Book picks similar to
To Love and Protect by Mardria Portuondo


lesbian
erotica
tragedy-death-dying
bi-sexual-label-doesnt-matter

Love on The Westside


Riley West - 2020
    ASIN B08TRNQJXK moved to the most recent edition

Now You See Me


S.Y. Thompson - 2013
    One fateful day, she shows an irritating new client, Carson Tierney, around the tenth floor space of her own building and her life takes an unforeseen direction.Carson is an awe-inspiring woman by anyone's standards. Possessing genius-level intelligence that has allowed her to become a self-made millionaire of a computer software company, Carson still has a dark secret that could be her undoing.When the two are thrust together to escape a deadly killer in a high-rise office building while a blizzard rages outside, they have no one to count on but each other. So begins an unexpected yet tender romance. However, unchecked love and desire isn't in their future. The murderer is still out there and he's coming for them. Will Carson's street-wise skills protect them both as Erin attempts to discover the killer's identity just as relentlessly as he is seeking their demise?

The Fifth Stage


Margaret A. Helms - 2003
    She muddles through daily routines, her only respite coming in the form of a harmless crush on Rebecca Greenway. Claire believes that the sexy restaurant manager is safely unavailable. But when Rebecca shows signs of interest, Claire's past unravels, revealing an immeasurable love and a dark secret. .an outstanding contribution to lesbian fiction. Author Margaret A. Helms deftly alternates past and present events in the life of Claire Blevins to build an enthralling and intriguing story. Her rich prose, compelling plot, lively pace, and strongly-drawn characters make The Fifth Stage an outstanding contribution to lesbian fiction. -- Nann Dunne, editor and publisher of Just About Write (www.justaboutwrite.com), author of The War Between the Hearts, and other stories.

Fierce Overture


Gun Brooke - 2010
    Prepared to break her contract if necessary, all Noelle wants is a chance to sing her own songs. Desperate, the producers bring in their CEO, business tycoon Helena Forsythe, who is infamous for not taking any prisoners. Noelle expects the CEO to be the company bitch everybody fears but she is not prepared to be so affected by Helena's formidable presence and charisma.For Helena, it's all about the money, so why change a winning game plan? However, when Noelle shows unexpected strength and courage in the negotiations, Helena knows she has to change her usual steamroller approach. Trying charm instead of brute force, Helena is blind-sided by her own unexpected feelings. When Noelle responds in kind, the stakes escalate for both women, who risk not only their professional futures but everything when it comes to their hearts.

Hurricane Season


B.J. Phillips - 2016
    Richardson) is a romance author. She’s had her heart broken badly again and is done with love. Ditching San Francisco, she moves back home to Southwest Florida to get her feet back under her and finish her latest novel.Carrie Alexander is a huge S.K. Richardson fan, but has no idea what she looks like. She does, however, like the looks of the new neighbor down the street, Shawn Richards. Drawn to each other as friends, Shawn still tries to keep some distance in spite of what she’s beginning to feel for Carrie. Carrie isn’t the kind of woman you just have a fun night with and then move on. Carrie’s the kind you fall in love with and make love to, and live happily ever after with—but she just can’t let herself trust her heart yet. After all, the last time she fell for one of her fans, it ended badly. Carrie is looking for ‘happy ever after’ just like in all those romance novels she reads. Shawn could be the one, or maybe Carrie’s fooling herself and there’s really no such thing as all that romantic stuff in Shawn’s books. Shawn is afraid she can’t deliver on that ‘happy ever after’ she knows Carrie wants—and she wants, too, truth be told. Destiny might have given them a push when Carrie tripped at the local grocery store and literally fell into Shawn’s arms. But fear could cost Shawn the woman of her dreams.Words: 64,530

Scarcity


Kate Genet - 2011
    It comes with the territory and she's learned to be particular about her privacy. She's learned that keeping to yourself is always the best option. Until Scarcity turns up. Teresa's never met anyone like her and it worries her how much she likes the girl's presence. What happens when two desperate, needy worlds collide? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW "I thought this story was wonderful, showing two damaged women slowly opening up to each other. Kate Genet has a way of writing strong, vivid prose that gets under your skin. The light, the weather, and nature all figure strongly in her work. But then her earthy characters are also forces of nature! This isn't pretty writing, it's stark, sensual and gorgeous. I plan to read more of her work." - Gabriella West ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT ‘I’m Scarcity. Pleased to meet you, Teresa.’ She was smiling. Teresa looked at the outstretched arm. The girl’s hand turned out to be warm against her palm. Scarcity took a step forward and looked up at her. She was still smiling. ‘I gotta go. Thanks for the beer. I’ll come and see you again, shall I?’ She dropped Teresa’s hand and grinned, heading for the door before Teresa could answer. Teresa followed slowly. The blonde girl disappeared around the side of the house. ‘What sort of name is Scarcity?’ Teresa asked the empty yard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kate Genet is a New Zealand author who enjoys writing books with strong lesbian characters. Even if they don't start out feeling all that strong, they've usually found their tenacity and self-assurance by the time she's done with them; characters you can like, admire, and wish you knew - maybe they're even a bit like you. With her interest in telling compelling stories she spreads herself across a few genres within lesbian fiction - supernatural suspense, adventure, science fiction and fantasy, and now romance. Keep up to date with her writing life and new releases by visiting her website at kategenet.com (coming January 2014). She also writes mainstream speculative fiction under the name Kate Hansen.

Learning to Love Again


A.K. Rose - 2021
    When Cassie Hollander spills her guts to her very straight best friend, she doesn’t get the answer she wants, and even though she knew that would probably happen, she’s still crushed. She’s used to hiding in the shadows, masking her true self and pretending to conform to a life that doesn’t fit her. Everything happens for a reason, and in Cassie’s case, being rejected by Jessica Taylor was the catapult she needed to get her life together in more ways than one. Come along as Cassie figures out who she is, where she’s going, and how wonderful things happen when you open your heart to the chance for real love.

Incognito


V.K. Powell - 2019
    US Marshal Evan Spears commands a federal task force of seasoned agents who track and capture dangerous fugitives around the world. When Evan is forced to take on DEA Agent Frankie Strong, a free spirit with unorthodox methods, she sees nothing but trouble for the team, the mission, and her future. Frankie just wants to locate the murder suspect and prove her worth, but Evan seems determined to block her. To catch the killer they must learn to work together, but their attraction blurs the lines between professional and personal.

Wounded


Ben Burgess Jr. - 2014
    Molested as a child and subsequently forced into prostitution by her drug-addicted mother, Samantha learned at an early age that men were not to be trusted. Being constantly preyed upon taught her to be a predator. Her target was women-specifically, straight or married women. As the headliner at a local strip club, Samantha capitalized on the gifts she was cursed with. In turn, her life quickly spiraled down a dangerous path of violence, seduction, and exploitation. When Sasha is brought on as the new bartender, she becomes Samantha's newest target. The last thing Samantha anticipated was falling in love. When tragedy strikes, what was once a challenge may prove to be her downfall. Can Samantha heal from her abusive past, or will she always be Wounded?

A Good Woman


Liz Cronkhite - 2018
     Aly, recently divorced, with no career and no family, considers herself someone who is just drifting through life. She finds employment as a nanny for an acquaintance, Erika, an attractive lawyer she feels is “out of her league”. To resist her attraction to Erika, Aly maintains her image of Erika as an Ice Queen, despite evidence to the contrary. When that falls away Aly, who values Erika not for her outward success but because she is loving and thoughtful, is still certain Erika would never fall for her. As they grow closer, Aly hides her love for Erika. In time, through Erika’s friendship and her own growth, Aly comes to realize that she, too, is a “good woman”. With her obstacles to Erika gone, only Erika’s lack of interest in her stands in Aly’s way. But is Erika really not interested?

The Crimson Dragon


Cinnamon Jay - 2021
    Year after year, the only thing that changes is the number of human-eating fey that stalk the night. Each night, Bryn ventures out to reduce those numbers and protect a family she's no longer sure deserves protecting. But if the last member of the bloodline of Arthur dies, darkness will fall and the earth will crumble.Elaine Hughes is just a regular young woman with a regular job who lives in a regular house in Los Angeles. Each weekend, she comes home to an empty house, and each Monday she drives back to her nine-to-five with chagrin that nothing has changed. When she's attacked in the same parking garage she's been using for years, she's saved by a beautiful warrior maiden with red wings and golden eyes, and she's confronted with the possibility that things in this world are not as they seem.The Crimson Dragon combines the real world of Los Angeles with the magical world of dragons and the legends of King Arthur. As Bryn and Elaine face their worst fears and emotional trauma, they also face the real chance that the two of them are in for more than they bargained for.

Love and Devotion


Jove Belle - 2013
    All of that takes a backseat when her lover beckons. Lonnie is blond, beautiful, and willing. She’s also married and a lifelong friend of KC’s mama.KC knows the affair is a bad idea, but she just can’t help herself. When presented with the lush landscape of Lonnie’s body, KC subscribes to the philosophy of “orgasm first, think later.” Unfortunately, a secret that big is impossible to keep in a close-knit community where everybody knows everybody else’s business. The scandal would hurt her entire family.Emma is KC’s exception, the one woman she loves enough to not have sex with. When Emma confesses that she’s loved KC since high school, KC is terrified. One wrong move and she could lose Emma completely.Is she willing to let her family pay the price for her good time? Or will she turn to Emma to discover the true meaning of love and devotion?

Different Worlds


Lily Seabrooke - 2020
    Losing her friends, falling away from her work responsibilities, and sinking deeper into depression, rumors are she won’t be able to succeed the company at the end of the summer.Annelise Benson just lost her kitchen job and is in freefall. With rent looming and college tuition still to save for, she’s desperate enough to take a sketchy job offering more money than should be possible. But the summer caretaker position she signs up for gets tricky when it turns out she’s a tool used to try shaming Natasha Seychelle herself into reforming.The two come from vastly different worlds and clash in an ugly meeting that sets them head to head. Annelise’s dedication to completing a job is too strong for Natasha to shake her off, but—maybe, just maybe, they’ve come together for a reason.Different Worlds is a 100k enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance featuring a class difference romance, themes of grief and loss, comfort and healing, and lots of sentimental emotional fluff. Content warnings for depression, loss of family, references to self-harm, and one really nasty uncle. Oh, and sapphic flirting. Don’t read this book if you hate seeing girls flirting with each other. Definitely not.

Crystal's Heart


B.L. Miller - 2004
    Laura Taylor is a lesbian, professional writer, obsessive tidier, and control freak. Fate brings them together as improbably housemates. Can Laura and Crystal break through their carefully constructed walls against the past and learn to get along and start to embrace life again?

UnCatholic Conduct


Stevie Mikayne - 2014
    The P.I. firm belonging to her mentor, Padraig, is in a financial mess, and to help him, she must take this latest assignment—which couldn’t be more offensive. When Jil is sent to St. Marguerite’s Catholic School to investigate teachers breaking their contracts of Catholic conduct, her investigation takes a dramatic turn after a student winds up dead on campus. To further complicate matters, circumstances keep throwing her together with the hot blond principal, Jessica Blake, at the center of her investigation. Decades-old secrets run deep through the veins of this traditional school, and Jil has to find answers to some chilling questions—like what really happened to those two boys in the old gym forty years ago—before another student pays the ultimate price. Difficult, when all she can think about is getting Jessica into bed.