Book picks similar to
Two The Hard Way by J.C. Trez


lesbian-romance
tbr
slice-of-life-real-life-problem
qwoc

The Wrong Woman


Jane Retzig - 2015
     Kate is a rapidly rising star of the trauma therapy world - London based, shy, uptight, and with an air of aloofness that masks a deep sense of insecurity. When she has to relocate her 'Traumatology for the 21st Century' conference to Horton Hill 'Deluxe' Hotel and Conference Centre in the heart of industrial West Yorkshire, she is understandably horrified by the state of the place. Horton Hill is a mess. The car park looks like the surface of the moon. The pool is a health hazard. And the staff seem incapable of speaking intelligible English. When Naz, the hotel's 'Hospitality Assistant' finds Kate struggling with her luggage, she instantly stops to help. Bright, enthusiastic and hard-working, she is drawn to Kate's barely concealed vulnerability, and desperately wants to make a good impression on the harassed, but undeniably attractive conference organiser. Despite her natural caution, as the weekend progresses, Kate finds herself warming to Naz's kindness and obvious interest in her. But she is unaware that her carefully constructed life back in London is starting to unravel. And when she finds herself accused of a terrible crime, Kate discovers that sometimes friendship and love can be found in the most unlikely of places.

Until We Break


Cynthia Dane - 2020
    The only thing missing from her picturesque, countryside life is companionship. But with a great distaste for dating – and the city – Stefani approaches an international service to make her marital dreams come true.Enter Yulia, the alluring Russian woman with a penchant for heavy flirtation. She occasionally puts her money where her mouth is, too, driving Stefani wild with fantasies that this marriage might be more than convenience.Yet she can’t shake the feeling that Yulia has an ulterior motive. Or maybe that’s the Valettis’ collective past coming back to bite them.YULIA PETROVAYulia Petrova will do whatever it takes to get to America. Specifically, the Pacific Northwest, where the only person who matters is waiting for her.She’ll even marry a total stranger. A woman, no less.The trick isn’t balancing her own preferences. No, the trick is keeping her new fiancée from finding out the truth too quickly. First, she must ensure that Stefani is in love with her. Then, Yulia must reveal the tragic truth that has brought her to America.DO SVIDANIYA, MI AMORETheir budding passion and rising trust in one another is about to be severely complicated by the illness sweeping the world. For Stefani, that means shutting down the winery and hiding behind her chronic anxiety. For Yulia, that means taking all matters into her own hands. The whole world could burn, and she would still get what she came here for.And she will do it alone – with or without the woman she’s come to love

The Practitioner


Ronica Black - 2017
    An anxiety disorder, loss of her business, and homelessness have been difficult to overcome. But Johnnie has come through the other side to find success as an artist. Now, however, she’s lost her creative drive and she’s struggling to produce.Elaine Taylor has an interesting job. She’s a “creative practitioner,” known to awaken her client’s creative side by using many different approaches, including a sensual or sexual approach. Most of her clients are male and she likes it that way. Women are the last thing she wants in her life, having lost the most important woman she’s ever known, her wife.Fearing she’ll lose all she’s worked so hard for, Johnnie takes her friend’s advice and calls a lone number on a business card, steps into Elaine’s office, and shakes up both their worlds forever.

Learning to Love Again


A.K. Rose - 2021
    When Cassie Hollander spills her guts to her very straight best friend, she doesn’t get the answer she wants, and even though she knew that would probably happen, she’s still crushed. She’s used to hiding in the shadows, masking her true self and pretending to conform to a life that doesn’t fit her. Everything happens for a reason, and in Cassie’s case, being rejected by Jessica Taylor was the catapult she needed to get her life together in more ways than one. Come along as Cassie figures out who she is, where she’s going, and how wonderful things happen when you open your heart to the chance for real love.

Lix: A Lesbian Romance


Emily Hayes - 2020
    Can Lauren find a way to seduce Quinn and explore the magical world of Lix?A sizzling hot Butch/Femme Age Gap Lesbian Romance with light BDSM themes by Emily HayesLauren is curious to explore the enigmatic nightclub, Lix, and also her own sexuality. When she meets the club owner, Kelly Quinn, she is blown away by Quinn's charm and natural dominance. Quinn is fiercely guarded and Quinn is a player. Can Lauren find a way to change all of that?

Edge of Shadows


Cege Smith - 2011
    Darkness has been a constant companion since her parents’ untimely death, and she harbors a secret that never fails to remind her that she’s different.Ellie's protective bubble includes nothing but her coffee shop, her few friends, and her dog. The attention of a handsome young doctor, David Mitchell, pushes her out of her comfort zone, and Ellie warms to the idea that she may have found another risk worth taking.Then one of Ellie’s friends abruptly leaves town; entrusting her home to Ellie’s care. The house has its own mysterious past that draws Ellie into a new darkness. Her ex-husband resurfaces with premonitions of Ellie’s death. And suddenly Ellie’s life is being turned upside down yet again, and even David can’t help her make it right.Ellie is running out of time. Something old and evil has awakened and it wants Ellie all to itself. She must solve a century-old mystery and keep a grip on her sanity in order to survive.

All The Things We Never Said


Yasmin Rahman - 2019
    So she joins MementoMori, a website that matches people with partners and allocates them a date and method of death, 'the pact'. Mehreen is paired with Cara Saunders and Olivia Castleton, two strangers dealing with their own serious issues. As they secretly meet over the coming days, Mehreen develops a strong bond with Cara and Olivia, the only people who seem to understand what she's going through. But ironically, the thing that brought them together to commit suicide has also created a mutually supportive friendship that makes them realise that, with the right help, life is worth living. It's not long before all three want out of the pact. But in a terrifying twist of fate, the website won't let them stop, and an increasingly sinister game begins, with MementoMori playing the girls off against each other. A pact is a pact, after all. In this powerful debut written in three points of view, Yasmin Rahman has created a moving, poignant novel celebrating life. ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID is about friendship, strength and survival.

Loving Sydnee Jones


A.C. Taylor - 2020
     He’s been hooked on her since he caught her singing in her garage. She felt their souls intertwine the moment they touched. But their love goes deeper than a chance encounter. Just how far will one of them have to go to prove it?

The Gypsy: A Romantic Thriller


T.J. Jones - 2021
    Standing, and straddling my broken body with a well-muscled leg on either side of me, she looked like an ethereal giant: a beautiful Amazon, impossible tall, and equally invincible. She fired immediately, spun quickly and fired again, then dropped down and crowded me against the antique safe that had become our sanctuary. Improbably, she grinned at me. "Two down, and one to go."A mass shooting, an FBI coverup, and a madman with his own militia and a political hit list. Adam Cain is caught in the middle with only one person to trust; the beautiful and mysterious woman that calls herself the Gypsy. She seems to have all the answers, and a hit list of her own.

Facing Evil


C.L. Hart - 2005
    Forced to take a leave of absence from her job, Abby heads to a mountain resort where she meets Sarah Murphy. The two women discover love for the first time in their lives, but are soon torn apart. Through twist and turns of the novel, Abby and Sarah experience for themselves the brutality of a serial killer before he ends up dead, and Abby is his accused killer.

Sealed with a Kiss: A Lesbian Love Story (Lesvos Island Collection)


Sam Skyborne - 2020
    

Broken Star


Joann Lee - 2013
    With numerous platinum selling CDs, lavish homes, and the ability to bring down the house with her powerful vocals, who could want for more?Lynn.Alexis Donatella is a jaded SVU officer who has no tolerance for the rich and famous. She has devoted her life to raising her daughter and to the Florida division of the Special Victims Unit. Venturing into a relationship is the furthest thing from her mind.When Alexis and Lynn meet on the sandy beaches, sparks do not exactly fly, at least not for Alexis. When you add in a rambunctious child, a tragic secret from Lynn’s past, and obstacles no one could have foreseen, it makes for one frenzied summer.In the midst of madness, is it possible for these two women to find love?

Frame by Frame


C.J. Murphy - 2017
    She travels the U.S. as a photographer for Rider magazine. A self-proclaimed nomad, Val has little inclination to settle down. But something keeps calling her back to a little tourist trap called Cool Springs in rural West Virginia. The sign at the quirky little store boasts, “Good food, groceries, ice cream, hardware, feed store, taxidermy, gifts, and gas.” Cool Springs is owned by Laurel Stemple and her grandmother Ree. Laurel is charged with the daily operations of the catch-all little store/diner and the care of her octogenarian grandmother. A frequent visitor, Val has become like family at Cool Springs. Interesting characters like Mule, aptly nicknamed for his braying laughter and Wunder, whose child-like questions keep everyone in stitches, create a unique tapestry of community in the little store. Over the years, Val and Laurel have gradually fallen in love without acknowledging it. Personal secrets and scars have left the pair unable to move toward a relationship. While covering an annual Memorial Day Ride to the Wall, a near tragic accident forces Val and Laurel to confront their feelings and fears.

Where's the Groom?


Cathryn Brown - 2020
    Now her groom’s missing and a new man’s helping her search for him.Summer realized she’d made a big mistake. Why did she say yes to him? When her groom never arrives at the church, she uses her one clue to find him. She gets a big surprise. And she meets her Watson to help her search.Cameron agrees to help Summer because a family member’s caught in her mystery. She’s glad to have someone working with her, especially when he’s handsome and has a great smile, but a new romance is out of the question. But she sometimes (maybe too often) gets in trouble when she leaps before she looks, so he could come in handy.Cameron and Summer are immediately pulled into a mystery bigger than a missing groom (with no dead bodies!) and fighting their attraction to each other. If they can find the groom—and solve this mystery—they’ll part ways and never need to see each other again.They’re caught in a situation they didn’t create. Can a woman who almost got married find love on the run?

A Dangerous Man


Anne Brooke - 2007
    When he falls in love with rich financier Jack Hutchinson, he seems set to achieve his goal. But as Michael becomes caught between the unforgiving territory of smoky-bar Hackney and the green-garden luxury of upper class London, the consequences of his uncompromising pursuit leave him having to fight for all he holds dear, and in the only way he knows how.