Jae's Blog, page 5
November 21, 2024
Sapphics in Space (Hidden Gems #11)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features books with sapphics in space.
At least part of the book needs to be set in space. It can be a sapphic science-fiction novel or a contemporary book featuring astronauts.
15 books about sapphics in space
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended books featuring sapphics in space:
No Shelter But the Stars by Virginia Black
Kyran Loyal is the last heir to the lost throne of a forgotten planet, the figurehead of a nomadic people fleeing the galactic tyranny of a brutal regime. Davia Sifane is the unrecognized daughter of an imperial despot. When happenstance pits them against each other in battle, neither expects the outcome: they are the only two people to survive. Marooned on a barren moon, their only hope of survival is to rely on each other, but what they learn will either kill them or change the galaxy forever.
Available at:
The Helion Band by AJ Mason
Rose is a fugitive, fleeing from Queen Penthesilea, aided only by the mysterious bracelet that was a scornful gift from her merciless ruler. Rose lives in uncomfortable symbiosis with it, ignorant of its origins and potential. All she knows is that if Penthesilea catches her, she’s as good as dead.
Relentlessly pursued across the galaxy by an increasingly desperate Pentesilea, will Rose find the strength to take a stand or will she fall to the queen and lose everything?
Available at:
The Lily and the Crown by Roslyn Sinclair
Ariana “Ari” Geiker lives an isolated life on an imperial space station commanded by her father. The skilled, young botanist rarely leaves her living quarters, where she maintains an elaborate garden. When an imperious older woman is captured from a pirate ship and given to her as a slave, Ariana’s perfectly ordered life is thrown into chaos. Her nameless slave is watchful, intelligent, dangerous, and sexy, and seems to know an awful lot about tactics, star charts, and the dread, marauding pirate queen, Mir. What happens when the slave also reveals an expertise in seduction to her innocent mistress?
Available at:
Jasyn and the Astronauts: Under the Ice Skies by Gwenhyver
Jasyn is an explorer with a talent for reaching for the stars and upending weather systems with her emotions. Atalanta is an archer and a recluse with a skill for making Jasyn’s heart glow as bright as a filament-fruit. When their world is upturned, a journey across their homeworld and towards the stars begins.
Available at:
The Caphenon by Fletcher DeLancey
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:
Voyager by Jay Wright Tompkins
In the 2190’s, Earth has become a foggy, distant memory for most of humanity. But for the unlucky survivors on the surface, every day reminds them of the atrocities that led to Earth’s downfall. The great cities of Earth have descended into a complex, interweaving web of gang wars and despotic opportunists. In the remnants of Malibu, a small group of young people, orphaned by the great tragedy, have created a humble commune, where they live collectively and act as a peacekeeping force for the ruined city of Los Angeles.
A young woman named Sarasvati, who grew up in the commune, has made a name for herself as a ruthless warrior who fights for justice. Her relationship with her girlfriend, Zoe, is strained when the Vanguard, the hate group that persecuted her when she was a teenager resurfaces and wants her, and the rest of the commune, dead.
Among the chaos, an affluent family from the planet Venus, seemingly falls out of the sky and begs Sarasvati and her friends for help in escaping the dangers of Earth and going to Titan, where patriarch Everett Lambert hopes to find a promising career in politics.
When the Vanguard learns that the Lambert Family is on the surface, they focus all of their efforts into eradicating them, lest they escape with the fugitives and spread word of the conspiracy keeping Earth’s demise a secret from the rest of humanity.
Available at:
Rescue Her Heart by KC Luck
Two women. One galaxy.
As a decorated Space Ranger in the 8th Galaxy, Captain Natalie (Nat) Reynolds has an exciting, albeit lonely, life. Yet, when Nat answers a distress call from a craft in trouble on a nearby planet, it has the possibility of changing the trajectory of her life forever.
Catherine Porter is down on her luck in the worst way. Evicted, almost penniless, she worries all hope is lost until a charismatic stranger flies into her life. Inexplicably drawn to the one woman who can possibly save her, Catherine must face feelings she never considered.
Will their stars align and lead them to a happily ever after? Or will their differences tear their hearts apart?
Available at:
Dancing in the Darkness by Lexa Luthor
Charlie is called back to her childhood planet for a rescue mission that becomes puzzling. Not only is the mission mysterious but so is the planet’s ruler, a female Alpha named Kal.
Charlie, an indignant human raised on Kander during the civil war, is beckoned back after she escaped as a teen. Needing money and a job more than her pride, she is hired to retrieve a kidnapped Omega that was taken off-world. Charlie and her mercenary teamwork with Kal in preparation of their mission. Together, she and Kal form a plan, however, Charlie soon learns intimate details about Kal’s rare nature as a “female” Alpha.
As Charlie and her team embark on the journey to rescue the Omega, they are faced with startling questions about the true motives behind the kidnapping. It was supposed to be just another job, but when Charlie starts to give a damn about both the missing Omega and the enigmatic Alpha ruler, it leaves her in the crossfire.
Available at:
Depths of Blue by Lise MacTague
For Torrin Ivanov, life is a bargaining table. Every planet is a new business opportunity. Legality is optional and supplying one side in a local civil war always adds up to profit.
Jak Stowell is at war within a war. A woman hidden in the heart of a male-only army, her brother’s murder has left her desperate for vengeance. Her skill as a sniper gives her both the disguise she needs and paves the way ever closer to her real goal. She kills efficiently, without remorse. Putting down an off-world smuggler will be no different.
A moment’s hesitation. A flicker of doubt. Two women on a collision course set off a chain reaction of intergalactic intrigue—and awaken a dangerous passion that could cost them their lives.
Available at:
Cheerleaders from Planet X by Lyssa Chiavari
Aliens are among us. And humanity’s only hope just happens to carry pom-poms.
Laura Clark thought she was just your average college freshman—until the day she saw a cheerleader on a skateboard get into a superhuman brawl with a lightning-wielding stranger in a trenchcoat. And the weirdest thing of all? Nobody else saw it happen. Nobody, that is, except the beautiful but standoffish Shailene, one of the mysterious (and possibly super-powered) cheerleaders from Laura’s rival school, Bayview University.
When girls start disappearing all over the City, Laura suddenly realizes that she may have seen more than she should. And if she wants to keep from disappearing herself, she needs to find some answers. But though Laura can’t shake the feeling that they’re somehow connected, Shailene is more than a little reluctant to share her secrets. With strange, bug-like creatures and a sinister man in a dark coat stalking her every step, Laura will have to uncover the truth fast if she wants to survive.
The fate of the planet just might hang in the balance.
Available at:
The Inevitable Singularity by Molly J. Bragg
Sean, a mercenary, is the bodyguard of Grand Master Caila of the Order of the Paladins of the Republic. A fact that the entire Order, except for Caila herself, resents deeply since they kicked Sean out almost twenty years earlier. It doesn’t help matters that Caila has taken a vow of Celibacy, but everyone knows that she and Sean have feelings for each other.
Sean’s presence is only tolerated because Caila is the official Seer of the Paladin Order. While all Paladins can see the future to a limited extent, Caila’s gift with foresight exceeds even the head of the order.
But when a mine destroys Caila’s ship just as they arrive in the Ptolemy system to settle a dispute over a hyperspace route, it quickly becomes clear that someone doesn’t want their mission to succeed.
With only Reagan, a Paladin with a personal grudge against Sean for support, Sean and Caila make their way to Ptolemy, recruiting allies along the way. But each time they look into the future, Caila sees a vision showing her that Ptolemy will be reduced to a lifeless cinder if they leave, and Sean receives a warning that Caila will die if they stay.
Can they avoid disaster, or will Caila be forced to sacrifice herself to save an entire world?
Available at:
Beneath the Surface by Rebecca Langham
When a change in collective conscious sends the Outsiders, a group of aliens, to the shadows below the city, humans reason that the demonization of their peers is simply more “humane.” There’s no question, nor doubt. Just acceptance.
Lydia had embraced that sense of “truth” for as long as she can remember. The daughter of a powerful governor, she has been able to live her life with more comforts than most. Comforts can be suffocating, though, and when the opportunity to teach Outsider children in their private, “humane” community becomes available, she takes it.
What she finds beneath the city is far from the truth she had grown to know. There she meets Alessia, an Outsider with the knowledge and will to shake the foundation of all those who walk above ground. The two find a new and unexpected connection despite a complete disconnect from the technological world. Or perhaps in spite of it.
Still, it takes a lot more than an immutable connection to change the world. Lydia, Alessia, and a small group of Outsiders must navigate a system of corruption, falsehoods, and twists none of them ever saw coming, all while holding on to the hope to come out alive in the end. But it’s a risk worth taking, and a future worth fighting for.
Available at:
Unbound Oath by Ryann Fletcher
Cassius Calvetti was never supposed to be the leader of The Scattered. Awaiting trial in a Coalition prison, she makes one more desperate attempt at escape.
It’s been eight years since Olivia Guisette took on the job of being the right hand to High Councilor Tarand. When she’s given an ultimatum, she winds up facing down death.
Available at:
Destination Alara by S. Y. Thompson
In the 24th Century technology has evolved but greed and war are constant. A rookie starship captain but a veteran of the recent Gothoan War, Vanessa Swann searches the outer rim of the galaxy for any sign of rebel activity. Her favorite pastimes are kicking enemy butt and making time with the ladies. The last thing Van wants is to team up with the Andromeda System’s heir apparent and leader of the Coalition flagship, Princess/Admiral Cade Meryan.
Coal black hair, piercing grey eyes and skin the color of fresh cream threaten Vanessa’s professional boundaries, but focus she must when faced with repeated attempts on Cade’s life. The fate of millions and the threat of galactic war rest on Van’s shoulders. Whatever the outcome, their lives will never be the same.
Available at:
Black Sails to Sunward by Sheila Jenné
In a world of frock coats, solar sails, and rigid class boundaries, Lucy joins the Martian Imperial Navy as a midshipman.
Mars and Earth are at war, and Lucy hopes for quick promotion. But when she arrives aboard ship, she finds harsh officers and a crew on the verge of mutiny. And worse: her former friend, Moira—a commoner and a radical—is a member of the crew.
It’s clear where Lucy’s duty lies. As an officer and a gentlewoman, she has to quell the crew’s rebellion and preserve her ship for the fight against Earth. But soon, she’ll have to make a decision between all she’s been taught to believe and the injustice she can see with her own eyes.
Available at:
Coming soon: Sapphic Book Advent Calendar
Like in past years, I’m putting together a bookish Advent calendar for readers of sapphic fiction, with a giveaway, a free book, or a book on sale behind every door, plus a big finale with dozens of book prizes on December 24 and 25.
You can already check out the Advent calendar page and sign up for the daily reminder emails, which will land in your in-box any time you can open a new door.
Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “sapphics in space” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sapphics in Space (Hidden Gems #11) appeared first on Jae.
November 16, 2024
How to support authors of LGBTQ+ books during challenging times
I hadn’t originally planned to write this blog post because I wanted to avoid causing unnecessary panic. However, I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers asking how they can support authors of LGBTQ+ books during this challenging time. I’ve also seen a lot of misinformation about this topic circulating, so I felt it was important to address the situation and counter some of the misperceptions.
The current situation: How potential book bans could affect LGBTQ+ books
With the newly elected US president, there’s concern that LGBTQ+ books might be banned or made illegal (Project 2025 talks about criminalizing anything they classify as “porn”).
I’m not saying any of that will definitely happen. It’s not clear if, how, when, and to what extent any of those plans will be enforced, but if more book bans happen, there’s no question that LGBTQIA+ books will be disproportionately affected.
Within the community of LGBTQ+ writers, authors of color, trans and nonbinary authors, and disabled authors—who already navigate systemic barriers within the publishing industry—are at the greatest risk of being silenced by potential book bans, so it’s especially important to support them to ensure their stories are continued to be told.
What can readers do to support authors of LGBTQ+ books?
Here’s a list of 15 helpful things you can do to support authors of LGBTQ+ books.
Buy and read LGBTQ+ books. Purchasing LGBTQ+ books allows authors to keep writing instead of worrying about how to pay the bills.Recommend LGBTQ+ books to friends and fellow readers. Whether it’s online or in person, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing for any book.Review LGBTQ+ books. Even a short review or a star rating helps, especially on algorithm-driven platforms like Amazon.Post about LGBTQ+ books on social media. You could share a favorite quote, post a picture of the book (authors love photos of their books “out in the wild!”), or talk about a scene or a character that resonated with you.Engage with LGBTQ+ authors on social media. Follow authors on social media, and like, comment, and share their posts to boost visibility.Request LGBTQ+ books at your local library. Many libraries offer a way to suggest books they should purchase. You can even do that when you’re using Libby. This benefits both authors and future readers.Send positive feedback to authors. Email authors with words of encouragement and appreciation. Being a writer is often a very solitary job, so a few kind words from readers are a wonderful source of motivation.Subscribe to authors’ newsletters. This helps authors stay connected with readers without relying on social media algorithms. As an added bonus for you, many authors send out a free ebook to new subscribers.Attend LGBTQ+ book events. Go to conferences, book signings, readings, panels—either in person or online. A strong turnout sends a powerful message that LGBTQ+ books matter and are popular.Buy LGBTQ+ books as gifts. With the holidays approaching, it’s a great time to buy LGBTQ+ books for friends who might enjoy them—or to gift them to readers who are struggling to afford books.Support LGBTQ+ authors on Patreon and similar platforms. For a few dollars per month, you can provide financial support directly to authors and usually get bonus material in exchange.Suggest LGBTQ+ books to your book club. Spread the word in your book communities.Donate LGBTQ+ books. Give a copy of your favorite LGBTQ+ books to libraries, community centers, or other organizations that accept book donations.Fill Little Free Libraries with LGBTQ+ books. Drop off LGBTQ+ books in your neighborhood’s Little Free Libraries.Ask LGBTQ+ authors where to buy their books. Different authors have different preferences, so check with them to make sure you’re supporting them the way they want.
Important note:
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious and just don’t have the spoons—or the money & time—to do any of the above and just want to escape into your favorite comfort reads for a while, that’s perfectly valid too! Never feel guilty for practicing self-care!
What would NOT be helpful to most authors of LGBTQ+ books
I’ve seen well-meaning readers recommend actions that might actually harm authors more than they would help.
Here are the things that are not a good solution, at least not for every author and every reader:
1. Boycotting ebooks & recommending people buy paperbacks instead
Some readers are afraid Amazon could delete their entire library of LGBTQ+. So they recommend readers boycott ebooks and buy paperbacks instead. That might work for some readers, but quite frankly, as a person with low vision, I need ebooks and audiobooks. Paperbacks won’t work for me or for many other disabled readers.
Plus not everyone lives in a place where LGBTQ+ books are available in bookstores.
Paperbacks are also more expensive than ebooks, and shipping costs can be prohibitive depending on where readers live, so not everyone can afford print books. Despite the higher costs for readers, most authors make more money if you buy an ebook copy compared to a paperback.
And let’s face it—an avid reader who reads 300+ books a year won’t have enough shelf space to buy them all as paperbacks. So if paperbacks work for you, great—but I wouldn’t suggest them as a solution for everyone.
2. Boycotting Amazon and canceling your KU and/or Audible subscription
Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon, who still owns 9% of the company) is said to have blocked the Washington Post from endorsing Kamala Harris, so after the election, some readers started to suggest boycotting Amazon and canceling subscriptions to Kindle Unlimited and Audible.
I understand and respect the frustration with Amazon’s monopoly and business practices. If you don’t want to give your money to Amazon, I totally get it.
But I don’t think calling for blanket boycotts is the solution because it won’t really hurt billionaires like Bezos—but it will hurt indie authors and narrators. Many indie authors make most (or even all) of their income via Amazon. Those who are in Kindle Unlimited (KU) are contractually required to be exclusive to Amazon—meaning you won’t be able to get their ebooks anywhere else.
If you absolutely want to boycott Amazon, go ahead, but be aware it means you’ll take many indie authors off your reading list. Just to give you an idea of what I mean: Of the almost 500 books that authors submitted for the 2025 Sapphic Book Bingo so far, 79% are in KU, meaning readers won’t be able to get the ebook versions anywhere but from Amazon!
Similarly, the same applies to Audible too. For authors to get a higher royalty rate, they have to be exclusive to them, so you’ll only find their audiobooks on Audible, nowhere else.
Not a single author or small publisher I know can exist without Amazon. We don’t like it, but it’s a reality we can’t ignore.
Side note:
The lion’s share of Amazon’s profits doesn’t come from books. It comes from AWS (Amazon Web Services), the world’s largest cloud provider, used by millions of companies worldwide, including Netflix, Spotify, Kobo, Overdrive, Facebook, Twitter, Hulu, and Disney+. So technically, we would have to boycott all of those companies too…
3. Telling people to get their LGBTQ+ books from libraries and indie bookstores
That’s actually a great suggestion—but only for some folks. I love libraries and local queer-friendly bookstores, and I definitely recommend supporting them.
But unfortunately, that’s not a solution for every reader. Not everyone has a library with a wide selection of LGBTQ+ books. The Queer Liberation Library, for example, is only accessible for readers in the US.
In addition, authors who are in KU can’t offer their ebooks via libraries (KU’s exclusivity clause doesn’t extend to paperbacks, though).
Indie authors and small publishing houses also often have a hard time getting their books into bookstores. Even if they manage, they make very little money off paperbacks because most bookstores require authors to distribute their books through Ingram (a major book distributor & printer), give them a 55% discount, and allow bookstores to return the copies they didn’t sell. That means authors could even owe Ingram money if their books don’t sell and bookstores return them—because they have to reimburse the bookstore plus pay for shipping!
Side note:
Ingram is also owned by a billionaire who has donated plenty of money to the GOP.
4. Piracy and sharing LGBTQ+ books without compensating the authors
It should go without saying, but apparently, it doesn’t because I’ve seen posts where readers talk about exchanging ebooks via email. That’s theft. Authors need to pay their bills, so please don’t resort to stealing books.
5. Making lists of authors and how they voted
I’ve seen lists going around of authors who voted “blue” vs. “red.” The intention was to create a list of “safe” authors who should be supported as well as authors who should be boycotted.
However, lists like that might put authors in danger, and it could harm an author’s career if they end up on the wrong list because someone jumped to conclusions.
My recommendation: How to best support authors of LGBTQ+ books
If you have the spoons to do so, you could ask authors where to get their books to support them best. As I said above, the answer might be different for every author.
But it might not be realistic to ask each and every author, so my stance is: Pick any place to legally get LGBTQ+ books that works best for YOU. Unless you hear otherwise from an author, assume they are fine with any and all of the available choices—otherwise, they wouldn’t put their books on those platforms.
There’s also room for a more nuanced approach—you could get LGBTQ+ books directly from indie authors’ and publishers’ own webstore, from libraries or local bookstores, or from non-Amazon platforms if they are available there, while still using Amazon, Audible, or KU for books from authors who distribute exclusively through those channels.
Just my two cents. But in the end, it’s your wallet and your choice. This post is just meant to help you make an informed choice.
P.S. The folks over at I Heart SapphFic blogged about how to turn your love of reading into a protest that supports sapphic authors while sticking it to Amazon.
P.P.S. My publisher and I just put my holiday romance Under a Falling Star into Kindle Unlimited, which means it’s only available on Amazon and in KU until January, but all of my other novels are available wide, from platforms such as Amazon, Audible, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and the Ylva webstore.
The post How to support authors of LGBTQ+ books during challenging times appeared first on Jae.
November 14, 2024
Main character is a CEO (Sapphic Book Bingo #24)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic books in which a main character is a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of a company.
Most of the books you’ll find in this category are sapphic romances with strong, successful women, interesting power dynamics, and a high-stakes company setting.
15 sapphic books in which a main character is a CEO
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a main character who’s a CEO:
Boss of Her by Anna Stone
Small-town girl Jade Fisher has sacrificed everything for her dream of a high-powered career in Los Angeles. Fresh out of grad school, she’s one step away from landing the perfect job as executive assistant to Simone Weiss, LA’s hotel queen. So when her friend invites her to the opening night of Club Velvet, a luxury club for women to explore their wildest desires, Jade decides to let loose a little, just this once.
She isn’t expecting an encounter with a commanding older woman who makes her heart race and her body burn. And she’s even more surprised to come face to face with the same woman days later. Simone Weiss. Her new boss.
CEO by day, part owner of Club Velvet by night, Simone built her hotel empire from the ground up. She knows what she wants. She’ll stop at nothing to get it. And now, she has her sights set on her curvaceous new assistant.
One sensual night of surrender is all it takes for Jade to fall under her spell. Neither woman is looking for romance. Both bear scars from the past. But the more Simone awakens Jade’s submissive desires, the harder it becomes to ignore the feelings between them. Can love conquer all, even the walls around their hearts?
Available at:
Business of the Heart by Claire Forsythe
Abby Archer should be content. Her coffee shop, Haze, is thriving, and she has a great group of friends. There’s just one thing missing: love. Despite past betrayals, Abby hasn’t given up on finding the one, waiting with increasing impatience to experience the sparks she’s always dreamed of.
Lexi Finn lives for her career. At least her job won’t break her heart. Unlike Abby, she’s most definitely not searching for the one or anyone for that matter. Avoiding relationships isn’t all that difficult when she’s become so skilled at keeping people at a distance.
So imagine Lexi’s shock when, walking into Haze, she feels instant attraction and an unshakeable connection with Abby. Abby has a picture of her perfect woman in her mind, and it certainly isn’t the intolerable Lexi Finn. When a hopeless romantic meets a tough-as-nails cynic, they’ll need to overcome the wounds of the past to discover that their hearts are the most important business of all.
Available at:
Changing Times by Jen Silver
Thirty years on from when we first met Dani Barker and Camila Callaghan in Changing Perspectives, they’re enjoying marriage and semi-retirement in a luxury flat near London.
Dani’s niece, Holly, runs their mixed media business, now gaining a foothold in the highly competitive online games market. Holly’s older sibling, Luc, influences people to take action on climate issues with their website, Gaia One: One Earth, One Chance.
Romance has been in short supply for both Holly and Luc. Immersed in her work, Holly’s dating life is non-existent. For Luc, family prejudices stand in the way of a relationship with the love of their life.
Can Holly and Luc succeed in making the changes necessary to achieve their own happy ever afters?
Available at:
Leveling Up by Jazzy Mitchell
Six years after completing her internship, Clarke Parson, a video game graphic designer and animator, finds herself back in the orbit of Haboob Software’s CEO, Fran Silvetti. Clarke contacts Fran to warn her that the game her company is developing was stolen from Clarke’s computer by an ex-girlfriend after an acrimonious breakup. As Clarke is swept into a torrid affair with the fascinating woman, she covets their time together, hoping Fran may someday return the love Clarke harbors for her.
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?
Available at:
Heart of Ice by TB Markinson & Miranda MacLeod
Laurie “the Hatchet” Emerson is a ruthless leader in Boston finance who’s rumoured to have a block of ice where her heart should be. If only. Recently widowed, Laurie fears she’s broken beyond repair, until a once-in-a-lifetime business deal reignites her passion for work and gives her a shot at proving to the world she still has some life left in her.
Jack Kennedy is a young portfolio manager who aspires to greatness. Unfortunately, she’s so many rungs down the corporate ladder she can’t even scrape up enough money to move out of her mother’s apartment. Her luck changes when her work ethic is finally rewarded with the job opportunity of her dreams.
A blizzard forces their worlds to collide, but what was meant to be a no-strings night of passion becomes more complicated when they both arrive at the office the next morning to discover they each spent the night with the one person in the city who could crush their futures.
Together, they just might hold the keys to everything they’ve ever wanted, but the difference in their ages and positions could spell the end of their careers. Will the ice queen and the protégé find happiness together or lose everything?
Available at:
Getting Back by Cindy Rizzo
Elizabeth Morrison has ascended the ranks of her industry and now runs one of the most successful publishing companies in the US. But even after three decades, she has never been able to get past the devastating end of her relationship with the beautiful and brilliant Ruth Abramson. As Elizabeth approaches her 30th college reunion, she must face the woman who long ago acceded to the demands of her father, a famous Russian dissident, and married the young man who’d been chosen for her. It doesn’t make it any easier that Ruth, now divorced and living openly as a lesbian, is the class luncheon speaker.
As the two women face one another and attempt to reconcile their past, Elizabeth finds she must wrestle with a number of issues she has avoided confronting. And she must carefully decide whether she is more distrustful of Ruth or of herself. Is she headed for another fall with this woman? Or does she want to get close again, so she can be the one to walk away?
When it comes to reuniting with the love of your life, it’s not always easy to know the difference between getting back together and just getting back.
Available at:
The Deal by Sabrina Blaum
General Partnership Agreement
E. G. Jones, (Partner 1) residing at 1214 Salix Rd, Pattern, TX, and Nicole Summers (Partner 2), residing at 2004 Ash Ct, Austin, TX (“the Partners”) agree as follows:
Fake Romantic Relationship
Since October 14, 2023, the Partners have voluntarily associated themselves together in a fake romantic relationship for the purpose of Partner 1 joining the holiday celebrations at Partner 2’s family residence in Dallas, TX for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.The assets of the Partnership include, but are not limited to, Partner 1 acting as the girlfriend of Partner 2 around the family of Partner 2 for the duration of this contract. Partner 1 shall receive a compensation of $10,000.Term of Partnership
This partnership commenced in October 2023 shall continue until December 27, 2023, or until dissolved by mutual agreement of the parties or terminated by one Partner at any point. Payment shall be calculated based on term fulfilled at termination.Available at:
Souls Aligned by Najee Jamerson
As I watch her smile, my heart aches with a love that cannot be spoken. Amaris is the light in my life, the one who makes everything else fade away.
I would do anything for her, but the fear of her pain keeps me from confessing my love. The illness lingers like a shadow, a constant reminder of how precious time truly is.
Our love is a flame that burns bright, but the shadow of death always looms nearby.
In the end, it is the love that keeps us going, that brings us back to each other. It is the one thing that can never be taken away, even in the face of death.
A Love that has the Power to Shift Mountains and Conquer Death!
Available at:
The Warrior Within by Brooke Campbell
Libby struggles with a debilitating disease and is resigned to singlehood. When she goes out one evening with co-workers, the last thing she expects is to stumble into the woman of her dreams: Jo.
It isn’t long until she falls head over heels for her. But Jo’s stunning revelation could spell the end of their new relationship, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the 150-year-old half-vampire has powerful enemies – including her father.
Entering Jo’s dangerous world, Libby is drawn into a web of secrets and danger. Can she overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds and survive?
Available at:
Watch Over Me by Kate Hennessy
Caught stealing medication for her illegal sister, Yara is forced to participate in RePay – a terrifying TV game show that will determine her sentence.
Her only hope for freedom lies in surviving a risky biotechnology trial within the sterile walls of Watch Over Me, where ruthlessly passionate head engineer, Ms Wilding, reveals an unnerving agenda.
When Wilding’s controlling obsessions turn curiously personal, Yara must summon every ounce of willpower to outwit her captor and resist the pull of forbidden attraction in their dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. If she fails, she’ll forfeit her only chance to save her sister in an off-record deal with Wilding’s celebrity arch-enemy.
But what Yara uncovers during her incarceration at Watch Over Me proves she’s not the only one closely guarding a life-changing secret that will challenge alliances, and alter the course of freedom.
But whose secrets should stay hidden and whose should be revealed to the world?
Only 30 days to decide.
With no way to know who’s telling the truth, you’ll be questioning who the real enemy is…
Available at:
The Collins Trilogy by Kate Hershberger
Book 1: The Calling
Even in the supernatural world, Darcy and Ceridwen Collins are considered quite extraordinary. They’re the first females born into the Collins clan in nearly 1,000 years. They’re not only twins (an extreme rarity in the werewolf world) but twins that get along despite their Alpha/Omega dynamic.
Darcy, as the first born and alpha, is the heir of the Collins pack. Destined to take over as pack leader when their father steps down. However, Darcy doesn’t want to be the leader and has been trying to convince their father to name her sister as the proper heir for years. He won’t hear of such a thing as an omega becoming pack leader would surely end in anarchy. Things start looking up when a beautiful druid doctor comes into the twins’ lives, befriending Ceridwen and enthralling Darcy instantly. Making their parents and the rest of the pack think that Darcy has finally decided to accept her destiny.
Of course, not everyone wants Darcy to take over as pack leader and a sinister plan begins to develop in an effort to bring down the Collins reign once and for all.
Book 2: The Cure
One year after the events of “The Calling”, the Collins twins are settling into the changes in their lives. Ceridwen and Patrick are now married and trying to figure out the best time to bring a new heir into the pack. Meanwhile, Darcy and Tamsin are planning a wedding as well as their future.
With everything going so well, Ceri decides the time is right to start working on her dream project. Enlisting help from Tamsin, they begin working on a cure for vampirism. They keep their work secret, even from their mates as they know their significant others would never allow them to work on such a project.
They soon find out that keeping their work a secret isn’t so easy. Especially with overly cautious alphas and growing suspicious from an old acquaintance. The doctors’ good intentions might just put the pack, as well as the entire supernatural community, in great danger.
Book 3: The Heir
Shortly after the ending of “The Cure”, the Collins pack is quaking with excitement as Ceridwen is expecting her first child. Meanwhile, Darcy and Tamsin are enjoying their lives as newlyweds and adjusting to their new roles at the Collins Academy.
It would seem that all is right within the pack. That is until an ancient prophecy is uncovered along with a long-forgotten breed of werewolf that seems to have been living in plain sight all along.
Change looms on the horizon as the new heir is preparing to make their way into the world. Meanwhile, Darcy has to accept her destiny to ensure there is a future for the Collins pack as well as all of werewolf kind.
Available at:
Dare to Love by A. L. Brooks
Investment banker Ash Taylor left her cut-throat world to set up a cool, cutting-edge tattoo studio. Her love life’s been a lot bumpier, though. Ever since a heart-breaking affair with a straight colleague, she’s vowed to steer clear of women unsure of their sexuality.
Talent-agency executive Carmen Lyttleton is straight, career focused, and not prone to distraction from her occasional casual relationships. When her best friend gets a tattoo at Ash’s studio, Carmen finds herself unexpectedly impressed by Ash and her business.
When they accidentally meet again, Carmen is shocked by the sparks between them and the realization that she feels a lot more than just admiration for Ash’s work ethic. It can’t possibly mean what it seems…can it?
The pull between the women is powerful but so are their fears, old baggage, and stubbornness. Can they dare to love?
Available at:
V.A.M.P. Book Three—Bloodlines by Kimberly A. Todd
Katerina didn’t sign up to be a hero for the vampire family that she never knew she had. But with her mother’s return and the full force of the Hapsbergen clan threatening all those she loves, Katerina must decide to fight her enemy and take her rightful place as the head of the Dallenbach Elder Family or risk losing all those that are dear to her and changing the fate of all Elder family vampires.
When an unforeseen circumstance causes Serena to fall into the hands of those who want her dead, will she survive long enough for Katerina to master her newfound strength and save the woman she loves?
Available at:
Trust in Me by Tiffany E. Taylor
Giselle Deveraux is the Artistic Director of Edge, the most exclusive hair salon and spa in the Tampa Bay area. She is also secretly a femme submissive, but one who’s vowed she will never again get involved with another so-called “Dominant” after suffering mental, physical, and emotional torture at the hands of her first one.
Master Chance Harmon, the owner of Eros—an exclusive BDSM club for the queer community in Florida—unexpectedly takes possession of Giselle one night when the lovely woman loses a wager she’s made with her gay business partner Derrick, another Dominant at Eros. Giselle has agreed to spend a single night as the submissive of any Dom who can lure a response from her at Derrick’s birthday party at Eros. When it’s the mysterious and seductive butch club owner who draws an unbidden reaction from the guarded femme that night, Giselle is persuaded to spend the entire weekend with Chance, at her command.
Chance is determined to show Giselle what a real D/s relationship should be, that nightmare abuse is not what any sub should suffer under her Master. After a weekend filled with passion, healthy power exchange, and the fulfillment of Giselle’s darkest desires, the couple decides to see where their budding relationship will take them, with Chance confident she can heal Giselle’s scars.
But Giselle’s trust issues are much deeper than even Chance has suspected. Giselle struggles to obey her Master when Chance makes it clear she will expect no less than her submissive’s complete and total surrender. When Nisha Rhymer, Giselle’s old tormentor, appears and sends Giselle spiraling into panicked fear—leaving the frightened woman convinced she can only depend on herself to stay protected from Nisha’s latest threat—Master Chance must fight to make Giselle finally understand it’s her total trust in Chance that can free her to give her Master the most rewarding submission of all.
Available at:
Coming soon: Sapphic Book Advent Calendar
Like in past years, I’m putting together a bookish Advent calendar for readers of sapphic fiction, with a giveaway, a free book, or a book on sale behind every door, plus a big finale with dozens of book prizes on December 24 and 25.
You can already sign up for the daily reminder emails, which will land in your in-box any time you can open a new door.
Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “main character is a CEO” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Main character is a CEO (Sapphic Book Bingo #24) appeared first on Jae.
November 7, 2024
Sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption (Sapphic Book Bingo #23)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category highlights sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption.
For this square of the bingo card, read a sapphic book with a main character who was either adopted or grew up in the foster system. Alternatively, the main character can also adopt or foster a child.
15 sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption:
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:
The Rules of Parenthood by Cara Malone
Max and Ruby Saddlerwhite are newlyweds who seem to have it all. They have mastered the rules of love and navigated the challenges of a long-term relationship, and now they are settling happily into married life and beginning their careers.
There’s just one thing Ruby wants – to start a family.
And that’s something Max isn’t sure she can give her. She has learned to work through the challenges of life and love on the autism spectrum by researching her way through major obstacles, but a baby is a challenge Max might not be up for.
Ruby pushes aside dreams of starting her own family when Max’s cousin Stacy gets called to active duty, leaving behind her seven-year-old son, Aiden. She needs Max and Ruby to take care of him while she’s deployed and they rise to the occasion.
It’s not all play time and games, though, as Aiden struggles with separation anxiety and the rulebooks fly right out the window as Max and Ruby discover just how difficult raising a child can be.
Can Max and Ruby master the rules of parenthood, or will Ruby’s dream go unfulfilled?
Available at:
Year of the Monsoon by Caren J. Werlinger
Leisa Yeats has always defined herself by the things that are important to her – a good family, a loving relationship and a meaningful job working with kids. Life is good. But within a span of a few weeks, all of that changes. She’s always known she was adopted, but newly revealed lies and secrets kept by her parents make her question everything she thought she knew about her beginnings. Her ten-year relationship with her partner, Nan, is unexpectedly on shaky ground when she discovers that Nan, too, has kept a secret from her all these years.
Suddenly, everything Leisa believed – about her life, about the people around her, about herself – everything is turned upside down, and nothing is as she thought it was. Pulling away to try and sort things out, Leisa reaches out to the wrong people and, in the process, nearly loses herself. Buffeted at every turn by storms that shake the very foundation of her world, Leisa must figure out whom and what she can hold fast to as the winds of change blow.
Available at:
A Troublemaker May Surprise by Genta Sebastian
It’s 1968 and the Troublemakers, a group of lesbians living on a tiny island in the mid-Atlantic, are braving the shockingly decadent waves of a European sexual revolution. Butch Traf Mendes, a captain and VIP driver for the USAF, falls in lust with a breathtaking flamenco dancer. Carmen offers sexual pleasures she’s never experienced, but what about pretty, faithful Ana and her desire for a baby?
Traf craves sexual fulfillment almost as much as she wants to give her girl everything her heart desires. Perhaps if she adopts a prostitute’s unwanted newborn as a surprise, this ultimate act of love will solve all their problems. But will it cure Traf’s fascination with Carmen’s seductive bedroom eyes that promise so much… and her hips even more?
Available at:
Playing For Keeps by Zoey Lennox
When Lacey Evans returns to her childhood town of Wyvale for her estranged mother’s funeral she plans to stay for a short visit to pay her respects and then return home. The last thing she expects is to get sucked back into the town life she’s tried so hard to prise herself away from. First, she bumps into Ramie, her former youth councillor, and learns the LGBTQ centre which played such an instrumental part in her teenage years is closing, then she comes face to face with her childhood sweetheart, Taylor, who she hasn’t seen since their messy break-up several years ago.
Social worker Taylor Stanton has had to grow up fast since dropping out of university due to an unplanned pregnancy. She now spends her days running about town after her most troublesome charge, River, and her evenings at home looking after her two-year old son while pining over what could have been with her first love, Lacey.
When fate brings Taylor and Lacey back together, old hurts bubble to the surface. It’s immediately clear there are still feelings between them, but can they find their way back to each other? And what about the LGBTQ centre? Surely there must be a way to save it, or better yet, find a new location and build it from the ground up?
Available at:
Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley
Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city’s illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.
If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.
As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.
Available at:
Taming of a Rebel by Eada Friesian
Tori Frazee is unapologetic when it comes to falling in love before she’s thirty. When her marriage ended amicably, she knew she had to get back into the game to find her soulmate and have the family she wanted. Running face first into a cold but frazzled funeral director and a rebellious toddler at the grocery store isn’t how she expected to find love, and Miranda certainly isn’t her soulmate. Or is she?
Miranda Hart doesn’t believe in love. When she’s saddled with her flakey sister’s kid, she has a choice to make—step up to break the cycle and keep her niece from being another victim or continue to live through her work. When she meets the cute, down to earth Tori, she can’t help but wonder if maybe she does want more than her career.
When opposites attract, steam rises, especially with an ice queen in the mix. Will these two single parents break down their preconceived notions enough to find a family they can rely on?
Available at:
Red Mist and Solace – The Life of Lucy book 3 by Alysia D Evans
In the wake of shocking revelations and unexpected twists, Lucy and Jaz’s marriage is put to the ultimate test as family secrets unravel and bonds are strained to their breaking point. When Lucy and Jaz embark on their honeymoon, the fragile threads holding their family together begin to unravel.
Jaz’s friend Abi has her world turned upside down when she uncovers the truth about her parentage, confronting a past she never knew existed. She and her family grapple with the weight of newfound knowledge and uncertain futures.
But amidst the chaos, a glimmer of hope emerges as Lucy and Abi forge an unexpected connection, united by their shared history and a desire to mend the fractured pieces of their family.
However, their newfound understanding is shattered when incidents threaten to tear them apart. Lucy is faced with her worst nightmare, grappling with the possibility of losing her daughter once again.
As the bonds of family are tested to their limits, Lucy must summon every ounce of courage and resilience to confront the demons of her past and fight for the future of the family she never knew existed. In a journey fraught with heartache and redemption, she must find a way to heal the wounds of the past and forge a path toward forgiveness and reconciliation before it’s too late.
Available at:
The Spirit Child by Alison Naomi Holt
In the kingdom of Anacafria, Duchess Aurelia “Bree” Makenna, a hero to knights and foot soldiers alike, struggles with the depths of despair after losing her wife to the plague.
But when Bree discovers an orphan being sold by a trader, she makes a fateful decision that sets off a chain of events that will change her life and her kingdom forever. With the help of her fellow warriors, Becca and Nashotah, as well as their Animal Spirit Guides, Bree must find the strength to face her fears and save the kingdom from a looming threat.
Available at:
Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue
Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business. Mischief and little fingers around expensive materials? No thanks!
But then her gorgeous friend, Sarah Santoro, winds up in a custody battle with Sarah’s former in-laws and now… Well, somehow Andi’s agreed to pretend she’s Sarah’s live-in partner.
She’s still not quite sure how she got stuck playing a role she’s so utterly clueless about and that’s everything she doesn’t want in life. But as long as Sarah and Noa, the world’s cutest seven-year-old, don’t get a hold of her heart, she’ll be fine.
Easy, right?
Available at:
Falling Through the Night by Gail Marlene Schwartz
Audrey Meyerwitz wants to fall in love and have a family. But for this queer 30-something insomniac who’s struggled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder since childhood, it’s a goal that’s far from simple. When best friend Jessica, a recovering alcoholic, helps introvert Audrey with a profile on SheLovesHer, Audrey takes that scary first step toward her lifelong dream. Through online dating, immigrating to Canada, and having a baby with Down Syndrome, she struggles and grows. But when Audrey unearths a secret about her mother, everything about her identity as a mother, a daughter, and a person with mental illness ruptures. How do we create closeness from roots of deep alienation? With humor, honesty, and complexity, Audrey learns that healthy love means accepting gains and losses, taking off the blinders of fantasy, and embracing the messiness that defines human families.
Available at:
Invisibl e by Anna Larner
Violet Unwin is convinced she is invisible. Overlooked by her adoptive family, her only solace is her uncle’s costume shop. By day, she’s an assistant no one remembers, but after hours, in the wonder of her imagination, she becomes explorer, warrior, queen. Devastated by news of the shop’s imminent closure, Violet finds comfort in an unlikely companion, the ghostly figure of her namesake, the suffragette Vi Unwin.
Medical school dropout Phoebe Frink’s life is in disarray. She has no idea who she is anymore, what to do about it, or how to tell her parents. Taken under the wing of the infamous drag king Mr. Duke, owner of the struggling Banana Bar, fate steps in when Phoebe seeks Violet’s help with costumes for the bar’s fundraising Christmas Ball.
Phoebe is captivated by beautiful, shy Violet, and for the first time in her life, Violet experiences what it is to be truly seen. But for love to be possible, Violet and Phoebe must take a risk on a future they’ve never dared to imagine.
Available at:
Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes by E.V. Bancroft
Maud Heaston has been in love with Beatrice Williams since they first met in 1939. They’ve been through hell and back; family, careers, and secrets have threatened to tear them apart, but their love has endured it all. Until now. Old age and illness have forced them into separate nursing homes and the family Maud trusted to take care of them are only out for themselves.
Hannah Jones is trying to put her past behind her and find her place in the world. Midway through a doctorate and living with Suki, the woman she’d like to be more than just friends with, the last thing she needs is Gammy, her interfering great aunt, back in her life. Though Gammy took Hannah in when her mother died, her overbearing nature and constant criticisms forced them apart. Now they barely speak.
Maud needs Hannah’s help to be reunited with the love of her life. Hannah needs Suki to take a chance on love. Can a reconciliation between Maud and Hannah free them both to be with the women they love or will the past destroy their future?
Available at:
Paisley’s Breakthrough by Amber Perez
When life hands you the unimaginable, you can either have a breakdown or a breakthrough.
Paisley, a successful psychologist, runs a thriving practice in downtown Knoxville. She’s worked hard to build a lucrative career and it shows, from her tailored designer wardrobe to her luxurious penthouse condo. But, when she encounters a patient who makes her face her hidden past, her carefully contrived lifestyle begins to unravel. She seems to have all the answers except when it comes to her own life.
Rae, a tough on the surface paramedic with a heart of gold, wants more out of life than the meaningless hookups her coworkers seem content with. Determined to put her energy into her career, running, and playing grease monkey with her collection of vintage vehicles, Rae is convinced she has all she needs to live a fulfilled life.
Thrown together in the wake of a tragedy, both women struggle with the attraction they instantly feel for the other. More than aware of the dangers associated with trauma bonding, Rae questions every interaction as Paisley questions who she is.
Will they find a way to triage the hardships they face? Or will Paisley’s inability to break through leave them both in need of counsel?
Available at:
Two Is A Pattern by Emily Waters
A mission gone wrong leads to rising-star CIA operative Annie Weaver quitting her job and reinventing herself as a college student. But the CIA, desperate for her skills, refuses to let her go without a price.
Annie finds herself juggling classes in Criminology and falling for her beautiful landlord, Professor Helen Everton, while dealing with off-the-books secret missions for an increasingly controlling ex-boss.
As the perceptive Helen circles ever closer to the truth, Annie has to figure out how to keep her freedom without putting Helen in danger—and without revealing her own past.
Available at:
Coming soon: The Sapphic Book Advent Calendar
Like in past years, I’m putting together a bookish Advent calendar for readers of sapphic fiction, with a giveaway, a free book, or a book on sale behind every door, plus a big finale with dozens of book prizes on December 24 and 25. I’m still working to set it all up, but if you’d like to get an email when the event starts so you don’t miss it, please subscribe to my monthly reader newsletter.
Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “foster care or adoption” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption (Sapphic Book Bingo #23) appeared first on Jae.
October 24, 2024
Asexual character
Since it’s Asexual Awareness Week, this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo post features sapphic books with asexual characters!
For this category, read a sapphic book with a main character who is asexual or on the asexual spectrum—they could be asexual (a person who doesn’t experience sexual attraction), demisexual (a person who experiences sexual attraction only once an emotional connection has been established), gray-asexual (a person who experiences sexual attraction very infrequently, very weakly, or only under specific circumstances), or have another identity that falls under the asexual umbrella.
15 sapphic books featuring asexual characters
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books that feature an asexual main character:
Perfect Rhythm by Jae
Pop star Leontyne Blake might sing about love, but she stopped believing in it a long time ago. What women want is her image, not the real her. When her father has a stroke, she flees the spotlight and returns to her tiny Missouri hometown.
In her childhood home, she meets small-town nurse Holly Drummond, who isn’t impressed by Leo’s fame at all. That isn’t the only thing that makes Holly different from other women. She’s also asexual. For her, dating is a minefield of expectations that she has decided to avoid.
Can the tentative friendship between a burned-out pop star and a woman not interested in sex develop into something more despite their diverse expectations?
Available at:
Never Too Much by Sienna Eggler
Romance was never a priority in Cyrille’s life; her work on the local nature reserve came first. And compounded by her upbringing in a small town, finding a girlfriend seemed out of reach. “If it happens, it happens.”
But now that she’s in her late 30’s, Cyrille realizes it’s better now than never.
And a lot has changed over the last twenty years, leading to a steadily progressive attitude in town. A not yet out Cyrille braves a speed dating event, where she meets three potential partners: a childhood friend, a fellow park ranger, and a self-proclaimed “Goblin of the Forest.”
A hopeful Cyrille has one person in mind, but life is full of surprises.
Available at:
The Love Project by TB Markinson & Miranda MacLeod
Joni Fisher is facing economic ruin. The once successful advice column she runs with her mother is on the brink of cancellation, and it’ll take a miracle to turn things around. Joni’s last-ditch effort to save her job and preserve her mother’s legacy is The Love Project, a web series she’s developing to bring the Help Me Henrietta franchise alive for a new generation. All she needs is a willing victim…er, star.
Hope Alvarez dreams of falling in love, but she’s always suspected she’s different. Physical attraction is a foreign language to her. After her only prospect for a meaningful relationship falls through, Hope has to face the fact that she’s completely hopeless when it comes to love. Can her favorite advice columnist, Henrietta, save her from a lonely future?
As the series gets underway, fans swoon for the lovable yet unlucky Hope, and they’re not the only ones. Joni is smitten, too. But she’s been down that road before, vowing never again to fall for a straight woman who will keep her forever in the friend zone. Except, what if she’s been reading the situation all wrong? Helping Hope make sense of her identity might save Joni’s job, but will it also bring her love?
Available at:
Fragments of a Fallen Star by Viano Oniomoh
Moira Karl-Fisher is ready to do anything to bring her parents back from the dead, even embark on a desperate trip across the sea in an attempt to find the missing pages of a spell to turn back time.
She’s barely spent one night away from her island when she’s nearly killed for being a MagiK, and now owes her life to the eccentric Nailah, another MagiK who apparently runs her own ship, and makes Moira’s insides twist with unwanted heat.
After agreeing to aid Nailah on a quest that promises magic, danger, and adventure, Moira finds her search for a happiness she thought long gone, turning into so much more.
Available at:
Truly Enough by J.J. Hale
Robyn Moore is a firefighter by trade and a lesbian lothario by choice. After losing her father and witnessing her mother’s broken heart, Robyn learns that loving someone never ends well. Spending her days trying to honor her father’s legacy isn’t easy, and the best way to blow off steam is by falling into bed with whomever happens to be available.
Lexi Lynch is an artist with a passion for painting. That is, until real life kicked in and bills piled up. To prove to her overprotective father that her chosen profession isn’t a mistake, Lexi takes on commissions that pay well but bore her to tears. Missed deadline after deadline has her career in jeopardy with the only bright spot in her days being her gorgeous friend and roommate, Robyn.
As Lexi leans on Robyn for support, more than just a creative spark flares between them. Their close proximity may ignite a fiery romance or send their friendship up in flames.
Available at:
This Is How Immortals Die by Nicole Hidalgo
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, unleashed a life-changing apocalypse that reshaped the world and cursed humankind with immortality. Now injury, old age, and death mean nothing. Until the Soul connects with its Twin. Once true Love is found, immortality is lost.
The Priestesses of Aphrodite exist to hunt down and send those blessed souls to Aphrodite’s Golden Palace in the afterlife. They are devout and efficient… if only a little blinded by the lustre of gold and the taste of blood.
Carys Epistro’phia, an infamous Priestess, will go to great lengths to put her hands on a chest with fifty thousand gold coins. Including turning a blind eye to Twin Souls who rule over an isolated island and are willing to hire her unique skills to bring their daughter back home. Princess Ishana, a fragile and naive girl who has never died before, is Carys’ key to the treasure… as long as she arrives home with her soul intact.
But in this sacrilegious contract, not everything is as it seems, and sometimes the heart has its own schemes.
Available at:
Go Truck Yourself by J.R. Hart
Between being a single parent and running a successful food truck, Myla Horan has no room for drama in her life. She’s got her nose to the grindstone to make Tasteful Noods a successful business year-round. But when her friend-turned-rival Zo comes back to town, they start to squeeze into her prime Clover Hill locations… and her memories of how things used to be.
After Zo moves home to care for their ailing uncle and starts a business of their own, they’re not surprised that Myla’s Tasteful Noods are faring better than their tiny food trailer, You’re My Jam. After all, driven Myla can do anything she sets her mind to. Unfortunately, it also means all of the animosity they ended things with has resurfaced.
When Myla and Zo agree there’s only room in Clover Hill for one of them, they make a deal: whoever loses the First Annual Clover Hill Food Truck Frenzy shuts down their truck. Forever.
But serious sabotage threatens to leave them both truckless for the competition and harm not only their chances at victory, but their very livelihoods. Working together as an unexpected dream team seems impossible. There’s no way they’re better as partners than rivals, are they?
Available at:
Dump Stat by Alex Silver
Laura and I have both had our share of heartache navigating the minefield of finding true love.
Despite that, Laura seems determined to find her perfect match. I understand how hard it is to keep leaping into first dates hoping this one will stick. Heck, the hardships of finding someone new when you don’t fit the factory default settings of being cishet and allosexual are half the reason I’ve been with Noelle for years. No matter how toxic our off and on relationship has become.
What starts out as bonding with my cousin’s new friend over a string of terrible dates and broken promises becomes the closest adult friendship I’ve ever had. We share the ups and downs of dating other people. Laura is the one who gives me the confidence to walk away from Noelle’s verbal abuse. Hers is the shoulder I cry on afterward. And she’s the one person I want to share everything with. From cozy nights at home to the view from a mountaintop. If only I could trust myself to be worthy of her.
Available at:
The Tell Tale by Clare Ashton
Snow, secrets, an icy lady of the manor, a vile villain, open fires and hidden love.
A frosty December and Bethan Griffiths has returned home to unwrap secrets. It’s the 1970s and she is back in the village of Foel in the Welsh hills to raise her daughter. They arrive to the open arms of her family and the community, but not all is what it seems and Beth isn’t home for the reason she pretends either.
Vicious notes start appearing that reveal harsh truths about the village inhabitants, stirring up ancient past, old loves and the dead. Not even local dignitary, the elegant and aloof Lady Melling who hides in her manor house, is safe from the accusations.
But when Beth receives her notes, they aren’t what she expected. Is she being toyed with like the other villagers, or is she being guided to a long-sought truth?
The Tell Tale has been watching and waiting, because there’s something queer about the village of Foel.
Available at:
Returning to You by Gwen Tolios
Monica’s relationship with her father is falling apart, made more obvious when her return to Madison after years aboard results in him throwing her out of the house. Lisa Carson, her BFF and old college roommate, takes her in. Turns out Lisa has her own issues with her parents – they’re pushing her to date despite her lack of desire. So when Monica joins a Carson family dinner, she lies and says it’s starting a relationship with Lisa that brought her back to America.
Lisa goes along with the ruse – it gets her parents off her back and it’s only until Monica repairs her relation-ship with her father and moves out. What Monica failed to take into account however is that crush she had on Lisa in college? Yeah, that didn’t go away.
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Not Just Friends by Jordan Meadows
Seventeen-year-old Jen’s best (let’s face it, only) friend Deanna is five years older and big on parties. Jen has been trying to live in Deanna’s world, but she’s coming to realize guys, drinking, and drugs aren’t really her thing. Just as she’s figuring out how to tell Deanna the truth, tragedy hits, leaving Jen struggling to figure out who she is and what’s important to her.
Consumed by grief and guilt, Jen finds support in unexpected places. Stephanie’s sociable, smart, and upbeat—all the things Jen is not. Yet she seems to want to be Jen’s friend. Stephanie is also a lesbian, and when she takes Jen along to an LGBTQIA+ club, Jen starts to see not only her past with Deanna in a new light, but more importantly, her feelings about Stephanie.
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The Summer We’ve Had by Katherine Blakeman
After a nightmare couple of years following the death of her celebrity singer mother, Cass Mulligan is moving down to the sun, sea and shingle of Cornwall for a fresh start. But she soon realises that she’s not the only one in need of some TLC…
Felicia Wilson’s life is one long series of spinning plates. She has Dissociative Identity Disorder, a system of five alternate personalities living in her body, and they all have different hopes, fears and desires.
When Cass is thrown together with Felicia, some beautiful friendships grow, and soon there is substantial mutual attraction between Cass and dominant alter Heather. But if things go wrong, they could go very wrong. Can they build a relationship AND keep everybody happy?
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Winter’s Moons by Lise MacTague
When Cassidy Nolan agreed to take over as the Alpha for Chicago’s North Side werewolf pack, she knew she was in for a challenge. Four months later, and she’s wondering how things deteriorated so far so quickly. Her sister—the Hunter of Chicago, a genetically-engineered werewolf/vampire/demon slayer—has disappeared, and wolves from her pack are vanishing without a trace. Complicating matters is the lone wolf in town whose motivations Cassidy isn’t sure she trusts.
All Snow had planned was to check in on her brother’s old pack, to make sure they were doing all right and that she didn’t need to avenge him. The new Alpha might be floundering, but with some guidance, Snow thinks she could be a decent leader. Not one to stay too long in one place, she should already be heading out of town, but the Alpha’s plight and that of her pack have her sticking around a little longer.
Cassidy and Snow quickly realize that time is a luxury and they’re about to run out. Forces far greater than the North Side Pack are aligning against them. And when they go looking to forge outside alliances, they discover that those who would call themselves allies may not have their best interests at heart.
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Blood of the Basilisk by Molly J. Bragg
Kota, a sorceress who works as a detective with the Grimmani Detective Agency, is on her way to a new posting on the world of Proximus. She’s been charged with transporting a mystical artifact called a Keystone that will allow Proximus to build a magical gateway back to Kota’s homeworld of Emake Maa. When the Aethership transporting Kota is attacked by pirates, Kota helps fight them off, and finds herself taking care of a half demon woman, Nadani who was being held as a slave on the pirate ship.
When Kota and Nadani arrive on Proximus, Kota is injured in an attempted assassination, and finds herself embroiled in a plot involving cultists who want her dead for some reason. Kota begins to dig into the motives of the assassin while trying to navigate her growing feelings for Nadani. Something made all the harder by more attempts on her life and the emotional minefield that Nadani’s past as a slave left behind.
When Kota learns that the assassins may be after Nadani as well, she becomes desperate to learn what they want. Something that puts her on a collision course with a cult that wants to use Nadani and the Keystone to open a permanent gateway to hell itself.
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The Sting of Victory by SD Simper
Haunted by a history of horror and abuse, Flowridia, a witch with a tender heart, finds a second chance in the home of her kingdom’s royal family. With employment comes friendship, and perhaps she has finally found a place to belong—until she catches the eye of Lady Ayla Darkleaf, a woman with enticing grace and a predatory smile. The corrupt world of politics consumes her, and Flowridia falls into a toxic love affair surely doomed for heartbreak. Yet when Ayla’s legacy as a monster unfolds, Flowridia sees only the tender soul hiding beneath.
An ancient deity returns, hell-bent on restoring the world to its natural order, and Flowridia’s kingdom is tasked to stop him. Caught in the ensuing clash of gods, her loyalties will be tempted at every turn—by family, by fate, and by the woman whose claws grip her heart.
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Old Flame, New Fire by Serenity Snow
For Andy Blackmore, now is the time to up the ante in her political career. She’s ready to push all distractions aside and run for mayor. But, when her manager insists dating the right woman will change her image, Andy’s skeptical. What could be worse or more distracting?
Cinnamon is looking to better her career but playing “girlfriend” to a mayor hopeful isn’t exactly what she had in mind. Being paired with her old flame isn’t the worst thing that could happen, but falling in love with her all over again…
Finding out who the faux girlfriend is, makes Andy wary, but learning it’s Cinnamon’s ideas that her manager has been working from convinces Andy that Cinnamon is exactly what her career needs. However, the incumbent mayor has more to lose than just another term. He will do whatever it takes to force Andy out of the running, even set her up for murder.
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Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
Sophie Chi is in her first year of college and has long accepted her aroace (aromantic and asexual) identity. She knows she’ll never fall in love, but she enjoys running an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at her school. No one except her roommate can know that she’s behind the incredibly popular “Dear Wendy” account.
When Joanna “Jo” Ephron (also a first-year student and aroace) created their “Sincerely Wanda” account, it wasn’t at all meant to take off or be taken seriously. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts with Wendy’s account? Oops. As if Jo’s not busy enough having existential crises over gender identity, whether she’ll ever truly be loved, and the possibility of her few friends finding The One then forgetting her!
While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo grow closer in real life, especially once they realize their shared aroace identity. Will their friendship survive if they learn just who’s behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the asexual character category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Asexual character appeared first on Jae.
October 17, 2024
Fierce sapphics (Sapphic Book Bingo #22)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo post celebrates fierce sapphics!
For this category, read a sapphic book in which the main character goes on an adventure, is in danger, or fights crime. You’ll usually find these elements in suspense fiction such as mysteries, thrillers, romantic suspense, or action/adventure stories.
15 sapphic books featuring fierce sapphics
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books that feature fierce sapphics:
Unbreakable by Cari Hunter
Dr. Grace Kendal never stands a chance. The injured woman comes out of nowhere, bleeding heavily and holding a gun. Compelled to help her, Grace is dragged into Elin Breckenridge’s nightmare. Their fight to survive will take them across the country and to the limits of their endurance. But who is Elin running from? As Grace struggles for answers, one thing becomes clear—Elin is somehow connected to a dead man, and Grace could be next.
For Detective Sergeant Safia Faris, the case should have been easy: one dead body, one suspect. But the deeper she digs, the more obvious it becomes that murder was only the beginning. The investigation sets her on a collision course with Grace and Elin, and she’s forced to reevaluate everything she knows. Because nothing is quite as it seems, and Grace’s and Elin’s lives aren’t the only ones on the line.
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Light Em Up by Sami Garcia
Light Em’ Up is a crime thriller series about a bomb squad unit in Arizona and Sam Harris striving to stop a serial bomber seeking revenge.
Harris leaves a career in stripping after inadvertently causing her best friend Cassidy’s death with an explosive device and joining the Explosive Disposal Ordinance (EOD) unit. Harris grows in the bomb squad, but a childhood trauma surfaces, prompting a one-night stand with McKenzie, who ironically becomes her new partner, taking any kind of romantic relationship off the table to keep their jobs.
Harris keeps busy competing with McKenzie to maintain the title of team lead, despite the growing desire between them. To complicate things further, Harris is assigned as a mentor in an elementary after school program for abused children.
Harris manages to juggle all of her responsibilities, and manages to expose the serial bomber they have been searching for, a retired EOD officer, closing the case, or so she thought. McKenzie and Harris succumb to the attraction, deciding it’s worth risking their jobs but while basking in their passion, Harris doesn’t see the new threat emerging with vengeance in its shadow. A dangerous new serial bomber believes Haris is the cause for their pain and suffering and will stop at nothing to ensure everyone she cares about is bathed in blood. The suspense builds as the devices become more deadly, the targets more personal leading to the end where Harris faces a life-altering decision: sacrifice herself to save others.
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Lifelines by Shireen Magedin
It’s 1975 in Nawabshah, Pakistan. Sarah and Tanya have fallen in love in an ancient land. Can they withstand the fierce opposition to their forbidden love in a city of deeply held beliefs and cultural traditions? Their journey is just beginning.
The world is changing, but not fast enough for Tanya Kareem. Her promotion to police inspector sends her to Nawabshah where she will have to prove herself and take a leading role in a man’s world.
Sarah Shahzad Shah’s passion for learning and compassion for her patients make her a brilliant doctor in training. But she possesses psychic abilities that she doesn’t know how to master… yet. Those gifts will come in handy when she handles some of her more puzzling cases that lead her to Inspector Tanya Kareem.
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Next of Kin by Jae
For years, ambitious Deputy District Attorney Kade Matheson has taken case files and law books, not lovers, to bed, ignoring her personal life in favor of her career. When she finds herself with a stalker, she tries to handle the situation the way she always does: on her own.
Lieutenant Del Vasquez has admired the standoffish lawyer for a while, and she’s determined to protect her at all costs.
When Kade’s stalker situation escalates and she and Del have to hide at her mother’s, Kade is finally forced to face her attraction to women for the very first time.
Suddenly, she’s no longer sure which one is more dangerous—the threat to her life or to her heart?
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Strange Attractors by Ana K. Wrenn
Fierce and frosty high achiever Professor Sonja J. Storey is on the verge of seizing power in her department. She has exacting plans to remake her backwoods North Carolina university, just as she has painstakingly remade herself.
Sonja’s perfectly ordered life takes a dramatic turn when she meets laid-back, magnetic junior professor Crystal Byrd.
But then come threatening notes, sinister emails, and shadowy nocturnal figures, and suddenly, Sonja’s controlled world starts to tremble like a butterfly in a storm.
Is someone out to get her? Is it a specter from Sonja’s past? It’s hard not to be suspicious of everyone, even intoxicating Crystal with her temptingly warm presence.
Seeing danger everywhere, Sonja must hunt down the source of the chaos before she loses her brilliant mind, and her chance at the one thing she’s never known—love.
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A Curious Woman by Jess Lea
Bess Campbell has escaped to the windswept Australian coastal town of Port Bannir, determined to begin her life again. She is loving her fresh start, thanks to her fun job running a hip gallery, her territorial chickens, and a lot of self-help books to find her new, better self. Port Bannir local Margaret Gale runs an austere maritime museum, and rules her staff with an iron fist. She has no time for that crazy modern gallery or upbeat, earnest Bess sweeping around town on her hipster bicycle. After a heated dispute over an antique collectible dildo, there’s little hope Margaret and Bess will ever see eye to eye. But when Port Bannir is rocked by a senseless murder, both women find themselves implicated. Can they work together to expose the truth––or will the truth prove far too dangerous?
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Undercover by Barbara Winkes
KENDALL
I swore to avenge my father’s death. I have to do it not only for my peace of mind, but to make sure everyone, from my family to the Biancos, knows that I am in charge now.
It’s lonely at the top. Jess is exactly who I need by my side, and I can’t let her go, even knowing about the danger that’s coming. Even after I learn of her true identity…
JESS/ROBYN
I began this undercover mission with good intentions and an infatuation for my target, Kendall Mancini, heir to a crime empire. My mission: to convince her to give up her vendetta and work with the authorities instead. For that, I had to get close to her.
I did get close to her. I couldn’t resist.
Now there’s no way back.
If we both want to survive this, we must do the impossible: Trust each other.
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Bury Me When I’m Dead by Cheryl A. Head
Charlene “Charlie” Mack runs one of the most respected private investigation firms in Detroit—not bad for a smart and savvy Black woman struggling with her sexual orientation and a mother with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
When Charlie and her crack team of investigators head to Birmingham, Alabama in search of a missing person, what should be a routine investigation turns into a complex chase for answers. They come across a double murder, shady locals, and a southern patriarch with dark secrets dating back forty years. And when Charlie is attacked on a quiet neighborhood street, the case suddenly becomes personal and potentially deadly. It seems like everyone has a secret to hide, including Charlie.
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Retrospect by A.J. Hutchinson-Forton
McKenna Scott is missing. She’s presumed dead. Perished. Out of her misery… Suddenly, she’s not. She’s alive! Existing. Viable, just about…
Two years after she vanished, Mac Scott stumbles into a London hospital. Scars encrust her body. She cannot tolerate the slightest physical touch despite her body aching for human connection. She has no memory of what happened to her. As Mac tries to ease herself into a life that now feels alien, she is consumed with grief and anger at losing the self-assured, fun-loving woman she once was. So she looks for help.
Enticing therapist, Alisha Cole, helps her retrieve shards of horrific memories and it soon becomes clear… Mac may be home, but she is far from free.
Using her scars and memory fragments like a road map, she investigates her disappearance and journeys through the perilous twists and turns of her own mystery. Unexpected love and an insatiable need to be freed from the evil which torments her, drives Mac to rediscover herself and find newfound fortitude.
Where has she been? Why was she captured? She’s about to find out. And then she will make them pay. Escape is just the beginning; Mac is going to raise hell.
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Sappho’s Bar and Grill by Bonnie J. Morris
Each month for a full year, the holiday parties and theme nights at Sappho’s Bar & Grill spin lonely Hannah Stern into the past when she least expects it. Through her sexy encounters with foremothers ranging from Lilith to Sappho, through Radclyffe Hall to the All American Girls Baseball League, Hannah learns much about herself and women’s survival across time.
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Leverage: Book Two in the Halcyon Division Series by E. J. Noyes
Last month, intelligence analyst Lexie Martin found out a secret that could ruin lives. After a week on the run from her own government with her maybe-almost girlfriend, Sophia Flores, Lexie was forced to turn herself in and accept her punishment. But that punishment never came…
Aside from Lexie’s confusion about the whys of her release, things seem to be okay—she’s free, back at work, and is officially dating Sophia, which is way better than just okay. But when you embarrass the most powerful man in the country, you risk incurring his petty wrath, and when Lexie is reassigned back into a field position in a hostile country, she’s sure it’s retaliation for knowing the truth and that the president is going to leverage what Lexie did to keep her in line.
Now Lexie has a new mission. Make it home to the woman she loves.
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Hounded by E.J. Cochrane
Dog walker-turned murder investigator Matilda Smithwick is stressed out. Thankfully, her best friend Dottie has the perfect solution—a weekend getaway to a private island off the coast of Maine.
When one of the guests is found dead in the wine cellar, Dottie “volunteers” Maddie to hunt for the killer among them. No easy feat on a remote island with no internet or cell phone reception. Add in Dottie’s questionable assistance, an impending storm, a captive and unruly pool of suspects, a growing body count and Dottie’s insistence that the party must go on, and Maddie certainly has her hands full.
Can Maddie stay out of trouble long enough to catch a killer?
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Through the Storms by Rita Potter
Dark clouds are gathering for cocky storm chaser Oakley Pierce as she throws herself into a bruising Oklahoma tempest that will change the course of four lives.
Tracking her path is down-to-earth TV meteorologist Lana Monroe, who’d dearly love a commitment from her free-spirited partner, Oakley, after eight long years of absence and career sacrifice.
Buckled in with Oakley for the storm-chasing ride of a lifetime is butch, brave EMT Riley Gatlin. She can’t help but be drawn to the sweet newly divorced single mother Chloe Crawford, who seems as out of place in the group as she is sad.
As the weather closes in, the women are forced to face their worst fears and buried truths. Will two couples emerge from the damage and debris, or will they be torn apart?
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Out to Get Her by Leigh Landry
Trouble blazes when Erin’s Louisiana hometown return lands her between yet another arson accusation and a murder.
Investigating officer Samantha tackles the case with calm and control, a stark contrast to Erin’s trademark chaos. She struggles to keep Erin clear of both cases while battling the local patriarchy for the soul of her town.
Their attraction is undeniable, but Erin has no love for cops and isn’t spending a second more than necessary in a place that never wanted her. Plus, Samantha isn’t exactly public about her bisexuality yet.
The women must navigate lingering wounds, a murder investigation, and a hurricane on the horizon to find a love that can weather all storms.
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The Power of Rain by Rosalie Rayburn
Elizabeth “Digger” Doyle is a tough young lesbian reporter with a nose for political intrigue in Las Vistas, New Mexico, a town where developers call the shots and politicians turn a blind eye. Land speculator Johnny Raposa wants a road built to his luxury clifftop subdivision. Artist/activist Maria Ortiz is fighting to stop the road and save a historic Spanish chapel. Maria begs Digger, the reporter, to expose Raposa’s shady past. Digger’s investigation is complicated by her powerful attraction to Maria.
Digger follows tips from a mysterious source, learning Raposa has dark secrets, a scam that bilked millions from taxpayers. As Digger and Maria navigate a tightrope relationship, colleagues warn Digger she’s risking her career by getting involved with a story source. But the paper is in financial trouble. Can Digger get the story without losing Maria? Can she expose Raposa and stop the road before bulldozers destroy the chapel? Will her story appear before the paper closes?
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Mafia Girl, Maybe? by Kimberly A. Todd
Stephanie Sabbatini, jewel of the Sabbatini Crime Family, didn’t expect to become a Mob Boss so soon. But when her uncle goes to prison for fifty years, everything changes.
With her protected world of running the family’s legitimate businesses nearly over, can she endure a life of crime to make good on old debts owed to two powerful enemies? Will new threats to the woman she loves and her beloved grandmother’s safety compromise her morals and have her questioning if she can really do the job?
Madison Prescott, a Park Avenue society girl, never intended to fall in love with a Mafia princess. But when her job at an art gallery causes their paths to cross, circumstances change. Is true love worth risking your life for?
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “fierce sapphics” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Fierce sapphics (Sapphic Book Bingo #22) appeared first on Jae.
October 10, 2024
Sapphic books about coming out later in life (Sapphic Book Bingo #21)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic books about coming out later in life.
For this square of the bingo card, read a sapphic book in which the main character comes out as LGBTQ+ later in life, either because it took them longer to figure out they aren’t straight or because they were struggling to come out to friends and family.
What “later in life” means is subjective, of course, but the character should definitely be older than 30.
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books about coming out later in life.
I Do by Cheyenne Blue
Accountant Allie Lane would do anything for her injured twin sister, including pretend to be her to save Sophie’s fledgling event-planning business. All Allie has to do is fake being a lesbian for a few weeks and coordinate a rural gay wedding festival. Simple. Except she’s nothing like her outgoing sister and, last Allie checked, she was straight.
Tarryn Harris cannot stand weddings. Now her small Australian town of Quandong is being overrun by matrimonial madness for its first gay wedding festival. The other hitch is she’s been roped into being the assistant to the cute lesbian event planner. Frankly, she’d rather be left alone with her alpacas and metal art.
The finale of the festival is a fake wedding. Surely no one will vote for a wedding hater and an undercover straight woman to play the fake couple? Right?
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Dead Letters from Paradise by Ann McMan
The year is 1960, and Gunsmoke is the most popular show on TV. Elvis Presley tops the Billboard charts, and a charismatic young senator named John F. Kennedy is running for president. And, in North Carolina, four young Black men sit down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter and demand service.
Enter Esther Jane (EJ) Cloud, a forty-something spinster who manages the Dead Letter Office at the Winston-Salem post office. EJ leads a quiet life in her Old Salem ancestral home and spends her free time volunteering in the town’s 18th-century medicinal garden.
One sunny Spring morning, EJ’s world is turned upside down when she is handed a stack of handwritten letters that have all been addressed to a nonexistent person at the garden. This simple act sets in motion a chain of events that will lead EJ on a life-altering quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious letter writer—and into a surprising, head-on confrontation with the harsh realities of the racial injustice that is as deeply rooted in the life of her community as the ancient herbs cultivated in the Moravian garden.
When EJ is forced to read the letters for clues about the anonymous sender, she discovers lyrical tales of a forbidden passion that threatens to unravel the simple contours of her unexamined life. EJ’s official quest soon morphs into a journey of self-discovery. Her surprising accomplice on this quest becomes a savvy, street-smart ten-year-old wielding an eye patch and a limitless supply of aphorisms. Together, the unlikely duo makes pilgrimages to a tiny town called Paradise to try and crack the case—while ultimately learning better ways to navigate the changing world around them.
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May I? by Isa G.C.
Moving to Brazil is supposed to be Amanda Jones’ fresh start away from her ex-husband, but she arrives in Rio de Janeiro completely unprepared for the city’s culture, language, and her daughter’s rebellious teenage phase.
As head of a bilingual school, Amanda can’t just shut everyone out if she wants to survive. Fellow American expat Danielle sparks a connection: she’s funny, charming, and free in a way that captivates Amanda like never before. But can Amanda even cross this line with her daughter’s teacher? Will she allow Dani to guide her as she navigates a new city, a new school, and a new life?
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Only a Bridesmaid by Haley Donnell
It’s the strangest job that actress Meli has ever been offered—posing as a bridesmaid for an apparently friendless woman at her upcoming Caribbean wedding. Then she meets the shy bride-to-be, Hannah, and feels an instant connection that makes her put her doubts aside. She’s not only doing this because Hannah is gorgeous, even though she really is. Too bad she’s straight.
Hannah is ten steps beyond shy. Even connecting with her fiancé is difficult, despite how badly her religious parents want her to marry. But something about Meli makes her feel safe. A close encounter with Meli at the bachelorette party leaves Hannah shivery and warm, and wondering if she’s making a mistake by getting married.
To chase her real happily-ever-after, Hannah has to not only defy expectations she’s conformed to all her life, but also risk her heart getting broken and find the words—and the courage—to be her true self.
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Live It Out by Jenn Alexander
Spencer Adams was never expected to be anything more than a high school dropout. She’d been a troubled teen, spending more time at the skate park than in school, at least until her music teacher introduced her to the guitar, and music class became her lifeline. Ten years later, she is the guitarist in a band that has become a breakout success, and she wants to use that success to help other teens who have had the same rough start as her. She takes on a volunteer project with local youth as a way of honoring her past, not knowing that it will force her to revisit the one part of her past that she’d hoped to forget.
Faith Siebert has always had high expectations to live up to, and she has tried her best to fulfill those expectations, to be a good daughter, a good student, and a good friend. When she fell for Spencer in high school, she knew her family and friends would never approve. Scared of their reactions, Faith ended things with Spencer, following the path her parents wanted for her, even at the immense personal cost. Of course, it had only been a high school romance, destined for brevity anyway. At least, that’s what she told herself. But when Spencer shows up in her life once again, partnered with Faith on a youth music project, her world is rocked and she is forced to re-examine everything she knows about relationships and herself.
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Forgetting With You by Robin Clairvaux
Camryn Durant plays it safe. Since losing her heart to the wrong woman ten years ago, the shy graphic designer focuses on work and never takes risks. But when a chance meeting in a bar with a beautiful stranger turns into a night of reckless passion, Cam struggles to go back to her cautious habits, even though falling for a straight woman is bound to lead to emotional disaster.
Jackie Webster has no business questioning her sexuality. So why can’t the poised and predictable politician’s daughter stop thinking about the warm, adorable butch woman she hooked up with in an ill-advised moment of heartache? Getting closer to Cam means discovering herself in ways she never thought possible, but it can also mean losing her reputation, her relationship with her family, and the future she’s always wanted.
Each moment they spend together pushes them closer to an agonizing choice. Will they cling to security or reach for love?
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Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey
Eden Sands has been a star for twenty years, but it’s lonely at the top. Her mediocre marriage just ended, and her inner circle is smaller than ever. The stage is the only place she’s ever felt like she truly belonged, and yet, her last album flopped, and her upcoming tour hasn’t sold out. Eden’s desperate for her star to shine bright again, but when her team suggests a collaboration with an up-and-coming young star to give her a boost, she balks.
Anna Moss is pop music’s rising star. She’s idolized Eden Sands for most of her life—so it’s a dream come true when she’s invited to perform with her at the Grammys. Anna’s tired of being defined by her bubbly persona. She wants to be taken seriously as an artist, and a duet with Eden could be just what she needs.
As Anna and Eden rehearse, they soon realize they have more in common than their musical talents. Now they just have to decide if what is between them is a one-hit wonder or the making of a romance worthy of one of the greatest love songs of all time.
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Coming Out in Ten Dates by Reba Bale
After eighteen years of marriage, Rebecca finally admits the truth: she likes women. Tired of living a lie, she divorces her befuddled husband and sets out to explore life as a newly single lesbian woman.
Concerned that Rebecca will fall for the first sweet-talking sapphic sister she meets, her sister Alice challenges Rebecca to go out on ten dates with ten different women to explore Seattle’s lesbian dating scene. And she’s recruited all of her friends to try to fix Rebecca up!
Little did she know dating women would be such an adventure…good dates, bad dates, totally weird dates…Rebecca is going to experience them all before she finally pops her lesbian cherry and finds “the one” and gets her happily ever after.
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The Stepmother by Melissa Tereze
After the death of her estranged father, Hayley McAllister plans to endure cold, wet England just long enough to tie up loose ends. Then she’s heading straight back to Ibiza, where she lives exactly as she pleases—performing her music, soaking up sunshine, and indulging in flings with gorgeous women.
She has no interest in meeting her dad’s new wife. A wife Hayley assumes must be just as bitter as he was. Until she comes face to face with Diane Astell—a walking, talking dream, from her dark hair and eyes and brilliant smile, down to her divine legs.
Diane is intimately acquainted with heartbreak and loneliness, both within and outside of marriage. Now? She just wants to let it all go and have some fun for a change. Despite their age difference, she quickly recognises a kindred spirit in the beautiful, vivacious Hayley.
Their sexual chemistry is hotter than the Ibizan sun, but their undeniable connection comes with an expiration date—and consequences neither expected. Now, both must decide if holding onto lives they thought they wanted is worth losing the love of a lifetime for.
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Blood Remains by Cathy Pegau
Callie Payne once ran with the Jackson Street Roses, but she left Seattle—left the Roses—to marry a rancher. After his death, she returns to take over the family butcher shop; a fitting career for an out-of-practice blood mage. When the leader of the Roses, Eileen “EJ” Jordan, stops by, Callie knows it isn’t just to buy T-bone steaks. What does the suave gangster really want after all these years?
EJ needs Callie’s magic against rival gangster Paul Underwood, who is horning in on Rose territory. Callie refuses to get involved; she won’t risk violating the Laws of the Covenant forbidding intentional harm. Then EJ tells her Underwood was responsible for the death of one of the Roses years ago. Callie is compelled to get revenge however she can.
A three-day incantation to repel Underwood re-establishes and strengthens Callie’s connection to the Roses, particularly EJ. Old feelings return, but EJ worries a personal relationship will endanger Callie. Their desire, however, proves impossible to ignore.
Days after Underwood threatens them, he’s found dead in an area awash in magic residue. The cops and the Covenant Investigation Office are eyeing EJ and Callie for the crime. Whoever is responsible knows magic well enough to be a step ahead, and they’re setting up EJ and Callie to take the fall.
EJ is determined to find the culprit, no matter the cost, and Callie is willing to bend the Laws for her. Can they catch the killer before more blood is spilled?
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Broken Beyond Repair by Emily Banting
Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie — that is, until Gertie cries off sick. When her boss calls in a favour, one that will pay Sydney handsomely and put Gertie back on the road, she can’t refuse.
Internationally renowned actress Beatrice Russell — adored by her fans and despised by those that know her — is splashed across the tabloids, all thanks to her broken leg. She limps back to her palatial English country estate to convalesce for the summer, where she finds herself in need of yet another new assistant.
Enter Sydney, who doesn’t take kindly to the star’s demands, attitude, or clicking fingers — much less her body’s own attraction to the gorgeous diva. If not for that, and Gertie’s worn-out engine, she would leave tomorrow. Or so she tells herself.
As the summer heats up, the ice queen begins to thaw, and Sydney glimpses the tormented woman beneath the celebrity bravado, drawing her ever closer to the enigmatic actress — sometimes too close.
Can Sydney reach the real Beatrice and help heal her wounds before the summer ends and she returns to filming in the States, or is the celebrity broken beyond repair?
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Cat Sloan is Swirling by Jamey Moody
Cat Sloan needed something to be happy about. After a devastating heartbreak she is focused on opening her bookstore, alongside her sisters, in their brand new shopping center.
Elena Burkett had been swallowed by grief the past year. But when she spotted a new bookstore about to open in her neighborhood she felt a spark of hope.
As Elena nervously walks into the bookstore for the first time Cat immediately puts her at ease. Amidst their shared love of books and sadness a much-needed friendship blossoms.
When Cat’s ex and reason for her heartbreak returns to town, Elena devises a plan to help her friend send the ex packing for good. It all starts with a fake kiss.
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A Perfect Fit by Kellan McKnight
Ella Gardner is a high school English teacher and former volleyball star who lost out on her chance to play in college when she became pregnant with her daughter in her senior year of high school. Fed up with the direction of her life, she acknowledges her sexuality at thirty-five and decides to try online dating. While her first and only foray into that world did not work out the way she had intended, happenstance brought her into the orbit of the woman who would change her life forever.
Parker Chase is everyone’s friend and every woman’s conquest. She’s always looking for her next one-night companion until a statuesque blonde strolls up to her bar one night. She never believed in love at first sight before now, but can she overcome a troublesome past which leaves her feeling unworthy of any lasting affection?
The twists and turns on the road to love are never easy to navigate. And with a cast of characters that will make you cry and keep you in stitches from one chapter to the next, this story visits old tropes and looks at them with new eyes. Happily ever after free with purchase.
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Catboat Road by Kate Rounds
For Candace “Ace” Ragsdale, Mrs. Forest is an irresistible force of nature: luscious, tantalizing—and maybe not completely out of reach.
No one in her family is moored to social convention—but they’ve each learned to surf the wave of the unfamiliar and make the most of chaos. From Ace’s womanizing-yet-worshipful brother to her elusive-yet-loving parents, we watch this well-meaning family weave its way into a rich tapestry of townspeople, often to comic effect.
The backdrop is the Massachusetts seaside town of Horton, cut off from the world. On the surface, boats sway on their moorings, while below bubbles a primal brew of salt and sea life—much like the Ragsdales, a decidedly modern family whose humor and goodwill skim breezily above an ocean of smoldering emotions.
Into this infinite chaos careens a rebel grandmother who shows up to help the family save the town windmill, whose mysterious energy whips up the coastal disturbances of a changing world. As this spectacle of public conflict and private anguish unfolds, we’re fully on Ace’s side as she pilots the turbulent waters of love, sex, and traditionally non-traditional small-town values.
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Coming to Terms by Laura G Wiser
It is the start of the fall term and Olivia Brandon is returning to her alma mater for graduate school. Now at 35, she is an adult and knows what she wants in life. Or so she thinks. Upon arriving, she comes face-to-face with her former English professor, the one who flunked her a decade before. Olivia has grown since then and knows the consequences of failing helped form her into the adult she is today and she is grateful. But meeting this professor again, the beautifully dark-haired and dark-eyed Kate Edwards, poses more questions than Olivia can answer. Is she a potential friend or something more?
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book about coming out later in life will you be reading? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sapphic books about coming out later in life (Sapphic Book Bingo #21) appeared first on Jae.
October 3, 2024
Sapphic historical fiction (Sapphic Book Bingo #20)
This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category is sapphic historical fiction!
Since October is LGBTQ+ History Month, it’s the perfect time to dive into stories that explore history through a queer lens. Whether it’s a book set in the roaring ’20s, in the Wild West, or in the neolithic period, these stories tell the tale of sapphic life and love throughout time, often against the odds.
15 sapphic historical fiction novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic historical fiction novels:
Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head
Birmingham, 1929: Robert Lee Harrington, a master carpenter, has just moved to Alabama to pursue a job opportunity, bringing along his pregnant wife and young daughter. Birmingham is in its heyday, known as the “Magic City” for its booming steel industry, and while Robert and his family find much to enjoy in the city’s busy markets and vibrant nightlife, it’s also a stronghold for the Klan. And with his beautiful, light-skinned wife and snazzy car, Robert begins to worry that he might be drawing the wrong kind of attention.
2019: Meghan McKenzie, the youngest reporter at the Detroit Free Press, has grown up hearing family lore about her great-grandfather’s murder—but no one knows the full story of what really happened back then, and his body was never found. Determined to find answers to her family’s long-buried tragedy and spurred by the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan travels to Birmingham. But as her investigation begins to uncover dark secrets that spider across both the city and time, her life may be in danger.
Inspired by true events, Time’s Undoing is both a passionate tale of one woman’s quest for the truth behind the racially motivated trauma that has haunted her family for generations and, as newfound friends and supporters in Birmingham rally around Meghan’s search, the uplifting story of a community coming together to fight for change.
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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.
America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father – despite his hard-won citizenship – Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
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Shaken to the Core by Jae
Kate Winthrop, the only child of a wealthy shipping magnate, has the course of her life charted for her by her parents. She’s expected to marry well and produce a successor to the Winthrop empire. But Kate has a very different path in mind. Her true passion lies with photography—and with women.
Alone in the city after losing her brother, Sicilian immigrant Giuliana Russo starts working for the Winthrops as a maid. Despite their different social status, Kate and Giuliana become friends, much to the dismay of Kate’s parents.
As the connection between the two women grows, a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco and ignites fires that sweep through the city for three days and nights.
Will the disaster shatter their tentative feelings for each other, or will they find the courage to save each other’s lives—and their hearts?
Join Kate and Giuliana on a journey of danger and discovery in the action-packed historical romance Shaken to the Core, set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
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Stone Memory by Aimée
Clifton, present time. Kate O’Carroll has just moved to take up a new position at Bristol University. She’s found a lovely house that comes complete with its own library – a big bonus for an avid reader. Her new life seems to be starting auspiciously when she slips on the pavement and ends up at the local A&E. Adrienne Sargent, the surgeon on call, immediately feels a connection to her patient, but of course, there’s no reason they should meet again outside the hospital.
Clifton, 1900. Dorcas Fairstead, a parson’s daughter, is starting a teaching career at one of the pioneering colleges for women. Not much older than her students, she is finding her feet, making friends and writing a journal for the first time in her life. At a conference, she and her friends meet Elizabeth Sutcliff, a young doctor working at one of the first women’s hospitals in London.
There must be something in the air, for although none of these women is actively looking for love, life has other ideas. As past and present intersect, are they ready to follow their desires?
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Between Boat & Shore by Rhiannon Grant
Life in Otter Village is governed by the changing seasons and the will of the Goddess. Trebbi is held in high regard by her community. Guided by the goddess, the village plants, harvests, and trades with its neighbours. But when strangers arrive by boat in the midst of a storm – on the same day the village leader is found murdered – it brings a time of change for Trebbi, Dru, and the other villagers. Trebbi and Dru must work out who killed Peku while the village listens to the Goddess to guide them to a new leader, and Trebbi must listen to her heart about the visitor Aleuks.
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A Lady to Treasure by Marianne Ratcliffe
Louisa Silverton is the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, brought up to believe a healthy profit is the only route to happiness. With the family company over-leveraged and in need of a capital injection, she travels to England to find a rich husband.
The Honourable Miss Sarah Davenport has no time for romance. The family estate of Kenilborough is mired in debt and only she can save it. Unconventional and outspoken, Sarah is dismayed that somebody as intelligent and attractive as Louisa is willing to sacrifice herself for financial gain. As Louisa pursues her campaign, Sarah realises her objections to the project run deeper than mere principles. At the same time, Louisa finds herself captivated by Sarah’s independent spirit. Yet to indulge their unexpected passion would surely mean the ruin of both their families. Bound by duty, will they ever be free to follow their hearts?
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Murder And Gold by Ann Aptaker
New York City, 1954.
Two women are found murdered. One is Lorraine Quinn, Cantor Gold’s most recent one-night-stand. The other is political power broker and aspiring New York socialite Eve Garraway, a regular client of Cantor’s stolen art trade.
Police nemesis, Lieutenant Norm Huber, wants to pin the murders on Cantor, send her to prison, and put her in the electric chair. He’ll get evidence on her any way he can. Into this cauldron of danger and death come two other women, each with ties to Cantor’s past. One hates her until passion intervenes; the other harbors darkly hidden feelings.
Set during the earliest stirrings of the Homosexual Rights Movement, Cantor begins to question her own tenuous identity, and the trade-offs she must make to get what she wants.
Cantor Gold, dapper butch art thief and smuggler for whom survival is everything, must now grapple with two fronts: surviving the shifting sands of the criminal underworld, and navigating the changing tides of society.
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Remember Me by Del Robertson
Sarah Lindley followed her brother into the untamed Wild West in search of adventure. She found it – in the form of a woman unlike any she’d ever met before.
Buckshot Bailey Bowen thought she had settled down as a ranch hand. That was until a chance encounter with a feisty, Irish redhead turned her world upside down.
Sarah and Bailey meet again in San Antonio in an old, crumbling mission. As the infamous thirteen-day siege rages about them, they fall hopelessly in love. Surrounded by enemy forces, their future looks uncertain. Will they – and their love – survive against such insurmountable odds?
The cry “Remember The Alamo” has long echoed throughout history. Now, the women that were at the Battle of The Alamo ask you to Remember Me.
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For All Time by Lyn Denison
It’s the 1960s. Life was different then. But Tyneholme, the magnificent, historic home of one of Brisbane’s pioneering families, the well-known Chaseleys, endures. Dickie Chaseley, grandson of the first Chaseley to arrive in Australia, is a respected businessman, and his vivacious wife, Vivienne, is a much loved patron of a large number of charities.
Circumstances have drastically changed young Laura Dawson’s comfortable and sheltered life and she gratefully accepts what she sees as a lifeline, a job working with Viv Chaseley. Laura moves into Tyneholme and into the unbelievably amazing world of the Chaseleys. Working with Viv gives Laura the confidence she knows she lacks, and it brings new meaning to her previously uninspiring life.
She meets Dickie and Viv’s elder son, Richard, and his lovely wife, Sara, and their younger son, the dark and slightly dangerous, Nicholas. Then the Chaseleys’ only daughter arrives home from the UK. Viv had said she was sure her daughter and Laura would become great friends, but nothing could have prepared Laura for her meeting with the poised, worldly, so very attractive Rosemary Chaseley.
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The Teachers’ Room by Lydia Stryk
A novice fifth-grade teacher embarks on a clandestine love affair with another teacher, which sets her on the tumultuous path of self-discovery.
It is 1963, one of the most turbulent years in American history. The escalating tensions and conflicts in society at large are playing out in classrooms, principals’ offices, and school boards across the country, along with the first stirrings of social transformation, though the past still holds its suffocating grip. And behind the closed door of the teachers’ room in one small Midwest town, two teachers set eyes on each other and find it hard to look away.
Karen Murphy, fresh from college, has taken on her first teaching job. Despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to stick to the subjects in her fifth-grade school books, helped along by the antics of a girl who upends all her lesson plans. She has a lot to learn, and her women colleagues are there to offer their advice, especially the enigmatic fourth-grade teacher, Esther Jonas. As Karen quickly discovers, the devoted spinster teacher with no life beyond the classroom is a myth—the school is teeming with passion and secrets, her own perilous desire for Esther Jonas included.
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In the Shadow of the Past (Shadow Series Book 1) by J.E. Leak
She fell for the wrong woman … now it’s going to cost her.
In the shadowy world of 1940s New York City, a sultry spy falls for the one woman she shouldn’t. When reporter Jenny Ryan’s father is murdered, her burning need for justice drives her to take on a ruthless tycoon. But her plan goes awry when she falls for the criminal’s alluring mistress, OSS agent Kathryn Hammond.
Kathryn is more than just a popular nightclub singer with a glamorous façade. She’s an undercover spy, trapped stateside in a dead-end assignment while the war rages on in Europe. Frustrated and resentful, her feelings get her into real trouble when Jenny steals her heart. As their forbidden desire blooms, they find themselves caught in a web of danger and intrigue.
Will their passion endanger their lives and unravel everything they’ve worked for, or will their love be the very thing that saves them?
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Promises in Pompeii by Violet Morley
Spanning twenty years, this story explores life, love, and loss in Ancient Rome.
Helvia doesn’t want for anything, but being wealthy can come at a cost. Navigating through her papa’s disinterest and trying to dodge her bully of a brother, Helvia is already learning how lonely life can be—until Octavia comes bursting on the scene, ready to help provide support, laughter, and companionship that Helvia desperately needs.
Octavia’s family doesn’t have wealth, but they certainly aren’t short on love. She is taught early to stick up for what is right and work hard for those she cares about.
As Helvia and Octavia grow, so does their friendship. Moving from childhood to adulthood while navigating the expectations of women in Ancient Rome, their connection navigates unexpected bumps and turns. Life has a way of shaking up even the most solid foundations.
With promises of their future shattered and secrets held tight to the chest, Helvia and Octavia have to ask themselves how their connection can equal a happy ending.
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Secrets Well Kept by Lynn Ames
It’s March, 1943. World War II rages across the globe, and twenty-five-year-old Nora Lindstrom is about to take a huge leap of faith. One of the few women in the male-dominated field of physics, she travels to an undisclosed destination to undertake a vital, top-secret project that the government insists could help the Allies win the war.
At eighteen, Mary Trask is ready to put high school and the boy who wants to marry her in her rearview mirror. But what alternative could the future hold for the dyslexic daughter of a train conductor? When a cousin in Tennessee provides Mary with a cryptic job opportunity, she jumps at the chance to rewrite her life.
Nora and Mary are drawn together under impossible circumstances. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they find solace in their love for each other. But in a place where secrecy is paramount, their relationship is forever changed by the consequences of secrets well kept.
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A Bittersweet Garden by Caren J. Werlinger
Nora McNeill has always dreamed of exploring her Irish roots. When she finally gets the opportunity to spend a summer in the village where her grandparents grew up, the experience promises to live up to her very high expectations. Except for the ghost that is haunting her rented cottage and is soon invading her dreams.
Briana Devlin has arranged her life the way she likes it: a good dog, good mates, and work with horses. There’s no room in her life for a relationship. Especially with an annoyingly clumsy—and attractive—American who is only going to be around for a few months.
The weeks fly by, and Nora’s ghost becomes more demanding, seeking her help in solving the mystery surrounding her death. Briana watches as Nora becomes more wrapped up in the past, seeming to fade away before her eyes. Past and present are on a collision course, leaving Nora and Briana caught in a ghostly intrigue that could cost them not only their chance of a future together, but their very lives.
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Sister Matthew and Sister Rose: Novices in Love by Carol Anne Douglas
Maureen Collins, recently named Sister Matthew in the novitiate at St. Euphrosnye’s convent in Western Maryland in 1962, doubts the existence of God. She entered the convent for several reasons: she thinks being surrounded by believers might help her believe; she knows she’s attracted to women and wants to avoid pressure to date men and marry; and she feels guilty about something that happened when she was in high school.
She quickly falls in love with Rose Clancy, now Sister Rose, another novice who also is attracted to women. Rose is more religious, but she reciprocates Sister Matthew’s feelings. She grew up with an alcoholic mother and found a refuge among the nuns who taught her.
As the two move through postulancy and the novitiate, they encounter many challenges from the strict rules to memories of their respective pasts. The memory of an old murder intrudes in the present.
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Virgin Flight by E.V. Bancroft
Can love triumph in the battle between duty and desire?
Beryl Jenkinson is a young dreamer determined to break free. Though bound to her family’s garage, her heart dreams of taking flight with Attagirls, the brave women piloting planes across the nation to play a vital role in the war effort.
Odette de Lavigne embodies the allure of a World War Two pin-up girl: glamorous, seductive, and a masterful pilot. But beneath her carefree demeanour lies a poignant secret.
Their destinies collide when Odette literally crashes into Beryl’s life, sparking a blaze of passion and an enduring infatuation. Fate reunites them at the ATA, but can love conquer the clash between duty and enchanting desire?
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Leave a comment
What book will you be reading for the sapphic historical fiction category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sapphic historical fiction (Sapphic Book Bingo #20) appeared first on Jae.
September 19, 2024
Sapphic books with a fall cover/autumn cover (Sapphic Book Bingo #19)
In the Northern hemisphere, fall officially starts this weekend, so this week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic books with a fall cover/autumn cover.
Read a sapphic book with a cover featuring a motif that is typically associated with the fall season. It could be nature elements such as a harvest scene or yellow, orange, red, and brown leaves, or it could be a seasonal theme like Halloween or Thanksgiving.
15 sapphic books with a fall cover/autumn cover
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a fall cover/autumn cover:
Something in the Wine by Jae
All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother’s constant practical jokes. But Jake’s last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew—neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: her date is not a man, but a lesbian.
Annie and Drew decide it’s time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.
At first glance, they have nothing in common. Disillusioned with love, Annie focuses on books, her cat, and her work as an accountant while Drew, more confident and outgoing, owns a dog and spends most of her time working in her beloved vineyard.
Only their common goal to take revenge on Jake unites them. But what starts as a table-turning game soon turns Annie’s and Drew’s lives upside down as the lines between pretending and reality begin to blur.
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Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten
It’s Autumn. Is there a better time to fall in love?
Imari Haines has had it with the gossip. The whole town is acting like she’s their very own Runaway Bride. A plus-size, black version of Julia Roberts that left a perfectly nice boy at the altar.
Her family is no exception. Her mother won’t stop making passive-aggressive comments.
Exhausted by this charged atmosphere, a boss that doesn’t appreciate her, and the never-ending town rumors, Imari makes a bold decision. Come autumn, she moves to Appeley (a small town in Hill Country) and never looks back.
In Appeley, for the first time ever, Imari feels welcome, happy, and unapologetically herself. She tries new things, makes brand-new friends and, while attending the fall apple festival, she accidentally bumps into a very familiar face…
Cassidy Martinez was her childhood best friend and partner in crime. Now, she has grown into a stunning, confident woman, and Imari can’t help noticing.
Should she take a risk?
Can the two of them pick up where they left off, or is being friends not going to be enough this time around?
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Not Just Gal Pals by Elizabeth Luly
Jenny Lynton never planned to be an influencer. It just sort of…happened. When an unfortunate post results in Jenny being “almost canceled,” she extends her stay in her hometown, Sapphire Springs, New York, to wait out the storm. Jenny’s agent suggests a fling with a flannel-wearing lumberjack might be just the thing to distract her. But after a string of disastrous dates, Jenny has sworn off flings. And lumberjacks are in short supply in Sapphire Springs. Lumberjanes, on the other hand…
Blake Mitchell is Sapphire Spring’s only doctor. She’s also had a crush on Jenny since high school. A crush that makes her a socially awkward mess whenever she’s around Jenny. Blake moved back home to avoid being hurt by another relationship–there’s not exactly a lot of dating options for lesbians in Sapphire Springs–but Blake can’t stop thinking about Jenny now she’s back in town.
When Jenny and Blake are forced to work together to save a friend’s bachelorette party, sparks fly. But with Jenny’s return to LA a ticking time-bomb, is it wise for them to explore their feelings for each other, or do they risk being hurt yet again?
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Pumpkin Spice by Tagan Shepard
Nicki Russell has never been smooth. More like a bumbling, awkward mess always falling short of her dreams. Good college? She never had the money. Post-grad? She’ll get around to it someday. Happy ever after with the perfect woman? One major heartbreak is enough to have her swearing off love forever. Current life plan? Avoid all unnecessary human contact. That goes double for Carter, the hot new butch in town.
Unfortunately, Carter works at the town’s pick-your-own pumpkin patch and Nicki’s niece is obsessed with Halloween. So obsessed she ropes her favorite aunt into organizing the school Halloween festival, hosted by Carter Farms. Volunteer weekends are scary enough, but Carter seems to be everywhere Nicki goes, and it’s just a matter of time before she discovers Nicki’s more likely to trip over a chair than successfully flirt.
But Carter can’t seem to get enough of her company, and as their accidental encounters slowly simmer into romance, Nicki begins to believe she’s not a complete disaster after all. The date of the festival is fast approaching, and this pumpkin spice season is turning out sweeter than expected.
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Girl Gets Ghosted by Waverly Decker
Charlie has been waiting for Ms. Right Now to find her while she sits at home on the couch. An app called Disaster Date appeals to her sense of irony—and fulfills half its promise when she matches with another woman who likes pizza on her first try. That might not be enough for a true connection, but Charlie is excited to meet up and see if there’s more to her than a dating profile. Unfortunately, Charlie’s date doesn’t show up, but she’s haunted by who does: a ghost named Noa.
Noa doesn’t remember her past, and Charlie knows they don’t have a present, yet it’s hard to deny their attraction. Is there a way to exorcise the distance between them? It turns out that getting ghosted can be pretty sweet….
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Mate of Her Own by Elena Abbott
Heather McKenna has no idea how to be a werewolf. Her wolf might be free from its cursed cage but has shut the door between the two of them, leaving Heather still reeling from the emptiness. When Heather discovers her mother is in the hospital, she is certain that closure from the person who cursed her in the first place will settle her wolf’s grudge and is quick to pack a bag.
V Raines sees the problems with werewolf society all around them. Despite being a nonbinary outcast in their own pack, they still have the responsibilities of being the Alpha’s only child. When their father attempts to pair them off with a dominant male pack member, V is all but ready to abandon their pack.
When V is called to the hospital to take care of a possible rogue shifter, they aren’t ready for the consequences of finding their true mate in Heather. V’s all in as Heather worries she’s not wolf enough to stand between V’s intense pack and her true mate. Fate just made their lives a lot more difficult.
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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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Sleepy Hollow: A Novella by Kate Hershberger
FBI profiler, Elizabeth Crane, is sent to Sleepy Hollow to help the village police investigate a possible serial killer known as ‘The Horseman’. While there, she stays at a local bed & breakfast run by the town sweetheart, Katrina Dekker. Despite the murder investigation, Elizabeth finds herself charmed by the small village and has a growing chemistry with Katrina. However, strange things begin happening and Elizabeth can’t help but question everyone and everything around her.
Is there a serial killer in the village or is The Headless Horseman real?
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Tapping into Love by Monica McCallan
Lucy Parsons wants absolutely nothing to do with the Westmoore family or the maple syrup they produce. When Sierra Westmoore blows back into town after her father’s death and tries to rent a room at Lucy’s family’s bed-and-breakfast, The Maple Inn, Lucy kicks her out on the spot. It doesn’t matter that Sierra hasn’t set foot in Maple Run in fifteen years—the Westmoores are not allowed.
But small towns don’t leave a lot of room to hide, and Sierra and her brother, Drake, have set their sights on improving the town’s opinion of them now that their father is gone.
Lucy doesn’t believe any Westmoore could have good intentions, and although she may have to play nice with Sierra, it doesn’t mean she’s going to like it.
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In the Woods by S.E. Smyth
Jamie is stuck at the site of the family cabin, in the woods and off-balance, as the world dissolves around her. She lost her job. She doomed her marriage. Her wife is dating the boss of her new side gig. She lives for the time being on jointly owned property but refuses to go inside the cabin.
Everything is in disarray, and things cannot possibly look up. Until someone from Jamie’s past appears and breathes new hope into the situation. She evaluates and weighs her life and recent decisions to find out what’s important and what’s worth fighting for.
In Jamie’s world of crime and deceit, love presents the only light. It’s a love she’s held onto. The journey, the hike through the brush in the metaphorical woods, can cut and mar, but the light Jamie is searching for is so bright.
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Fall Awakening by Serenity Snow
Amelia’s life had spiraled out of her control. Looking for a way to avoid marriage to a man she could never love, she accepts her aunt’s invitation to smalltown Avon Del. Little does Amelia know that this small town is not only her way out of a life she despises but her destiny.
Ryan is tired of the same of love without strings. So, she’s looking for the one. Then, she meets Amelia who’s shy, but beneath it all the heat of a touch-starved woman lurks. Soon Amelia has Ryan breaking her own rules.
Can two different women with more in common than they know come together or will they be two ships passing in the night?
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The Bigger Picture by Violet Morley
When Sage’s best friend Marshal asks if she would be his wife, she is prepared to spend the rest of her life helping his political campaign. Sage understands the life she is walking into and has come to peace with what it means for her.
After an unfortunate incident, Jayden must move back home. Luckily her twin, Marshal, offers her the guest house on his property. Jayden accepts, wanting nothing more than to provide a safe place for her nine-year-old daughter, Lila, while she reevaluates her life.
Sage and Jayden get off to a rocky start, but while Sage finds herself battling her carefully constructed walls, Jayden struggles to hide her growing feelings for her twin’s fiancée.
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Autumn Leaves by Barbara Winkes
Rebecca has everything she’s ever dreamed of: a family, a beautiful home, and good friends. When Callie moves into the house across the street, Rebecca is quick to welcome the young writer into the tightly-knit community of Autumn Leaves. She has no idea that Callie will confront her with a truth about herself she might not be ready to face.
All Callie wanted was to flee the big city and finish her latest book in peace, but life in the small town comes with unexpected temptation and danger…
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All I Want for Autumn by Clare Lydon
After a hit & run accident, Holly is determined to recover in record-speed, but she’s frustrated when her body and mind have different agendas. Meanwhile, Tori’s career takes an unexpected turn and the couple are faced with some life-changing decisions.
When Tori & Holly’s journeys begin to pull in different directions, will the glue that keeps them together be enough to secure their future? Is true love enough to win the day?
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Home by Kris Bryant
To say Sheriff Natalie Strand is shocked that Sarah Eastman, the girl who kissed her at a high school party, is back in town would be a huge understatement. Between Sarah’s return and a stray dog that gets the best of her, Natalie’s world is suddenly turned upside down.
They say you can’t go home again, but that’s exactly what Sarah does when she returns to Spruce Mountain, Oregon, to live with her aunt and uncle after her divorce. All she wants is peace and to ensure her daughter, Harley, has stability. Seeing Natalie again after seventeen years ignites a passion that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Never mind that her heart tumbles in her chest or that she forgets words when Natalie’s around, she needs to focus on her family and getting her life back together.
Natalie and Sarah are about to discover that anything is possible when love takes the long way home.
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What book will you be reading for the “sapphic books with a fall cover” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Sapphic books with a fall cover/autumn cover (Sapphic Book Bingo #19) appeared first on Jae.
September 12, 2024
Morally ambiguous main character
It’s time for another Hidden Gem category! For this week’s square of the Sapphic Book Bingo, read a sapphic book with a morally ambiguous main character—a character who isn’t purely good or entirely evil, but whose actions, motivations, or values straddle the line between good and bad, right and wrong.
15 recommended sapphic books with a morally ambiguous main character
Below, you’ll find a list of 15 sapphic books with a morally ambiguous main character:
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?
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Her Mafia Bride by Persephone Black
Juno Bianchi: Ruthless. Deadly. Glacial.
And oh, she makes me burn.
When my Mob Boss father forces me into an arranged marriage with the billionaire heiress to the Bianchi Family, everything changes.
At first I resent being treated like a bargaining chip, but Juno captivates me in ways I’ve never known. Her Ice Queen facade hides a simmering volcano just waiting to be unleashed, and her commanding touch sets my body on fire.
But loving Juno could destroy me…
There are people out there who are just as dangerous as she is, and they won’t hesitate to use me to get to her.
With enemies closing in around us, can I trust my Mafia bride to keep me safe?
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Chaos Agent by Lee Winter
CEO Michelle Hastings has foolishly promoted a kind, clueless activist to her full-time staff. Now, on top of fighting her inconvenient feelings, Michelle must hide the evil they do.
Eden Lawless relishes her new job, the hot boss who gives her butterflies, and her eccentric workmates who tell weird jokes about their day. Blackmail? Hacking? Doxing? Hilarious! But what if it’s not a joke? Would that mean Eden has to fight the boss she’s falling for?
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Three’s a Crowd by Kate Gavin
Zoe Tyler’s life is just…okay. She’s got her first real job, a pile of student loan debt, and a boyfriend named Jake who used to be home a whole lot more than he has been lately.
When Paige Newbanks shows up unannounced at her half-brother’s apartment, she’s not only desperate for a place to stay, but desperate to get to know the brother she hasn’t seen since she was five years old.
With Jake so busy at work these days, Zoe and Paige end up spending more time with each other than they do with Jake. Soon the pair are drawn together in a way that surprises them both.
But as much as Zoe and Paige want to be together, the last thing they want to do is hurt the man who brought them together. Do they dare jeopardize their relationships with Jake in order to make themselves happy?
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Lady Hawthorne, the San Francisco Mystery Series, Book 7 by Alexi Venice
Fallout from Dr. Jen Dawson’s sexcapade with Victoria Marshall results in a bloody gash to Tommy Vietti’s head. Dr. Jen and Amanda Hawthorne take Tommy to the hospital where his wound is repaired with staples, but their relationship remains frayed. While there, the three bruised friends are recruited to pick up the pieces from a bioterrorist attack. Dr. Jen volunteers to treat patients in the Emergency Room while Tommy and Amanda join forces with Agent Roxy MacNeil to investigate.
On their dangerous international mission, Amanda summons her inner strength to avoid falling into old habits as she learns earth-shattering revelations about her Scottish ancestry. Titillated by Amanda’s discovery, Roxy pulls Tommy and Amanda deeper into the tangled web of her manipulative, duplicitous world.
Dr. Jen works day and night treating victims of the mass attack, including someone once very special to her. She desperately misses her daughter, Kristin, but makes a new friend in Nurse Denni Russo.
Tommy feels like he’s walking on shifting sands as he transitions from a city detective to an international agent, relying on his gut instincts, drinking abilities, and shooting skills. Roxy, Tommy, and Amanda might be outgunned and outnumbered on foreign soil, but they’ll never be outsmarted as they attempt to save humanity.
Will Jen and Amanda’s promise to let bygones be bygones withstand distance, temptations, and life-threatening circumstances?
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On My Way There by Jaycie Morrison
Maxine Terrell lurches into adulthood madly in love with a woman and her child. Unfortunately, Daphne Polk is someone else’s wife, and her daughter Lena is someone else’s child. But Daphne’s been there for her ever since Max and her father weathered a terrible tragedy, one that’s still whispered about in their small Texas town. After years of hope and heartbreak, and too many lies to count, Max seems poised to settle for the various “friends with benefits” she encounters.
Unexpectedly wealthy after her father’s death and emotionally adrift with no idea what she really wants from life, Max decides to take to the road and signs up to become a truck driver. During her training in Lubbock, she meets Trillian—“Thrill”—and manages to screw things up from the start. After another chance encounter and a sweet kiss she can’t forget, Max begins to rethink not only what, but who she really wants.
As Max traverses the open road, her journey of impossible love, loss, and courage mirrors her voyage of self-discovery. But before she can look to the future, she must come to terms with the history she’d rather forget.
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A Tiger in Suburbia by Anna Woiwood
Drawn to the promise of upward mobility, Vera’s husband moves the family to the suburbs. To a sprawling prefab, split-level home outside the noisy, crowded city. A place where the kids can run free through the woods and play safely on the street.
Vera must acclimate to the silent, sleepy town. To the families next door. To the quiet of night. To the old well her children find out in the forest that conjures terrible dreams. Dreams that only seem to amplify her anguish.
Until one Sunday morning, she notices a woman sitting three pews ahead of her in church. She admires her slender neck, the long line of her body, the gentle curve of her lips when she smiles at Vera after the service.
She wants to know this woman.
Could she be the key to rescuing Vera from the monotony of her life?
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Pirates of Aletharia by Britney Jackson
Emilia Drakon was once the youngest and kindest of the dragon sorcerers, but she’s now the last of her kind. Betrayed and angry, she trades her meekness for a sword and embarks on a quest for vengeance that will lead her straight into the arms of the legendary Captain Maria Welles.
Captain of the famed pirate ship, the Wicked Fate, Maria is every bit as treacherous and bloodthirsty as they say. She has her own vendetta and practically jumps at the chance to trick Emilia into joining her crew.
But when their animosity toward each other blossoms into a passionate romance, the two women will have to decide what they want most.
Vengeance?
Or love?
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The Raven and the Banshee by Carolyn Elizabeth
It’s the early 1700’s and sixteen-year-old Julia Farrow, spirited daughter of a shipping company owner, lives and loves on her own terms. With a sharp mind and sharper tongue, she constantly defies family and society expectations with no regard for the consequences.
Branna Kelly, only child of an Irish immigrant sailor, is hopelessly in love with Julia and imagines their life together as captains of their own fate. Left brokenhearted after Julia’s rejection, she embarks on a journey to chart a new shipping route to the Caribbean. Before Julia can explain her decision, Branna’s ship is overrun by merciless pirates. All hands are presumed lost.
Fifteen years later, Julia is running the Farrow Company and sailing with the crew on her newest ship when an encounter with pirates leaves her the lone survivor to be rescued by the infamous Raven, hard-hearted captain of the mercenary ship, Banshee. Julia is shocked to discover her rescuer wears a familiar face.
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Haven’s End: A sapphic pirate adventure and romance by Eden Hopewell
She vowed revenge. Now she must choose between justice and love.
Bound by duty and societal expectations, Margo O’Shea has spent years suppressing her true, wild spirit. But when tragedy strikes, she casts aside the shackles of respectability and embraces her destiny as a pirate, setting sail on a quest for vengeance that will test her courage and her heart.
Elara knows that Margo’s thirst for vengeance could lead them both to ruin. But her loyalty to the woman she loves is unwavering, and she’ll stand by her captain’s side, no matter the cost.
Their voyage takes them to the heart of the Spanish Main, where a chance encounter with a heavily laden galleon offers a chance to seize a king’s ransom in gold. But when their raid turns violent, and Elara is gravely injured, Margo must confront the consequences of her ambition.
Can Margo conquer her enemies and save Elara, or will vengeance cost her everything she holds dear?
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Glass Witchling by Harlowe Frost
In 1983, witches aren’t allowed in college. Casey believes she can hide her heritage and get an education. Though she understands college, does she know how to navigat the rest of the challenges around her?
While it isn’t illegal to be a witch in the 1980s, prejudice still runs strong in the community. Casey just wants to go to college without being kicked out for her ability to cast spells. Hiding her powers is easy, until a job working at a fancy dinner club lands her in a room full of sensual vampires.
Though vampires live under the same laws as the witches, she soon discovers a world of wealth, prestige and power she never fathomed. Undiscovered and needing the money, Casey decides to risk exposure to work for the dangerous vampires. She’s confident no one can tell she’s a witch. But what happens when she starts craving blood?
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Monstrous by Jessica Lewis
Don’t go outside past dark. Come straight home after church. And above all—never, ever, go into Red Wood.
These are the rules Latavia’s aunt gives her when Latavia arrives in Sanctum, Alabama for the summer. Though, weird as they are, living in Sanctum does have its pros. Mainly, the cute girl who works at the local ice cream shop.
But Sanctum is turning out to be as strange as the rules—and the longer Latavia’s in town, the more suspicious she is that the people there are hiding something. And the more clear it is that she’s an outsider. Everyone’s nice enough, but they seem determined to prove everything is normal.
But it’s not. Because there’s something in Red Wood that the towns’ people are hiding. And if Latavia doesn’t follow her aunt’s rules, she might not be able to leave Sanctum. Ever…
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Black Port by Rachel Ford
Valia Iceborn is the daughter of two worlds, and a servant of none: her mother was a Northern outlaw and her father a Southern deserter. She grew up in the wilds of No Man’s Land, but the open sea is her home. She swears no allegiances, lest they be to gold.
Knight Protector Portia Daysen is a loyal of daughter of the empire. She goes where she’s told, and does what she’s told. When the empire sends her to the bustling city of Black Port to ferret out a mysterious secret order threatening stability in the region, she doesn’t think twice.
Plunged into a world of deceit and derring-do, where no one is who they pretend to be, and nothing is at it seems, Daysen’s investigation leads her to Valia’s dock.
And crossing sabers with the most formidable – and charming – foe of her career might be the last mission Knight Protector Portia Daysen ever takes.
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The Fate of Stars by SD Simper
A devout mermaid. A disgraced princess. A feud as ancient as the gods.
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?
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Magdalene Nox by Milena McKay
Magdalene Nox doesn’t cast wishes upon stars…
She simply makes them happen. But for this particular wish, she had waited for thirty years. Her retribution against those who discarded her three decades ago should be swift and simple.
Except a chance encounter and an unforgettable night turn her entire life upside down. Torn between vengeance and lust, Magdalene is forced to re-evaluate everything.
Can the Home of Dragons and lonely math teacher Sam Threadneedle—who finds herself stranded amidst longing and fury—withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all be consumed by the flames of revenge?
Not everything is as it seems, and as Magdalene returns to the place that left her wounded and lost all those years ago, she realizes that old oak and stone hide more than secrets and pain. They also hold forgiveness and love.
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We’re All Monsters Here by Amy Marsden
When Anna is invited to a secluded retreat full of selfish, greedy humans, of course she doesn’t say no. Not only did she manipulate the CEO of the world’s largest oil corporation, Peter Beyer, into organising the four-day getaway in the first place, but no self-respecting vampire would ever turn down such easy prey. Her weekend gets even better when she meets Saira, one of Peter Beyer’s employees, and they begin a whirlwind affair. Blood and beautiful women are Anna’s idea of a great time.
She should have known it was too good to be true.
Hunters are dangerous, deadly, and dedicated to eradicating vampires. When a group of them turn up at the retreat, Anna must use her centuries of experience to escape their ever-closing net. Will she get out unscathed, or will they finally catch up to her? Will she give into her intense and unexpected feelings for Saira, or will she leave her to burn as she destroys all evidence she was ever there?
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Leave a comment
What book will you be reading for the “morally ambiguous main character” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
The post Morally ambiguous main character appeared first on Jae.
