July Book of the Month Winners |

July 2021 Winners

ROMANCE

PAS DE DEUX

by E.J. Noyes

Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately—under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray.

Addie Gardner’s career is at its peak, and accepting a last-minute fill-in position as the veterinarian for the US Olympic Dressage Team was a no-brainer. The fact that her old crush from Pony Club is on the team is just a bonus. Not a distraction at all. And it might just offer the chance to be friends with the girl who wouldn’t even give her the time of day twenty years ago.

But Caitlyn and Addie have very different memories of their time together at Pony Club and their first meeting as adults is less like a reconnection and more like a butting of heads. With the Olympics looming, they’ll need to set aside their history and learn to work together. And maybe Caitlyn and Addie will realize childhood memories aren’t always accurate, and that they have more in common than they would ever have thought. Maybe. Just maybe.

EROTIC ROMANCE

UNBRIDLED

by D. Jackson Leigh

After a hard-fought battle to take control of her personal and professional life, mystery writer Lauren Everhart’s star is finally rising. She vows never to give up control of anything in her life until she meets her niece’s sexy horseback-riding instructor and signs up for her own private lessons, and more.

Riding top horses on the show jumping circuit and igniting a woman’s desire are simply games of power, and Marsh Langston is a master player. Only this time, the flame she fans with Lauren Everhart burns too hot and so quickly it threatens to sear through Marsh’s impenetrable control.

DYSTOPIAN

THE OTHERS

by Annette Mori

As a seer and brilliant scientist, Em convinces her wife, Lise, to prepare for the inevitable conclusion, after the chaos caused by foreign countries attacking the United States. Leaving behind a wake of destruction and a new world order. Forcing them to navigate a frightening reality. After ten months in their cozy bomb shelter, they emerge to a world where the vegetation is surprisingly unaffected. Should they band together with other survivors or try to make it on their own? There are others in this unknown world. On the first day outside of their shelter, they meet members of an alternate society. Are they friend or foe? Change is inevitable. But will they change in ways Em and Lise can live with, or will this altered world change them into something unrecognizable?

Trigger warning: Rape is alluded to, but not written in any graphic form.

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

DARK SKIES

Fox County Forensics: Book 3

by Cara Malone

Available in Kindle Unlimited

When disaster strikes, a seasoned firefighter and the chief medical examiner join forces to rebuild their city – and ignite a fire for each other they can’t extinguish.

On a dark and stormy morning, a tornado touches down in Fox County, destroying homes and families and uncovering decades-old secrets.

Dr. Amelia Trace has been training to handle a mass fatality for years, but when she arrives on the scene with her forensics team, things are worse than she could imagine. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, a teenager’s sleepover has ended in tragedy… and the fire department’s newest recruits are running around like a litter of unruly puppies.

Fire Lieutenant Simone Olivier is getting serious side-eye from the beautiful, stern medical examiner and she’s ready to put her rookies on a leash when one of them discovers a victim with a bullet wound. The scene becomes a homicide investigation – Dr. Trace’s turf – and with a killer on the loose, it’s all hands on deck before the evidence gets washed away in the rain.

Simone and Amelia team up to catch the killer, but can these career women find room for love too?

Content warning: This book contains references to sexual assault. There are no on-page depictions or graphic details, but characters discuss an event in which sexual assault occurred. Discretion is advised.

GENERAL FICTION

THE DARK WINTER

Hobbs: Book 5

by Elena Graf

Available in Kindle Unlimited

In this fifth volume of the series, the residents of Hobbs, Maine, are relieved to have gotten through the summer relatively unscathed by the pandemic. Town doctor, Liz Stolz, is warning about a fall surge, but everyone is ready to get back to normal. Liz has agreed to help her friend, architect, Sam McKinnon, build a sound-proof practice room over Erika Bultmann’s garage. As the days grow shorter, Erika is worried about her wife, former opera singer and Episcopal rector, Lucy Bartlett, who walks alone on the beach before dawn. Fortunately, the early Christmas gift is ready before tragedy strikes. In the process of keeping a promise to a friend, Liz antagonizes her wife. Their marriage has been rocky since an impulsive kiss last summer. As the women of Hobbs pull together to help a beloved friend heal from her loss, the dark winter brings tension and realignment to their small community.

ANTHOLOGY

SLICED ICE

by Lee Winter

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Ten short stories based on Lee Winter’s fierce and unforgettable ice queens and villains have been gathered into one anthology containing lesbian love, lust, friendship, and romance.

Find out what happened after Lee’s stories ended, and in one case, before it began. Iconic characters revisited include Elena Bartell (The Brutal Truth), Elizabeth Thornton (Breaking Character), Monique Carson (Hotel Queens), Natalya Tsvetnenko (Requiem for Immortals), Catherine Ayers (The Red Files), and Cynthia Redwell (Under Your Skin).

AUDIOBOOK

IRRESISTIBLY BOUND

by Anna Stone

narrated by Lexy Rebe

Grab all four books in the sizzling Irresistibly Bound romance series in one collection.

Being Hers

While working at an exclusive club, law student Melanie attracts the attention of Vanessa, a glamorous executive. Soon, she is swept into Vanessa’s sensual games of submission. As their connection grows more intense, they realize their no-strings-attached relationship is turning into something more, but old wounds keep them from surrendering their hearts.

Her Surrender

When librarian April has a one-night stand with womanizer Vicki, she isn’t expecting their uninhibited night to leave her wanting more. What she’s expecting even less is that Vicki is the wealthy property developer who’s planning to bulldoze April’s library. As tensions heat up between them, neither can resist the pull of their attraction. Will their love-hate relationship cause everything they’ve worked for to go up in flames?

Hers to Keep

When art school graduate Lindsey joins a sugar baby website to pay off her debt, she meets an alluring older woman named Camilla. Lindsey isn’t interested in women, but Camilla has an irresistible proposal for her: move into her mansion for three months as her girlfriend and submissive, and all Lindsey’s financial woes will disappear. Their arrangement is just one big lie.

But what happens when the lie becomes the truth?

Freeing Her

Faith is thrilled to land a job as a nanny for a wealthy, recently divorced mother of two. The only problem is her boss, Eve. She’s uptight, controlling, and impossible to please. But when Faith discovers a side to Eve that she never expected, it becomes clear that behind her strict façade is a passionate woman bursting to break free and make Faith hers. However, if they give in to their desires, they risk losing everything.