Book picks similar to
Bitter Sweet Revenge by Donna Jay


lesbian-romance
romance
young-adult
coming-out

The Chosen One


T.B. Markinson - 2016
    Her powerful political family sees her as the Chosen One who will someday be president. Upholding a carefully crafted veneer is second nature until the first day of class when Maya's mysterious gray eyes hold her in thrall. Ainsley may be out publicly regarding her sexual orientation, but she lives under the shadow of the Carmichael's ancient but shrewd matriarch in this contemporary lesbian romance. The girls pair up for a history project, and it soon becomes clear Maya is hiding something when she cuts their first kiss short by pointing out they come from different worlds. The privileged world of the Carmichael clan stands in stark contrast to Maya's limited means. Ainsley's sexually fluid, quirky, and carefree cousin helps her investigate, only to discover details of Maya's past are sketchy at best as the suspense builds in this work of LGBT fiction. Family scandal erupts, making the inevitable truth come out about Maya the Gray. Will Ainsley’s love for the enigmatic girl enable her to break her Carmichael shackles?

Chain Reactions


Lynn Ames - 2019
     Now in her adult years and a sought-after scientist herself, Diana learns that Nora is dying. She hires private-duty nurse Brooke Sheldon to care for Nora. Over the days and weeks spent in Nora’s company, Diana and Brooke are privy to Nora’s long-held secrets, along with her deep-seated regrets. Trapped in a failing body, but with a keen mind, Nora Lindstrom watches as the spark of attraction between her great-niece and her caregiver grows into a flame. Determined to help the two younger women find the kind of deep love they so richly deserve, Nora makes a fateful decision that brings the past and the present directly onto a collision course. After all this time, it’s still about chain reactions.

Heartwood


Catherine Lane - 2016
    So, when the firm sends her to the Springs, a women’s resort town and home of famous lesbian author Beth Walker, Nikka jumps at the chance to prove herself to her sexy boss, Lea.But nothing in the Springs is as it seems. Beth is hiding secrets about her mysterious past with movie star Dawn Montgomery. Lea may only be out for her own gain and keeping Beth a prisoner in her own home. And the only person who might see the truth of the situation is adorably impulsive Maggie.Will Nikka stay true to her life’s ambition, or will she dare look into the mystery—and into her own heart?Words: 86,000Themes: 1960s · author · lawyer · lesbian · movie star · women’s resort

The Only Way


Jamie Sullivan - 2014
    When Hart decides that’s not good enough for her, she takes on the high stakes world of no-holds-barred fighting. There's just one problem: women aren’t allowed in the ring. Hair cut short and dressed in her father’s old clothes, Hart ventures into the Alley and the world of arena fighting. There she meets Ruby, the daughter of the Arena owner and a brilliant fighter in her own right. When she offers Hart the chance for friendship, Hart cannot resist.But Ruby thinks Hart is a man, and as she and Ruby grow closer, it gets harder and harder to maintain the façade …

Aaron


J.P. Barnaby - 2012
    Two years after a terrifying night of pain destroyed his normal teenage existence, Aaron Downing still clings to the hope that one day, he will be a fully functional human being. But his life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear. When, in his very first semester of college, he’s assigned Spencer Thomas as a partner for his programming project, Aaron decides that maybe “normal” is overrated. If he could just learn to control his fear, that could be enough for him to find his footing again. With his parents’ talk of institutionalizing him—of sacrificing him for the sake of his brothers’ stability—Aaron becomes desperate to find a way to cope with his psychological damage or even fake normalcy. Can his new shrink control his own demons long enough to treat Aaron, or will he only deepen the damage? Desperate to understand his attraction for Spencer, Aaron holds on to his sanity with both hands as it threatens to spin out of control.

Memory


Lucy Heart - 2019
     Until Estella left. Piper and Estella met when they were kids. Estella was rich and spoiled, Piper was poor and curious, and—in each other—the two girls found an unexpected friendship. Year after year went by as they grew up together, growing closer and closer as time passed, until Piper realized that she loved Estella more than anything in the universe. The day Piper told Estella she loved her was the day Estella walked out the door, never to return again... Or so Piper thought. Years have passed, and they're both grown women living opposite lives on opposite sides of the country. All they have between them are the memories of a young love that was so beautiful and profound that it changed their lives forever... But a chance encounter pulls the two women together once more. Does true love exist? Or are some scars too deep to ever heal?

Killer Instinct: A Lesbian Thriller


Barbara Winkes - 2018
     Joanna’s career ends after she kills a murderer and fails to cover her tracks. After serving a prison sentence, she struggles to pick up the pieces. The only person from her old life still keeping in touch is Vanessa, the Internal Affairs Inspector who was the lead investigator in Joanna’s case. Guilt and open questions define their tentative friendship. When there’s a new development in one of Joanna’s old cases, she can’t stay away, even at the cost of losing everything…including Rue, the woman she’s been falling for... Enough is enough...

How Sweet the Sound


Evelyn Dar - 2018
    After a summer spent connected at the hip, a trauma in Sienna’s home life separates the two. Twelve years later, their lives cross paths again, but the memory of their childhood friendship has long since faded. As the two teens get to know one another, they are struck by an unexplainable familiarity, and as their friendship deepens, something else also begins to blossom…

Survivor's Guilt


Michelle Arnold - 2019
    Abi and Greta quickly form an unshakable bond, but Abi, though usually bold, is afraid to act on her romantic feelings for Greta. Makeup artists don't get involved with actresses, do they?Just when they are prepared to admit their feelings for each other, however, tragedy strikes: Greta's plane crashes, leaving her life in the balance. Now Abi must be there for her in more ways than she ever imagined. She is determined that her love for Greta will pull them both through.But Abi is keeping a horrible secret: Greta is the only survivor of the plane crash. Will Greta be able to handle it when she finally finds out?

Training Ground


Kate Christie - 2016
    At fifteen, Jamie Maxwell’s main goals in life are to make the United States youth national soccer pool, move past the Incident-That-Shall-Not-Be- Named, and maybe—someday—kiss a girl. When she meets Emma Blakeley at a tournament in Southern California, something about the older girl draws her in. And it isn’t that she expects to ever get the chance to kiss Emma. Really. When Jamie invites her to sneak out on the last night of Surf Cup, Emma doesn’t go because she likes Jamie’s smile. She goes because, as the daughter of a surgeon and a nurse, she has a genetic predisposition to try to heal people. And Jamie, she can tell, is wounded.Neither girl suspects that this first last night together will form the basis of a bond that will last across years and miles, from SoCal soccer fields and New York hotels to Portuguese beaches and the streets of Vancouver. But that’s how most friendships begin, isn’t it? With a smile and a nod and the courage to ask, “Do you maybe, possibly, want to come with me?”

Captain of Industry


Karin Kallmaker - 2016
    She has made breaking hearts a blood sport, and the cool, calculated use of other people’s backs has led to the stardom she has craved from the first time she heard applause. Lust or fear is all she has ever believed she could see in the eyes of others.Suzanne Mason has built the enviable life she was always told smart geeks could never have. Fortune, fame and the beautiful girls usually reserved for captains of football teams are all hers. She has everything she ever wanted, except the one woman who is no one’s trophy.Expert combatants in the games of life know there can only be one winner. Regardless of the scorching attraction between them, the game of love is no different, is it?

Forget Me Not


Melissa Tereze - 2019
    Six years ago, her world was turned upside down when she lost the love of her life to London. In the years that followed, she found herself preparing for the inevitability of losing her grandfather, too. Word around town is that her first love is back, leading Jess to question the decisions she’s about to make, but nothing is as it seems. Jess may be known to have a heart of gold, but is she prepared to have it broken once again? Amber Powell has returned home to Liverpool after receiving devastating news from her sister. Now within reach of her ex-girlfriend, she tries to remain invisible. Over the years, that had worked well for her, but with the potential of heartbreak just around the corner, will Amber realise that the only woman she ever needed… is standing right in front of her.A story of life, loss, and ultimately love.

Don't Let Go


Sheryl Wright - 2016
    Disillusioned with academia, she’s aiming for an analyst’s spot in the private sector but after a year of rejections based on her over-qualification, she’s dumbed down her resume in a desperate attempt to get her foot in the door somewhere—anywhere! When Buffalo’s leading marine engineering firm offers her a low-level placement as a personal assistant, she’s sure it can’t get any worse, until she meets the woman she will be working for.Chief Innovation Officer and wounded veteran Georgie DiNamico doesn't want an assistant or anyone else bothering her. She has her work, her dog, and her nightmares to keep her company. Heir-apparent to her family’s engineering firm, a head injury suffered in Afghanistan has left her feeling too broken for anything else.Georgie has no use for the helper that her family insists she hire. But when Tyler’s resume lands on her desk, along with a company background check listing the advanced degrees she omitted, Georgie sees an opportunity to add a researcher to her R&D team.Tyler quickly realizes Georgie is not the damaged goods everyone sees. Thoughtful, forthcoming, and generous is Tyler’s first impression of her would-be boss and it alleviates much of her trepidation. The outrageous salary and benefits help too, but working with the woman the family sees as shattered looks like the least of her challenges. She recognizes something special in Georgie DiNamico, garnering trust, loyalty, and something more…something Tyler hasn’t thought about for a very, very long time.

Meeting Mrs. Garret


Raquel De Leon - 2018
    A busy young woman working her way through college, Natalie isn’t looking for any complicated emotional entanglements. Madeline Garret has been married to the same man for nearly twenty years. With her daughter in college and him frequently away for work, Maddie often finds herself alone in their empty house. When circumstances conspire to have Natalie around, Maddie thinks she's found a way to be closer to her daughter. And maybe a new friend. Natalie is okay with that... but as they spend time together, something begins to change. [A slow burn May-September romance.]103,000 words

Miles Apart


A.L. Brooks - 2017
    The longer they fight, the less she wants to try.On a business trip to Canada, Alex meets Justine and, over the course of one evening, a connection is formed that shatters everything Alex thought she knew about herself. Returning to London, she’s faced with choices that will irrevocably change her life.A lesbian romance that asks the interesting questions, not the easy ones.