100 books like Flavor of the Month

By Georgia Beers,

Here are 100 books that Flavor of the Month fans have personally recommended if you like Flavor of the Month. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Strawberry Summer

Clare Ashton Author Of Meeting Millie

From my list on sapphic second chance romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think all romance writers have their favourite trope, and second chances has the strongest hold on me. I’m a person who makes mistakes, so I love to see equally fallible humans getting their second chance at a happy ever after too. People with a history always lend depth to a story too. At any point, you can pluck a moment from their past to show an element of their relationship. And angst. I love a good dose of angst. With second chances, it's likely been a rocky road. Then the clincher for me, that sense of fate and destiny of people who’ve gone separate ways but find themselves drawn back together.

Clare's book list on sapphic second chance romances

Clare Ashton Why did Clare love this book?

So, let’s go angsty first with a Melissa Brayden, an author who lures you in with light-hearted banter, beautiful characters and settings, then knocks you out with a punch of angst.

Small-town romance, Strawberry Summer, tracks two very different characters over several years and several chances and it’s almost painful how much you want things to work out for these two. Readers who like shouting at books for the couple to get it together, this is a good one for you. 

One of the things I love most about Melissa’s books, is the reveal that opens your eyes to another level in the story. You’ll be happily reading the romance, swept along, thinking you know where it’s all going and why, then she’ll pull back a layer and plunge you into an understanding of a character that makes sense down to your bones, and you can never think of that…

By Melissa Brayden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Strawberry Summer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Just because you’re through with your past, doesn’t mean it’s through with you.

Margaret Beringer didn’t have an easy adolescence. She hated her name, was less than popular in school, and was always cast aside as a “farm kid.” However, with the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret’s youth sparked into color. Courtney was smart, beautiful, and put together—everything Margaret wasn’t. Who would have imagined that they’d fit together so perfectly?

But first loves can scar.

Margaret hasn’t seen Courtney in years and that’s for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control…


Book cover of Take Two

Clare Ashton Author Of Meeting Millie

From my list on sapphic second chance romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think all romance writers have their favourite trope, and second chances has the strongest hold on me. I’m a person who makes mistakes, so I love to see equally fallible humans getting their second chance at a happy ever after too. People with a history always lend depth to a story too. At any point, you can pluck a moment from their past to show an element of their relationship. And angst. I love a good dose of angst. With second chances, it's likely been a rocky road. Then the clincher for me, that sense of fate and destiny of people who’ve gone separate ways but find themselves drawn back together.

Clare's book list on sapphic second chance romances

Clare Ashton Why did Clare love this book?

Stephanie Shea makes wonderful use of plucking out little bits of history and knowledge the characters have of each other in Take Two.

You get a super sense especially of Andy in this book – her physicality, the kind of human she is, and the enduring strength of Whitney’s attraction to her. This is a couple who are never going to be over each other – this comes across most strongly in this book for me.

I forgot to mention yearning in my intro. I love sapphic yearning, and in second-chance romances, the characters really know what they're missing and what they’re yearning for. And Stephanie has me totally convinced in this one.

I admire this author for word wizardry and flawed characters you can’t help loving. Take Two is book three of the wonderful Gia series but can be read standalone.

By Stephanie Shea,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Take Two as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Back in Your Arms

Clare Ashton Author Of Meeting Millie

From my list on sapphic second chance romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think all romance writers have their favourite trope, and second chances has the strongest hold on me. I’m a person who makes mistakes, so I love to see equally fallible humans getting their second chance at a happy ever after too. People with a history always lend depth to a story too. At any point, you can pluck a moment from their past to show an element of their relationship. And angst. I love a good dose of angst. With second chances, it's likely been a rocky road. Then the clincher for me, that sense of fate and destiny of people who’ve gone separate ways but find themselves drawn back together.

Clare's book list on sapphic second chance romances

Clare Ashton Why did Clare love this book?

I couldn’t write about sapphic second chance romances without including a Monica McCallan and I found it difficult to decide between two favourites, Then and Now and Back in Your Arms. She takes a different approach in each – and that’s something admire in writers too – authors who’ll play around with structure and characters.

Monica is so good at so many aspects – dialogue, characterisation, chemistry, appealing settings. It means she writes the most compulsively readable books. If you ever hear me say, “I’m just going to have a peek at this Monica McCallan book,” the next thing you’ll hear from me is, “I’ve finished it.”

And if you pick up one, many more will follow. Be warned. 

Book cover of Purposefully Accidental

Clare Ashton Author Of Meeting Millie

From my list on sapphic second chance romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think all romance writers have their favourite trope, and second chances has the strongest hold on me. I’m a person who makes mistakes, so I love to see equally fallible humans getting their second chance at a happy ever after too. People with a history always lend depth to a story too. At any point, you can pluck a moment from their past to show an element of their relationship. And angst. I love a good dose of angst. With second chances, it's likely been a rocky road. Then the clincher for me, that sense of fate and destiny of people who’ve gone separate ways but find themselves drawn back together.

Clare's book list on sapphic second chance romances

Clare Ashton Why did Clare love this book?

Purposefully Accidental is also by one of my favourite authors.

Sometimes that strand of history between a couple can be a relatively petty grudge, and this is what I love about Purposefully Accidental. G Benson, isn’t afraid to have her characters be very human and flawed and a bit bloody minded at times. You get a lovely sense of these two not being able to leave each other alone, even when they’re annoying. 

This epic romance brilliantly juggles a whole load of tropes – celebrity, doctors, fake romance. I think this one of her strengths – coming out with something unique by considering many aspects in a very convincing way. (Dead Lez Walking is an example – gore, comedy, and romance combined in a way I thought impossible before reading that book).

She mixes giggle-inducing scenes then breaks your heart the next moment in a wonderfully immersive story. Sigh.

By G. Benson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Purposefully Accidental as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of A Game of Hearts and Heists

Genevieve McCluer Author Of Cold Blood

From my list on sapphic speculative fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

It’s hard not to be passionate about sapphic spec fic when that’s entirely what I write. These books may all differ from my book in their own ways, but these authors and I all wrote fantastical stories of women who love women. These are the kind of stories I want to put out there, and it’s a space that could always use more occupying it.

Genevieve's book list on sapphic speculative fiction

Genevieve McCluer Why did Genevieve love this book?

A book that really puts the enemies in enemies-to-lovers. The only thing Scarlett and Quin want more than to kill each other is to bed each other, and they’re not sure it actually takes priority.

This results in some of the funniest romance and fight scenes I’ve read and a relationship that’s hard not to root for. My girlfriend recommended this book to me, and we loved sharing its absurd romance.

By Ruby Roe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Game of Hearts and Heists as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two enemies, one goal: steal each other's hearts.

Scarlett Grey, disgraced assassin, is determined to get revenge.

Quinn Adams, medic turned-poisoner for hire, is her deadliest rival.

For years, they've stolen each other's clients, sabotaged each other's business, and occasionally… slept together.

When the Magician Queen offers an irresistible deal, Scarlett and Quinn are forced to work together. But this is not a simple job.

With an impossible heist ahead, they’re going to have to trust each other…

And that's not easy when they both have secrets to hide.

Harder still when those secrets will betray the ones they love.…


Book cover of Stars Collide

Kay Stephens Author Of The Porn Star's Daughter

From my list on sex-positive reads you may have missed.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent nearly two decades as a highly successful corporate attorney. Or, perhaps I should say, a successful attorney with a crude mouth and a love for all things spandex. And my unabashed personality was a differentiator in my career—it allowed me to cut through the corporate nonsense and personally connect with my opposition. But my career imploded when I became the subject of overt sexual harassment in my workplace and my employer worked harder at a coverup than resolution. Rather than sell back my story through litigation, I decided to write openly about sexual empowerment in the face of systemic slut-shaming.

Kay's book list on sex-positive reads you may have missed

Kay Stephens Why did Kay love this book?

I am a sucker for any and all sapphic romance but throw in two main characters that are individually powerful before they find love...and I’m done. Stars Collide got to me, folks, and not just for its portrayal of strong female leads.

This book sticks with me because of its thoughtful description of an older woman discovering her sexuality. It challenges the idea that all people are able to define their orientation early in life and allows older people to question their sexuality, despite any past romantic relationships (even, gasp, the infallible institution of marriage!). 

By Rachel Lacey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stars Collide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From Rachel Lacey, award-winning author of Read Between the Lines, comes a sexy slow-burn romance about two dynamic divas who collide on the world’s biggest stage.

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…


Book cover of Twice Shy

'Nathan Burgoine Author Of Faux Ho Ho

From my list on queer audiobooks to walk your dog by.

Why am I passionate about this?

As someone who’s never been allowed to drive, but gets motion-sick reading in a bus or car, I’ve been a lover of audiobooks since I had my Walkman and a backpack full of audiobook cassettes. As a queer man, I’m always looking for more immersive stories about people like me. Finding queer voices and queer narratives is so important to me as a way to offset how queer people don’t have an inherited continuance of our culture as most marginalized people do; books are a way to fill that gap. I do own a rescued husky, and there’s nothing like an engrossing audiobook to get me through those minus-forty Canadian winter walks with a dog.

'Nathan's book list on queer audiobooks to walk your dog by

'Nathan Burgoine Why did 'Nathan love this book?

The way Rey handles butch-femme relationships never fail to impress me, and I think so much of it comes down to how expertly she manages to make her butch characters so non-toxic in their masculinity. They support without taking over, lead without diminishing, and her characters are so often imperfectly doing their best that you root for them even when you know they’re about to do something they’ll regret. Twice Shy puts two women together who’ve both divorced their exes, and listening to Kiera Grace perform Quinn and Amanda tentatively finding their way to each other was as sweet as Amanda’s bakery’s cupcakes. Oh, I should warn you, though: any Rey book will make you hungry. Bring snacks.

By Aurora Rey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Twice Shy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sometimes, you get a second chance at love. Sometimes, you hook up with your ex and remember why you broke up in the first place.

Amanda Russo knows better than to give her failed marriage another try, but the brief fling reminds her there’s more to life than work and parenting. When the architect she hires to remodel her bakery turns out to be as charming as she is talented, Amanda finds herself ready to take a chance on new love. The only problem? Her ex-wife didn’t get the memo.

For Quinn Sullivan, the sting of divorce is still fresh.…


Book cover of Curious Wine

A. L. Brooks Author Of Dare to Love

From my list on coming out later in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I knew in my early teens that I wasn’t straight, but back then, the thought of coming out was too scary. I waited until I was twenty-three to do so, and it was still scary even being ten years older! So I can relate to stories of women of all ages discovering their less-than-straight sexuality. It’s rarely easy, no matter how many years you’ve lived already. It still requires good support from the people who love you, and one thing in common in all of the books I’ve recommended is that family, or often found family, plays a crucial role in the newly-out woman feeling comfortable being themselves.

A. L.'s book list on coming out later in life

A. L. Brooks Why did A. L. love this book?

The first sapphic book I ever read, over 30 years ago, still holds a special place in my heart. The two women stumble into their attraction for each other in a way that is believable and tender, and they take a journey together that is still relevant to our times. While one woman, Lane, had previously thought a same-sex relationship could be a real possibility for her, the other, Diana, had literally no idea until she meets Lane and is swept off her feet by her feelings. Simply a lovely story that I’ve re-read many times.

By Katherine V. Forrest,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Curious Wine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The intimacy of a cabin at Lake Tahoe provides the combustible circumstances that bring Diana Holland and Lane Christianson together in this passionate novel of first discovery.

Candid in its eroticism, intensely romantic, remarkably beautiful, CURIOUS WINE is a love story that will remain in your memory.


Book cover of Tipping the Velvet

Michelle L. Teichman Author Of The Space Between

From my list on young adult books for women of all ages.

Why am I passionate about this?

At heart, I’m still just a girl. I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of wanting to experience the excitement of first kisses, first loves, and of coming out, when everything was new and exciting, and the world was full of promise. That’s why we return to YA even as adults. To feel the butterflies of a first crush, the fluttering of first love, and the agony of first loss. Those transformative books, the ones that change the trajectory of our lives, are usually young adult novels. I wrote The Space Between to give readers a story to fall in love with and take with them the rest of their lives.

Michelle's book list on young adult books for women of all ages

Michelle L. Teichman Why did Michelle love this book?

If you identify anywhere on the LGBTIQ2+ scale and haven’t heard of Sarah Waters, you’ve likely been living under a rock.

Her debut novel, Tipping the Velvet, is probably better known as the three-part BBC series, but the book is what truly makes the characters come to life. From naïve, small town, oyster-girl in Kent to the life of the London Stage, Waters takes you through Victorian-era England via the point of view of beloved heroine Nan Astley.

If you’re looking for a sexy, sensuous, and downright gritty novel about what life was truly like for a ‘tom’ growing up and coming out in the nineteenth century, this is the book.

By Sarah Waters,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Tipping the Velvet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Piercing the shadows of the naked stage was a single shaft of rosy limelight, and in the centre of this was a girl: the most marvellous girl - I knew it at once! - that I had ever seen.'

A saucy, sensuous and multi-layered historical romance set in the 'roaring' 1890s, Tipping the Velvet follows the glittering career of Nan King on her journey from Whitstable oyster-girl to music-hall star to cross-dressing rentboy to East End 'tom'.


Book cover of Sparks Like Ours

Rachel Spangler Author Of Thrust

From my list on sporty sapphic romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the author of several sapphic sports romances, I find sports world rife with passion, complexities, and inherent conflict. I’ve had the privilege of working with several professional athletes and Olympians, and I’m always drawn to their drive. Sports, especially high-level sports, function as a pressure cooker to reveal our real personalities for better or for worse. There’s something appealing about studying people who push their minds and bodies to the brink in pursuit of something bigger than themselves. I think in some small way that connects with who as I am a writer and my own drive to always improve.

Rachel's book list on sporty sapphic romances

Rachel Spangler Why did Rachel love this book?

Melissa Brayden is one of the gold standards for sapphic romance authors. I have never once been disappointed when I’ve picked up one of her books, and this one is no exception. I love sports books that focus on lesser-known sports, and surfing definitely falls into that category, but Brayden gets bonus points for also picking a sport with the sexiness built right in. Swimsuits, beaches, wet women, it’s not hard to find the appeal, and of course you also get the trademark Melissa Brayden snappy dialog and relatable characters. 

By Melissa Brayden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sparks Like Ours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Gia Malone wants one thing and one thing only: to be the best surfer in the world. Her biggest obstacle is the annoyingly perky Elle Britton. Not only is Elle number one in the rankings, she’s also a fan favorite. But there’s a lot about Elle that Gia never noticed, like her surprising sense of humor and picture-perfect mouth.

Elle Britton is tired. After tournaments, fan meet-ups, and nonstop media requests, all she wants in the world is a little peace and quiet. But with Gia Malone closing in on her ranking, she has to surf her best. When the…


Book cover of Strawberry Summer
Book cover of Take Two
Book cover of Back in Your Arms

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