Book picks similar to
House of Clouds by K.I. Thompson


lesbian
historical
historical-fiction
romance

Summer Winds


Andrews & Austin - 2009
    Young Cash Tate takes the job—a summer break from the city and her girlfriend troubles. Cash is irritated by and enamored of this self-sufficient rancher woman who refuses to treat her as an equal, and she vows to earn her respect. While Cash struggles to win a place in Maggie’s heart, Maggie fights her unwelcome desire to take Cash into her arms. Not one to give in to forces of nature, particularly when they’re female and fifteen years her junior, Maggie is determined to suppress her feelings. But one soft summer night, with the prairie breezes swirling over her skin like the breath of an impatient lover, Maggie Tanner has to decide whether to deny her yearnings or ride the wind.

Not For Sale


Cynthia Dane - 2018
    When her mother’s chronic affliction almost claims her life again, Reese knows that there’s only one way to save her family. All she needs is a leave of absence from the corporate office in San Francisco and a toolbox full of lesbian stereotypes. Has fate finally come to rural Oregon? Kimberly is a mild-mannered property manager who only wants to do her job and go home to her nosy parents… And fall in love, because a woman can only be untouched for so long! Reese’s unruly and disruptive renovation projects promise to make Kimberly’s life hell. Too bad she’s enamored with the handywoman from the moment they lock eyes. The feeling? Absolutely mutual. Life’s about to get more interesting – and sensual – in a sleepy Oregonian beach town! ***includes a short preview of WITH THIS RING***

Shaken to the Core


Jae - 2016
    She’s expected to marry well and produce a successor to the Winthrop empire. But Kate has a very different path in mind. Her true passion lies with photography—and with women.Alone in the city after losing her brother, Sicilian immigrant Giuliana Russo starts working for the Winthrops as a maid. Despite their different social status, Kate and Giuliana become friends, much to the dismay of Kate’s parents.As the connection between the two women grows, a devastating earthquake hits San Francisco and ignites fires that sweep through the city for three days and nights.Will the disaster shatter their tentative feelings for each other, or will they find the courage to save each other’s lives—and their hearts?Join Kate and Giuliana on a journey of danger and discovery in the action-packed historical romance Shaken to the Core, set against the backdrop of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.Length: 126,000 wordsThemes: 1900 · adventure · class differences · disaster · earthquake · lesbian · San Francisco

Call Me Softly


D. Jackson Leigh - 2011
    So with her last breath, she implores her beautiful granddaughter, Lillie, to flee to the family’s polo estate in South Carolina and seek the protection of someone Abigail has come to trust—Swain Butler. What Lillie doesn’t know is that she is putting herself in the hands of a woman who may be the biggest family secret of them all.“Be careful,” Abigail cautions Lillie. If sleeping dogs must be roused, then call them forth softly.

The Warrior's Path


Catherine M. Wilson - 2008
    Since she never did find the story she was looking for all those years ago, she decided to write it.In Book I of the trilogy, Tamras arrives in Merin's house to begin her apprenticeship as a warrior, but her small stature causes many, including Tamras herself, to doubt that she will ever become a competent swordswoman. To make matters worse, the Lady Merin assigns her the position of companion, little more than a personal servant, to a woman who came to Merin's house, seemingly out of nowhere, the previous winter, and this stranger wants nothing to do with Tamras.

September Canvas


Gun Brooke - 2009
    Her first day in town, Faythe receives unsolicited warnings from the locals to stay away from her neighbor, which only rouses her curiosity. Deanna Moore, a successful illustrator, has dedicated her life to her work and her family. Beleagured by accusations stemming from an event she is powerless to explain or defend, Deanna lives a solitary life. When she meets Faythe she is reluctantly attracted to her, but she fears Faythe will not be able to see beyond the rumors. This is a story of hurt and betrayal, but also of trust and endurance as two women struggle to show faith and dare to love.

Fragmentary Blue


Erica Abbott - 2012
    St. Clair’s success as an Internal Affairs investigator in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, has brought her a new job and a fresh start in Colfax, Colorado. Among the many welcome sights on her new horizons is Alex Ryan, the head of Detective Unit.Captain Ryan loves her department, her detectives and her family. Loving another woman isn’t in the game plan, but C.J.’s southern charms are difficult to ignore.Romantic possibilities are crushed when a murder and scandal erupt within Alex’s command. The system they have both sworn to uphold makes them enemies separated by mounting evidence—and there is no honorable way to cross the divide.Fragmentary Blue is a sizzling novel of forbidden attraction and heart-pounding tension from an exciting new writer!

Seven Minutes In Heaven


Kat Fletcher - 2015
    Enter Andi, an old friend she'd all but forgotten.Sixteen years ago, Andi was the independent local girl with short blond hair and a reputation for kissing other girls. Megan's family disapproved of Andi, both for her attitude and her unapologetic sexuality, but the girls became quick friends. When Megan's cousin locked them in a closet for a game of Seven Minutes In Heaven, it was meant to be a cruel joke to drive them apart. Instead, it led to Megan's first kiss... with Andi.Now adults, neither woman has forgotten their brief but tantalizing game. Slowly, they edge their way toward each other once more, but is being together in the adult world only a game... or heaven?

Dear Taylor


Eija Jimenez - 2016
    Seeing her city in shambles, coated in ash, and American lives lost, she enlisted to fight the War on Terror. Daniella Melo, a Rhode Island American History teacher, challenges her class to write letters to soldiers fighting overseas. With one name left and a student short, Daniella takes it upon herself to write letters to Private Taylor Phillips stationed in Afghanistan. Over the next two years, the women exchange letters, sharing stories of their daily lives: Daniella trailing after her rambunctious daughter, Jackie, and dealing with overeager seniors planning prom while Taylor trudges through sand and dirt, driving her humvee in cold deserts. Their friendship continues to grow until it becomes something so much more than either woman expect.

Indelible


Jove Belle - 2010
    She wants her son, Oliver, to have the childhood she never had. She remembers coming in second to the never-ending stream of girlfriends her father brought home, and she wants Oliver to know he comes first. Besides, between working full time as a waitress, struggling to finish her degree one class at a time, and raising her son, Angie doesn’t have time for love. Or so she thinks.Luna Rinaldi is the wild-haired, leather-wearing embodiment of all Angie’s relationship fears. She’s a well-respected tattoo artist with a long list of past lovers and a reputation for leaving in the middle of the night. She’s also kind, thoughtful, and adventurous, with a serious soft spot for Angie and Oliver.The two enter into a tenuous relationship, one that leaves Luna wanting more and Angie resisting the promise in Luna’s eyes. When they are together, though, Angie wants to believe in love, trust, and the possibility of forever.

Patience & Sarah


Isabel Miller - 1969
    Ultimately, they are forced to make life-changing decisions that depend on their courage and their commitment to one another.First self-published in 1969 (titled A Place for Us) in an edition of 1,000 copies, the author hand-sold the book on New York street corners; it garnered increasing attention to the point of receiving the American Library Association's first Gay Book Award in 1971. McGraw-Hill's version of the book a year later brought it to mainstream bookstores across the country.Patience & Sarah is a historical romance whose drama was a touchstone for the burgeoning gay and women's activism of the 1960s and early 1970s. It celebrates the joys of an uninhibited love between two strong women with a confident defiance that remains relevant today.Features an appendix of supplementary materials about Patience & Sarah and the author, as well as an introduction by acclaimed novelist Emma Donoghue.

Waking Up Gray


R.E. Bradshaw - 2011
    She found her first gray hair on the morning of her trip to Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. Lizbeth was beginning a three-month sabbatical, on the scenic coastal island, in order to finish her Master's thesis in Linguistic Anthropology. She plans to study the Carolina Brogue spoken there. What she ends up studying is her lesbian neighbor across the street and the uncontrollable pull Lizbeth feels toward her. Lizbeth Jackson is about to find out what life has to offer, after waking up gray.

The Beginning of Everything


Cara Malone - 2020
    A fearless activist in San Francisco. A love so powerful it can change the world.Betty wants what everyone wants – happiness, security, and a quiet, good life. She’s determined to make that happen on her own, despite her mother’s fears that she’ll turn into a spinster if she doesn’t settle down and find a husband soon.Joan wants an important life – one where she gets to love who she wants to love, do what she enjoys, and will leave the world a better place when she’s gone. But what she is – a lesbian in San Francisco at the beginning of the LGBT+ civil rights movement – is criminal.When Betty comes to California for vacation, it’s love at first sight across a crowded bar in the Tenderloin district. She’s mesmerized by Joan and drawn to the homophile movement, but does she have the courage to come out for love and join the fight for equality?What began as a glance across a room turns into a hopeful, playful and heartwarming courtship across three time zones and four decades in The Beginning of Everything, a standalone historical romance by Cara Malone.

Lay Down the Law


Carsen Taite - 2015
    Strong and steady, she’s known for keeping her cool in every situation, but when she meets the beautiful and accomplished heiress to the Gantry oil fortune, she falls fast and hard. When she learns her new assignment is to investigate the Gantry family’s business, her entire belief system will be tested.Lily Gantry leads a privileged and protected life and she has no idea it’s all about to blow up in her face. What she does know is that the striking rancher she met at the Cattle Baron’s Ball has the potential to steal her heart. Will she feel the same way when she finds out Peyton Davis’s investigation threatens not only her family’s fortune, but the very foundation of her identity?

Awakening to Sunlight


Lindsey Stone - 2010
    Lizzy Mayfield, a filmmaker who lost her lover three years ago, comes home from a business trip to find Judith and her child unexpectedly living in her apartment.Lizzy wants nothing more than to be left alone, but as Judith has nowhere else to go, Lizzy allows her to stay. While Judith struggles to create a new life for her daughter and herself, Lizzy is confronted with the vibrancy their presence brings to her emotionally barren existence. As Lizzy and Judith gradually become involved in each other’s lives, they are both forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts.