Books like 'The Mandolin Lunch'
Readers who enjoyed The Mandolin Lunch by Missouri Vaun also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance forced proximity office small town independent heroine poor heroine single-mother queer
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Shifting Gears by Jazz Forrester
A spicy, small-town, opposites attract lesbian romance about learning to let go, no matter the cost. Workaholic Eleanor Cromwell blows into rural Canada, laser focused on her real estate development project. Given the locals already hate her father’s company, she plans to hide away in a cabin and conceal her identity to get the job done. And then her car breaks down…...Categorized as:
queer small town f-f contemporary class difference audiobook canada career professional -
Fated Love by Radclyffe
What do you do when your carefully planned life takes a wrong turn into hell? When Quinn Maguire, a dashing young trauma surgeon, unaccountably accepts a position as an ER physician, her new boss, Honor Blake, suspects that Quinn is hiding a dark secret. While the two declare an uneasy truce in an effort to work together, both struggle with mutual, and unexpected, attraction...Categorized as:
office queer f-f contemporary boss & employee length-short audiobook explicit-open-door -
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French Kissing: Season Three by Harper Bliss
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsASIN B079Y3G6HS moved to the more recent edition. Paris. .. City of lights, City of love. .. City of drama! It has been six months since Dominique and Steph came out publicly... -
Temptation by Kris Bryant
Cassie Miller is broke. Her parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school, and graduate school is expensive. A full-time nanny job at the Wellington estate is the answer to her problems, except working for beautiful, successful Brook Wellington wasn't in the job description. Brook has always had a head for business...Categorized as:
office single-mother queer contemporary f-f cold heroine class difference length-short -
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Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue
Desperate situations call for desperate lies in this charming, fake-relationship lesbian romance. Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business...Categorized as:
single-mother queer forced proximity f-f friends to lovers angst length-medium open-door -
A Very Miller-Cooper Wedding by Erica Lee
Charlie Miller and Reagan Cooper have been through a lot in the three years since they started dating. What started as a fake dating scheme between Reagan and Charlie’s brother, Jamie, turned into an everlasting love affair between Charlie and Reagan instead. Now the two are engaged and finally ready to plan their dream wedding. The countdown is on - one year until their big day… finally...Categorized as:
queer small town f-f contemporary christmas length-short explicit-open-door lgbtqia hate -
July by Nicole Pyland
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJill Solomon has watched her friends fall in love over the past year and a half, and she feels like she’s the only single lesbian left in New Orleans. When her mother runs off unexpectedly, leaving Jill to take care of her ten-year-old sister, Jill worries that her entire life is about to change, and not for the better... -
When We're Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen
When Dr. Alexandra Edison’s world was ripped apart, the last thing she expected was to end up in a casual affair with Blake Westmore. Soon after she was forced to choose between her past and her present, when her strong sense of obligation forced her to leave the woman whom she shared one of the most unforgettable experiences with, and head back to L. A. to help the woman who broke her heart... -
Pieces of Us by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
The nanny is hot for her boss, but she’s been burned falling for a straight woman in the past. Julianna Bristol is on the brink of success as her fledgling video game design company goes after the opportunity of a lifetime. But her ex-husband is intent on making her fodder for late-night comedy...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity poor heroine single-mother small town office f-f length-medium -
Falling Together by Erica Lee
Erin Corcoran doesn’t believe anyone in her life will actually stick around. Her dad was the first person to leave her. Then, many years later, it was her wife. A year after her divorce, Erin is still struggling as a single mom. When she decides to hire a babysitter to watch her son, Nolan, over the summer, the last thing she expects is to fall for the woman ten years her junior...Categorized as:
queer single-mother f-f length-medium contemporary pennsylvania third-person-pov dual-pov -
Cover Story by Rachel Lacey
Rachel Lacey, author of Stars Collide, serves up a steamy tale of Hollywood fame and subterfuge about a glamorous actress and the sexy bodyguard posing as her girlfriend. Natalie Keane is one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, but she’s paid a steep price for her fame. After she was stalked eight years ago, the ensuing media frenzy almost broke her...Categorized as:
queer office forced proximity contemporary f-f length-medium fake relationship bodyguard-heroine -
Reality In Check by Emily Banting
From the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of Broken Beyond Repair comes a new sapphic celebrity ice queen romance — read as a standalone or as the second book in the South Downs Romance series. Sculptor Arte Tremaine is thrown into the hospitality industry when her beloved late grandmother bequeaths her and her sister a charming yet rundown country hotel with zero guests...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity small town office independent heroine f-f age difference bisexual -
Something New by Jacqueline Ramsden
The “something new” at your sister’s wedding is supposed to be your sexuality, right? Thea Cooper is heading to her sister’s wedding in Montana for Christmas. The problem is that her ex is going to be there, and her mother is hoping they’ll rekindle their romance. All Thea wants is to enjoy the lodge, the holiday, and celebrate her sister...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity small town independent heroine christmas f-f length-short open-door -
All Wrapped Up in You by T.B. Markinson, Adrian J. Smith
A saboteur. A bookstore in trouble. A writer on the verge of ruin. After a painful divorce, Mathilda “Mat” Kincaide has one clear vision. Ascend the throne of her family’s cherished chain of bookstores. Yet a mysterious troublemaker lurks in the heart of her store, intent on derailing Mat’s every ambition... -
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Mercy by Max Ellendale, Victoria Miller
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsEx-rock star, Dusty Song, abandons her music career to become a U. S. Marshal tasked with safeguarding vulnerable people from the criminals set on silencing them. When Dusty first encounters the illustrious Honorable Judge Bidwell, she sees a woman marked by the cases she's tried. Years later, Dusty remembers the strong-willed, audacious woman as the unlikeable star of the courtroom...Categorized as:
queer single-mother f-f contemporary bodyguard-heroine career professional north-america usa -
A Song in Her Heart by T.B. Markinson
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsIn the heart of Nashville, where dreams and secrets collide, two women find themselves entangled in a love story that could shatter their worlds or make them whole. Hannah Taylor, a rising country music sensation, stands on the brink of superstardom. But beneath the glitz and glamour, she harbors a secret, one that could shatter her carefully crafted image and jeopardize her career... -
French Kissing: Season Five by Harper Bliss
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsASIN B07S73K4SR moved to the more recent edition. Paris. .. City of lights, City of love. .. City of drama! With a year remaining on Dominique's first presidential term, the Laroche camp is gearing up for her re-election campaign. Dominique herself, however, doesn't seem so keen on going through it all again... -
Foxy Lady by Cara Malone
Foxes make terrible pets but they’re fantastic wingmen. Sydney Young has dedicated her life to animals. She’s a wildlife rehabilitator on call around the clock for rescue missions all over the state and every last one of her friends are veterinarians. Waiting at home for her is a rambunctious fox too tame to be released... -
Eyes Like Those by Melissa Brayden
When it comes to love, no one is in charge. Isabel Chase is reeling. She’s just been offered her dream job as a staff writer on one of the hottest shows on television and quickly trades in the comfort of New England for sun, sand, and everything Hollywood. While stoked for what could be her big break, the show’s stunning executive producer has her head spinning and her feelings swirling...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer f-f contemporary fatphobia boss & employee other-man-woman -
The Christmas Catch by Clare Lydon
Two stranded travellers. One secret crush. Can they make it home without falling in love? Thrown together when their plane conks out and a blizzard rolls in, Morgan Scott and her childhood friend Ali Bradford are on a mission to make it from Glasgow to Devon in time for Christmas...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer small town office independent heroine contemporary christmas f-f -
All the Little Moments by G. Benson
A successful anaesthetist, Anna is focused on herself, her career, and her girlfriend. Everything changes abruptly when her brother’s and sister-in-law’s deaths devastate her and her family. Left responsible for her young niece and nephew, Anna finds herself dumped and alone in Melbourne, a city she doesn’t even like...Categorized as:
office queer independent heroine single-mother f-f contemporary length-long open-door -
A Life Worth Living by Monica McCallan
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsNora 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...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer contemporary f-f from hate to love age difference length-medium -
Paper Love by Jae
Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan in this lesbian romance from best-selling author Jae. Susanne Wolff isn’t thrilled when her mother sends her all the way across the country to Freiburg to save her uncle’s stationery store from bankruptcy. Freiburg is too provincial for her taste, and besides, pen and paper are outdated anyway...Categorized as:
forced proximity office queer f-f contemporary dual-pov from hate to love third-person-pov -
The Love Project by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsCan a long shot bring love to a couple of lonely hearts? Joni Fisher is facing economic ruin. The once successful advice column she runs with her mother is on the brink of cancellation, and it’ll take a miracle to turn things around...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity small town poor heroine f-f contemporary friends to lovers age difference -
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Thrust by Rachel Spangler
Fencing prodigy Jess Kidman has always been ahead of her peers. At the age of thirteen she made the varsity team, won a state championship, came out, and fell head over heels in love with her team captain, Lauren Standish...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity small town independent heroine contemporary sports f-f audiobook -
Whipped by J.J. Arias
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIf she can’t get through to her in the office, she’ll smash into her on skates. . . Newly minted lawyer Cheyenne Flores-Moore is excited to start her career at one of the most prestigious law firms in Miami. That is, until she meets her mentor Erica. It seems that no matter what she does, she can’t win her over - something the perennially sunny Cheyenne has not experienced before... -
Up Against Her by Lisa Elliot
Skye, Head of Qualitative Research, loves her job exploring what makes people tick and generating insights for her clients. She’s worked her way up and is on the brink of a promotion at her top market research consultancy. But when she’s forced to merge her department and compete for the job she thought was hers, she’s seriously displeased...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity office independent heroine f-f from hate to love slow burn length-medium -
In Development by Rachel Spangler
From a young age, Cobie Galloway made a career of playing the girl-next-door on the silver screen. Only, she's not a teenager anymore. Ready to challenge herself artistically and earn the part she's always dreamed of, she's forced to face the realization that in order to win the roles afforded to edgier actresses, she might first have to audition by playing someone edgier in her day-to-day life... -
Barging In by Emily Banting
The best-selling and award-winning author of The South Downs Romance Series and The Nunswick Abbey Series brings you a charming standalone sapphic romance set along a picturesque waterway in rural England. Clem Wentworth, cake baker and marketing extraordinaire, moors her beloved orange narrowboat, Florence, outside her late Great Aunt Maud’s house to keep an eye on its renovation for her parents...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity office independent heroine f-f contemporary bisexual age difference -
CTRL+ME by Ava Jay, Tilly Ridge
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"This is the game; she likes to be on display, but loves when I take her off the shelf like a toy that I can’t help but to play with. Yes, my little puppet loves it when I put my fingers deep inside her so she sings for the crowd. ". Tatum knows control like the back of her hand. She thrives in it, relishes in it, and can’t let go of it...Categorized as:
single-mother queer forced proximity age difference f-f bdsm contemporary friends to lovers -
Touch the Sky by Katia Rose
The first time I met her, Jacinthe Gauthier-Laframboise was running screaming after an escaped donkey while covered in manure. It wasn’t exactly a meet-cute, but luckily, I’m not looking for a relationship. Dating has been on the backburner ever since life threw a wrench and left me to raise my daughter on my own...Categorized as:
small town queer single-mother forced proximity independent heroine f-f length-medium contemporary -
The Trip by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWho wants to take a road trip with two old, bickering women and a complete stranger? Not Jill Savoy. She finds herself behind the wheel of her father’s sacred Winnebago anyway, responsible for her grandmother and adopted aunt, both of whom are mischievous teenagers in old bodies, and then there’s Shay. The last thing on Shay Macaluso’s mind was a vacation... -
Charm City by Monica McCallan
Taylor Tate has one last chance to turn things around. As the owner of Charm City Events, she needs her upcoming week of Valentine’s Day events to go off without a hitch...Categorized as:
forced proximity queer office f-f contemporary from hate to love dual-pov cheerful heroine -
The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of Clara Wild by Natasha West
British biographer Lily Gray is going to LA for one To write the story of reclusive Hollywood actress, Clara Wild. Clara inexplicably stepped away from stardom at the height of her fame, leaving fans and the industry baffled ever since...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity office independent heroine poor heroine humor f-f length-medium -
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Blurred Lines by Olivia Lucas
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsThis week is not going to plan…. So far, I’ve been stood up, taunted by a kid, and dunked in coffee. And that was just on my way to my job interview. I almost couldn’t believe it when the hot stranger who crashed into me in the coffee shop came to my rescue. Unfortunately, this stranger has a name – Natalie Dalton – and she might’ve also popped up at my job interview. And then on a night out... -
Heart Block by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsHappily ever after is easier said than done…. Sarah Matamoros can’t complain. After immigrating from Mexico when she was nine years old, she’s content with the life she’s made for herself in sunny San Diego. She works hard at her mother’s housecleaning service by day and spends the evenings with her quirky eight-year-old daughter, Grace...Categorized as:
forced proximity single-mother queer f-f contemporary cold heroine class difference grumpy sunshine -
The Secret Pond by Gerri Hill
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsGrieving over the loss of her family and feeling like her life is unraveling, Lindsey McDermott quits her job, gets a puppy and retreats to her grandparents’ home in the Texas Hill Country. She spends her solitary days walking childhood trails and reminiscing, trying to reconcile the conflict within her as she struggles with survivor’s guilt... -
First Position by Melissa Brayden
Anastasia Mikhelson is the rising star of the New York City Ballet. She’s sacrificed creature comforts, a social life, as well as her own physical well-being for perfection in dance. Even her reputation as The Ice Queen doesn’t faze her. Though Ana’s at the peak of her career, competition from a new and noteworthy dancer puts all she’s worked for in jeopardy...Categorized as:
office forced proximity queer f-f from hate to love new adult contemporary cold heroine -
Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden
If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found. Jenna McGovern has spent her whole life training for the stage. She’s taken dance classes, voice lessons, and even earned her performance degree from one of the most prestigious musical theater programs in the nation...Categorized as:
office forced proximity queer contemporary f-f second chances career professional length-medium -
Like They Do in the Movies by Nan Campbell
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Dream: rich and famous screenwriter of hilarious sapphic rom coms. The Reality: pushing out trashy celebrity gossip for cash. The Grand Plan: advance career by engineering a celebrity takedown. Fran Underhill’s adoration for the entertainment industry is in flames, transformed into a loathing of celebrity culture and all those who benefit from it...Categorized as:
queer office f-f contemporary age difference boss & employee length-medium audiobook -
Scaredy Cat by Robin Alexander
Blake Taylor isn’t the queen of horror, but she’s certainly a member of the royal court. Blake has made a career out of writing novels that make her readers want to leave the lights on at night. What Blake’s fans and very few people realize is that Blake Taylor is scared of her own shadow and just about everything else... -
A Perfect Fit by Kellan McKnight
Ella Gardner is a high school English teacher and former volleyball star who lost out on her chance to play in college when she became pregnant with her daughter in her senior year of high school. Fed up with the direction of her life, she acknowledges her sexuality at thirty-five and decides to try online dating...Categorized as:
single-mother queer age difference humor f-f length-long contemporary third-person-pov -
Not Only One Bed by Sienna Waters
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNot falling in love has never been so hard. .. Trix Winchester has been promoted to head of romance acquisitions for London’s leading literary agent. The problem? Trix hasn’t believed in romance for years. Kel Bradshaw’s looking for a sugar mommy to pay her way through art school. But she just can’t bring herself to be mercenary enough to trick someone into it... -
A Game Of Two Hearts by Iona Kane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTess Kennedy isn’t where she thought she’d be at forty-six. She’s focusing on keeping things together as a single parent as she returns to a town that holds mixed memories. As she tries to build a new life for her family, she’s relieved that she’s finally in control of her own destiny. The last thing she’s looking for is a relationship. Rowan Russell is living her regular, predictable life... -
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Making It: A Novel by Laura Kay
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of Wild Things comes a heartwarming and relatable queer rom-com about an isolated young woman whose artistic celebration of her pet chinchilla suddenly launches her into the professional art world, reality TV fame, and first love. Isobel's life is just her, her mum, and her pet chinchilla, Abigail, in their council flat on the Kentish coast... -
Hearts on Fire by Emily Hayes
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCan they save each other in more ways than just the physical? This is an Age Gap, Opposites Attract romance between a Surgeon and a Firefighter. It is steamy, loving and always a Happy Ever After. World famous Surgeon, Dr. Naomi Crane, is hard at work when a fire breaks out. Her life is saved by the fiercely attractive firefighter, Scotti Saunders... -
Just Jorie by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSome believe that special someone is out there just waiting to be found. Jorie Andolini is one of those people and has spent a lot of time envisioning that moment. She bumps into a woman at a grocery store, the woman drops a can of peas, Jorie picks it up, their eyes meet, and two souls connect... -
That Woman Next Door by Harper Bliss
Sometimes what you're running from is exactly what you need. Olivia Chevalier is perfectly happy living a quiet life of solitude with her two cats in the tempestuous countryside of Brittany. Olivia’s peace is disrupted when heartbreaker extraordinaire Marie Dievart moves in to the holiday home next door after an event at work makes her flee her everyday life... -
Teaching Hope by Sienna Waters
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIt’s time to learn a lesson. .. American high school teacher Ava Stanford has been betrayed in the worst way possible. So she takes a temporary job at a village school in England. She’s definitely not running away, but even she admits she’s got nothing to go home to. School receptionist Hope Perkins is hardly at her peak... -
Girls of Summer by Kate Christie
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe first four books of the Girls of Summer series introduced Emma Blakeley and Jamie Maxwell, two athletes with bright soccer futures. Now, in Girls of Summer, the US Women's National Team (USWNT) is in its final round of preparations before the 2015 World Cup. For Jamie, a starting spot on the World Cup roster would be a dream come true...
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