Lesbian Romance

I’ve reviewed gay romance twice, and we certainly have snarked our share of gay romance covers, but it has been brought to my attention that we have not asked the Bitchery for Lesbian Romance Recommendations.

So – what lesbian romances burn your carpet?

Personally, I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t read any. It’s not a deliberate slight; I just haven’t come across any romances wherein the protagonists were women. Back when I was a member of BooksFree, I had Pembroke Park on my request list for ages, but it never became available in the year-plus time I was a member. I was bummed when I finally discontinued service that I’d never borrowed that particular book.

Online, I’ve seen a few recommendations, including books by Sarah Waters, but I have seen more discussion about romance readers enjoying gay romance than I have about lesbian romance.

So, I have to ask the Bitchery for a Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid List: Lesbian romance recommendations? Historical? Contemporary? What’s on your keeper pile from the Sapphic protagonist set?

Comments are Closed

  1. Esme says:

    ITA in the hinting, Kiku, especially considering how often I’ve been in the mood for some fun, well-written slash fic and found nothing new on my favorite sites. Clicking the Refresh button stops being fun after the fiftieth time.

    Professional, well-written lesbian romances would definitely make my day.

    Off to troll for more slash.

  2. Hmm.. I’d love to see more f/f romance, myself. Informationally, I’m a 33 year old bi girl, who has always been attracted to both but didn’t acknowledge it until my 20s.
    As far as movies, no one has mentioned “Kissing Jessica Stein”, which I really enjoyed.
    M/M is okay, and I like any combo of threesome/group, but it would be nice to see a little girl on girl romance 🙂

  3. Steph says:

    It’s not really a romance, it’s historical fiction, but DUCHESS by Susan Holloway Scott actually has some lesbian sex type scenes in it. It was rather interesting (once I got past my initial “Oh, my..” reaction) seeing as how the two women were both happily married… Well, I found it interesting, anyway, in the context.

  4. Danielle says:

    I will second the raves for Sarah Waters…I also remembered a Cheryl Holt, More than Seduction, I think, that features a secondary lesbian romance.  Pretty sweet.

    I also like Dorothy Allison, though I dont classify her in the romance category.

  5. Vivi Anna says:

    I read a great fantasy novel called Fire Logic by Laurie Marks that has a lesbain relationship as the main relationship in the story.  The protaganist is a lesbian.  It’s a fabulous book.

    I’ve never been one for m/m.  Can’t get into it, but I have written a few f/f scenes.  In Blood Red, I have a f/f scene, and in Inferno, one of my secondary female characters is in love with Kat because they had a brief but poignant affair.

    I’d like to see more lesbian relationships in mainstream books.

  6. Heather says:

    Vajayjay is my new word. I was getting a little tired of twa twa, anyway.

    And I have to say, Sarah Waters is SOOOO GOOD. And you have to watch the BBC miniseries of Tipping the Velvet; it’s delish.

    I have a copy of Spring Fire by Vin Packer, but I haven’t read it yet. It’s “lesbian pulp fiction”.

  7. Anna says:

    The supernatural murder mystery Touch, by Gayleen Froese, includes a lesbian romance.  Several of them, if you include flashbacks.

    But no erotica.

    It’s a nice subtle building of the relationship, though.

  8. Yay for you bitches for bringing up F/F romance. I too have always loved to read it although I’m straight. I wanted to find out if I could write one, so I did and Loose Id published it. It’s called “Widow’s Weeds” and although it’s a novella, I think I captured the romance and the hot sex.
    Loose Id published two F/F erotic romances in 2006, mine (http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=295) and “In the Eyes of Love” by Sheri Livingston (http://www.loose-id.net/detail.aspx?ID=274).
    I loved Sheri’s story and I know that Loose Id is always open to publishing more F/F.

  9. molly says:

    I hate to say it, but F/F romance doesn’t appeal to me in general. I do love Sarah Waters and “Tipping the Velvet” was damn hot. But I think it was really the messing-with-gender that did it for me more than the lesbian sex. Emma Donohue I’ve read and didn’t like as much.

    M/M is a lot sexier to me, and I guess it’s just because I’m hopelessly straight, and I can’t help wanting to read about men, whether with chicks or with each other.

    I would definitely give a well-written lesbian romance a shot, but I don’t think I’d get the same thrill out of it. If there is no market for f/f, as Ellora’s Cave says, I would guess it’s because other (straight female) readers feel the same way.

  10. LesleyW says:

    First post. 🙂

    I second the recommendation for Sheri Livingston.

  11. Teddy Pig says:

    “I’ve never been one for m/m.  Can’t get into it, but I have written a few f/f scenes.  In Blood Red, I have a f/f scene, and in Inferno, one of my secondary female characters is in love with Kat because they had a brief but poignant affair.

    I’d like to see more lesbian relationships in mainstream books.”

    Now hold on there! I want more M/M in mainstream books…

    OK, let’s split Harlequin down the middle and dump the straight stuff out the back.

    No one will notice… I swear!

  12. I loved Sheri’s story and I know that Loose Id is always open to publishing more F/F.

    Beth, thank you very much for recommending my book. I haven’t done a very good job promoting myself, so you helping is greatly appreciated.
    When I first approached Loose (with AK’s recommendation), I was shocked when they grabbed it…lolol…and even more shocked when Cobblestone grabbed my second novel.
    What I was writing was not sought-after material, so I’m thrilled they both gave me a chance to get it out there.
    I’m also proud to announce Loose will be publishing my 3rd, Watching You.
    Thanks again!!!
    You’re the best!
    Muah,
    Sheri

  13. I second the recommendation for Sheri Livingston.

    Muah, to Lesley!!!
    Crap, this is my second post…was I supposed to announce the first?
    Hmmm…oops?
    *grin*
    Thank you!
    Sheri

  14. dl says:

    Great subject Sarah, as usual.  Not only recommendations, but interesting insight as to how we relate to ourselves and our sexuality.

    December…doubt you will offend the editors at EC, do you have a release date?

    Spinsterwitch…another victim of the bizarre shelving practices of bookstores? So…Lesbian, Gay, black authors, erotica, and romance are seperated and shelved seperately?  As much as I love books, finding what I want in any large bookstore is a MAJOR frustration. It’s suprising how often I leave the store knowing a book I wanted is on the shelf (or back room) but neither myself nor the staff can find it.  Climbing off my soapbox now.

  15. Arin Rhys says:

    I write Lesbian fantasy romance (not published, but cross your fingers) and I can hardly find any ebooks. Sheri Livingston is one of the better authors that I have found. I personally think that Lesbian romance should blow up in the next few years.

  16. Michelle K says:

    It’s a fantasy, not a romance, but Kristopher Reisz’s “Tripping to Somewhere” has a lesbian main character who is in love with her best friend, and then falls in love with another woman in the course of the story.

    Main characters are high school students, but there several sex scenes.

  17. Taylor says:

    Hi my name is Taylor Voltaire and this is my first post.

    Sheri Livingston certainly makes a straight girl wonder!!!

    I wouldn’t have ever bought a lesbian book to read, BUT after reading Ms. Livingston, I have purchased both her books, and will be one of the first to buy her third.

  18. Sheri Livingston is one of the better authors that I have found. I personally think that Lesbian romance should blow up in the next few years.

    Thank you very much!!!
    And I’m sure crossing my fingers what f/f will bust loose in the next few years.

  19. Sheri Livingston certainly makes a straight girl wonder!!!

    I wouldn’t have ever bought a lesbian book to read, BUT after reading Ms. Livingston, I have purchased both her books, and will be one of the first to buy her third.
     
    Taylor, you’re a mess…MUAH!!!

  20. Anita says:

    I liked “Annie On My Mind” but it’s a little preachy in parts… it mentions some other books I’ve always meant to read but never remembered to write down!  Mercedes Lackey, a fantasy author, has several lesbian characters, though they are often secondary characters and the romance is secondary to the plot.  Tamora Pierce’s latest book, I forget the title, has a lesbian romance at the center.

  21. Sami says:

    Torquere Press has a really good anthology called Locked and Loaded. The theme is women with guns like spies, cowgirls, and private detectives. I’ve just finished it, and I loved it. I haven’t read such good lesbian romance fiction in a while.

  22. Andrea says:

    Naiad Press, which used to publish the majority of lesbian romance novels, went out of business several years ago when the owners retired.  Now the main publisher of lesbian romances, I believe, is Bella Books (http://www.bellabooks.com/). They have lesbian-themed books in multiple genres—mystery, fantasy, science fiction, etc.  They also sell books from other LGBT presses on their website.  I don’t have any particular recommendations for authors, but it would be a useful site to check out.  They may give away review copies as well.

  23. Annie says:

    I’d have to say, IMO, Katherine V. Forrest’s CURIOUS WINE is probably the modern-day classic of lesbian romance, the benchmark against which many romances are still judged. Marion Zimmer Bradley also had a wonderful ground-breaking lesbian romance in the Shattered Chain trilogy in her Darkover books, and has many bi/m-m/f-f romances going on in those well-known mainstream classics.

    Move-wise, DESERT HEARTS is probably the classic, the spot to start, the place where all discussions of lesbian romance movies begin. By the time those two women finally kiss, the tension is so intense, that straight or gay, I defy you not to scream out loud with relief. BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER totally cracks me up as a farce, too, movie-wise. A sweet YA romance is involved in that goofy movie, too.

    Lesbian romance, marketed directly to a lesbian audience (and to some extent, exclusively, as in the publisher has primarily gay and lesbian offerings, or a gay and lesbian imprint), is actually fairly large. There was a time when I could boast owning just about every lesbian romance out there. Yeah, my age is showing. Now there are *thousands* if not hundreds of thousands of very high quality lesbian romance pieces, of all subgenres you’re familiar with, with the addition of “coming out stories,” which I’d bet have the most popularity and might be most enjoyed by bi or straight(er) women. But I don’t know that for a fact.

    The big players in lesbian romance are Bella Books (already mentioned), Alyson Books (http://www.alyson.com—and they have a lot of schoarlarly stuff, too, not to mention a hefty print lesbian erotica section—as well as HEY WRITERS typically a call for short story submissions for various romantic or erotic anthologies), Kensington and St. Martin’s (for larger, more mainstream), Firebrand Books (tend toward the deep and literary), Cleis (lots of erotica), New Victoria (broke a lot of ground with the Stoner McTavish paranormal series), and Seal (also erudite, lots of academic studies and social commentaries, too). I’ve probably missed some.

    For writers, http://www.queerwriters.com is an excellent resource with updated submission calls, if you have short pieces to place, f/f OR m/m or transgendered or any combo thereof.

  24. lil says:

    Years ago, I wrote a term paper on lesbian pulp novels of the 1950’s & 60’s for a college class. 

    My favorite is Ann Bannon.  Some of her books are:
    Beebo Brinker
    Odd Girl Out
    I Am A Woman

    There is also Vin Packer who wrote Spring Fire, which is credited as being the first lesbian pulp novel.  She also wrote under the name Ann Aldrich but it is her young adult novels (not gay, IIRC) written under the name M.E. Kerr that most people are familiar with. (Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!, If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever, I’ll Love You When You’re More Like Me, etc.)

    Also from the 50’s/60’s:
    Valerie Taylor – Return to Lesbos
    Paula Christian

    Mabel Maney wrote some send ups of the Nancy Drew books that were pretty funny in which Nancy Clue and Cherry Aimless fall in love, George and Bess are kissing cousins, if you get my drift and everyone has a gay old time solving the case.
    The Case of the Not-So-Nice Nurse: A Nancy Clue and Cherry Aimless Mystery is the first book.

  25. Jennifjord says:

    Vivi Anna, thanks for recommending Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks. I read the Amazon reviews and as soon as she was compared to Tanya Huff (who I’m reading now), I requested Fire Logic and the sequel from Paperback Swap. There’s also a third book in the series coming out in June. I also have Marks’ first book Delan the Mislaid and now that I know it has two sequels, I’ll be on the lookout for those.

    I’ve never read a lesbian romance, although I’ve read a few mainstream lesbian books and I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy by lesbian authors or books which feature homosexual or bisexual characters. Some of my favorites featuring lesbian characters are Lackey’s The Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy (secondary characters are lesbians), Elizabeth A. Lynn’s Tornor Trilogy, Melissa Scott’s Dreamships and Dreaming Metal, Tanya Huff’s Quarters series (I’m reading book one now and it seems that most characters are bi, the heroine has a female long-term partner), Lyda Morehouse’s AngeLINK series (lesbian secondary character in book one becomes a more central character in later books), and Spin State and Spin Control by Chris Moriarty.

  26. Mint Witch says:

    I really like Nicola Griffith. Her stories are not really romance or erotica, but they are excellent lesbian fiction with strong romantic subplots. Sarah Waters is okay. Much better is Jeanette Winterson.

    http://www.babeland.com and http://www.goodvibes.com both sell books and are woman/lesbian owned and operated, so their selections have a strong f/f slant. Linsay Welsh and Alison Tyler are probably more “genre” romance, except that they are both “terrible, awful, and bad” in the words of my SO, who has read all their books. A (former) Babeland employee, she read all their books for work-knowledge. She claims.

    Laura Antoniou writes all pairings, kinks, and sexualities, with strong f/f stories.

    Melissa Scott writes sf with f/f pairings (as well as m/m), as many other sf writers do, as well. SF tends to be rather liberal in re sexuality.

    SM Stirling writes rather brutal f/f sf novels, including collaborations with Shirley Meier which I like quite a lot.

  27. Liz says:

    Just found this site today, and kudos to the owners—funny stuff!  But I do have to say this with all due respect, but.. are any of you ladies actually lesbians??  I’m astounded at all of the comments lamenting a “lack of lesbian romance”—it’s all over the damn place!  Lesbian romance novels have exploded in the last ten years; you can’t get away from them when browsing les bookstores or websites these days.  The GLBT bookstore in my city has six freaking aisles of the damn things, LOL!

    If you want an idea of how many there ARE, go to Amazon and browse books by categories.  Select Gay and Lesbian -> Literature & Fiction -> Fiction -> Lesbian.  Almost every single one of the 3000 hits?  Lesbian romance novels.

    Now, as for what’s good and what’s not—I’m not a romance fan, so all 3000 fall into my “what’s not” category.  I’ll leave that to you guys. 😉

  28. But I do have to say this with all due respect, but.. are any of you ladies actually lesbians??  I’m astounded at all of the comments lamenting a “lack of lesbian romance”—it’s all over the damn place!

    Yep…I’ll stand up and raise my hand. My B & N has a gay/lesbian section that I can open my arms spread eagle and reach both ends of the shelves…yep, it’s THAT tiny!
    I don’t do a lot of book ording online, so haven’t checked out all that’s available, but a lot of what I have ordered in the past was a waste of time and money. The ones I purchase in the store I actually get to browse through before I make a decision.
    Sheri

  29. Genie says:

    Hi, I read a lot and I happen to be a lezzie, so I prefer to read lesbian fiction.  Which contrary to popular belief does exist.  Okay so here are my current list of favs:

    1)Greetings from Jamaica, Wish you were Queer by Mari Sangiovanni.  Funny, modern and an easy read.

    2) The Spanish Pearl by Catherine Friend.  Time travel, sword slinging, and a tad predictible but fun none the less.

    3) The Kylie Kendall mysteries series by Claire McNab.  More of a mystery with a strong lesbian lead, but the author does throw in a bit of romance here and there.

    4) Anything by Karen Kallmaker.  Typical romance novels, but I love her stuff.

    5) Anything by Radclyff.  Just as equally popular as Karen Kallmaker,  Has a ton of erotic scenes in all of her novels. 

    6) Fingersmith by Sarah Waters- Similar to Tipping the Velvet, but IMHO w/ a better plot.

    7) Anything by Mabel Manley- Gay spoofs of popular classic novels such as Nancy Drew and James Bond.  Funny and worth picking up.

    8) Family Traginomic by Alison Bechdel- A touching graphic novel that is partially auto biographical.  You should also check out her long running comic strip Dykes to Watch out For

    9) Geography Club by Brent Hartinger- A young adult novel and a quick read.  Oddly addicting.

    10) The Say she Tastes like Honey By Michelle Sawyer- A snarky and witty read with a helpless and self-destructive heroine you just can’t help but cheer for.

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