Book picks similar to
Unkindness of Ravens by Kathleen Tracy


california
lesbian-fiction
lgbt
mystery-and-suspense

A Grave Talent


Laurie R. King - 1993
    King into the upper tier of the genre. As "A Grave Talent" begins, the unthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. A string of shocking murders has occurred, each victim an innocent child. For Detective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasoned cop who's less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it's going to be a difficult case. Then the detectives receive what appears to be a case-breaking lead: it seems that one of the residents of this odd, close-knit colony is Vaun Adams, arguably the century's greatest painter of women, a man, as it turns out, with a sinister secret. For behind the brushes and canvases also stands a notorious felon once convicted of strangling a little girl. What really happened on that day of savage violence eighteen years ago? To bring a murderer to justice, Kate must delve into the artist's dark past -- even if she knows it means losing everything she holds dear.

Hell Fire


Ali Vali - 2018
    Abigail Eaton stumbles into a massacre, but once someone tries to kill her it seems like no accident. While hunting for the perpetrators of a sex trafficking empire, Agent Riley Abbott saves Abigail from a professional hit and discovers the young mother might be the key to more than just her case. Riley takes Abigail and her family to what she thinks is safer ground, and runs right into the arms of reputed mob boss Cain Casey. Hell Fire was previously published in Girls With Guns: Three Novellas (Bold Strokes Books, 2016).

Red Hot, Stone Cold


Trin Denise - 2013
    She loves her anonymity and the peace it affords her high up in the mountains of West Virginia.Danica’s utopia comes to a screeching halt when she rescues a car accident victim named Heather Jansen who suffers from retro grade amnesia in one of the worst blizzard storms in West Virginia history while on her journey into the mountains to confront her cheating lover.Can Danica put her fears aside to pursue a love that has always eluded her and will Heather’s worst nightmares result in the ultimate love she has always longed for? Only time has the answers to all of these unanswered questions.

Fury in the Storm: Where Christians Dare (The Leeward Set #1)


D.I. Telbat - 2013
    TELBAT, previously published as SEA SCRIBE, is a covert mission suspense that takes place in and around North Korea. Protagonist Troy Forge was stabbed in a work-related incident, and now every ounce of his faith is tested as he lives to hate the man, Juan Ambula, who scarred and damaged him for life. As a storm brews across the high seas, Troy, though still suffering from pain and loss, sets sail in his customized catamaran on a dangerous smuggling mission to the closed communist country of North Korea. Just days after leaving California's West Coast, the voyage proves to be anything but a smooth trip. Facing many risks and dangers, Troy makes discoveries—including an opportunity for revenge—that change his life forever. Ho Kichun—cut off from the outside world—is a networker for the Christian Underground Church inside North Korea. As he travels secretly serving the persecuted throughout the mountainous terrain, he prays to meet the covert contact—if Kichun isn't killed by an assassin first! Contraband smuggler Merrick Jolan is hot after Troy to kill the Christian sailor by way of his Russian bodyguard, Dmitri Volkov. But if Troy can't meet Elephant on time, the Christian underground network may crumble. Laura Zisk leaves a broken past in her wake that she refuses to face. As a professed atheist, she tries to run as far from her life as she can, only to be confronted with the hardest test of her being. Fury in the Storm—a 70,000-word novel of clean action/suspense, with cover design by Streetlight Graphics—reveals the boldness of Christians who risk everything to assist their foreign brothers and sisters in underground danger! This page-turning adventure will leave you gasping for air as the stormy deep threatens to drown God's people in the closed frontier of forbidden land and waters of North Korea. And we see that God uses anyone who is willing. Bonuses include: a glossary of terms, character sketch, FREE drawing downloads, and Bonus Chapter of Tears in the Wind, Book Two of The Leeward Set.

Lady Pilot


Nicolette Dane - 2019
    Captain Elaine Cole is an accomplished and popular commercial airline pilot. She’s spent her entire career bouncing from one airport to the next, and one lover to the next as well. Being a pilot has made it hard for Lanie to settle down and find love, and now that she’s in her forties it’s really starting to wear on her. When Carrie Haden is assigned as a flight attendant on her route, Lanie feels herself falling for the beautiful younger woman. But Carrie is different than the flight attendants Lanie has been with in the past. There’s something else there—a brighter spark, a deeper affection—and Lanie can’t help but feel that this is her opportunity to finally find the love she seeks. Building trust and committing to a relationship is difficult for a pilot like Lanie. Could Carrie be the one who finally inspires Lanie to change her ways?

Immediate Possession


Syd Parker - 2011
    A successful, self—made realtor, Regan has always played it safe, and the first time she takes a chance on love, she is left wounded and puts a wall around her heart. Darcy Grey has lost more than most, her parents at such a young age she barely remembers them. When she loses her grandparents, she is left struggling to fill the void. Six years later she is engaged to a man she isn’t even sure she is still in love with. When Regan and Darcy bump into each other, sparks fly from the start. But Regan’s vow to never fall for another “straight” girl and Darcy’s inconvenient engagement threaten to keep them apart. Can the two women look beyond past hurts and give themselves a chance to find the love of a lifetime?

The Goode Vet


J.J. Arias - 2020
    . . and her heart.Vanessa is content being America’s favorite reality TV veterinarian and living in her gated, island community. That all changes when a new neighbor bulldozes into her life. Literally.When Ronny wins the lottery and buys a dilapidated mansion in an exclusive south Florida town, she doesn’t expect the difficult woman next door to impede her plans of turning the home into a dog sanctuary.Can Vanessa and Ronny move beyond having gotten off on the wrong foot to nurture the spark they felt on their first meeting?Hit the jackpot with this fun enemies-to-lovers romance featuring swoon-worthy leads and a gaggle of four-legged friends!The Goode Vet is a SHORT STORY in the bestselling Goode Girl lesbian romance series, telling the stories of women loving women in and around a small, all-women’s college in Florida. Books can be read in any order.

The Right Kind of Wrong


Shilpa Suraj - 2021
    And everything she might just need.Intelligence Officer Karan Bhatnagar has only vengeance on his mind. Nothing will stop him from seeking justice for his murdered parents.Not even almost losing his own life. And certainly not the doctor who healed but couldn’t save him. The woman he can’t afford to fall for. And the killer's next target.There's only one thing left to do...find the killer and end him before he ends them. Will Karan and Aria risk everything for a love that is all kinds of wrong? And yet, is the right kind of wrong.

The Sleepwalker


Mardria Portuondo - 2021
    

Witchcraft & Winds


Emilia Spring - 2018
    With nothing to lose, Natalie heads for the hills, or, in this case, the mountains. Turns out the cottage comes with a big family secret—Natalie is from a long line of witches. She quickly discovers that living in a new town isn't easy, especially when lightning strikes whenever she loses her temper!  When an orphaned eleven-year-old stands accused of murder, Natalie’s social worker instincts compel her to solve the case and clear the child, even if it means digging into painful secrets the town considers long buried. Secrets that paint a target on her back. Between her crazy family, magic lessons, investigating a murder, and the sexy witch detective hell-bent on keeping her in line, Natalie’s not sure which one will be the death of her first--her newfound abilities or the killer.

Other Girls


Diane Ayres - 2002
    . . Other Girls.

Hurricane Laine


Alex McAnders - 2020
     JULES Jules just got a job offer and it could not have come at a better time. Days away from ending up on the streets, she has a chance encounter with a forgotten college classmate who offers her a weird proposal. If she pretends to be his girlfriend for a few weeks, she and her mother can keep their home. It turns out that Laine has become richer than god since she last saw him. So, why would he need someone to pretend to be his girlfriend? And why would he reach into the past and ask her? LAINE Laine breaks things. Companies, markets, hearts, nothing is safe once he sets his sights on them. That's what made him a billionaire and why everyone worships the ground this cocky ass walks on.... That is, everyone except for one man. And for Laine, that one man is the only person who matters. REED Unlike his long time best friend, Laine, Reed couldn't care less about money. In fact, after college, while Laine was becoming a corporate raider, Reed moved to a small island in the Bahamas to run an after school program for less privileged kids. His is a quiet life... that is, except for when Laine comes to visit. So, when Laine invites Reed to stay with him on Laine's private island telling him that he will be bringing a guest, Reed braces himself for what could follow. But, as much as he prepares himself, he could never guess what Laine would do next, and how much it would change their feelings for each other. 'Hurricane Laine' is a steamy bisexual romance with as many laughs as twists and turns. Its heart, tearful moments, and sexy scenes will keep you reading, and its not-to-be-missed HEA ending will leave you satisfied and wanting to read it again.

The Perfect Blend


Teresa Purkis - 2021
    A heart warming, slow burn, late in life, friends to lovers story.Georgina owns an independent coffeehouse. Her co-owner, ex lover and sometime friend with benefits, has recently died in a car accident. Grieving, and trying to keep the business going, she finds out the half share has been willed to a complete stranger.Catherine has flitted from job to job, always searching for an important missing piece in her life. Dumped by her boyfriend, jobless, single, penniless and soon to be homeless, Catherine receives a letter which could solve all her problems.Georgina has said she would never again date a straight woman. So why is Catherine continually invading her thoughts? Catherine knows she isn’t gay. So why is she feeling something more than friendship towards Georgina? Will Georgina let her past control her future? Will Catherine acknowledge a future different to her past?Set in a coffeehouse on a busy, bustling main thoroughfare into Bristol. The Perfect Blend introduces us to the owners and characters who frequent the establishment.

Drowning


Briar Lane - 2018
    Ran away from my crazy religious parents, ran away from the judgment, and ran away from what I couldn't accept about myself. And all of that wouldn't be so bad... if I hadn't also run away from my best friend. But now I'm forced by circumstance to come back. And I'm terrified. Because I made a lot of mistakes in leaving, some of the worst mistakes of my life. I don't know if I've grown up enough to face them. I don't know if I can face Amy. Or, even worse, if she doesn't forgive me... I don't know if I can survive walking away again. Nobody has ever made me feel as good and as bad as she does.  I've never been as close to anyone as I was to Jessica. But she just left when I was at my most vulnerable. She did worse than that, in fact. There are things I don't know if I can forgive, things I never planned to forgive. And then she just waltzes back into my life unexpectedly I'm supposed to just forgive her? What if I don't want to forgive her? But that's the problem, I do want to forgive her. I want to have her as my best friend again... and so much more. But I'm terrified of what is going to happen if I allow myself to love her again. This is a standalone lesbian romance novel with HEA ending!

The Keeper's Daughter


Susan X. Meagher - 2019
     Even the best job can slowly drain your battery. When Gillian Lindsay realizes it’s time for a recharge, she impetuously decides to visit Scotland. Knowing nothing about the country, she schedules a tour of Edinburgh Castle for the day she arrives, just to get the lay of the land. After spending the afternoon with Torie Gunn, her very able tour guide, Gillian proposes hiring her for a week-long trip across the country. Torie’s astonished. Gillian has done no research, and has no plans, placidly asking Torie to come up with an itinerary. That seems like the ideal way to create an unsatisfied customer. But Gillian certainly seems like a very easygoing person, and earning a week’s pay merely talking sounds like a dream. Torie jumps in, hoping she can satisfy Gillian’s desires. Over the course of their trip, other, more romantic desires spring to life. Will they be satisfied too?