I got the team together and asked for their 2023 Must-Read Sapphic Books. These are books they read or listened to and loved. PLUS we have added some BONUS books that the team loved in 2023 but they came out earlier. They are all awesome and worth reading. Enjoy the list!
In no particular order
The Villains Series by Lee Winter
(Narrated by Angela Dawe)
Jenna’s Choice
I’ve read/listened to so many good books this year but this is by far the best. Lee Winter created two of the best characters I’ve ever encountered in Michelle Hastings and Eden Lawless. The storyline is powerful and all-consuming.
Angela Dawe outdid herself with the narration, becoming each of the characters in the story. She took Lee Winter’s brilliant writing and brought
Chaos Agent by Lee Winter
(book 2 in the villains series)
Rach’s Choice
Okay, so I’ve read so many amazing books this year and some have been truly stunning! I’ve thought long and hard about it. I’ve decided on Chaos Agent by Lee Winter. As this is a two-book one-story deal readers will have to read The Fixer first.
Chaos Agent is, clever, thrilling, romantic, and has one of the best redemption stories for Ice Queen Michelle Hastings. The emotions this book invoked stayed with me for a long time. The audio is narrated by Angela Dawe, and she outdid herself with her performance.
Synopsis for the Series
A naive activist is hired by a corporate villain but doesn’t realize it. Cue one awkward farce, a twisty puzzle, and the slowest of slow burns in this opposites-attract, ice queen romance.
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The Fixer on Apple
Chaos Agent on Apple
Always Carry Your Scythe by Pip Paisley
Mildred’s Choice
I was a hair away from giving this a favourites badge because it reminded me of classic SF screwball comedies, the kind that need the author and the reader to understand literary references.
Synopsis
Trixie D’Vita didn’t scythe. That was Mom’s gig.
Then the Angel Investigative Bureau (AIB) turned up at Aunt Harry’s bar. Seemed the hottest afterlife gameshow in the Mystical Realms was misappropriating newly-departed souls. And Death was a person of interest. When the AIB can’t find Death, they come looking for Trixie, Death’s estranged daughter.
Soon Trixie’s best friend is in dire peril. An AIB trainee is traipsing towards trouble. And Trixie, armed with nothing but a pocket-scythe, is plunging headfirst into the gaping maw of a trans-dimensional vortex. So not the evening she’d planned.
Skittle-colored demons. Werewolf drag queens. Hellhound-doodle puppies. Lots of scythe. All in this rollicking, whimsical, empowering adventure.
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In Charm’s Way by Lana Harper
Sheena’s Choice
While I adored several books this year, this one stood out because it was so sweet and different. And it came to me at a moment when I needed escape, love and to believe in a little bit of magic.
Synopsis
A witch struggling to regain what she has lost casts a forbidden spell—only to discover much more than she expected, in this enchanting new rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Lana Harper.
Six months after having been hit by a power surge that nearly obliterated her memory, Delilah Harlow is still picking up the pieces. Her once diamond-sharp mind has become shaky and unreliable, and bristly, self-sufficient Delilah is forced to rely on friends, family, and her raven familiar for help. In an effort to reclaim her wits and former independence, she casts a dangerous blood spell meant to harness power with healing capacities.
While the spell does restore clarity, it also unexpectedly turns Delilah into an irresistible beacon for the kind of malevolent supernatural creatures that have never before ventured into Thistle Grove. One night—just as things are about to go terribly sideways with a rogue succubus—a mysterious stranger appears in the nick of time to save Delilah’s soul.
Gorgeous, sultry, and as dangerous as the knives she carries, Catriona Quinn is a hunter of monsters—and half-human, half-fae herself, she is the kind of sly and morally gray creature Delilah would normally find horrifying. Though Delilah balks at the idea of a partnership, she has no choice but to roll the dice on their collaboration. As the two delve deeper into the power that underlies Thistle Grove, they uncover not only the town’s hidden history but also a risky attraction that could upend Delilah’s entire life.
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Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
Victoria L’s Choice
My must-read, which happens to have come out this year, is Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine.
It’s terrifically written, well-researched (set in early 18th-century Venice), with complex and delightful main characters, a riveting relationship between the two leads, and an ending that is just the most wonderful punch in the guts and hearts and tear-ducts I have read this year.
I recommend it to everyone, provided you aren’t averse to unhappy endings of course.
Synopsis
Venice, 1717. Fifteen-year-old Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. As a student at the Ospedale della Pietà, she hopes to join the highest ranks of its illustrious girls’ orchestra and become a protégé of the great Antonio Vivaldi. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena.
After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a secret: she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn’t hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà’s walls, they must decide what it is they truly want―and what they will do to pay for it.
Lush and heady, swirling with music and magic, Maddalena and the Dark is a Venetian fairytale about the friendship between two girls and the boundless desire that will set them free, if it doesn’t consume them first.
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In Roses of Pieria by Anna Burke
April’s Choice
Dark academia has become one of my favourite genres in sapphic fiction because I love spooky stories and I regret nothing, not even the sleepless nights… This story is awesome in every sense of the word because the past and present collide in so many unexpected ways. Plus, it’s the perfect blend of historical, fantasy, mythology, horror and dark academia.
Synopsis
When Clara Eden is offered a job as an archivist working for eccentric estate owner Agatha Montague, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Soon, she finds herself sucked into the world of her research, captivated by a romantic correspondence thousands of years old. But as her feelings for her employer’s assistant, Fiadh, deepen, so too does her suspicion that something about Agatha Montague isn’t quite right. Unfortunately for Clara, by the time her suspicions are confirmed, it is far too late to run.
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In the Shadow of the Palace by Eliza Andrews
(A Tide of Shadows Book 1)
Zara’s Choice
Andrews does great world-building, compelling dialogue, and awesome inclusivivity. This story shows us Dorsa from a lay character’s viewpoint (previous books showed us the viewpoint of royalty) – and has some unexpected twists and turns. A book one can easily get lost in and forget all about the outside world.
Synopsis
The one thing Cara knows about herself is that she doesn’t want to grow up to be a prostitute. But as the daughter of a prostitute, growing up in a brothel in one of the seediest districts of Port Lorsin, she has resigned herself to her fate. As soon as her monthly blood comes, she will follow in the footsteps of her mother.
But a client of her mother’s takes pity on Cara. Leveraging his status, he takes Cara somewhere she never thought she’d see up close: the palace of the House of Dorsa. When a crisis strikes, Cara finds herself thrust into the very center of palace politics. What comes next will change Cara — and the course of kingdom history — forever.
This book is the first in A Tide of Shadows, the prequel series to the Chronicles of Dorsa. You do NOT need to have read the Chronicles of Dorsa series first to enjoy In the Shadow of the Palace.
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Integrity by E.J. Noyes
Anne Pace’s Choice
This is a tough one. I haven’t had time to read Milena’s latest, Nox. I’m sure it will be very high on my list once I do. I also beta read Jae’s latest that is certainly in my top three of all the novels she wrote, but it’s not out yet. Kathleen de Plume’s Dragon Queens was a surprise, too.
Lee Winter’s The Fixer was super clever and exciting. I would give it my vote.
However, I think I have to go with E.J. Noyes’ Integrity. I just started listening to its sequel, Leverage.
Choosing is hard.
Synopsis
It’s an ordinary workday when intelligence analyst Lexie Martin learns about a horrific chemical weapon attack abroad. Just an ordinary day…until a stranger breaks into her house and warns her to forget what she saw and heard, setting off a chain of events Lexie thought only happened in movies. Falsely accused of stealing intelligence and unsure of who to trust, Lexie quickly realizes the significance of the intel, and that she must do everything she can to keep it safe. And as she runs—maybe for her life—Lexie knows she needs something, or someone, to help her.
There’s a place for truths and lies, and sometimes you need both to get what you want. Lexie convinces the woman she’s only just started dating to “go on vacation” with her, hoping a constant companion and witness will keep Them at a distance, and the intel safe. But when she develops feelings for the beautiful and sweet Sophia Flores, she wonders if a relationship built on a foundation of secrets can ever work. That might not even matter, because when Lexie uncovers the truth, the price of it could be her freedom.
Book One in the Halcyon Division Series.
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Magdalene Nox by Milena McKay
Tara’s Choice
I had super high expectations for this one, since The Headmistress is one of my favourite sapphic romances and Magdalene Nox is one of my favourite ice queens, but it truly delivers!
The Headmistress by Milena McKay
Anna’s Choice
Wow, this has been tough, but I’m going to go with the companion piece to Magdalene Nox, which is The Headmistress. I re-read this during my birthday weekend, but I added the extra bonus of actually listening to the audiobook at the same time. So, if anything, I will say the Audiobook of The Headmistress is my favorite of the year.
My one line, which is actually more than that: I don’t listen to audiobooks. I find them hard to follow. However, Abby Craden’s voice for these characters sucked me in completely. Her Magdalene Nox and Sam Threadneedle are exactly how I’d expect them to speak and she conveys all the emotions the characters experience that Milena McKay’s words conveyed on the page.
So, believe it or not, I’m actually recommending an audiobook!
Part of me wants to wait until the audiobook for MN comes out, too, but I know that’s definitely not going to happen. 😉
Synopsis for The Headmistress series
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night.
And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it’s with a roar and not a whimper.
Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything.
Can she and the Home of Dragons withstand the storm that is Magdalene Nox, or will any and all crumble?
Not everything is as it seems, and as she slowly unravels the mysteries behind the centuries-old walls, Sam realizes that home is much more than oak and stone.
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BONUS BOOKS
These are books that were enjoyed in 2023 but released before that.
If I Don’t Ask by EJ Noyes
(2022 release)
Jeannie Levig’s Choice
My one must-listen for 2023 is If I Don’t Ask by EJ Noyes. It came out in 2022, but I was late to the party on it. However, I loved it nonetheless. I read the whole Ask Tell series for the first time in the order Noyes recommended after If I Don’t Ask came out, so I read If I Don’t Ask back-to-back with its counterpart Ask Tell which I think enriched my enjoyment of it. I loved the story itself along with the deep character development that Noyes always delivers, and I really loved getting the story from Rebecca’s point of view because, like many, I fell in love with her in the first book, so it was awesome to get her deeper perspective.
The thing that awed me, though, about this read was that because this storyline partially overlaps with that of Noyes’s debut novel and deals with the same character actually experiencing some of the same events with the reader getting them from a different perspective, the maturation of Noyes’s writing style and author voice is impressively evident. Noyes’s writing has been wonderful from the start, don’t get me wrong, but the fullness and depth of the story and characters in If I Don’t Ask really shows her evolution as an author. It was amazing to be able to see it so clearly.
Synopsis
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.
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Aurora’s Angel by Emily Noon
(2019 release)
Valden Bush’s Choice
It is a wonderful fantasy romance where the characters make you feel and along with the brilliant world-building, you are there.
Synopsis
Lambda Literary Award Winner – Aurora’s Angel is a blend of action, adventure and slow-burn romance centered around shapeshifters, set in a vivid fantasy world.
Joined in a battle for survival, a broken-winged angel and a shapeshifter huntress with a bloody past form a bond that may change their world. Alone since her father’s murder, Aurora has spent years hunting his killers. Battle-weary she’s ready to start over where no one knows who or what she is – she just has one last mission. Everything is going to plan until she discovers the beautiful winged girl caged underground. Her decision to rescue Evie and to help her get home safely, despite avians being infamous for selling out shifters like Aurora to cutters and black-market flesh dealers, will put her on a perilous path.
As the women travel together their attraction grows but Aurora is guarding her lonely heart almost as much as her dangerous secrets and Evie is struggling to accept how important Aurora has become to her.
With their enemies conspiring to kill them, they may be each other’s only hope. Aurora is powerful but she’s also emotionally scarred. It will be up to Evie to save her from herself and to fight for them, or innocent people will die along with the guilty ones and Aurora will disappear from Evie’s life forever.
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Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers and Breaking Character by Lee Winter
Ann Etter’s Choice
I have wo older books that I cannot get enough of and have on-repeat on audio:
Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers. The book is a classic feel-good romance, complete with dog, child and sassy grandma.
Breaking Character by Lee Winter. This book is classic not-quite-Ice Queen meets girl next door, opposites attract. But are they really opposites?
These two books get me through all the stress. I swear they have added years to my life just by being a comfortable, cozy space.
Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers
(2015 audio release)
Synopsis
What happens when your life takes an unexpected turn? What happens when you need to protect the one you love from the one you want to love? What happens when you lose something you never knew you wanted? Lambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers brings to you her long-awaited seventh novel, Starting from Scratch, a story where learning, laughing, loving, and baked goods are just a few of life’s basic ingredients. Starting from Scratch…where life is what you make it.
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Breaking Character by Lee Winter
(2018 release)
Synopsis
Life has become a farcical mess for icy British A-lister Elizabeth Thornton. America’s most-hated villain stars in a top-rated TV medical drama that she hates. Now, she’s been romantically linked to her perky, new co-star, Summer, due to the young woman’s clumsiness. As a closeted actress, that’s the last thing Elizabeth needs. If she could just get her dream movie role, life would be so much better. The only problem is that the eccentric French film-maker offering it insists on meeting her “girlfriend”, Summer, first.Summer Hayes is devastated when her co-star shuns her for accidentally sparking rumors they’re lovers. Now the so-called British Bitch has the audacity to ask Summer to pretend to be her girlfriend to get her a role? Elizabeth doesn’t even like Summer! Oh, how she’d love to tell her no. And Summer definitely would if it wasn’t for the fact she’s maybe a tiny bit in love with the impossible woman.
A lesbian celebrity romance about gaining love, losing masks, and trying to stick to the script.
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We hope you have enjoyed the team’s 2023 Must-Read Sapphic Books list. I know that I have had some books move onto my to-read pile after this.
