Sapphic Toaster Oven Romances (IHL Reading Challenge #10)

Welcome to week 10 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 Toaster Oven with Learn About Butterflies Day because everyone comes into their own at the pace that’s right for them. Also, the first half of butterfly is butter, which goes really well with toast.

Below you’ll find reading suggestions. Better yet, 10 of them are on sale, so scoop up a heartfelt 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 Toaster Over week: March 14 through March 18

 

Moonflower

by Max Ellendale

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Daria Grayson spent the last year crawling out from the rubble of her previous life with nothing save for the clothes on her back and the hand of her little girl clasped in hers. She never expected to find herself back in Seattle, starting over, and attempting to reconstruct some semblance of normalcy for her and her kid. With best friend Molly at her side, Daria begins to take a few cautious steps back into the world. When Molly convinces her to go on a silly adventure to raise her spirits, she meets Charlotte, Molly’s cousin. Daria falls for the free-spirited artist and risks fracturing her delicately-structured existence. If Daria hopes to foster her connection with her newfound love, she must stand and face her greatest foe—herself.

 

Love By Design

by S.W. Andersen

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Life has a funny way of revealing harsh truths.

Cassie Carl believes she has it all. On the cusp of achieving her professional goals and soon to marry the man of her dreams—the handsome, kind and loving Stefan Van Allen—it seems she’s found the life every woman dreams of.

What else could a girl want?

Peyton Kingston is a beautiful, talented interior designer on the rise, whose sole focus is building her business. She loves what she does and has little time or patience for relationships. She’s happy with her life.

What else could a girl need?

When Cassie’s wealthy fiancé brings Peyton in to do a renovation on their home before the big engagement party, sparks fly, leaving both Cassie and Peyton to question everything they thought they already had.

What happens when the thin veil of perfection becomes riddled with holes?

 

The Perfect Blend

by Teresa Purkis

$0.99 $3.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

This workplace lesbian romance explores the relationship between two older women. A heart warming, slow burn, late in life, friends to lovers story.

Georgina owns an independent coffeehouse. Her co-owner, ex lover and sometime friend with benefits, has recently died in a car accident. Grieving, and trying to keep the business going, she finds out the half share has been willed to a complete stranger.

Catherine has flitted from job to job, always searching for an important missing piece in her life. Dumped by her boyfriend, jobless, single, penniless and soon to be homeless, Catherine receives a letter which could solve all her problems.

Georgina has said she would never again date a straight woman. So why is Catherine continually invading her thoughts? Catherine knows she isn’t gay. So why is she feeling something more than friendship towards Georgina? Will Georgina let her past control her future? Will Catherine acknowledge a future different to her past?

Set in a coffeehouse on a busy, bustling main thoroughfare into Bristol. The Perfect Blend introduces us to the owners and characters who frequent the establishment.

 

Food Truck Baby

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

$0.99 $9.99 

Nancy is single, pregnant, and has a dead-end job when she meets Tai, a local food truck owner. Tai is suave and compassionate and can offer her the chance of a lifetime. Will their personalities clash or sparks fly?

 

Holding her Heart

by Melissa Tereze

$1.99 $7.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Their first touch is magic. Will the next one pull them in too deep?

Deep breath, Aster. Freelance photographer Aster Bennett reminds herself to stay calm as she meets Eden Kline, the north of England’s most successful event planner.

But one look at Eden’s million-dollar smile and gentle chocolate eyes, and Aster’s enchanted. And giving herself a mental shake. By all accounts, the woman is straight. Besides, what could someone as stunning and accomplished as Eden see in Aster, whose crippling inner critic never shuts up?

Eden has everything under control—except for relationships. She’s never found a man who truly “gets” her. Whatever that means. With Aster there’s an instant connection that Eden can’t quite pin a label on. All she knows is she wants more of this feeling.

With a little help from their friends, Eden and Aster’s professional association warms into genuine friendship. But is taking the next step the right thing to do…or will they find themselves in too deep?

 

The Perfect View

by Nicole Pyland

$2.99 $7.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Adler Williams had been surprised with a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, by her boyfriend; but not in a good way. That was the last place Adler ever wanted to be. She was not a woman who enjoyed camping or the outdoors in any way. While trying to return the camping supplies she wouldn’t be needing for this surprise trip, she meets a woman who loves the outdoors so much, she runs an outfitter’s shop in South Lake Tahoe.

Morgan Burns had watched her ex-girlfriend fall for and get engaged to her new girlfriend. Then, she’d watched her best friend get the girl of her dreams. When she visits Jackson Hole to plan a new store to her ever-growing chain, she meets a woman who is clearly not a fan of many of the activities Morgan holds dear.

The two women begin a long-distance friendship while they both attempt to navigate the newest hurdles in their lives: Adler’s relationship with her boyfriend and Morgan’s drive to expand her store empire. As Adler spends more and more time with Morgan, she begins to realize there’s more to her life than just work; or at least there can be, as long as she’s willing to risk her heart.

 

Bliss

by Fiona Zedde

$2.99 $5.99 

A WOMAN WHO HAS NEVER BEEN TRULY SATISFIED…

Bliss Sinclair’s life of dull routine and unhappiness makes her imagination the only place she can find fulfillment. Until she meets Regina, a provocative writer who pulls her out of her head and into a sensuously real world alive with flavors and sensations beyond any she’d ever imagined. This real world is exciting and rich with irresistible pleasures, but Sinclair quickly learns these pleasures are not what they seem.

She discovers that lust can simply be another illusion, and passion without love can poison just as easily as it redeems. To cleanse herself of Regina’s poison, she escapes to Jamaica, the place where she was born, in hopes that the sun and ocean breezes will heal both old and new wounds. But among the brilliant flowers and crystal waters of the island, Sinclair finds ghosts from her past as well as strangers who challenge her very understanding of life and love.

From hidden grottos bubbling with desire to dangerous streets where violence is just a breath away, Sinclair must fight for the love she deserves, fight for herself, and for the satisfaction that was meant to be hers all along.

 

No More Secrets

by Jamey Moody

$2.99 $5.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

When Krista Kyle’s world is turned upside down, there’s only one person that can save her.

First love is a mighty strong emotion. Krista knows this and has been given several chances over the years to have the life she dreamed of, but something always got in the way.

Melanie Zimmer has loved Krista Kyle for over half her life. She now has the courage to do something about it. All she has to do is help Krista find hers and she knows just the place.

Does Lovers Landing still have the magic that brought them together over thirty years ago? Will Krista finally be brave enough to hold on to her true love?

This is the second book in The Lovers Landing Series. Come along on this first love, second chance romance and see if Krista and Melanie can find their courage in one another.

 

The London Of Us

by Clare Lydon

$2.99 $7.99 

Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?

Alice Di Santo has it all – everyone says so. Perfect boyfriend, great job, settled home life. But when she meets Rachel Cramer, all that changes. Because Rachel is everything Alice has never considered – and now cannot stop thinking about.

This charming tale of coming out in your 30s sees Alice risk everything to go after what she wants, soon discovering she’s deserving of love. Especially this love, which takes her breath away.

The fourth book in the London Romance Series features favourite characters from the previous three novels, and proves that falling in love is never scripted. Although part of a series, this novel is also standalone.

 

Mother of the Bride

by Kim Hartfield

$2.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

When Gloria’s daughter announces she’s getting married, Gloria couldn’t be happier. Things get more complicated when she realizes the groom’s mother was her best friend back in high school – the first woman who ever made her heart beat faster, as well as her first kiss. Gloria and Bethany reconnect during the engagement, and Gloria begins to wonder if she could have her own fairytale romance. Is it too late for Gloria to find love? Or could the mother of the bride be the star of her own story?

 

Keep scrolling for more reading suggestions!

 

And Playing the Role of Herself

by K. E. Lane

Actress Caidence Harris is living her dreams after landing a leading role among the star-studded, veteran cast of 9th Precinct, a hot new police drama shot on location in glitzy LA. Her sometimes-costar Robyn Ward is magnetic, glamorous, and devastatingly beautiful, the quintessential A-List celebrity on the fast-track to super-stardom. When the two meet on the set of 9th Precinct, Caid is instantly infatuated but settles for friendship, positive that Robyn is both unavailable and uninterested. Soon Caid sees that all is not as it appears, but can she take a chance and risk her heart when the outcome is so uncertain?

 

Missed Connection

by Stephanie Shea

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Avery Dimaano is good at most things. No, she’s better. She has amazing friends, a family that’s only slightly more dysfunctional than others, and an affable way of strutting through the world that makes her the quintessential person for the role of HR at Gia, San Francisco. There’s only one problem, she has no one to spend her weekends with.

Travel influencer Ky Logan doesn’t play by anyone else’s rules. Her life of jet-hopping across the world is the envy of two million followers, even if her family doesn’t exactly approve. It’s a simple, adventurous existence with no one to answer to but herself.

Six months after her trip to Sydney, Ky still can’t stop thinking about the woman she sat next to on the plane. Avery. Beautiful, clever, straight Avery. When a leak in Avery’s apartment leads them to share a bed for two weeks, lines inevitably become blurred, especially after the kiss they shared in San Francisco International.

Maybe Ky is the person Avery has been waiting for, even if she’s never considered being with a woman. But is Ky’s time with Avery just another one of her vacations?

 

Dare to Love

by A.L. Brooks

A slow-burn lesbian romance about leaving the past behind and opening your heart to new possibilities.

Investment banker Ash Taylor left her cut-throat world to set up a cool, cutting-edge tattoo studio. Her love life’s been a lot bumpier, though. Ever since a heart-breaking affair with a straight colleague, she’s vowed to steer clear of women unsure of their sexuality.

Talent-agency executive Carmen Lyttleton is straight, career focused, and not prone to distraction from her occasional casual relationships. When her best friend gets a tattoo at Ash’s studio, Carmen finds herself unexpectedly impressed by Ash and her business.

When they accidentally meet again, Carmen is shocked by the sparks between them and the realization that she feels a lot more than just admiration for Ash’s work ethic. It can’t possibly mean what it seems…can it?

The pull between the women is powerful but so are their fears, old baggage, and stubbornness. Can they dare to love?

 

This Is My Body

by Elena Graf

Available in Kindle Unlimited

The new rector of St. Margaret’s by the Sea Episcopal Church has a secret. Lucille Bartlett was a rising star at the Metropolitan Opera, but she disappeared from the stage and no one knows why. Philosophy Professor Erika Bultmann is a confirmed agnostic, who doesn’t have much use for religion, but she is fascinated by Mother Lucy. When Erika returns to her summer cottage in Hobbs to finish her last book before she retires, Lucy is drawn to the enigmatic professor, but she wants much more than a casual affair. Erika has been in open relationships; Lucy wants a commitment. Lucy believes marriage is sacred; Erika thinks it’s a vestige of the patriarchy. When Lucy’s secret is revealed, she needs Erika’s support more than ever. Can they put their differences aside and find common ground?

 

Unexpected Goals

by Kelly Farmer

On-ice rivals find some surprising heat under all their hostility in this enemies-to-lovers hockey romance

If you can’t play nice, play hockey

Canadian goalie Maisy Goode is wary of American Jen Donato and her dirty playing. She’s been on the receiving end of Jen’s aggressive style and doesn’t like it one bit. Now that they’re on the same women’s pro team, keeping her eyes off Jen is a struggle.

Jen signed up to win it all with the Boston Ice. Her very public clashes with their hot goalie aren’t going to derail her championship plans. Jen’s a professional. But there’s just something about Maisy that gets under her skin.

The media loves the tension, but the more time Maisy and Jen are forced to spend together, the more they discover what’s between them isn’t entirely hostile.

At all.

Banter turns into flirting, and flirting turns into more. The closer they get to the playoffs, the more pressure weighs on the team—and the couple. Maisy needs Jen’s support. Jen needs to know Maisy’s all in. And it all needs to get sorted out before the season—and their relationship—closes out.

 

Sing for My Baby

by Jenn Matthews

A beautiful opposites-attract, lesbian romance fused with music, fear, hope, and honesty.

Primary school teacher and singer Rosie Tanner has stopped waiting for someone to have a baby with. She’s diving in and going it alone…although her pregnancy plans are a secret for now.

Amber Kingsley’s only goal is to stay sober and safe, so any complications like relationships are definitely out. That is, until she accidentally joins a community choir—despite having no musical talent or interest—after laying eyes on beautiful star soloist Rosie.

It seems her heart has some crazy ideas. So should Amber actually listen to it?

 

Happy reading!

Miranda & TB

About TBM

TB Markinson is an American who's recently returned to the US after a seven-year stint in the UK and Ireland. When she isn't writing, she's traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in New England, or reading. Not necessarily in that order. Her novels have hit Amazon bestseller lists for lesbian fiction and lesbian romance. She cohosts the Lesbians Who Write Podcast (lesbianswhowrite.com) with Clare Lydon. TB also runs I Heart Lesfic (iheartlesfic.com), a place for authors and fans of lesfic to come together to celebrate lesbian fiction.
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3 Responses to Sapphic Toaster Oven Romances (IHL Reading Challenge #10)

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