Book picks similar to
Heartwood by Catherine Lane
age-gap
lesbian
lgbt
legal
Leaving L.A.
Kate Christie - 2011
Now her days revolve around time with her daughter Laya and launching a new career in philanthropy. She doesn’t expect a brief encounter with Eleanor Chapin, Laya’s new kindergarten teacher, to make a lasting impression.As the end of the school year nears, however, Tessa realizes that her daughter’s beloved Miss Chapin may be the perfect nanny for the summer. Natural and direct, Eleanor already understands Laya’s need for life out of the public eye. Even though it means inviting a stranger into their household, Tessa is certain her own carefully guarded secrets will not be at risk.For Eleanor, L.A. is merely a stop between Boston and a long-awaited Ph.D. program. But the job offer from Tessa Flanagan is so lucrative she is tempted to put her plans on hold. The idea of working closely with Tessa is equally enticing, but the job is about Laya. There’s no reason not to take it—after all, she’ll be leaving L.A. soon.Kate Christie explores the distance from Chicago’s South Side to the Hollywood Hills, from bucolic New England to lush Kauai through the passionate connection between two women looking for home.
Welcome to the Wallops
Gill McKnight - 2016
Competition between the two arose quickly and has never ceased, especially over the famous Cheese and Beer Festival.As festival manager, Jane Swallow struggles to maintain peace and equanimity within the community she loves, but this year, everything is going wrong. Her irascible father has just been released from prison, her job is on the line, and to top it all, her ex-girlfriend has moved in next door. But not just any ex—the one that ripped her heart out and stomped on it.Her life is going to hell in a handcart and everything she cares about will be changed forever…unless she can pull off some sort of miracle.
After The Glitter Fades
Diane Marina - 2018
Film star, Hollywood icon, tabloid darling. To her fans and the media, she appears to be living a dream life. But things aren't always as they seem. The price she pays to maintain her fame is to deny who she is. Siena's number one rule in life - self-preservation at all costs. Admitting the truth could be a career killer.Enter Julia Westbrooke...Julia is soaring to new heights as a nationwide entertainment news anchor. Since coming out, she has been presented with countless opportunities - most recently, entry into a new circle of friends who are among the Hollywood elite - a circle in which Siena Armetta plays a starring role.Unwillingly thrown together, Siena and Julia fight their growing attraction. Will Siena risk it all for Hollywood's most prominent media personality? Will Julia ignore everything she's worked for and step quietly back into the closet?After the Glitter Fades is an irresistibly emotional roller coaster ride.94,000 words
A Story of Now
Emily O’Beirne - 2015
And some new friends.But brittle, beautiful, and just a little bit too sassy for her own good sometimes, she no longer makes friends easily. And she has no clue where to start on the whole finding a life front, either. Not after a confidence-shattering year dogged by bad break-ups, friends who have become strangers, and her constant failure to meet her parents sky-high expectations.When Robbie and Mia walk into Claire’s work they seem the least likely people to help her find a life. But despite Claire’s initial attempts to alienate them, an unexpected new friendship develops.And it’s the warm, brilliant Mia who seems to get Claire like no one has before. Soon, Claire begins to question her feelings for her new friend.The sequel, The Sum of These Things, will be released in late 2015. Paperback available July 15.Length: approx. 140,000Themes: Australia, lesbian, Melbourne, young adult, new adult
Ordinary is Perfect
D. Jackson Leigh - 2019
In fact, she bought a rundown farm on seventy acres to retreat from the world and live out her simple, ordinary life. Atlanta marketing superstar Autumn Swan’s world is anything but simple. Constantly plugged in to what’s trending on social media, it’s her job to keep her clients ahead of the competition. When her favorite cousin dies suddenly, she finds herself the owner of a modest country home, guardian to a sullen, tomboyish ten-year-old, and neighbor to an intriguing woman who isn’t as ordinary as she appears.
Barring Complications
Blythe Rippon - 2014
So when the Court decides to hear a case about gay marriage, Justice Victoria Willoughby must navigate the press, sway at least one of her conservative colleagues, and confront her own fraught feelings about coming out. Just when she decides she’s up to the challenge, she learns that the very brilliant, very out Genevieve Fornier will be lead counsel on the case.Genevieve isn’t sure which is causing her more sleepless nights: the prospect of losing the case, or the thought of who will be sitting on the bench when she argues it."With flashbacks to the main characters’ time at Harvard Law, we plainly see what kind of choices and sacrifices that generation was forced to make, to achieve what they wanted to achieve.......The author is to be commended for portraying this historical backdrop without judgment but with full emotional intensity. Blythe Rippon leads the reader right into that maelstrom of history, which mangled so many gay lives.......This backstory enhances the importance of the main storyline and shows why the decision for marriage equality was a landmark case. And it is fitting that the story at the end points at the next frontier, the fight for transgender rights." --Lambda Literary
Unexpected Partners
Michelle Larkin - 2018
Chloe Maddox leaves her life in LA to join the Boston Police Department, she wants nothing more than a fresh start, even if she does rebuff the friendly advances of her colleagues and spends her nights alone. She seems to be succeeding until the man who murdered her fianceé and left her for dead turns up at the precinct in connection with another case, and she must face the past she can’t outrun. Detective Dana Blake uncovers Chloe’s secret and convinces her to testify against the dangerous psychopath. When he is released on bail, Dana and Chloe take temporary refuge in a safe house where Chloe tries to keep her distance despite their undeniable attraction. Forced to flee, they soon find themselves running from a serial killer intent on recapturing his prey. Except this time, he has his eye on Dana, too.Cover Artist: Tammy SedickGenres: Intrigue & Thriller / Romance
Being Hers
Anna Stone - 2018
By day, she studies at law school, and by night, she serves drinks at an exclusive club to afford her tuition. But the hard-working Melanie will never admit her true desire: to escape from her fast-paced, high-pressure life, if only for a moment. When Melanie meets Vanessa, a glamorous executive and a regular at the club, she is drawn to the enigmatic black-haired woman. Vanessa is relentless in pursuing what she wants—and what she wants is Melanie. Soon, Melanie finds herself caught up in Vanessa’s sensual games of submission, power and control. Melanie insists that her affair with Vanessa remains purely physical. But as her limits are tested, so is the line between lust and love. When ghosts from the past reappear, both women must face their deepest fears. Can Melanie surrender her everything to Vanessa, or will old wounds prove too great?
Unbreakable
Blayne Cooper - 2006
An old promise leads to a reunion, which unearths memories, mistrust, and hidden agendas as the former friends—grown up and grown apart—reconnect and realize the impact they've had on each others lives. Real and perceived betrayals jeopardize the entire event...as well as the hopes of a rekindled romance.The bonds of love and friendship can be as strong as steel. But are they unbreakable.
Long-Distance Coffee
Emma Sterner-Radley - 2017
Isabella Martinez, a former CEO turned writer, is stuck in a platonic relationship in Florida with her baby boy.One sleepless night on social media, they strike up a conversation that changes their lives and makes them question everything. Over midnight cups of coffee, they try to resist the powerful chemistry that builds between them. They soon discover their connection could be the key to unlocking their personal issues.Questions remain though. Are they more than friends? Could they be right for each other? And if they are, how will they handle a relationship a thousand miles apart?A lesbian romance about closing the distance.65,000 words
Checking the Right Box
Nicole Pyland - 2019
She has a new job at the Health Department, a tiny apartment, and has dealt with being unlucky in love for most of her adult life. She’s hoping a new city and a fresh outlook will help her find the woman she’s been waiting for.Keira Worthy has had a rough few years. She lost her best friend and business partner almost immediately after starting their dream event planning company. She’s barely hanging on financially and takes a job for the Health Department in hopes of landing more customers if it goes well. When she meets her liaison, Emma, under not the best circumstances – sparks fly. And not the good kind of sparks.When they bump into one another at a lesbian singles night, they have to decide if they want to take the chance on something that could possibly be forever.
Recommended order of reading the books in the series:
Checking the Right Box (San Francisco Series Book #1)
Keep Tahoe Blue (Tahoe Series Book #1)
Macon's Heart (San Francisco Series Book #2)
Faking It
Jade Winters - 2014
The only problem is, nobody else seems to think so. Rejected by what seems to be the entire global publishing industry, her gay best friend Josh makes her ‘an offer she can’t refuse’. Across London, successful non-fiction editor Brooke Gibson is wondering how long she can carry on living with her partner, Megan, who seems unable or unwilling to commit to their relationship. When Danni and Brooke are introduced, the chemistry between them is explosive. This seemingly ‘professional’ encounter will throw them into emotional turmoil and a situation neither could have foreseen. Will aspiring writer Danni jeopardise a literary opportunity and break the cardinal rule of mixing business with pleasure? Will Brooke reciprocate, risking everything for a woman she believes to be engaged? After all, there is nothing so desirable as forbidden fruit….
Gravity
Reneé Porter - 2016
She's not popular, constantly bullied, and now the whole school knows her sexual orientation and not by choice. The only person in her corner is her mother and B was fine with that...that is, until she meets her new neighbor, Madeline Fields. Madeline Fields is everything that B is not. She's beautiful, a daredevil and doesn't care about anything but getting back to New York to become a successful actress. That is, until she meets B Montgomery. The two women become quick friends but soon find out that time is not on their side. While Maddie moves back to New York after graduation, B needs to do something to fill the regret of basically telling Maddie to leave. Through the years both women grow up separately only to come together yet again. Can they rebuild the connection that brought them together ten years earlier? Or did that connection ever even break?
Detour to Love
Amanda Radley - 2021
She’ll make the trip, but she doesn’t have to like it, and she certainly doesn’t have to make nice with a stranger on a plane.Artist Lily Andersen is excited to finally meet her online crush, the only person in the world who truly gets her. She just needs to survive the eleven-hour flight from London to Japan with a testy seatmate who by turns annoys and fascinates her.Fate, upgrades, and a troupe of travelling clowns bring them together for a journey memorable for all the wrong reasons. Not only do they have nothing in common, they really can’t stand each other. But people are not always as they seem, and Celia and Lily are about to realise, there’s more than one path to love.Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenresContemporary / Romance
She Came at Dawn
Katja Michael - 2013
But when Melissa gets to know her friend Tom’s new girlfriend, it changes everything. Laila, a stunning beauty with emerald eyes, seems to be able to show her that there are many other ways of living than the one seemingly hewn in stone for Melissa. The girls fall head over heels in love – but sometimes it's hard to follow one's heart when you have everything to lose.