Right Out of Nowhere


Laurie Salzler - 2013
    They save lost people, but Roni is a bit lost herself. She’s a loner, who loves a woman she can’t have. Rather than dwell on what is out of reach, she buries herself in her work—or in her other business of training horses. Which, to her chagrin, isn't going so smoothly, either.When the SAR crew is short a member, Selena Ayala is assigned to fill the empty spot. Still on the rebound from a sudden breakup with her girlfriend, Selena has issues of her own. But she has to find a way to gain the crew’s trust, and gain it quickly. Often the missions in this rugged and unyielding wilderness are matters of life and death, and the SAR members have to be able to depend on each other.Just when Roni and Selena are forming a tentative friendship, Selena’s ex shows up, leaving both Selena and Roni with uneasy questions. Can the two women search deep within to rescue themselves and to find love right out of nowhere?

Stay Here Tonight


Cynthia Dane - 2017
     LYDIA KELLERMAN Lonely Lydia has little to look forward to during her long days working at the local LGBT resource center. Except greeting multimillionaire heiress Maxine Woodward, who drops by every week. But Maxine could barely care who Lydia is. Maxine’s a faraway dream, the ultimate fantasy for young lesbian Lydia. When she attends a high-class fundraiser at Maxine’s country manor, the last thing Lydia expects is for her dreams to come true! Dancing. Flirting. And a one-night stand that leaves more than her heart racing and her body shaking. But the fantasy comes to a halt when Maxine tells her young lover to leave. Now. Because Maxine Woodward does not let girls spend the night. MAXINE WOODWARD Fresh from the most toxic divorce that side of the Sierra Nevadas, Maxine is the last person looking for love. Lust? Yes. Most definitely. Sex is the only thing that keeps Maxine distracted from ex-wife Penelope long enough to function. Lydia was supposed to be just another one-night stand. Until the society pages misprint that they’re dating. Then all hell breaks loose – both in Maxine’s legal life, and in her heart. Will these two finally admit that there’s something more there? Or will Maxine’s obstinate personality and Lydia’s nerves get in the way of something special? First step? Staying the dang night. **EXCERPT** Maxine Woodward wanted something casual with her. Her. A woman who normally didn’t have opportunities like this. Lydia didn’t have anything against casual, right? She understood what that meant and entailed. They weren’t girlfriends. This wasn’t a date for a trial relationship. Maxine wanted to screw someone, and Lydia – of all people – was the one she wanted to screw. I could say I slept with her. Maybe not to people in general, but to myself… Every time Maxine came by the resource center, Lydia could have that wash of fun memories, knowing that she had seen this gorgeous woman naked, felt her heat, tasted her skin… “Like I said, I don’t like to waste time. That includes wasting other people’s time. If you want to leave, you should probably do so now. Otherwise, I’m going to have one of my staff suggest to your friend that she leave without you.” “What’s my name?” Maxine abruptly turned her head toward her guest. “Excuse me?” “If you can tell me my first name, I’ll stay.” Lydia was all about casual if the hot moment presented itself, but not at the expense of her humanity. She wouldn’t let Maxine use her. They didn’t have to be friends. They didn’t really need anything in common, as long as they didn’t hate each other. A physical connection, chemistry… that was all that was needed, right? Lydia definitely felt that way about Maxine. She simply never guessed it could go the other way. Maxine squared her shoulders, her honor on the line. “Lydia. I dare you to tell me I got that wrong. I don’t care if your name is actually something else. That’s the name that showed up in my background check, and I’ve bothered to remember it, thank you very much.” Damn, she was hot when she was bothered. “All right.” Lydia inhaled a deep breath for confidence.

Intersection


Nancy Ann Healy - 2014
    But when she gets to New Rochelle, Alex discovers that there is more to the situation than simple stalking or political agendas; she finds that she has growing romantic feelings for Cassidy—and that the feelings are mutual.As Alex and Cassidy explore their budding romance, they must surmount many obstacles in explaining their relationship to those around them, including Dylan. All the while, the investigation continues, and the disturbing, convoluted, and complicated web surrounding the threats begins to unravel, placing the characters’ lives in grave danger.Intersection is a taut political thriller that combines the action and suspense found in hit television shows like 24 with the insight and drama found in the widely popular fiction of LGBT authors such as R. E. Bradshaw and Stacey D’Erasmo. It is sure to appeal to fans of intrigue, mystery, and romance, and to provide positive role models for marginalized groups and relationships.

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

Satisfaction Guaranteed


Karelia Stetz-Waters - 2021
    . .When it comes to her career, Cade Elgin has it all figured out. Only “professional talk” has become her default mode, relationships are nonexistent, and don't even mention the word “orgasm.” All work and no play makes Cade a dull human. But when she inherits a sex toy store, Cade is caught between business and a store filled with every imaginable kind of pleasure—including her infuriatingly irresponsible and deliciously sexy new co-owner.Selena Mathis learned the hard way that she can have too much of a good thing. Which is precisely why she's taken an oath of celibacy and is focusing on how to make Satisfaction Guaranteed a success. She won't mess this up. Not this time. But once again, Selena's emotions are getting in the way, and tempting her with a serious attraction to buttoned-up Cade.But the shop isn't exactly vibe-ing, and Cade and Selena are on the verge of losing both their income and the possibility of love. Can they find a way to work together . . . before Satisfaction Guaranteed runs out of batteries?

Necessary Sacrifice


Noelle Winters - 2017
     Running a domestic violence shelter keeps Emma Stevens on her toes, and serves as a living reminder of her mother’s legacy that falling in love can hurt you in more ways than one. But when one of her clients is murdered, Emma comes face to face with a detective who makes her question her resolve to remain safely unattached. Reeling from her wife’s death, Nick Tanner fled her life as a homicide detective in the big city. But when a brutal murder rocks the police department in sleepy Battle Creek, she isn’t prepared for the haunting memories, or complications, it brings - especially stubborn therapist Emma, who is determined to solve the case all by herself if she has to. But when Emma becomes the target for a killer, both their lives - and the love building between them - are put in danger. Is it better to love with the risk of losing, or not love at all?

Bliss


Fiona Zedde - 2005
    It's a world Bliss wanders through with blinders on, all the while craving more. And she finds it in the most unlikely of places.Embarking on a series of carnal adventures with a notorious bad girl as her guide, Bliss opens herself to every new experience and every taboo. In abandoned warehouses, private fetish clubs, even her own office, Bliss is skating on the thin ice of desire--until her world comes crashing in.Now, broken and wanting, Bliss decides to spend a summer in her birthplace, Jamaica, where she hopes to reconcile with her estranged father and rediscover herself. There, in a land of lush ripeness, of heat, warm breezes, easy smiles, and the family she left behind, Bliss will discover what she didn't know was missing. It's a journey that will awaken every one of her senses and take her to the edge of known pleasure and far beyond it, to a love that is as sexy as it gets, as real as can be, and more surprising than she can imagine--a place of total bliss.

Good Spin


Monica McCallan - 2019
    Not because she needs a girlfriend, but because she needs an easier way to come out to college friends that she hasn’t seen in five years. Her job is about controlling the narrative, and as she sees it, there's no reason why that can't extend to her personal life. When her next door neighbor ends up single a few weeks before the wedding, problem solver Emery realizes inviting Jordan along and faking romance for a week in Hawaii could be perfect for both of them. Jordan Davis doesn’t worry about much, especially what will happen tomorrow. Life’s too short to plan every second, and it usually doesn’t work out anyway. When Emery invites her on an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii, it’s not a hard sell. She’ll get to enjoy a tropical vacation with one of her closest friends, and she’ll get to spend more time with Emery, away from Emery’s hectic work schedule back in Austin. But, there’s more to the request than Emery’s letting on, and there’s more to Jordan’s willingness to help than she wants to admit. It’s only eight days, but time passes differently when there’s nowhere to be and nowhere to hide. Faking it is all about the spin, but when lines begin to blur, both women have to decide if falling in love for real is worth the jump.