Before we get to today’s new releases, including gems by J.J. Arias, Nicole Pyland, Amanda Radley, KC Luck, and many others, we have some announcements.
PRIDE COLLECTION
To celebrate our fifth anniversary in style, we spearheaded the I Heart SapphFic Pride Collection, featuring 8 books by some of the most popular authors in sapphic fiction today.
Each book involves a Pride theme and they’ll be released on June 1.
You can now preorder all of the books in the collection!
Each author in the collection will be donating a portion of their preorder royalties to a charity of their choice. So, preorder them all today and help the world become a better place. Celebrate love.
IHL SAPPHIC READING CHALLENGE
It’s week 17 of IHL’s Sapphic Reading Challenge. You can click here for reading suggestions for stories with Single Parents. 10 of the books featured on the page are on sale.
Remember, you can join the I Heart SapphFic 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 LOVE AFTER 50
We asked readers to nominate their all-time favorite sapphic Love After 50 romances. Find out who made the cut and cast your vote. Voting ends on May 21 and the top three winners will be announced in the May 26.
FREE BOOKS
Fifty Percent Illusion
by Miranda MacLeod
Available in Kindle Unlimited
In this final book of the Love’s Encore trilogy, Rorie and Cecily are just settling down and looking forward to a quiet and predictable life together when unexpected news changes the course of their future forever. Can the twists and turns of fate finally lead to a happy ending?
Deal ends on May 3.
State of Grace
by Addison Clarke
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blake Calloway has spent decades thinking her mother didn’t want her, but letters found in a chest tell a very different story. Determined to find the truth, Blake hops on a plane and heads for Moonflower Cove, Maine, searching for answers. The last thing she expects to find is Alexis.
Content Warning: This novel references a rape that occurred off-page and is mentioned as backstory with no graphic detail.
Deal ends May 6.
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, Em, & Miranda
ROMANCE
The Meet Cute Café
by Nicole Pyland
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Years ago, two women met outside a café. Later, they would buy that café together and make it part of their community. People met there for a cup of great coffee or a fresh pastry, and they’d strike up conversations, make new friends, check in on the hot gossip, and in some cases, meet the loves of their lives.
In The Meet Cute Café, you’ll find eight love stories. Some women went there with a purpose in mind. Others were just grabbing a cup of coffee and met someone they could fall in love with.
Join all of these women as they discover a bit of themselves, find a home at a café, and have a little meet-cute of their own.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Single Parent; Enemies to Lovers; Hot & Steamy; Young Adult / New Adult; POC Character
Leave Or Remain
by Philippa Pegg
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Anna is a pro-Europe event manager in Brussels and her love life is in shambles – just like her home country following the Brexit vote. Since her bad break-up four years ago, she decided to focus on the job she loves in the city she loves. When she meets Camelia, she thinks she is the rudest woman she’s ever met. And worse, she’s a Brexiter!
Camelia loathes Brussels and wants nothing more than to go back to her posh London life. She keeps herself entertained with a string of one-night-stands, but has a strict policy of not letting feelings ruin the fun.
As they’re forced to work together for the upcoming Brexit conference, Anna discovers that there’s more to Camelia than meets the eye… At the same time, Camelia finds it surprisingly difficult to keep things casual with Anna.
But will that even matter when Anna finds out the truth about Camelia’s future?
A heartwarming and funny love story of first impressions, second chances, and learning to fight for what’s truly important.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Rich Girl / Poor Girl; Enemies to Lovers; Ice Queen; Forced Proximity / Stranded Together
A London Love Story
Season One
by Miranda MacLeod & TB Markinson
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Four young American women form an unlikely bond as they search for sapphic love and the meaning of life in London.
Taylor Elliott, an aspiring writer with few practical life skills, is on her last chance when she moves to London to work for the father she barely knows. Her world is turned topsy-turvy by a woman who’s so wrong for her she might actually be right.
Emma Garfield is a talented but stubborn chef from the American South who dreams of running her own Michelin-starred restaurant, but her temper gets her into hot water. She gives relationships a hard pass, but could her latest fling be different?
Jasmine Singh is a perpetual graduate student who was born and raised in Ohio. She has every step of her life planned to perfection, including marrying her very nice boyfriend, Dave, until a curious spark throws it all off course.
Lexi Channing is the biracial adopted daughter of a prominent Wall Street family in New York City. When she isn’t dealing with the world’s most demanding client, she’s pining for her straight best friend.
If you enjoy shows like The L Word and Sex and the City, don’t miss the latest collaboration of Miranda MacLeod and TB Markinson.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: POC Character; Ice Queen; BDSM; Forced Proximity; Return to Hometown; Toaster Oven
Forgive Not Forget
The Nunswick Abbey Series: Book 3
by Emily Banting
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Join Anna and Katherine as Nunswick Abbey opens for the spring amidst building work, archaeological excavations, and vandalism.
When an old school friend returns to the village with her family, Anna begins to question her long held vision of her future.
Old wounds are reopened for Katherine when she’s presented with an opportunity. Can Anna convince her to take it and finally confront her past head on?
With Anna dreaming of the future and Katherine consumed by the past, can they get on the same page and decide what life they want to build together?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Loss / Grieving
Crossing the Line
by J.J. Arias
Available in Kindle Unlimited
It was supposed to be a one night stand . . . fate had other plans.
Newly-appointed judge Jordan Blake is done with romance. But on a rare night out, she becomes captivated by Sierra – a woman half her age. Unable to resist her charms, the usually cautious Jordan gives in to a reckless night of passion.
Law student Sierra Fuentes doesn’t expect to see Jordan again. Pleasantly surprised when she ends up her intern, Sierra sees an opportunity to continue their steamy affair. If only Jordan would stop caring about the rules.
With Sierra in her chambers, Jordan vows to keep their relationship strictly professional. . . even if she can’t stop thinking about that night. Forced together, the women struggle to keep their desires, and burgeoning feelings, under control.
With her heart and career on the line, will Jordan risk it all for a chance at love, or will her fears keep her from leaping head first into her happily ever after?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; POC; Slow Burn; Hot & Steamy; One Night to Forever
Not My Father’s Daughter
by D.J. Fronimos and Elke Lakey
Kerstin Meineke has always known she’s bisexual, and reconnecting with a former classmate and declared lesbian makes her ponder the what-ifs of her own choices. Kerstin’s adult son has moved out and her marriage is in a rut, so when her mom dies, Kerstin fulfills her last wish and travels to the US to meet her biological father.
Finally finished with veterinary college, Sara Peterson decides the next step is to find her perfect life partner. Online Sara locates a candidate who meets all her criteria, but when their in-person meeting is a disaster, she convinces herself to stick to loving animals.
It’s March 2020, and both Kerstin’s and Sara’s lives grind to a halt once COVID hits. The ever-practical Sara invites her new “sister” Kerstin to stay with the family, never mind that her mother resents Kerstin, the daughter from a previous marriage her husband failed to mention. Things quickly become tense.
Gorgeous and brilliant, Sara possesses a quirkiness which intrigues Kerstin, and she falls for Sara practically at first sight. Sara’s rational world is turned upside down when she realizes the feeling is mutual. Kerstin and Sara struggle to do the right thing, but boundaries are shattered when passion overtakes them. Too soon, Kerstin’s vacation ends and she knows their goodbye must be forever. Sensible Sara comes to the same conclusion.
But what if theirs is the once-in-a-lifetime love they both long for?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Cute Animal / Pet; Second Chance; Sweet; Forced Proximity; Friends to Lovers; Return to Hometown
Begin Again…Again
A Moonflower Cove Novella
by Addison Clarke
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Hayden Forrester has decided to live like she was dying. After all, her doctor told her she was. She quit her job, moved out of her hometown, and confessed her love to her best friend.
Molly Jaymes has everything planned out. That is until Hayden shows up on her doorstep in the middle of the night. A whirlwind of emotions follow them the next few weeks as they grapple with Hayden’s diagnosis and their budding relationship.
But when new information comes to light, will they let their happy bubble burst or figure out how to keep what they found?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Friends to Lovers
If We Meet Again
The Wedding: Book 2
by Nicole Spencer-Skillen
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Did Megan come back for Ashley? Yes, No, Maybe. On some subconscious level, probably. She is certain of one thing. Since the moment they locked eyes there has only been one constant in her life—Ashley.
Megan is back in New York, for good. When the WNBA came calling, she had three offers, but only one allowed her to return to the city she loved. Basketball was her life’s obsession, until now. The more time she spends with Ashley, the harder it is to deny her feelings. She feels their connection deeper than ever.
Ashley is content. She’s working for the most respected publication in New York, she’s engaged to be married and she has two best friends she would trust with her life. Why does she feel like something is missing? Contentment might not be enough when the girl who has consumed her thoughts for the past four years becomes a permanent feature in her life.
In their attempt to be “just friends,” Megan and Ashley are faced with a slanderous article, a dangerous road trip and the constant battle of trying to convince everyone that their friendship is legitimate.
The Wedding is fast approaching. Ashley is determined to remain loyal to Madison, and Megan is forced to make a choice that will change her life forever.
Is it too late to take a chance on love?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Friends to Lovers; Sports; Slow Burn
EROTICA
Lesbian Shorts
Volume 2
by Sam Kestrel
Ten steamy, erotic lesbian short stories. Each stands alone. Ex-College roommates run into each other at the store; a woman is seduce by an older dyke at a dance; an employee and her boss get it on in the boss’s office, twice; a student, having been taken by her professor, returns the favor; and more.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Age Gap; POC Character; Hot & Steamy; Erotic Romance
ACTION & ADVENTURE
Darkness San Francisco
The Darkness Series: Book 5
by KC Luck
Available in Kindle Unlimited
In Darkness San Francisco, two main characters from the Darkness series, US Army Major Grace Hamilton and her partner, Ship Captain Meg O’Grady, set sail from Astoria to track down the pirate king and bring him to justice. They will chase the outlaw on their ship, Wind Dancer, to his lair in San Francisco, if necessary, to capture him.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Dystopian / Apocalyptic
FANTASY
Unbroken
The Pirate & Her Princess: Book 2
by Alli Temple
Available in Kindle Unlimited
A pirate’s home is the sea, sailing beyond the horizon with her true love.
Aboard the Crimson Siren, Captain Cinder finally has the life she’s always dreamed of. Her freedom is restored, her crew is a trustworthy bunch, and the princess who holds her heart is by her side.
But trouble brewing back in Redmere threatens to pull Cinder and Princess Georgina apart before their future can truly begin. Georgina feels a responsibility to help, while Cinder is vehemently against returning to their former home. Instead, she embarks on a dangerous treasure hunt that could cost her everything. Faced with a deadly threat, Cinder pushes everyone around her away just when she needs them most.
Friendships are tested. Risky alliances forged. Yet as storm clouds darken Cinder’s future, one thing becomes painfully clear: Her home is taking on water, and time to save the people she loves is running out.
Trigger Warning: Contains piratical violence.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Fantasy; New Adult
SCI-FI
Once Upon A Lucky Star
Alpha Red: Book 2
by N.D. SHAR & Natalie Debrabandere
Available in Kindle Unlimited
GUESS WHAT? I’M NOT DEAD YET
My name is Storm Redfield: Navy Commander, still kicking ass at 161 years old.
So far, I’ve had a good time in the 23rd Century. I discovered space travel and fought evil creatures in a distant star system. Made friends with a one-eyed Cyclopean who sounds like a British lord, discussed romance novels with a blushing AI therapist… And the cherry on the cake: had kinky sex with a gorgeous alien warrior.
When a quiet return to Earth turns into an almost deadly mission, my universe is tipped upside down all over again. A young girl with a hero crush, jail time, connecting to my inner cyborg… A mere prelude to the most insane challenge I’ve ever faced. My take on it?
BRING IT ON!
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Sci-Fi; Ladies in Uniform
NEW AUDIOBOOKS
Not in the Script
by K.E. Morrison
narrated by Sara Vonn
Charlie Evans leads an ordinary life. Boring in fact, by many people’s standards. So, when she unexpectedly finds herself tutoring a student on set at Pinewood Studios, the last thing she imagines is that the lead actress is none other than global superstar, Robyn White. The same Robyn White her three closest friends have lusted after since they first met back at university a decade-and-a-half ago.
Robyn White might be renowned for her enormous smile on the red carpet and her happy-go-lucky attitude, however it’s all a well-constructed front. Behind the façade is a woman who struggles to fit in, not least because she has a secret, one which on-set tutor Charlie Evans threatens to expose.
With tensions rising all around them, will Charlie and Robyn’s attraction reach blockbuster heights or be discarded on the cutting room floor?
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Celebrity; Coming Out
Grounded
The Flight Series: Book 2
by Amanda Radley
narrated by Amy Putt
Olivia Lewis’ really big mistake has cost her the chance for forever with Emily White and her five-year-old son, Henry. Brokenhearted, she deals with romantic failure in the only way she knows how—by throwing herself into her work. Timely, considering her clients are leaving Applewood Financial in their dozens, and she doesn’t know why. Things go from bad to much, much worse when Olivia’s plane all but crashes into the tarmac and a chance encounter sends her straight back to Emily.
Emily doesn’t have time for forgiveness. She’s lost her job at Crown Airlines, and with no income, rising debts, and Henry’s unscrupulous grandfather making demands, romance is the least of her problems. But Henry really wants his friend Olivia back, and he’s not taking no for an answer.
For a second chance, Olivia and Emily will need to accept their mistakes, learn to communicate properly, and with a little help from Henry, fall madly in love all over again.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Rich Girl / Poor Girl
Safely Home
Friends and Lovers: Book 2
by Lyn Denison
narrated by Cat Gould
There’s a stranger in town.
Carolyn Winter is cool, in control, and content with her single life. She’s certainly not looking for a relationship. Been there, done that, not pleasant. She has all she needs at the moment. A new job and a new home.
And when someone, an attractive someone, is catapulted into her life, and keeps reappearing, she tells herself nothing can happen. It’s far too complicated. Isn‘t it?
A prodigal sister returns.
Tess Wainwright has never been in love. She knows she’s run away from everything. The only worthy thing she’s done is raise Bronte, and the nine-year-old deserves more than life has dealt her. Now it’s time for Tess to finish getting her life in order, find some normality, reunite with her older sister, and hopefully make a better life for herself and Bronte.
Of course the universe has never been Tess’ friend, and it looks like it’s running true to form. Her sister, an army nurse, is deployed to Afghanistan, but she assures Tess her friends will help her settle back into life in her home town. Liv, Mac, and Dee are doing just that, and Tess starts to think, universe aside, for once she’s made the right decision.
Then that same universe has a change of heart, quite literally, and sets two lonely women on a collision course.
Trigger warning: Mention of attempted rape.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Cute Animal; Single Parent; Return to Hometown
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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