Welcome to week 14 of the 2022 IHL Sapphic Reading Challenge.

Lorna won the March $25 Amazon gift card.

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 Rich Girl / Poor Girl with the start of National Financial Literacy Month.

Below you’ll find reading suggestions. Better yet, 7 of them are on sale, so scoop up some fantastic reads at bargain prices. 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 Rich Girl / Poor Girl week: April 11 through April 15

Admissible Affair

by Adrian J. Smith

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

One-night stands aren’t supposed to turn into forever.

Bellamy has worked with and loved her wife of ten years, but it’s never enough. When Bellamy finds her limit of abuse and a young, cute waitress offers an opportunity, she seizes the moment, knowing she’ll never see Payton again. But months later, Bellamy comes face-to-face with the one-night stand she can’t forget and the failed marriage she has yet to escape.

Payton knows she can’t be the normal twenty-something when she ends up with custody of her nephew. Leaping at the opportunity for a full-time job, she has instant regrets when in walks the woman of her dreams. Bellamy. Her one-night stand from the waitress job she just quit. Not willing to risk stability for love, Payton is determined to stand by Bellamy as she fights for her law firm and reclaims her life.

Neither are prepared for what lies ahead or just how much they will have to risk to protect the ones they love.

The Fix It Girl

by JM Dragon

$0.99 $3.99 

Powerful business woman Elise Ridge relies heavily on her personal assistant, Jill Marrack, but never knew how much until Elise’s sister departs the country, leaving her six-year-old daughter, Lily, behind. That’s when Elise calls on her “fix-it girl” to come to her rescue.

Jill impulsively agrees to help and moves to Headridge, the Ridge country home, to take care of Lily—and immediately comes into conflict with the dysfunctional family. Lily, who is yearning for affection, pulls at Jill’s heart strings, so Jill endures the cold atmosphere within the household for the sake of the child.

Elise Ridge survives by making herself a cold fish in the emotional department and throws all of her energies into her business. The warm relationship between her niece and her PA draws Elise out of the shadows of her lonely existence, and she starts to realize that life may hold more for her than merely work and family responsibilities.

Can their fledgling relationship survive the manipulations of those whom they trust?

The Lesbian Billionaires Club

by KC Luck

$0.99 $4.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

I have all that money can buy. Power, sexy women, and toys. All kinds of toys. Everything is perfect, or at least it is until the exclusive Lesbian Billionaires Club I belong to gives me an ultimatum—stop the revolving door of women or leave the group. Insisting I settle down is crossing the line, and I want none of it. At least until she comes into my life. Suddenly someone I crave, a woman I can’t stop thinking about, that I must have for my own. I won’t take no for an answer.

A Stepping Stone

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue 

$0.99 $4.99 

Before Ziggy Johnson was a member of Jems and Jamz, she struggled through several ups and downs in the heart of Chicago. Learn about what experiences brought her to where she is today and how her musical dreams came to fruition.

The Flaw in Our Design

by Monica McCallan

$2.99 $5.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Olivia Carver’s life in Lake Cabot, New York is simple. That’s how she likes it, even if she can’t stop the town she loves from being overrun by wealthy tourists each summer. When she’s not working at her family’s paddleboard shop or spending time with her lovable but infuriating brothers, she puts her energy into writing professionally, a dream that has yet to materialize.

Valerie Maycomb used to summer in Lake Cabot with her family when she was younger, until school and planning for her future became the driving forces in her existence. For the first time in years, following her college graduation, she’s spending a few months in the small, lakeside town she loved as a child. All she wants is a little time to decompress before law school in the fall and maybe even strike up the courage to talk to a woman.

A chance meeting at the lake opens up the possibility of a summer romance, with the explicit understanding that it can’t become something more. Olivia’s not built for falling in love, and Val needs to keep her eye on the prize of a successful career. But neither of them can deny the attraction, and summer quickly takes on a life of its own.

Love Me for Me

by Sarah Ettritch

$2.99 $5.99 

Sometimes telling the truth means losing the ones you love…

Erin Hunt is the heir apparent to her father’s real estate company, but the idea of working with him makes her want to cry—his every word drives home how inadequate she is. But a secret mission gives Erin an excuse to delay taking her place at his side. Someone is leaking confidential documents to a grassroots group that keeps opposing her father’s projects. Erin agrees to go undercover and unmask the traitor.

Activist Lily Altree leads the grassroots group that wants to preserve green spaces and historical buildings. But the turnout at her events has been declining, so when a stranger shows up for a protest at a local park, Lily welcomes her into the fold, unaware that the newbie is the daughter of Aaron Hunt, the greedy owner of the company that wants to replace the park with a luxury apartment building.

What neither of them counts on is falling in love.

Will Lily’s heart shatter if Erin does the right thing and reveals her true identity? Will Erin’s fear of hurting Lily and disappointing her father trap her into telling more lies? Or is there a way for Erin to be honest without losing the woman she loves and the father she desperately wants to please?

Let Go

by Nicole Pyland 

$3.99 $7.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)

Gretchen Carpenter didn’t come from money. She didn’t have a lot growing up in her small town. As the black sheep of her family, instead of staying home and taking over the family business, she moved to Boston, got into Harvard Law School, and is about to graduate when she gets an internship at a personal injury law firm. It’s not what Gretchen wanted to do, but it’s the reason she meets Amanda Dixon.

Amanda Dixon comes from old money, and that’s helpful, but it doesn’t stop her from working hard for what she wants. On her way to a master’s in her instrument from one of the most prestigious music schools in the country, she does not have time for a pesky lawsuit.

When the two women meet, they clash instantly due to their differences and perceptions. Once they’re forced to work together, they find they have more in common than they initially thought, and they might just have met the person that finally gets them to let go.

Keep scrolling for more suggestions!

Reading Her

by Amanda Radley

Awkward teenager Hugo Whittaker doesn’t know a cross-trainer from an elliptical, but getting strong is the only way to fight off the bullies who won’t leave him alone. Lauren Evans loves her job as a fitness instructor, and she wants to guide him. Unfortunately, Hugo paid for his gym membership by stealing his mother’s credit card, and it doesn’t take his mother long to track down her wayward son.

In a courtroom, shrewd barrister Allegra Whittaker is unstoppable, but when it comes to her son Hugo, she’s afraid she’s losing her touch. She reluctantly allows him to continue using the gym as long as she can keep an eye on him—and his undeniably intriguing instructor.

As each encounter leaves them wanting more, Lauren and Allegra learn love and happiness are right where they least expect it. There’s just one little problem: Lauren has a huge secret she absolutely cannot tell anyone, and Allegra knows she’s hiding something.

Change Of Plans

by KJ

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Emily Fitzsimmons, award-winning architect, creates meticulous plans for every aspect of her life, which is understandable considering her difficult childhood. After all, prudence keeps her safe. Lately, though, too many of those comforting plans are disintegrating and Emily is forced to function spontaneously which has spiked her anxiety so much, she’s put her therapist on speed-dial.

Skye Reynolds, bike courier entrepreneur, knows all about exploding plans. That’s literally how she lost her job when her company blew up a 40,000-year-old world heritage site. But Skye is not someone who asks for help to reassemble her life blueprints, which is lucky as she nearly always lands on her feet whenever she happily ignores prudence to embark on any new adventure.

When Skye’s ad hoc dirt track intersects with Emily’s carefully paved freeway, their lives are thrown into disarray, with the added complication of their unexpected attraction. Prudence plays tricks on both of them when they choose to navigate their true paths and explore the direction of their relationship.

Sometimes a change of plans is all you need to see what lies ahead.

All at Sea

by Cheyenne Blue

An enthralling, opposites-attract lesbian romance about what lies beneath.

Stevie Sterling is having a day from hell. Snubbed—yet again—by her unsupportive parents, she runs out on their posh party and takes refuge on a deserted yacht. Waking the next day with the world’s worst hangover, Stevie finds herself far from shore.

As if being trapped on the yacht in only her party dress isn’t bad enough, Stevie’s frantic that she’ll miss the first day of her new job as a nurse. She has so much to prove in her career—to herself and her parents.

The yacht’s cute but unimpressed captain, Kaz Malone—an eco-warrior who hits the seas with Sinbad the cat—is on a mission: There’s a nuclear-waste-dumping tanker to harass.

Kaz is as single-minded as she is stubborn and she’s not about to turn around for some stowaway with a new job. Hell, no. Saving the planet comes first.

But perhaps there’s more than one way to a destination?

A Royal Romance

by Jenny Frame

Georgina, Princess of Wales, has always known her destiny, but she never expected duty to call so soon. When her father dies suddenly, she is called back from her Royal Navy post to assume the crown. While the people acclaim their new Queen, Great Britain’s first openly gay monarch, all George feels is the isolation of her station.

Beatrice Elliot’s staunch anti-monarchist views have always been a point of gentle contention with her working class, royalty-loving parents. When Bea—director of a hospice charity—must spend six months working with Queen Georgina, her charity’s new patron, sparks fly and passion blooms. But is love enough to bridge the gap between Bethnal Green and Buckingham Palace?

Beauty and the Boss

by Ali Vali

Ellis Renois is at the top of the fashion world and has built the Renois Company into a success that dominates the runways of the world. Ellis loves creating clothes, and she loves the beautiful women who wear them. While Ellis deals with design, she leaves the business aspect to others. It’s a mistake that could cost her more than just her life’s work.

Charlotte Hamner has worked her way through school and is ready to make a better life for herself and her daughter Sawyer. She’s far from the teenaged mother who worked a string of dead-end jobs to fulfill her dreams, so she’s not about to fall victim to Ellis’s easy charm.

A summer job presents Charlotte with the chance to learn from Ellis, but it might also land her the position of head designer for Renois. But her promotion will come only through betrayal and perhaps at the cost of her heart.

Strike a Match

by Fiona Riley

Every date that firefighter Sasha McCray has had in the last year has been orchestrated by matchmaker Samantha Monteiro through Perfect Match, Inc., and she still has nothing to show for it. After a series of near matches, Sasha has all but given up on finding that special spark with someone else.

Accountant by day and reluctant millionairess by night, Abby Rossmore wants nothing more than to be the normal girl she reads about in all those romance novels. But the truth is, once people find out about her family, their interest in her flares for all the wrong reasons.

When Samantha tries to help Abby and Sasha discover they have more in common than being unlucky in love, they have to decide if their shared passion will blaze on or burn out. Could they be each other’s perfect match? Or did the notorious Miss Match strike out?

Contract for Love

by Alison Grey

Single mom Sherry lives in a trailer park with her six-year-old son Jake, trying to make ends meet as a waitress.

Madison’s life couldn’t be more different. She’s been raised by her rich grandmother, and her only goals are partying and bedding women.

When her grandmother threatens to disinherit her if she doesn’t clean up her act, Madison has to find a way to convince her she’s changed.
After a chance encounter with Sherry, Madison comes up with a crazy idea that will rock both of their worlds: she wants to hire Sherry to play her fake girlfriend.

Occasions of Sin

by Elena Graf

Available in Kindle Unlimited

For seven centuries, the German convent of Obberoth has been hiding the nuns’ secrets—forbidden passions, scandalous manuscripts locked away, a ruined medical career, perhaps even a murder. In 1931, Margarethe von Stahle, an aristocratic physician, arrives at the convent to interview Sister Augustine, a candidate for head nurse. The nun’s past is shrouded in mystery. She abandoned a medical career, and her final vows were delayed for an unspeakable reason. Determined to lift the veil of secrecy, Margarethe finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery, a complicated romance, and a domestic drama that threatens her orderly life.
At once a mystery and a love story, Occasions of Sin is part of the Passing Rites series, which follows the aristocratic Stahle family through the 20th Century. This novel, set in the twilight years of the Weimar Republic, touches on issues the Nazis would later address in frightening ways—the role of women, homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, and the rights of the individual versus duty to the group.

Calendar Girl

by Georgia Beers

For Addison Fairchild, success is a guarantee. Groomed since childhood to run a division of Fairchild Enterprises, she takes her birthright seriously. Maybe a little too seriously if you ask her friends. But work is so much easier than the rest of her life. Her employees hate her, her best friend is worried about her, and her last date was hide-in-the-restroom awkward. If all that wasn’t bad enough, she’s stuck with a new cheerful-happy-annoyingly-morning-person assistant just when the head of FE is about to choose a successor—a job Addison wants so badly, she can taste it.

For Katie Cooper, money has never been important. That is, until her father gets dementia and needs full time care. As the bills start to pile up, Katie takes a second job as a temporary personal assistant. Two minutes and one spilled cup of coffee later, she’s sure she’s not ready for Addison Fairchild—her hard head, her know-it-all attitude, or her gorgeous face.

Forced to work together, Addison and Kate discover that opposites really do attract.

Heart Block

by Melissa Brayden

Happily ever after is easier said than done…

Sarah Matamoros can’t complain. After immigrating from Mexico when she was nine years old, she’s content with the life she’s made for herself in sunny San Diego. She works hard at her mother’s housecleaning service by day and spends the evenings with her quirky eight-year-old daughter, Grace.

From a very young age, Emory Owen had several concepts drilled into her head. Success is everything. Be the best. Fight your way to the top. Expectations were high in the Owen household and the world was watching. Born into a high society family, Emory never wanted for anything…at least anything money could buy. When she meets Sarah, hired to sort her mother’s home, her sterile life suddenly sparks into color.

But when the emotional logistics of combining two very different worlds proves to be too much, a terrifying turn of events spurs the question: If love exists, can it really find a way?

Stabscotch

by Alexi Venice

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Tommy expects the Feds to take a murder case from him since it involves an employee of the Federal Reserve Bank. Instead, they send Roxy MacNeil, a Scottish banking expert, to co-investigate. Smoking her cigarettes, using vulgar language, and drinking Scotch, Roxy gives the impression that she’s a number-crunching savant, until she and Tommy pay a visit to a strip club, that is.

District Attorney Amanda Hawthorne wonders if she should have a baby like her fiancée, Dr. Jen, but Amanda is in the middle of a re-election cycle. As they consider who might be the perfect sperm donor, Amanda becomes immersed in Tommy and Roxy’s murder investigation.

Juggling her busy clinical practice and raising baby Kristin, Jen is by Amanda’s side at public events. She can handle Amanda being a semi-celebrity, having a ton of old girlfriends, and even being hit on by strangers at the Dyke March. Roxy MacNeil, however, is Jen’s worst nightmare. Beautiful. Mysterious. Smart. Sexy. And powerful.

Happy reading!

Miranda, TB, & Em