Iāve been writing lesbian and sapphic stories for a couple of decades now, and over time, Iāve gravitated to stories that have something else going on as well as pure romance. Romance doesnāt evolve in a vacuum, and the setting, scenario, and supporting characters can all help shape the main charactersā romance. I love these fun-filled books that also carry a deeper side, whether itās a subplot or the main story. Thatās what I love to write and read, and I hope you enjoy these recommendations as much as I do.
A gorgeous fun-filled small-town sapphic romance (lesbian and bisexual rep). Delilah is a struggling photographer in New York when sheās persuaded home to Bright Falls to photograph her estranged stepsisterās wedding. As well as fighting from a place of hurt with her stepsister Astrid, Delilah falls for Claire, Astridās BFF.
The writing is sassy and smart and oh-so-much fun, but this is no pure rom-com. Thereās depth to the characters, even the minor ones like Claireās daughter Ruby, and her friend Iris. Delilah, too, isnāt the shallow donāt-care person of the title. Sheās holding a world of hurt inside her brittle exterior. Layers are peeled back gradually, and the characters reveal themselves slowly, all inside some writing so shiny it sparkles. Itās pure, big-hearted romance that gives you all the feels as you romp to the happy ending.
Delilah Green Doesnāt Care is (so far) my favourite read of 2022, and Iām looking forward to the next book in the series.
A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting loveāwith all its complicationsāfrom the author of Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail.
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Fallsānothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, itās a different woman every night, but thatās just fine with her.
When Delilahās estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her weddingā¦
Venture capitalist Claire Pressley is done with the New York rat race and moves to small-town Oregon. She buys a rundown homestead with the dream of renovating and turning it into a women-only B&B. But hometown sweetheart, Ruby, has had her eye on the Pruitt homestead for years with the aim of turning it into an animal sanctuary.
The book is billed as an enemies to lovers romance, and thatās spot on. Claire is icy, Ruby is adorable, but as Claireās renovation proceeds at a cracking pace, the women talk and find common ground. The slow burn development is beautiful, and the sex scenes, when they occur are cracking hot. Kudos for the inclusion of a safe sex scene.
Side characters add to the story, particularly Rubyās grandfather. As if this wasnāt warm and fuzzy enough, the animals will melt your heart and make you smileāshout out to Ninja the library cat.
A warm, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers, lesbian romance about chasing your dreamsāwherever they might lead.
Powerful venture capitalist Claire Pressley is done with stressful New York and has set her sights on a ātreechangeāā renovating a homestead in Eagle Cove, Oregon to make a gorgeous guesthouse.
Her plan isnāt quite so simple when it turns out Eagle Coveās beloved town librarian Ruby Jordan had been saving to buy the homestead herself. Worse, Ruby had some grand, beautiful dream to turn it into an animal shelter.
Claire couldnāt look more like a villain in her new town if she tried. Now she hasā¦
In a kill-or-be-killed world, The Reaper does whatever it takes to survive.
Following the murder of his half-brother, legendary Army Ranger Luke Foster returns to the United States from fighting terrorists. His brother's history with a prominent New York Mafia family was no secret, so it's no surprise his lifeā¦
This book puts together two very likeable main characters: Emily, an architect with a very rigid outlook on life, and Skye, whoās a freewheeling bike courier. Throw in some great chemistry, an Aussie setting, solid secondary characters, and overlay it all with KJās witty banter and amazingly lyrical sentences that seem to come from nowhere but just fit the narrative so perfectly, and you get Change of Plans, a perfect light-hearted romance.
But look a bit deeper and thereās insight into mental health, commentary on social housing, and a background of big megacorps overriding environmental and cultural issues for profit.
Emily Fitzsimmons, award-winning architect, creates meticulous plans for every aspect of her life, which is understandable considering her difficult childhood. After all, prudence keeps her safe. Lately, though, too many of those comforting plans are disintegrating and Emily is forced to function spontaneously which has spiked her anxiety so much, sheās put her therapist on speed-dial.
Skye Reynolds, bike courier entrepreneur, knows all about exploding plans. Thatās literally how she lost her job when her company blew up a 40,000-year-old world heritage site. But Skye is not someone who asks for help to reassemble her life blueprints, which is luckyā¦
Watching Sam and Hayden banter and snark around each other is delicious fun. As their relationship develops, the women start to understand and support each other through their individual problems in a very positive way. Readers who love a longer read will adore this one: the word count clocks in at 122,000.
Dressed to kill and ready to make rent, best friends Lisa and Jamie work as āpaid to partyā girls at the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala, a gathering of Portland's elite.
Their evening is derailed when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician and Lisaās estranged mother. And toā¦
Unemployed lawyer, Nick, gets offered the chance to make quick bucks in the car repo business. With her repo partner, Frankie, she sets off across North Carolina on a series of zany (and dangerous) jobs to recover the cars. The jobs get more and more bizarre, the characters they meet are loveable and eccentric, and, despite not liking each other much in the beginning, along the way Nick and Frankie fall for each other.
Mixed in with the humour (and there are a lot of zingy one-liners, banter, and snort-coffee moments) are racial and small-town issues that give depth to an otherwise light-hearted story.
If you like novels with big heart, larger-than-life characters (including the cat, Carol Jenkins), an action movie feel at times and a banter-filled developing romance at others, this book will delight you.
Welcome to the National Recovery Bureau, where your assets are as sacred as Godās holy word.
Vera āNickā Nicholson is an overtaxed and underpaid attorney wasting away on the bottom rung of the gilded ladder at Turner, Witherspoon, Anders, and Tyler in Winston-Salem, NC. When a high-priced luxury car belonging to one of the firmās top clients goes missing, Nick gets saddled with the unenviable job of recovering the vehicleāand its mysterious contentsāwithout involving the cops. Enter Fast Eddie and his quirky band of misfits at The National Recovery Bureau, a repo agency located in a sleepy town called K-Vegas.ā¦
When Jorgieās uncle leaves her an old house in Melbourne, itās a dream come true. Sure, No. 94 is falling apart, and she has to deal with her uncleās eccentric friends thanks to his unusual Will. But sheāll do it up, sell it, and move on. But the quirky queer community of Gaylord Street is as enticing as Marta, her new next-door neighbour. Jorgie hasnāt counted on falling for Marta, whoās as embedded in Gaylord St as the concrete Jorgieās ripping up.
A light lesbian romance about crumbling walls and learning where home really is.
Ferry to Cooperation Island
by
Carol Newman Cronin,
James Malloy is a ferry captain--or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a "girl" named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Islandās daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band, they rob the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive pegasus. Thanks to Maraniās mysterious invulnerability,ā¦