family, her friends, and her job, Kelli puts her needs behind everyone else’s.

As a surgeon, Nora Whitmore is used to being in control. The hospital is her life and leaves room for little else. Respected by her colleagues, but misunderstood by the residents, Nora takes what she needs and keeps everyone at arm’s length. In the process, she creates unexpected enemies.

Tragedy brings them together. As chaos grows around them, the lines between them begin to blur. Despite being from different worlds, friendship grows between them, turning quickly to attraction. Will these two strong, independent women find a way to deal with their individual baggage? Or will they be overcome by it?

Available at:

Major Surgery by Lola Keeley

Skilled surgeon Veronica Mallick runs her London hospital department like she runs her surgeries: with hawkish efficiency. Then her perfect world is turned upside down by the arrival of a new Head of Trauma.

Cassie Taylor is a brash, no-nonsense army surgeon, fresh from the front lines, and trying to find her way in civilian life. She’s all action and sharp edges, not too interested in rules. She’s even less interested in bureaucracy, or playing nice with her uptight, paper-pushing colleague, Veronica.

While they’re circling each other warily at St. Sophia’s hospital, Cassie becomes entangled in some shady financial dealings.

Their shared search for the truth draws them closer together, sparking heated moments as they try to see justice done. But in exposing a scandal, can they also find some common ground? How will they both deal with being attracted to a woman they don’t even like?

Available at:

Who’d Have Thought by G Benson

Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn’t about to demand answers.

The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden’s going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they’re madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they’ve ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong?

Available at:

Snowbound by Cari Hunter

“The policewoman got shot and she’s bleeding everywhere. Get someone here in one hour or I’m going to put her out of her misery.”

An ultimatum that forever changes the lives of police officer Sam Lucas and Dr. Kate Myles.

When heavy snowfall isolates the small English village of Birchenlow, a violent robbery shatters the community. Taken as a hostage and stranded with the increasingly desperate criminals, Sam is seriously injured during an ill-fated escape attempt. Already struggling to save the lives of the villagers caught up in the raid, Kate volunteers to walk straight into the lion’s den. Cut off from help, with only each other to rely on, Sam and Kate must find a way to fight the odds and stay alive if the growing attraction between them is to survive.

Available at:

This Time by S.W. Andersen

Some people believe love transcends time and space.

Neuropsychologist Dr. Contessa “Tess” Kenner isn’t one of them. She can explain in detail how lust and desire cause the limbic system to battle the prefrontal cortex over ethical decision making, but ask her about her aversion to relationships and she’s completely at a loss. It’s not due to lack of trying. She’s just never felt the need or the connection to put in the effort.

Free spirited artist Elena Jake, on the other hand, wants to fall in love with the woman of her dreams—quite literally. Ever since her youth, her nights have been consumed by a beautiful stranger, so much so, that no flesh and blood woman has ever been able to measure up. When the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, she seeks guidance from her Native American roots.

Driven by strong astrological influences, the “powers that be” attempt an intervention between the two women. Their pasts and presents merge, sending Tess and Elena on an unimaginable journey, causing them both to question their sanities.

Will these two souls rediscover an epic love?

Or are they destined to forever be star-crossed lovers?

Available at:

Traumatic Love by Ellen Hoil

Dr. Nydia Rogers was stripped of her future long before she had one, she now lives day to day. Her life focused on being a trauma doctor and saving others, not herself.

Jo Powers, a cop doing her best to make a difference, is a survivor of domestic violence because of someone she thought was her protector. Chance brings them together, but will real life keep them apart?

For the first time in her life, Jo will use every bit of charm and romance to gain the trust of Nydia to soothe both their wounds. Will it be enough to win the heart of the emotionally scarred doctor? Traumatic Love includes themes of surviving domestic violence, abuse, and bullying and is recommended for mature readers.

Available at:

Real Love by Graysen Morgen

Leigh Myer is a trauma nurse practitioner who is not happy going through the motions of her daily life. When a friend offers up her mountain cabin for a relaxing vacation, Leigh packs her bags. She’s never been to the mountains and certainly never in heavy snow. A chance meeting with a fish and wildlife officer turns her idea of a quiet, relaxing vacation…upside down.

Camden Gorely loves her job and loves the mountain she works and lives on even more. She’s tired of having flings with vacationers who visit for days or weeks at a time, until she meets the elusive nurse from the city.

Can Leigh stop running from her past and allow real love into her heart?

Available at:

Doctored by K’Anne Meinel

A brilliant child protégée, she dreams of becoming a doctor and a surgeon…and accomplishes her goals. Unfortunately, her youth and round, child-like face work against her. No matter how skilled she becomes, how knowledgeable, the old school, male-dominated medical hierarchy wants to keep her in ‘her place.’

Deanna has worked hard to become an expert in her chosen field, but few believe this ‘child’ capable. Specializing in infectious diseases, she travels the world—from the States to Europe to South America—honing her skills before winding up in Africa where her skills are desperately needed.

Meeting a nurse by the name of Madison MacGregor, she finds they share an insatiable curiosity and a love of helping others, but falling in love was not what she intended. Later, when she loses Maddie to a misunderstanding, she is haunted by the one that got away…

Ten years have passed and both the doctor and nurse have moved on with their lives, but fate intervenes when they find themselves working at the same hospital. Their friendship is revived…can their love be rekindled? Will the past haunt them or bring them closer? Will the secrets that both harbor keep them from realizing a future together?

Available at:

The Fifth Surgeon by Faith Prize (to be published in July 2021)

Nadia Keating has barely started her cardiothoracic fellowship training, but she already has the archetype nailed—she’s direct, uncompromising, and suffering from a God complex.

Before she can focus on her impressive research, deeply closeted Nadia has a personal project: getting her inconvenient attraction to women out of her system. She picks a stranger online for a one-night stand.

Ashley Rylan, the chief of Nadia’s department, is her polar opposite—sweet, agreeable, and soft-spoken—and the stranger Nadia unwittingly chooses.

The two women’s meeting is a hostile disaster and they would love nothing more than to never see each other again. However, their paths keep colliding as Nadia embarks on an ambitious experiment that could lead to a historic medical breakthrough.

Despite warring egos and the secrets they keep, their connection is powerful and growing. Maybe having sex would help them get over their distraction at work? Or would that just ruin everything?

Available at:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “character is a medical professional” category!

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

If you’d like to get all future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts sent to your in-box, subscribe to my blog.

Happy reading!

Jae

The post Character is a medical professional (Sapphic Reading Challenge #14) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on April 15, 2021 01:00

April 8, 2021

Longer sapphic books (Sapphic Reading Challenge #13)

longer lesbian books

This week’s Sapphic Reading Challenge category features longer sapphic books. Of course, “longer” is a pretty subjective term. For the purposes of this reading challenge, “longer” means any book that has at least 120,000 words.

Publishing professionals define the length of a book by its word count, not by the number of pages. That’s because the page count can be misleading since the number of pages depends on the font, the font size, the margins, the page size, etc.

If you can’t find the word count for the book you’d like to read, go for books that have at least 350 pages.

If you listen to audiobooks, pick one that has a length of 12 hours or more.

Read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge

Before you pick a book for the “longer books” category, read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge and download your PDF so you can keep track of the books you read this year.

Remember that you can either read one of the 15 books listed below or pick another sapphic book that is longer than 120,000 words.

15 sapphic books that are longer than 120,000 words

I put together a list of 15 long novels with sapphic main characters. I hope you find at least one you’ll enjoy.

Damage Control by Jae (141,000 words; 370 pages; 17.5 hours)

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:

Mosaic by Susan X. Meagher (396 pages)

When you’re a single lesbian who’d prefer to be partnered, it pays to keep your eyes peeled―even at work.

Kelsey Maliar blew into Summer Hayes’ shop on a frosty cold morning, and within a few minutes things had warmed up significantly. By the end of the week they were having a great first date, followed by another, and still another.

Everything seemed perfect, something neither of them had a lot of experience with. But they were both ready to put in the work this time, having learned that the end result was well worth the effort.

Nearly every couple reaches a few forks in the road when they’re starting out, but things sailed along very smoothly―until they didn’t.

What do you do when a woman who’s remarkably close to perfect struggles with an issue that wouldn’t bother the vast majority of people―but is a hot-button for you? Is it a positive grown experience to work through an emotional challenge together? Or is self-protection the wise choice?

They’ve both tried to understand the path to love, but the manual’s really hard to comprehend. If they can stick to their resolve, they should be able to hurdle this roadblock. But can they?

Available at:

Brisk Press

Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon (540 pages; 20.75 hours)

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.

Available at:

The Bucket List by CJ Murphy (148,000 words; 380 pages)

Professor Jordan Armstrong, a biogenetic engineer, is at an impasse in her super food research. In order to move forward, she is adamant that her former professor, Noeul Scott, is the key. The problem is, Noeul vanished after a personal tragedy. Jordan stumbles upon a coded ‘bucket list’ that she hopes will reveal clues to where she’s gone.

With the help of her cryptologist sister, Jordan follows clues to several National Parks where hidden memorials to Noeul’s deceased wife, contain the next set of coded ciphers. Jordan must decode each in order to reveal the next location. Along this expedition, she is guided by something, or someone, she can’t see. Unexplained happenstances continue to direct her steps.

Available at:

Jericho by Ann McMan (475 pages; 21 hours)

Librarian Syd Murphy flees the carnage of a failed marriage by accepting an eighteen-month position in Jericho, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. Her plans to hide out and heal her wounds fall by the wayside as she gets drawn into the daily lives of the quirky locals.

When Syd gets a flat tire and is rescued by the town physician, Maddie Stevenson, the two women form a fast friendship—but almost immediately begin struggling with a mutual attraction. And, if that’s not enough, Syd is straight and going through a divorce—and Maddie somehow forgets to mention her sexual orientation to her new best friend. Almost everyone who crosses their paths believes it’s only a matter of time until they figure it out, but sometimes, it takes a while to see the obvious. Together, Syd and Maddie learn that life and love can have as many twists and turns as a winding mountain road.

Available at:

Those Who Wait by Haley Cass (620 pages; 21 hours)

Sutton Spencer’s ideas for her life were fairly simple: finish graduate school and fall in love. It would be a lot simpler if she could pinpoint exactly what she should do when she graduates in less than a year. Oh, and if she could figure out how to talk to a woman without feeling like a total mess, that would be great too.

Charlotte Thompson is very much the opposite. She’s always had clear steps outlining her path to success with no time or inclination for romance. Her burgeoning career in politics means everything to her and she’s not willing to compromise it for something as insignificant as love. Fleeting, casual, and discreet worked perfectly fine.

When they meet through a dating app, it’s immediately clear that they aren’t suited for anything more than friendship. Right?

Available at:

Interference by Zoe Reed (480 pages)

The last thing Jordan Marshall wants is a relationship, especially with someone like Taylor Becks, the star player from a rival roller hockey team. Taylor doesn’t talk – to anyone. When Jordan’s curiosity about the athlete overpowers her predisposition to being guarded, the two strike up an unlikely romance. In the midst of desolation left by being disowned and forbidden from seeing her little brother, Jordan finds that sometimes the biggest risks reap the greatest rewards.

Available at:

Nottingham by Anna Burke (400 pages)

After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest. All she really wants to do is provide for her family and stay out of trouble, but when the damnable Sheriff of Nottingham levies the largest tax in the history of England, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. Relying on the help of her merry band of misfits and the Sheriff’s intriguing—and off-limits—daughter, Marian, Robyn must find a way to pull off the biggest heist Sherwood has ever seen.

With both heart and freedom at stake, just how much is she willing to risk to ensure the safety of the ones she loves?

Available at:

Princess of Dorsa by Eliza Andrews (590 pages; 15.5 hours)

Rebellious Princess Natasia has always known that her fate is to marry a man her father can shape into his heir. But everything changes after a would-be assassin nearly takes Tasia’s life. Someone with means and connections is obviously trying to destabilize the Empire, but who? No noble family is above suspicion, so the Emperor takes the extraordinary step of naming his daughter his true heir.

Tasia suddenly finds herself saddled with learning to rule an entire Empire. But there are enemies on every side, threatening to disrupt the Empire’s fragile peace — there’s the long-standing and deeply unpopular war in the East, disagreements amongst her father’s closest advisors, angry lords threatening their defiance, and rumors of a faraway kingdom trying to sow discord.

Can Tasia rise to the occasion? Will she be the leader her father believes her to be? Or is the Empire doomed to fall?

Available at:

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood (460 pages; 18 hours)

If she’s to survive, Csorwe must dodge her enemies, claim the artifact and stop the death cult once and for all. As she plunges from one danger to the next, the hunt is on…

Available at:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (840 pages; 26 hours)

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Available at:

Bloomsbury Publishing UK

Kicker’s Journey by Lois Cloarec Hart (157,000 words; 490 pages; 17 hours)

In 1899 two women from very different backgrounds are about to embark on a journey together – one that will take them from the Old World to the New, from the 19th century into the 20th, and from the comfort and familiarity of England to the rigours of Western Canada, where challenges await at every turn.

The journey begins simply for Kicker Stuart when she leaves her home village to take employment as hostler and farrier at Grindleshire Academy for Young Ladies. But when Kicker falls in love with a teacher, Madelyn Bristow, it radically alters the course of her tranquil life.

Together, the lovers flee the brutality of Madelyn’s father and the prejudices of upper crust England in search of freedom to live, and love, as they choose. A journey as much of the heart and soul as of the body, it will find the lovers struggling against the expectations of gender, the oppression of class, and even, at times, each other.

What they find at the end of their journey is not a new Eden, but a land of hope and opportunity that offers them the chance to live out their most cherished dream – a life together.

Available at:

Hunter’s Descent by Lise MacTague (386 pages; 142,000 words; 14.5 hours)

While investigating the deaths of multiple students at a boot-camp style institution, Malice and Ruri become trapped in the mysterious Kingdom of Flower and Bone–a netherworld filled with both magical and malignant beings. But which is which?

Even ancient forces aren’t immune to petty squabbles. Will the pair make it out alive?

Mary Alice Nolan, code-named “Malice,” is a Hunter: genetically modified and rigorously trained to track and kill supranormals (“supras”) such as werewolves, vampires, and demons. Seeking revenge after her sister is malevolently “turned” into a werewolf, the last thing the hot-tempered Malice expected was to develop deep desires for one of her sworn enemies.

Ruri Samson is a magnificent golden-eyed wolven without a pack. Smart, sensitive and loyal, she considers Malice her mate. Ruri would sacrifice her own life to protect her—and this time she just may have to.

Available at:

All the Little Moments by G Benson (132,000 words; 370 pages; 14.75 hours)

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:

Ghost Walk by Kay Solo (800 pages)

Maaya is a teenager who can see ghosts, and she and her three friends get by on the poor streets of Sark by sealing away troublesome spirits under the direction of a deceptive, malicious wealthy man. Accompanying them is a ghost named Saber, Maaya’s long-time friend. Maaya doesn’t concern herself with world affairs, focusing only on staying alive in a superstitious town that ignores her at best and wants her dead at worst – but after an entire street of people goes missing without a trace and whispers of war begin to reach her ears, Maaya decides it’s time to investigate.

Maaya soon finds herself in over her head as she confronts a wave of faceless ghosts that terrify even the dead. Driven on by rumors of a mysterious weapon that can make entire cities vanish in an instant, she and Saber start their journey across the world to find out how to stop it. She begins to find new friends, powerful allies, and even love, all while being pursued by new and more dangerous enemies.

The closer she gets, however, the more she realizes that the ghosts she’s after may not just be mindlessly killing innocents – and that they may be chasing her instead.

Available at:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “longer books” category!

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

If you’d like to get all future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts sent to your in-box, subscribe to my blog.

Happy reading!

Jae

The post Longer sapphic books (Sapphic Reading Challenge #13) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on April 08, 2021 01:00

April 1, 2021

Neurodiverse characters (Sapphic Reading Challenge #12)

neurodiverse character

Today’s category–sapphic books about neurodiverse characters–might as well be one of the Book Unicorn categories because there still aren’t that many.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term: a neurodiverse person (also called neurodivergent or neuroatypical) is someone whose brain works differently compared to neurotypical people. They might be on the autistic spectrum, have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), dyslexia, dyspraxia, or Tourette Syndrome.

For this category, please try to find a book with a positive and realistic portrayal of neurodiversity that doesn’t shame or pity the neuroatypical character but sees neurodiversity of a natural and normal variation of human neurology.

Read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge

If you are new to the Sapphic Reading Challenge, read up on the rules and download your PDF so you can keep track of the books you read this year. Remember that you can either read one of the 15 books listed below or pick another sapphic book featuring a protagonist with a disability.

15 sapphic novels featuring a neurodiverse character

I put together a list of 15 novels featuring neuroatypical characters. I hope you’ll find one you enjoy.

The Words Shimmer by Jenn Matthews (dyslexic character)

Yorkshire anatomy lecturer Ruby Clark considers her life low-maintenance. She teaches at the local university, has two well-behaved teenage daughters, and what she doesn’t know about human anatomy isn’t worth knowing. Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn’t stretch to plants, and she’s been asked to help out on a school garden project.

Being a paramedic doesn’t do Melissa Jackson’s back or knees any favours, so she’s looking into university courses to try a less strenuous line of her work. But the brash, proudly out, down-to-earth woman’s biggest challenge is keeping her dyslexia a secret. That, and living down the stigma that follows her when people find out.

A university open day throws the two women into each other’s orbits. When Mel, an expert green thumb, makes a few helpful suggestions on Ruby’s garden project, Ruby convinces her to team up to make it a success.

Personality-wise, they couldn’t be less compatible. Mel’s brazen attitude, cocky jokes, and affinity with earthworms immediately rub the hyper-professional, straight-laced Ruby the wrong way. Can they ever find common ground?

Available at:

Little X by Elna Holst (dyslexic character)

Malmö, Sweden, 1996

Sofie Andersson is a dyslectic born under the star sign Aries, who drives the local buses for a living. Her hobbies include knitting terrible hats and intermittent lesbianism. This December she is on the point of moving into her first flat of her own, figuring out her place in the world, when an instant attraction to a handsome stranger leads her to question everything she’s taken for granted.

Available at:

Learning Curves by Ceilie Simkiss (character with ADHD)

Elena Mendez has always been career-first; with only two semesters of law school to go, her dream of working as a family lawyer for children is finally within reach. She can’t afford distractions. She doesn’t have time for love.

And she has no idea how much her life will change, the day she lends her notes to Cora McLaughlin.

A freelance writer and MBA student, Cora is just as career-driven as Elena. But over weeks in the library together, they discover that as strong as they are apart, they’re stronger together. Through snowstorms and stolen moments, through loneliness and companionship, the two learn they can weather anything as long as they have each other–even a surprise visit from Elena’s family.

From solitude to sweetness, there’s nothing like falling in love. College may be strict…but when it comes to love, Cora and Elena are ahead of the learning curve.

Available at:

Worthy of Love by Quinn Ivins (character with ADHD)

To be released on April 21, 2021 via Ylva Publishing/May 5 on Amazon and other retailers

Nadine Bayani was at the top of her game. The brilliant, ruthless lawyer was in line to be White House chief of staff—until she confessed to campaign finance crimes that cost her party the election.

Now Nadine’s out of prison, broke, hated by millions, and stuck doing a menial retail job in rural Virginia where she barely earns enough to survive.

Bella Clarke has worked at Overstock Oasis since she flunked college. She wants to go back to school, but secretly doubts she’s smart enough. At least she’s not as clueless as her boss, who just accidentally hired the woman responsible for a national scandal.

However, Nadine seems to be nothing like the crook portrayed in the media, and Bella is drawn to her troubled, standoffish co-worker. As they grow closer, Nadine introduces Bella to the delights of Filipino food and opens Bella’s eyes to her own possibilities.

Before long, about the only thing harder to make sense of than Nadine’s past is their powerful chemistry together. Is Bella really falling for a woman who caused so much harm? And even if she is, how can two such different people ever be a match?

Available at:

Basics of Spellcraft (Ember Academy for Young Witches: Book 1) by L.C. Mawson (character with ADHD)

I should have known something was wrong when my weird aunt arrived in town just as I started getting killer headaches.

But how was I supposed to know that it was a sign of repressed magic? Or that an ancient witch had escaped her tomb and sent demons after me? Demons who cursed my mother.

I wanted to stay with her, even if she wouldn’t wake, but I was sent to Ember Academy for Young Witches instead. Somewhere the demons hopefully can’t get me.

I need to find a way to lift the curse, but there’s a block on both my magic and memories that everyone is refusing to lift.

A block that might hold the answers as to why an ancient witch is after me in the first place.

If I can figure her out, maybe I can figure out this curse.

My teachers don’t want me digging into it, worried about the danger. But I don’t care.

My mother was cursed because of me, and I’m not going to rest until she’s safe again.

Available at:

The Outside by Ada Hoffmann (character on the autistic spectrum)

Autistic scientist Yasira Shien has developed a radical new energy drive that could change the future of humanity. But when she activates it, reality warps, destroying the space station and everyone aboard.

The AI Gods who rule the galaxy declare her work heretical, and Yasira is abducted by their agents. Instead of simply executing her, they offer mercy – if she’ll help them hunt down a bigger target: her own mysterious, vanished mentor.

With her homeworld’s fate in the balance, Yasira must choose who to trust: the gods and their ruthless post-human angels, or the rebel scientist whose unorthodox mathematics could turn her world inside out.

Available at:

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde (character on the autistic spectrum)

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Available at:

Two Hearts Alone by Harper Bliss (character on the autistic spectrum)

In the small town of Donovan Grove, Anna Gunn’s life is organized just the way she likes it: work from home, walks with her dog, Friday night drinks at the bar.

But Anna’s strict routine is challenged when the local bookstore is taken over by city slicker, Zoe Perez.

Will Anna let Zoe into her life, despite the major disruption she will have to tolerate?

And can Zoe look past Anna’s eccentricity and embrace her unconventional behavior?

Available at:

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (character on the autistic spectrum)

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary, bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend.

It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a tragedy; others have called it a hoax.

Now, a new crew has been assembled to investigate. And they’ll discover that whatever is down there is definitely no joke.

Available at:

Leaving’s Not the Only Way to Go by Kay Acker (character on the autistic spectrum)

Lauren Ashburn left a promising job to help her family in Vermont take care of her dying father. Now that he’s gone, Lauren has every intention of returning to her old life—the vibrant, successful one her father had always expected her to have. But Lauren discovers that she feels adrift without his strict guidance.

Georgia Solomon designs homes for others. But as a bisexual autistic woman, she rarely feels at home herself. When her best friend dies suddenly, leaving her alone with their young daughter, her little slice of happiness vanishes. Now Georgia finds herself struggling to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her at all.

Lauren and Georgia clash at a disastrous work meeting, but Georgia’s daughter Hannah pulls them together despite themselves. As they discover new possibilities and priorities for the future, can they make room for love? Or will they have to leave each other behind—in order for them both to move forward?

Available at:

Devon’s Island by SI Clarke (character on the autistic spectrum)

Gurdeep is an engineer and a soldier. Georgie’s a food scientist. One is pragmatic with a tough outer shell; the other’s an optimist, a person of ideas and compassion. In the span of a single afternoon, the couple find themselves in charge of planning a self-sustaining colony on Mars. Together, they’re humanity’s last hope for survival.

They have 160 slots to fill with experts from all over the world as they set about designing an all-new society with its own government, economy, and culture – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Among those chosen for the mission is Devon, an autistic scientist with a unique skill set who finds life on Earth strange and alienating. Maybe a whole new planet is exactly what’s needed.

With 1,114 days until the launch, excitement and tensions run high. Earth’s second chance hangs in the balance. Between strict genetic requirements and the dangers of the dystopian almost-present, will everyone make it to the final countdown?

Available at:

Fitting In by Amanda Radley (character on the autistic spectrum)

Heather Bailey has been in charge of Silver Arches, the prestigious London shopping centre, for several years. Financial turmoil brings a new investor to secure the future and Heather finds herself playing office politics with the notoriously difficult entrepreneur Leo Flynn. Walking a fine line between standing her ground and being willing to accept change, Heather has her work cut out for her.

When Leo demands that his daughter is found a job at Silver Arches; things become even harder.

Scarlett Flynn has never fit in. Not in the army, not in her father’s firm, not even in her own family. So starting work at Silver Arches won’t be any different, will it?

Available at:

A Marine Awakening by Jax Meyer (character on the autism spectrum)

In 1998, introverted Cameron Warren is focused on being a model Marine and surviving the social isolation of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Navigating the policy and finding allies is harder than she expected, but she’s determined to complete her enlistment period and return to college.

Meanwhile, gregarious military kid Sharon Rodriguez knows connections are critical to navigate the unspoken rules of the Marine Corps. She’s confident in her ability to enjoy the casual flings she’s accustomed to while pursuing the 20 year career she desires.

When Sharon convinces Cam to attend a party with her, neither realizes their lives are about to become more complicated than they planned for. How hard will they need to fight for a love that must remain in the shadows?

Available at:

The Rules of Love by Cara Malone (character on the autism spectrum)

Max Saddler has never been in love.

She knows exactly what it looks like – she’s spent years studying the phenomenon in other people, but her Asperger syndrome makes it far too anxiety-provoking to attempt such a thing in her own life.

Instead, she focuses exclusively on academics. She’s 23 years old, starting grad school, and perfectly content to ignore the world beyond her textbooks. That is, until she meets Ruby Satterwhite, who makes Max want to give love one more shot.

Ruby is the consummate social butterfly – sorority president, extracurricular list a mile long, and stunning to boot. In short, she’s way out of Max’s league, and on top of it all, she kind of hates Max for how she blurts out whatever’s on her mind, no matter how blunt.

But when they’re thrown grudgingly together for a group project in their first class, the heavens open up and the sparks begin to fly. There’s only one problem – Ruby’s still pining for her perfect ex-girlfriend.

Available at:

Sculpting Her Heart by Annette Mori (character on the autism spectrum)

To be released in April 2021

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “neurodiverse character” category! If you know of any other sapphic books with a neuroatypical main character, please let me know.

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

If you’d like to get all future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts sent to your in-box, subscribe to my blog.

Happy reading!

Jae

The post Neurodiverse characters (Sapphic Reading Challenge #12) appeared first on Jae.

6 likes · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on April 01, 2021 01:00

March 25, 2021

Sapphic books with ice queen characters (Sapphic Reading Challenge #11)

ice queen character

This week’s Sapphic Reading Challenge post features a very popular kind of protagonist: the famous (or maybe infamous) ice queen character.

Ice queens are characters who come across as cold, aloof, and prickly. Often, they melt a bit after falling in love, and we get to see their well-hidden vulnerable side, but they typically remain their ice queenish, frosty selves with other people. Ice queens are usually in positions of power–they own their own business, are famous celebrities, or made it to the top of the food chain in whatever profession they chose. Think Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, and you have the quintessential ice queen.

Read up on the rules of the Sapphic Reading Challenge

15 sapphic novels featuring an ice queen character

I put together a list of 15 novels featuring an ice queen main character. I hope you’ll find one you enjoy.

Under a Falling Star by Jae

Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn’t off to a good start. Her first assignment—decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby—results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company’s second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper.

Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She’s determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss.

Available at:

Hotel Queens by Lee Winter

Over one long night at a bar in Las Vegas, two powerful hotel executives meet, flirt, and challenge each other—having no clue they’re rivals after the same dream deal.

Brilliant ice queen Amelia Duxton is a hotel vice president who thrives on control, truth, and efficiency. She’s in no mood for love or the mess it brings. All she wants is to buy the coveted Mayfair Palace—a massive deal that could finally help her land the CEO job in her family’s hotel empire.

Fiery Kai Fisher is charming and chaotic and renowned for closing ambitious deals. Her sights are set on snatching the Mayfair Palace out from under the nose of her hated arch rivals, the Duxton family.

But when secrets emerge and everything starts to fall apart, how can either of the warring women win—especially when they’ve just met their match?

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Don’t Cry for Me by Rachel Lacey

A frosty television host, a bubbly bar owner, and a litter of abandoned kittens. The recipe for ratings gold…or heartbreak?

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Blurred Lines by KD Williamson

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A Roll in the Hay by Lola Keeley

The whole “big city, successful career, loyal, hot girlfriend” experiment has been a miserable failure for veterinarian Tess Robinson, so she’s moved back home to a small town in the Scottish countryside. She doesn’t count on a run-in with the stuck-up, maddening, local landowner Lady Susannah Karlson, who tries to boss Tess around as if she owns the whole town…which she sort of does.

Closeted, wealthy, ice queen Lady Karlson is having the worst year – becoming widowed, being embroiled in a public feud over her vast estate, and now finding herself at odds with the sharp-tongued new vet who has just blown in from London. The annoying woman is so unsuitable to tend her horses, so impertinent, and so frustratingly cute.

As their clashes build and they’re thrust together against a back-drop of eccentric village busybodies, class warfare, and deadly dangers, the circling women start to wonder if there might be something more to the rising tensions between them. It can’t all be hate, can it?

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Who’d Have Thought by G Benson

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Detour to Love by Amanda Radley

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Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett

But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.

When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship. A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.

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Tropical Storm by Melissa Good

Dar Roberts, corporate raider for a multi-national tech company, is cold, practical, and merciless. She does her job with razor-sharp accuracy. Friends are a luxury she cannot allow herself, and love is something she knows she’ll never attain.

Kerry Stuart left Michigan for Florida in an attempt to get away from her domineering politician father and the constraints of the overly conservative life her family forced upon her. After college she worked her way into supervision at a small tech company, only to have it taken over by Dar Roberts’ organization. Her association with Dar begins in disbelief, hatred, and disappointment, but when Dar unexpectedly hires Kerry as her work assistant, the dynamics of their relationship change. Over time, a bond begins to form. But can Dar overcome years of habit and conditioning to open herself up to the uncertainty of love? And will Kerry escape from the clutches of her powerful father in order to live a better life? The answer to both questions is no – unless these two women can strengthen and cement the tenuous bond that forms between them. First they must face storms that neither expects . . . and live to tell the tale.

Available at:

Flashpoint Publications

The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair

Laurie Holcombe is out of a job, out of luck, and out of time. When a prestigious law firm hires her as an assistant to one of its senior partners, it feels like she might finally get back on her feet. All she has to do is put up with the whims of her infuriatingly icy boss, Diana. How hard could that be?

Diana Parker is Atlanta’s top lawyer and isn’t afraid to let everyone know it. She’s driven, ruthless, demanding, and stuck in a failing marriage. Too bad she can’t run her personal life as well as she runs her ordered office.

When a young assistant shows up with bright blue eyes, a cute Southern accent, and a streak of pink hair, Diana’s sure she’s all wrong for the job. And yet something seems to be pulling her and Laurie Holcombe together, drawing them into a secret, thrilling dance that’s far too dangerous for a boss and employee.

Can they make rules for this powerful attraction, a way to keep each other at arm’s length? But how do you resist the irresistible?

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Hot Ice by Aurora Rey, Elle Spencer and Erin Zak

Can falling in love melt the hearts of the iciest ice queens? Join Aurora Rey, Elle Spencer, and Erin Zak to find out!

In Ice on Wheels by Aurora Rey, all’s fair in love and roller derby. That’s Riley Fauchet’s motto, until a new job lands her at the same company—and on the same team—as her rival Brooke Landry, the frosty jammer for the Big Easy Bruisers.

In Private Equity by Elle Spencer, Cassidy Bennett spends an unexpected evening at a lesbian nightclub with her notoriously reserved and demanding boss, successful venture capitalist Julia Whitmore. After seeing a different side of Julia, Cassidy can’t seem to shake her desire to know more.

In Closed-Door Policy by Erin Zak, going back to college is never easy, but Caroline Stevens is prepared to work hard and change her life for the better. What she’s not prepared for is Dr. Atlanta Morris, her new professor whose tough demeanor is no match for Caroline’s burgeoning confidence.

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Undone by Bryce Oakley

Billie Rush can’t stop writing pop songs. The kind of songs that her rock band, The Shrikes, would never play. After their successful first album, the pressure for a perfect follow-up is crushing her creativity. Billie’s new songs and sound need an outlet, but she’s not just going to give them away to anyone.

Vero De Luca is always in the limelight for making mistakes. The daughter of a famous musician, she’s trying to make smart decisions for the first time in her life as she sets off on a solo career after years in a popular all-female group. Though she knows she’s fully capable of writing her own songs, the label insists that her first single needs a major name behind it, not just her own.

Both women think that working together sounds like a match made in hell. Though they can hardly stand each other, sparks start to fly when they’re writing the new single, “Undone.”

Will they go up in flames or find a way to work together through the blaze?

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Redemption by Susanne M. Beck

Angel is a small-town young woman who finds herself trapped in her worst nightmare, a state penitentiary called “The Bog”. Sentenced for murder and sent to the infamous prison, Angel becomes a useful inmate to the other prisoners with her unique skills of procuring items for the prisoners. Her life changes when Angel attracts the attention of the legendary prisoner and repeat offender, Morgan Steele, better known as “Ice”, who once again returns to the Bog.

The minute Angel looks into the woman’s icy blue eyes, she is irresistibly attracted to the charismatic woman, sensing a connection she cannot explain nor deny. Charmed by her innocence, Ice takes Angel up on a dare that will forever change their lives as the two start down a road together they’ve never traveled before – fueling a passion that will rock them to the very core and nurturing a love that will make them stronger together… and so much more vulnerable when they are apart.

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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.

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Ice Queen by Gun Brooke

High school counselor Aislin Kennedy’s charisma and exuberance mask deep scars that prevent her from letting anyone too close. Instead, she throws herself into helping her students. CEO of a fashion conglomerate, Susanna Garry has been through three painfully public divorces, and to say she’s given up on love would be an understatement.

When Aislin agrees to help Susanna connect with her daughter, Cynt, surprising feelings awaken for both of them. But Aislin isn’t ready to trust again and Susanna’s track record is intimidating. If the past were to repeat itself, it could break Aislin for good.

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Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “ice queen character” category!

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

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Happy reading!

Jae

The post Sapphic books with ice queen characters (Sapphic Reading Challenge #11) appeared first on Jae.

After Happily Ever After

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Published on March 25, 2021 02:00

March 19, 2021

WLW / lesbian book with a main character over 40 (Book Unicorn post #3)

Book Unicorn category #3: a WLW or lesbian book featuring a character over 40

It’s my birthday today–my 43rd, to be exact–so what better time to post a list of books about characters over 40?

In WLW and lesbian fiction, especially in romance, most of the protagonists seem to be in their 20s and 30s. But there’s life–and love–in your fourties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and beyond! So for the third Book Unicorn category, I’d like you to read a book in which at least one of the main characters is over 40.

It could be an age gap romance, in which the other main character is considerably younger, or all of the protagonists could be over 40. I’ll leave that choice up to you, as long as at least one of the main characters is 40 or older.

FREE romance anthology, but only today (March 19)

After Happily Ever After anthology

But wait! Before we get to the book lists, here’s a surprise for you: It’s my birthday, but YOU are getting presents.

Not only is my paranormal romance Second Nature still free today, but you can also get an ebook copy of romantic anthology After Happily After for free.

The anthology gives you glimpses into what happened after the “happily ever after” of characters from eleven popular lesbian romance novels. I contributed two short stories to the anthology, and there are also stories by authors such as Lee Winter, Lola Keeley, Roslyn Sinclair, and more! Four of the stories even include main characters over 40, so it fits today’s category.

Download the free books on Amazon on March 19, 2021 only:

Second Nature

10 WLW or lesbian books featuring a main character over 40

I put together a list of 10 books featuring a sapphic main character over 40. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae

Flirting has never been Denny’s strong suit, but so what if she’s too shy to ask women out? She’s content with her simple life, working as a cashier and helping her sister raise her niece.

But then she gets a wrong-number text message from a stranger named Eliza, asking her of all people for dating advice!

Eliza is Denny’s total opposite: witty, outgoing—and straight. Despite their differences, the accidental text sparks an unlikely friendship. Soon, Eliza—self-proclaimed queen of disastrous first dates—would rather banter back and forth with Denny than to keep trying her luck at online dating.

When they meet in person, there’s an instant connection. But what Eliza is feeling can’t be attraction, right? It doesn’t mean a thing that she’s starting to wish the guys she dates would be more like Denny. Or does it?

Can the wrong number lead to the right woman after all?

Wrong Number, Right Woman is a light-hearted, slow-burn lesbian romance that embraces likable characters without all the drama.

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Hooked on You by Jenn Matthews

Anna’s life’s in a bit of a rut. As a teacher with two great kids and a boyfriend, she seems to have it all. Except…she’s bored as hell. Perhaps a new hobby’s in order? Something…crafty?

Divorced mother and veteran Ollie has been through the wars, emotionally and physically. To relax, she runs a quirky crochet class in her London craft shop. She can’t help but notice the attractive, feisty new student. A shame Anna’s straight as an arrow.

But somewhere between the chain stitches, doubles and trebles, Ollie and Anna form a powerful connection they never expected.

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Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

Mrs. Bertrice Martin—a widow, some seventy-three years young—has kept her youthful-ish appearance with the most powerful of home remedies: daily doses of spite, regular baths in man-tears, and refusing to give so much as a single damn about her Terrible Nephew.

Then proper, correct Miss Violetta Beauchamps, a sprightly young thing of nine and sixty, crashes into her life. The Terrible Nephew is living in her rooming house, and Violetta wants him gone.

Mrs. Martin isn’t about to start giving damns, not even for someone as intriguing as Miss Violetta. But she hatches another plan—to make her nephew sorry, to make Miss Violetta smile, and to have the finest adventure of all time.

If she makes Terrible Men angry and wins the hand of a lovely lady in the process? Those are just added bonuses.

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One Golden Summer by Clare Lydon & TB Markinson

Saffron Oliver is the golden girl. Golden hair. Golden skin. Golden movie career.

Only one problem: she hates it.

She flees to her sister’s seaside town – where she meets the confident & charming Kirsty McBride.

Kirsty is everything Saffron wants to be. Perhaps also, everything she wants.

But Saffron can’t have it all. So now, she has to decide: does she crave Kirsty enough to blow up her golden life?

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I Love You Again by Kate Sweeney

Roz Maguire and Kit Weston. No two people could be more in love or more idiotic. After eighteen years of love, laughter, arguing, and all the rest that life threw at them, they never thought retirement would be the issue that drove them apart.

And now, two years later, Roz and Kit haven’t seen or spoken to each other and Kit’s mother, Helen, has had enough of their stubbornness. And when a meddling ex-mother-in-law has had enough, there’s only one outcome—total and hilarious mayhem.

Through menopause, skydiving, and chasing their youth, Helen Weston has found a way get these two older fools back together. Heaven help everyone involved.

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This Foreign Affair (Pink Bean Series Book 4) by Harper Bliss

Television presenter Zoya Das is reeling from a painful breakup. When she’s called to solve a problem at a rental flat she owns, sparks fly between her and French guest Camille Rousseau.

A short holiday fling before Camille flies back to Paris could be just the thing to help Zoya’s recovery from heartbreak.

But what happens when Zoya and Camille develop deeper feelings for each other and are faced with the prospect of being in love on opposite sides of the world?

Available at:

Hungry for It by Fiona Zedde

Rémi’s had a crush on her best friend’s mother since she knew what lust was. Claudia is everything she wants in a lover but doesn’t think she deserves – sophisticated, brilliant, and a woman of substance. But Rémi has resigned herself to only lusting from afar.

Instead of reaching out for what she really wants, Rémi takes the easy pleasure offered by the many women she meets around Miami and at her exclusive jazz club, burying her desire for Claudia in their willing bodies and shutting down the part of herself that craves more. It works for a while.

But when a dangerous business rival starts making trouble for Rémi, she finds herself unexpectedly turning to Claudia for comfort. The heat that flares between the two women quickly becomes too explosive for either of them to ignore. Soon, their nights are devoted to pleasure – sex, food, and the sweetness of discovering each other in new ways. But Rémi knows very well they are loving on borrowed time. Because once her best friend finds out what she’s been doing, and who, it will put more than just their friendship at stake.

Available at:

Silver Love by Josette Murray

Jill, Dory, Robby, and Charlene are a fantastic foursome that embodies the varying experiences that come with being Lesbians of a Certain Age. They are vibrant and vulnerable, wise and foolish, introspective and outgoing. The close-knit friends fight aging at every turn—or just ignore it altogether. These four will never go quietly into the night, redefining life after fifty. They are the new mature woman.

But along with twenty-first-century attitudes come twenty-first-century problems. Public office candidate and retired judge Charlene is confronted by a wannabe blackmailer, Jill’s passions threaten to swamp her common sense, Dory’s best-selling book could turn out to be a national disaster, and Robby must confront the hard reality of learning that her wife may not be the woman she thought she was. Steadfast in their faith in themselves and each other, and bolstered by the rich history of their friendship, the four women struggle with twists and turns as they try to navigate a landscape generated by the actions of others as well as their own choices, proving that experience does not always pave a smooth road.

In a world where everything increasingly seems relative, these women remind us that some things don’t change—like the bedrock of relationships. Silver Love is all about love; love among friends, love between lovers, and the unexpected role of love with acquaintances who may not always be what they seem. If you can keep up, join the ride and follow these ageless heroines as they pursue their adventures in the modern world.

Available at:

Sapphire Books

Touchwood by Karin Kallmaker

Twenty-nine-year-old Rayann Germaine, betrayed by her lover, flees in grief and rage. She meets book store owner Louisa Thatcher, a woman many years her senior, who offers shelter and work… and soon, passion, and a loving place in her life.

But Rayann encounters challenges to this new love—from friends who question its wisdom, from her mother who disapproves of this liaison with a woman her own contemporary, from Louisa’s son who learns for the first time his mother’s true sexuality.

And there are profound differences between Rayann and Louisa themselves, two women who come from dramatically different places in the spectrum of age and life experience. Their only common ground seems to be the searing attraction that they both try to deny…

Available at:

High October by Elena Graf

Liz Stolz and Maggie Fitzgerald were college roommates until Maggie confessed to her parents that she’d fallen in love with a woman. Maggie gave up her dream of becoming an actress and married her high school boyfriend. Liz became a famous breast surgeon.

Maggie is performing in a summer stock production near the Maine town where Liz is now a general practitioner. When Maggie breaks her leg in a stage accident, she lands in Dr. Stolz’s office. Is forty years too long to wait for the one you love?

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Write Your Own Script by A.L. Brooks

Beloved famous British actress Tamsyn Harris is in her early fifties and works hard to prove she’s still got “it”, despite her age. That means never revealing she’s a lesbian, for fear it would threaten her acclaimed career. After an on-set incident blows up, she disappears to a retreat to lay low for a while.

Maggie Cooper is a successful author with two pseudonyms and suffering from burn out. It’s hard enough trying to maintain both worlds, let alone keep them separate from real life. After checking herself into a retreat in Norfolk, the last thing she expects to find is the respected, beautiful actress she’s had a crush on her whole life.

As passion sweeps them up, they agree it can only be a holiday fling. But is that enough? Can they just return to their lives and leave each other behind?

Available at:

The Goodmans by Clare Ashton

The lovely doctor Abby Hart lives in her dream cottage in the quintessential English border town of Ludbury, home to the Goodmans.

Maggie Goodman, all fire and passion, is like another mother to her, amiable Richard a rock and 60s-child Celia is the grandmother she never had.

But Abby has a secret. Best friend Jude Goodman is the love of her life, and very, very straight. Even if Jude had ever given a woman a second glance, there’d also be the small problem of Maggie – she would definitely not approve.

But secrets have a habit of sneaking out, and Abby’s not the only one with something to hide. Life is just about to get very interesting for the Goodmans.

Things are not what they used to be, but could they be even better?

Available at:

A Wish Upon a Star by Jeannie Levig

Leslie Raymond spent the past two years wishing her life had taken a different turn. It’s time for a fresh start, a move across the country, and a new set of rules to help heal her heart—no straight women, no women with kids, and no commitment. But when she meets her new neighbors, the beautiful Erica and her special needs daughter, Siena, she struggles against the pull she immediately experiences.

Erica Cooper has learned to rely only on herself. She knows most people don’t stick around when the going gets tough. And when caring for child with autism, the going can get tough fast. She is content with the quiet and emotionally safe life she’s constructed, but when they are befriended by their kind, playful, and—damn it—really hot new neighbor, the walls protecting her heart threaten to crumble.

So much for good intentions and firm resolutions–neither stand a chance when the stars align for love.

Available at:

The War Within by Yolanda Wallace

Meredith Moser served as an Army nurse in Vietnam. She went to Saigon in 1967 looking to help those in need. She didn’t expect to meet the love of her life along the way. Forty-seven years later, a summer vacation with her granddaughter, Jordan Gonzalez, puts Meredith on a collision course with someone from her past and sends Jordan on a journey toward an uncertain future.

When Meredith comes face-to-face with Natalie Robinson, a woman whose heart she once broke, can a love once lost be regained? When Jordan meets Natalie’s niece Tatum, wheelchair-bound as a result of injuries she suffered when her Marine unit came under fire in Afghanistan, will her anti-war beliefs prevent her from falling in love?

Available at:

Times of Our Lives by Jane Waterton

For the residents of OWL’s Haven, Australia’s first exclusively lesbian retirement community, life is about not being afraid to take chances. Together, Meg, Allie and their spirited group of friends share their lives, hopes and dreams, proving that whatever the setbacks, hearts that love are always young.

Available at:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “character over 40″ category! Are there any others with older protagonists that you’d recommend?

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

If you’d like to get all future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts sent to your in-box, subscribe to my blog.

Happy reading!

Jae

The post WLW / lesbian book with a main character over 40 (Book Unicorn post #3) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on March 19, 2021 02:00

March 18, 2021

WLW & lesbian speculative fiction (Sapphic Reading Challenge #10)

lesbian speculative fiction

Brace yourself–the 10th category of the Sapphic Reading Challenge is a long post because it covers WLW & lesbian speculative fiction. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for books with strong fantastical, supernatural, or futuristic elements. That includes subgenres such as WLW & lesbian fantasy, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, science fiction, fairytale retellings, and superheroine books.

I created a list of 5 books for each subgenre. But before we get to the book lists, here’s a surprise for you:

Get my paranormal romance Second Nature for FREE on March 18 & 19, 2021

For one of the subgenres, paranormal romance, I have a little surprise for you: Second Nature, book 1 of my award-winning Shape-Shifter Series, is free until tomorrow, so you might want to get a copy, even if you’re not a huge fan of paranormal romances.

What if you don’t usually enjoy speculative fiction?

I heard from readers who say that they don’t usually read speculative fiction. So what do you do if fantasy, science fiction, & other fantastical books are not your normal reading fare, but you still want to read a book for this category to complete the reading challenge?

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post for the Lesbian Book Bingo on how to complete the reading challenge when you don’t like speculative fiction. I think you’ll find those tips helpful.

5 sapphic paranormal romance or urban fantasy novels:

Second Nature by Jae

For solitary novelist Jorie Price, true love seems as fictional as the shape-shifting creatures she writes about in her paranormal romances.

Griffin Westmore doesn’t believe in love either, but she’s one of those not-so-fictional shape-shifters who secretly live among humans.

When Jorie’s writing gets uncomfortably close to the truth, Griffin is sent to investigate and, if necessary, kill the author to protect the secrets of her kind.

But when Griffin unexpectedly finds herself drawn to Jorie, her world is turned upside-down. Hell, she’s supposed to kill the human, not fall in love with her! How can she complete her mission now?

Available at:

Get it for FREE at Amazon worldwide (March 18 & 19 only)

Reaping the Benefits by EJ Noyes

Morgan Ashworth isn’t having a good day. The award for Minion of the Year is slipping out of reach, and she has to administer an afterlife package to one of her human employees. An employee she’s attracted to. An employee who’ll soon know Morgan isn’t quite what she seems.

Jane Smith was having a great day. Until her hot boss dropped a bombshell. It’s time for Jane to complete the questionnaire to decide where she’ll spend her afterlife. Oh, and her boss is immortal and also Death’s Head Minion. Yes, Death, as in the Grim Reaper.

Jane decides to bargain—if Morgan needs her to sign the afterlife document, she can use her unlimited resources to help Jane with her bucket list. Seems straightforward. Except for the matter of their mutual attraction, and the fact one of the items on Jane’s list is “Sleep with my boss.”

The more time Morgan and Jane spend together, the more they realize mutual attraction barely scratches the surface. But can Jane heal the broken heart Morgan has nursed for centuries? And will Morgan risk loving, then losing, another mortal woman when she knows it means an eternity of heartbreak?

Available at:

The Life in Death by Ann Modtland & Michele Modtland

Looking down at your dying body is indescribable, yet terrifying and unnatural. I saw my body shaking as my brain delivered its final electrical impulses, my back arching as it desperately sought life-giving air. As I reached down in a frantic attempt to put myself back together, the seizure suddenly stopped. Blood pooled from the hole in my head—a much larger amount than I had expected. Anxious to save myself, I instinctively tried to push the blood back through the hole, but I couldn’t grasp anything. I was intangible. There was a gurgling, moaning sound as my breath left my body. Then everything went still. I panicked and repeatedly tried to get back into my body, but it was useless. My life was finished and my soul—me—had been freed from the confines of the physical world. It was done. There was no going back. I was dead.

Combining strong elements of romance, mystery, and spiritualism, The Life in Death follows the life, death, and life-after-life of Tallon Monroe, a woman grieving over her murdered wife and unborn child. The Life in Death is a story of profound love that transcends the boundary between life and death. The Life in Death includes violence, abuse, and suicide and is recommended for mature readers.

Available at:

Catch Lili Too by Sophie Whittemore

Lili is a Mesopotamian siren, and life as an immortal being is hard enough as it is. She’s asexual (which is incredibly difficult to reconcile if your entire point as a mythical being is to seduce people to death). She’s also struggling with depression from being alive for so long.

Lili is an absolutely shoddy improv-detective trying to track down a serial killer so ruthless that it makes even her murderous soul uneasy. However, there’s something larger at work than just one serial killer. A small town is hiding an even deadlier, global-scale secret. Forget Area 51 conspiracies. This one beats them all. With magic.

So, what better way to spice up her eternal life than being hired as a vigilante detective to stop a serial killer? Anything, literally anything. She’d trade her left lung to get out of this. Or, perhaps, somebody else’s.

Available at:

Terrible Praise by Lara Hayes

For five hundred years, all Stela had known was a roving life in service to her maker, Fane. But in the last century her family has built a permanent residence in the abandoned freight tunnels beneath Chicago, where anonymity reigns supreme.

Navigating the modern world is not easy and Stela, once a fierce warrior, has traded the heat of battle for petty negotiation, her sword for a pen, and her station as Fane’s enforcer to now serve as her family’s financial liaison.

When a late meeting forces Stela to visit a nearby hospital, she crosses paths with the beguiling Elizabeth Dumas—a brilliant nurse who sacrificed her academic career to care for her ailing mother. Their charged encounter will threaten the secrecy Stela has sworn to uphold, and the bond they unwittingly forge will irrevocably alter both their lives.

Worlds collide and entwine in Terrible Praise, Book One of The Redamancy Series.

Available at:

5 WLW / lesbian superheroine books:

Shattered by Lee Winter

Shattergirl is a brilliant but aloof black, alien superhero who can hurl and destroy large objects. The world reveres her and other guardians like her, yet she’s suddenly refusing to save people and has suddenly disappeared.

Lena Martin, the street-smart human tracker with a silver tongue and a disdain for the rogue guardians she chases, has only days to bring Shattergirl home.

As the pair clash heatedly, masks begin to crack, and brutal secrets are exposed that could shatter them both.

An award-winning, opposites-attract, lesbian science fiction story about embracing the special people who pass through our lives and change us forever.

Available at:

The Power of Mercy by Fiona Zedde

To her family, Mai Redstone is weak. Her shape-shifting power is nowhere near as impressive as their abilities to literally alter the world around them. But when she puts on the costume to become Mercy, a rooftop-climbing chameleon with a thousand disguises and at least nine lives, she feels almost invincible.

When a local politician is murdered and the police call Mercy in to help, the stability Mai has built out of past pain threatens to crumble. The dead politician turns out to be her uncle, a man who made her childhood a living hell. Caught between giving a medal to the killer and being forced to find the murderer for her family, Mai must make the difficult choice between family loyalty and self-preservation.

Mercy is a blade that can cut both ways.

Available at:

Never Too Late for Heroes by A.L. Brooks

Agent Geena Fox is counting down the days to her retirement. On one bittersweet day six years ago, her team of superheroes defeated Jewel, the world’s most evil villainꟷbut Geena’s secret lover died in the process. Now her boss has assigned her a rookie partner, Leigh Walker, and that’s the last thing Geena needs. She sends the woman off on a wild goose chase searching for a long-lost missing person to get her out of her sight. However, what Leigh finds will turn Agent Fox’s world upside down.

Meanwhile, over in a retirement home in Missouri, four old women sharing the surname Power are arousing suspicion with their strange behavior. Their nosy nurse is convinced they are not what they seem. Geena and Leigh meet with the mysterious Powers, and realize the women might hold the key to stopping Jewel, once and for all.

Available at:

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Welcome to Andover, where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship–only it turns out to be for the towns most heinous supervillain. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, whom Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Then theres the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M”; who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether.

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The Superheroes Union: Dynama by Ruth Diaz

TJ Gutierrez used to be a superhero. But after the birth of her twins seven years ago, she hung up the yellow spandex. Until the day her archenemy and ex-husband, Singularity, breaks out of prison. When it becomes clear he’s after the kids, she’s forced to call the nanny helpline—and once again become…Dynama!

Annmarie Smith doesn’t have a superpower. She saves the world by keeping kids safe while their parents fight evil.

She temporarily moves in with TJ, and the way the magnetic mama puts family first captures Annmarie’s respect, and maybe her heart—even though she knows better than to fall for a superhero. Still, it’s hard to resist their wicked chemistry. Kapow!

But they can only hide from the world for so long. When Singularity’s quest for custody puts the kids’ lives in danger, can the two women conquer the evil villain and save TJ’s family—all before their first date?

Available at:

5 WLW / lesbian fairytale retellings:

The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger (The Beauty and the Beast retelling)

What if Beauty was the Beast?

Lise’s father is dead, and the life of plenty and freedom that she has known as the daughter of the King’s Huntsman is gone. She must now live a life of duty to her mother and sisters, helping them to cope in their altered circumstances. But where her mother would have her wed a childhood friend to secure their future, Lise knows that is not what she longs for.

When she meets a mysterious woman in the forest, Lise feels the stirrings of emotions she cannot give voice to, but with this woman, she doesn’t have to say anything—Senna knows.

Cursed, hunted, and feared, Senna has been forced to wander from place to place for more years than she cares to remember. She gave up hope long ago that there could ever be an end to her isolation.

Odd sightings in the forest—monsters of legend come to life, old enemies back from the past, fearsome beasts on the prowl—begin to frighten the people of Lise’s village. Somehow, all of these things are connected to Senna. As the villagers’ fear grows, so does their hatred.

Senna prepares to flee, accepting what has become her fate, but Lise isn’t ready to give up her one chance for happiness. Soon, only Lise stands between the villagers and the woman she has grown to love.

Available at:

The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by S.L. Huang (The Little Mermaid retelling)

The Earth is populated by two sentient species who share it: humans on the land’s crust, and the atargati in the deep abysses of the ocean. Dr. Cadence Mbella is the foremost human researcher studying the mysterious atargati, intent on proving to the rest of the human world that they are a complex society deserving of respect–not the overly-romanticized “mermaids” some would like to imagine.

When Cadence discovers, to her horror, that her own superiors are conducting an unethical experiment on an atargati subject, she sacrifices everything to enact a rescue. Once the atargati is safe back in the deep sea, Cadence goes on the run, a fugitive from the law with her career burned behind her. But she can’t stop thinking about her lifelong research, and she yearns to find a way to return to the ocean’s abysses. Not to mention that the atargati she saved keeps haunting her dreams . . .

Available at:

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (Snow White retelling)

Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone. In fact, it has never beat at all, for her father cut it out and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image. Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina, but when her father makes her queen of the southern territories, Mina starts to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do – and who to be – in order to win back the only mother she’s ever known . . . or else defeat her once and for all.

Available at:

Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn (Cinderella retelling)

Ella is transgender. She’s known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She was happier in skirts than trousers, but that was before her stepmother moved in. Eleanor can’t stand her, and after Ella’s father passes she’s forced to revert to Cole, a lump of a son. She cooks, she cleans, and she tolerates being called the wrong name for the sake of a roof over her head. Where else can she go?

An opportunity to attend the royal ball transforms Ella’s life. For the first time, strangers see a woman when she walks down the stairs. While Princess Lizabetta invited Cole to the ball, she doesn’t blink an eye when Cinderella is the one who shows. The princess is elegant, bold, and everything Ella never knew she wanted. For a moment she glimpses a world that can accept her, and she holds on tight.

She should have known it wouldn’t last. Dumped by her wicked stepmother on the farthest edge of the kingdom, Ella must find a way to let go of the princess and the beautiful life they shared for an hour. She’ll never find her way back. But it’s hard to forget the greatest night of her life when every rose she plants is a reminder.

Available at:

Gretel by Niamh Murphy (Hansel and Gretel retelling)

Tormented by a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, Hans and his sister Gretel, run for their lives.

Desperation leads them into the comforting arms of a beautiful woman who asks for nothing in return for her kindness. While Gretel finds herself drawn to the seductress, Hans grows suspicious of her motives. Torn between a brother she adores and a woman she can’t help but admire, Gretel is forced to make a choice.

Will sibling bonds override the lure of a newfound love?

Available at:

5 sapphic / lesbian fantasy novels:

Silver Ravens by Jane Fletcher

The Celts knew it as Annwyn, the Otherworld—certainly not a destination IT professional Lori Cooper anticipates when distracting herself with a magazine puzzle page in the dentist’s waiting room. Clues buried in the answers lead her to Tamsin, who claims to command a band of warriors for the queen of the fay. From this, Lori concludes that Tamsin is both insane and dangerous. She’s also quite worryingly attractive.

However, Lori’s own sanity becomes a bigger concern when she finds herself held captive in a strange world with yet more puzzles to solve. She must pick her way through layers of illusion and deceit. Nothing and nobody, including Tamsin, is quite as they seem. Who can Lori trust? She will need to uncover the full truth if she is to return home, mind and body intact.

Available at:

Princess of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa Book 1) by Eliza Andrews

Can Tasia rise to the occasion? Will she be the leader her father believes her to be? Or is the Empire doomed to fall?

Available at:

The Tiger’s Daughter by K Arsenault Rivera

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach—but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

Available at:

Dragon Whisper (The Dark Age Trilogy Book 1) by Niamh Murphy

A looming war. A devastating blight. A God hungry for souls.

To save herself, she will first have to save the world.

In the dying forests of the Weald Wood, Breanna, a young outcast, is simply trying to earn a Hunter’s axe.

When she witnesses the sacred Forest Drake kill her father and destroy her village home, she knows her life is forever altered. But Breanna holds a secret that could be the key to stopping the Ancient Dragon God’s rampage.

The fate of every being in the land now depends on one young woman who can hear the Dragon’s Whisper.

Available at:

The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle Book 1) by Nghi Vo

A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.

Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor’s lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She’s a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.

Available at:

5 WLW / lesbian science fiction novels:

The Caphenon (Chronicles of Alsea series #1) by Fletcher DeLancey

A split-second decision to save a civilization. Another decision to give it away.

Captain Ekatya Serrado has spent her career fighting the Voloth, who view less advanced civilizations as fuel for their empire. The choice between saving her ship or a world under attack is easy. The choices that come after are harder.

Lancer Andira Tal, the leader of Alsea, believes her people are alone in the universe until a gigantic spaceship crashes near her capital city. Now she is thrust into a struggle between two powerful forces, and her planet is the prize.

With a civilization and the galactic balance of power at risk, friendships and alliances may not hold against betrayal. Honor is easy when the stakes are low.

Available at:

Saving Morgan by MB Panichi

Morgan Rahn is devastated when her co-worker is killed in a freak Moon Base accident—that he was wearing her gear at the time is more than a little disconcerting. His replacement, Shaine Wendt, proves competent, and, over time, distractingly attractive.

Shaine has tried to walk away from her former life as a Special Operative in Earth Guard. The simple life of a mechanic and possibilities with the passionate Morgan are all she wants. But Shaine’s old security boss presses her into service as undercover security for Morgan. No one, including Morgan, is to know of Shaine’s dual role.

When Morgan is attacked directly, it’s clear that even far from Earth’s intrigues there are lies and secrets that can drive someone to murder. Shaine is committed to protecting Morgan from all harm. But how can Morgan trust her when Shaine is part of yet another lie?

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Ardulum: First Don by J. S. Fields

Ardulum. The planet that vanishes. The planet that sleeps.

Neek makes a living piloting the dilapidated tramp transport, Mercy’s Pledge, and smuggling questionable goods across systems blessed with peace and prosperity. She gets by—but only just. In her dreams, she is still haunted by thoughts of Ardulum, the traveling planet that, long ago, visited her homeworld. The Ardulans brought with them agriculture, art, interstellar technology…and then disappeared without a trace, leaving Neek’s people to worship them as gods.

Neek does not believe—and has paid dearly for it with an exile from her home for her heretical views.

Yet, when the crew stumbles into an armed confrontation between the sheriffs of the Charted Systems and an unknown species, fate deals Neek an unexpected hand in the form of a slave girl—a child whose ability to telepathically manipulate cellulose is reminiscent of that of an Ardulan god. Forced to reconcile her beliefs, Neek chooses to protect her, but is the child the key to her salvation, or will she lead them all to their deaths?

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Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor

A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws.

Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner’s son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father’s respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father’s elusive affection is worth chasing at all.

Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner’s secrets at any cost — even if it means betraying her own heart.

When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic — before the Commissioner ends them first.

Available at:

Seven Devils by Laura Lam & Elizabeth May

When Eris faked her death, she thought she had left her old life as the heir to the galaxy’s most ruthless empire behind. But her recruitment by the Novantaen Resistance, an organization opposed to the empire’s voracious expansion, throws her right back into the fray.

Eris has been assigned a new mission: to infiltrate a spaceship ferrying deadly cargo and return the intelligence gathered to the Resistance. But her partner for the mission, mechanic and hotshot pilot Cloelia, bears an old grudge against Eris, making an already difficult infiltration even more complicated.

When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire’s inner workings.

Together, these women possess the knowledge and capabilities to bring the empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: the new heir to the empire plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining alien empire, ensuring the empire’s continued expansion. If they can find a way to stop him, they will save the galaxy.

If they can’t, millions may die.

Available at:

Leave a comment

I’d love to know which speculative fiction book you’ll be reading! Leave a comment and let us know which subgenre you picked and what book you’ve chosen!

If I missed your favorite sapphic speculative novel, feel free to name it in the comments too.

Subscribe to this blog to get future Sapphic Reading Challenge posts

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Happy reading!

Jae

The post WLW & lesbian speculative fiction (Sapphic Reading Challenge #10) appeared first on Jae.

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Published on March 18, 2021 02:00

March 11, 2021

“One-night stand to forever” romance novels (Sapphic Reading Challenge #9)

one-night stand to forever romance

This week’s Sapphic Reading Challenge features romance novels in which the characters never intended to become involved in a long-term relationship with each other. The romance starts with a one-night stand, a fling, or a friends-with-benefits arrangement.

The Ylva Publishing Sapphic Reading Challenge book list

Ylva Publishing Sapphic Reading Challenge Books

Before we get to the recommended reading list for the “one-night stand to forever romance” category, take a look at the Ylva Publishing book list for the Sapphic Reading Challenge. My publisher put together a list of their books and how they fit into the categories of the Sapphic Reading Challenge. From “enemies to lovers” to “forced proximity,” they have nearly every category covered, even some of the Book Unicorn ones.

15 sapphic books featuring a “one-night stand to forever” romance novel

I put together a list of 15 “one-night stand to forever” romance novels. I hope you find at least one you’ll enjoy.

Just Physical by Jae

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, twenty-five-year-old Jill Corrigan takes herself off the romantic market. Not wanting to become a burden to a potential partner, she focuses on her career as an actress instead.

On the set of a disaster movie, she meets stunt woman Kristine “Crash” Patterson, whose easy smile instantly makes Jill wish things were different. Meanwhile, Crash is trained to fall, but she didn’t count on falling in love.

Despite their growing feelings for each other, Jill resolves to let Crash into her bed, but not her heart.

As they start to play with fire on and off camera, will they really be able to keep things just physical?

Available at:

In Her Arms by Melissa Tereze

Reagan’s only plan, when she came alone to a lesbian bar in the city, was to knock back a few drinks far from her lonely country house. Looking around at the younger regulars, though, maybe it was a mistake to think this was a good place to start fresh.

Then she meets a beautiful woman with stunning brown eyes and the world’s cheesiest pickup lines. Before Reagan knows it, she’s spending one night of passion in a stranger’s bed. Then fleeing back to the country. Alone.

Frankie’s had enough of the city. Even the bar scene has gone stale, eclipsed by the memory of a black-haired, green-eyed woman who lit up her world—and disappeared. Needing a change of scene, Frankie sets out to rent a quaint country cottage.

That’s when she discovers her new landlord is Reagan. But a different Reagan. She’s cautious. Prickly. Afraid. Maybe the smart thing for Frankie to do is head straight back to the city. Or maybe it’s worth the risk to stay—and kiss away the walls Reagan’s built around her heart.

Available at:

Vacation People by Cheri Ritz

Successful Chicago-based artist Lauren Hansen is on a layover in Las Vegas before heading to what was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime with her partner. Until, that is, that partner became an ex.

Recovering from a nasty break-up herself, workaholic Penny Rothmoor agrees to meet Lauren for dinner, but only out of a sense of obligation to her mother.

One thing leads to another, and soon Penny finds herself on a plane, jetting off to meet Lauren for a week on the beautiful island of Hawaii—but strictly as friends, of course.

As the bikini-clad duo relaxes and gets to know each other better, they begin to realize that there’s more to enjoy in Hawaii than just sun and sand—and that king-size bed is looking awfully inviting. What is it about the words “no strings attached” that are sure to create a tangled mess of desire, mind-blowing pleasure, and the pain of separation?

Available at:

Fare Game by Cade Haddock Strong

Kay Corbett is a newly minted vice president at Logan, one of the largest airlines in the world, and she’s fallen smack-dab in the middle of a massive plot to swindle the airline’s passengers and defraud its investors. There is only one way out. Earn the trust of the ringleader while simultaneously working to bring him down and put an end to his elaborate scheme.

Things get a lot more interesting and a lot more complicated when she becomes entangled with Riley Bauer, the brilliant beauty in Finance. They form an imposing team both in love and in the fight for justice. As they race against the clock, each woman must decide how much they are willing to risk in order to expose the truth.

Available at:

Thursday Afternoons by Tracey Richardson

Thursdays aren’t simply another day of the week for Amy Spencer and Ellis Hall. Thursday afternoons sizzle with no-strings sex for the two women, who meet each week in a hotel room to forget their past—and their present.

The arrangement works perfectly for Amy, a busy surgeon who’s still smarting from a failed relationship. For Ellis, Thursday afternoons act as a pressure valve from her cutthroat job and the mistakes in her personal life she’s trying to rectify.

But soon the pair discover that their outside worlds are on a collision course with the carefully constructed world they’ve created on Thursday afternoons. What will happen when they discover the truth about each other? Will their weekly assignations come to a screeching halt, or will they turn into something much, much more…

Available at:

Being Hers by Anna Stone

Melanie has spent her entire life working her way up in the world. By day, she studies at law school, and by night, she serves drinks at an exclusive club to afford her tuition. But the hard-working Melanie will never admit her true desire: to escape from her fast-paced, high-pressure life, if only for a moment.

When Melanie meets Vanessa, a glamorous executive and a regular at the club, she is drawn to the enigmatic black-haired woman. Vanessa is relentless in pursuing what she wants—and what she wants is Melanie. Soon, Melanie finds herself caught up in Vanessa’s sensual games of submission.

Melanie insists that her affair with Vanessa remain purely physical. But as her limits are tested, so is the line between lust and love. When ghosts from the past reappear, both women must face their deepest fears. Can Melanie surrender her everything to Vanessa, or will old wounds prove too great?

Available at:

Country Love by A.M. Nicholson

Alexandra Meeks has always followed her heart, even if it led to heartache and disappointment. However, everyone has their limits, and after a while even the most carefree of souls puts up walls, or makes rules to keep from getting hurt again.

Megan Wilkins has devoted her life to work, never making time for family, friends, or love. Getting stuck in a small town has a way of helping put things in perspective and a slower pace can lead to all kinds of healing.

When City Slicker meets Country Girl they’ll both learn valuable lessons about judging others and that love can be found in the most unpredictable places.

Available at:

Love Is for Later by Arizona Tape

Casual is the new black.

No strings attached, that’s the way Nix likes her life. Determined not to fall for anyone she sleeps with, casual is just her thing.

Harper is looking for a fresh start and a new city means just that. This is her chance to re-invent herself.

The thin line between friendship and more blurs when Nix and Harper dance around each other in an LGBT club. It’s all fun and games until one of them catches feelings, but that’s not what they agreed on…

Available at:

Nothing But a Fling by Sabrina Kane

Vanessa Murray owns La Vida Mocha, the hip new coffeeshop in Carlsbad, California. But after the Covid pandemic hit, business is practically non-existent.

Megan Baldwin started the year having her heart shattered by her girlfriend but now she has just gotten an exciting new job promotion which will force her to leave Carlsbad and move to New York City.

But one day, Megan walks into La Vida Mocha and lays eyes on the gorgeous barista behind the counter. Their attraction to each other is out of this world.

But with Megan leaving California soon for her dream job in New York, and Vanessa needing to focus solely on making sure her coffeeshop survives Covid, both women only want a harmless, no-strings-attached summer fling. Just a bit of fun.

But what happens when a meaningless fling develops into so much more for each of these women? Does the other woman feel the same way? Or is this truly nothing but a fling?

Available at:

Out of Practice by Carsen Taite

Attorney Abby Keane’s vacation is perfect, especially her steamy interlude with a beautiful stranger. But her newfound zen crumbles when her biggest client, a chain of bridal stores, leaves hundreds of brides without dresses. As if reentry isn’t bad enough, a new wedding blogger is doing her best to stoke the anger of the already unhappy brides, and has chosen Abby as the villain.

Roxanne Daly’s blog has finally hit the sweet spot, and her popularity is soaring. With a regular TV spot on the line, she’ll do whatever it takes to impress the network producers. Running point for a horde of angry brides against a hotshot lawyer seems like the perfect plan until her crusade collides with Abby, the woman she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since she left her in a tropical paradise.

Available at:

The Fling by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Three months before her wedding to her post-college sweetheart, reality show producer Annie Collins finally acknowledges her dormant desires. Wrapped in the arms of another woman—her trainer, Oksana Gorinkov—Annie experiences a physical heat she never knew existed.

Soon the one-night stand meant to be her final farewell to the single life stretches into a consuming month-long affair, the genuine intensity of which neither woman can ignore. Annie sees where her heart belongs, and though the objections from her family and friends and the scars from Oksana’s ex threaten to drive them back to their respective sides of Los Angeles, Annie knows she must fight for this relationship, a real love worth much more than any fantasy she’s ever dreamed up.

Available at:

Unbridled by Fox Brison

Still reeling from catching her partner in flagrante with another woman, veterinarian Haley Jones travels to San Francisco to visit her sister, Jennifer, and lick her wounds. But instead of receiving the support and comfort she craves, Jennifer delivers another monumental shock to Haley’s already traumatised system.

Left to fend for herself in a strange city, she accepts the invitation from Jennifer’s roommate to join her for a night out on the town. There she meets Dani Robbins, a beautiful cowgirl who is no stranger to casual dalliances.

Sparks instantly fly between the two women, an undeniable attraction which Haley finds impossible to ignore. With the words of everyone telling her to let her hair down and have some fun ringing in her ears, she begins to wonder if Dani could be the answer to all her problems.

However, spending one incredible night indulging in her fantasies, only leads to the beginning of Haley’s troubles.

Available at:

No Strings by Gerri Hill

One mistake leads to a year of exile…

Used to the busy playground of Winter Park, police chief Reese Daniels is shipped off to sleepy Lake City, Colorado. She takes the job of sheriff seriously, but makes it clear to one and all: this year is just a blip in her life. When it’s done, she’s gone.

Forest Ranger M. Z. Morgan has lived in Lake City long enough to be considered a local. The pace, the quiet and the many friends make life there well worth the lack of dating material. A girlfriend would still be nice, and the new sheriff is easy on the eyes. It’s entirely natural for Morgan and Reese to be friendly, but Reese’s repeated reminders that she’s not sticking around make it impossible for anything more between them.

That is, until they strike a no strings bargain. Some guaranteed exchange of heat as the long winter sets in seems just what they need to pass the time. So what if it’s the best sex they’ve ever had? It’s still only temporary. They won’t mistake sex for more, even if it only gets better—month after month. After month.

No Strings—it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Available at:

Spindrift by Anna Burke

Morgan Donovan had everything she ever wanted: a dream job as a large animal veterinarian, awesome friends, and a loving and supportive fiancée. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first. And, while Morgan still has the job and friends, her heart is broken into a million tiny pieces

Emilia Russo is a burned-out shelter vet. When the unexpected death of her father triggers a mental breakdown that hastens the end of her relationship, she retreats to his house in Seal Cove, Maine. She plans on spending the summer renovating it while she figures out how to pull the pieces of her life back together. But when she runs into Morgan at the dock where her father’s sailboat is moored, her plans for a quiet summer of healing and reflection sink like a stone—the attraction is immediate and obvious, and Emilia finds herself slipping seamlessly into Morgan’s world

Each woman knows this fling will end when Emilia returns to Boston at the end of the summer, but they’re unprepared for the intensity and depth of their attraction. And, as the gales of fall begin to drive leaves like spindrift upon Seal Cove, Morgan and Emilia must each come to terms with how much they’re willing to give up to stay together.

Available at:

Back to September by Melissa Brayden

Building a bridge between two worlds can be tricky.

Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble. Well, her bookstore is, and if she doesn’t find a way to bring in some more cash, she’ll be closing the doors of A Likely Story for good.

When world famous romance novelist Parker Bristow accepts her request to come in for a signing, Hannah might finally be able to drum up some much-needed attention and save the shop. What she didn’t anticipate was an unexpected evening and a woman she wouldn’t soon forget. A real romance is off the table. Parker is flashy, sought after, and Hannah is just, well, Hannah. But for Parker, it seems like Hannah might be a safe place to fall. The question is, what kind of falling are they doing?

Available at:

Leave a comment

Leave a comment and let us know which book you’ll be reading for the “one-night stand to forever” romance category!

Don’t miss these three FREE books

free books

This weekend, one of my paranormal romances, Good Enough to Eat, will be available for free on Amazon, and next week, Second Nature and one of the Ylva Publishing anthologies, After Happily Ever After, will be free. If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss any of these free books, please subscribe to my newsletter.

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