Welcome to week 6 of the 2022 IHL Sapphic Reading Challenge. Before we get to the books, we want to remind you of two ways you can interact with other readers to enhance your experience during the challenge this year.

First, you can join the I Heart Lesfic Facebook reader group. Every Monday we will announce the category for the week, and every Wednesday you will have the opportunity to post what book you are reading and be entered into the monthly drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. (For those who are not on Facebook and still want to enter, remember you can email your reading selection to tbm@iheartlesfic.com).

Second, we have created a Goodreads group where readers can discuss books, swap recommendations, and generally have a good time.

Now, to get to the task at hand. We paired Fake Relationship with Valentine’s Week, because who among us hasn’t pretended to be in a relationship this time of year? Just TB…?

Below you’ll find reading suggestions. Better yet, 7 of them are on sale, so scoop up a fantastic read at a bargain. Before you click any buy buttons, please ensure the sale price matches. (Some international prices may vary.)

The following books are on sale to celebrate Fake Relationship week: February 14 through February 18

Accidental Honeymoon

by Miranda MacLeod

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Would you marry a woman you hate for a life-changing inheritance?

Monica’s business has been hit hard by a global recession, her ex-girlfriend is selling the house out from under her, and the hot handy ma’am, Ray, who was hired to fix up the place, turns out to be the most annoying woman on the planet. Could things get any worse?

All Ray wants is to finish her job and say adios to the world’s most high-maintenance client. But after being mistaken for Monica’s girlfriend, how can Ray walk away when going along with the charade would grant an old lady her dying wish? It’s not like Ray intended to be so charming that Monica’s grandmother would rewrite her will.

Now the unlikely couple stands to inherit a vineyard in rural New England and a heap of cash large enough to change both their lives. The only hitch? They have to get hitched.

And since Monica is a professional wedding blogger, they’ll have to make it the wedding of the century while convincing two million followers they’re madly in love. No problem, aside from the simple fact that they can’t stand each other. There’s a good chance the whole thing could end in disaster, but is it possible these enemies might find true love along the way?

Best-selling lesbian fiction author Miranda MacLeod has written a slow burn fake-relationship romance that will warm you through and through.

Good Spin

by Monica McCallan

$0.99 $5.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Public Relations expert Emery Bates has exactly one problem she’s willing to admit, and it’s that she doesn’t have a girlfriend to take as her date to a wedding. Not because she needs a girlfriend, but because she needs an easier way to come out to college friends that she hasn’t seen in five years. Her job is about controlling the narrative, and as she sees it, there’s no reason why that can’t extend to her personal life. When her next door neighbor ends up single a few weeks before the wedding, problem solver Emery realizes inviting Jordan along and faking romance for a week in Hawaii could be perfect for both of them.

Jordan Davis doesn’t worry about much, especially what will happen tomorrow. Life’s too short to plan every second, and it usually doesn’t work out anyway. When Emery invites her on an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii, it’s not a hard sell. She’ll get to enjoy a tropical vacation with one of her closest friends, and she’ll get to spend more time with Emery, away from Emery’s hectic work schedule back in Austin.

But, there’s more to the request than Emery’s letting on, and there’s more to Jordan’s willingness to help than she wants to admit. It’s only eight days, but time passes differently when there’s nowhere to be and nowhere to hide. Faking it is all about the spin, but when lines begin to blur, both women have to decide if falling in love for real is worth the jump.

Do It for the Fame

by Kaya LaSalle

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Lexi thought fake relationships were only something that happened on TV. That all changed when she ran into a desperate rock star…

Lexi Ashford prides herself on being drama-free. She’s built a reputation for being a talented hair and makeup artist, and she’s finally getting the kinds of gigs she always dreamed of. But when she’s hired to work at a one-night-only performance, she finds herself in over her head. Somehow she gets roped into pretending to be gorgeous rock star Daya West’s new girlfriend, and now the rest of the world thinks they’re in love. What’s a girl to do?

Daya West is just getting over a miserable breakup. Turns out that being a rock star isn’t enough to save a doomed relationship, and she’s still trying to piece her broken heart back together. Convincing the makeup artist at her show to be her fake girlfriend was supposed to be a one-night deal to get her ex off her back, but with the media watching their every move, they’re stuck maintaining the illusion.

What starts out as an act slowly becomes something more, leaving both women confused about where the lies end and the truth begins.

Can a relationship founded on deception ever grow into more? Or will the truth destroy any hope they have of finding love?

Progress

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

$0.99 $9.99 

Dean, a young woman that lost her partner in a car accident takes a job at a hotel during her time of mourning, leaving her old life behind. When a new woman, Kayla, gets hired to assist her in running the hotel, Dean gets defensive, and the two battle it out until the doors of the past are reopened. In the meantime, Dean is called back to her side job as a private investigator and has to break the secrets behind a drug-hustling prostitution ring without blowing her cover. Dean and Kayla begin to grow close, and as everything plays out, Dean has to decide what is important in her life and if she will ever be able to let another person in without blowing her cover.

Every Slow Song

by Erica Lee

$1.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Skylar Davis and Kennedy Moore thought they found their happily ever after when they met in their mid-twenties. Unfortunately, five years into their marriage, happily ever after didn’t seem so happy anymore. Reaching the end of her rope, Kennedy asked for a divorce and the two separated.

After six months of being separated, Skylar still hasn’t told her family about the impending divorce. When the time comes for the annual family beach vacation, what choice does she have but to ask Kennedy to come along and pretend they are still together? Telling the truth isn’t an option since it will only make her already-strained relationship with her family even harder.

Two weeks pretending to be madly in love. How hard could it be? It turns out the hard part might not be faking it. The hard part is not getting their hearts broken all over again when the two weeks comes to an end.

Fake It

by Lily Seabrooke

$2.99 $5.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

To spark interest in Avery’s restaurant, and to revitalize Holly’s image, a fake relationship is the answer to both their problems.

And the start of a pressing new problem: falling in love.

Avery Lindt finally opened her dream restaurant—and there’s no customers. She’s staying optimistic, though: she’s confident she can fake it till she makes it, roll with the punches, and find a way to save her luxury restaurant, Paramour.

But it gets harder when she gets restaurant mogul and star chef Mike Wallace angry, and finds herself on the other end of a campaign to shut down Paramour.

Celebrity chef Holly Mason’s show is in trouble: people are bored with her routine of helping struggling restaurants. Worse, her ex-boyfriend Mike Wallace is making backdoor deals trying to steal the starring role.

Luckily, Holly’s agent Tay has a solution: ditch her show plans for the season, throw their lot in with luxury restaurant Paramour against Mike Wallace’s racketeering operation of a restaurant partnership. The cherry on top? A fake relationship between Holly and Avery to stir up drama.

It would already be a mess if Holly and Avery weren’t already struggling to hold back their attraction for one another. Despite their promise not to date, the lines between acting and reality get awfully blurry sometimes.

The Fake Game

by Kim Hartfield

$2.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

As an editor, Tabby spends her days reading books and making them better. It’s a dream job… and a certain colleague is the cherry on top. Marie is kind and supportive, as well as drop-dead gorgeous, and Tabby’s heart does a little dance whenever she’s around.

Given half a chance, Marie could fall for her smart, witty coworker – but Tabby is straight, so they can only be friends. When the two run into the last jerk Tabby dated, Marie pretends to be her girlfriend as revenge. It’s just a silly game to put the ex in his place… until he gets hired at their company.

Now Tabby and Marie can fess up to the truth – or double down and fake a whole relationship. Choosing to continue is a dangerous game. But what if the prize could be greater than either of them imagine?

Keep scrolling for more suggestions!

The Girlfriend Arrangement

by Anna Stone & Hildred Billings

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Fake girlfriends. Real chemistry.

Parker Black has put her bad girl days behind her. Once the rebellious, womanizing middle child of the wealthiest family in Seattle, she’s now the founder and CEO of a luxury lingerie label. But when an incident from her past resurfaces, everything she’s built threatens to come crashing down.

For up-and-coming public relations specialist Julia Conner, her job is her life. A former foster kid, she’s spent years climbing the ladder. So when Parker contacts her to help her come back from a scandal, Julia is determined to prove she can handle a big-name client like Parker Black.

But Julia isn’t prepared for the way the blonde-haired billionaire makes her weak at the knees. And she definitely isn’t prepared when Parker announces to the world that Julia is her girlfriend.

Swept into a fake romance with a woman who’s determined to tempt her into her bed, Julia is unable to resist Parker and her intoxicating power games. But is their relationship really just pretend? And with both their reputations on the line, will Parker and Julia be willing to put their hearts on the line too?

Don’t miss the first book in this hot new series from bestselling lesbian romance authors Anna Stone and Hildred Billings. Each book can be read as a standalone story.

Just for Show

by Jae

Role-playing has never been so irresistible in this lesbian fake-relationship romance with a plus-sized heroine.

What happens when an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies and an impulsive, out-of-work actress start a fake relationship?

Claire Renshaw thought she had it all: a successful career as a couples therapist, a publishing contract for her self-help book, and a happy relationship. But her perfect world falls apart when her fiancée calls off their engagement. Because of that, even her book deal might be off the table. After all, readers don’t want relationship advice from someone who can’t even make her own relationship work.

So Claire sets out to hire herself a fake fiancée.

Lana Henderson, the actress who shows up to audition for the role, is not exactly Claire’s ideal woman. Her frankness and the messes she leaves everywhere drive Claire up the wall. At least she won’t fall in love with someone like Lana.

But soon, Lana starts to win her over with her big heart, tickle fights, and—gasp!—carbs after six. The longer they pretend to be a love-struck couple, the less fake their kisses feel and the more the lines between reality and role begin to blur.

Once the book contract is signed, will they walk away or is their relationship no longer just for show?

Change Of Heart

by Clare Lydon

Available in Kindle Unlimited

What happens when you fake it, make it, then break it?

When Erin Stewart hires a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, she gets more than she bargained for. First, she snags Steph Mitchell, a professional actor with a side order of drop-dead gorgeous. Second, she runs into a brick wall of family tension. Deep breaths; it’s only five days. Plus, with Steph’s help, she can totally get through it, right?

Only, Erin doesn’t expect the fake romance with the charming Steph to feel so incredibly real. She also doesn’t predict their sizzling attraction will spiral out of control, with dizzying consequences for everyone. Is Steph Erin’s destiny, or will she be her downfall?

Get ready for a cracking romance studded with undeniable desire, an off-the-charts first kiss and lashings of family drama, all set against the cinematic backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. Clare Lydon is the queen of British romantic comedies, and this story is guaranteed to leave you breathless.

Pretending in Paradise

by M. Ullrich

When travelwisdom.com assigns PR specialist Caroline Beckett and travel blogger Emma Morgan to cover a hot new couples retreat, they’re forced to fake a relationship to secure a reservation. Ten days in paradise would be a dream assignment, if only they’d stop arguing long enough to enjoy it.

Reputations are Caroline’s business. Too bad she was forced out of her previous job when an ex smeared hers all over the office grapevine. She’s never getting involved with a coworker again, especially not one as careless and unprofessional as Emma.

Emma knows that life is too short to play by the rules. But when she goes too far and a defamation lawsuit puts her job in jeopardy, she has to make nice with Caroline, the image police, and deliver the best story of her career.

Only pretending to be in love sure feels a whole lot like falling in love. When their story goes public, ambition and privacy collide, and their chance at making a fake relationship real might just be collateral damage.

Who’d Have Thought

by G Benson

Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn’t about to demand answers.

The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden’s going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they’re madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they’ve ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong?

The Great Charade

by Gerri Hill

Abby Carpenter is in a tailspin knowing she is about to spend ten days in the company of her ex-girlfriend—who is now engaged to her brother—for a family holiday gathering in Red River, New Mexico. The same ex-girlfriend who last year at Christmas had lured her into bed. Abby’s solution? A pretend girlfriend for the holidays would surely keep her ex away and in her own room at night, right?

Nic Bennett’s life has been far from ideal and Christmas is her most dreaded holiday of all as she relives horrors from the past. When an attractive stranger approaches her with the offer of a chance to get away for ten days, she agrees. But with a counteroffer that brings both anxiety and excitement to the desperate Abby.

Among the holiday lights and snow-covered grandeur, the lines between pretend and reality blur as the two women have the time of their lives. Soon Abby learns it isn’t her ex she can’t resist. And Nic learns what it means to be part of a family for Christmas.

The Marriage Masquerade

by Toni Logan

Taylor Braxton needs to get married, then divorced, with no strings attached.

Taylor, a physical trainer, has just inherited her grandfather’s B&B on Maui, but there’s a catch. She can’t have the deed until the day after her one-year wedding anniversary. She’d rather stick a fork in her eye than get hitched, but the B&B is a dream come true. So all she has to do is find a woman who will agree to fake a marriage. How hard can it be?

Jayden Wheaton could use a year in paradise to help her recovery. After a crippling accident, she hires Taylor in the hope of gaining back some mobility. When Taylor casually mentions her dilemma, Jayden jumps at the chance, hoping the warm island temperatures will help with her chronic pain. A marriage masquerade in exchange for a year in Paradise? Yes, please. After all, it’s not like either of them are looking for romance, so there’s zero chance of their feelings complicating the arrangement. Right?

Face It

by Georgette Kaplan

When the woman you never got over shows up asking you to play her girlfriend for the holidays, that sounds like fun in an awkward, don’t die-now-heart, kind of way. A lesbian romantic comedy with a side of fake relationships, small towns, and holiday love.

In college, Elizabeth Smile shared a magical tryst with her roommate, Michelle Harlow. She had no idea the night would leave Elizabeth pining after her for the next ten years. Now Michelle is back with a strange offer: Will she pretend to be Michelle’s lesbian lover to beat Michelle’s cheating husband?
Of course, it’s a terrible idea. And it would mean leaving the New York nightlife behind and spending Christmas with Michelle’s family in Ohio–an overly accepting father, a pill-popping brother, and a suspicious sister who seems to have her own agenda with Elizabeth.

Worst of all, it’ll mean facing up to some old feelings she’d rather not revisit. But, really, she can handle all that. How hard can it be?

This twisty holiday romance is about getting more than we bargain for.

Happy reading!

Miranda & TB