Book picks similar to
The Flesh Trade by Maggie Brown


crime
lesbian
committed-relationship
lesbian-fiction

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?

Hurt


Lila Bruce - 2015
    But now Nicole, one of the top real estate agents in Chattanooga, thinks she’s finally made the right one in Jamie Tate. Despite a serious Johnny Cash obsession and a tendency to shy away from long-term commitment, Jamie seems to be the perfect choice. Jamie is kind, loving and especially nice to Nicole’s elderly grandmother. Now all Nicole has to do is convince the attractive police detective that it's time to take things to the next level. Jamie is crazy in love with Nicole and ready to move their relationship forward. Jamie decides it’s finally time to sell her home and move in together—something that Nicole has been talking about doing for months. Knowing that Nicole believes her to be commitment-shy, Jamie thinks it might be fun to surprise her with the move. However, things take on an ironic twist when an old friend Jamie hasn’t seen in years comes by to look at the house, setting into motion a series of events that leaves more than just Nicole and Jamie’s relationship in jeopardy.

Ransom's Redemption


Rhavensfyre - 2016
    Next they came into her home, leaving a single black rose, each thorn painstakingly painted blood red. The threat was clear. Victoria Carrillo had to find a place of safety from her unknown stalker. Ransom Greathouse had found her place of sanctuary away from the world. After a harrowing experience during her last deployment, she was sent home, wounded and broken. The past wouldn’t let her go, but she was determined to find peace in her own way. She never expected to be thrown back into her old job again. Protecting another human being was the last thing she needed, and she should have said no…but when Victoria Carrillo showed up at her doorstep, another past showed up with her. One she couldn’t turn away Ransom will do whatever it takes to keep Victoria safe, even it kills her. The sparks fly and so do the bullets in this psychological thriller. In the end, the only option is failure or redemption.

The Butterfly Whisperer


Lisa Moreau - 2017
    After fleeing without a trace before graduation, Jordan vowed never to return to Monarch, the butterfly obsessed town along the Central California coast.Ten years later, Jordan owns a successful soul mate matchmaking company where she finds love for others, but has little use for it herself. Sophie runs the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary and has yet to forgive Jordan for disappearing from her life. When Jordan is forced to return to Monarch, will their soul mate connection deepen or will differing goals tear them apart?

The Amnesia Project


Barbara Winkes - 2018
    What happened behind these doors? In the summer of 2003, three young women and a teenage girl take a trip to New York City…Only three of them return. More than a decade later, one of them uncovers the shocking truth.

Beyond Instinct


Lynn Ames - 2011
    Someone high up in the United States government has pulled rank, hand-selecting her to oversee security for a visit by congressional VIPs to the West African nation of Mali. The question is, who picked her for the job and why? Sage McNally, a career diplomat, is the political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mali. As control officer for the congressional visit, she is tasked to brief Vaughn regarding the political climate in the region. The two women are instantly attracted to each other and share a wild night of passion. The next morning, Sage disappears while running, leaving behind signs of a scuffle. Why was Sage taken and by whom? Where is she being held? Vaughn s attempts to get answers are thwarted at every turn. Even Sage does not know why she s been targeted. Independently, Sage and Vaughn struggle to make sense of the seemingly senseless. By the time each of them figures it out, it could be too late for Sage. As the clock ticks inexorably toward the congressional visit, the stakes get even higher, and Vaughn is faced with unspeakable choices. Her decisions will make the difference between life and death. Will she choose duty or her own code of honor?

A Call Away


K.C. Richardson - 2018
    She has questions about her grandparents that she hopes to find the answers to while preparing the farm to sell. Abigail Price, a neighbor of Syd’s grandmother, has lived on her grandmother’s farm in Iowa for most of her life, leaving only to promote her latest novel. In helping Syd find the answers she’s looking for, they develop a mutual attraction and deeper feelings for each other.Syd has to return to her life in Chicago, but will Abby stay in Iowa, or will she give the big city, and love, a chance?Cover Artist: Sheri HalalGenres: Contemporary / Romance

Conservative Affairs


Riley Scott - 2014
    That she doesn’t share the mayor’s politics is her secret, and it’s not the only secret she’s keeping in conservative Oklahoma City.Madeline Stratton believes that you reap what you sow. Yes, she has allowed her marriage to become one of bitter expedience, but she is devastated by the magnitude and viciousness of her husband’s sudden scandal that erupts into off-color headlines and late night comedy routines.When her young staffer offers a hideout no one will suspect she gratefully accepts—and finds Jo’s sympathy and advice increasingly useful and needed. Until one night feelings far beyond gratitude will no longer go away…Politics and passion collide in this debut romance from Riley Scott!

Pink Bean Series #1-3


Harper Bliss - 2018
    Beneath the Surface will take you back in time to follow their journey and discover the origin story of Sydney's pinkest coffee shop.Finally, get to know Josephine, long-time barista at the Pink Bean, as she attempts to get over her insecurities and opens herself up to love in Everything Between Us.Grab an espresso (or a flat white) and settle down for nearly 700 pages of heartwarming, dramatic and steamy lesbian romance, like only best-selling author Harper Bliss can craft.Sydney is full of coffeeshops, but none as exciting, and full of drama, as the Pink Bean..

Hearts and Flowers Border


L.T. Smith - 2005
    some funny . some heart wrenching . but she needs to deal with all of them before she can open the door to allow her past to shape her future. A story starting in the present day, narrated by a woman who needs to retell her past before she can move on with her future. There is no fantastic underlying plot, just a simple retelling of events leading to the present day. Most of us will recognise the uncertainty of youth and the first flush of love.

Rocky Road


Anna Cove - 2018
     Billie Page. IndyCar racing’s darling. To the outside world, she seems put together. Determined. Serious. Only she and the ones close to her know the truth. Billie’s a failure. She works every day to change that, to strengthen her mind and her body for the grueling demands of her job. Everything is about racing. It has to be. It’s all she has left. Then a woman makes her laugh. Krysta Ekert lives life on the whims of the wind. She doesn’t know where her next paycheck will come from and doesn’t care. She does what she wants, when she wants it, and asks for forgiveness rather than permission. The moment she meets Billie Page she knows whose bed she’ll be sleeping in that night and it’s not her own. When Krysta is hit by a car, her accident binds the women together in a way neither of them could have predicted. It’s dangerous for both to stay—Billie may lose her career, Krysta her independence—but leaving becomes less and less of an option the longer they wait. Will they find a way to make it work? Can one really have it all? Heartwarming and often humorous, Rocky Road is an emotional look at two women searching for happiness in all the wrong places and discovering how much more life offers when you open your heart.

Risk: Three Crime-fighting Women RISK All for Love, Lust and Justice.: A Lesbian Fiction Thriller


Sam Skyborne - 2017
    Guaranteed to thrill! *** 2019 - Award-Winning Finalist in International Book Awards *** *** 2018 - National Indie Excellence Award - FINALIST! *** *** 2018 - NYC Big Book Award - DISTINGUISHED FAVOURITE! *** It is not bad enough 'coming out'.... Never mind unwillingly being wrenched from the closet in the midst of a dangerous serial killer case by your new nemesis and your long time best friend. "Another gripping, racy page-turner, starring three strong, sexy female protagonists on the hunt for a psychotic killer." "In the dark domains of crime, lust and love - innocence and guilt mix like blood and water. Will Toni RISK it all to catch the psychotic killer?" Toni Mendez, an ex-cop turned private investigator in London, takes on a case to find the truth behind the violent murder of the young wife of a successful entrepreneur, Lucille Ransom-Evans. Little did she know that this case would bring to her door Maxine Bennett, a feisty, opinionated, American detective, on the hunt for a serial killer. Maxine not only infiltrates Toni's working life presenting a sore reminder of a profession she once loved, as a British detective, she also invades her private life by seducing her best friend, Lizbeth Du Cannon. As the action-packed investigation continues, Toni is engulfed, both professionally and privately, into a racy subculture she knew only from a distance - the LGBTQ+ world. She is forced to reassess everything she thought she knew about herself, her sexuality and the foundations (repressed romantic feelings) of her long-term friendship with Lizbeth.

The Brass Ring


Mavis Applewater - 2003
    Jamie Jameson comes face to face with the woman who, 12 years earlier, broke her heart, and now she must deal with the confusion and danger.

Dirty Little War


C.K. Martin - 2016
    Born into a life of organised crime in the gritty East End of London, she has endured nothing but hardship and disappointment. Then one night, in a sleazy bar, fate sends a dangerous opportunity her way. Carmen Trogan, daughter and heir apparent to a rival business, has no idea who Evie is when their eyes meet across the dance floor. But Evie knows all about her. The chance to bring the rich and beautiful woman to her knees - both figuratively and literally - is too good to pass up. Sparks fly from their first kiss, but Evie is playing a dangerous game. There are consequences that come with spending the night with a woman like Carmen. Will she be able to walk away from the best night of her life, or will she risk it all to see Carmen one more time?

Getting Back


Cindy Rizzo - 2015
    But even after three decades, she has never been able to get past the devastating end of her relationship with the beautiful and brilliant Ruth Abramson. As Elizabeth approaches her 30th college reunion, she must face the woman who long ago acceded to the demands of her father, a famous Russian dissident, and married the young man who’d been chosen for her. It doesn’t make it any easier that Ruth, now divorced and living openly as a lesbian, is the class luncheon speaker.As the two women face one another and attempt to reconcile their past, Elizabeth finds she must wrestle with a number of issues she has avoided confronting. And she must carefully decide whether she is more distrustful of Ruth or of herself. Is she headed for another fall with this woman? Or does she want to get close again, so she can be the one to walk away?When it comes to reuniting with the love of your life, it’s not always easy to know the difference between getting back together and just getting back.Length: approx. 73,000 wordsThemes: 1970s · chosen family · family · Jewish · lesbian · marriage equality · older lesbian · publishing · reunion · Russian Jews · second-chance romance · women's college