Welcome to week 38 of the 2022 IHS Sapphic Reading Challenge.
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 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.
Now for this week’s category: Musician. We paired it with International Music Day, which is October 1. 8 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 for Musician week: September 26 through September 30
Foundation
by Serena J. Bishop
FREE $0.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
This humorous short story bundle contains three intertwined tales that take place before the events of the novel, Leveled.
Sleepless Nights
by Iona Kane
$0.99 $5.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
Sexy drummers and rock’n’roll
Successful singer Alex Knight invites burned-out 80s icon Tyra MacLean and her band on the biggest job of their lives. As they tour the US can Tyra forget past trauma, and Alex get over her fears to make their tour and their relationship a success?
A Fan to Remember
by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue
$0.99 $4.99
When Spike takes over the band’s public relations, she is suddenly knee-deep in fan mail, and much to Jemma’s dismay, she spends most of her time on her new position. However, when threatening e-mails begin to come in from Fangirl38, Spike finds herself at odds, and before she knows it, the whole band is caught up in a mixture of suspense and terror.
Music City Romance
by Jenn Bridges
$0.99 $3.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
With witty dialogue, drama, charming Southern characters, friends that are family and heartwarming romance.
Skylar’s always been good at keeping her love life casual. Now, she has the career she’s always wanted and the kind of house she’s dreamed of. Only to find both lonely without someone to share it with. The problem, she’s never been in a serious relationship much less in love. That all changes when Leigh literally comes screaming into her life. Leigh has been unlucky in love and burned one too many times. She tells herself that she needs to take a little break from romance. With Skylar newly in her orbit she finds herself immediately drawn in. It’s impossible to deny the feelings Skylar stirs up in her. She finds herself falling hard and fast.
Skylar has never been too concerned with what the gossip mags say. But a scandal rocks her world threatening to steal her happily ever after. Will she and Leigh be able to come out stronger on the other side? If you’re looking for the perfect mix of sweet and spicy look no further. A love story with a satisfying relationship and a happy ending.
Kismet Kind of Love
by Madison Locke
$1.99 $2.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
Brittany Taylor never thought she could fall for a woman, until she met Staff Sergeant Jamie Berg. Brittney fell hard and fast. She had been warned to be careful with her heart, when it came to Jamie. When Jamie suddenly ends their relationship because she was going to be deployed for 6 months and didn’t want Brittany to stop living her life. Brittany is heartbroken and angry. She begins spending time with her new friend Kate Adams. She finds herself falling for Kate and the next 6 months flew by. Jamie returns to rekindle their romance. Where will Brittany’s heart land and how will this impact her plans for her future.
Another Stupid Love Song
by Miranda MacLeod & Em Stevens
$2.99 $6.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
The stage is set for success… and heartbreak.
A rock and roll legend must team up with a younger musician to save her floundering career.
A scorching enemies to lovers, age gap, rock star romance by bestselling lesbian romance authors Miranda MacLeod and Em Stevens.
On The Record
by Raven J. Spencer
$2.99 $3.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
Out and proud lesbian singer/songwriter Emmy Whittaker is not amused when her manager books her on Andrea Stone’s show. She has worked hard to build a following. That includes many younger fans who trust her to have their backs.
Stone, who has a reputation for hearing differing opinions on controversial issues, doesn’t fit the bill. For the concessions Andrea has made, she’s been rewarded with a stellar career and considerable wealth. In her opinion, the sacrifices have been worth it.
Meeting Emmy shakes her beliefs.
A fateful decision they make leads her to understand that sometimes, the cost of compromise can be too high…
Macon’s Heart
by Nicole Pyland
$2.99 $7.99 (Also in Kindle Unlimited)
Macon Greene is a reluctant, world-renowned violinist. She’d never had a problem playing for a crowd as long as she wasn’t giving a solo. Her friends never seemed to notice her reluctance. In fact, her friends seemed to only really notice one thing about Macon – she always had a different woman around her. Sometimes, she’d flirt. Sometimes, they would. Rarely would it go anywhere. Unfortunately for Macon, she had a bit of a reputation.
Joanna Martin had a new profession and a new group of friends. Things were looking up in her life, with the exception of love. She’d never been able to find the right guy for her. Of course, she was spending a lot of time with a group of lesbians these days through her friendship with Emma Colton. That might have something to do with it. While Emma had found her soulmate in Keira Worthy, Joanna was starting to wonder if she’d ever find the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
As Joanna and Macon’s friendship becomes the most important relationship for both women, Macon wonders if she’ll ever have the courage to tell Joanna how she feels or if she’ll just have to find a way to get over it. Joanna hadn’t ever thought of being with a woman until she started spending all her free time with the beautiful and remarkably talented Macon. Suddenly, both women have a lot to think about.
Keep reading for more suggestions!
I, Volcano
by Eule Grey
According to ancient rhymes, the islanders of Ansar and Skarle are children of the volcano, born of fire and destined to be lovers. After the eruption, the prophecies are forgotten as all are forced to flee. Nobody cares about silly nursery rhymes now, certainly not Jalob.
When shy medic Jalob Baleine heads to war, it isn’t for romance. She only wants to help refugees who have no home or allies. Because they are kin. Jalob was born under the same glowering volcano, on an idyllic island surrounded by dolphins. Like the refugees, she fled the lava and secretly cherishes the old ways.
She falls asleep, ignoring the pull of tides, and dreams of a loving touch. Who doesn’t? And sure, maybe Jalob hasn’t felt whole for years, but war isn’t the time for fantasies. She keeps to herself and hopes someone else will sort the war out. One woman can’t heal the world. After all, she has enough to do, what with tending the sick and her supervisor, Susan, always on her back.
Then Jalob meets stroppy violinist, Corail Esplash. After an explosive introduction, they’re forced to spend time together. Stress makes them long for a reprise, and a fragile line dances between love and hate. Inevitably, the young women exchange island stories. Corail is head-strong and rude, a typical Ansar who loves to tease and be chased. And Jalob—strong, loyal, from Skarle—has such fast legs… Could the old rhymes about destiny be right? Ah, fate.
Death and war are relentless enemies, and difficult choices lie ahead. Can a shy girl rekindle the power of a dead volcano and harness the ocean? One woman can’t heal the world, but maybe Jalob is the only one who can save Corail.
Stand By Me
by Callie Hall
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Finding love is easy. Keeping it is something else entirely.
For Evie Lane, running her father’s bookstore is her life. From the aged building to the used books themselves, her world revolves around her father’s hard work and the memories he left behind. But when someone drops off a box of old journals in the middle of the night, she’s torn between respecting the author’s privacy and caving under her sister’s curiosity.
The journals could’ve belonged to anyone, but out of all the people Evie expected to find in her bookstore, the infamous Cassidy Blake wasn’t among them.
Singer, songwriter, and Evie’s first crush, Cassidy’s life isn’t as glamorous as she’d like her fans to believe. Between an overly protective manager and the loss of her mother, what Cassidy really needs is a friend, a friend she easily finds in Evie.
Falling for Cassidy wasn’t part of the plan, but when the fire burns at both ends, it’s only a matter of time until someone gets hurt.
With Cassidy’s tour right around the corner and their words so far apart, can these two women find a way to close the distance between them? Or is Evie destined to stand on the sidelines forever?
Hammers, Strings, and Beautiful Things
by Morgan Lee Miller
Blair Bennett’s only twenty-four but already has an impressive résumé. A sought-after songwriter, she’s written an arsenal of hit singles for other artists. Now she’s ready to conquer the music industry with her own band, and touring with the biggest pop star in the world, Reagan Moore, will get her exactly where she wants to go.
It’s a lot harder than Blair expects, especially when she has to cope with the loss of her grandfather. She develops a close bond with Reagan, whose quick wit and easy charm keep her on her toes. As their attraction blossoms, Blair shows Reagan how to have fun again despite her fame, and their impulsive adventures ignite feelings neither can deny.
Everything would be fine, if only Blair could keep it together. But her unhealthy ways of dealing with her grief and her troubled past jeopardize not only her budding music career but her relationship with the only woman she’s ever fallen for.
Happy reading!
Faith, Em, Miranda, & TB
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