Before we get to today’s new releases, including gems by Lily Seabrooke, Erin Zak, Donna Jay, Nicole Pyland, and many others, we have some announcements.

IHL SAPPHIC READING CHALLENGE

It’s week 15 of IHL’s Sapphic Reading Challenge. You can click here for reading suggestions for Second Chance love stories. 10 of the books featured on the page are on sale.

Remember, 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.

VOTE FOR FAVORITE SLOW BURN

We asked readers to nominate their all-time favorite sapphic Slow Burn romances. Find out who made the cut and cast your vote. Voting ends on May 7 and the top three winners will be announced in on May 12.

FREE BOOK

Champagne Problems

by Addison Clarke

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Sophia and Emily have fallen hard and fast for each other. But when a secret surfaces, how will they overcome it to find their happily ever after?

Deal ends April 19.

BEST AGE GAP OF ALL TIME

Results of the best age gap poll will be released later today, but here’s a sneak peek.

NEW RELEASES

Here are this week’s new ebook and audio releases and announcements.

Please click on this link for how to submit books (ebook and audio) for the newsletter. IHL will not include books unless they receive an email from either the author or publisher.

Happy reading and listening,

TB & Miranda

ROMANCE

Night & Day

Taste of Port Andrea

by Lily Seabrooke

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Parker Ferris needed a roommate, but for the crabby ball of snark she is, maybe upbeat Instagram lifestyle influencer Cassie Peterson wasn’t the best choice.

Not like she had a choice: with her business rival Gary Founders crushing her coffee supply business, and her family still needing money, she’s eager to save rent. But it’s only delaying the inevitable.

When a contentious roommate agreement becomes an alliance to keep Parker’s business alive, the attraction between them is nothing but a spark to Parker, a bit of fun to pass the nights with. Cassie, on the other hand, doesn’t know how to feel anything in half measures when it comes to the girl she’s crushed on for months—which is even more of a problem when her fans don’t know she’s gay.

Stopping Gary Founders’ company seems like an impossible task. But confronting feelings both of them have spent a lifetime hiding from might be even more of a challenge.

Content warnings for open-door sex scenes, crushing debt, ugly family dynamics, and threats of outing.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Celebrity; Forced Proximity; Grumpy/Sunshine

Something Between Us

by Krystina Rivers

In the waning days of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Quinn Prescott and Kirby Davis met during military training. Despite different backgrounds, services, and plans, they fell hard and fast. However, it wasn’t long before distance and the pressures of serving in silence drove them apart.

Ten years later, Kirby literally runs into Quinn at Chicago Pride. Even in a city of three million, she continues to see Quinn everywhere. She can’t seem to ignore the pounding in her chest that isn’t always the frustration that Quinn broke her heart. Despite her best efforts to convince herself otherwise, there might still be something between them.

Quinn knows she made the biggest mistake of her life when she chose her career over Kirby, and she’s desperate to turn their chance meetings into a second chance for romance.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Ladies in Uniform; Enemies to Lovers; Cute Animals

The Hummingbird Sanctuary

by Erin Zak

Enjoy your vacation at the Hummingbird Sanctuary, Colorado’s hottest resort destination. Come for the mountains, stay for the charm, and enjoy the drama as Olive, Eleanor, and Harriet figure out their lives, their loves, and the meaning of true friendship.

Owning and operating the Hummingbird Sanctuary was supposed to be the best time of Olive Zyntarski’s life. She was going to tackle the future with eyes wide open and forget about her guilty conscience. All that changes when a chance meeting with a mysterious new guest has Olive’s long-buried secrets bubbling to the surface.

As marketing director, Eleanor Fitzwallace knows how to present everything in its best light, everything except her nonexistent love life. When her high school heartbreak unexpectedly saunters into the Sanctuary’s restaurant, Eleanor’s determined to ignore her. She wants real love, and people don’t change, do they?

After hitting rock bottom, Harriet Marshall made a promise to herself: no more one-night stands that make her feel bad about herself. She’s determined to turn her life around, and that means focusing on keeping the Sanctuary’s restaurant and bar hip, trendy, and booked solid. So, of course, she meets the most gorgeous woman ever, and everything changes.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Friends to Lovers; Enemies to Lovers; Coming Out; POC Character; Cute Animals

Her Collateral Bride

Arranged to Love: Book 1

by Alexa Woods

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Claire Finley always knew revenge was a dish best served cold. But when she takes her worst enemy’s gorgeous daughter as collateral to secure a business loan, she must wonder: Has she bitten off more than she can chew?

Claire
Her own restaurant shared with her best friend Robert, a bright future – Claire had it all. Until Robert took what was hers, all in the name of greed. Now, eleven years later, Claire is finally in a position of the one naming the terms. Her chance at revenge is here.

On the brink of ruin, Robert begs Claire to help save his business. Without her, he’ll lose everything. While Claire would be happy to witness his final agony, she doesn’t mind playing with her enemy either. She will give him a loan, sure, but this time she will secure it well. She’ll be taking collateral — Robert’s beautiful and innocent daughter.

It’s a perfect plan – until Claire realizes she might have risked something unexpected in the arrangement: Her heart.

Haley
Being used as collateral for a loan and forced to live with her dad’s vengeful enemy wasn’t how Haley had planned to spend her summer.

But here she is, a prisoner to the woman her father wronged long ago and who now controls almost every aspect of their lives. Strong and spirited, Haley braces herself for the worst, but when she gets to know Claire, she realizes there is one thing she hadn’t anticipated: Losing her heart to her captor.

As Claire and Hailey fall for one another, they must decide: Will they give love a chance – or will the hunger for revenge consume their chance at happiness?

Claire’s and Haley’s story is the first book in the “Arranged to Love” hot and alluring fake relationships lesbian romance series. Each book in the series is a standalone with a guaranteed happily ever after for the couple.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Celebrity; Enemies to Lovers; Ice Queen; Forced Proximity / Stranded Together

Sugar Girl

by Emma L McGeown

After countless heartbreaks, Ciara Reilly has sworn off falling in love and turned her youth, beauty, and unlucky streak of dead-end relationships into a way to make money. After joining the Sugar Girl app, she has climbed the ranks to become one of the few Platinum Girls in Dublin and now has her choice of wealthy clients. It is a way of life for Ciara and means she can keep her family out of debt. The financial perks coupled with the casual dating arrangements suit her, primarily because she learned the hard way that falling in love and sugaring do not mix.

That’s until she meets the stunning and wildly fascinating entrepreneur Charlie Keller. Their connection is instant but complicated. Charlie is everything Ciara has ever wanted, but falling for her means giving up everything she already has. Forced to choose between coming clean about her lucrative career or losing Charlie forever, will Ciara go sugar-free? Or will the secrets Charlie is keeping from her result in another heartbreak?

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Rich Girl / Poor Girl

The Business of Pleasure

by Ronica Black

Valerie Raffield’s dreams are about to come true. Her magazine, MisRule, is ready to launch. Only trouble is, she’s struggling to find an editorial designer who understands her vision.

When Lennox Falcone gets a nibble at her long stagnant résumé, she’s thrilled and excited to work remotely for Valerie. Things fall through when the MisRule team decides to go with another prospect, and Lennox is let down to say the least. But Valerie knows how talented Lennox is and keeps her on as a graphic artist. As they work closely together, their fascination with each other intensifies, and the MisRule team starts questioning the ethics of their relationship.

By the time the launch comes around, Valerie’s desire is undeniable. But their first face-to-face meeting doesn’t go as planned, and as secrets are revealed and passions burn bright, Valerie’s heart and her business could be in jeopardy.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Forced Proximity

Reflections

by Donna Jay

Step through the looking glass with this insightful, intimate lesbian romance that unpicks desire and what makes us feel beautiful.

Rachel Buchanan loves making women feel good about themselves. It’s why she adores her job at a plus-size clothing store. Full of confidence and happy with who she is—exactly as she is—about the only weighty matter troubling Rachel is the lack of women in her life. She’s not looking for love, but a few hot dates would spice up her life nicely.

Lorna Thompson is the opposite. The receptionist might be assertive in the bedroom, but outside of it she’s become so self-conscious about her weight that she’s now almost a recluse. Lorna craves the intimacy of women but how can she expect anyone to find her desirable when she shuns her own reflection? But maybe she could dip her toe into online dating?

The moment the two women discover each other on a dating site, there’s an instant connection, a flurry of messages, and promises of no-strings-attached fun. Rachel hears Lorna’s fears but is convinced it won’t be long before she makes her see she’s a beautiful woman.

For Lorna, though, it’s not just mind over matter. If only it were that simple.

Facing her true self is only the start of Lorna’s journey to love and acceptance. The question is whether Rachel has the patience to wait for her.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Girl Next Door; Hot & Steamy; Erotic Romance

EROTIC ROMANCE

Tell Me What You Want

Talk to Me: Book 1

by Johana Gavez

A failed blind date turns into the start of an unexpected connection.

Since her divorce four years before, love hasn’t been in the cards for Olivia Fernández. She focuses on work, her children, and the occasional fleeting encounter that never becomes more. The last thing she wants for Valentine’s Day is to be set up on yet another date that will end with her bed warm but her heart as lonely as ever.

Canceling the date arranged by her nosy friends should be simple and the end of any interaction with Isabela Santamaría, CEO of Santamaría Media. Except, life insists on putting Isabela on Olivia’s path and she can’t deny her attraction and the easy connection they share.

Not falling for the woman she initially rejected becomes harder than expected the more time they spend together and explore their chemistry in bed. Will passion turn into love for Olivia and Isabela?

Tell Me What You Want is a steamy standalone novella in the Talk to Me series.

Trigger Warning: This book contains explicit scenes that include Air Play/Consensual Choking and Light BDSM.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Hot & Steamy; BDSM; Erotic Romance

EROTICA 

Liaison in the Park

A Short Erotic Romance

by Sam Kestrel

Available in Kindle Unlimited

While camping at a national park, Jada, wanting to be smart about where she went hiking as a single Black woman, asked for assistance from a cute white Park Ranger who wore her uniform well. When they run into each other again, Amelia offers to show Jada some more remote trails. She does this, and more.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: POC Character; Hot & Steamy; Ladies in Uniform; Erotic Romance

FANTASY

Skull and Crossbones

Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations: Book 3

by Rachel Ford

Available in Kindle Unlimited

I’m a magic-wielding Freak. My partner Flinty Jack is a sentient skeleton. But for all that, we’re not fireproof.

When a vengeful serial killer nearly roasts us in our beds, the FBI whisks me, my fiancée, and my partner into protective custody in a remote safehouse on a quiet Maine island.

But we’re about to find that we stepped out of the frying pan into the fire. There’re more skeletons in the closets of this picturesque town than one of Flinty Jack’s family reunions.

Between hostile locals, mysterious visitors from the past, and something fishy happening on the coast, a serial killer is looking tame.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Ghosts; Mystery; Speculative Fiction; Grumpy / Sunshine

NEW AUDIOBOOKS

No Rings Attached

Ms. Right: Book 2

by Rachel Lacey

narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown

From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes the second installment in the Ms. Right series: a captivating romance about a reluctant bookseller finding love in unexpected places.

Lia Harris is tired of being the odd one out. She’s never quite fit in with her uptight family, and now that her roommates have all found love, she’s starting to feel like a third wheel in her own apartment. Fed up with her mother’s constant meddling in her love life, Lia drops hints about a girlfriend she doesn’t have. But with her brother’s London nuptials approaching, she needs to find a date to save face. Lia turns to her best friend, Rosie, for help, and Rosie delivers—with the fun, gorgeous Grace Poston.

Grace loves to have a good time, hiding her insecurities behind a sunny smile. Her recent move to London has provided her with a much-needed fresh start. Grace isn’t looking for love, and she hates weddings, having weathered more than her fair share of heartache. Friendships are different, though, so for Rosie’s sake, she reluctantly agrees to pose as Lia’s adoring girlfriend for the wedding festivities.

Both Grace and Lia are prepared for an awkward weekend, complete with prying family members and a guest room with only one bed. As it turns out, they get along well—spectacularly, in fact. Before they know it, the chemistry they’re faking feels all too real. But is their wedding weekend a fleeting performance or the rehearsal for a love that’s meant to last?

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Fake Relationship; Forced Proximity

Path Forward

Celebrities Series: Book 4

by Nicole Pyland

narrated by Melissa Moran

Jessica Morrison had made some mistakes in her life. Of all of them, one had caused her to lose the woman she had once thought she would spend the rest of her life with, along with the friends Jessica had thought of as family.

Venice Russo had somehow found herself in the company of a lot of beautiful, famous women. Dani Wilder, Peyton Gloss, Lennox Owen, Kenzie Smyth, and Maddox Delaney were now all her friends. That didn’t stop Venice, who preferred to be called Val, from feeling a little out of place.

They nearly met at one fateful New Year’s Eve party but happened to miss each other. A coincidence, or maybe fate, brings them together again. Jessica is carrying her baggage. Val doesn’t feel like she has anything to look forward to in her life. When they find each other, they might also be able to find a path forward together.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Celebrity; Rich Girl / Poor Girl

The Delicate Things We Make

by Milena McKay

narrated by Abby Craden

Hitting rock bottom in the concrete jungle of Manhattan, investigative journalist Jamie Walker lands the assignment of a lifetime: Find the most elusive artist of a generation, who has enthralled the art and fashion world for more than a decade.

This assignment is supposed to finally be Jamie’s ticket to journalistic fame and fortune. The quest, however, proves to be difficult, as – so far – nobody has managed to discover who the legendary DeVor really is.

As Jamie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic artist, trying to salvage her stagnant career, she risks getting in over her head and losing her heart in the process.

Trigger Warning: off page mentions of sexual assault.

2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Ice Queen; Romantic Suspense

JAE’S SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO

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, Em, & TB

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