Book picks similar to
Rose's Thorne by Kate Sweeney


lgbtq
modern-fiction
lesbian-romance
kids-involved

Love on The Westside


Riley West - 2020
    ASIN B08TRNQJXK moved to the most recent edition

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?

A Glimpse Into the Wind (Robin and Jen Book 1)


Leslye Marks - 2020
    She's been a daughter, a wife, and a mother, but now she's becoming the person she wants to be. Newly divorced, she's learning to trust her own heart and is excited by the possibility of a new life. Is she brave enough to take the plunge?Jennifer Kinney is a free spirit who lives life with an open heart, but she's been hurt along the way. Even though she knows true happiness comes when you believe in renewal and possibility, the lessons she's learned have been hard, and learning to trust again takes time. When their worlds collide, both women learn they should always trust their instincts, their closest friends, and their hearts in order to achieve true happiness.

For the Love of Cake


Erin Dutton - 2015
    When she takes a turn as a judge on the very show that launched her career, she expects to find a nice change of scenery and a little diversion.A late-bloomer at forty-two years old, Shannon Hayes is finally on the precipice of achieving her dreams. She has one shot to prove she can compete with chefs half her age with much more experience. Engaging in a fling with a judge fourteen years her junior would almost certainly kill that chance.

Different Worlds


Lily Seabrooke - 2020
    Losing her friends, falling away from her work responsibilities, and sinking deeper into depression, rumors are she won’t be able to succeed the company at the end of the summer.Annelise Benson just lost her kitchen job and is in freefall. With rent looming and college tuition still to save for, she’s desperate enough to take a sketchy job offering more money than should be possible. But the summer caretaker position she signs up for gets tricky when it turns out she’s a tool used to try shaming Natasha Seychelle herself into reforming.The two come from vastly different worlds and clash in an ugly meeting that sets them head to head. Annelise’s dedication to completing a job is too strong for Natasha to shake her off, but—maybe, just maybe, they’ve come together for a reason.Different Worlds is a 100k enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance featuring a class difference romance, themes of grief and loss, comfort and healing, and lots of sentimental emotional fluff. Content warnings for depression, loss of family, references to self-harm, and one really nasty uncle. Oh, and sapphic flirting. Don’t read this book if you hate seeing girls flirting with each other. Definitely not.

Time of Grace


Gabriella West - 2002
    But beautiful Grace, with her mysterious past and her fierce dedication to Ireland's freedom, opens Caroline's eyes to worlds she has never imagined. As their friendship blossoms into romance, Caroline finds the greatest happiness she has ever known. But can their love survive the condemnation of a repressive society-and Grace's involvement in the approaching Easter Rising? A passionate story of personal, sexual, and national liberation, set against the backdrop of an unforgettable moment in Irish history.

Second Season


Ali Vali - 2007
    Jessica Badeaux, and their children are falling apart.In one life-changing moment precipitated by a spilled cup of coffee, the world Tully had so carefully constructed comes to an end. As Tully struggles to pick up the pieces, two women add to the complications—Dr. Kara Nicolas, the woman who stole her wife, and Libby Dexter, the young woman who moves in to assist Tully with the kids. Kara becomes her focus in the courtroom, and Libby offers more than a helping hand around the house.

Elena Undone


Nicole Conn - 2011
    A wife who will not question her loyalty to a husband she does not love nor her duty to a church whose tenets she does not fully accept.Peyton. A lesbian trapped in an arid relationship and a life that has brought her success but scant emotional sustenance.Their eyes first meet across the distance of a public park. One glance is all it takes for ignition. A slow-building sexual fire soon becomes a conflagration that engulfs both their lives.But no matter how compelling the attraction, no matter how intensely love may reach into the depths of either of their souls, reality is inflexible. Elena’s husband is pastor of a church; her son is the center of her life; and she is haunted by a burden of grief and guilt that fixes her firmly in the conventional life she leads.From Nicole Conn, novelist and multi-award-winning director of little man, writer-director of the legendary lesbian film Claire of the Moon, comes this powerful love story--a luminously romantic film as evocative as it is erotic (and already famous for its Longest Kiss in Cinema History)—and now a novel that reveals every moment of Elena’s unforgettable journey.

The Startling Inaccuracy of the First Impression


A.E. Radley - 2020
    Verity Forsyth lives at 27A, and is enjoying her early retirement, active social calendar and occasional babysitting duties.Katie Ross is starting over, leaving her old home and her controlling ex behind and moving into a new apartment. When Katie and her beloved motorbike move into 27B, she finds herself immediately in conflict with her upstairs neighbour, Verity.Two such forceful personalities under one roof is a recipe for disaster.When disaster strikes, will they be able to put aside their differences and call a truce?59,500 words

West of Nowhere


K.G. MacGregor - 2013
    At twenty-five, Amber Halliday had thought life on the road with the band was her ultimate fantasy come true. In the blink of an eye she finds herself abandoned at a truck stop in Kentucky. No money, no family and nowhere to go.Even though her common sense tells her to drive on by, Navy veteran Joy Shepard simply can’t ignore a woman in distress. With more than half of a cross-country trip ahead of her, she does have space and a temporary job caring for Joy’s wheelchair-bound father.Though Amber is grateful for Joy’s help, she’s immediately challenged by Joy’s excessive tidiness and stringent rules. Her father is even worse! For her part, Joy can’t believe anyone is so slovenly, so undisciplined, so…frustrating! Every mile increases the chances that their lives—and their hearts—will end up right where they met: nowhere.Lambda Literary Award Winner - KG MacGregor

Coming Home To Holly: A Lesbian Christmas Romance


Emily Hayes - 2020
    After one magical night when they were eighteen, Jess is left heartbroken by Holly.Jess runs away to the city and does everything she can to forget Holly.Fourteen years have passed since she last saw or spoke to Holly. When everything falls apart with Jess's life in the city, she finds herself coming home.Coming home to her small town. Coming home to her Mom. Coming home to herself.

Times Like These


Ana McKenzie - 2018
    She's more than happy to be muse, model, assistant, and lover - especially lover - for brilliant and successful Bianca Graves. After all, Merren's smart with a big-picture view of the world and a practical streak wide enough to deal with Bianca's difficulties. She's a problem-solver. Except there's one problem Merren's never had to solve before - what happens when you fall in love with a woman who can't see you properly? Bianca's an artist losing her sight, desperate to find a way to continue painting and keep her career and sense of identity. She needs more than a muse, more than a young woman to model for her. She needs someone to reach out and touch her when everything's going dark - and help her find the way back to her life. Which surely means Merren's too young, too different, worlds apart in experience. Bianca knows a summer fling at such a difficult time is one thing - but it can't go any further. As it turns out, however - there's more than one way to be blind.

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?

Seeing Her


Maria Jackson - 2017
    and too scared to let the world see any of those qualities. Interacting with her restaurant coworkers makes her want to melt into the floor. They're all beautiful, outgoing, and confident - terrifying to a shy lesbian. When Chloe somehow catches the most intimidating girl's eye, she wonders if their mutual attraction could develop into more. Waitressing isn't Jennie's passion, but then neither is anything else. Adrift in life, the tattooed beauty only cares about weed and her motorcycle. At least this job's paying the bills until she can move on to better things. Fooling around with coworkers isn't in her plans - but once she notices the resident wallflower is drop-dead gorgeous, those plans change. Falling for Chloe, though? That's another matter. Will Jennie chew Chloe up and spit her out? Or could Jennie be the first person to see Chloe for who she really is?

All I See Is You


Lily Hammond - 2020
    Birds with unknown songs. People with strange accents.In 1932, Eliza Sparrow walks straight off the boat from England to New Zealand into a nightmare. Unable to speak or write, and with the death of her mother during the voyage, Eliza is alone, without any means, without any hope. Unless she meets someone willing to help her.Maxine and Ruth have opened their home to destitute women, sheltering those they can from the worst of the Depression. When they find Eliza, they are determined to aid and protect her.Never though, did they think they’d have to protect Eliza from their dear friend Clemency. Like them, Clemency loves other women, but unlike the happily ‘married’ Maxine and Ruth, Clemency is lonely, unable to find a lover she really connects with. When she meets Eliza, no one thinks it could be serious and Clemency would simply be taking advantage of the speechless Eliza, her attraction never possibly other than a passing desire.No one took into account however, that the heart has its own language, and it’s one that Eliza can speak perfectly well.