Book picks similar to
Candlelight by Sara C. Roethle


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Destiny: Valentine's on Emerald Mountain


Cara Malone - 2022
    Single and recently scorned, she’s dreading the next two weeks of couple’s massages, wine tastings and moonlight walks surrounded by people in love. Even the staff are hot and flirty… or maybe that’s just Haley’s heartache talking.But when a white-out catches Haley unprepared and underdressed, romance is the least of her worries.She’s disoriented and shivering when someone reaches through the storm and pulls her into an unoccupied cabin. As the blizzard rages outside, Haley meets her savior—the admirer she’d noticed before, a tall, dark and handsome woman named Destiny. And those sultry looks? Haley wasn’t imagining them.Des builds a fire in the hearth and kindles another in Haley’s core. Snowed in on Valentine’s Day, Haley can’t resist Cupid’s arrow—or Des herself. At least until the storm lets up.

Some Go Hungry


J. Patrick Redmond - 2016
    While visiting, Grey must confront a painful past riddled in homophobia, secrets, religious hypocrisy and fear."-- Queerty "Anyone who has come out in small-town America will understand how difficult it is to be who you are when the majority of customers at your family restaurant are the same ones you just saw in church....Some Go Hungry is at its best when confronting religious prejudice, and is even pulse-quickening when the narrator sits through one of his friend's sermons aimed directly at him....Only someone who has grown up in rural America could write so convincingly of the pressures there. It's also refreshing to find a book that relates the experience of being gay somewhere other than in a large city."-- Gay & Lesbian Review "A gay murder mystery that takes readers from Miami Beach, Florida to Fort Sackville, Indiana, as Grey Daniels 'struggles to live his authentic, openly gay life' amidst the fundamentalist Christians in his hometown."-- Bay Area Reporter "Captivating debut...[Protagonist] Grey's tale is a lesson for us all that only when we consider our own feelings first will we find happiness--and acceptance."--Edge Media Network"Redmond's fiction isn’t an attempt to recap historical events. The fictional news reports of character Robbie Palmer's alleged murder interspersed between chapters, and the 'homophobia' that engulfs the fictional town of Fort Sackville, is a platform from which the author can express his sincere concern regarding real-life situations that occur in our modern world."-- Boomer Magazine "I was totally engrossed in what I read...An important tale that in some ways is timeless...We read of bigotry, religion, murder, and personal redemption in small-town America as told by a new writer who is a master storyteller and whom I expect to be hearing about in the near future."--Reviews by Amos Lassen"Patrick Redmond has filled his first novel with passion--the passion to tell a story that resonates far beyond the confines of the small Indiana town where it is set. Some Go Hungry tells an important tale that in some ways is timeless, and in other ways could have been ripped from today's headlines."--Mark Childress, author of Crazy in AlabamaPart of Akashic's Kaylie Jones Books imprint.Some Go Hungry is a fictional account drawn from the author's own experiences working in his family's provincial Indiana restaurant--and wrestling with his sexual orientation--in a town that was rocked by the scandalous murder of his gay high school classmate in the 1980s.Now a young man who has embraced his sexuality, Grey Daniels returns from Miami Beach, Florida, to Fort Sackville, Indiana, to run Daniels' Family Buffet for his ailing father. Understanding that knowledge of his sexuality may reap disastrous results on his family's half-century-old restaurant legacy--a popular Sunday dinner spot for the after-church crowd--Grey struggles to live his authentic, openly gay life. He is put to the test when his former high school lover--and fellow classmate of the murdered student--returns to town as the youth pastor and choir director of the local fundamentalist Christian church.Some Go Hungry is the story of a man forced to choose between the happiness of others and his own joy, all the while realizing that compromising oneself--sacrificing your soul for the sake of others--is not living, but death.

Ragged Dick & Mark, the Match Boy


Horatio Alger Jr. - 1869
    Two famous novels by Horatio Alger that focus on rags-to-riches tales.

Dormitory Dearest


Nicolette Dane - 2016
    She came to me at a time in my life that I needed her most. Having just started her freshman year at college, Natasha Blake has a lot of issues to deal with. She’s a bit of a geek, an outcast, a ball of nerves. Oh, and she’s got this feeling mounting deep inside of her — a feeling that’s been there for a lot longer than she might let on — that maybe, just maybe, she prefers girls over boys. Okay, no maybes about it… but that still doesn’t make it easy to accept who she is, having come from a somewhat conservative Irish Catholic family life. Why did it have to be so hard? Enter Hosannah. Bright, funny, really pretty, a junior living in Natasha’s dorm. Hosannah was like a liberated version of Natasha, a girl who knew who she was and what she wanted. But having been burned in the past, Hosannah had no time for girls who couldn’t admit their personal truths. Natasha knew that Hosannah could help her come out of her shell, but would she be able to take the first step alone? Can this college romance blossom into a wonderful coming out for Natasha? Or will Hosannah’s patience for her uncertainty run thin? Coming-of-age indecision peppered with a dash of anxiety can really throw a girl for a loop. Lucky for Natasha the answer lives just two floors up.

1979: A Big Year in a Small Town


Rhona Cameron - 2003
    An evocative, moving and at times hilarious true-life story about growing up gay in a small town, finding out you're adopted, and losing your father at the age of fourteen. Always an outsider, the Rhona of 1979 was desperate to fit in at any cost, and here lies the bittersweet humour. At the heart of the book is the Clubhouse, a place that symbolises all that is normal, happy, and secure. And behind the club, outside, Rhona and her friends are smoking, fighting, kissing and drinking. In this darkly funny and deeply biographical first book, Rhona Cameron takes us back to a year when everything seemed to change. A new British government came to power, the Eighties were approaching and at times life felt so precarious that it really looked like she and her family might never make it through the next year, let alone the next decade.

Making Waves


Erik Schubach - 2016
     She learned how to be strong again and break the shackles her old life had hobbled her with. While Paya is out making waves in London, Lenore is assigned as the driver for the contractor, McGrath, who is renovating a building for the Flotilla, which will allow people who had fallen upon hard times to have a place to call their own. The problem? Lenore finds McGrath to be the most infuriating, cocky, and egotistical woman on the planet. They mix like oil and water and Lenore wants nothing more than to throw a match on the mixture and be done with the woman. She just can’t figure out what it is that boils her blood around McGrath, though apparently all of her smug and smiling friends have an inkling… The Flotilla series is a spinoff of the bestselling London Harmony series.

Changing Leaves


Edie Bryant - 2018
    One of those people being Jess, her best friend who she'd completely lost contact with. Though she never stopped thinking of her, she could never bring herself to reach out after the shame of what she'd done to her. Gina didn't even want to come back to her hometown in fear of running into Jess, but she had to take care of her mother who is ill with cancer.But fate and a kitten brings them together again, meeting for the first time in years. The connection is clearly still there between them, but will Jess be able to forgive Gina in her time of need? As the change in seasons brings color to the autumn leaves, will it also bring a drastic change in both of their lives? In this heartwarming, steamy novella Edie Bryant takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster toward happily ever after.

Girl Love Happens: Season Three


T.B. Markinson - 2021
    Her friends are spiraling, one in particular with dire consequences. If that’s not enough, Tegan’s job is threatened by a conman and a cop trying to recruit Tegan into a leadership role at the university.Whoever said college was the best years of your life never had to come out in a state determined to strip basic human rights from the LGBTQ community.Girl Love Happens: Season Three contains all six episodes of the continuing lesbian romance series infused with 1990s’ nostalgia. If you like tumultuous love stories, simmering chemistry, and a quirky and troubled cast of characters, then you’ll love T.B. Markinson’s smart, sexy series.

Less Happier Lands


Annette De Burgh - 2013
    A war of words soon spirals into a forbidden and passionate love that covers many years.But as the years move on, troubled waters lie ahead.

Stripped


Mia Archer - 2017
    Like when she finds herself being dragged to a strip club called The Lacy Garter for a bachelor party. She's resigned herself to a night of playing along to get along. Then the lights go down and she sees Jasmine for the first time. Jasmine was marking time waiting for something better to come along. Only she didn't know what "something better" was. All she knew was she could make more in one night at The Lacy Garter than she could in a couple of weeks at her old job. Put up with the bullshit long enough to save a big chunk of change. That was the plan and she didn't have time for personal entanglements. Until she stepped out onto the stage and saw Taylor. Two girls who weren't looking for love. Two girls who have every reason not to get involved. Two girls who might just find love. If they can get out of their own way long enough to let fate take its course!A lesbian romance

Flesh and Blood


Jay Bell - 2010
    He ran the local tavern and was respected by those who knew him. But sometimes life was lonely. When Nikolai decides to help a woman in need, he soon learns that nothing is what is seems. Inside or out, flesh and blood can be deceptive. This free short story explores Nikolai's origins, a character introduced in the fantasy novel "The Cat in the Cradle."

Duct Tape and a Tarp: A Dubious Adventure


Kelli Jae Baeli - 2018
    Sometimes it’s a sprinkle, and sometimes it’s a deluge. This is the wetter one.Drew Keen is not a people-person. No surprise, she’s lived in the Northwoods for the last decade, living simply and working freelance photography jobs for National Geographic. Finally, the loneliness persuades her to attend her college reunion, intent on reconnecting with the one that got away.Amber Richards has gone to every class reunion, hoping to see Drew, who fell off the grid after their graduation led to an inevitable breakup. She didn't expect Drew to be there this year either.She also didn't expect to spend her reunion time with an old flame, running away from her in the Northwoods.

Scarcity


Kate Genet - 2011
    It comes with the territory and she's learned to be particular about her privacy. She's learned that keeping to yourself is always the best option. Until Scarcity turns up. Teresa's never met anyone like her and it worries her how much she likes the girl's presence. What happens when two desperate, needy worlds collide? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REVIEW "I thought this story was wonderful, showing two damaged women slowly opening up to each other. Kate Genet has a way of writing strong, vivid prose that gets under your skin. The light, the weather, and nature all figure strongly in her work. But then her earthy characters are also forces of nature! This isn't pretty writing, it's stark, sensual and gorgeous. I plan to read more of her work." - Gabriella West ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT ‘I’m Scarcity. Pleased to meet you, Teresa.’ She was smiling. Teresa looked at the outstretched arm. The girl’s hand turned out to be warm against her palm. Scarcity took a step forward and looked up at her. She was still smiling. ‘I gotta go. Thanks for the beer. I’ll come and see you again, shall I?’ She dropped Teresa’s hand and grinned, heading for the door before Teresa could answer. Teresa followed slowly. The blonde girl disappeared around the side of the house. ‘What sort of name is Scarcity?’ Teresa asked the empty yard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kate Genet is a New Zealand author who enjoys writing books with strong lesbian characters. Even if they don't start out feeling all that strong, they've usually found their tenacity and self-assurance by the time she's done with them; characters you can like, admire, and wish you knew - maybe they're even a bit like you. With her interest in telling compelling stories she spreads herself across a few genres within lesbian fiction - supernatural suspense, adventure, science fiction and fantasy, and now romance. Keep up to date with her writing life and new releases by visiting her website at kategenet.com (coming January 2014). She also writes mainstream speculative fiction under the name Kate Hansen.

Vixen


Felicia Fox - 2015
    I saw her almost every day and, God, she made my lady parts sing. But it wasn’t just what she did to me physically. Whenever I looked at her, my imagination ran away with me and I couldn’t help but picture her hands on me. I couldn’t help but wonder what her skin tasted like. I would imagine the heat of her body against mine. Feel the crush of her lips. She became the star of every one of my fantasies. And when we finally spoke, I was entranced by her voice, spurred to near climax by a wild encounter. It was then she began to unravel me and held me tight as everything in my world turned upside down. My Vixen.

In Plain Sight


R.E. Gauthier - 2017
    Losing loved ones made her an automated survivor living life with anger as her driving force until one day she finds herself leading an important taskforce formed to solve a series of gruesome murders. This case forces her to face a reality in her life she hasn't known before: loneliness. Separating herself from family and working relentlessly is not working for her anymore. Challenges she faces with this case are like no other: not much evidence, few clues, and no witnesses. She questions whether she has what it takes to solve these murders before the murderer can strike again. That's when her dreams begin to change everything; they may be able to help her find the clues if she can listen to them. When she goes in search for a woman who may well have seen the killer, she begins to have feelings she had long since locked behind her walls. These feelings are too strong to ignore and they threaten to topple those walls, leaving Kelsey without their protection. Can she cope without hiding from the REAL Kelsey MacGregor? Can she still solve this case, while shutting down emotions, that bubble up at every turn? OR will SSA MacGregor learn to accept who and what she is and stop a serial murderer from killing again? Follow FBI Senior Special Agent Kelsey MacGregor on her journey of self-discovery as she scrambles to stop the killing and finds the woman who will change her life forever.