In a follow up to our previous club read, No Man Is Her Master, the Sapphic Book Club is excited to participate in another virtual book tour for Lee Swanson. This time, we're celebrating the release of the last book in the series, She Serves the Realm. Check out the full article below to hear more about lesbians in the Middle Ages, the No Man Is Her Master series, and stay tuned to Goodreads for club member reviews.
Blumwald is a town overshadowed by an ancient curse: in a sinister castle in the depths of the wild wood lives a monstrous Witch. Once a generation, she comes to claim a companion to return with her – never to be seen again. Now that time is drawing near once more...
Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up – though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it.
Genres: fantasy, romance
On the worst day of her life, Madison is dumped by her girlfriend, then fired as said (ex)girlfriend’s campaign manager... plus she accidentally rear-ends the student government advisor―the one person whose good word might help her win a spot at a prestigious youth politics summer camp.
But Madison is nothing if not a girl with a plan, and she isn’t going to let a little thing like heartbreak (or a slightly dented bumper) get in her way. Soon, she has a new junior class president candidate to back―although the two of them might be getting a little too close on the campaign trail. Between navigating her growing crush and corralling a less than enthusiastic election team, Madison has had it with unexpected changes to her carefully laid plans. But when she and a group of queer classmates discover a pattern of harassment within the student government, Madison's forced to shift gears once again.
Genres: contemporary, romance
Taylor Fleming is a thirty-six year old Texas rancher who covets her independence enough to keep her life simple, no strings attached. As partner to her father’s vast cattle ranch, she has enough to keep her busy without taking on a serious relationship with any of the women who clamor for her attention.
When a neighboring aging rancher fills the Fleming’s life with aggravation and vandalism, Taylor is forced to confront the old man’s estranged daughter, Jen Holland. But convincing Jen to intervene becomes another task entirely.
After an accident leaves Taylor with imposed bed rest, her cowgirl independence is tested to the limit. Soon Jen is facing an ultimatum. To keep her father’s property from being sold on the courthouse steps, Jen must dust off her nursing skills and take on a job she could never have anticipated——being caregiver to the stubborn Taylor Fleming…
Genres: contemporary, romance
Prepare for competitive gaming like you've never seen it!
The Manhattan Mist have beaten the odds to land themselves in the national championships for Renegade Rule, one of the hottest virtual reality games in existence. But they're in for competition fiercer than they ever imagined, and one team member's entire future could be at stake. Four queer female friends will have to play harder than ever against self-doubt, infighting, romantic distraction, and a slew of other world-class teams if they hope to become champions.
Genres: graphic novel, contemporary, romance
Up and coming fanfic author Kaylee Beaumont is internally screaming at the chance to finally meet her fandom friends in real life and spend a weekend at GreatCon. She also has a side quest for the weekend: Try out they/them pronouns to see how it feels Wear more masculine-presenting cosplay Kiss a girl for the first time
It’s… a lot, and Kay mostly wants to lie face down on the hotel floor. Especially when her hometown bully, Miss North Carolina, shows up in the very same hotel. But there’s this con-sponsored publishing contest, and the chance to meet her fandom idols… and then, there’s Teagan.
Pageant queen Teagan Miller (Miss Virginia) has her eye on the much-needed prize: the $25,000 scholarship awarded to the winner of the Miss Cosmic Teen USA pageant. She also has secrets: She loves the dresses but hates the tiaras She’s a giant nerd for everything GreatCon She’s gay af
If Teagan can just keep herself wrapped up tight for one more weekend, she can claim the scholarship and go off to college out and proud. If she’s caught, she could lose everything she’s worked for. If her rival, Miss North Carolina, has anything to do with it, that’s exactly how it’ll go down.
When Teagan and Kay bump into one another the first night, sparks fly. Their connection is intense—as is their shared enemy. If they’re spotted, the safe space of the con will be shattered, and all their secrets will follow them home. The risks are great… but could the reward of embracing their true selves be worth it?
Genres: contemporary, romance
Blake Harrison’s star is rising. Preparing for her new museum installation, she’s trying to navigate her work, her newfound fame, and her reputation for volatility. She’s also trying to abide by her “monastic before a show” rule, and has no idea what to do about the stunning lawyer who insults her and entrances her in equal measure.
Jenny O’Toole is in a professional and romantic rut. Her career as a corporate lawyer is stifling, she's closeted at work, and her current relationship is with Netflix and wine. She’s not looking for a new girlfriend, and if she was, she certainly wouldn’t chase an irrational, pretentious conceptual artist like Blake Harrison.
It’s dislike at first sight—but when the artist and lawyer keep running into each other, the loathing turns to lust. As they weather Boston’s frigid winter, Blake and Jenny navigate their deepening feelings, and hope that their budding relationship can weather everything coming between them.
Genres: contemporary, romance
Shay Johnson has all the makings of a successful witch. Now that she's a junior at T.K. Anderson Magical Magnet School, she's one step closerto winning the full-ride Brockton Scholarship--her ticket into the university of her dreams. Her main competition? Ana freaking Alvarez. The key to victory? Impressing Mr. B, drama teacher and head of the scholarship committee.
When Mr. B persuades Shay to star in this year's aggressively inclusive, racially diverse musical--at their not-quite-diverse school--she agrees, wearily, even though she'll have to put up with Ana playing the other lead. But with rehearsals underway, Shay realizes Ana is...not the despicable witch she'd thought. Perhaps she could even be a friend--or more. And Shay could use someone in her corner once she finds herself on the receiving end of Mr. B's unpleasant and unwanted attention. When Shay learns she's not the first witch to experience his inappropriate behavior, she must decide if she'll come forward. But how can she speak out when the scholarship--and her future--are on the line?
Genres: urban fantasy, romance
Music producer on the rise Cyn Tha Starr knows what she likes, from her sickening beats in the studio to the flirty femmes she fools around with. Her ever-rotating roster has never been a problem until her latest fling clashes with Jucee, her best friend and the most popular dancer at strip club Sanity. It makes Cyn see Jucee in a different light. One with far fewer boundaries and a lot more kissing.
Juleesa Jones makes great money dancing the early shift and spends most evenings with her son, her Sanity family or at Cyn’s house. Relationships are not high on the priority list—until she’s forced to admit that maybe friendship isn’t the only thing she wants from her bestie.
But hooking up with your ride-or-die is risky. Jucee isn’t just Cyn’s best friend—Jucee is her muse. When Cyn lays down her beats, it’s Jucee she imagines in the club throwing it back to every note. If they aren’t careful, this could crash and burn…but isn’t real love worth it?
Genres: contemporary, romance
Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business. Mischief and little fingers around expensive materials? No thanks!
But then her gorgeous friend, Sarah Santoro, winds up in a custody battle with Sarah’s former in-laws and now… Well, somehow Andi’s agreed to pretend she’s Sarah’s live-in partner.
She’s still not quite sure how she got stuck playing a role she’s so utterly clueless about and that’s everything she doesn’t want in life. But as long as Sarah and Noa, the world’s cutest seven-year-old, don’t get a hold of her heart, she’ll be fine.
Genres: contemporary, romance
The world has ended. Now what?
When Bea wakes to discover she and her lover, Evian, are still alive after the apocalypse, things seem too good to be true. Soon, she begins to suspect they are. The more concerns she voices about their survival on an island paradise, the easier their lives become. Her attempts to ask questions are met by disinterest and anger from her partner.
Why can she not remember key details about her life before coming to the island? Why is she seeing and hearing things that aren’t there? How well does she really know Evian?
As suspicion and distrust continue to mount, Bea realizes the apocalypse was the least of her worries. But is there a way off the island, and is paradise really Hell?
Genres: horror, thriller, romance
Returning home after years of living as far from her wealthy family as she can, Lucy wants her great American road trip before she settles down. The vintage VW bus her arrogant older brother Jordan is selling off seems like the perfect vehicle for it.
But the bus in question is fiercely beloved by its real owner, Emma, Jordan’s wife. She’s not ready to let the bus go, but she is ready to get out of her marriage—and isn’t above hijacking her own bus to make that happen.
When Lucy’s vacation to find herself becomes Emma’s chance to remember herself, they realize that everything they’re looking for might already be sitting right next to them—if they’re willing to reach for it.
Genres: contemporary, romance
A beautiful Cupid, a runaway arrow, and a love that defies the stars…
Hannah is the number one Cupid on Archer Island six years running. She is beautiful, confident, and she never misses her mark. Ever. But on one fateful day, with her magical arrows drawn on two would-be office lovers, the unthinkable happens. Hannah misses her second mark, and she only has seventy-two hours to fix the mishap.
Payson Martin’s life is as unfulfilling as her job at a Las Vegas TV station. When a temp is suddenly assigned to her, she’s not sure what to make of Hannah, the striking woman who seems more interested in pushing her toward her co-worker than doing her job.
But the more time Hannah and Payson spend together, the more they begin to fall in love. Cupids are simply not allowed to fall for anyone, let alone someone meant for another. Loving Payson will mean giving up her duties and homeland, but is missing her mark the best mistake Hannah has ever made?
Genres: contemporary, romance
Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.
But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira.
Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.
Genres: graphic novel, fantasy, romance
Beck Birsching has been adrift since the death of her mother, a brilliant but troubled investigative reporter. She finds herself unable to stop herself from slipping into memories of happier days, clamoring for a time when things were normal. So when a mysterious letter in her mother’s handwriting arrives in the mail with the words Come and find me, pointing to a town called Backravel, Beck hopes that it may hold the answers.
But when Beck and her sister Riley arrive in Backravel, Arizona it’s clear that there’s something off about the town. There are no cars, no cemeteries, no churches. The town is a mix of dilapidated military structures and new, shiny buildings, all overseen by the town’s gleaming treatment center high on a plateau. No one seems to remember when they got there, and the only people who seem to know more than they’re letting on is the town’s enigmatic leader and his daughter, Avery.
As the sisters search for answers about their mother, Beck and Avery become more drawn together, and their unexpected connection brings up emotions Beck has buried since her mother’s death. Beck is desperate to hold onto the way things used to be, and when she starts losing herself in Backravel and its connection to her mother, will there be a way for Beck to pull herself out?
Genres: thriller, mystery, romance
Ashleigh McAllister’s life is a total disaster. Her ex dumped her for a guy, and she can’t seem to stop bumping into them in their suddenly way too small Brooklyn neighborhood. At least Mother Nature is on her side. Summer is here and the forecast is all sun. Ashleigh needs a little excitement, and things get exponentially hotter when Kellan Dwyer walks into her life.
Fresh out of the army, Kellan is killing time apartment sitting before returning home to a scripted future in Colorado. Her itinerary consists solely of having a blast. Ashleigh and Kellan decide friends with benefits is hot, and fun, and sexy as hell, but romance? Terrible idea.
With the New York City skyline as their backdrop, the summer heats up fast. They just have to keep their feelings in check before someone gets hurt. When opposites attract, can a summer of passion lead to a lifetime of love?
Genres: contemporary, romance
The dust may have just settled in the failed war of conquest between the Holy Vaalbaran Empire and the Ominirish Republic, but the last Emperor’s surrender means little to a lowly scribe like Enitan. All she wants is to quit her day job and expand her fledgling tea business.
But when her lover is assassinated and her sibling is abducted by Imperial soldiers, Enitan abandons her idyllic plans and weaves her tea tray up through the heart of the Vaalbaran capital. There, she will learn just how far she is willing to go to exact vengeance, free her sibling, and perhaps even secure her homeland’s freedom.
Genres: sci-fi, romance
