Book picks similar to
Operation: Secret Santa by M.J. Duncan
romance
christmas
lesbian-romance
fiction
Rum Spring
Yolanda Wallace - 2010
When she meets Dylan Mahoney, however, the rules go out the window. During Rebecca's rumspringa—the four-year period during which Amish teenagers decide whether to join the church or leave it for the outside world—Dylan, a film buff and aspiring movie critic, shows Rebecca a world she never dreamed of. The pair make plans to spend the rest of their lives together until a rift forms between their families and forces them to part ways. After much soul-searching, Rebecca decides familial loyalty is more important than her own happiness. But when Dylan develops feelings for another woman, Rebecca's loyalty is put to the test.Love or tradition? Which path will she choose?
Ride the Wave
Natasha West - 2020
But that doesn’t mean she’s up for being sent on a lesbian singles cruise by her pushy sister. Damn non-refundable tickets.Still, it’s not all bad. At least she’s got an excuse to get away from work for a week. Away from pressure and long hours, not to mention her beautiful and popular boss, Eden Tyler. It’s not easy being around such a perfect human being, especially when your own imperfections feel so obvious. Natalie’s looking forward to the chance to step out of Eden’s shadow.But there’s one problem. Eden is on the same cruise. Because her life isn’t quite as perfect as Natalie thinks. She’s struggling with finding love too. She can’t believe it when she finds herself sharing a singles cruise with her most intimidating employee, the smart and stoic Natalie.Neither of them are happy about finding themselves pushed together on the cruise, certain they couldn’t possibly share common ground. But between the various dramas of the lesbian singletons aboard the boat, not to mention a few dramas of their own, they’re about to find out that they’re more alike than they could have dreamed. A hilarious and witty romantic comedy from the author of 'The Plus One', 'Just Married?' and 'Lost and Found'.
Just One Night
Chelsea M. Cameron - 2021
Not just any revenge; she’s out to mend her recently shattered heart. Her ex, Wyatt, is going to pay, and the best way to make that happen is to seduce the girl he’s always wanted but has never caught: Esme Bell. To be fair, the dark-haired bartender with the infectious laugh is the girl just about everyone wants, and Wyatt is no exception.Paige’s plan is simple, and it’s going to work. Go out with Esme, take her home, and then rub her victory in Wyatt’s face for the whole town of Castleton, Maine to see. She does reconnaissance at the bar where Esme works, and soon, the game is ON.Is Paige just going to head right for the bedroom? No. She’s more subtle than that. Paige has never really seduced anyone like this, but how hard could it be? She’s not completely devoid of sexy skills.What starts as a plot to get back at her ex turns into something a whole lot more complicated when Paige catches major feelings. Is she ready to give up her mission and put her heart on the line again? Or should she just cut her losses and call the whole thing off?
The Secret Ingredient
K.D. Fisher - 2020
Two very different restaurants. One recipe for love.For single mom Adah Campbell, the executive chef job at a posh restaurant in quaint South Bay, Maine is a dream come true—and the perfect opportunity to start over, far away from a home that’s never felt entirely hers. But fitting in has never been easy, and between a new town, a new boss, and the unexpectedly attractive owner of a rival café, things get off to a rocky start.Never did free-spirited Beth Summers think she’d still be in Maine. Travel the world gathering delicious recipes and finding friends and lovers? Absolutely. Step in to run her family’s small-town café? Not so much. However, once Beth commits to something, that’s it. Soon, The Yellow House is the hottest spot in town, but Beth’s out of energy—and out of ideas for moving forward.Until Adah Campbell walks into her life. As sparks fly, both chefs have to decide if they are willing to make sacrifices...or if it’s really too many cooks in the kitchen.Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.
Trial by Fire
Carsen Taite - 2021
To top it off, her first case pits her against Lennox Roy, a gorgeous yet fierce prosecutor with a reputation for cajoling juries and breaking hearts.Lennox comes from a family full of bleeding hearts who believe in second, third, and fourth chances, but she’s seen firsthand the damage leniency can do. She has no patience for a softy like Wren Bishop, no matter how sexy and brilliant she might be. But when they face off over a mysterious arson case, their attraction ignites a passion that leads them to question their assumptions about the law, the truth, and each other.
For Now, Forever
Trin Denise - 2012
After a full weekend of celebrating her birthday, she goes to work thinking it will be just another typical workday. That thought comes to a crashing halt when she flips the “Closed” sign to “Open” and finds an elderly mustachioed man standing at the door.Gordon LeVitt, Attorney at Law drops a bombshell that will flip Cassie’s life upside down. The man that she believed to be her father for the last thirty-three years is not really her father, and her recently deceased biological father Collin Masterson has named her as an heir in his Last Will and Testament. The catch: Her presence is required at the reading.Cassie heads to Masterson, West Virginia and has a blow-out that sends her car careening off the side of the road. With her heart racing in her chest, she is relieved when the most gorgeous creature she’s ever seen stops to help and then Cassie does something she has never done in her life—make mad passionate love with a complete stranger named Eelyn M. Carmichael who has agreed to drop Cassie off for her appointment.After Mr. LeVitt’s introductions, Cassie gets an even bigger shock when Eelyn comes strolling into the room and takes a seat next to Lenora, her father’s widow. Feeling sick to her stomach and thinking her world is crashing down, Cassie does the only thing she can—she runs with no intention of looking back. The one thing Cassie forgets is that things are seldom what they seem and Eelyn M. Carmichael has already made up her mind that Cassie Reynolds is not going to be the one who got away because some things that happen in the now, can and do last forever.
The Wish
R.J. Nolan - 2013
They are both successful doctors, but each longs to find that one person to share her life with. In a jaded world filled with cynicism, do dreams really still come true? Maybe all it takes is a wish upon a star...This short story is a mini-prequel to RJ Nolan's novel L.A. Metro.
Restless On A Road Trip
Nicolette Dane - 2016
As a woman in her mid-30s, where does she go from here? How does she move on? Dana knows the divorce was the right thing to do and these feelings inside can no longer be ignored. She’s certain real love is out there for her… but how can she find it? When her good friend Maggie invites her on a road trip out west, Dana’s eyes begin to open. Maggie is a firecracker, a sweet, pretty, and sensual woman who Dana has always admired. And while Maggie has always been open about her own love of women, Dana has never been able to come out to her friend and admit her true feelings. Dana is about to find out, however, that when you’re on the open road with a fun and flirty woman like Maggie, things have a way of coming out like they never have before. Will the freedom Dana feels on this road trip vacation allow her to finally open up and be free herself? Can this liberation from the responsibilities of life set Dana on the path she was meant to travel all along? Or will the coming out Dana has always deserved continue to be under construction? Some road blocks in life are difficult to navigate. But for Dana the call of the open road is too deafening to dismiss.
Keile's Chance
Dillon Watson - 2009
Everything Keile Griffen ever loved was taken away, including her family. Surviving a youth in Child Support Services has left her driven to succeed as an adult--and she has. A successful, sought after planning consultant, she maps out solutions for other people, but never for herself. When Hayden Davenport's partner walked out on her in the midst of planning their family, she decided to go it alone. It hasn't been easy, and she's not used to help. When her missing son is found by a stranger at the park, she's overwhelmingly grateful to the young woman. When her gratitude blossoms into something more, her first impulse is to protect her child--and her battered heart. All Keile knows is that fateful day in the park she fell for a pair of big, brown eyes. But if she wants a family she has to take a chance, a big one. She could win it all...or lose everything. Dillon Watson's tale of unexpected love unfolds in the beautiful southeast, and introduces an insightful new storyteller who explores the passionate commitment that leads to love and family.
Once
L.T. Smith - 2008
She wasn't a princess, by any stretch of the imagination, nor did she live in a fairytale kingdom far far away. What she did have was a broken relationship, a broken spirit, and a shattered view of life. After four years in a destructive relationship, Beth decides enough is enough. Then she meets Amy Fletcher, the woman who has it all . the woman whom she believes would never want more than friendship. But what she fails to realise is that everything is relative, and there is definitely two sides to every story.
Dear Taylor
Eija Jimenez - 2016
Seeing her city in shambles, coated in ash, and American lives lost, she enlisted to fight the War on Terror. Daniella Melo, a Rhode Island American History teacher, challenges her class to write letters to soldiers fighting overseas. With one name left and a student short, Daniella takes it upon herself to write letters to Private Taylor Phillips stationed in Afghanistan. Over the next two years, the women exchange letters, sharing stories of their daily lives: Daniella trailing after her rambunctious daughter, Jackie, and dealing with overeager seniors planning prom while Taylor trudges through sand and dirt, driving her humvee in cold deserts. Their friendship continues to grow until it becomes something so much more than either woman expect.
Sugar
Karin Kallmaker - 2004
...Literally. Struggling to make ends meet, Sugar has invested everything into Cake Dreams by Sugar with hopes of becoming the most sought-after designer of event desserts in Seattle. Working - and baking - night and day to perfect her business and her chances of winning a large bake-off prize, she's not prepared for disaster. Within a few hours she's got no place to live and no business, not even a bag of flour or a measuring cup. Support arrives in the form of an empathetic Victim's Advocate social worker named Tree, a hunky, charming firefighter named Charlie, and a dynamic, ambitious local TV producer. She's Emily, and the first of the trio to make a serious play for Sugar in the morning, Sugar in the evening, and Sugar in the afternoon. After years as a single lesbian who couldn't get a heartbeat from any woman anywhere, all this attention has Sugar's head spinning. Forced to live with her ailing, homophobic grandmother, she has no idea how she'll get to know any of these new women in her life. They all offer changed circumstances, stability and a hope at forever. But which one will she choose? FINDING MS. RIGHT IS NO PIECE OF CAKE.
Stars Collide
H.P. Munro - 2014
Despite her own fame Freya has managed to keep one aspect of her life out of the public eye, however, a new job on hit show Front Line and a storyline that pairs her with the gorgeous Jordan Ellis, may mean that Freya’s secret is about to come out. In a world of glitz and glamor, Jordan Ellis has come to the conclusion that all that glitters is not gold. She has become disillusioned with relationships and is longing for a deeper connection, and is surprised when it comes in the form of the most unexpected package. Whilst their on screen counterparts begin a romantic journey, Freya and Jordan find themselves on a similar pathway.
Reach the Stars
Lily Seabrooke - 2021
She doesn’t do friends. All that matters is winning, and nothing is going to get in her way.But not only is this televised song contest putting Emmy on the same stage as Kat, they’re paired up in everything they do, and Emmy can make friends with anyone—even the woman who’s sworn off such frivolous things as fun and friendship.Even as they compete for the title of champion—or, well, at least, Kat’s competing, Emmy doesn’t seem too invested—Emmy might just be able to chip away Kat’s walls and remind her what it’s like to care about something, and Kat might just be the meaning that Emmy’s been searching for.And getting shipped by their fans under #kataremmy doesn’t help with their feelings.Reach the Stars is a 30k-word novella featuring pop singers in a contest, a grumpy/sunshine romance, a rollercoaster ride that Kat totally doesn’t smile on, and only a little bit of angst. Content warnings for open-door sex scenes, people getting pushy with boundaries, mentions of abuse in the past, Emmy being entirely too sweet and Kat being entirely too grouchy, and hopeless lesbians trying to ignore their feelings for another while their fans are shipping them online and they’re each trying to pretend they don’t look at their shipping hashtag on Instagram while the other isn’t looking.
Relic
Anne Hagan - 2014
These days, she spends life on the road, moving from one case to another until one day when runs run right into the path of Sheriff Mel Crane. The feisty, sexy butch cop is as determined to uncover a counterfeiting ring in her county as Agent Rossi becomes to stop a stalker obsessed with Mel and hot for her company. Dana is under the added pressure of conducting an undercover investigation of her own with a tight deadline: finding and then stopping a ring of smugglers bringing high end designer knock-offs into the states.Could their cases be related? When repeated vicious attacks on Mel and on her home accelerate the danger for her and also their attraction to each other, they become desperate to find the truth and solve the two mysteries. Can they find a way to work together to resolve both cases while coming to terms with their growing feelings for one another? Can Dana move beyond her jilted lover past and find true happiness with a small town Sheriff?