Age-gap is one of the greatest sapphic tropes and hundred of authors use this to captivate their readers. There’s something fascinating about the relationship of two women who each think the other is out of her league. The flirting and admiring of the the 2 main characters creates page after page of tension for the reader. Will there be fireworks? Will the feelings be reciprocated? Will there be a cliffhanger?
So if you are looking for your next sizzling age-gap lesbian romance book, then check out the 15 sapphic novels below.
The list below represents a tiny fraction of my favourite must-read age-gap Sapphic books. All my love goes out to the amazing authors, who are paving the way when it comes to genre and boundary-pushing, writing dark and toxic love stories, unlikeable women main characters, or writing a cracker of a sapphic novel with the brightest dedication to love and kindness.
I read all my lesbian books on my Kindle Paperwhite, I just love it and take it everywhere with me so I can read all the best sapphic fiction book recommendations. With the Kindle Paperwhite’s built-in front light, I can fall asleep to a good lesbian book without leaving the lamp on and disturbing my wife. It comes with Bluetooth connectivity too, so I simply pair my airpods and doze off to a best-selling lesbian audiobook. The display has increased to 6.8″, so it‘s even easier to read, but it’s still super easy to pop in your bag or jacket pocket. The best bit though is that it is waterproof, so when I was recently on holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia I could lounge by the swimming pool whilst still being immersed in a good sapphic book. With 8 GB of storage and up to 10 weeks of battery life will see any bookworm like me through a holiday.
Don’t have time to read them all? Why not try listening to these great lesbian romance books? Audible is a great platform for listening to audiobooks because it offers a wide selection of lesbian books, including bestsellers and exclusive content. With Audible, you can listen to your favorite Sapphic books on the go, whether you’re commuting, working out, doing household chores, or simply relaxing in bed. Simply connect your headphones or airpods to your favourite device and you are good to go.
The Audible app also has features like adjustable narration speed, a sleep timer, and the ability to create bookmarks, making it easy to customize your listening experience. Audible offers a membership program that gives members access to a certain number of audiobooks per month, making it a cost-effective option for avid listeners.
Audible is great for people who want to maximize their time and make the most out of their daily activities. Try Audible plus and get up to 2 free audiobooks, and get instant access to a great choice of lesbian & sapphic audiobooks, along with a credit to purchase any title in their premium selection, regardless of price (including many of the books on this list!)
So without further ado, here are my top 15 must-read lesbian age-gap romance novels.
1. Exclusive by Melissa Brayden
Her new job as an on-air reporter in sunny San Diego is a big break for Skyler Ruiz. No more covering small-town softball games or vegetable growing competitions. She’ll be working at the same station as her TV mega-crush and longtime idol, anchorwoman Caroline McNamara, and that doesn’t hurt either.
Unfortunately, people don’t always live up to expectations.
Skyler’s hopes of impressing Caroline are dashed when she discovers Caroline has little time for newbie reporters and is downright unwelcoming. But when Caroline drops her guard, Skyler is left with her head happily spinning, her heart wide open, and oh-so ready to explore a romance she never saw coming.
So, of course, the network pits them against each other.
It’s only when Skyler is ready to sacrifice everything she’s ever dreamed of for Caroline does she begin to suspect love is nothing but fake news.
2. Destination You by J.J. Arias
Fantasy Becomes Reality in this Super Steamy Age-Gap, Ice Queen Romance
When 27-year-old free-spirit Taylor Lopez flies back to Miami to attend her high school reunion, she doesn’t expect to run into Mrs. Alonso — her former history teacher — at the airport. The fact that Taylor’s crush on the intense woman comes roaring back to life is not a surprise, but she wasn’t expecting the attraction to go both ways.
Raquel Alonso’s life is too full for romance. Back in Miami to receive an award from the students she taught a decade earlier, the 46-year-old intends on using the rare weekend away to relax. Her plan is disrupted by her undeniable, and inappropriate, chemistry with Taylor.
Unable to stay away from each other, Raquel and Taylor give in to lust. But what happens when it’s time to say goodbye? Can Raquel really keep pretending their time together was just a fling?
If you like super steamy age-gaps hot enough to melt even the coldest ice queen, you’ll love this provocative romance with a ton of heart.
3. Forgive Not Forget by Emily Banting
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?
4. Tempting Her by Chloe Peterson
When her boss asks her to pretend to be her fiance to secure a client, personal assistant Carly is caught between a rock and a hard place.
If she goes through with the agreement, she’ll have the bargaining power to get something she’s wanted for a long time. But that means traveling to Singapore and spending twenty-four hours a day with a woman she’s starting to find difficult to resist.
Carly goes on the trip with the best of intentions but quickly realizes that the connection between her and Robin is far more complicated than she ever thought. Heated glances and stolen kisses are just the tip of the iceberg…
5. Healing of The Heart by Ruby Scott
Prepare for some heart-stopping moments. My best-selling lesbian romance series continues.
Meredith Asquith is a talented neurosurgeon at the top of her field.
That is as much as anyone knows… but who really is the woman behind the scalpel? Is there nothing to tell, or too much to reveal?
When her professional path is crossed by Emily Porter, a beautiful young psychologist, whose job it is to assess the top surgeon’s mental fitness to operate, Meredith’s contained life begins to unravel forcing devastating choices to be made
Sometimes the strongest forces of nature belie a very fragile truth… the only certainty is change.
Prepare for loss, angst but most of all hope in this slow-burn medical romance with a sexy little age gap. Just when you think you know where life is taking you… think again.
6. If I Don’t Ask by E. J. Noyes
Rebecca Keane has it all figured out. With a successful career as an Army surgeon and a fresh promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, she loves her life leading a surgical team. Even if that life means she’s spent years hiding her sexuality and ignoring her desires under the Army’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Then Captain Sabine Fleischer’s arrival sets off an attraction that cracks Rebecca’s carefully cultivated armor and brings about fresh complications.
As Sabine’s direct commanding officer, Rebecca knows she cannot act on her attraction, but that knowledge does nothing to squash her desires. Unable to keep her thoughts about the alluring other woman under control, Rebecca resigns herself to years of censoring her thoughts and feelings until Sabine’s time in the Army is done. She’s spent decades suppressing parts of herself for her job, so what’s a few more years?
But as Rebecca and Sabine work closely together on Army bases in Afghanistan and the States, the undeniable sparks between them begin to ignite. And despite Rebecca’s constant self-censure, her denials and her knowledge of every obstacle standing between them, her resolve crumbles with each passing day. But when the consequences of your love run deeper than just breaking one of the unbreakable rules of the military, you risk losing more than just your heart.
If I Don’t Ask is the must-read story telling Rebecca’s side of E. J. Noyes’ best-selling Ask, Tell.
7. At First Glance by Melissa Tereze
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.
8. Learning To Trust by Kallie Mont
“Parker?”
Parker loved that voice and she adored hearing it say her name. But in this moment, it scared the shit out of her.
In the sleepy coastal town of Doveport, the pot isn’t just stirred—that bitch is boiling over.
Maggie and Parker are new… like, brand-spanking-new. But for all of their flirting and butterflies and romantic intention, the universe has devised one giant beaver-dam.
Maggie is already falling for the woman of her dreams, but that same woman might very well be leaving by the year’s end. With a mourning best friend, a transitioning career, and parents who are squarely on the wrong continent, Maggie can barely catch her breath, let alone figure out how to convince Parker to stay.
Add in a pickle-thieving cat and a first date consisting mostly of fish bones, and you’ll start to get the picture.
Parker’s found the kind of excitement and acceptance she never knew was possible, but it’s with a woman thirteen years her junior. Plus, she came to Doveport to start over, not to stay. Working on a short-term contract meant that she would have the freedom to go anywhere after this stopover.
She’d never expected to be in another relationship, especially this soon, but when you find someone that feels like home, how can you leave?
9. The Red files by Lee Winter
Rival reporters team up for the story of their careers in this lesbian romantic suspense filled with humor, twists, and one fierce ice queen.
Ambitious Daily Sentinel journalist Lauren King is chafing on LA’s vapid social circuit, reporting on glam, A-list parties while sparring with her rival—the formidable, icy Catherine Ayers.
Ayers is an ex-Washington DC political correspondent who suffered a humiliating fall from grace, and her acerbic tongue keeps everyone at bay. Everyone, that is, except knockabout Iowa girl King, who is undaunted, unimpressed and gives as good as she gets.
One night a curious story unfolds before their eyes: One business launch, 34 prostitutes and a pallet of missing pink champagne.
What on earth does it mean? King and Ayers join forces but they might find a lot more than just a passion for news on the dusty road to Nevada.
10. Taste by Kris Bryant
Determined to fulfill her dream of becoming a chef and winning a coveted scholarship to study cooking in Italy, Ki Blake rushes in late to the first class of her final semester at Kirkwood Culinary Academy and is stopped in her tracks by Taryn Ellis, the school’s newest instructor. A beautiful and accomplished chef, Taryn has walked away from her promising career in the city’s top restaurant to devote her life to her five-year-old daughter.
Ki and Taryn try their best to resist the urge to give in to the undeniable chemistry between them. And when at last they begin a passionate affair that must be kept a secret, they are each convinced it’s only a short-term fling.
It’s up to both Ki and Taryn to decide whether they have found something genuine or whether the taste of romance they’ve had is truly enough.
11. Her Most Secret Affair by Jesalin Creswell
“How did women in the past deal with their forbidden desires? In Her Most Secret Affair, Jesalin Creswell gives us an intimate look into the lives of two women and a historical brothel that brings them together—and leaves them forever changed.”
Miranda Dashwood was born wealthy, but now she struggles to survive. Her deceased father’s gambling debts have crippled the household. With no skills and no experience, Miranda resigns herself to the world’s oldest profession and loathes every moment of her new life… Until she meets Valerie. Valerie Wilde is the Madam of The Crimson Manor, an exclusive and successful brothel. When one of her most popular girls leaves, Valerie has to find another, fast. Her clients are demanding and discerning, and Valerie’s task is no easy one: most harlots are too unrefined, too vulgar… Until she meets Miranda. Confused by their desire for one another, the women are drawn together by their forbidden feelings. And all the while, Valerie is terrified that Miranda will leave her for the life of a kept mistress. But Miranda has her own ideas on what the future holds, and will do whatever it takes to make her vision reality.
12. Something’s Different by Quinn Ivins
An ice queen boss knows there’s something different about her assistant, but she can’t put her finger on it. A fun twin-switch lesbian office romance.
Unemployed academic Caitlyn Taylor comes home to family drama. Her carefree twin Chloe plans to ditch her job to visit a guy she met online. Caitlyn steps in to impersonate Chloe so she won’t get fired for skipping town. Unfortunately, this means answering phones for an icy, dismissive boss.
Busy college president Ruth Holloway never paid much attention to her mediocre assistant. Suddenly, “Chloe” demonstrates insight into faculty politics and a baffling talent for analytics. And since when has she been so attractive?
Caitlyn dreams of getting closer to her sister’s boss but how can she? Everything they’ve shared has been based on a lie.
13. Perks Of Office by Liz Rain
When your new boss is hot as hell, what hope is there for a poor lovestruck office worker? A light-hearted, age-gap lesbian office romance with sexual tension leading the polls.
After high-powered politician Bridget O’Keefe sweeps into the uninspiring life of Australian electorate officer Emma Ives, nothing is the same again.
Hapless, hopeless Emma is smacked with an instant crush on the polished woman who’s her new boss…her hot, untouchable, straight boss. Yes, she knows she’s an idiot because unrequited lust at work is a terrible idea. Even so, she can dream.
One long night changes everything. A political scandal leads to a fall from grace and Emma suddenly finds herself the one Bridget turns to for comfort. There’s a lot for Emma to wrap her mind around, even as her body loves wrapping itself around Bridget’s curves.
Is it just a meaningless night of passion, nothing more? Because there’s absolutely no way ambitious, beautiful Bridget wants anything more from Emma. Is there?
14. The Music And The Mirror by Lola Keeley
When new dancer Anna isn’t nervous as hell around her ice queen ballet mentor Victoria, she’s falling in love with the beautiful and powerful woman. This age-gap, workplace lesbian romance is a sizzling, award-winning page-turner, whether you’re into ballet or not.
Anna is the newest member of an elite ballet company. Her first class with her mysterious idol, Victoria, almost ruins her career before it starts. When she shows she might be a potential star, Victoria chooses Anna to launch a new season around.
Now Anna must face down jealousy, sabotage, and injury, not to mention navigate the circus of friends and lovers within the company. The pressure builds as she knows she must pour everything she has into opening night and prove to her rivals and herself that Victoria’s faith in her is not misplaced.
In the process, Anna discovers that she and the daring, beautiful Victoria have a lot more than a talent for ballet in common, and that not every thrilling dance can be found on stage.
15. Another Stupid Love Song by Miranda Macleod & Em Stevens
The stage is set for success… and heartbreak.
Maxine Gardner is a rock and roll legend who hasn’t had a hit in years. She’s on a mission to get her old band back together for a once in a lifetime reunion tour that could save her floundering career. The problem? One band member is dead and the other hates her guts. To get this tour off the ground, Max must put her fate in the hands of a younger woman who could easily steal the spotlight from her for good.
Jade Weathers is a gifted musician whose mother and aunt were founding members of one of the hottest girl bands of all time. Following her mother’s untimely death, Jade’s overprotective aunt is determined she choose a stable career with the local symphony. But Jade was born to be a rock star. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to live her dream… even partner with the one person she shouldn’t trust. The woman who ruined her mom’s career.
Their agreement is supposed to be nothing but a means to an end. Yet the more time Max and Jade spend making music together, the harder it becomes to ignore the attraction crackling beneath every note. Is it possible everything they’ve believed about the other is completely wrong? This tour could lead to true love, or it could tear the band apart… along with their hearts.
How much will they be willing to sacrifice for success?
I hope you enjoy my 19 Lesbian & Sapphic must-read book recommendations.
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