Book picks similar to
Game of Hearts by Jea Hawkins


lgbt
contemporary
lesbian
geek-romance

Aspen's Stunt


Melissa Grace - 2014
    When the bank threatens to put the farm—which has been in their family for generations—into foreclosure, they search desperately for a way to save it. Fortunately, Hollywood calls! They would like to hire Aspen as a stunt double for the famous actress, Wren Emerson. Willing to do anything to keep the farm, the naïve Aspen agrees to leave her home long enough to endure the rigorous film schedule and dangerous and demanding stunt double role under the command of the productions renowned director and prominent producer. The first awkward meeting she has with the actress eventually flourishes into a friendship Aspen never thought possible. Despite the hometown boy who pines for Aspen’s heart, and the productions staff that think Wren should date whom they deem acceptable, the two girls can’t deny their growing desires for one another. Aspen must now complete one more stunt. One that she hopes will overcome all the unrelenting obstacles they face, and will keep her home and heart in harmony, happily together.

The Right Kind of Wrong


P.J. Trebelhorn - 2017
    She meets new women every night and has her choice of bed partners. That’s fine with her because she isn’t interested in anything serious after having her heart shattered eighteen months ago.Grace Everett is perfectly content owning a bookstore, but not so much in her personal life. She wants forever, but hasn’t had much luck with relationships. She’s hoping the newest woman in her life will be the one.When Quinn’s mother falls ill, something shifts in the twenty-year-old friendship for both women. Quinn struggles with old feelings for Grace, and Grace is seeing Quinn in a different light. They know falling for their best friend is wrong, but could it be the right kind of wrong?

Wind and Sea


C.L. Ryder - 2018
    Not in high school, not in art school, and not since she’d gotten her work into major galleries across the country. It’s not that she doesn’t want it—she’s just never found the right woman—until a trip to the beach put her right onto Cammy’s canvas. The mysterious surfer in red. She’s charming and sexy, and Cammy can’t get her out of her mind… but there’s only one problem: The girl is 100% undeniably straight. Lei Castle is a real free spirit. She’s traveled the world with only her surfboard, and now she’s finally back home in the California. With her van set up on the beach, her only worry is how the waves are going to be that day. When Cammy shows up at her private cove the two are drawn into a close friendship, and Lei takes it upon herself to show the risk-averse painter how to have a little excitement. As Cammy falls deeper in love with her friend, it becomes harder and harder to keep her tremendous desires a secret. Will she suffer the pain of unrequited love for as long as they’re together? How can the tides of fate make an impossible love a reality?

Prairie Heart


Marian Snowe - 2017
    Many of the couples in the tiny Colorado ranch town of Prairie Winds have Eleanor to thank for their happily ever after. But when her best friend, Morgan, asks for Eleanor's help to set her up on a date... Well, that's where it gets complicated. Morgan is funny and dashing, and she’s sexier in blue jeans and a cowboy hat than any ranch hand has a right to be. She also just came out. The thing is? Eleanor's had a crush on Morgan since forever, and has spent her entire life convincing herself that Morgan was off limits. Now that Morgan's told her she's not exactly straight--and that Morgan needs her help to find the right lady--Eleanor's heartbroken that this "right lady" is probably not her. Ever the great friend, she knows her own ex-girlfriend is absolutely perfect for Morgan... A sexy camping trip, a tornado and an intense love triangle round out this heartwarming romance by best-selling author Marian Snowe!

Anonymous Bidder


Robin Roseau - 2015
    Violetta's agreement is reluctant, sure the only women who might want have a screw loose. She feels her suspicions are confirmed when it is an anonymous bidder who wins the date, and things go from weird to weirder after that. This is a novella of 30,000 words.

Avalanche of Love


M.E. Tudor - 2019
    When her friend, Josie Whittle, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, asks Robin to take a group of writers and photographers out for a week Robin is happy to do it until she finds out that one of the writers going on the trip has never even been camping, let alone gone on a multi-day hike. After getting fired from a business magazine, her life in ruins, and forced to go home to Colorado where her father has her under his thumb, Marianne Jones is lucky to be writing for anyone. Her new boss at Back Lands magazine, Josie, insists Marianne go out on a weeklong hike with some other writers and photographers from the magazine. The only hiking Marianne does is at the mall and she’s never been camping, so she is not happy about this trip. Marianne makes Robin mad before the hike even starts, and Robin assumes Marianne is just another snooty socialite forced to work by her parents. Both women try to ignore the sparks flying between them on the trails in vain. These two women with nothing in common, except broken hearts, are thrown together by fate. Can they find common ground, or will tragedy take away the chance for them to find out what they could have had?

She Sings of Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things


Caren J. Werlinger - 2014
    Thirty years later, she’s a one-book wonder, a fifty-something college professor with the dubious distinction of being an expert on Jane Austen, hidden in the shadow of her famous husband and his Civil War novels. “Too young to retire, and too old to start over,” Margaret feels as dried up and dead as the neglected gardens her husband took such pride in before he became ill. Wyck Fitzsimmons is the Asheville landscape architect Gavin Braithwaite hires to restore his precious gardens to their former glory. She learned a long time ago that plants and trees are safer and more reliable companions than other people. Under Wyck’s care, the gardens begin to come back to life, but the flowers aren’t the only thing blossoming. For the first time in decades, Margaret feels the stirrings of love, but those long-buried feelings frighten her more than the prospect of withering away alone in her ivory tower of academia. Gavin, more observant than most people give him credit for, sees the attraction developing between his wife and his gardener. Using every means at his disposal, he arranges things so that Margaret has no choice but to remain faithful to him, even after death. Margaret, confused and faced with losing everything that offers her any kind of security, flees to England – to Austen and Wordsworth country – where she tries to forget Wyck and all the feelings she has awakened. Back in North Carolina, Wyck must come to terms with her own past and somehow find a way to forgive before it’s too late to make amends. Love, it seems, can take root in even the most barren hearts, if only Margaret and Wyck can find the courage to let it grow.

Broken Women


Anne Hagan - 2016
    When your beloved’s family takes everything else you have, hope is all that’s left…if you can hang on to that. You’ve been smitten more than once. You’ve even been in love a time or two. The trouble is, your feelings are always only yours. Cupid’s arrow always fails to land. Can two love-weary people from different worlds find strength together? Can they find more and even a happily ever after? This is Anne's first romance novel. Fans of the Morelville Mysteries mystery/romance series may recognize these two characters, who played supporting roles in those books but this novel stands alone. If you like it, please let her know. While she enjoys writing mystery, she's always loved reading the lesfic romance works of authors like Radclyffe, Karin Kallmaker and Harper Bliss and she thought she might try her hand at creating some herself. With a little encouragement, she may do more! Please use the ‘Look Inside’ feature to view the book contents and remember you can download a sample of “Broken Women” to your Kindle for free.

Seeking Sara Summers


Susan Gabriel - 2008
    How would your life be different if you were truly yourself? Sara Summers Stanton has raised three children and works as a high school teacher at the same school she attended growing up. Her 25 year marriage is showing cracks in the facade and now she's dealing with breast cancer. In a rare moment of taking care of herself instead of everyone else, Sara takes a sabbatical and goes on the trip to Italy she has always dreamed of taking. This search for a more authentic life leads to Julia, a friend she hasn't seen since they were inseparable as girls, nearly 30 years earlier. They reunite in Florence and their friendship continues where they left off, resulting in an unexpected attraction to one another that threatens to turn Sara's already shaky world upside down. Sara's inner conflict and subsequent choices reveal an unpredictable yet dynamic future for all the characters. Seeking Sara Summers is an emotional and lyrical novel, a timeless story about love, commitment and transformation. What Readers Are Saying About Seeking Sara Summers: "Gabriel renders Sara's growing attraction and conflict with insight. There is a real sense of what is at stake for all three of these characters: Sara, Julia and Grady. A beautiful and powerful story." -- Heather O'Neill, Book Reviewer, afterellen.com "I started reading Seeking Sara Summers with my breakfast tea and couldn't put it down until I had finished it--even missed my trip to the gym. I laughed and cried and felt warmed by the Tuscan sun." -- Ann B., Asheville, NC "I've read plenty of fiction in my life, everything from junky beach books to classic literature. I loved this book. Gabriel is a clever, funny, profound writer who quickly takes you into the inner world of her characters, while taking you on an external journey that keep you glued to the page. Sara's character jumps from the pages and her transformation has impacted and inspired me." -- Jackie W., Loveland, Colorado

Close Ups and F**k Ups


Natasha West - 2017
     Allie just wants to make movies. But that’s not so easy when distractions abound. Distractions like sexy set designer Ashley. Or for that matter, sensitive screenwriter Cameron. In the high pressure atmosphere of a top film school, can Allie hang on to who she is? And with two different love paths in front of her, will she choose the right one? Or will she fuck everything up? From the author of 'The Plus One' and 'Waiting for the Punchline', 'Close Ups and F**k Ups' is about risking everything for what (and who) you love.

Remember Me


Bryce Taylor - 2017
    She might be more than successful, her body more than sinful and enough offers from the right kind of girls to satisfy anyone, yet there has always been something missing. Until Jo re-appears one day. In need of a friend. --------------------------------------- A short story I wrote earlier this year after catching sight of someone I hadn't seen in fifteen years, the instant recognition that makes you question your sanity.

State of Grace


Everly James - 2017
    When the opportunity arises for her to be the campaign manager of a man running for the United States Senate, she can hardly believe her luck. What she doesn’t expect is for the woman of her dreams to be her political rival. When Rachel Callum meets Andie McIntyre, she has only one goal: to get this woman on a date. But Andie has other plans that don’t involve self-assured Rachel. When it turns out that Rachel’s new job is to take Andie down, Rachel is left with a choice: her ambition or romance? Can Andie and Rachel put aside their political views and find love? STATE OF GRACE is a full-length, standalone romance novel with steamy sex scenes, no cheating, and a happily ever after. It’s light on politics and heavy on love.

Mother of the Bride


Kim Hartfield - 2019
    Things get more complicated when she realizes the groom's mother was her best friend back in high school - the first woman who ever made her heart beat faster, as well as her first kiss. Gloria and Bethany reconnect during the engagement, and Gloria begins to wonder if she could have her own fairytale romance. Is it too late for Gloria to find love? Or could the mother of the bride be the star of her own story?

Good Vibes


Cara Malone - 2019
    An agoraphobic game collector. A romantic comedy about finding love and self-acceptance in the strangest places. The little details have never interested Libby. From her eclectic style to her carefree attitude about her adult toy shop, she’s all about the big picture. But when her business partner retires, Libby’s safety net disappears and it’s up to her to sink or swim. For old-school card game nerd Theo, the details are everything. Her anxiety demands to know the rules, the players and the goal in any situation, and it can be hard to even leave her apartment unless she knows exactly what’s coming her way. When Theo’s sister gets engaged, she’s forced out of her comfort zone and into Libby’s shop on the hunt for bachelorette party supplies. Opposites attract and Theo is drawn into Libby’s chaotic world. She wants to help Libby save the shop and together they come up with a plan, but will they be brave enough to play the game of love?

Red Light


J.D. Glass - 2007
    In the process she discovers a true calling for what she does, a deep abiding love for the city and people she serves, and a real connection to someone who cares for her.