Book picks similar to
Defensive Mindset by Wendy Temple
romance
lesbian
sports
contemporary
The Set Piece
Catherine Lane - 2015
She’s working two menial jobs to make ends meet, barely a paycheck away from financial disaster, and women aren’t exactly lining up at her door. Enter soccer star Diego Torres, who’s keeping a big secret: he’s gay. His manager fears that if he’s found out, his endorsements and his chance to play for the national team will evaporate into the wind.Amy jumps at the chance to act as Diego’s fake fiancée, even though it means signing her life away in a non-disclosure agreement. On the surface, the job couldn’t be better: the money’s great; the living accommodations are luxurious, and she gets to watch her favorite soccer team from the players’ box at the stadium.But she soon realizes that this new life is even harder to navigate than her old one. Diego’s manager is as sleazy as they come, and this easy job soon turns complicated, possibly even dangerous. More important, all the lies Amy is forced to tell are starting to eat away at her soul, especially when she finds herself attracted to Casey Palmer, Diego’s pretty assistant.Will Amy watch from the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back into the game?Length: 284 pages (approx. 64,000 words)Themes: blackmail · lesbian · soccer · sports
Delay of Game
Tracey Richardson - 2017
The pressure of the intense USA-Canada rivalry forced an end to their love affair, and both women moved on—Niki to coach and to marry, Eva to stretch out a playing career that her ravaged body can barely sustain anymore. The Games are upon them once again. Eva wants one last chance to beat the Canadians and win hockey’s biggest prize. Niki, now a widow and single mother, strives to coach her country to gold, even as the obstacles against her mount. The locker room seems to have ears and there are few people Niki and Eva can trust. Rivals and former lovers on hockey’s biggest stage, will Niki and Eva feel the same spark that first brought them together? And can they win on—and off—the ice with the whole world watching?
Suddenly
M.E. Tudor - 2012
J. Thomas.Jamie and P. J. have gone to the same school since grade school but, because they ran in different circles, Jamie had never really paid much attention to P. J. She only knew that P. J. had been in a lot of trouble over the past few years and had run with a rough crowd. After seeing P. J. working at McDonald’s, thoughts of P. J. fill Jamie’s mind and she realizes she is developing a crush on this girl.Fate intertwines the girls’ lives and they slowly become friends. Some of the other people in Jamie’s life are not happy about the budding friendship between the two girls, including Jamie’s ex-boyfriend, Todd; the leader of her cheerleading squad, Diane; and Jamie’s mother. The two girls have to deal with friends and family finding out about their relationship. Jamie’s mother is determined to keep the two girls apart. P. J. is determined not to lose Jamie. In the end, the two girls find they have allies in unexpected places. Allies who want to help the girls be together, hopefully forever.
Bareback
D. Jackson Leigh - 2008
A devastating accident that claims the life of her Olympic-bound mount lands Jessica Black and her new stallion at Cherokee Falls Equestrian Center, where she is teamed up with an arrogant, womanizing trainer. Skyler Reese is a former gold medalist, now blacklisted as a professional rider. The sparks that fly between the two women are anything but friendly at first, but the heat between them changes to passion as Skyler helps Jessica prepare for the upcoming competition. Still, a dark secret Jessica is hiding threatens both her bid to win a spot on the U.S. Equestrian Team and Skyler's triumphant return to the eventing circuit.
Scissor Link
Georgette Kaplan - 2016
After Janet accidentally stumbles upon Wendy’s email about a sex dream she’s been having, she decides to see if the reality can live up to the fantasy. But when the relationship starts to be more than a kinky office romance, the two have to decide if they can make it as a couple or if they were better off as boss and employee.72,000 wordsThemes: kinky office affair · lesbian · romcom
Don't Let Go
Sheryl Wright - 2016
Disillusioned with academia, she’s aiming for an analyst’s spot in the private sector but after a year of rejections based on her over-qualification, she’s dumbed down her resume in a desperate attempt to get her foot in the door somewhere—anywhere! When Buffalo’s leading marine engineering firm offers her a low-level placement as a personal assistant, she’s sure it can’t get any worse, until she meets the woman she will be working for.Chief Innovation Officer and wounded veteran Georgie DiNamico doesn't want an assistant or anyone else bothering her. She has her work, her dog, and her nightmares to keep her company. Heir-apparent to her family’s engineering firm, a head injury suffered in Afghanistan has left her feeling too broken for anything else.Georgie has no use for the helper that her family insists she hire. But when Tyler’s resume lands on her desk, along with a company background check listing the advanced degrees she omitted, Georgie sees an opportunity to add a researcher to her R&D team.Tyler quickly realizes Georgie is not the damaged goods everyone sees. Thoughtful, forthcoming, and generous is Tyler’s first impression of her would-be boss and it alleviates much of her trepidation. The outrageous salary and benefits help too, but working with the woman the family sees as shattered looks like the least of her challenges. She recognizes something special in Georgie DiNamico, garnering trust, loyalty, and something more…something Tyler hasn’t thought about for a very, very long time.
Contract for Love
Alison Grey - 2015
She’s been raised by her rich grandmother, and her only goals are partying and bedding women.When her grandmother threatens to disinherit her if she doesn’t clean up her act, Madison has to find a way to convince her she’s changed.After a chance encounter with Sherry, Madison comes up with a crazy idea that will rock both of their worlds: she wants to hire Sherry to play her fake girlfriend.Themes: fake dating · fake girlfriend · fake relationship · play girl · pretend romance · rich girl/poor girl97,000 words
Love Match
Ali Vali - 2012
To prepare herself for the one title she’s never won—and avoid the press and her ex—she retreats to a secluded home in Press Cove, Alabama. There she’ll also be safe from the Soldiers of God who’ve threatened to kill her for what they see as her depraved lifestyle.Commercial pilot Caption Sydney Parish loves the order that comes from a well-constructed plan for everything, her only failure being her personal life. She hopes a vacation will help heal her bruised heart, but soon finds that might not be possible when she discovers she’s one house over from Parker King.When Parker and Sydney meet, sparks fly, but not from attraction. They have the summer to see if they have a love match, or will the Soldiers of God kill their chance for a relationship?
The Chosen One
T.B. Markinson - 2016
Her powerful political family sees her as the Chosen One who will someday be president. Upholding a carefully crafted veneer is second nature until the first day of class when Maya's mysterious gray eyes hold her in thrall. Ainsley may be out publicly regarding her sexual orientation, but she lives under the shadow of the Carmichael's ancient but shrewd matriarch in this contemporary lesbian romance. The girls pair up for a history project, and it soon becomes clear Maya is hiding something when she cuts their first kiss short by pointing out they come from different worlds. The privileged world of the Carmichael clan stands in stark contrast to Maya's limited means. Ainsley's sexually fluid, quirky, and carefree cousin helps her investigate, only to discover details of Maya's past are sketchy at best as the suspense builds in this work of LGBT fiction. Family scandal erupts, making the inevitable truth come out about Maya the Gray. Will Ainsley’s love for the enigmatic girl enable her to break her Carmichael shackles?
The Words Shimmer
Jenn Matthews - 2019
She teaches at the local university, has two well-behaved teenage daughters, and what she doesn’t know about human anatomy isn’t worth knowing. Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn’t stretch to plants, and she’s been asked to help out on a school garden project.Being a paramedic doesn’t do Melissa Jackson’s back or knees any favours, so she’s looking into university courses to try a less strenuous line of her work. But the brash, proudly out, down-to-earth woman’s biggest challenge is keeping her dyslexia a secret. That, and living down the stigma that follows her when people find out.A university open day throws the two women into each other’s orbits. When Mel, an expert green thumb, makes a few helpful suggestions on Ruby’s garden project, Ruby convinces her to team up to make it a success.Personality-wise, they couldn’t be less compatible. Mel’s brazen attitude, cocky jokes, and affinity with earthworms immediately rub the hyper-professional, straight-laced Ruby the wrong way. Can they ever find common ground?A sweet, lesbian romance about growing something unexpected and wonderful from the roots up.Themes: anatomy lecturer · dyslexia · paramedic · school garden project80,000 words
The Clinch
Nicole Disney - 2021
When the master of the dojang offered to train Eden as a live-in student, he started her on a journey that would eventually lead her to become the UFC featherweight champion of the world. Eden loves competing and coaching the underprivileged kids of her community, but just as she’s getting comfortable with her champion title, a new martial artist from a legendary family comes roaring onto the scene with a dynasty on her shoulders. Brooklyn Shaw is a loud, cocky, aggressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu genius who’s also unfortunately pretty dreamy. Brooklyn and Eden’s rivalry attracts worldwide attention, but as they spend time together, Eden sees past Brooklyn’s showmanship to who she really is. They ought to be perfect for one another, but can either really fall in love with the person standing in the way of her dreams?
All I Want For Christmas
Clare Lydon - 2015
Her ideal present under the tree would be a shiny new girlfriend, so Tori gives herself one month to find that special lady by December 25th. Christmas spells romance and she’s going to grab some.However, Tori’s dates bring their own complications, and when someone unexpected strolls back into her life, her Christmas girlfriend quest is turned upside down. Will Tori land on her feet and find the woman of her dreams? And if she does, will it be who she expected?From the author of Amazon No.1 best-sellers London Calling, This London Love and The Long Weekend, Clare Lydon has created another page-turner bursting with seasonal attitude and wit. If you’re a fan of Christmas rom-coms, prepare to laugh out loud and be swept off your festive feet!Words: 58,520
Food for Love
C. Fonseca - 2018
When Jessica Harris flies home to Australia to sort out her late brother’s estate, the last thing she wants to face is his altruistic investment—an eatery on the rural Bellarine Peninsula.The injured British/Indian elite cyclist just wants to settle up, move on, get rehab, and certainly not have to deal with the restaurant’s beautiful owner and artisan foodie, Lillian McAllister, or her sweet, four-year-old daughter.In order to win, Jessica’s disciplined life is dedicated to controlling her emotions, and she isn’t sure she’d survive letting her walls down now.A lesbian romance about how nourishment is so much more than the food we eat.Themes: artisan foodie · Australia · Bellarine Peninsula · elite cyclist · four-year-old daughter · rural eatery · south-west of Melbourne96,000 words
Like Jazz
Heather Blackmore - 2013
Just as the two begin to understand how extraordinary their friendship is, another cross-country move wrests Cazz away.Ten years later, Cazz unexpectedly runs into Sarah during a fraud investigation at Sarah’s charitable foundation. The women are inexorably drawn to each other, but Cazz’s investigation into the foundation's finances limits her ability to be entirely honest with Sarah.Already wary of Cazz for not keeping in touch after Claiborne, Sarah demands the truth. Will Cazz own up to her feelings for Sarah? Or is she too late? And will Cazz’s investigation bring a killer to justice, or will she sacrifice herself to protect Sarah from a man desperate to conceal his crimes?