Book picks similar to
After Raya by Michelle Arnold


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female-protagonist
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Pining & Loving


Emma Sterner-Radley - 2019
    Which one carries the highest cost? And what price is worth paying? The quiet, tough Aya Lawson has been forced to leave her career as a professional boxer behind and now scrambles for a purpose. Gwen Davies is a chatty barista, and artist in her free time, who lives with clinical depression. They both have battles to fight but they also have something else in common - pining over the woman of their dreams. When daydreams one day meet reality, things get complicated. Is it best to stay with what’s safe? Or to fall and maybe break? If they do take the chance and break, who will get back up?

One Day Longer Than Forever


A.J. Adaire - 2014
    Kate Martin needs a vacation after a failed romance with her business partner nearly ruins her. Lee Foster is recovering from her first lesbian relationship that self-destructed when her partner moved several states away, leaving her behind. Two failed romances, a double booked vacation cabin, and a blizzard — will fate intervene again and turn a passionate affair with a stranger, into something more?

Passionate Kisses


Megan Carter - 2006
    Their strong bond earned them the nickname of the Three Musketeers. When Taylor turned 14 and announced she was gay, James and Sara stood by her. When James and Sara began dating, Taylor hid her love for Sara and moved on with her life.

Ricochet in Time


Lori L. Lake - 2001
    Dani is befriended--against her own better judgment--by a young therapist named Grace Beaumont, who helps Dani make it through the ordeal of bringing the attacker to justice.

Lesbian Firsts: 10 Lesbians Share Their First Time With a Woman


Alexandra del Torre - 2014
    Asked by author Alexandra del Torre to provide as much detail as possible, they held nothing back in their retelling of these intensely intimate encounters. In “Lesbian Firsts,” you will hear from real lesbians and read about their real first times, including:HEATHER, a 24-year-old high school English teacher who discovered her lesbianism with a volleyball teammate at the age of 19.MEGHAN, a 32-year-old attorney who lost her lesbian virginity to her first-year dormmate in college.KRISTEN, a 26-year-old accountant who discovered her preference for women at 18 during a sleepover with her more advanced 22-year-old friend, Michelle.MARIA, a 36-year-old basketball coach who found sapphic love in a locker room shower with a teammate.KORI, a 28-year-old makeup artist who, at 18, was stimulated in a movie theatre by her cousin’s suave, butch neighbor.DEBBIE, a 41-year-old psychologist whose first lesbian experience came at age 30, following her divorce from her husband of two years. Trapped overnight during a rainstorm at her book club friend’s house, Debbie discovers pleasures she never knew with a man.JENNIFER, a 34-year-old police officer who lost her lesbian virginity on the same night she gained the legal right to drink – her 21st birthday. A mysterious stranger in a lesbian bar introduces Jennifer to strap-on sex in the bathroom, much to her delight.DIANE, a 25-year-old assistant book editor who engaged in her first lesbian sexual encounter with her current boss when she was a 20-year-old intern at a publishing company.TAYLOR, a 37-year-old personal chef who, as a student at a women’s Catholic college, shared an intimate encounter with a classmate in her car during half-time of a school basketball game.SARAH, a 22-year-old flight attendant who found lesbian love in the skies with a flirtatious flight attendant who was serving as her mentor when she was a 20-year-old trainee.***

State of Grace


Everly James - 2017
    When the opportunity arises for her to be the campaign manager of a man running for the United States Senate, she can hardly believe her luck. What she doesn’t expect is for the woman of her dreams to be her political rival. When Rachel Callum meets Andie McIntyre, she has only one goal: to get this woman on a date. But Andie has other plans that don’t involve self-assured Rachel. When it turns out that Rachel’s new job is to take Andie down, Rachel is left with a choice: her ambition or romance? Can Andie and Rachel put aside their political views and find love? STATE OF GRACE is a full-length, standalone romance novel with steamy sex scenes, no cheating, and a happily ever after. It’s light on politics and heavy on love.

Teacher's Pet


Briar Lane - 2018
    Despite being attractive with a decent job, she can't seem to find anybody who is understanding about the fact that she has a five year old daughter. She has started to feel extremely alone, like she is the only person in this world she can lean on.Until one day her car breaks down and her daughters kindergarten teacher comes to the rescue. Lana not only fixes Katie's car but provides a shoulder to lean on. Katie immediately thinks that Lana would make the perfect best friend... but Lana has more than friendship on her mind. But Katie has never opened herself up to the idea that she could have feelings for a woman... but perhaps she should?Briar Lane's latest story will leave you feeling good with a happily-ever-after ending for a young mom and a kind Kindergarten teacher.

Queen of Hearts


Sheryl Wright - 2018
    Desperate for a solution, they set out to convince helicopter pilot Ally Parker to join her cousin Pam on the program. Ally reluctantly agrees, but only after being assured that she’ll be eliminated in the first round.Erin Bogner isn’t looking for love either. Convinced by her employer to be a secret plant on the show, Erin’s job is to weed out the contestants only looking for money and help Pam find true love. Erin has no interest in anything beyond making her employer happy.But things seem to change for everyone once the game begins. Ally finds herself meeting a contestant that stirs something deep inside. And Erin discovers it may be difficult to fulfill her mission of helping her employer at any cost.What happens when the game they’re all playing becomes real? The world is tuning in to find out…

Lawyered


K'Anne Meinel - 2014
    Getting a promotion, finding new friends, learning you are attracted to women…. Nia Toyomoto has worked hard all her life to prove she was the best; she graduated early from high school, college, and got the dream job in Manhattan. Becoming a partner at the tender age of thirty she thought she had it all until the law firm made demands about her personal appearance and a few other things that made her change her life for the promotion. Then she realizes having everything isn’t all that it is cracked up to be without someone to share it with… A successful lawyer in the big city, choices have to made, sacrifices and surprises await this beautiful and talented woman….does she make the right ones though?

Burning Desire


Rachel Maldonado - 2016
    In a harrowing rescue during an apartment fire, she meets young Candace Beacon. Candi becomes displaced when everything she owns is ruined and her apartment is deemed a hazard by the fire department.In an attempt to help Candi, Suzanne invites her to move in with her until she can find a place of her own. What ensues is a push and pull relationship when the two women discover that they are at odds with one another. Will Suzanne find that she is in over her head? Or will they discover they had more in common than they initially thought?

Initiation by Desire


M.J. Williamz - 2012
    Tully Stephens wants only to survive her sophomore year. They soon realize how desperately they want each other, but that’s easier said than done.Tulley is a nineteen-year-old new initiate in the Gamma Alpha Epsilon sorority who has never loved a woman. Sue is the twenty-six-year-old resident adviser who jumps from bed to bed. Tulley is discovering her true self while Sue wants to discover more about the sexy young butch who’s invading her fantasies.A sorority house is never the ideal location for keeping a secret, especially when the secret is a blossoming affair. Can their love withstand the strain of the concealment? Will their time together always consist of stolen moments? Or will they complete their Initiation of Desire?

Never Let Go


Graysen Morgen - 2016
    She loves her job, is well respected by her peers, and has been given an opportunity to take her career to the next level. The only thing missing is the love of her life, who walked out, taking their daughter with her, seven years earlier. When Finley gets a call from her ex, saying their teenage daughter is coming to spend the summer with her, she’s floored. While spending more time with her daughter, whom she doesn’t get to see often, and learning to be a full-time parent, Finley quickly realizes she has not, and will never, let go of what is important.

Second Chances


M.E. Tudor - 2014
    It was her eyes. She had the same eyes of a woman Pam had been in love with in college. As Pam gets to know Dorothy she finds out that Dorothy is, in fact, the mother of Casey Durham, the woman Pam had been in love with. Dorothy is also in an abusive relationship with Casey's father, Bob. Pam works for an organization that specializes in getting women like Dorothy out of their abusive relationships and on with their lives. Pam promises to help Dorothy in anyway she can, so when Dorothy calls and asks Pam to come get her after a particularly brutal beating by her husband. Pam rushes to Dorothy's rescue.Pam realizes that by placing Dorothy under her protection, she will be forced to face Casey again. She knows it is not going to be a good meeting because she hurt Casey badly when they were in college. Hopefully, Casey will give her a chance to explain what she was going through at the time. Maybe, Casey will forgive her for all the pain Pam caused her.Casey Durham is retiring from professional basketball after five injury filled years. She is moving back to Nashville to start her residency as an orthopedic surgeon at her alma mater, Vanderbilt University. She is looking forward to being back in Nashville, but she is hoping to avoid Pam Benton Matterson. She had been completely in love with Pam in college, and had even given up her wild ways with women for Pam. But Pam had not given Casey a chance to prove how much she loved her and it had broken Casey's heart into little pieces. Dorothy seemingly disappears sending Casey and her brothers into a panic. They are terrified that their father has done something to her. After seeing a report on the news about her disappearance, Dorothy calls the kids to assure them she is okay.Casey wants to see her mother before she has to return to Memphis, where she had been playing basketball, to get the rest of her stuff. Dorothy's legal advisor, Pam makes arrangements for Casey to meet Dorothy at her office. When Casey arrives at Pam's office and is introduced to Pam by her mother, the temperature drops in the room from the cold stare Casey gives Pam. Even Dorothy notices the difference in the demeanor of the two women.Casey can't believe Pam is her mother's legal advisor. Pam prays Casey will not take her off Dorothy's case. Will the two of them be able to put the past behind them and do what's best for Dorothy? Will Casey listen to Pam's story about the past and forgive her? Is there still any love for Pam left in Casey's heart? Read this story to find out what happens when Casey finds out that things weren't always as they appeared.

Say Yes


Mish Daniels - 2014
    In the past, it has always been followed with disappointment. Now, when it comes to relationships, she's more than a little skittish. When her best friend asks her to be best "man" at his wedding, how can she decline? Through a series of coincidences and mishaps, she and the gorgeous maid of honor end up sharing Jess's apartment for a long weekend. In that short amount of time, Jess discovers something very significant. Things are so much better when you let go and just say yes…

Falling for Jillian Ashley: A Carlsbad Village Lesbian Romance


Sabrina Kane - 2021