Before we get to today’s new releases, including gems by Anna Stone, Erin Zak, Tiana Warner, Rita Potter, and many others, we have some announcements.
IHS SAPPHIC READING CHALLENGE
It’s week 29 of IHS’s Sapphic Reading Challenge. You can click here for reading suggestions for Forced Proximity / Stranded Together romances. 8 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.
FINAL DAY OF CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE
VOTE FOR FAVORITE CELEBRITY STORY
We asked readers on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram to nominate their all-time favorite sapphic Celebrity stories. Find out who made the cut and cast your vote. Voting is open until August 20 and then we’ll announce the top three on August 24.
FREE BOOK
Try Me Again
by Clare Lydon
What if lockdown means your ex moving back in? Dot is still bristling over Caitlin leaving when she turns up at her door, asking to stay. It’s just until Caitlin can get a flight to New York, to the glittering new life she dumped them for. But when the job falls through, Caitlin has to confront some home truths. Now she knows what she really wants, can she convince Dot to try her again?
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. IHS will not include books unless they receive an email from either the author or publisher.
Happy reading and listening,
TB, Em, Faith, & Miranda
ROMANCE
The Bodyguard Affair
Black Diamond: Book 3
by Anna Stone and Hildred Billings
Available in Kindle Unlimited
A spoiled heiress meets her match in a commanding bodyguard.
Bianca Black lives a privileged but sheltered existence. The youngest daughter of the wealthiest family in Seattle, she yearns to spread her wings and gain her independence. So when her mother insists she get a personal bodyguard to protect her from a threat she refuses to explain, Bianca isn’t happy. Until she meets her protector.
Founder and CEO of Rainier Protection Services, Sam Reddy has built her bodyguard firm from the ground up. She and her team are the best there is. When she takes on Bianca Black as a client, she’s expecting it to be a simple job. A young heiress is no match for a hardened military veteran like Sam, whose past has taught her to never let down her impenetrable guard.
But Bianca has a way of getting under Sam’s skin. And Sam longs to put the bratty princess in her place in more ways than one.
Embroiled in a scorching hot game of push and pull, temptation ignites. But with a malicious stranger targeting Bianca’s family and a secret threatening to shatter her world, she and Sam risk losing everything—from their budding relationship to their lives.
Don’t miss the final book in this red-hot series from bestselling lesbian romance authors Anna Stone and Hildred Billings. Each book in the series can be read alone.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; POC character; BDSM; Coming Out; Erotic Romance; Hot & Steamy
Finding More
by TJ Whittle
Tegan never imagined she’d find herself as a single mum but here she was, alone with three pre-schoolers. Despite being starved of adult conversation, she didn’t mind for the most part. Tegan loves being a Mum and her kids bring her so much joy. She doesn’t expect a relationship will ever come her way again. Three kids are a lot to take on and Tegan understands the chances of finding someone who would be prepared to fit in with her life would be next to impossible.
But is it really? Is it possible for not only adult conversation but true love and hot steamy sex?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Category: Single Parent
Guarding Evelyn
by Erin Zak
Available in Kindle Unlimited
After an unfortunate incident and a forced leave of absence from the Secret Service, Arden Ryan is moving back to Chicago where she can get over her failures in the comfort of her childhood home. Her parents, who are lovely, if not a tad overbearing, will provide the support she needs. Healing is hard, though, and when she’s prodded by her best friend to get back out there, Arden reluctantly takes a job guarding one of Hollywood’s leading ladies, Evelyn Glass.
Evelyn Glass disappeared from the silver screen unexpectedly when she decided to have a family. At least that’s what the public thinks. She’s making a comeback, though. After landing a role as the star on a top-rated television show, she feels invincible once again. As her ego starts to grow, so does her fan base, and attention, unwanted and otherwise, comes from every direction.
Evelyn and Arden butt heads at every pass. Evelyn’s desire to prove herself puts her in harm’s way more than once, until a situation occurs that put her children’s lives at risk. Her change of heart regarding not just Arden’s protection, but the attraction simmering between them, will change her entire life.
Can Arden prove her love means more to Evelyn than fame before it’s too late?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Category: Celebrity; Single Parent; Enemies to Lovers
The Rector’s Wedding
Hobbs: Book 8
by Elena Graf
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Rev. Lucy Bartlett’s life couldn’t be more perfect. She’s turned around her crumbling church. She’s finishing her doctorate and publishing her first book. Best of all, she is engaged to marry her soulmate, Dr. Liz Stolz.
Once a world-famous opera singer, Lucy has been coaching the church’s transgender music director, who hopes to relaunch her career as a natural alto. When Denise lands an audition with a major orchestra, she knows that the conductor is only using her to lure Lucy into performing again. To show her support, Lucy agrees to do the concert, but after the triumphant performance, she is inundated with offers for singing engagements. The temptation to restart her musical career throws everything in Lucy’s life in doubt—her faith, her future as a pastor, her fulfilling life in Hobbs, even her marriage to the woman she loves. As the big day approaches, nothing is going right. Can the women of Hobbs find a way to celebrate the rector’s wedding?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Love After 50: Celebrity; Grumpy/Sunshine; Friends to Lovers
Her Forbidden Affair
Arranged to Love: Book 5
by Alexa Woods
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Former military, Arista Kincaid is tough, a survivor who clawed her way to the top. A head of a multimillion business empire, she’s also running a top-secret security firm, her favorite baby.
They are the best, there hasn’t been a single job that her team failed. So when her old army buddy, the man who’d once saved her life in Afghanistan, asks her to protect his daughter, Arista knows she’ll be able to shield her from any of his powerful enemies.
As usual, she will just need to keep her distance, stay focused, and not get involved emotionally. But when she meets Sabella, nothing is as usual anymore.
Fierce, outspoken, and beautiful, Sabella is all Arista ever wanted. And a forbidden fruit.
As time goes on, it becomes harder and harder for Arista to resist Sabella and she must wonder: Is protecting Sabella AND her heart too tricky a job even for her?
Sabella Sullivan might be the daughter of a powerful, intimidating MC- president, but she is nobody’s spoilt princess. Her father taught her to fight for what she wants.
And what she wants is Arista. The detached ice-queen who’s trying hard to ignore her.
The older woman’s bossy aloofness, combined with her gorgeous looks, fuel Sabella’s desire and determination: She’ll stop at nothing to break down Arista’s walls.
Can their forbidden romance bloom? Or will their enemies douse the flame of passion before it has a chance to roar to life?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Enemies to Lovers; Ice Queen; Forced Proximity / Stranded Together
If It’s Meant to Be
by Skye Von Triessen
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Dr. Alexandra Edison lives a life that many would be envious of. A beautiful world-famous fiancée, more money than she could spend and a career that she loved. To honor her grandfather’s wishes, she moved from L.A. to Seattle to take over one of her family’s hospitals. When her perfect life fell apart, the last person she expected to be there to help her pick up the pieces was Dr. Blake Westmore. The woman who was cold and indifferent towards her since the day they met. But one touch from Blake made Alexandra questioned everything she knew about her life. In the end life forced her to make choices that could end up costing her more than she bargained for.
Dr. Blake Westmore thought she had all she needed. A career that she loved and her fill of women with no commitments as she did not do relationships. When her very engaged new boss arrived on the scene, the last thing Blake wanted was to be attracted to her. Despite doing everything in her power to stay away from Alexandra, when her world fell apart, Blake could not stay away. When she got her first taste of Alexandra, she knew there was no going back. Always in control of her emotions, Blake felt anything but in control around Alexandra. Consumed with lust and possessiveness, she just had to have her. Consequences be damned.
One night of passion turned into a week of romance in Paris. A week of romance in Paris turned into a love affair filled with passion that will change both women forever. Circumstances beyond their control forced Alexandra to choose between her past and her present and Blake thought she had no choice but to let her go. In the end life made choices for them and maybe it was just not meant to be, or was it?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Medical Character; Rich Girl / Poor Girl; Celebrity; Hot & Steamy
Broken
by Ami Spencer
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Callie Montgomery should feel happy with her life. A rising career, a business inherited from her father and a loving family surrounding her. Besides, she’s in a much better place than a decade ago, so she should be grateful, right?
But everything’s not always as it seems. Appearances can be deceptive. Unless that is, you’re faced with the return of the woman who can read you better than anyone.
Jackie Taylor thought she had found the woman she was going to spend forever with, until one day, she walked away without explanation. But twelve years later, life has dragged her back into the orbit of Callie Montgomery. She can see that something is plaguing the younger woman’s mind, but is she close enough to help her through it? And will she get the answers she’s craved for so many years?
When the woman who left you broken is the one struggling to hold herself together, what choice does she have but to be a friend? Especially when friends may not be where it stops…
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Age Gap; Second Chance; Character with Disability or Mental Illness; Hot & Steamy; Return to Hometown
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Between Boat & Shore
by Rhiannon Grant
Available In Kindle Unlimited
When Aleuks arrives in Otter Village, she’s looking for shelter from a storm and somewhere to trade. In Trebbi, she finds much more: a beautiful, confident woman who is serving her community and making space for love – for Aleuks. As the people of Otter Village come to terms with the death of their previous leader and work to appoint a new one, Trebbi comes into her own strength and Aleuks, previously a committed traveller, begins to realise that this is a place where she could settle down.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Slow Burn; Historical Fiction; Historical Romance; Forced Proximity / Stranded Together; Mystery
Worth a Fortune
by Sam Ledel
In the aftermath of the Second World War, Harriet Browning has thrived as the heiress to a lumber fortune, living lavishly among New York’s elite. Her father’s death reveals unexpected financial woes, and Harriet is left to face a sudden, harsh reality.
Ava Clark threw herself into the war effort when her brothers enlisted. Suddenly, the war is over, and she’s without a cause and a job. An ad for a personal secretary from Harriet—the woman she loved more than a decade before—surprises Ava and proves impossible to resist.
Harriet only wanted an assistant for a few months—someone to help sort out the mess her parents left. She never bargained for the woman who got away to show up at her front door.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Historical Fiction; Historical Romance
EROTICA
The Day of Wrath
The Wrath Trilogy: Book 3
by TJ Dallas
Available in Kindle Unlimited
A lesbian erotic novel featuring the Seven Deadly Sins. This sequel follows on from Wrath, War, and the Woe Trumpets.
The arrival of four fallen angels at Edwin’s Castle heralds the final stage of the prophesied biblical apocalypse. The devastation left behind by the Woe Trumpets is only the beginning of the trials and tribulations to be faced by the Horsewomen in this explosive finale. Whilst War steps up to prepare for the biggest battle of her life, Death has her own demons to contend with, and there is far more to Famine than meets the eye.
Bonds deepen as old and new relationships are forged and tested, and previously unknown powers are unleashed when it truly matters the most. Can the evil of the world prevail against God’s trusted archangels … for the greater good?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Magical Realism; Fantasy; Suspense; Character with a Mental Illness; Hot and Steamy; BDSM, Dystopian/Apocalyptic; Speculative Fiction
DYSTOPIAN
Betrayal
As We Know It: Book 3
by Rita Potter
Betrayal is the exciting conclusion to the As We Know It series.
The survivors at Whitaker Estate are still reeling from the vicious attack on their community, which left three of their friends dead.
When the mysterious newcomer Alaina Renato reveals there is a traitor in their midst, it threatens to tear the community apart. Is there truly a traitor, or is Alaina playing them all?
Dillon Mitchell and the other Commission members realize their group might not survive another attack, especially if there is someone working against them from the inside. Despite the potential risk, they vote to attend a summit that will bring together other survivors from around the country.
When the groups converge on Las Vegas, the festive atmosphere soon turns somber upon the discovery of an ominous threat. But is the danger coming from within, or is there someone else lurking in the city?
Before it’s too late, they must race against time to determine where the betrayal is coming from.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Category: Dystopian/Apocalyptic
Outland
The Badlands Series: Book 2
by Kristin Keppler & Allisa Bahney
The battle for the wastelands continues as Dani and Kate struggle to find common ground.
As White River burns, Danielle Clark wants revenge. She rejoins the Resistance, only this time, her friends are by her side. With Simon now in pursuit and her relationship with William wavering, her only hope to stay one step ahead of the fight is to trust her once sworn enemy and the general’s daughter, Katelyn Turner.
Back within the ranks of the National Armed Forces, Kate struggles to understand the push for power and dominance over the wastelands. Her time spent as a prisoner in White River has left her conflicted about her command, and her growing attraction for Dani has awakened a desperate need to protect her from a new lethal force introduced by the general.
Through it all, Danielle and Kate can’t seem to stay away from each other even as the war over the Badlands tests their loyalty to each other and to their people.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Ladies in Uniform; Enemies to Lovers; Dystopian
ACTION & ADVENTURE
Dark Justice: Garden of Eden
Book 2
by Erin Wade
Bestselling lesbian author Erin Wade continues the LGBTQ epic about two women who travel the world and beyond to uncover the mysteries hidden in the universe.
“Dark Justice: Book 2 – The Garden of Eden” continues the courageous adventures of Courtney and Sage Southerland, as they produce documentaries of the strange and unexplained. The truth is their secret is as dangerous, bizarre and inexplicable as any they document.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Thriller; Suspense
THRILLER
An Unusual Year
by Mia Kazi
Available in Kindle Unlimited
When flirtatious Jo wonders whether she has lesbian tendencies, she begins a relationship with Izzy, a fellow teacher.
Then, Jo moves on to Julia, and agrees to go on a holiday with her to Laos, where she meets Jonno, who isn’t what he seems, and he tricks Jo into becoming a drug mule.
Leaving Laos in great haste, Jo and Julia are stunned when Jonno appears threateningly at their flat in London, and Jo realises she has to solve not only the dilemma of his arrival, but also coming to terms with the fact that she has completely fallen in love with another woman.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Slow Burn; Fake relationship; Suspense; Girl Next Door; Toaster Oven; Coming Out; Thriller
Secret Sanctuary
by Nance Sparks
Alexandria Trenton is tired of living alone, but keeping secrets comes with a steep price. After growing up in witness protection, Alex is now a US deputy marshal specializing in protecting those awaiting trial. It’s a life that she simply can’t share, especially not when omitting the truth feels so wrong.
Alex’s world is turned upside down when her mentor passes away and his granddaughter, Elina Hawkins, shows up at the ranch the marshals are using to hide witnesses. Will the ranch be able to continue the sanctioned work? Or will she get a new assignment and be pulled away from the only place that feels like home? If she stays, can she resist the attraction she feels for Elina?
Even love has to wait when danger threatens everyone at the ranch. It’s the fight of Alex’s life to defend the secret sanctuary, and most importantly, protect Elina.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Thriller; Animals
FANTASY
The Valkyrie’s Daughter
by Tiana Warner
From the time she was born, Sigrid has only ever been ordinary. Being paired at birth with a plain horse—instead of the powerful winged mare of a valkyrie—meant there would be no warrior path for her. No riding the skies, no glory among the nine worlds. Just the simple, unremarkable life of a stable hand.
Everything changes when a terrible enemy ambushes Vanaheim and Sigrid sees a vision of herself atop a mythical stallion, leading the valkyries into a harrowing battle. Finally, she can grab her future with her own two hands and become the hero of her own story…if she dares.
But her destiny is tied up with Mariam, a fallen valkyrie who’s allied herself with the very enemy Sigrid is trying to stop.
Now Sigrid has left ordinary behind as she begins a journey with the beautiful—if treacherous—valkyrie, each step bringing her closer to answers…and to awakened feelings for Mariam.
Only, the life Sigrid has escaped may have been paradise compared to the one she’s racing toward. Because her destination is the realm of the dead: the gates of Hel.
2022 Reading Challenge Categories: Fantasy Romance; Fantasy; Cute Animal/Pet; POC Character; Enemies to Lovers; Young Adult
FANTASY ROMANCE
An Island For Two
by Ophelia Silk
Available in Kindle Unlimited
What Dela Longoria wants, Dela Longoria will have.
At the moment, the high-class elf wants to build a massive party mansion on the little island in her private lake. She won’t be put off by the mysterious orc woman threatening her project. But when Dela is stranded on the island during a storm, she discovers the mysterious orc is not just threatening, but a threateningly attractive, reclusive farmer, committed to living alone with the natural land. She’s also one of its prior owners, and she won’t let her treasured island sanctuary to be bulldozed over for a party mansion without a fight.
What Dela wants, though, Dela is still determined to have.
She makes a deal with the orc: for one week, she’ll let the woman show her the wonders of the island’s untouched wilderness. There’s no harm in that; no chance Dela will actually change her mind about her party mansion. But as Dela doubts her own desires for the first time, she realizes her longing for a party mansion might be covering up an emptiness that more revelry can’t fill.
A specific someone, though—someone dedicated, levelheaded, and handsome—might be the very thing she does need, if she can only break through the woman’s stubborn determination that the world beyond is a menace and prove that two people really can make an island a home.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Fantasy Romance; Animal; Rich Girl / Poor Girl; Enemies to Lovers; Sweet Romance; Ice Queen; Forced Proximity / Stranded Together; Grumpy / Sunshine; Asexual / Demisexual
Feyville: Changeling
Book 1
by Scott Kujawa
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Jenny never knew her grandmother existed until receiving the notice her relative left her cottage to her granddaughter. Moving from the east coast to Feyville wasn’t what Jenny expected, nor did meeting Dana, her neighbor. It didn’t take long for Jenny to learn about the reasons her mother refused to discuss her childhood and the town she was born in. Living in a town settled by the fey meant Jenny learned about her heritage, although it might not have been something she expected to happen when she moved there.
Dana was the sheriff/paramedic of Feyville. It was her duty to make sure the fey understand the consequences of their actions, jail those who took their desire for chaos too far and protect everyone living in town. When Jenny arrived, she was the first to greet her neighbor and answer the questions Jenny might have about living among the fey.
Neither expected their friendship to deepen into something more.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Fantasy Romance; Animal; Magical Realism; Paranormal Romance; Ladies in Uniform
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Sweet Tooth
by C. A. Hall
Available in Kindle Unlimited
The fastest way to a werewolf’s heart is through their stomach, and for Liv, a sugar-crazed maniac, this couldn’t be any closer to the truth.
Tarts, cupcakes, pie… so long as Liv gets her rush, she doesn’t care. But when a new baker arrives in town, Liv’s wolf develops a craving for the woman standing behind the counter.
Kate’s smart, beautiful, and as kind as they come. She’s also very human. This normally wouldn’t be a problem for Liv, but with family traditions tying her down and Kate leaving in under a month, there’s no way things will ever work out.
That’s what Liv keeps telling herself anyway. However, the closer they get to Kate’s departure, the harder it is for Liv to let go.
Can Liv find a way to calm the beast within? Or is this one craving she can’t ignore?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Paranormal Romance; New Adult
SCI-FI ROMANCE
Homeworld
The Dennamore Scrolls: Book 3
by Gun Brooke
After leaving Earth’s orbit behind, the spaceship Velocity and its crew hurtle through the galaxy toward their alien ancestor’s homeworld, Dwynna Major.
Trouble arises when Chief Engineer Claire Gordon’s neural interface device malfunctions, and she secretly struggles to retain the knowledge desperately needed to keep the Velocity running. Adding to her fear of failing, Claire’s falling in love with the only crew member who’s untouchable—Captain Holly Crowe.
Holly’s only priority is to keep the crew safe as they face the unknowns of interstellar space. Maintaining the strict rules and regulations of her captaincy is the only way she can lead, even if it distances her from the rest of the crew. When Claire’s failing interface puts them all in danger, however, Holly’s rigid approach to command is called into question.
Will Holly and Claire continue their mission to Dwynna Major even if it puts their lives and their hearts at risk?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Speculative Fiction; POC Character
NEW AUDIOBOOK
Alstrom
by Jane Retzig
narrated by Naomi Rose-Mock
2019…in Spain, at a remote mountain retreat center, Tyra Alström is facing her 65th birthday alone.
It wasn’t always like this. In 1976, Alstrom, the band formed by her brother, and fronted by Tyra, had just recorded their first album and were about to embark on a European tour. After years of the pub, club, and college circuit, they were finally on the verge of success. And as one of the few “out” singers in 1970s rock, Tyra had never been short of admirers.
But away from the spotlight, Tyra’s life was spiraling out of control. In love with a woman who was out of bounds, haunted by the dark secrets in her family, and fighting a constant battle against crippling performance anxiety, she was descending rapidly into dependence on drugs and alcohol.
When she walked away, she wrecked the dreams of everyone she loved.
Forty-three years later, she’s still living in self-imposed exile. She can’t imagine anyone ever forgiving her, because she finds it impossible to forgive herself.
But then an old Alstrom song makes a surprise entry into the charts. The band are reforming…and she discovers that the love of her life is free at last.
Can she face her demons and come home?
And is it ever too late to say you’re sorry?
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Categories: Second Chance; Return to Hometown; Musician
Lessons in Murder
Detective Inspector Carol Ashton: Book 1
by Claire McNab
narrated by Caroline Lee
On a hot summer day at Bellwhether High School in Sydney, Australia, teacher Bill Pagett lies murdered, the hole in his head accomplished with neat efficiency by a Black & Decker drill.
Detective Inspector Carol Ashton investigates, bringing with her a formidable reputation for competence. She soon uncovers tangled relationships and motives for murder among the six teaching staff, along with a maze of malicious anonymous letters and threatening phone calls. And then there is yet another corpse.
Carol’s investigation is further complicated by the flashfire attraction between herself and prime suspect Sybil Quade. Carol fights her desire, knowing its potential to compromise her investigation. Nor does Sybil welcome an “unnatural” obsession with the alluring woman who is inexorably gathering the evidence to convict her of multiple murder.
2022 IHS Reading Challenge Category: Mystery
SAPPHFIC BOOK CLUB
JAE’S SAPPHIC BOOK BINGO
BUY US A COFFEE
Running IHS takes the four 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!
TB, Em, Faith, & Miranda
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