Book picks similar to
Hard Times by Blayne Cooper


lesbian
lgbt
prison
lesbian-fiction

Waking Forever


Heather McVea - 2013
    By thirty-five, she is already everything she ever imagined being -- a partner in a successful law firm, a competitive runner, and a girlfriend to a devoted investment banker. Her life is challenging and full, but somehow uneventful.After a near fatal attack, Sara is thrown together with Rachel Collins, a charming but secretive art dealer living in the northern suburbs of San Antonio. Together, the two women explore a world Sara never knew existed -- a world that challenges her very notions of life, death, and love.

Whatever Gods May Be


Sophia Kell Hagin - 2010
    She doesn't believe in anything much. Except that people can't be trusted -- certainly not anyone she's ever met. But Jamie knows some things. From experience. She knows if she died, nobody would give a damn. Nobody would even notice. She knows the better she can fight, the safer she'll be. That's why she can't resist the sleek, dark lethality of the weapon -- and the recruiter's promise that yes, if she's strong enough, good enough, she'll get to fire that weapon in combat. She doesn't care about the uniform. And screw the pretend-camaraderie. Only Safe matters -- and if she can do combat, then maybe she can fight her way to Safe. Jamie expects a grueling fight that she might lose. What she never expects is to win love.

The Killing Ground


Syd Parker - 2012
    His victims have nothing in common except being pregnant. Detective Rebecca Foxx of the Chicago Detective Division has her hands full trying to catch the murderer before he kills again. She has enough pressure without the overbearing FBI butting in.FBI Special Agent Jordan Gray isn’t sure what she is in for when a midnight call brings her to her boss’s office. She asks her to take an assignment off the records. Investigate the attack of her partner, but don’t let anyone outside her office know.It soon becomes obvious that Rebecca resents the FBI’s intrusion and it seems Jordan’s personal attention. With no breaks in the case, she is forced to accept the FBI’s help, but she’ll be damned if she is taking anything else from Jordan.What follows is a series of missteps and twists and turns that leaves both women wondering if they will ever catch the killer and trying to figure out how to keep their feelings for each other from becoming a distraction.

Love at Cooper's Creek


Missouri Vaun - 2018
    She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins.Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

Edge of Glory


Rachel Spangler - 2017
    Elise Brandeis doesn't need a training partner, especially an unorthodox has-been snowboarder with an attitude. But Elise has already lost a full season to injury, and she's struggling to make the Olympic ski team. Can teaming up with Corey give her the edge she needs to go for gold, or will the snowboarder's infuriatingly cocky smile and rock hard abs prove a distraction she simply can't afford?Both champions brace themselves for the run of a lifetime. Putting their broken bodies on the line, they fight the competition, the clock, and the frozen terrain for one more chance at glory. But this time, as they ride the razor's edge between victory and defeat, the stakes are steeper than any mountain they will ever face when legacies and hearts collide.Rachel Spangler is the Golden Crown Literary Society and Rainbow Award-winning author of ten lesbian romance novels and novellas. She lives with her wife and son in Western New York.

Damaged in Service


Barrett - 2011
    She’s also recovering from a traumatic head injury and months of being undercover on the mean streets of the Windy City. She takes an extended vacation in New Mexico to help her recover from her physical and emotional duress.She meets Anne Reynolds, a home health nurse, who is recovering from a failed sham marriage. Surrounded by the breathtaking New Mexico landscape, they are pulled into the horror of a serial murder case that Zeke thought was closed. Zeke’s PTSD runs dark and deep and threatens to overwhelm their fledgling relationship. But every once in a while, two opposing energies can merge to create a stronger alloy—but the laws of physics, like love, can be fickle.

And Playing the Role of Herself


K.E. Lane - 2007
    Her sometimes-costar Robyn Ward is magnetic, glamorous, and devastatingly beautiful, the quintessential A-List celebrity on the fast-track to super-stardom. When the two meet on the set of 9th Precinct, Caid is instantly infatuated but settles for friendship, positive that Robyn is both unavailable and uninterested. Soon Caid sees that all is not as it appears, but can she take a chance and risk her heart when the outcome is so uncertain?

Beyond Innocence


Carsen Taite - 2012
    Doesn’t it?After a devastating professional embarrassment, Cory Lance has been banished from the courtroom. As part of her penance, she volunteers with an organization that works to free the wrongly convicted, and soon she’s saddled with a case certain to set her up for another big defeat. To top it off, she’s battling a strong attraction to her client’s sister, a woman with unreasonable expectations.Serena Washington has learned to compartmentalize the negative pieces of her past, except for one—her brother, Eric, who is on death row for a murder he insists he didn’t commit. Loyalty drives her to enlist help from an organization with a reputation for unparalleled success, but Serena’s optimism is shaken when she learns the attorney assigned to the case has a reputation for cutting corners. Her whole world is shaken when she begins to fall in love with her.

Malicious Pursuit


K.G. MacGregor - 2004
    With trust at a premium, the two women join forces to thwart their pursuers.

Man Enough


Beth Burnett - 2012
    She loves her job and she has a comfortable bed. Granted, her love life is non-existent, her pot-smoking mother is wreaking havoc in her apartment, and she is starting to suspect that her lesbian best friend might be secretly in love with her. But none of that matters when Davey meets Danny, a kind, loving, intelligent man who just may be the love of Davey's life. Until it turns out that Danny is harboring a secret of his own.

Stone Walls


Kate Sweeney - 2012
    She had everything—fame, endorsements, and any woman she wanted. All was good until a tragic accident put everything in perspective. Tyler was forced to do some serious soul searching, and she was never forced to do anything.RN Rachel Whitaker was no stranger to disastrous circumstances. She left England because of them, hoping to hide in obscurity behind the stone wall she had quietly constructed brick by brick, but taking care of the convalescing arrogant skier was not helping.They annoy each other, help each other, and fight each other on a daily basis and hopefully, find love—before they kill each other.

Jericho


Ann McMan - 2010
    Her plans to hide out and heal her wounds go by the wayside as she gets drawn into the daily lives of the quirky locals and becomes fast friends with Maddie Stevenson, the enigmatic physician who has returned to the backcountry community to take over her late father’s medical practice.Ann McMan weaves a story of life and love in the beautiful mountains of Virginia.

Second Chances


M.J. Duncan - 2013
    Still hung up on her college sweetheart, a one-night-stand gone wrong convinces her that she needs to make a change. An offer for a one-year guest lecturer position from a small private university provides her the opportunity she needs to escape, and she jumps at it. All Charlie expected to find when she left Manhattan for rural New Hampshire was a little peace. Instead, she finds Mackayla Thomas. Eight years have passed since Charlie foolishly walked away from Mackayla, and Mackayla is determined to never let anyone hurt her that way again. For Charlie, their serendipitous meeting is a sign that happily ever after might finally be within her reach. First, however, she needs to find a way to convince Mackayla to let the past go, and to give her a second chance.

Green Eyed Monster


Gill McKnight - 2008
    Mickey has a chip on her shoulder—she’s been cheated out of a small fortune by corporate giant Victoria Gresham. In an irrational attempt at revenge, Mickey kidnaps Gresham’s girlfriend, Ginette Felstrom. A straightforward and effective plan—except Ginette is the worst captive ever and no one wants to pay her ransom. Out of her depth as every one of her well-laid plans spins totally out of control, Mickey becomes the victim of reverse Stockholm Syndrome and falls head over heels for her captive. How could something so simple go so wrong? Or is that…right?

Turbulence


E.J. Noyes - 2017
    With that accusation stuck in her head, Isabelle throws caution to the wind and dives into her first one-night stand. Checking that off her bucket list should be something to celebrate—except it turns out that the woman she just spent an earth-shattering night with is actually her newly hired company pilot, Audrey Graham.Ms. Never-See-You-Again just turned into Ms. See-You-Constantly.Concerned about the stigma of workplace dalliances, Isabelle vows it can’t go further than the one night. Good plan—if not for an insistent libido and an even more persistent Audrey who conspires to break Isabelle’s resolve. Soon their no strings arrangement starts to feel a lot like dating, and Isabelle finds herself wanting more than just casual nights together...Genre: RomanceEditor: Cath WalkerCover Designer: Judith Fellows