Book picks similar to
Reluctant Hope by Erin Dutton


lesbian
ff
lesbian-fiction
lesbian-romance

Stone Walls


Kate Sweeney - 2012
    She had everything—fame, endorsements, and any woman she wanted. All was good until a tragic accident put everything in perspective. Tyler was forced to do some serious soul searching, and she was never forced to do anything.RN Rachel Whitaker was no stranger to disastrous circumstances. She left England because of them, hoping to hide in obscurity behind the stone wall she had quietly constructed brick by brick, but taking care of the convalescing arrogant skier was not helping.They annoy each other, help each other, and fight each other on a daily basis and hopefully, find love—before they kill each other.

Heart 2 Heart


Julie Cannon - 2007
    But when she meets Lane Connor - herself struggling with a broken heart - she realises that there may be a chance for true happiness after all.

Taken by Surprise


Kenna White - 2011
    As winter gathers closer she wonders if it might finally be time to sell her getaway retreat. It’s only a few hours from Denver, true, but her career as a corporate lawyer has left her little time to enjoy it, and the years have ticked by, almost unnoticed.Snow and ice are part of Margo Tosch. She’s been on skis since she could strap them to her boots, and her love of the sport has taken her around the world. Now, as snowplow driver, ski instructor and shopkeeper, this Jill-of-all-trades has carved a life for herself and her daughter in the mountains she loves, where the isolation lets her keep her secrets to herself.When their paths cross in the high-mountain air, city-dweller Leigh is certain she has nothing in common with this rustic mountain woman named Margo. But even the frostiest of hearts can be taken by surprise.Bestselling author Kenna White warms the rugged mountains of Colorado with a smoldering love story.

September Canvas


Gun Brooke - 2009
    Her first day in town, Faythe receives unsolicited warnings from the locals to stay away from her neighbor, which only rouses her curiosity. Deanna Moore, a successful illustrator, has dedicated her life to her work and her family. Beleagured by accusations stemming from an event she is powerless to explain or defend, Deanna lives a solitary life. When she meets Faythe she is reluctantly attracted to her, but she fears Faythe will not be able to see beyond the rumors. This is a story of hurt and betrayal, but also of trust and endurance as two women struggle to show faith and dare to love.

The Wedding Party


Tracey Richardson - 2011
    Shannon’s niece Amanda, with friends Claire and Jordan, will soon be witnesses to the forthcoming nuptials. Together, they’re a party of five intent on having an unforgettable week in Las Vegas.Though far from home, none of them can outrun the pasts that have shaped their lives so far. The brides each harbor a secret that could bankrupt their wedding dreams. Jordan, the self-avowed eternal bachelor, finds herself in an unexpected high stakes game of love. Claire, a doctor still grieving the loss of her long-time partner, hits a jackpot she isn’t sure she wants. And Amanda, carrying a secret of her own, decides to gamble it all on love.It’s a dizzying, exhilarating week of discovery, passion and surprises, and no one knows where the spinning wheel will stop.The stakes are high, the risks life changing and the pay offs beyond measure in this latest romantic tour de force from Tracey Richardson.

Hotel Liaison


J. Lee Meyer - 2008
    Laurel Hoffman, an associate professor of women's studies in Berkeley, struggles to stay on track for tenure while caught up in the last throes of a crumbling relationship with a senior colleague. When she hears of a hotel being renovated and a secret room full of papers about women who once stayed there, she knows she has a potential career-saving article. Stefanie Beresford, the hotel owner, is not exactly receptive when Laurel approaches her about researching the hotel’s history, but that doesn't stop her from flirting with the alluring academic. She doesn't need the distraction, but for the first time in her life she wants to take a chance on more than a fleeting encounter. While Laurel can't deny her powerful feelings for Stefanie, she fears she's risking her heart as well as her future if she acts on her desires. But can a simple encounter between two rational adults really be all that dangerous?

Call Me Softly


D. Jackson Leigh - 2011
    So with her last breath, she implores her beautiful granddaughter, Lillie, to flee to the family’s polo estate in South Carolina and seek the protection of someone Abigail has come to trust—Swain Butler. What Lillie doesn’t know is that she is putting herself in the hands of a woman who may be the biggest family secret of them all.“Be careful,” Abigail cautions Lillie. If sleeping dogs must be roused, then call them forth softly.

Brilliant


Ann Roberts - 2007
    What happens when two strong willed women meet and are forced to find common ground?Respected sociology professor Diane Cole has written the book on love. Every matter of the heart is neatly explained, and Diane’s life spins in a smooth circle. At her fortieth birthday party a beautiful young stranger named Ronnie Frost surprises her with a kiss, and the predictable story that is Diane’s life is complicated further when Ronnie appears in one of her classes.Diane finds her views on love challenged by her own heart, as she fights the attraction she feels for a woman half her age, a woman who is brilliant in every way.

Beyond Innocence


Carsen Taite - 2012
    Doesn’t it?After a devastating professional embarrassment, Cory Lance has been banished from the courtroom. As part of her penance, she volunteers with an organization that works to free the wrongly convicted, and soon she’s saddled with a case certain to set her up for another big defeat. To top it off, she’s battling a strong attraction to her client’s sister, a woman with unreasonable expectations.Serena Washington has learned to compartmentalize the negative pieces of her past, except for one—her brother, Eric, who is on death row for a murder he insists he didn’t commit. Loyalty drives her to enlist help from an organization with a reputation for unparalleled success, but Serena’s optimism is shaken when she learns the attorney assigned to the case has a reputation for cutting corners. Her whole world is shaken when she begins to fall in love with her.

For Now, Forever


Trin Denise - 2012
    After a full weekend of celebrating her birthday, she goes to work thinking it will be just another typical workday. That thought comes to a crashing halt when she flips the “Closed” sign to “Open” and finds an elderly mustachioed man standing at the door.Gordon LeVitt, Attorney at Law drops a bombshell that will flip Cassie’s life upside down. The man that she believed to be her father for the last thirty-three years is not really her father, and her recently deceased biological father Collin Masterson has named her as an heir in his Last Will and Testament. The catch: Her presence is required at the reading.Cassie heads to Masterson, West Virginia and has a blow-out that sends her car careening off the side of the road. With her heart racing in her chest, she is relieved when the most gorgeous creature she’s ever seen stops to help and then Cassie does something she has never done in her life—make mad passionate love with a complete stranger named Eelyn M. Carmichael who has agreed to drop Cassie off for her appointment.After Mr. LeVitt’s introductions, Cassie gets an even bigger shock when Eelyn comes strolling into the room and takes a seat next to Lenora, her father’s widow. Feeling sick to her stomach and thinking her world is crashing down, Cassie does the only thing she can—she runs with no intention of looking back. The one thing Cassie forgets is that things are seldom what they seem and Eelyn M. Carmichael has already made up her mind that Cassie Reynolds is not going to be the one who got away because some things that happen in the now, can and do last forever.

Initiation by Desire


M.J. Williamz - 2012
    Tully Stephens wants only to survive her sophomore year. They soon realize how desperately they want each other, but that’s easier said than done.Tulley is a nineteen-year-old new initiate in the Gamma Alpha Epsilon sorority who has never loved a woman. Sue is the twenty-six-year-old resident adviser who jumps from bed to bed. Tulley is discovering her true self while Sue wants to discover more about the sexy young butch who’s invading her fantasies.A sorority house is never the ideal location for keeping a secret, especially when the secret is a blossoming affair. Can their love withstand the strain of the concealment? Will their time together always consist of stolen moments? Or will they complete their Initiation of Desire?

More Than Paradise


Jennifer Fulton - 2007
    The last thing she expects is to find her team being led deep into the mist-shrouded jungle by a woman who has spent the past fifteen years working as a mercenary soldier and interpreter for shady characters in Indonesia and East Timor. To make matters worse, Ash Evans proceeds to hit on her five minutes after they meet. Although friends accuse Charlotte of being uptight, she simply has standards, and they don't include hooking up with brazen flirts like Ash. She can't wait until the helicopter returns to take the distracting and far too sexy guide out of her sight.But things aren't going her way. Torrential rains wash half the camp into a ravine, and when one of the scientists goes missing, the team is forced away from the helicopter rendezvous location on a journey deep into the unknown. Compelled to share a tent with her nemesis, Charlotte soon finds her determined reserve no match for the feelings Ash ignites.

Rum Spring


Yolanda Wallace - 2010
    When she meets Dylan Mahoney, however, the rules go out the window. During Rebecca's rumspringa—the four-year period during which Amish teenagers decide whether to join the church or leave it for the outside world—Dylan, a film buff and aspiring movie critic, shows Rebecca a world she never dreamed of. The pair make plans to spend the rest of their lives together until a rift forms between their families and forces them to part ways. After much soul-searching, Rebecca decides familial loyalty is more important than her own happiness. But when Dylan develops feelings for another woman, Rebecca's loyalty is put to the test.Love or tradition? Which path will she choose?

Legacy of Love


Marianne K. Martin - 1997
    "What do you want from me?" she whispered.Suzanne pressed up into Sage's embrace, her body making demands on the skillful hands, commanding pleasure from the exciting mouth. "I need you to love me...as long as you possibly can".What was it about Sage Bristo that drew women to her? Maybe it was the tall, toned body and androgynous good looks. Perhaps they liked her confidence -- her movements and manner so sure and decisive. Or was it the air of mystery, the temptation of a challenge to unravel?Sage couldn't explain the attraction, but she had certainly benefited from it, at least physically. As her reputation as a Don Juana grew, so did her black book of admiring women. Women who wanted to spoil her, to own her, to please her. Women who would do anything for her. But never the woman she needed the most -- the one woman who could lead her through the realm of desire, to the thing she desires most...

No Leavin' Love


Larkin Rose - 2009
    Ranch foreman Sydney Campbell isn’t expecting anything from the arrogant fireball she once found irresistible, least of all a tame heart inside the beautiful body. She’s not surprised when Mercedes thinks she can use her again. Two can play that game, but when neither notices that the rules have changed, both women find they have a lot to lose.