Book picks similar to
Alice & Jean by Lily Hammond


historical
historical-fiction
romance
lesbian

Something Far Away and Happy


Bryce Oakley - 2020
    Their passionate romance burned brightly for a season, but it was painfully over just as quickly and abruptly as it began — neither one understanding exactly why.Now, a 100-year storm, a meddling assistant, and a lucky blue velvet blazer join forces to throw Julia and Remi back in each other’s lives for a second chance. But soon they find that there are certain perks to being stuck together, even with a deep loathing of one another…This friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers (whew, that's a mouthful) second chance romance is a little angsty, a lot funny, and completely swoon-worthy.

Princess of Dorsa


Eliza Andrews - 2018
     Princess Natasia is the eldest child of the Emperor Andreth, ruler of the Four Realms. If she were a boy, she’d be the unquestioned heir to the throne. But as a girl, her main duty in life is to marry someone her father can shape into his successor. Everything changes when an unknown would-be assassin nearly takes Tasia’s life. Someone wants to destabilize the Empire — but who? Was the assassin aligned with the power-hungry Western lords, who have always rebelled against the Emperor? Was he hired by the barbarians in the East, who are fighting against the Empire’s subjugation? Or was he a member of the mysterious Cult of Culo? Unsure of whom he can trust, the Emperor realizes that his daughter might be his best option for an heir. There hasn't been a female heir to the throne in living memory, but as palace intrigue becomes increasingly dangerous, the reckless, rebellious, and stubborn princess suddenly has to face the responsibility of learning to lead. Will she rise to the occasion? Or will the Empire fall at the hands of one of its many enemies? For fans of epic fantasy… with an LGBTQ twist.

It's Our Prom (So Deal with It)


Julie Anne Peters - 2012
    Soon Azure manages to convince her best friends, Luke and Radhika, to join the prom committee as well.Facing heavy opposition and admittedly clueless about prom logistics, the three friends are nonetheless determined to succeed—if Luke's and Azure's secret crushes on Radhika don't push the committee members, and their friendships, to the breaking point first.Told in two voices and filled with comical missed connections, It's Our Prom (So Deal with It) explores the ups and downs of planning an alternative prom—while dealing with an unrequited crush on your best friend—and shines with National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters's unmistakable wit and insight.

Mistletoe


Lyn Gardner - 2012
    Now, Santa has a problem. No child's wish has ever gone unanswered, but the child isn't a child anymore. Believing there is nothing in Santa's Village to satisfy the little girl's wish now that she's an adult, he calls on a Higher Power and is given a suggestion. Although most of Santa's workshops contain only toys for boys and girls, there is one that holds a possible solution to his problem. Learning that Diana will be attending three upcoming Christmas parties, Santa calls on his lead elf to deliver three sprigs of mistletoe, hoping that under one, Diana Clarke will find what she asked for thirty years before.

After Happily Ever After


Astrid OhletzR.J. Nolan - 2020
    Discover the irresistible magic of the morning after, or the month after, or even years later. What happens when it’s not just about discovering new love, but letting love settle a little? What are these passionate lovers, fighters, executives, and explorers up to now? These charming, funny, and entertaining short stories can each be read as standalone pieces to whisk you into new and different worlds…or immerse you in universes you already know and love, and can’t wait to revisit. Find out what happens next in this After Happily Ever After anthology, with stories by Jae (Under a Falling Star), Lee Winter (The Brutal Truth), RJ Nolan (L.A. Metro), Lola Keeley (The Music and the Mirror), Chris Zett (Irregular Heartbeat), Cheyenne Blue (Code of Conduct), Roslyn Sinclair (The Lily and the Crown), Alex K. Thorne (Chasing Stars), and G Benson (All the Little Moments).

A Question of Ghosts


Cate Culpepper - 2012
    Joanne Call, an expert in Electronic Voice Phenomenon—ghost voices—to unravel the mystery of this decades-old tragedy. Joanne can coax messages out of the silence of the grave, but coping with this feisty, emotional Healy person might be completely beyond her. Together, Becca and Jo must tackle childhood grief, a serial killer, Xena withdrawal, and a growing attraction between the two most mismatched women in Seattle.

A Lady's Desire


Lily Maxton - 2018
    She’s decided that, instead of choosing a husband, she’ll save her pin money and travel like she’s always wanted to. However, her plans are interrupted when her family invites her cousin’s widow, Winifred Wakefield, to stay with them. Winifred and Sarah used to be best friends, but after Win married Sarah’s cousin and moved to London, their friendship fell apart. Neither Win nor Sarah are happy about being underneath the same roof, but after settling her late husband’s debts and being left with almost nothing, Win doesn’t have much choice other than to play nicely with the Lark family. Though the memories of their friendship hurt them both, they’re too strong to ignore, and the more time they spend in each other’s company, the more they wonder if friendship is all they feel. Still, even if they admit their feelings, to each other and to themselves, Lady Sarah’s parents are determined to see both young women married to suitable gentlemen. Win and Sarah’s newfound love might be over before it even begins. *A Lady's Desire is a novella of approximately 26,000 words and can be read as a standalone *Average heat level

Rubyfruit Jungle


Rita Mae Brown - 1973
    Bawdy and moving, the ultimate word-of-mouth bestseller, Rubyfruit Jungle is about growing up a lesbian in America--and living happily ever after.

Changing the Script


Lee Winter - 2019
    Things might go easier for her if she didn’t almost run over the standoffish, beautiful local cop on her first day in town. And it’d really help if her film set was being mysteriously sabotaged.When Ika Whenu’s Senior Constable Sam Keegan isn’t trying to stamp out a motorcycle gang drug problem afflicting her town, she’s publicly slamming everything about the exploitative film, Shezan, and the Hollywood blow-ins making it. That includes its nerdy, cute director, Alex, who has woeful driving skills to go with her smart mouth.Against the stunning scenery and chaotic film-set backdrop, attraction flares between the two warring women as they’re forced to work together to find the set saboteur.A funny, small-town lesbian romance about clashing cultures and daring to dream big.This is a Breaking Character spin-off novel that can easily be read as a standalone story.Themes: female police officer · lesbian cop · New Zealand104,000 words

Coffee Sonata


Gun Brooke - 2006
    Not until its most celebrated daughter returns for one last performance.Four women, Manon, Eryn, Vivian and Mike, whose lives unexpectedly intersect in a small town by the sea share one thing in common--they all have secrets. Despite tragedy, past and present, each learns that life holds more than they dared dream. Manon Belmont, socialite and president of a wealthy foundation, leads a closeted life. She thrives helping others, but denies herself happiness for reasons she shares with no one. Nothing is the same after she meets Eryn Goddard, a reporter who has lost track of her dream of a grand writing career years ago. Eryn is suddenly rescued from her mundane assignments at the local paper when Vivian Harding, East Quay's only world famous celebrity, returns for a farewell performance. Vivian carries with her a secret that she fears has not only ended her career, but will also destroy her life. She finds an unexpected source of understanding in Michaela "Mike" Stone, a street smart and brilliant café owner. Mike, in turn, works hard developing her business, and even harder at overcoming the shadows of her past. She feels utterly protective of Vivian, but will she dare to eron her heart again?

A Touch of Truth


Nita Round - 2020
    One bloody mystery, and a prophesy that transcends time. People have gone missing and no one knows where they've gone. The only clue left behind is blood, lots of blood, and a single silver brooch.Magda Stoner, captain of the airship Verity, has questions, and the Order for which she works has no answers to give. She has been directed to enlist assistance from Lucinda Ravensburgh, a tower witch and truthsayer.Lucinda sees truth in everything she touches, a gift, or curse, enhanced by the magic of the tower in which she resides. It's a gift that comes with great responsibility and a duty to those she serves. When Magda asks for aid, Lucinda cannot refuse.Whilst Magda and Lucinda seek the evil behind the disappearances, all manner of threats imperil their lives. Ascara is the warrior who must protect them as their search becomes more and more dangerous.At the moment Lucinda touches the silver brooch, all three lives are changed forever. Three must become one if these strong women are to succeed when traversing the path of justice. But the path they tread is littered with lies, deception, betrayal, and dark forces.No matter what, the Trinity of Truth must form and hold strong."Wise birds whisper, Rage of Fire, Strength of Ice”.This is the first in the Towers of the Earth fantasy adventure series.(Note previously released as Raven, Fire and Ice in 2018)

Olivia


Dorothy Strachey - 1949
    Dorothy Strachey’s classic Olivia captures the awakening passions of an English adolescent sent away for a year to a small finishing school outside Paris. The innocent but watchful Olivia develops an infatuation for her headmistress, Mlle. Julie, and through this screen of love observes the tense romance between Mlle. Julie and the other head of the school, Mlle. Cara, in its final months. “Although not strictly autobiographical, Olivia draws on the author’s experiences at finishing schools run by the charismatic Mlle. Marie Souvestre, whose influence lived on through former students like Natalie Barney and Eleanor Roosevelt. Olivia was dedicated to the memory of Strachey’s friend Virginia Woolf and published to acclaim in 1949. Colette wrote the screenplay for the 1951 film adaptation of the novel. In 1999, Olivia was included on the Publishing Triangle’s widely publicized list of the 100 Best Gay and Lesbian Novels of the 20th Century. “Dorothy Strachey (1865-1960) was the sister of the novelist Lytton Strachey and a prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group…….Olivia, originally published under a pseudonym, is her only novel.” -- Amazon.com

The Sea Hawk


Brenda Adcock - 2008
    Julia Blanchard, a marine archaeologist, and her team of divers have spent almost eighteen months excavating the remains of a ship found a few miles off the coast of Georgia. Although they learn quite a bit about the nineteenth century sailing vessel, they have found nothing that would reveal the identity of the ship they have nicknamed "The Georgia Peach." Consumed by the excavation of the mysterious ship, Julia's relationship with her partner, Amy, has deteriorated. When she forgets Amy's birthday and finds her celebrating in the arms of another woman, Julia returns alone to the Peach site. Caught in a violent storm, she finds herself separated from her boat and adrift on the vast Atlantic Ocean. Her rescue at sea leads her on an unexpected journey into the true identity of the Peach and the captain and crew who called it their home. Her travels take her to the island of Martinique, the eastern Caribbean islands, the Louisiana German Coast and New Orleans at the close of the War of 1812. How had the Peach come to rest in the waters off the Georgia coast? What had become of her alluring and enigmatic captain, Simone Moreau? Can love conquer everything, even time? On a voyage that lifts her spirits and eventually breaks her heart, Julia discovers the identity of the ship she had been excavating and the fate of its crew. Along the way she also discovers the true meaning of love which can be as boundless and unpredictable as the ocean itself.

Life in Death


M. Ullrich - 2016
    The same goes for Marty and Suzanne Dempsey, but happy memories and years of a life built together weren't enough to help their relationship survive the terminal diagnosis of their only child, Abigail. Coping in their own ways, Marty and Suzanne drift apart and eventually divorce after one finds comfort in the arms of a stranger. The expected and devastating death of their daughter had seemingly severed any ties that remained between them, but an insightful letter from Abigail gives Marty the one thing that seemed so elusive before: Hope.

A Dog Named Bella


Bel Blackwood - 2021
    She's lined up an interview with Morgan Leithe—THE Morgan Leithe, the self-made billionaire who mysteriously vanished from the public eye three years ago. Amy only has to travel to the tiny New Zealand town Morgan's hiding in, nab that interview, and have it published before her big performance review. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am—that promotion is basically in the bag.But Amy didn't plan for the bone-chilling blizzard sweeping through the sleepy little town, and she definitely didn't plan to have to wait out a snowstorm with a woman whose piercing blue eyes seem to see right through her...Betrayed by those closest to her, brilliant philanthropist Morgan Leithe has made a new life for herself far away from the glitz and glamour. She'll keep everyone at arm's length to make sure that no-one can hurt her again. She's sworn off romance. All that she needs in life is a good book, her dogs by her side, and solitude. Life in her cosy mountain cottage is peaceful and quiet, just the way she wants it.But now a tenacious younger woman with sparkling eyes is awakening something in her that she's tried her hardest to bury.Four days. That's how long she'll have to wait before the snowstorm lifts and the stranger with the heart-stopping smile can leave for good.Four days of just the two of them, a crackling fire, and the wild New Zealand scenery around them.She can keep this professional, right?