Happy Summer!! Time to get your reading list ready for the holidays. To help you out to choose, here are our recommended lesbian books for June 2019. We have nine new releases plus our usual last year and lesbian classics recommendations. Enjoy!
Recommended new releases:
Traditional romance:
‘Fear of falling’ by Georgia Beers
Sophie James has been an internationally renowned singer since she was a teenager. When her lifelong manager dies, she finds herself lost and missing him like a father. As a substitute manager, Sophie’s record company sends Dana Landon who is resourceful, hard-working and gorgeous. As their attraction develops, Sophie has ideas to change her career which clashes with the recording company’s plans. Will Sophie and Dana be able to avoid conflict and have their happily ever after?
Overall, an entertaining celebrity romance that won’t disappoint Georgia Beers’ fans. 4 stars.
‘A heart this big’ by Cheyenne Blue
Australian farm owner Nina Pellegrini runs a programme for city kids to experience rural life. When a lawsuit threatens to ruin her small business, Nina seeks help from Leigh Willoughby, a big city high-powered lawyer with no interest in country life. But somehow, big-hearted Nina and her challenging daughter manage to convince Leigh to help them. As the lawyer gets the defense prepared, she discovers that farms can be fun and that Nina is as beautiful as kind-hearted.
If you are looking for a slow-burn romance with a light side of legal issues, then you’ll probably like this book. It’s well-written, entertaining and it gives a glimpse of the beauty of the Australian countryside. 4 stars.
Fantasy:
‘The Sovereign of Psiere’ by K Aten
Psiere is a world that combines old and new with massive pyramids, two suns, and violent sea people below the water. The Queen seeks to make the world a better place for all Psierians but her daughter, Royal Sovereign Connate Olivienne Dracore, seeks only to solve the Divine Mystery. Because she is the heir, Olivienne travels with a security force and resents it every moment. But when Commander Castellan Tosh takes charge of Olivienne’s security team, sparks fly from the moment they meet and things only get hotter as they chase down the clues to the greatest mystery of all time.
If you like action and adventure, bits of fantasy and steampunk, and of course a good romance, don’t let this book pass you by. It’s a great start to a series. 5 stars.
‘Raven, storm and shadow’ by Nita Round
This is the third installment of Round’s ‘Touch of Truth’ series. In the shadows, treachery and betrayal grow unseen. The state funeral of Princess Olivia at Port Ruth marks the end of the Mistress of the night. Yet, as Lucinda, Magda, and Ascara attend this grand ceremony, a storm of secrets and lies emerge from the shadows and threaten to destroy them all. Even when they make their way home, peace and safety are still not theirs. Malice and betrayal, hidden and out of sight, find them. The shadows reach out and engulf them in a storm of darkness and pain. For the trinity of Raven, Fire and Ice, there can be only one way forward, but at what price?
I would absolutely recommend this series to fantasy and or steampunk fans. I love this highly imaginative world and characters Round has created. 4.5 stars.
Sci-Fi:
‘Across the dark horizon’ by Tagan Shepard
The main premise is about a woman named Gail, who runs a corporation owned prison on the moon. The prisoners work to mine minerals no longer found on Earth. This prison holds some of the worst of the worst, convicts who may have been put to death if the death penalty wasn’t fading in public approval. While the moon base has been running well for three years, the prisoners have bided their time and successfully taken over half of the moon’s base. It is time for some of the Army’s best, led by Major Charlene “Charlie” Wolf, to work with Gail to take the prison back.
Overall this was a fun and entertaining read. It was nice to read something different, and Shepard always writes well. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a book with some action. 4 stars.
Erotica:
‘Laid bare. A collection of erotic lesbian stories’ by Astrid Ohletz & Jae (editors)
This is a collection of eleven short erotic lesbian stories edited by Astrid Ohletz & Jae for Ylva Publishing. Some of these works have been published previously as stand-alone. Normally the quality of the stories in these compilations is mixed but I’m happy to say that in this case all of them are really good. My favourites are ‘Flashbang’ by Lee Winters, ’58 Seconds’ by Harper Bliss, ‘Houseshare’ by A.L. Brooks, and ‘Worth the wait’ by Jae.
Overall, a very good collection of lesbian erotica stories, not to be missed if you enjoy the genre. 4.5 stars.
Recommended debut books:
Young Adult:
‘Full of promise‘ by Kate Gavin
Cameron Leoni is about to start her senior year of high school. Between helping her mother take care of her two younger brothers and working at the library to save money for college, there’s just barely enough time for anything but soccer. Riley Baker is the new girl in town. Though she’s been out to her parents and friends back home, she’s reluctant to share that information with her new classmates. Cam and Riley will have to navigate the emotional halls of high school, friends and family as they realize there might be more than just friendship growing between them.
If you are looking for a YA book that is a feel-good romance, this would be a perfect pick. 3.5 stars.
Drama-Romance:
‘The Song of the Sea‘ by Jenn Alexander
A little over a year after losing her newborn son, Lisa feels stuck in her grief and depression. When she gets a phone call from her brother announcing his wife is having a baby, Lisa knows she has to run away to the one place she has ever felt some real solace, the ocean. Lisa decides a long stay at a small beach town where her Great Aunt still lives, might just be what she needs to get her life back on track. But when Lisa meets Rachel and her son Declan, her feelings for them shock her. What kind of relationship can she have with them when she is still grieving for her child?
I’m happy to say that I was really impressed by this drama-romance. Not only can Alexander write, but she knows how to make a reader feel. 4.5 stars.
Romance:
‘Always a love song‘ by Charley Clarke
When golden girl pop star Bridget Callahan’s broken engagement comes out, she heads back to her hometown for the first time in five years to write songs for her next album. And maybe while she’s there, she’ll finally be able to face the woman she left behind who she never let go.
Bar owner Alex Marlow has spent the past five years mending her broken heart by pretending she doesn’t have one. But Bridget’s return disrupts her ordered life and brings all those chaotic, buried feelings back to the surface. Can they forgive each other and themselves for mistakes made when they were younger?
I would definitely recommend this book to people looking for a good emotional romance. This really is one of the best second chance romances I have read. 4.5 stars.
Last year’s book that you should read:
‘Chosen’ by Brey Willows
In a little over 80 years, the world has been ravaged by another world war and the climate is heating up faster than anyone could predict. While some cities are underwater, others have turned into deserts. The population has been decimated by natural disasters and disease. There are fewer and fewer good places left to live. Devin, a geologist, and Karissa, a scientist, find themselves being picked up by a military convoy at their homes. They are forced into the truck with other scientists not knowing where they are being taken. All they know is they are chosen by the government for something. Before they can even get answers, their convoy is attacked by raiders. As Devin and Karissa try to survive, they can’t help but grow closer. And when they find out why they are called the ‘Chosen’, they realize their lives will never be the same.
I would recommend the book to post-apocalyptic romance fans. 4 stars.
Classic lesbian book of the month:
‘Tell it to the bees’ by Fiona Shaw
First published in 2009 and now turned into a movie, ‘Tell it to the Bees’ is a story of forbidden love in the 1950s. Lydia Weekes is distraught at the break-up of her marriage. When her young son, Charlie, makes friends with the local doctor, Jean Markham, her life is turned upside down.
