Book picks similar to
The Summers We Lost by Helen Blacksmith


lesbian
romance
believable-story-or-well-writen
character-artist

Remember Me


Noelle Winters - 2018
     Can a parent ever recover from the loss of a child? Three years after the disappearance of her daughter, Katy Sommers is still reeling. The world keeps spinning, but just as she starts to move on, she opens a letter and finds a picture enclosed. It's her daughter, obviously older. When the investigation kicks off anew, Katy must draw upon all of the skills she's honed in the past three years to survive. But she didn’t count on Alex Mitchell. Special Agent Alex Mitchell is living in the shadow of a recent case, but she's forced to turn her focus to helping Katy find her daughter. She expected hard work and high emotions, but she didn't expect to fall in love. It’s temporary, just a fling, and when a wrench is thrown into their lives, Alex is left uncertain of where they stand and where life will take her. But the kidnapper isn’t done. When their fragile bond is pushed to the limit, Katy and Alex have to decide just how far they will go for love and family.

This Time


S.W. Andersen - 2018
    Neuropsychologist Dr. Contessa “Tess” Kenner isn’t one of them. She can explain in detail how lust and desire cause the limbic system to battle the prefrontal cortex over ethical decision making, but ask her about her aversion to relationships and she’s completely at a loss. It’s not due to lack of trying. She’s just never felt the need or the connection to put in the effort. Free spirited artist Elena Jake, on the other hand, wants to fall in love with the woman of her dreams—quite literally. Ever since her youth, her nights have been consumed by a beautiful stranger, so much so, that no flesh and blood woman has ever been able to measure up. When the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, she seeks guidance from her Native American roots. Driven by strong astrological influences, the “powers that be” attempt an intervention between the two women. Their pasts and presents merge, sending Tess and Elena on an unimaginable journey, causing them both to question their sanities. Will these two souls rediscover an epic love? Or are they destined to forever be star-crossed lovers? This paranormal romance is a must read for every true romantic who believes true love knows no bounds.

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


Sam Skyborne - 2020
    

Sweet Temptation


Spencer Pearson - 2020
    Harper, the woman she'd been crushing on for the last three years.After five years of teaching accounting at the same college as her brother, Lauren Harper was finally settling in.She'd left behind a high paying, high stress job at an accountancy firm, and although teaching didn't pay nearly as well, she was starting to enjoy the simpler things in life, like sipping on a whiskey while she played cards at a local casino.When one of her students sits down at her poker table, it piques Lauren's curiosity. It wasn't unusual for students and teachers to mix in such a small town, but for some reason, she didn't expect to see Riley playing poker.Lauren had been badly burned by a student in the past, and there was no way she was going there again.No way. Under no circumstances.That's what Lauren keeps telling herself anyway, but as the two get to know one another, Lauren finds herself being drawn to the younger woman.How bad would it really be to date a student?

Back to September


Melissa Brayden - 2019
    She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble. Well, her bookstore is, and if she doesn’t find a way to bring in some more cash, she’ll be closing the doors of A Likely Story for good. When world famous romance novelist Parker Bristow accepts her request to come in for a signing, Hannah might finally be able to drum up some much-needed attention and save the shop. What she didn’t anticipate was an unexpected evening and a woman she wouldn’t soon forget. A real romance is off the table. Parker is flashy, sought after, and Hannah is just, well, Hannah. But for Parker, it seems like Hannah might be a safe place to fall. The question is, what kind of falling are they doing?

Anonymous Bidder


Robin Roseau - 2015
    Violetta's agreement is reluctant, sure the only women who might want have a screw loose. She feels her suspicions are confirmed when it is an anonymous bidder who wins the date, and things go from weird to weirder after that. This is a novella of 30,000 words.

Watch Her Burn


Em Stevens - 2019
    That is, until her husband of twenty five years asks for a divorce. After that, Meg is scrambling to pick up the pieces. At least she has Jamie. Jamie's been her best friend, her rock, her ride or die since they were fourteen. That Jamie is Meg's ex's twin sister is a minor complication. Or is it a major problem? As Meg tries to redefine herself, she and Jamie find their friendship enters gray territory. Old fantasies are fanned and soon things are heating up between them. Is their taboo relationship fueled by lust or love? When clay is fired, it grows stronger. But when Meg's world is set alight, she's afraid she may have burned the person she cares for the most.

The Light in You


Lisa Elliot - 2020
    Passionate and principled, she believes in yoga and wants to make a difference. Unfortunately, her studio is hanging by a thread after a slow start. She doesn’t have time for love, and isn’t attachment the root of all suffering anyway?Life isn’t going the way Emily Mackenzie had planned. She’s lost her high-powered corporate job and isn’t coping well. She’s spent her twenties sacrificing her personal life for her career and now she has nothing to show for it. Stressed and struggling, she might just be at her rock bottom. When Emily joins Heart Yoga she finds a lot more than just a good stretch.An unexpected kiss forces Angela to question everything she holds dear, and as Emily gets back on her feet is it wise for her to risk getting involved with someone who’s not looking for love?

Seeing Her


Maria Jackson - 2017
    and too scared to let the world see any of those qualities. Interacting with her restaurant coworkers makes her want to melt into the floor. They're all beautiful, outgoing, and confident - terrifying to a shy lesbian. When Chloe somehow catches the most intimidating girl's eye, she wonders if their mutual attraction could develop into more. Waitressing isn't Jennie's passion, but then neither is anything else. Adrift in life, the tattooed beauty only cares about weed and her motorcycle. At least this job's paying the bills until she can move on to better things. Fooling around with coworkers isn't in her plans - but once she notices the resident wallflower is drop-dead gorgeous, those plans change. Falling for Chloe, though? That's another matter. Will Jennie chew Chloe up and spit her out? Or could Jennie be the first person to see Chloe for who she really is?

Twice Upon a Train


K.A. Moll - 2019
    Keegan Wade is the Chief of Trauma Surgery, a rising star at NYC General. She's immersed 24-7 in work that she once loved. No one waits for her at home and she has nothing to offer. Anxiety has her in a choke hold and she'd give anything to sleep more than two consecutive hours. At the urging of a friend, she takes a long overdue vacation, a cross country trip on a restored steam train, in hopes that time away from the pressures of her job will solve her problems.At 39, Willow Lord is a recent college graduate, a social worker in desperate need of a job. Divorced nine years, she's lived in poverty, saving coins to buy cat food. Next month, the first payments on her student loans are due. She has no time for a vacation, but when her friend, a friend who won't take 'no' for an answer insists, she sends out resumes, and boards The Frisco Express—New York City to California.As young teens, on a steam train, these two women fell in love. And on a steam train, twenty-six years later, they're given a second chance. But the years have taken them to drastically different places. Can they straddle their worlds and seize it?

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?

First Comes Love


Frankie Duncan - 2020
    She is used to calling the shots in her London life but a move to Scotland changes everything.When she meets a beautiful, younger woman, Libby, who sees the world quite differently, her life is turned on its head. Everybody loves Libby but will she be able to win Brogan's heart?A slow-burn, romantic tale of new beginnings, hope and family.Please also note that this book contains some hot and steamy sex scenes and a little angst. You have been warned.This novel was first published under the title of Reclamation in July 2020. First Comes Love is the edited and extended republished novel of the original work.

Never Knew Until You


L.E. Royal - 2019
    Suddenly middle-aged with so much time wasted, she seeks solstice online where she stumbles upon The Pandora Agency—an organization claiming to help individuals find themselves through submission. Encouraged to be a little wild by her best friend, Parker speaks to the agency and sets up a meeting with a female dominant, Miss Diaz. Greeted at the door of an impressive Miami townhouse by a young woman, Parker questions her decision as she waits for the girl’s mother. Stunned by the reveal that twenty-four-year old Kristina is in fact the Miss Diaz she has come to meet, she is dragged head first into a new world. Despite Kristina’s commitment issues and Parker’s shattered confidence, the two enter into a tenuous agreement that sparks Parker’s rediscovery of herself. Both are surprised by their compatibility until they stumble across the line from arrangement into relationship, and Kristina calls their time together to an end. When an unexpected catastrophe throws them back together, old demons are finally brought into the light, and both women must decide if letting go of the past is worth the future they could have together.Tags: age gap, BDSM, businesswomen, D/s, over 40, teachingCover Artist: Natasha SnowGenre: Contemporary RomanceWord Count: 63,900Sex Content: ExplicitPairing: FFOrientation: Bisexual, Lesbian

Stunted


Breanna Hughes - 2018
    She also has a very strict no-dating policy when it comes to coworkers. That is, until, she meets famous actress Elliot Chase on the set of her new film. The adrenaline rush of the stunts is nothing compared to the sparks that fly between them. After a passionate night together, a sex tape is leaked that sends Jessie and Elliot's private and professional lives into a spiral. Will the fallout be too much for them to last? Or will they find a way out of the mess together?

Hairpin Curves


Elia Winters - 2020
    Now a wedding invitation lures her to Quebec…in February. When her ex-friend Scarlett offers to be her plus-one (yeah, that’s a whole story) and suggests they turn the journey into an epic road trip, Megan reluctantly agrees to the biggest adventure of her life.A week together in a car is a surefire way to kill a crush, and Scarlett Andrews has had a big one on Megan for years. The important thing is fixing their friendship.As the miles roll away, what starts as harmless road-trip games and rest-stop dares escalates into something like intimacy. And when a surprise snowstorm forces Megan and Scarlett to hunker down without the open road as distraction, they’ve got a bigger challenge than making it to the church on time: facing the true nature of their feelings for each other.Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.