Before we get to the February winners, we have some announcements.
Vote For Favorite Age Gap
We asked readers to nominate their all-time favorite sapphic age gap romances. Find out who made the cut and cast your vote. Voting ends on April 15th and the top three winners will be announced in the April 19th newsletter.
2022 IHL Sapphic Reading Challenge
It’s the 13th week of the challenge and the featured category is Cute Animal / Pet / Wild Animal. Click here for reading suggestions and 9 of the books are on sale. Don’t forget, 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).
Free Book
The Date
by T.B. Markinson
Available in Kindle Unlimited
What happens when a prickly cat lady runs into the new dog owner next door?
When Francesca and Cooper decide to become balcony friends, and Prin’s twin sister takes on the role of enthusiastic matchmaker, Brit and Prin decide to give each other a second chance. All they need is one date to see if there might be something more between them.
But somehow everything keeps going hilariously and disastrously wrong.
Deal ends on April 8th.
Check Out This Week’s New Releases
Click here to find gems by Karin Kallmaker, Anna Stone, Kat Jackson, Nicole Pyland, and many others.
Book of the Month Awards
We’re thrilled to announce the Book of the Month Awards for February.
Without further ado, here are the winners:
February 2021 Winners
ROMANCE
The Girlfriend Arrangement
Black Diamond: Book 1
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.
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The Raven and the Banshee
by Carolyn Elizabeth
It’s the early 1700’s and sixteen-year-old Julia Farrow, spirited daughter of a shipping company owner, lives and loves on her own terms. With a sharp mind and sharper tongue, she constantly defies family and society expectations with no regard for the consequences.
Branna Kelly, only child of an Irish immigrant sailor, is hopelessly in love with Julia and imagines their life together as captains of their own fate. Left brokenhearted after Julia’s rejection, she embarks on a journey to chart a new shipping route to the Caribbean. Before Julia can explain her decision, Branna’s ship is overrun by merciless pirates. All hands are presumed lost.
Fifteen years later, Julia is running the Farrow Company and sailing with the crew on her newest ship when an encounter with pirates leaves her the lone survivor to be rescued by the infamous Raven, hard-hearted captain of the mercenary ship, Banshee. Julia is shocked to discover her rescuer wears a familiar face.
The Raven and the Banshee is a passionate tale of vengeance, forgiveness and second chance love in a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas.
Content note: the book contains one brief scene of sexual assault and one mention of rape.
EROTIC ROMANCE
Escorted
by Renee Roman
Are you looking for a night to remember? The Agency is your premium choice for sensual female companions who will always leave you satisfied.
Dani Brown has the kind of fantasies she can’t share with just anyone, let alone trust someone enough to make them come true. The Agency is a perfect solution—safe, secret, and best of all, no strings attached.
As the CEO of the Agency, Ryan Lewis has dashing good looks, a lucrative business, and as much kinky sex as she wants. She has it all, right? Everything except the one thing she most desires—true love.
Intrigued by Dani’s fantasies, Ryan takes her on as a client. Ryan is more than capable of giving Dani exactly what she craves, but when the tables turn and her control slips, will she be able to stay away from the woman of her fantasies?
FANTASY ROMANCE
Of Wulf and Wynd
The Kingdoms Of Gyldren: Book 2
by Lexa Luthor
Princess Tharon and Princess Roswynd were best of friends as pups; now they are enemies and forced to marry each other.
The Kingdom of White Sommer and the Kingdom of Wyndfeld were once united for many generations. Princess Tharon of White Sommer and Princess Roswynd of Wyndfeld grew up together until it all came crashing down when Tharon’s mother is murdered by Roswynd’s family. Driven by rage, Tharon becomes White Sommer’s Lord Commander and Prince, bent on vengeance for her mother. After ten long years at war, the kingdoms agree to a ceasefire, but under the condition of a forced marriage between Roswynd and Tharon.
They may have exchanged rings; however, they both soon discover they must choose between honoring their wedding vows or their vows to protect their kingdom.
Trigger Warnings: The book has a female lead character with a penis.
ACTION & ADVENTURE
Everybody Needs a Hero
by KC Luck
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Hold on to your heart…
The daughter of an actress superstar, Ashley Landish wants nothing more than to simply run her popular coffee shop on the Venice Beach boardwalk and enjoy the sun and beaches of beautiful southern California. There is only one thing missing in her life—someone special to take her breath away.
Marine Corporal Bryce Cooper is home on leave after taking care of her father in his last days. Although the Marine Corps is calling, she has a new outlook on life, leaving one last box to check—to tell the woman she knew in college, Ashley Landish, that she loves her.
Award-winning author Drew Andersen’s mission in life is to spread the message of her novel to the world by having it made into a movie. Everything is going perfectly until a last-minute switch gives the lead actress role to Hollywood diva Tess Landish. She’s ready to do whatever she can to have her kicked off the movie—until the chemistry between them sends Drew into a tailspin.
Forty-eight-year-old Tess Landish realizes her illustrious career as an A-list celebrity is starting to fade. When the opportunity comes to take the romantic lead in a film based on a popular novel, she jumps at it only to learn the author of the book doesn’t want her for the role. Tess is determined to change her mind—especially after they meet and sparks fly.
When a powerful earthquake rocks Los Angeles, the four women must find a way to not only work together to save themselves but also to protect their hearts.
Everybody Needs a Hero is a multi-trope romance with a little adventure sprinkled in for fun.
SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Sapphic Sweets
by Anne Hagan
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Short Stories of Romance, Love, and Chocolate
Four complete, Sapphic short stories and a novel preview featuring women falling in love, and realizing love at long last, all in a world of chocolate. Some are sweet. Some have a little heat…
Revel in food and fun with Amy and Rox in ‘Chocolate Fond of You.’
Dance with Etta and Corgyn in ‘Cruise Grooves.’
Ache with Quinn and Carlotta in ‘Cake Ache.’
Sweat it out with Charlene and Sierra in ‘Fit Benefit.’
Finally, meet Mandy, and the woman who changed her life without even knowing it, Lisette, in the preview of Anne’s future novel, “Drizzle Sizzle.’
FICTION
The Forever and The Now
By KJ
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Bron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.
Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust.
When her orange smoothie explodes all over her business suit while she’s on her afternoon walk, Kate simply shakes her head in resignation.
Bron, having witnessed the smoothie eruption, races to help, and suddenly her life takes an unexpected turn.
Falling in love is like watching the grandest sunset on the calmest ocean where the tiniest ripples wear silver sparkles as their hats. Kate and Bron find that sunset on that ocean with those ripples of love, but what happens when you take that love for granted? What happens when your person disappears? The answers are hard to hear and Bron chooses not to listen.
After a relationship break, a family intervention, and conversations that rip apart seams, Bron and Kate eventually find themselves, each other, and their now. And what they discover is that love is the large and the deliberate, and the simple and the small.
So when tragedy strikes, they call on its strength because, when you think about it, love can live on in the forever, particularly if it lives courageously in the now.
A beautifully poignant story about life, love and a loss so tragic that sometimes even the grandest sunset on the calmest ocean with the ripples wearing hats is too heartbreaking to bear.
AUDIOBOOK
Chemistry Lessons
by Jae
narrated by Abby Craden
Kylie and Regan have been best friends since kindergarten, supporting each other through thick and thin.
While everyone thinks they would be perfect for each other, they insist there’s no chemistry between them – and Regan should know since she’s a chemistry teacher.
To prove it, they agree to a little chemistry experiment: They’ll go on three dates with each other.
So what if their gazes start to linger and accidental touches no longer feel platonic? They chalk it up to the romantic atmosphere – until a friendly good night kiss turns passionate.
Can their friendship go back to the way it was before? Do they even want it to? Or will they risk losing what they have for a chance at love?
Lorna won the $15 Amazon gift card giveaway.
VOTE FOR MARCH’S
BOOK OF THE MONTH
It’s time to vote for your favorite March 2021 books.
Voting is open until the end of April.
Results will be announced in May.
Best of luck authors!
BUY US A COFFEE
Running IHL takes the three of us many hours every single week. Also, the costs add up. Last year we setup a Buy Us a Coffee page, which allows people to help cover the expenses. When we first announced the page, we were blown away by the response. Not only were people willing to pitch in, but all of the kind notes and encouragement brought more than a few tears to TB’s eyes. If you’d like to support us, click here. Every cup helps immensely! If you’d like to learn more about TB’s initial response to the outpouring of support, click here.
Have a wonderful day!
Miranda & TB
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