Book picks similar to
Holding Fire by Annelise Sorrell


lesbian
crime
sex-scale-low-simmerring
relationship-height-difference

The Club


A.L. Brooks - 2016
    For others the emotions run high, and one night of sex can change their lives in ways they couldn’t have imagined. For Lou, her weekly visits to The Club enable her to set aside her shyness and loneliness and feel intimacy, however briefly. For Kath, caring for her mother at home, The Club is a welcome relief from her everyday toil; while Max needs distraction from her troubled relationship, even as she tries to tell herself she isn’t really cheating. Tania and Jacky find an outlet for a tricky block in their sex life. Cassie and Nina, bar staff at The Club, find themselves staying on after hours. And finally, Stephanie, struggling with her sexuality, finds her life changing in so many ways once she plucks up courage to enter.The lives of these women intersect in ways they don’t realize, and watching over them all is Mandy— the owner, whose own ghosts play a pivotal role in the existence of The Club.Themes: lesbian

Pining & Loving


Emma Sterner-Radley - 2019
    Which one carries the highest cost? And what price is worth paying? The quiet, tough Aya Lawson has been forced to leave her career as a professional boxer behind and now scrambles for a purpose. Gwen Davies is a chatty barista, and artist in her free time, who lives with clinical depression. They both have battles to fight but they also have something else in common - pining over the woman of their dreams. When daydreams one day meet reality, things get complicated. Is it best to stay with what’s safe? Or to fall and maybe break? If they do take the chance and break, who will get back up?

Don't Let Go


Cynthia Dane - 2019
    Yet there is one resident in her high-rise luxury building who makes coming to work worth it. Cindy Ling, the enigmatic businesswoman who always has a lady on her arm, also has a wink to spare the mild-mannered clerk looking her way. When chance brings Rose up to Cindy’s penthouse suite, her life isn’t simply changed forever. It’s transformed. A Reckoning From the moment she first sees her, Cindy knows that Rose is a font of endless potential. For a woman who has spent her whole life running away from a core part of her identity, taking Rose as a lover is not only the greatest escape, but Cindy’s best chance at reformatting her image as Taiwan’s foremost playgirl. Except whenever Cindy makes such drastic changes to her life, she discovers that the old ghosts she attempts to lock away come hurtling back. Falling in love with Rose is a blessing and a curse from the very deity Cindy has held a grudge against since the tragic death of her father. But Cindy knows they’re a match made in the stars. This time, she’ll overcome her inner demons. A Bargaining Yet when Cindy is inevitably consumed, Rose persists. She’ll overcome her traditional family, her sheltered upbringing, and her insecurities if it means not only bringing Cindy out of the darkness, but reclaiming the world Rose knows they deserve to inhabit. No matter how hard Cindy pushes her away, their carnal connection and fairy-tale romance are too pure to spoil. Rose has nothing to fear. She won’t let go. DON’T LET GO contains no-holds-barred references to mental illness and features non-Western beliefs and settings. It introduces brand-new characters and clubs to the Dane-Billings universe of billionaire girlfriends and the women who are transformed by loving them.

The Sting of Victory


S.D. Simper - 2018
    The sting of victory will fade with time.”Haunted by a history of horror and abuse, Flowridia, a witch with a tender heart, finds a second chance in the home of her kingdom’s royal family. With employment comes friendship, and perhaps she has finally found a place to belong—until she catches the eye of Lady Ayla Darkleaf, a woman with enticing grace and a predatory smile. The corrupt world of politics consumes her, and Flowridia falls into a toxic love affair surely doomed for heartbreak. Yet when Ayla’s legacy as a monster unfolds, Flowridia sees only the tender soul hiding beneath.An ancient deity returns, hell-bent on restoring the world to its natural order, and Flowridia’s kingdom is tasked to stop him. Caught in the ensuing clash of gods, her loyalties will be tempted at every turn—by family, by fate, and by the woman whose claws grip her heart.Horror abounds, monsters rise, and hearts break in the first installment of FALLEN GODS

Beneath Everything


Suzie Carr - 2017
    She should be thrilled, but somewhere along the line she took a wrong turn and ended up in the dreaded rat race of life. When she meets Jolene, a scuba instructor from Bonaire, curiosity stirs deep within. Suddenly, she begins to crave adventure. By getting out of her comfort zone, Sarah soon begins to realize that life begins to bloom beneath the facade of materialism. Purpose and meaning can’t be found on the surface. It can only be found when she digs deep and uncovers things that make her question what’s most important in life. Does Sarah have the courage to embrace her newfound discoveries, even if that means letting go of what brings her comfort in the process?

The Space Between Our Hearts


Kat Evans - 2016
    At the height of her career, she was a top female professional athlete by day and an officer for the Atlanta PD by night--until an injury took her off the field and out of the force. For four years, she worked to reestablish herself as a private investigator in her hometown of Macon, Ga. And it looks like all her hard work finally paid off when a high profile case unexpectedly falls in her lap. Taylor Ross may have grown up privileged, but she faced more than her fair share of heartache and loss when she was convicted of a crime she didn’t commit. In a last ditch effort to clear her name, Taylor enlists the help of a virtually unknown private eye, whose sexy body and soft lips make her forget all about her ex-lover’s betrayal and the ticking clock on her freedom. Passion ignites between the polar opposites on the trail of a serial killer. But the question remains: Who really killed Claire Ross?

Behind Closed Doors


Anna Stone - 2018
    When a mix-up lands her a job at a high-profile law firm, Emma is determined to meet this new challenge head-on. What she didn’t count on was working for a woman like Lillian White, and it doesn’t take long for Emma to realize that she might be in over her head in more ways than one. As beautiful as she is ruthless, Lillian has worked hard to build a reputation for herself that commands respect from everyone she meets. She’s sacrificed everything for her career, and she doesn’t have room in her life for romance. But there’s something about her sweet yet feisty new assistant that Lillian can’t resist, and Emma finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of new desires that she never thought possible. Soon, the two women are embroiled in a scorching-hot forbidden affair that threatens to consume them both. While both women grapple with their unexpected feelings toward each other, things at the office start to unravel. The future of Lillian’s firm is in turmoil, and something sinister lurks behind the scenes that forces both women to reexamine their lives and decide whether their relationship is worth fighting for.

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.

A Marine Awakening


Jax Meyer - 2019
    Navigating the policy and finding allies is harder than she expected, but she's determined to complete her enlistment period and return to college. Meanwhile, gregarious military kid Sharon Rodriguez knows connections are critical to navigate the unspoken rules of the Marine Corps. She’s confident in her ability to enjoy the casual flings she's accustomed to, while pursuing the 20 year career she desires. When Sharon convinces Cam to attend a party with her, neither realizes their lives are about to become more complicated than they planned for. How hard will they need to fight for a love that must remain in the shadows? A Marine Awakening, a Dal Segno prequel, is a contemporary new adult lesbian romance with a happy ending that shows that no person or policy can stop two Marines fighting for each other.

The Proposal


T.B. Markinson - 2022
    The centuries-old shop is owned by Cleo Braithwaite, a woman with a fierce and frightening reputation. Cleo turns out to be nothing like the rumors but refuses to sit still long enough to be dazzled by the meticulous spreadsheets and slides Marley has prepared to seal the deal. Instead of making her proposal, Marley soon finds herself on an impromptu walking tour of London with the charming Cleo.Even though Marley has a dinner date that night with the woman she’s been chatting with online and was convinced was her soulmate, she can’t ignore the feelings her bewitching guide stirs up inside as they explore the historic city on foot. What’s more, the longer she’s with Cleo, the more Marley begins to question the business deal she’s been sent to make.Should Marley stick with the plan, or is a single life-changing day with Cleo worth blowing up the future Marley was so certain she wanted?

From a Distance


C.L. Hart - 2010
    Cori is a student at the University of Guadalajara. One fateful afternoon their lives will come together under a flurry of gun fire. Questioning the lies around them, they will soon learn that they can not live without each other. On the run from an unknown enemy, they must learn to trust each other, and to believe they'll make it out alive.

Departure from the Script


Jae - 2014
    And even if they were, it certainly wouldn’t be with each other.Amanda has never been attracted to a butch woman before, and Michelle personifies the term butch. Having just landed a role on a hot new TV show, she’s determined to focus on her career and doesn’t need any complications in her life.After a turbulent breakup with her starlet ex, Michelle swore she would never get involved with an actress again. Another high-maintenance woman is the last thing she wants, and her first encounter with Amanda certainly makes her appear the type.But after a date that is not a date and some meddling from Amanda’s grandmother, they both begin to wonder if it’s not time for a departure from their usual dating scripts.Words: 54,620

The Secrets we Keep


Donna Jay - 2021
    She'd have laughed even harder if she’d been told her new, uptight, beauty parlour boss, Victoria, would steal her heart and stamp all over it. Because Sadie's way smarter than that.The saying “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” has become Victoria's motto ever since Sadie stumbled into her ordered world. Victoria just needs a cleaner. But apparently Sadie has other talents—the sort that can crack open Victoria's heart and shatter her equilibrium.No, Sadie and her chaotic charms absolutely will not do. Victoria’s strict no-workplace relationship rules exist for a reason.But what if Victoria can’t live without her? Is it too late to win back the intoxicating young woman?An age-gap, rich-girl/poor-girl lesbian romance that embraces the big, crazy, complicated mess of fixing two broken hearts that belong together.81,000 words

Flirting with Danger


Jade Winters - 2016
     She's the ultimate career girl. Devoted to work, with no time for anything more than casual steamy encounters. But all that changes when the missing persons story leads her to the enigmatic Callie. Callie is a family friend of the missing girl and an invaluable lead. The attraction between the two women is immediate, all consuming. Does Callie hold the answers to the mysterious disappearance? And beyond that, is she the one woman who can hold Astrid's attention beyond a sensational story?

The Alpha Affair


Bridget Essex - 2021
    This country girl grew up in Sylvania, a little mountain town outside of Pittsburgh populated entirely by wolves. Out of all of the members of her boisterous family, she’s the most stubborn.But she’s met her match in Darcy Williams.When Lizzie and Darcy first meet at a charity auction, it’s not so much a spark as an instant inferno. Darcy is sexy as all hell, a smoldering force of nature and a deeply mysterious lady: so Lizzie’s immediately smitten.Until Darcy opens her mouth. Because this alpha wolf on vacation from L.A. is as snobby as they come. And Lizzie just happens to be an alpha, too.Two alphas can’t possibly see eye to eye, and two headstrong women who hate each other can’t possibly fall in love...right?