Book picks similar to
Magic and Romance: A Collection of Lesbian Short Stories by Niamh Murphy
short-stories
fantasy
lgbtq
lgbt
Payback's a Witch
Lana Harper - 2021
Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?But most concerning of all: Why can't she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?
Tread Lightly
Catherine Lane - 2017
The magic’s drying up; the girls are spoiled brats, and guardian angels poach the council’s best clients whenever they can.When her boss assigns her a VIP case, Claire assumes it’s more of the same. But Frankie, her client, seems to be the deserving underdog of the olden days. And Tamiel, the guardian angel who pops onto the scene, swears she’s there to protect Frankie, not to steal her. It doesn’t hurt she’s smokin’ hot.As the case starts to unravel, Claire is forced to examine her own prejudices and desires. Is she heading for certain ruin, or will she grab her happily ever after in this lesbian urban fantasy?Length: 35,000 wordsThemes: action · demon · fairy godmother · Fallen Angel · guardian angel · lesbian · Los Angeles · supernatural · urban
The Penguin Book of Lesbian Short Stories
Margaret Reynolds - 1993
Like Queen Victoria, the world has preferred to believe that sex between women is impossible, resulting in a long silence between the writings of Sappho and the flowering of talent produced by feminism and the sexual revolution. Lesbian writing has come a long way since Virginia Woolf's famous essay of 1928. Since then women have challenged traditional forms of expression and subject matter in an extraordinarily rich and varied discourse to give voice to the lesbian imagination. In this wide-ranging anthology, Margaret Reynolds has brought together the work of thirty-two women from Britain, continental Europe, and the Americas - including three specially commissioned pieces - that covers nearly a century of lesbian writing, from Sarah Orne Jewett (1897) to Jeanette Winterson (1993). The collection ranges from Frances Gapper's pastiche of a Romantic melodrama, through the wry humor of Merril Mushroom's description of butch and femme courting rituals, to the wit of Alison Bechdel's cartoon strip. The anxiety of unresolved desire is present in many stories - Radclyffe Hall's Miss Ogilvy is unable truly to find herself in this world, Djuna and Lillian hold back from each other in Anais Nin's "Cities of the Interior," and the energy and commitment that should go into a loving relationship are stifled by convention in Jane Rule's story of passion outside marriage. But here are brave spirits, too - Renee Vivien's Sarolta and her Prince(ss) live forever in a vision of ideal tenderness, Colette's heroines preserve the sanctity of their little white bed, and Jewelle Gomez's bulldagger society survives far from the haunts of men. There are coming-out stories, stories about cross-dressing, vampire tales, science fiction, parody, and romance. Each story is quite different from the others, yet each acknowledges a particular facet of lesbian history and makes it real.
The Shewstone
Jane Fletcher - 2016
When she is old enough, she will be initiated into its sisterhood of priestesses. Meanwhile Matt, the street urchin, earns a crime lord’s admiration, so much so he adopts her as his daughter and heir to his underworld clan.Nearly two decades later, their paths cross when Eawynn is appointed custodian of the Shew stone, the mystical orb of prophecy. Unfortunately for her, Matt is on a mission to steal it.
The Right Kind of Wrong
P.J. Trebelhorn - 2017
She meets new women every night and has her choice of bed partners. That’s fine with her because she isn’t interested in anything serious after having her heart shattered eighteen months ago.Grace Everett is perfectly content owning a bookstore, but not so much in her personal life. She wants forever, but hasn’t had much luck with relationships. She’s hoping the newest woman in her life will be the one.When Quinn’s mother falls ill, something shifts in the twenty-year-old friendship for both women. Quinn struggles with old feelings for Grace, and Grace is seeing Quinn in a different light. They know falling for their best friend is wrong, but could it be the right kind of wrong?
Seven: A Lesbian Snow White
Jennifer Diemer - 2012
Her father Lexander, an alchemist, harbors an evil obsession, and Catalina, his newest bride, made the grave mistake of becoming his wife. When Catalina finds herself falling in love with his daughter, Neve, instead, the deepening bond between the women sets in motion the final chapter of a story that began long ago, with a desperate longing and a handful of apple seeds. Together, Neve and Catalina must venture into the Huntsman's haunted forest to undo what has been done and set themselves free. The novella SEVEN is the lesbian retelling of the classic fairy tale, “Snow White.” It is part of the series SAPPHO’S FABLES: LESBIAN FAIRY TALES.
The Pyramid Waltz
Barbara Ann Wright - 2012
But when the festival lights go down and the palace slumbers, Katya chases traitors to the crown and protects the kingdom’s greatest secret: the royal Umbriels are part Fiend. When Katya thwarts an attempt to expose the king’s monstrous side, she uncovers a plot to let the Fiends out to play.Starbride has no interest in being a courtier. Ignoring her mother’s order to snare an influential spouse, she comes to court only to study law. But a flirtatious rake of a princess proves hard to resist, and Starbride is pulled into a world of secrets that leaves little room for honesty or love, a world neither woman may survive.
Prairie Heart
Marian Snowe - 2017
Many of the couples in the tiny Colorado ranch town of Prairie Winds have Eleanor to thank for their happily ever after. But when her best friend, Morgan, asks for Eleanor's help to set her up on a date... Well, that's where it gets complicated. Morgan is funny and dashing, and she’s sexier in blue jeans and a cowboy hat than any ranch hand has a right to be. She also just came out. The thing is? Eleanor's had a crush on Morgan since forever, and has spent her entire life convincing herself that Morgan was off limits. Now that Morgan's told her she's not exactly straight--and that Morgan needs her help to find the right lady--Eleanor's heartbroken that this "right lady" is probably not her. Ever the great friend, she knows her own ex-girlfriend is absolutely perfect for Morgan... A sexy camping trip, a tornado and an intense love triangle round out this heartwarming romance by best-selling author Marian Snowe!
A Perfect Romance
Layce Gardner - 2013
How perfectly romantic!When Dana meets Ellen she’s not entirely honest because she doesn’t want to look foolish. If she explained that she’s wingman to her BFF Trudy, who is trying to pick up men at an AA meeting, then Ellen would quite reasonably want to back away, slowly.The only way to see Ellen again is to keep going to the meetings and try really hard not to dig herself a deeper hole. But on the day Dana was born the good Lord was handing out shovels and whichever idiot said the course of true love was easy, well, they flat-out lied.If love wasn’t funny there’d be no way we’d survive it. Join Goldie winner Layce Gardner for A Perfect Romance.
The Discreet Lesbian: (Episode 1 in the Mandy Series)
Mackenzie Stone - 2012
A church steeped in taboos against almost everything, but especially against homosexuality. She has been brought up to make her mother proud – marry, have children, and bring no shame on the family.She marries Scott, the son of a Southern Baptist minister who is the choir director of his dad’s church; Mandy is the director of the Young People’s Department. The church is full of nosy old busy bodies. It is impossible to do anything outside the ordinary without the pack of gossipy old vultures tearing you to pieces. Mandy and Scott, unable to have children, adopt a baby boy and are seemingly happy.However, Mandy unexpectedly encounters her true destiny, a graduate student and also a member of her church, Kathleen Crutchfield. Kathleen brazenly makes a pass at Mandy forever changing her life. Feeling new, deliciously different emotions, Mandy, struggles with the implications of what has happened.Knowing that her life will never be the same, Mandy tries to see if there were clues in her life that should have alerted her to her hidden forbidden identity.Kathleen captures Mandy’s heart and rules her body with a passion she has never known before. They are made only for each other. They know they must find a way to be together, but how will they get the courage to escape Mandy’s marriage, the church, and Kathleen’s powerful family?
Romancing the Inventor
Gail Carriger - 2016
Imogene wants to seduce her.
Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local vampire hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor imprisoned there.Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French.With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve’s heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents this stand-alone lesbian romance is set in her popular steampunk Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea.Supernatural Society stories can be read in any order. Look for surprise appearances from popular Parasol Protectorate characters and the occasional strategic application of cognac.Delicate Sensibilities?This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail.
Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology
Joamette GilHannah Lazarte - 2017
The book is over 160 pages long, black and white, and contains 15 original stories blending fantasy, drama, humor, and romance.Cover by Ashe Samuels
Cinder Ella
S.T. Lynn - 2016
She's known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She was happier in skirts than trousers, but that was before her stepmother moved in. Eleanor can't stand her, and after Ella's father passes she's forced to revert to Cole, a lump of a son. She cooks, she cleans, and she tolerates being called the wrong name for the sake of a roof over her head. Where else can she go? An opportunity to attend the royal ball transforms Ella's life. For the first time, strangers see a woman when she walks down the stairs. While Princess Lizabetta invited Cole to the ball, she doesn't blink an eye when Cinderella is the one who shows. The princess is elegant, bold, and everything Ella never knew she wanted. For a moment she glimpses a world that can accept her, and she holds on tight. She should have known it wouldn't last. Dumped by her wicked stepmother on the farthest edge of the kingdom, Ella must find a way to let go of the princess and the beautiful life they shared for an hour. She'll never find her way back. But it's hard to forget the greatest night of her life when every rose she plants is a reminder.
Hal
Kate Cudahy - 2015
Yet Hal is happiest with a sword in her hand, and forsakes her status as ward to become a professional duellist, spending her days in training, her nights revelling, famed for her prowess in the capital's duelling arena. All of that changes when Hal falls in love with Meracad Léac, the freedom-craving daughter of a wealthy merchant. Meracad's father will stop at nothing to ensure his own wealth and position, and plans to marry Meracad to Bruno Nérac, a powerful northern lord. Hal's world is about to be thrown into chaos when she sets out to save the woman she loves …
Deep Merge
Linda North - 2014
Kaesah must report the disturbing events on Earth that could impact the survival of her species. Kaesah has no choice but to find a human woman capable of Deep Merge, a process required to guide her ship through the galaxy and to her planet. Can Kaesah overcome her aversion to humans to form a bond with one?Antonia Lorne, Toni, is mourning the death of her wife. Retiring to bed one night on the promise to herself to start living again, Toni will awaken in a starship with a new course for her life charted. Reluctantly, she enters an agreement with Kaesah to Deep Merge, not knowing all of the ramifications.Two women, from different worlds, must learn to trust the other, not only for the future of their planets but also for their own future.2nd Edition with expanded chapters and epilogue. 88,000 words