Book picks similar to
BY DESIGN: The Beginning by J.A. Armstrong


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Fusion


Diana Kane - 2017
    Catherine is an accomplished neurosurgeon looking for a fresh start in a new city. A chance meeting between the two imprints the doctor in Alexis' mind, with thoughts of Catherine pushing to the forefront months after they meet. When life places the pair in the same city, Alexis is unable to deny her attraction to Catherine. As the pair become closer, Alexis finds herself falling for Catherine, despite knowing that her feelings will never be reciprocated. Can the pair navigate through life and maintain their friendship or does fate have something else in store?Recommended for 18 years or age or older. F/F romance. Contains some strong language and explicit adult situations. 101,800 words.

Fore Play


Julie Cannon - 2018
    Her board of directors hasn’t gotten the memo regarding workplace equality and who she sleeps with is still more important than her stellar qualifications. Peyton Broader has no interest in anything other than keeping her head down, reporting to her parole officer, and getting her life back. Oh yeah, and making up for nine years of celibacy. The last thing she needs is to lose her job or get sucked into other people's drama, no matter how hot and tempting the woman is. So why can’t she stay away from Leigh?Cover Artist: Sheri HalalGenres: Contemporary / Romance

Love at Cooper's Creek


Missouri Vaun - 2018
    She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins.Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

Kismet


T.B. Markinson - 2020
    What she doesn’t expect is getting dumped. To make matters worse, it happens on Christmas Eve.Allison receives an assignment from her boss that will make Allison’s journalistic career. The investigation will call for one thing: her complete dedication to the story and nothing else.The two meet on Christmas Eve night, and while Allison is brimming with joy, Dagny wants nothing to do with anyone. However, what’s worse? Being alone on a holiday or spending it with a stranger neither will probably ever see again?There’s one major problem. They just might be perfect for each other despite the terrible timing.Is it kismet or a curse?

Shaken or Stirred


Georgia Beers - 2021
    That has made her business-minded and driven, and she’s determined to turn her family’s struggling bar around. Simple. All she has to do is remodel, re-staff, and rebrand the place, work insane hours and ignore the sexy blonde who comes in to...she’s flirting, right? ’Cause Julia’s rusty and has zero time for dating, even if their chemistry is off-the-charts steamy.Savannah McNally’s needs always come last. A caretaker by trade, she also takes care of her widowed dad, her brother, her sister, and everybody else on the planet, it seems. When her dad finally starts dating, Savannah can focus on her own life for once—her career, her house, maybe even that super-hot bartender at Martini’s who has her thinking naughty thoughts. When family feuds are exposed and a popular blog trashes the bar, the weight of business decisions, family loyalty, and life in general may outweigh their attraction that could lead to more.Cover Artist: Ann McManGenres: Contemporary / Romance 86,000 words

Times Like These


Ana McKenzie - 2018
    She's more than happy to be muse, model, assistant, and lover - especially lover - for brilliant and successful Bianca Graves. After all, Merren's smart with a big-picture view of the world and a practical streak wide enough to deal with Bianca's difficulties. She's a problem-solver. Except there's one problem Merren's never had to solve before - what happens when you fall in love with a woman who can't see you properly? Bianca's an artist losing her sight, desperate to find a way to continue painting and keep her career and sense of identity. She needs more than a muse, more than a young woman to model for her. She needs someone to reach out and touch her when everything's going dark - and help her find the way back to her life. Which surely means Merren's too young, too different, worlds apart in experience. Bianca knows a summer fling at such a difficult time is one thing - but it can't go any further. As it turns out, however - there's more than one way to be blind.

Blue


Lise Gold - 2021
    Although their exchange was brief, Celia’s been unable to stop thinking about the dark and mysterious woman, and she’s determined to make a lasting impression on her this time. Erin Nour, superyacht designer and avid traveler, has sailed from Bermuda to attend her good friend Dieter’s ball and has donated a vacation on The Barracuda – her pride and joy – to the charity auction held during the event. The long journey was worth it, as she’s not only looking forward to celebrating his recovery from recent ill health but also to seeing his favorite niece, Celia again. When Dieter places the winning bid, he invites Erin, Celia and his love interest Andy to join him on the yacht. Erin soon finds out that this will be his last voyage and honoring his wishes, she promises to keep the severity of his illness to herself. They embark on a life-altering journey together but with secrets between them, can love prevail?

Must Love Chickens


Jea Hawkins - 2016
     Natalie’s life is on a precipice with too many failed career moves in the last year. Faced with the loss of everything she has ever worked for, Natalie looks for a way to get out of the city and realign her priorities. When Jessica Morgan places an ad for a new farmhand, she doesn’t expect to hear from an urbanite. And when the respondent turns out to be gorgeous Natalie Wells, she’s really at a loss for words! Natalie thinks taking a job in the country is a great plan, until she realizes she’s attracted to her boss. When she learns her boss’s bias against her is the result of issues with an ex-girlfriend, Natalie realizes she’s not imagining the sparks between them – that Jess might just be open to a new relationship, if only Natalie can prove she belongs in Jess’s life. The last thing Jess needs is a new love interest, especially one who works for her! But she can’t deny Natalie is pretty darn cute trying to learn her way around the farm and as she falls in love, Jess wonders if there’s a chance for romance with the city girl…

Camp Rewind


Meghan O'Brien - 2016
    She’s not sure she believes that theory, but will try anything to make a real friend. A casual fling would also be nice, but she’s not holding her breath.Rosa Salazar hopes camp will be an escape from a life permanently altered. Eviscerated online for her feminist critique of a popular video game, Rosa has endured months of anonymous threats over social media, doxxing, and, worst of all, the posting of graphic, sexually explicit material stolen from her cloud storage—including a dirty video she made for an ex. Using a fake name, she enrolls in camp craving a return to a simpler time, before the shame.Alice and Rosa soon discover that at Camp Rewind, anything is possible. Even an unlikely friendship that swiftly becomes something more.

Out of the Shadows


Michelle Arnold - 2017
    For Detective Amy Sadler, who is still recovering mentally from a past undercover operation gone wrong, the case is as unsettling as it is frustrating. As more bodies appear with the same tally marks, Amy's only solace from the seemingly unsolvable case is the romance blooming between herself and forensic pathologist Dr. Lira Ward, a beautiful soul with a past even she doesn't understand. But that solace is shattered when the case collides with their personal lives in a way no one sees coming, and Amy is left wondering if she can salvage what they once had.

Captain's Choice


V.K. Powell - 2017
    But when the first girl she loved returns as the architect with little understanding of the operational needs of a police station, Bennett’s career and her heart could face permanent damage. Architect Kerstin Anthony believes the new police substation will be the springboard to her own firm and the necessary resources to care for her mother. When she confronts the girl she kissed in high school, now a tantalizing police officer with unrealistic expectations about the new facility, Kerstin’s path to success becomes littered with unexpected hurdles. Along with tight deadlines, budget restraints, and architectural challenges, she has to battle both past and present feelings for the woman she was torn away from years ago.

The Candidate


Tracey Richardson - 2008
    When she falls in love with Secret Service agent Alexandria Warner, she is forced to choose between her heart and her career.

Life Begins With You


Erica Lee - 2017
    By the time they reached high school, Rebecca became interested in soccer and running with the preppy crowd, while Cassie was more interested in skipping class and shoplifting. Their lives cross paths again when Rebecca ends up teaching Cassie's little sister. Aside from their sexuality and distaste toward their small town, it seems the two have nothing in common. But as the two begin getting closer, it becomes obvious that there is much more to people than what meets the eye. Is Rebecca willing to possibly risk her career to pursue a relationship with a student's relative? Will Cassie be able to let go of the past to move into the future with Rebecca? Life would be simple if these were the only problems they had to face, but it turns out Rebecca and Cassie have much bigger mountains to climb if they want to reach their happy ending.

Double Trouble


R.J. Nolan - 2007
    Tripping in front of the dark-haired Erin and caught ogling to boot, was only the preamble for the tall blonde, as both ended up splashed with beer in the stands and laughing good naturedly about the accident and clean-up. So begins what will be bound to open old wounds and make both women stronger as they find in each other a connection, and love, lust, trust, kids and trouble times two and more will decidedly make their relationship a rocky one but ultimately worth pursuing.

Desperate Times


Hildred Billings - 2018
    When the two tough butches meet at a small town bar, they think they're getting the femmes of their dreams. So begins the awkward - yet sordid - acquaintance of the only two lesbians in town. Local rancher Tess doesn't have time for women who aren't her type, and new-girl-in-town Sidney isn't interested in someone who only sees her as a piece of fresh meat. Yet they keep bumping into each other... is it fate, or just small town karma? A bad date turns into a one-night stand. A one-night stand turns into a casual relationship. A casual relationship becomes Sidney's greatest amusement, and Tess's biggest nightmare as she's slowly forced out of the closet in conservative River Rock. Desperate times are afoot in the sleepy, gossipy hamlet of rural America. It's going to take more than nerves of steel to survive the isolationism and people with nothing better to do than ruin their neighbors' lives. It's going to take a whole lotta introspection - and love. (And no-holds-barred carnality. Let's be real.)