Are you looking for the best lesbian fiction and lesbian books to read? Then you’ve come to the right place. The list below represents a tiny fraction of my favourite must-read 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 19 must-read lesbian romance novels.
1. Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes a playful romance about a Manhattan bookstore owner and a reclusive author who love to hate—and hate to love—each other.
Books are Rosie Taft’s life. And ever since she took over her mother’s beloved Manhattan bookstore, they’ve become her home too. The only thing missing is her own real-life romance like the ones she loves to read about, and Rosie has an idea of who she might like to sweep her off her feet. She’s struck up a flirty online friendship with lesbian romance author Brie, and what could be more romantic than falling in love with her favorite author?
Jane Breslin works hard to keep her professional and personal lives neatly separated. By day, she works for the family property development business. By night, she puts her steamier side on paper under her pen name: Brie. Jane hasn’t had much luck with her own love life, but her online connection with a loyal reader makes Jane wonder if she could be the one.
When Rosie learns that her bookstore’s lease has been terminated by Jane’s family’s business, romance moves to the back burner. Even though they’re at odds, there’s no denying the sparks that fly every time they’re together. When their online identities are revealed, will Jane be able to write her way to a happy ending, or is Rosie’s heart a closed book?
2. A Lesbian’s Guide To Women by Eric Lee
Annalise Finch is content – she has a job she enjoys, lives close to her family and friends, and spends most Wednesday nights drinking wine with her grandma. According to her grandma, though, she has lost her sparkle, and the only solution is to join a site to hook up with other women. The only problem (aside from a meddling grandma with a dirty mind) is Annalise doesn’t like women. At least, that’s what she always thought, but when she meets Brinley Adams, she starts to question everything.
Brinley Adams loves women, but not commitment. She is more than happy picking up ladies at the bar she works at to have a little fun. When a hot blonde walks into her bar and completely fails to go home with the woman she came with, what choice does Brinley have but to take her under her wings?
Their arrangement is perfect – Brinley will teach Annalise everything she knows about pleasing a woman, and in turn, Brinley gets to have a little fun herself. Since neither of them are interested in any sort of commitment, what could possibly go wrong? It’s not like this is a romantic comedy.
3. Losing Sam by Nicola Maser
Jess Miller is a focused, driven high school senior whose only goal is to get into the strict Christian college that her late mother attended. But when another student gets picked for early admission instead of her, she can see her dream slipping away.
With only two months left until winter break, Jess gets one final chance to prove herself to the board of admissions by doing a volunteer project at the local rehab center. Although it’ll just be one more thing to add on top of her already packed academic and athletic schedule, she’s determined to make it work and secure her spot at Trinity University.
That is, until she meets Sam, the charismatic and mysterious girl she’s forced to volunteer with every day.
With time running out, and everything on the line, Jess must finally confront her inner demons and choose between what she’s always known, and what her heart truly wants. And she has to do it before it’s too late.
4. Hot Off The Press by K.E Morrison
When Great Britain has an unexpected General Election, political journalist Jenna Edwards is excited to go on the campaign trail. That is until she’s assigned to cover the Green Party and their attempt to win more than one paltry seat in Parliament. Disappointed, Jenna resigns herself to weeks of reporting on tree-hugging, plant-based diets, and renewable energies. The only bright spot? Well, that would be the hot brunette she seems to irritate with her very existence.
Senior Advisor to the leader of the Green Party, Sarah Clarke doesn’t have time for unreliable journalists, particularly ones who insist on making a bad impression. She has an entire campaign to oversee, leaving no room for distractions, no matter how attractively they might be packaged.
With election fever gripping the nation, will Jenna and Sarah give in to their headline-worthy chemistry, or will they end up a forgotten footnote in the annals of an election campaign diary?
Book Two of the Branded Hearts series.
5. Believing It To Be by Lauren Hart
As much as Nickie and Kate believe it to be, can their heated connection in this age-gap romance be irretrievably broken because of outside influences?
It’s been three months since Nickie received the call from Kate’s agent, the call that broke her heart. Nickie watches Kate on the TV and sees her holding hands with fellow actress Wyn Carson as they walk down the red carpet. Numb to the sight of them, Nickie decides to try online dating. Will this help to erase the tantalizing actress from her memory?
Kate is struggling to wipe her lake love, Nickie, from her memory so easily. Can the two sort through the sabotage from Kate’s manager to uncover the truth of what happened with the missed phone calls? Will life bring the two lovers full circle back to the lake, where they first found refuge in the simplicity of life and love?
The tiniest bite that Nickie has taken from the delicious-sounding life of a celebrity has turned out to be quite disgusting to eat, after all. As Nickie is thrown into the spotlight, navigating the ugly side of celebrity life is more than she is prepared to handle. Nickie’s first-hand experience with rabid fans gives her even more compassion for what life is like for actress Kate Bellina.
You will find heat, genuine friendships, a little celebrity drama and wedding bells signifying a guaranteed HEA.
6. Work In Progress by Olivia Lucas
Dear God, Can I please return her?
I know I asked for a hot, amazing woman to shake things up, but this is not what I had in mind. Not even close.
Sure, she’s a high-flying executive with mesmerizing eyes that hypnotize me, killer legs, wild hair –
Ugh.
Anyway, Reagan and I are polar opposites.
First of all – she is New York, I am small-town Harmon Valley.
She is also bossy, career-obsessed, and oh, a royal pain in my ass.
Now you’re telling me that we need to live AND work together under one roof for two months?
This is going to be a disaster.
Work in Progress is a light-hearted lesbian romantic comedy between two women from different worlds with plenty of laughs, chemistry, and a healthy dose of forced proximity.
7. Above All Things by Roslyn Sinclair
Aspiring writer Jules Moretti and iconic fashion editor Vivian Carlisle have been through the wringer.
As Vivian’s personal assistant, Jules was there for her ice queen boss’s whims, commands, and the shocking discovery of her pregnancy. Just as shocking was Jules’s realization that she was falling hard for Vivian…and that the feeling was mutual.
Now Jules is forging her own path. At the same time, how can she and her workaholic lover balance romance in the midst of backstabbing bosses, meddling families, and the impending arrival of a baby? Will their explosive chemistry fizzle, or can they take their relationship to a new level of passion—and commitment?
Above All Things is the second part of the two-book Carlisle series. This age-gap lesbian romance is a steamy tale of discovery, desire, and the rewards of opening yourself up to love.
8. Rescuing Hearts by Ruby Scott
A lesbian age gap romance about finding the softest hearts behind the highest walls.
When blocking out pain means never allowing yourself to be loved, can you really believe you are living?
For Kristi Ivers, a forty-four year old flight attendant, life has proved itself to be unfair. By her twenties she’d already had more than her share of pain. Alone and unable to process the ache of loss she finds in stillness, Kristi’s life has become a busy throng of perpetual movement. Between work, travel and volunteering at Corazon De Las Colina, a dog shelter in central Costa Rica, she believes she has a full and happy life…until one fateful flight to San José.
Fenna Vargas, is a pediatric surgeon who has just completed her neonatal fellowship, and has the world at her feet. With the support of a large family headed up by her Nicaraguan grandmother, Yaya, Fenna believes in love. All you have to do is be bold and passionate… But is life really that easy?
Can Fenna’s belief in all that is good break down the lifetime of barriers upon which Kristi has built her life? Will the optimism of youth be enough to overpower the sage lessons of reality?
This is an age gap sapphic novel of lesbian romance, which embodies the love of animals and the wisdom of Nicaraguan grandmothers.
Prepare to be enchanted.
9. The Value Of Silver And Gold by Michelle Larkin
When word gets out that former Boston homicide detective Reid Sylver can talk to the dead, the FBI solicits her help on a serial murder case. Reid has only one condition: the FBI must let her run the investigation with Detective London Gold and the rest of her team by her side.
London’s resilience is put to the test when she’s abducted by the killer they’re hunting. The one thing she has that his other victims didn’t is a close-knit team of detectives who are willing to color outside the lines of the law to find her.
Pressure mounts as Reid hits one dead end after another. The clock’s running out, and her team’s fresh out of ideas. There’s one tool left in Reid’s investigative arsenal. But using it scares her almost as much as losing the woman she loves.
10. Discovery by Melissa Tereze
Flirting is just a part of the job. Until their hearts change the rules…
Two years after extricating herself from an emotionally abusive marriage, high school teacher Caroline “Caz” Baker is still healing. Her friends, though, arrange a date with a hired escort to throw her headfirst back into the dating pool.
Caz tells herself to relax and just have fun, but the beautiful blonde with intense cobalt eyes stuns her tongue-tied. “Eva” is just doing her job, but there’s nothing forced about the electrifying desire streaking through Caz’s body.
Hannah is new to escorting, but she knows the rules. Flirt shamelessly, keep her heart separate. Yet the pain behind Caz’s beautiful green eyes—not to mention her luscious curves—makes it tough to remember the woman is just a client.
So tough, Hannah breaks the rules and gives Caz her real name. But when Hannah’s daughter gets into trouble at school, she is in for the surprise of her life. And the line between personal and professional gets hopelessly tangled…
Note: Discovery is a new lesbian age-gap romance from best-selling author Melissa Tereze. Contains a single mum just trying to make ends meet, a woman with a wounded heart, and one of the most awkward parent-teacher meetings ever.
11. Girlfriend Material by Katia Rose
It’s a good thing Allison Farley isn’t in love with her best friend.
They may both be star students in their costume design program, but when it comes to relationships, Allison and Kate are as different as their fashion senses.
Kate marches through life in combat boots and crop tops, breaking hearts as fast as she steals them and insisting anything more than an emotionless hook-up is a waste of time.
Allison knits her own sweaters, wears socks with tiny strawberries on them, and has spent two years of college utterly failing at her goal of getting a girlfriend before graduation.
Until the day it hits her: she’s got a master flirting coach right at her fingertips.
It doesn’t take much to get Kate on board; teaching her best friend the art of seduction seems like the perfect distraction from some of the inconvenient truths Kate would rather not face.
Like maybe she doesn’t hate relationships.
Maybe she’s just afraid of them—too afraid to reach out and grab one when it’s staring her in the face.
So it’s a good thing Kate Davidson isn’t in love with her best friend either.
It’s a good thing Kate and Allison are just taking part in some purely platonic flirting lessons and are absolutely, totally, definitely not falling in love.
Girlfriend Material is a New Adult WLW romance from Katia Rose featuring a little fashion, a lot of fabric, and a friendship that’s only a few snips and seams away from love.
12. No Rings Attached by Rachel Lacey
From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes the second installment in the Ms. Right series: a captivating romance about a reluctant bookseller finding love in unexpected places.
Lia Harris is tired of being the odd one out. She’s never quite fit in with her uptight family, and now that her roommates have all found love, she’s starting to feel like a third wheel in her own apartment. Fed up with her mother’s constant meddling in her love life, Lia drops hints about a girlfriend she doesn’t have. But with her brother’s London nuptials approaching, she needs to find a date to save face. Lia turns to her best friend, Rosie, for help, and Rosie delivers—with the fun, gorgeous Grace Poston.
Grace loves to have a good time, hiding her insecurities behind a sunny smile. Her recent move to London has provided her with a much-needed fresh start. Grace isn’t looking for love, and she hates weddings, having weathered more than her fair share of heartache. Friendships are different, though, so for Rosie’s sake, she reluctantly agrees to pose as Lia’s adoring girlfriend for the wedding festivities.
Both Grace and Lia are prepared for an awkward weekend, complete with prying family members and a guest room with only one bed. As it turns out, they get along well—spectacularly, in fact. Before they know it, the chemistry they’re faking feels all too real. But is their wedding weekend a fleeting performance or the rehearsal for a love that’s meant to last?
13. A Life Worth Living by Monica McCallan
Nora Gallagher can begrudgingly admit that she and Gray Ferris are both stellar Philadelphia real estate agents, but that’s the beginning and the end of the similarities between them.
Nora’s life has been in a self-imposed holding pattern for half a decade. Depending on people in her personal life only leads to disappointment, and she has no plans of making that mistake again.
Gray Ferris is extroversion personified. Bubbly. Conversational. Vibrant. She’s trying to make the best of life, even if it hasn’t always gone her way.
When the two women begin to learn that maybe they’re not as different as they think, they may finally figure out the most important thing they have in common when it comes to finding a life worth living.
14. When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
Caroline Parker knows three things to be true. First, she is going to be Boston’s most sought after divorce attorney by thirty-five. Second, given how terrible her romantic track record is, falling in love isn’t in the cards for her. And third, Christmas only brings her bad luck – being broken up with not once, not twice, but three times during the holidays is proof enough of that.
When she runs into Hannah Dalton on Christmas Eve, she has no reason to believe her luck will change. After all, though Hannah is probably the most gorgeous woman she’s ever seen, she’s also straight. And married to Caroline’s work rival. While being hired by Hannah throws her for a loop, winning a divorce case and sticking it to her ex-colleague should be enough of a thrill. But as the months slip by, bringing her closer to both Hannah and her adorable daughter Abbie, the lines between attorney and client begin to blur.
And she could have never predicted just how much she wants them to.
15. The Love We Make by Harper Bliss
Best-selling sapphic romance author Harper Bliss brings you a heartfelt romance about overcoming differences, found family, and learning to see yourself through the eyes of the person you love.
Nora Levine has everything she dreams of: a leading role on a successful tv show and a quiet life with her best friends, away from the spotlight.
When the new production company CEO takes an unusually hands-on approach to her job, Nora’s hackles go all the way up.
Mimi St James just wants the best for everyone: her large family, her colleagues and employees; even the aloof star of her company’s hit show. And she’ll go the extra mile to make all of them happy.
Nora can’t help but warm to Mimi’s kind nature—and what she first saw as meddling.
Mimi soon discovers there’s so much more to Nora—good and bad—than meets the eye.
Can these two complex, strong-willed women find their way to each other?
16. The Goodmans by Clare Ashton
The lovely doctor Abby Hart lives in her dream cottage in the quintessential English border town of Ludbury, home to the Goodmans. Maggie Goodman, all fire and passion, is like another mother to her, amiable Richard a rock and 60s-child Celia is the grandmother she never had.
But Abby has a secret. Best friend Jude Goodman is the love of her life, and very, very straight. Even if Jude had ever given a woman a second glance, there’d also be the small problem of Maggie – she would definitely not approve.
But secrets have a habit of sneaking out, and Abby’s not the only one with something to hide. Life is just about to get very interesting for the Goodmans. Things are not what they used to be, but could they be even better?
17. Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
A Best New Holiday Romance by PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, and more!
The author of the “swoon-worthy debut” (Harper’s Bazaar) The Charm Offensive returns with a festive romantic comedy about a woman who fakes an engagement with her landlord…only to fall for his sister.
One year ago, recent Portland transplant Ellie Oliver had her dream job in animation and a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. But after a betrayal the next morning and the loss of her job soon after, she finds herself adrift, alone, and desperate for money.
Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will give him his recent inheritance and alleviate Ellie’s financial woes and isolation. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover it’s Jack—the mysterious woman she fell for over the course of one magical Christmas Eve the year before. Now, Ellie must choose between the safety of a fake relationship and the risk of something real.
Perfect for fans of Written in the Stars and One Day in December, Kiss Her Once for Me is the queer holiday rom-com that you’ll want to cozy up with next to the fire.
18. Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters
Piercing the shadows of the naked stage was a single shaft of rosy limelight, and in the centre of this was a girl: the most marvellous girl – I knew it at once! – that I had ever seen.
‘Erotic and absorbing . . . Written with startling power’ New York Times Book Review
Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty’s dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.
19. Take Two by Miranda Mcleod & T.B. Markinson
They were the perfect couple until pride got in the way…
Gina Mitchells has a problem. The assistant professor is in charge of her college’s Pride festival committee, and the celebrity grand marshal they’d painstakingly recruited has just blown up the internet with a major scandal. Messing up the festival could ruin her chance to be approved for tenure. There’s exactly one famous person Gina knows who could save the day as a last-minute replacement.
The problem? The woman is Gina’s ex-girlfriend, and to say the relationship did not end well is an understatement.
Sophia Rossi has starred in so many squeaky-clean holiday romances since moving to Hollywood that everyone calls her the Queen of Christmas. An important new contract has her filming in a quaint New England town, but there’s a catch. It’s Sophia’s hometown, and surviving a month with her meddling, relationship-obsessed mother and sisters might be too much for Sophia’s sanity to bear.
When Gina reappears in Sophia’s life with a proposition, Sophia has one of her own. It’s a match made in heaven, if only they can get over their past heartbreak long enough to convince everyone they’ve rekindled their old spark. But can this fake relationship lead them to a second chance at love?
This book is part of the I Heart SapphFic Pride Collection, which contains eight standalone books from some of the top authors in sapphic fiction today. Each one promises a Pride theme and a happy ending. The collection was organized by I Heart SapphFic, which is a website for authors and readers of sapphic fiction to stay up-to-date on all the latest sapphic fiction news.
I hope you enjoy my 19 Lesbian & Sapphic must-read book recommendations.
Don’t forget to join my Facebook Group to keep up to date with the antics I get up to.
And more importantly, Sign up for Ruby’s newsletter and receive a free copy of Hot Response, a sapphic medical romance novella, plus bonus short stories. You’ll also be kept up to date on Ruby’s new releases, news, and giveaways.
This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission through qualifying purchases.
