Dear lesfic fan,

Here are this week’s new ebook and audio releases, giveaway, 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

MACON’S HEART
San Franciso: Book 2

by Nicole Pyland
Available in Kindle Unlimited

Macon Greene is a reluctant, world-renowned violinist. She’d never had a problem playing for a crowd as long as she wasn’t giving a solo. Her friends never seemed to notice her reluctance. In fact, her friends seemed to only really notice one thing about Macon – she always had a different woman around her. Sometimes, she’d flirt. Sometimes, they would. Rarely would it go anywhere. Unfortunately for Macon, she had a bit of a reputation.

Joanna Mason had a new profession and a new group of friends. Things were looking up in her life, with the exception of love. She’d never been able to find the right guy for her. Of course, she was spending a lot of time with a group of lesbians these days through her friendship with Emma Colton. That might have something to do with it. While Emma had found her soulmate in Keira Worthy, Joanna was starting to wonder if she’d ever find the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

As Joanna and Macon’s friendship becomes the most important relationship for both women, Macon wonders if she’ll ever have the courage to tell Joanna how she feels or if she’ll just have to find a way to get over it. Joanna hadn’t ever thought of being with a woman until she started spending all her free time with the beautiful and remarkably talented Macon. Suddenly, both women have a lot to think about.

THE LONG JOURNEY HOME

by Kat Smith
Available in Kindle Unlimited

After a grizzly attack kills her partner, and leaves her with horrendous physical and emotional scars, Morgan Walker struggles to find purpose in life. Her eclectic group of friends, a Producer, a Pop Star, and a Professional Dancer keep her from falling off the deep end. It is only when a new face, Jenna Graham, joins the group that Morgan’s world begins to right itself, and she learns there can be life and love after loss.

LEARN TO LOVE
Oakview Lesbian Romance: Book 5

by Sienna Waters
Available in Kindle Unlimited

Just because you don’t believe in love doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

Lex Daniels is a self-proclaimed screw up. Twenty eight and deep in debt, she has plenty of demons and more than a little baggage. Her life is a collection of one night stands and running away, right up until she meets Abigail Keyes.

Widowed, intelligent, and beautiful, Abigail isn’t exactly Lex’s normal type. Suburban life makes Lex feel sick, and Abigail’s neat ranch house and steady career as a professor mean that the older woman embodies everything Lex has been trying to run from.

But when Lex’s demons come knocking on her door, Abigail is the one that steps up. And Lex finds that she’s changing more than she thought possible. Maybe more than she feels comfortable with. Running away is Lex’s default setting, but she might be willing to stick around for Abigail.

If you don’t believe in love, perhaps you just need the right teacher. But when Lex’s demons start haunting Abigail too, running away could be the only option…

Learn to Love is the fifth novel in the Oakview series, and features a HEA ending. Oakview books can be read independently and in any order, just be prepared to see some familiar faces around town!

REINVENTING LINDSEY

by Maggie Brown

Studying the past hasn’t prepared Daisy Parker—anthropologist-turned-matchmaker—for her latest client. Finding Lindsey Jamieson-Ford a life partner isn’t exactly a simple exercise. Not only hasn’t Lindsey dated for years, the prickly reclusive scientist relates better with her robots than with people.

Lindsey has no idea what matchmaking involves when she hires Daisy. She’s never met anyone quite like the bubbly matchmaker and doesn’t know how she’s going to survive the infuriating woman. Now her life has lurched onto a roller coaster that just won’t damn well stop.

Guiding Lindsey through the courtship process is a challenge. Before the reticent scientist can move forward, Daisy has to teach her to leave the past behind. But another problem soon enters into the mix…How can Daisy stay detached when her body seems to be answering Lindsey’s mating call?

STAY

by Michelle Arnold
Available in Kindle Unlimited

Grace Walker doesn’t do relationships. She spent her childhood in and out of foster homes, she and her siblings looking after each other when their drug-addicted mother couldn’t. With such a dysfunctional family, Grace just doesn’t think she’s relationship material. She’d rather play the field and otherwise keep to herself.

But then she runs into someone from her childhood: Eva Carrington, an orphaned heiress who did a brief stint in a children’s home alongside Grace. The two felt a strong connection as children, and now that they’re adults, it’s even stronger. But Grace sticks to her guns: she doesn’t do relationships, and she’s certain kind, intelligent Eva deserves better than her anyway. But then someone else from the past hurts Eva badly to get revenge on Grace for some perceived slight, and Eva ends up pregnant. When she makes the difficult decision to have the baby, Grace promises to be there for mother and child no matter what. But with this makeshift family on her hands, can Grace keep pretending she doesn’t love Eva?

SMILE NUMBER SEVEN

by Melissa Price

Age is just a number—right?

That’s not her first thought when four-time Oscar winning actress Katarina Verralta meets the younger Julia Dearling. Caught in a monsoon, the movie star exits the dark desolate interstate in search of someplace to eat and stay for the night.

Julia Dearling, owner of the Starlight Diner, is stranded in her desert parking lot with a bygone battery and the memory of her newly dead relationship. When Katarina pulls in, neither of them guess that their life is about to turn upside-down and inside-out.

In a town as big as a noodle, Desert Bluff has no motels. So Julia serves dinner to Katarina at the diner and then offers up her sculpting studio as a place for Katarina to stay.

Drawn together in the night, their intoxicating romance begins. But when age is front and center and fame is at stake, the closeted movie star must face her reckoning.

Smile Number Seven promises that second chance every true love deserves.

PAINTED OVER

by Sofi Keren

Is the unexpected reunion of estranged friends just another still life capturing a moment in time? Or could it be the beginning brushstrokes of a romantic masterpiece?

Back in the day, Paige and Ria were the best of friends. As they grew, they grew closer, always there for each other, even as Paige concentrated on literature and art while Ria cut a swath through every soccer field—and most of the cheerleaders. But something shocking happened during their senior year of college that ended their friendship. Big time.

In the years that follow, Paige becomes a successful artist and Ria a star soccer player. A chance meeting with Ria after all this time has Paige wondering if it’s finally time to forgive and forget. As the two become cautiously reacquainted, the possibility of a true reconciliation is complicated by the arrival of glamorous gallery owner, Cara, who definitely wants Paige’s work…and maybe something more. Then there’s the return of Ria’s gorgeous ex, Elena, who has a mind-blowing surprise for Paige.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

YOU MATTER

by Jazzy Mitchell

Chrissy Kramer became pregnant during her senior year of high school and was abandoned by her parents, her boyfriend, and her friends. She eventually works as a paralegal for a powerful senior law partner at a Boston law firm. When a disgruntled former client attempts to kill Reggie after she loses his lawsuit, Chrissy gets hurt. While Chrissy and her son, Ben, stay with Reggie to recuperate, their connection deepens and they embark on a romantic relationship.

LOVE YOU ALWAYS
Rose Lake Series: Book 2

by Chloe Peterson
Available in Kindle Unlimited

Nothing about Brooke Anderson’s life has been easy. Getting abandoned at her grandmother’s house by her alcoholic mother as a child, then teaching herself fashion design while working low wage jobs, forced her to grow up fast.

An out of the blue reconnection with her wealthy uncle led to the birth of Bliss Designs, but only three years in, and Brooke’s uncle is already having doubts—enough to send in hotshot business consultant Amy to make drastic changes.

Will Brooke find a way to see past the threat Amy presents to her business and open her mind to the possibility of romantic happiness?

Don’t miss the second book in this heart-warming new series. Every book in this series can be read as a stand-alone without having read the other installments.

EROTIC ROMANCE

FIT FOR LOVE

by Les Mood
Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amy and Alex meet when they both join a fitness center in Omaha to get in shape and make new friends. Alex moved to Omaha to get away from her fundamentalist family. Amy was recently dumped by her fiance. The two bond over horror movies and the beautiful exhibitionist Celeste. Alex struggles to overcome her fundamentalist upbringing.

ANTHOLOGY

BITE SIZED

by Geonn Cannon

A new short stories F/F anthology from Geonn Cannon!

The author of Riley Parra and Underdogs brings you over 15 short stories in this collection.

FICTION

CASH AND THE SORORITY GIRL
Cash Braddock: Book 3

by Ashley Bartlett

Cash Braddock is doing…okay. She sort of has a girlfriend, her business sucks less, and the cops are only picking her up for interrogations every other weekend. Mediocrity has underrated appeal. It’s fine.

The universities are back in session, which means drugs are in high demand. Cash is becoming more reluctant to sell, while Detective Laurel Kallen is on the trail of someone who’s been drugging and assaulting women at college parties. Cash’s and Laurel’s goals should be aligned, but neither is convinced of the ethics of her job anymore.

When Laurel’s younger sister is assaulted, okay stops being okay. If Cash wants to help the Kallen sisters, she must decide her own moral bounds.

NEW AUDIOBOOKS

THE PET BOUTIQUE

by Suzie Carr
narrated by Stephanie Murphy

From the moment Lexie Tanner meets Taylor Henshaw in the dilapidated space that will one day become her aunt’s pet boutique, she knows she’s got her work cut out for her. Taylor self-identifies as a complicated woman, and there’s nothing Lexie enjoys more than a good fixer upper. But Taylor’s complications run deep, and way into her past.

Surrounded by an eccentric and spirited group of family and friends, including a spunky and lovable dog named Cashmere, the two women navigate a series of obstacles that have them questioning their choices. As their journey unfolds, neither women is prepared for what happens when they start to break down the old and discover the new.

FALLING

by Kris Bryant
narrated by Brittni Pope

Shaylie Beck just wanted to go home.

She managed to snag the last seat on a late flight from New York to Denver. No one thought anything would go wrong. Nobody expected the unimaginable to happen. When the plane crashes, Shaylie fights for her life and is one of only eleven survivors.

Piper Cole wants answers.

Why did her fiance’s plane crash? She lost everything that night, and the investigation is taking too long. To help cope with losing the woman she loved, Piper attends a support group for survivors.

The friendship Piper and Shaylie develop help each to heal, but as their feelings turn to love, Shaylie’s torn. She can follow her heart to the woman she loves, or she can come clean about what really happened right before the plane crashed, and risk losing Piper forever.

ESCAPE AND FREEDOM

by Claire Highton-Stevenson
narrated by Sarah Sampino

Two women escaping their own demons. One stuck in the past, the other a very real present.

Lucy Owens’ life was irrevocably changed in a matter of seconds. Life as she knew it was over in the blink of an eye. Moving away from all that she knew, Lucy now lives a solitary life in her cabin on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Filled with guilt and pain, she keeps herself to herself, and for years she manages to avoid immersing back into society.

Nicole Granger has three small children to worry about. Always looking over her shoulder, they arrive at the lake with very little to call their own. Haunted by years of physical abuse, she longs to belong again, to bring normality to her girls’ lives for the first time.

Both women are pulled towards one another in an attraction that could bring both of them their freedom.

FALLING THROUGH SHOOTING STARS

by Nancy Ann Healy
narrated by Jill Smith

Julia Riley thinks she’s happy. The executive director of Boston’s Fledger Foundation, she and her wife, Carrie, are raising three children, one from Julia’s first marriage…but being content is not the same as being happy.

Katie Brennan is the popular host of a network television morning show. She has two children and a husband who plays major-league baseball. Rumors of her husband’s infidelity are troubling, but she knows how often the media reports innuendo and half-truths instead of facts.

When the two women collaborate on a fundraising program for a new diversity center, they immediately strike up a friendship, one that only grows stronger when Katie discovers her husband has indeed been unfaithful.

As Katie’s marriage fails, she realizes she is intensely attracted to her friend. Surprised by her own feelings, Katie distances herself from Julia, straining their relationship.

For her part, Julia needs time to heal the wounds of her marriage. She’s not sure Katie will accept a romantic relationship, however. A doubt that gives her pause.

Before either woman can move on, they need to find and accept themselves. Love might feel like falling through shooting stars, but sometimes it takes time for the stars to fall.

BELOVED WIFE
A Detective Amy Sadler Mystery: Book 2

by Michelle Arnold
narrated by Lisa L. Wiley

Homicide detective Amy Sadler and her new wife, forensic pathologist Lira Ward, are enjoying marital bliss when they are hit with a gruesome new case: Someone is killing couples and families, with most of their rage directed at the wives.

While trying to solve the case, Amy begins receiving threats from someone within the police department who doesn’t seem happy about her marriage to Lira.

Amy finds herself desperately trying to uncover who is out to destroy her marriage – because she doesn’t want to find out how far they’re willing to go.

GIVEAWAY

A giveaway for US and UK Audible listeners. The prize is a free audiobook of A FAMILY WOMAN.

Email TB at tbm@tbmarkinson.com to enter the contest. In the subject line, please write A Family Woman Audiobook Giveaway. Be sure to tell TB if you’re a US or UK listener.

That’s all you have to do.

The deadline to enter is May 28th.

Best of luck to everyone who enters.

PODCAST NEWS

LWW-13: Lesbian Fiction Genres: Love Them or Loathe Them? 

Clare & TB are full of beans this week. TB has had no disasters (amazeballs!), and Clare is belatedly celebrating the Spurs’ historic progression to the Champions League final. Although, she still hasn’t won Hamilton tickets. It’s TB’s birthday (cue balloons!), and Clare chats about going on a writing retreat in a caravan and also hails the wonder that is Eurovision. TB is nonplussed.

The topic of the week is lesbian fiction genres: love them or loathe them? TB is on the fence once more. She needs to get down. She might hurt herself. She loves genres because they let readers find her. She loathes them because she doesn’t want to be put in a box. Clare pushes her in and shuts the lid.

Clare & TB run down the key genres in lesbian fiction but stress if you want to make a living, romance is the way to go. Luckily, they both love romance! They discuss how to choose a genre for your book, give their thoughts on not being too precious, and reveal how to get Amazon to give you extra categories. They’re KDP magicians!

Plus, listen for the Sarah Waters stories, and then let Clare and TB know yours!

Click here to listen. 

If you’d like to leave a comment on the episode, head on over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com. Or email lesbianswhowrite@gmail.com. Also, if you have a suggested topic for an episode, please let Clare and TB know! They’d love to hear from you!

Join them next week when they’re going to be discussing audiobooks.

FREEBIES

Have you checked out the freebies page on I Heart Lesfic?

Many authors, like Miranda MacLeod, give away a freebie when you sign up for their newsletter. Click on the image to sign up for Miranda MacLeod’s newsletter.

For all the offerings, click this page.

Happy reading!

TB