Dear lesfic fan,
This is the last day of the Valentine’s sale. Check out the deals on books by Miranda MacLeod, Emma Radley, Amanda Radley, Clare Lydon, Harper Bliss, and I. Again, here’s the page for the goodies on discount.
Below, you’ll find this week’s new ebook and audio releases, sales, and announcements.
Authors: Want to see your new releases in the newsletter? Click here for details. Or if you’re having a sale, please email me and let me know: tbmarkinson@gmail.com. Include “Sale for IHL Newsletter” in the subject line.
Anyone with lesfic news, give me a shout at tbmarkinson@gmail.com.
Happy reading and listening,
TB
ROMANCE
THE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER
by Susan X Meagher
Sometimes you just have to get away.
Even the best job can slowly drain your battery. When Gillian Lindsay realizes it’s time for a recharge, she impetuously decides to visit Scotland.
Knowing nothing about the country, she schedules a tour of Edinburgh Castle for the day she arrives, just to get the lay of the land.
After spending the afternoon with Torie Gunn, her very able tour guide, Gillian proposes hiring her for a week-long trip across the country.
Torie’s astonished. Gillian has done no research, and has no plans, placidly asking Torie to come up with an itinerary. That seems like the ideal way to create an unsatisfied customer. But Gillian certainly seems like a very easygoing person, and earning a week’s pay merely talking sounds like a dream. Torie jumps in, hoping she can satisfy Gillian’s desires.
Over the course of their trip, other, more romantic desires spring to life. Will they be satisfied too?
FULL ENGLISH
by Rachel Spangler
After a publicly humiliating divorce, best-selling author Emma Volant runs away to hide in the seaside English village of Amberwick, where she doesn’t know another living soul. She wants nothing more than to surrender to her broken heart in private. However, when the locals discover their newest resident is world famous, they gather at the local pub and hatch a plan to draw Emma out of her self-imposed isolation, hoping her celebrity status will elevate the village’s reputation to something more than a holiday hotspot. It doesn’t take long for them to try to rope their favorite bartender, Brogan, into the act.
Born and raised in Amberwick, Brogan McKay has built a comfortable life by never overreaching. Part-time jobs and short-term flings have always been good enough for her, but when she meets her beautiful and wounded new neighbor, Brogan realizes Emma has the potential to wreck the carefully controlled expectations she uses to protect her heart.
Despite their obvious attraction and growing friendship, both Emma and Brogan are in firm agreement that neither of them is in a position to look for love, but how long can they fight their fears and desires as the events and people around them all conspire to create a full English love story?
TWO MOMS
by Kim Hartfield
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Samantha found the love of her life – and lost her. Widowed for ten years, she never plans to date again. When her teen daughter babysits a neighborhood boy, Samantha and Joy bond over being single mothers. Their friendship deepens, and their feelings for each other grow. Could the two moms end up starting a new family?
HAIL VICTORY
by Blythe Stone
Available in Kindle Unlimited
A young college student has a crush on one of the baristas who works at the local cafe Hail Victory. Since she is shy and prone to quietly spying on her attractive coffee acquaintance, Wallace finds that it is impossible to grab the girl’s attention. But then fate steps in and Alexis all but lands in Wallace’s lap during a breakup with her ex.
Things become complicated fast and a close friend becomes the new onlooker.
A new lesbian romance that explores love versus lust. Guaranteed HEA.
BRACE FOR IMPACT
by Becky Harmon
Dex Alexander has made an easy transition from flying planes in the Army to being a civilian airline pilot. Life in the military kept her from forming any romantic relationships—at least that’s what she tells herself. Analyzing the real reasons would force her to dwell on feelings and emotions she’d rather not think about.
From the outside, it looks like Lucy Donovan leads an exciting life. Being a US Air Marshal takes her all over the world. But after fifteen years, the job has become a habit more than an adventure. She might finally be ready to settle down.
As the two women battle the challenges in their own lives, their connection to each other becomes evident. Can Dex convince Lucy they have a chance together before Lucy disappears again?
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
by Jackie Calhoun
Chelsea Danforth Browning left her marriage, her two grown daughters, and her best friend in Indiana to move to Wisconsin for a woman, June Paulson.
When she discovers June has been having an affair with another woman, Chelsea is devastated. Determined to make it on her own, she picks herself up and starts to rebuild her life. She attempts to reconnect with her daughters, edits books for a lesbian press, and finds a part-time job. Along the way, she makes friends and falls in love.
Will she manage to create a meaningful new life without losing those she loved and left? Does she get a second chance at happiness?
RISING ABOVE
by Genevieve Fortin
As an engineering geologist, Anais (Ana) Bloom is thrilled when she arrives in Sainte-Luce-Sur-Mer to study the effects of climate changes and rising sea levels on the shoreline of the Saint-Laurent River. Soon after she settles in at the quaint White Sheep Inn, she develops a friendship with the innkeeper and her canine companion. The innkeeper’s granddaughter, however, is a whole other story. Melodie is attractive, perhaps, but she’s also impulsive, has a bad attitude, and doesn’t share an ounce of her grandmother’s hospitality.
Melodie Beaulieu has never planned to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and become an innkeeper. The only thing she’s wanted all her life is to live by the sea, in her hometown. When Ana Bloom comes to the White Sheep Inn and threatens her entire way of living, she simply won’t have it. She despises the scientist and her big theories and chooses to ignore her good looks and that damn red, unruly hair of hers.
Ana and Melodie would gladly keep staying out of each other’s way, but Mother Nature has other plans. Trapped inside the inn when a strong storm surge hits the beach community, they’re forced to come together to face the terrifying event and its aftermath. Can they rise above their conflicting beliefs and let their attraction take the lead?
ARTIST FREE ZONE
by Annette Mori
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Melissa just moved to a conservative part of Washington State. A move designed to set her and her longtime partner up for early retirement. But best laid plans go awry when her partner, Colette decides, out of the blue, their relationship isn’t working for her. This is strike three for Melissa. She’s out, after being dumped a third time and her 45th birthday just around the corner. The only thing left to do is sob all over her beloved kitties. She’s vowed to never get involved, ever again, with another artist. She’s in a new town surrounded by cowboys and republicans. Not a single lesbian in sight even if she were so inclined. Life sucks for her.
Colette is torn up about hurting Melissa. She hasn’t been entirely honest about her reasons for leaving and that tears her up even further. She keeps calling to make sure Melissa is okay. Life is exciting and wonderful for her because she’s met her soulmate and plans on moving to Alaska. But will Karma exact its revenge?
Will these three women be able to make it through the heartache of love lost and new love found? Find out in the tale by award-winning author, Annette Mori. A raw and honest portrayal of love lost and love found again.
STRONG HEARTS
by Ellie Green
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Is running away to a small town the answer to a big problem?
Seeking refuge from a scandal, Tilly returns to the small farm where she grew up. She expects to find an empty house. Instead, she finds a naked woman in the bathtub. A beautiful, naked woman.
Tilly can’t decide if she’s angry at Eva or attracted to her, but either way they can’t avoid each other in the small community. A quiet break in the country is turning out to be anything but for Tilly. But it might also be exactly what she needs.
As attraction turns to romance, she learns there is more to Eva than meets the eye. Eva is strong, and strength is what Tilly needs when she has to face the fight that is waiting for her in the city.
Will she be strong enough to overcome what stands between her and a chance at happiness?
DON’T ASK DON’T TELL
Forever Series: Book 5
by Jessa Stone
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Darcy has been left for the other woman more times than she would like to think about. After nursing her heart from yet another heartbreak, she finds herself caught up in an unlikely attraction with a mysterious woman who is made even more memorable since she stole Darcy’s wallet.
After years of marching to someone else’s beat, how can you now find your own path in life? By having a Devil may care attitude and feasting on the all the delights of the flesh you were previously denied. What’s a little petty theft if it guarantees you will meet the person you stole from again. What do you call a one night stand that goes beyond one night? Love?….Maybe.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
CHAIN REACTIONS
by Lynn Ames
Some of Diana Lindstrom’s fondest memories involve childhood experiments conducted under the watchful supervision of her Great-Aunt Nora, a celebrated physicist long ago shunned by the family for mysterious reasons.
Now in her adult years and a sought-after scientist herself, Diana learns that Nora is dying. She hires private-duty nurse Brooke Sheldon to care for Nora. Over the days and weeks spent in Nora’s company, Diana and Brooke are privy to Nora’s long-held secrets, along with her deep-seated regrets.
Trapped in a failing body, but with a keen mind, Nora Lindstrom watches as the spark of attraction between her great-niece and her caregiver grows into a flame. Determined to help the two younger women find the kind of deep love they so richly deserve, Nora makes a fateful decision that brings the past and the present directly onto a collision course. After all this time, it’s still about chain reactions.
LABOR OF LOVE
Lakeside Hospital Series: Book 4
by Cara Malone
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Hot-shot obstetrician Mercedes Stone is killing it at work, but she has a dirty secret. She’s the daughter of a hoarder. She’s built her life around her research but when her mother’s condition reaches a crisis point, she must drop everything to come home.
Lily Thomas is a pediatrician quickly approaching 40 and all she’s ever wanted is a family. She’s given up on finding Ms. Right, but the day she meets Mercedes – who’s taking a temporary job at Lakeside Hospital – is the same day Lily learns she’s finally pregnant.
They fall for each other hard and fast – it has to be fast because Mercedes is going home in six months to wrap up a vital clinical trial and soon, Lily will have a newborn baby to love.
What’s the harm in a quick fling?
But as Mercedes digs out her mother’s house, she begins to realize there’s more for her at home than just junk. What she and Lily swore was just a fling is beginning to feel a lot more like… family.
Labor of Love is a standalone novel in the bestselling Lakeside Hospital series. The books in this series can be read in any order.
LOST IN PARADISE
by Rachel Lacey
When a Manhattan businesswoman and a reclusive French artist are stranded together on a deserted island, opposites attract…and sparks fly. But with love shimmering on the horizon, will they survive to claim their happy ending?
Nicole Morella boards a private Mediterranean cruise with one goal: to reclaim herself after her divorce. When she sits next to a beautiful blonde in the ship’s lounge, she’s knocked off balance by the immediate attraction between them, and it’s not just because Nicole hasn’t found her sea legs yet. Fiona stirs things in Nicole that haven’t been stirred in a long time, but a fiery kiss turns dangerous when the ship is hijacked. The women launch a daring escape, leaving them adrift in an empty lifeboat.
Fiona Boone has been adrift most of her life, but never in such a literal sense. She’s a survivor, though, so when they land on a deserted island, Fiona’s ready to do whatever it takes to stay alive until they’re rescued. In the meantime, she can’t get enough of the feisty woman she’s stranded with, despite her usual fiercely independent nature. Although they’re lost, Fiona finds something unexpected in the comfort of Nicole’s touch. But when an injury puts her life in jeopardy, they begin to worry help won’t arrive in time. If she survives their ordeal, Fiona might just face her biggest challenge yet: falling in love.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
JUST MARRIED
by Natasha West
Available in Kindle Unlimited
When uptight British bookshop owner Emily Bartlett goes to Las Vegas to get over a humiliating breakup, she’s expecting to make a few mistakes. But when she meets Ruby Knight, a pessimistic American C-list TV actress with designs on a movie career, she makes a whopper. The pair get so incredibly drunk together that they end up getting accidently married.
In the cold light of day, both women are shocked to find themselves wedded to a virtual stranger. But maybe it’s not such a big mistake? Could Ruby’s marriage to Emily help boost her profile and get her the biggest role of her life, earning Emily a big payday in the process? Only if they can make it seem like they’re really in love. And only if they can navigate the treacherous LA movie scene without tripping themselves up and giving the game away. Or worse, getting carried away with their fake relationship…
But what if they do let themselves feel something? Could they fall in love? Or are they Just Married?
FANTASY YOUNG ADULT
ROBBERGIRL
by S. T. Gibson
It’s Deathless meets Fingersmith in this coming-of-age fable!
In a Sweden wracked by war and haunted by folk stories so dark they can only be spoken of in whispers, Helvig has been raised by her brigand father to steal whatever treasure catches her eye. When her men ambush a strange girl on the road with hair pale as death and a crow perched on her shoulder, Helvig cannot resist bringing home a truly unique prize: a genuine witch.
Drawn irresistibly into the other woman’s web, Helvig soon learns of Gerda’s reason for walking the icy border roads alone: to find the Queen who lives at the top of the world and kill her. Anyone else would be smart enough not to believe a children’s story, but Helvig is plagued by enchantments of her own, and struggles to guard the sins of her past while growing closer to the other woman.
As Christmastide gives way to the thin-veiled days when ghosts are at their most vengeful, the two women will find themselves on a journey through forest and Samiland to a final confrontation that will either redeem them or destroy them entirely.
MYSTERY / ROMANCE
SHAKESPEARE UNDER COVER
by Erin Wade
When a serial killer targeted members of the university’s athletic staff, Regan was swept into murder, intrigue, and danger where nothing was as it seemed. Still dealing with the horrific murder of the last man she dated, Regan is overwhelmed by the constant attention from one of her female students. Was Brandy courting her or stalking her?
SCI-FI ROMANCE
A SOLDIER FIRST
Contact Series: Book 2
by Natalie Debrabandere
Available in Kindle Unlimited
New York – London – Paris – Los Angeles… ALL GONE. Of the eight billion people who lived on Earth in 2020, only two-and-a-half now remain. Commander Sky Y Shar has gone AWOL on her own military to lead the human Resistance, but they are seriously under-resourced and losing fast. She struggles with recurring nightmares and violent flashbacks. Defence Counsellor Bri Arktar used to want her dead, but now she is the only one who can help. Between the powerful counsellor and the tough but vulnerable commander, mutual respect and admiration soon turn to something more. But can Sky stay true to her ultimate goal? Can she lay to rest old wounds? And will she survive long enough to win Earth back?
SPECULATIVE FICTION
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TIME TRAVEL
by Kate Mascarenhas
In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project—and future of time travel—in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team—erasing her contributions from history.
Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious newspaper clipping from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her murder be stopped?
Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travel introduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.
HISTORICAL FICTION
ACTS OF CONTRITION
Passing Rites: Book 4
by Elena Graf
World War II has finally come to an end and Berlin is in ruins. Nearly everything Margarethe von Stahle has sworn to protect has been lost. After being brutally abused by occupying Russian soldiers, Margarethe must rely on the kindness of her friends to survive. Fortunately, the American Army has brought her former protégé, Dr. Sarah Weber, back to Berlin. Slowly, Margarethe heals and begins to rebuild her life, but as she confronts painful events that occurred during the war, she must learn to forgive and be forgiven.
Acts of Contrition is the fourth novel in the Passing Rites Series, which follows the aristocratic Stahle family through the 20th century. Set in Berlin during the aftermath of World War II, this book shows how survivors struggled with their guilt over the war and the evil perpetrated by the Nazi regime. It tells the inspiring story of how, despite sexual violence, crushing losses and grief, someone can be brought back from the brink by personal determination, friendship and love.
NOTE: TRIGGER WARNING FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
NEW AUDIOBOOKS
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
by Anna Stone
narrated by Rebecca Estrella
Emma Cole has left behind her family and an ex-fiance to move to Chicago and start over. 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.
CROSSING LINES
Cops and Docs Series: Book 2
by KD Williamson
narrated by Abby Craden
Nora Whitmore has been through the ringer both professionally and personally. Now, her life is more than she ever thought it could be, especially with Kelli McCabe in it. The walls have come down, and she is open to new people and experiences.
Kelli McCabe watched all the broken pieces of her life come together. The situation with her family settled down, and she’s right where she wants to be back at work and in Nora’s arms.
For both of them, this quiet time is just the devastating calm before the massive storm hits and brings with it the violence of a vengeful enemy and the reality of drug abuse. The chaos surrounding them exposes old wounds and individual vulnerabilities that seem to multiply when they are together. Is it too much for them to withstand? Or is what they have strong enough to overcome it all?
FALLING FOR YOU
by Marian Snowe
narrated by Isabella Starr
Who expects to fall in love on reality TV?
Certainly not Charlie Vega, a burnt-out fashionista in desperate need of inspiration. Neither does Francesca Davies, a rock-climbing internet celebrity with a family who thinks a woman’s worth is measured by her husband. The two of them are competing on the hit reality series The Makeover Challenge for very different reasons, but when they get paired up as a team, the road to victory gets a lot more complicated.
With so little in common, it’s surprising that their chemistry is immediate, but it isn’t long before each woman finds herself intensely attracted to the other. With their complicated baggage, neither is exactly ready for love, but they’re certainly not averse to some steamy encounters…that are bound to get them into hot water.
Could they even make a real relationship work on a show that’s actually nothing like reality?
A PERFECT STORM
The Wrong Woman Quartet: Book 4
by Jane Retzig
narrated by Anne Browne
Six months have passed since the events of ‘A Betrayal’.
Tracey and Mik’s Big Society Wedding is just ten days away.
Dani is banned from attending… Kate is dreading the hen party… And Jaiden is terrified that Saskia will be whisked away by persistent millionaire suitor Davros Pentacosta.
Meanwhile, Jamila and the National Crime Agency are closing in on Tony and Maria.
And a shock departure, a grisly discovery, and a looming proposal, are about to stir up all the right conditions for a ‘Perfect Storm’.
PODCAST NEWS
Have you heard about LWW?
Clare Lydon and TB Markinson are launching a weekly podcast called Lesbians Who Write. They’ll dish the dirt about writing and lesbian fiction. Stay tuned for more details, or if you’d like to be the first to give it a listen when it goes live, sign up for the Lesbians Who Write newsletter.
Prices may change without notice, so make sure to check the price listed by the retailer before making the purchase.
Want to receive a weekly update about new releases delivered to your inbox. Sign up here.
