This page was originally published on January 9th, to highlight the books impacted by the deranking issue on Amazon. Those books can be found below.
Unfortunately, the ranking issue is still impacting sapphic books. While books aren’t being deranked, the reporting has been so slow, sometimes not adjusting for over 24 hours. This greatly impacts new releases.
IHL wants to help raise awareness, so here are the most recent books caught up in the ranking debacle.
JUST ONE DATE
by Chelsea M. Cameron
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Hollis Carr never expected her city-loving self moving to Castleton, Maine, and living in a converted barn. She’s not totally hating the slower pace of life in Castleton, but one thing she can’t handle is the pressure from her mother and her sister to find a nice person to settle down with. Hollis doesn’t do love, period.
Only after immense pressure does she agree to go out with Julia Williams, her sister Ellie’s co-worker. Julia is petite and bright and shiny in a way that Hollis finds completely irresistible, not to mention she’s not as innocent as she seems. Hollis can’t believe her luck when Julia says that she only agreed to the date to get a persistent suitor off her back. She proposes an arrangement that will benefit them both: pretend to date for the summer, then have a massively public breakup, and go their separate ways.
One small, very tiny problem: Hollis has fallen utterly in love with sweet, bubbly Julia. She closed off her heart many years ago and was convinced that no one could make her feel that way again. Will Hollis risk everything for love? Or will she slam the door and walk away forever?
NIGHT FLOWER
by Hildred Billings
Available in Kindle Unlimited
When Noelle walked away from her adult entertainment gig, she never thought she’d return. Not with a comfortable corporate career in her life. Yet shortly after being laid off, she’s back to escorting the region’s wealthiest women… and growing more tired by the night.
An opportunity to take on a single patron opens Noelle to searching for full-time employment and dating again. Noelle wants to fall in love. Have a family. Remember what it’s like to be with people who love her for who she is, not what she can provide.
That’s how she meets Claire on a dating site. And that’s how her world quickly spirals out of control.
DISCONNECTED
by Annette Mori
Vanna has always felt like something was off with her parents, leaving her feeling oddly disconnected. She decides to move across the country and establish a new and independent life after college. On the way to her new position in Flagstaff, Arizona, Vanna meets out and proud Trey, who loves to flirt.
Trey has never forgotten the beautiful young woman she met briefly and is determined to ensure their paths cross again.
Thousands of miles from home, Vanna finds out more about herself, but not her feeling of being disconnected from her parents. Will Vanna ever form the connection she desperately seeks? Does Trey’s determination work out?
THE PROPOSAL
by TB Markinson
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Is a single day worth changing the course of your entire life?
Marley Royce has just two goals for her seventy-two-hour stay in London: land a career-making business deal and finally meet the woman of her dreams face to face.
Fate has something else in mind.
The mega conglomerate Marley works for wants to acquire the venerable but struggling Braithwaite Books. The centuries-old shop is owned by Cleo Braithwaite, a woman with a fierce and frightening reputation. Cleo turns out to be nothing like the rumors but refuses to sit still long enough to be dazzled by the meticulous spreadsheets and slides Marley has prepared to seal the deal. Instead of making her proposal, Marley soon finds herself on an impromptu walking tour of London with the charming Cleo.
Even though Marley has a dinner date that night with the woman she’s been chatting with online and was convinced was her soulmate, she can’t ignore the feelings her bewitching guide stirs up inside as they explore the historic city on foot. What’s more, the longer she’s with Cleo, the more Marley begins to question the business deal she’s been sent to make.
Should Marley stick with the plan, or is a single life-changing day with Cleo worth blowing up the future Marley was so certain she wanted?
Best-selling lesbian romance author TB Markinson, has written a heartfelt and quirky novella about finding love when you least expect it.
AND THEN SHE KISSED ME
by Harper Bliss
When a trip down memory lane sparks an unexpected journey to love…
TV cop Sadie Ireland needs a break from her Hollywood life. She heads home to the beach town where she grew up to celebrate her 40th birthday with her family.
Devon Douglas can’t believe it when she comes face-to-face with Sadie again. They were inseparable in high school until Devon did something she has regretted for more than twenty years—she ruined their friendship on a lovestruck whim.
Sadie is as dazzling as Devon remembers—and she can still hold her own surfing the wild waves of Clearwater Bay.
Devon’s first priority is her five-year-old son, but getting to know Sadie all over again is taking up more and more of her headspace.
Sadie is inexplicably drawn to Devon. It could be nostalgia. It could be remnants of their old friendship flaring up. But what if it’s more than that?
Best-selling lesbian romance author Harper Bliss brings you a steamy, big-hearted romance about two women who used to be best friends, until a teenage crush destroyed it all.
THE WRITING ON THE WALL
Holiday Series: Book 1
by Nicole Pyland
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Weston White just got dumped right before the New Year and hasn’t ever felt particularly lucky in love. Her only love has been writing and working on this novel she’s been trying to finish for years now. Finally, feeling like she’s ready to put it out to the world, she decides to get a literary agent to help her get published. Little does she know, her book getting published would be the second best thing to happen to her this year.
Annie Halifax is the third generation part-owner of The Halifax Agency, a literary agency that’s been dying on the vine for years with the advent of self-publishing. Her job is to carry the torch for the family and ensure the agency doesn’t go under on her watch. When her father decides to retire and, instead, puts her uninterested and sometimes flighty older sister in charge, Annie is left to figure out why and find her new place, either at the agency or somewhere else entirely.
When Weston meets Annie, she’s taken aback instantly, but navigating through getting her first book published while also falling in love with the agent representing her, isn’t easy. And with Annie trying to find out what her future looks like at the agency on top of it, things get complicated.
Watch these two women try to make things work just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Here’s the original list of sapphic books that were hit by the recent Amazon deranking fiasco. Please note, this is not a complete list, just the ones IHL has learned of. If you know of others, please let us know.
PARTNERS
Unexpected Love: Book 2
by Jae
Ice queen Dee has never before shared the top spot with anyone. Running a new company with her girlfriend, Austen, is taking some getting used to, especially since Austen doesn’t deem knocking heads together to be an acceptable leadership choice.
When disaster strikes at work and their management styles clash, they’re forced to figure out how to be as good together as business partners as they are lovers. It might take compromises and donut bribes, but they’re determined to find a way.
“Partners” is a short story sequel to Jae’s award-winning lesbian romance Under a Falling Star.
A CLOSER LOOK
by Michele L. Rivera
Available in Kindle Unlimited
With Boston’s queer community teeming with single women, professional dating coach Harley Cooper’s incomparable match-making abilities are in high demand. Harley attributes her success to her unwavering resolve to maintain professional boundaries with her clients. Of course, her cool demeanor and charming smile don’t hurt. But when Harley meets her newest client, she not only loses her cool, she wavers.
Tessa Pearson is one of Boston’s most acclaimed wedding photographers. And although she has a talent for capturing love on film, she has no desire to be in a relationship. She’s happily committed to her bachelorette lifestyle. Tessa’s best friend, however, has other plans for her.
The last thing Tessa wants is to work with a dating coach. Harley is Tessa’s worst nightmare: prying, overly confident, and guarded. Yet somehow she’s become the star of Tessa’s fantasies.
The last thing Harley wants is to waste her efforts on someone who doesn’t want to date. Tessa is jaded, stubborn, and uncooperative. So why can’t Harley stop thinking about her?
All Harley has to do is her job. All Tessa has to do is play along. But the more time they spend together, the more blurry the lines between work and play become.
THE NUMBER 94 PROJECT
by Cheyenne Blue
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Renovation takes a sexy turn when a cute country girl rocks up with a tool belt and plans that throw the whole gay neighbourhood into disarray in this light-hearted lesbian romance.
When handywoman Jorgie’s uncle leaves her an old house in Melbourne, it’s a dream come true. Sure, 94 Gaylord Street is falling apart, and she has to deal with her uncle Bruce’s eccentric friends thanks to his unusual Will.
But that’s okay. She’ll fire up her power tools and turn the dilapidated terrace house into a desirable inner-city pad. Then she’ll sell up and head home to the country.
Jorgie hasn’t counted on falling for cute neighbour Marta, who’s found her heart-home among the tight queer-community of Gaylord Street. Between mugs of too-strong tea and Jorgie’s lack of a working shower, the two forge a surprising connection.
But what happens when the renovation’s complete? Can Jorgie really just toss aside her tool belt and saunter away?
CUFFING SEASON
by Monica McCallan
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Maeve Murphy doesn’t have much to celebrate this holiday season. Ten years ago, she moved from Kingsford with no intention of returning. But home came calling, in the form of her mother’s unexpected death. The least thing Maeve wants is to make friends—she’s only back in Kingsford to help her father keep the family business, Murph’s, afloat.
Bianca Rossi, whose father is the chef at Murph’s, moved to Kingsford four years ago from the hustle and bustle of New York City. She loves everything about the charming little river town, and her positive attitude and willingness to engage is usually reciprocated by the Kingsford locals.
Maeve’s been resistant to Bianca’s attempts to strike up a friendship so far, but a little holiday magic may be just the thing they need to push them both in the right direction.
Cuffing Season is a 65k full-length standalone romance novel set in the world of Back in Your Arms.
GUARDED DESIRES
Mistress: Book 4
by Anna Stone
Available in Kindle Unlimited
A headstrong bodyguard. An heiress who expects to be treated like a queen. A dangerously hot combination.
Bodyguard Carmen Torres is a professional. She gets the job done, she doesn’t get attached to her clients, and she does not mix business with pleasure. When she gets a job as personal bodyguard to domineering heiress Amber Pryce, she has no intention of breaking those rules, no matter how enticing she finds her client. But Amber has other ideas.
As the sole heir to the Pryce family fortune, Amber is accustomed to being treated like royalty. Anything she wants, she takes. That includes Carmen, the stubborn bodyguard Amber hired to protect her from a mysterious stalker. Amber is determined to have Carmen bow to her. And even though Carmen won’t allow herself to admit it, she craves the sweet surrender that Amber commands.
Engaged in a fiery game of seduction, tensions heat up between the two women. But with an unhinged stalker on Amber’s trail, the stakes keep rising, putting both women’s lives at risk, along with their hearts.
Don’t miss the fourth book in the sizzling-hot Mistress series. Each book in the series can be read alone.
JUST ONE MISTAKE
by Jade Winters
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Can just one mistake change your life forever?
When Louise meets her friends for pre-Christmas drinks, little does she realise how her life will change when walking home that night.
In the aftermath of a car accident which leaves Louise in hospital, she forms an unlikely bond with Kirsty – the sister of the other accident victim. After the initial shock of what happened wears off, Kirsty and Louise begin to question if it was really just an accident.
As they work together to uncover the circumstances surrounding the crash, romance blossoms between them but their fledgling relationship is tested when nefarious forces try to spin the narrative to conceal a darker truth.
Can Louise and Kirsty overcome the odds and stay together? Or will the shocking reality tear them apart?
Just One Mistake is a romantic-suspense novel that will keep you guessing until the very end!
AT FIRST GLANCE
by Melissa Tereze
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Everything they never wanted…is everything they’ll ever need.
Faye Holmes’s life is the polar opposite from her racy, bestselling romances. It’s quiet, routine, and, at the moment, plagued with writer’s block. If only just a little of the passion burning up the pages of her books would warm her lonely bed. But to be honest, one-night stands aren’t her thing.
When her best friend buys her a lap dance to celebrate her latest bestseller, Faye is more than shocked. She’s intrigued by the stunningly beautiful dancer whose gentle eyes seem vaguely familiar.
Talia isn’t surprised that her favorite coffee shop customer doesn’t recognise her. Few would connect Talia, mild-mannered barista, with Adria, pole dancer and star of Liverpool’s hottest new strip club. And that’s how Talia wants it. It’s safer this way.
In the glaring spotlight though, no truth can hide for long. For two women from different worlds, falling in love can be a delicious dance—and a dangerous game. Not only for their careers, but for their hearts.
2022 IHL Reading Challenge Category: Age Gap
THE AWKWARD TRUTH
by Lee Winter
This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.
Ambitious ice queen and corporate lawyer Felicity Simmons has spent her life focused on one thing: scuttling up the career ladder. She’s achingly close to taking charge of a media empire for her boss when she’s sent to investigate a South Bronx charity that helps homeless people’s pets.l
Has the charity made off with her boss’s generous donation? And who on earth is that gorgeous soft-butch veterinarian who looks as if she could toss a Shetland pony over one shoulder? Not that Felicity has any interest in some opinionated Amazon or her adorable fleabag of a dog.
Felicity is quite sure she will not be distracted, thank you very much. She has a minor mystery to solve, a mentor to impress, and her life’s dream to fulfil. Even if a distraction might be exactly what she needs.
The Awkward Truth takes place during the last half of Lee Winter’s The Brutal Truth but can easily be read as a standalone story.
FOOL FOR LOVE
by Rachael Sommers
Is a lost love ever really gone? A beautiful, small-town lesbian romance about broken hearts, hope, and second chances.
After her father’s death, property developer Chloe Roberts has only one goal: to renovate and sell the old family house as quickly as possible so she never has to return home ever again. The last thing she expects is to run into Amy Edwards, the first woman she ever loved.
Dairy farmer Amy is deeply shaken by Chloe’s sudden reappearance. Burnt bridges from bad teenage decisions still fill her with regret. What if she reaches out, though? Just a little? Can some bridges ever be saved?
As the childhood friends grow closer, old feelings start to resurface. Should those old, aching wounds be left in the past, along with all the mistakes they might only repeat? Or should the women again risk their hearts trying to conquer the distance between them—one last time?
CHAMPAGNE KISSES
by MJ Duncan
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Flying solo at a wedding is the absolute last way Aubrey Gill wants to ring in the new year, so when she rolls into Whistler for the event, it’s with one goal in mind—survive the weekend. The Fates have other plans for her, however, as Beau Demers crashes into her life the moment she arrives. Young, gorgeous, and irresistibly charming, Beau quickly slips past her defenses, and Aubrey finds herself with a “date” for the weekend after all. It’s all for show, of course, except for the part where it’s the truest thing she’s ever known. And as the festivities go on, Aubrey can’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe a kiss from Beau at midnight could lead to her own happily ever after.
CHRISTMAS SHORTS
by Jade Winters
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Read these two, previously released, Christmas romance short stories in one place!
The Perfect Present
Two strangers…
One shared wish…
Will Christmas magic make it come true?…
Melody is a Christmas Grinch. Still reeling from a childhood tragedy that struck on Christmas Eve, the last thing she wants to do is celebrate. Her holiday spirit is further diminished when she discovers her girlfriend cheating on her. She’d rather deck her than deck the halls.
In the hope of cheering her up, Melody’s best friend persuades her to drop a wish in Santa’s post box. Though Melody’s reluctant to trust in love again or believe in Santa, she asks him for the gift of true love.
Holly is a cynical singleton. Having no special someone to spend Christmas with makes it even worse for her. On Christmas Eve, things take an unexpected turn when her father makes a request: he wants Holly to deliver a gift to a woman whose identity remains a mystery.
Could this be the year that Melody and Holly get all they want for Christmas?
A Christmas Kiss
When romance pessimist Emma finds herself under the mistletoe with the enigmatic Zara, she doesn’t think the encounter will last longer than a night. Will it take more than a Christmas kiss for Zara to find a place in her heart?
A WOMAN UNHINGED
by TB Markinson
Available in Kindle Unlimited
Lizzie Petrie thought she’d gotten her life under control, but everything seems to be unravelling right before her eyes.
As COVID-19 starts to recede, Lizzie has new battles to fight in epic Lizzie fashion.
Whether it involves getting the twins ready for kindergarten, the threat to the planet, or starting a new media company, Lizzie is being pulled in so many directions she doesn’t know which way is up.
There’s one fear in particular that’s threatening to upend her world as she knows it.
Is Lizzie strong enough to conquer the A-word, or will it be the thing that wrecks her grasp on reality?
A Woman Unhinged is the hilarious and heartfelt ninth installment of A Woman Lost, a series of contemporary lesbian romances. If you like quirky characters, complicated family dynamics, and well-crafted prose, then you’ll love following Lizzie’s continuing saga.
If you know of other sapphic books that were deranked, please let us know so we can add them to the list to help with exposure.
