Happy Easter wherever you are! April has been good for lesfic fans with loads of new releases by new and established authors. Here are our recommended books including romance, suspense, sci-fi and paranormal. As usual, we include a debut novel, a lesfic classic and last year’s book you should read. Plenty to read while enjoying your Easter eggs!
Recommended new releases:
Romance:
‘Not the marrying kind’ by Jae
Ashley Gaines is a florist adamant to remain in the closet as she lives and works in a conservative small town. Her neighbour and bakery owner Sasha Peterson is a pansexual who likes to stay away from relationships. Living in a small place, they know each other but aren’t friends. When they are asked to help organising Leo and Holly’s wedding, they start sharing more time together and eventually realise that they are attracted to each other. But Ashley is determined to stay in the closet and Sasha isn’t the marrying kind anyway. Will they find their happily ever after? Overall, an entertaining, sensual and fun slow-burn romance which raises deep issues of sexuality and coming out. 4.5 stars.
‘Pretending in paradise’ by M Ullrich
Caroline Beckett is a PR specialist hired by travelwisdom.com to save them from a possible defamation lawsuit caused by the reckless actions of travel blogger Emma Morgan. When Emma is invited to travel to Miami to review a couples retreat, she jumps at the opportunity to redeem herself. But that chance comes with the condition that her travel companion has to be Caroline and they have to pose as a couple. Pretending to be in a relationship can be a hardship when they cannot stand each other but, as time goes by, both women discover that their early dislike for each other is turning into the complete opposite. Will they have a chance to make their fake relationship real?
Overall, a sweet slow-burn romance with well written characters and great chemistry. 4.5 stars.
Suspense:
‘Meant to be me’ by Wendy Hudson
Engineer Darcy Harris is on a quest to find long-lasting love and no one will stop her, not even a creepy stalker or her demanding best-friend. A chance encounter with Eilidh Grey has the potential to develop into something meaningful but as the stalker’s threats escalate, all three women get involved in a dangerous game in which no one knows who they can trust.
Sci-Fi:
‘A lover’s Mercy’ by Fiona Zedde
This is a sequel to Ylva’s Superheroine Series Book 2 ‘The Power of Mercy’ which features Mai Redstone, also known as Mercy, a superheroine who patrols the streets of Atlanta to save people from danger. While this book can be read as a standalone, we recommend that you pick its prequel first. If you liked ‘The Power of Mercy’, chances are you might even like this one better. Having more romance/relationship between the mains was a real treat. 4 stars.
Paranormal:
‘A night claimed’ by Domina Alexandra
Bonnie is a paramedic that lives for helping people. One night she comes upon a car with their hazards on and jumps to help. Even with Bonnie taking precautions, she doesn’t expect to be horribly attacked by an animal. Bonnie’s life is about to change in ways so could never have imagined. This was the kind of entertaining werewolf story I was hoping for. It’s not perfect, but it was a fun read. 3.5 stars.
Fantasy:
‘The Soulstealers’ by Jacqueline Rohrbach
In this world, magic comes at a steep price. When Druids come of age they steal and trap the soul of a person to leach magic off of. Arnaka is turning 16 and it is now time for her to get a soul familiar. The problem is the girl that must die to have her soul trapped by Arnaka is her best friend. Arnaka promises her friend that she will do everything in her power to stop any more people having to die for magic. Can Arnaka fight all that stands against her to keep her promise? This book has some great adventures, some good magic battles, and well thought out characters. The story itself felt refreshingly new. It did make me feel a little melancholy because it is on the sadder side. Overall I would still recommend this to YA fantasy fans. 4 stars.
Recommended debut book:
‘Painted over’ by Sofi Keren
This is a story about two best friends that have a falling out that leads to them not speaking for a decade. When a flat tire re-connects them, they must decide if they can pick up where they left off or is there too much heartbreak in the way. This is a second chance romance with some angst (but not too much) and likable main characters. Sofi Keren is definitely an author I will keep my eye on. 3.5 stars.
Last year’s book that you should read:
‘Waking the dreamer’ by K. Aten
Around a century into the future, the world is a much different place. With natural disasters, the sun heating up and air quality diminishing there are fewer and fewer good places to live. The USA is run by a general with his military in charge. Chicago is the new Capitol and that is where Julia lives. Julia is a wanted woman because she is a Walker. A Walker is a person who can project out of their body into the world around them. The government has been collecting Walkers to force into service and be experimented on. Julia hides in plain sight as a courier for a tech company. She lives her life alone with no family or friends. This all changes the day she runs into another Walker being hunted by the government. Julia can’t help but be attracted to Niko and wants to help her. These two women are the most wanted women in the USA. Is there any way for them to be together and stay free? This book was just pure entertainment that I easily recommend to dystopian and romance fans. 5 stars.
Classic lesfic book of the month:
‘The well of loneliness’ by Radclyffe Hall
Originally published in 1928 and banned for obscenity, ‘The Well of Loneliness’ was for decades a best-seller and the most famous lesbian novel. The story features Stephen Gordon, a war hero, a bestselling writer, and a loyal lover. But Stephen is a woman who loves women and society isn’t ready to accept her.
