Books like 'Strength Check'
Readers who enjoyed Strength Check by Katherine McIntyre also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance new adult friends to lovers bisexual queer found-family
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The Blind Side of Love by Ingrid Díaz
2nd draft available here: ingriddiaz.com Julianne Franqui is a hot actress and secretly gay. On a trip to New York she sees the artwork of artist Kris Milano, whose talent is not the only thing she's attracted to. Undercover of email, she begins a correspondence with the artist . When she comes to New York for filming and finally meets her, will she tell Kris the truth .. -
Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden
Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect... Accountant Samantha Ennis craves order and structure. As the bookkeeper at the boutique advertising agency she owns with her three best friends, it’s her job to apply logic to the chaos. When one of those best friends, laid back Hunter Blair, moves in to share her loft apartment, Sam’s carefully organized world is thrown wildly askew...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers queer f-f contemporary forced proximity length-medium open-door -
Honey in the Marrow by Emily Waters
An enemies-to-friends-to-lovers lesbian romance about finding heart, hope, and second chances you never thought you’d have.Stella Carter is a former criminal prosecutor and new widow facing down middle age alone in Los Angeles. Without being a prestigious lawyer and someone’s wife, she’s not sure who she is anymore or where her life is headed...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers queer from hate to love f-f age difference contemporary length-medium -
Better Than Expected by Haley Cass
Hannah Dalton had a lot of expectations in her life. Growing up watching her mother struggle for everything they had, she resolved to make sure she did everything she could to make those hardships worthwhile... -
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Awaiting by Nicole Pyland
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThis is book #4 in the Royalty Series.Alexandria – or Alex, as she preferred to be called – would one day be the next Queen of the United Kingdom. She would also be the first out lesbian who would take that title... -
Awaiting by Nicole Pyland
This is book #4 in the Royalty Series.Alexandria – or Alex, as she preferred to be called – would one day be the next Queen of the United Kingdom. She would also be the first out lesbian who would take that title... -
The Flight Risk by Macon Leigh
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThings are going great for Baylee Lawrence. Her writing has won awards, been adapted into an outrageously successful movie, and she’s just achieved her childhood dream of selling out a storytelling show at the Ryman. It’s incredible. Her life is perfect—a series of grand adventures. She has no intention of changing anything... -
The Next Chapters: An On the Same Page Novella by Haley Cass
Gianna Mäkinen has been in love with her best friend Riley Beckett for her entire adult life. She’d long accepted that her place in life was Riley’s best friend, and that was okay. It was more than okay.She never imagined that she would have the opportunity to confess her love to Riley, to marry her, to have a herd of children with her... -
Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Shawna Haydel was sixteen years old, she dropped Ashton Guidry’s name into a potion that would supposedly make Ashton fall in love with her. She knew it was silly, but she clung to one irrational thread of hope their friend Patty’s concoction would grant her heart’s desire... -
A Deafening Whisper by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMia has lived a life full of harassment, for an affliction not many understand. She thought college would be different, her escape, after all, people there are more mature right? She was wrong. A rebellious girl, Vee, saves her from a bad situation and teaches her that every single day is a gift. A romance blooms between them that not even time can erase... -
Enthralled by Her by Chelsea M. Cameron
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThings might be going well enough, but I couldn’t see much to look forward to. Sure, I somehow had a thriving business repairing and rebinding books, and my parents had gifted me their vacation house after my apartment was turned into a co-op. Still, there wasn’t a whole lot of action and excitement in little Arrowbridge, Maine, but I was making the best of it, like I always did... -
Jericho by Ann McMan
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWelcome to Jericho, Verginia.Librarian Syd Murphy flees the carnage of a failed marriage by accepting an eighteen-month position in Jericho, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. Her plans to hide out and heal her wounds fall by the wayside as she gets drawn into the daily lives of the quirky locals... -
Goddess of the Moon by Claire Highton-Stevenson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDiana Maddox is a creature of comfort, she plays by the rules and she likes things done properly. Now, she finds herself in a bit of a rut. Single after an almost decade-long relationship with Jason, who cheated on her, Diana is sharing a flat with her sister and nephew. Her friends have all married and had families of their own, so there's only one thing for it, Diana decides...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer f-f contemporary queer-awakening childfree-couple length-medium -
Storm in Her Heart by KC Luck
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLove can weather the stormiest of hearts…Athena Storm, the resilient owner of a struggling tavern, has weathered many storms in her life. As she fights to keep her establishment afloat, she is convinced she does not have time for a relationship.Enter Kate Franklin, an ex-cop turned delivery driver who seeks refuge from her past... -
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Party Animal by Ali K. Mulford
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe’s never done love long-term. But will faking it lead to forever?Finch Lachlan works hard and parties harder. But tired of her siblings judging her fun-loving ways, the head veterinarian at her family’s zoo vows to prove she can make it past the third date. And maybe she can begin with the hottie who just seized her attention with a sizzling kiss.Chef, Frankie Benedetti, craves a fresh start... -
Behind the Pine Curtain by Gerri Hill
Jacqueline Keys was ostracized from her small hometown of Pine Springs, Texas when she was seventeen, sent away because she was gay. Her family was the largest employer in the county, owning Pine Springs Lumber, and her father was mayor of this small town. Her mother could not accept the fact that her only child was gay, could not tolerate the gossip about her family... -
Paradise Pride by Lise Gold
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLondon-based casino manager Meghan has no expectations of her two-week holiday in Spain; she’s just tagging along with her friend who’s visiting her love interest. When they arrive at a deserted hotel due to a booking fault and her friend leaves to see her boyfriend, she’s left with the bartender who stays on for the night... -
Tempted By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI wasn’t looking forward to finding a new roommate after my best friend, Joy, moved in with her girlfriend, Ezra. We’ve lived together for years, and I didn’t want to start over with a stranger. Then there’s a fire at the house Lark’s renting and for some reason I open my mouth and offer to let her move in with me... -
Spectrum by M.J. Duncan
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSparks fly the moment Bryn Nakamura lays eyes on Anna Fitzpatrick, and not in a good way. Driven, reserved, and recovering from another encounter with a life she would rather leave behind, all Bryn wants is to forget about Anna and focus on her beloved vineyard—but Fate has other plans...Categorized as:
friends to lovers queer f-f contemporary age difference from hate to love length-long -
Teach Me by Melissa Tereze, Jourdyn Kelly
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter years of separation and mutual longing, Vanessa Hughes and Emma Bradley are blissfully engaged. Everything about their new life together is wonderful, until Emma learns the children’s sport agency that sent her to Africa has gone bankrupt. Back when she was pining for Vanessa, Emma’s work was a godsend, both for her and for the kids who had nothing else good in their lives... -
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... -
Where the Heart Is by Lily Seabrooke
Kissing her childhood friend on a family Christmas vacation is probably a bad idea…The Jackson family is primed to explode over Christmas—with Stella’s parents hiding their divorce proceedings from the family during a two-week vacation to the cozy Christmas town of Bellsford, Stella and her sisters are under strict orders not to cause drama... -
Operation: Secret Santa by M.J. Duncan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhen Holly Burke saw who she’d drawn for Secret Santa, she knew she had to do something to make it special. It was Christmas, after all, and if anyone deserved some extra Christmas cheer, it was Mo Davy... -
Lightning Strikes Twice by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsReturning home to Seattle from a twenty year absence in London...Victoria discovers that time has not erased her feelings for an unrequited love. It soon becomes obvious that with true love, lightning can sometimes strike twice.This is set in the same world as Music of the Soul but is a standalone book... -
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Sleigh Bells Ring: A Sapphic Romance by Alyson Root, Tara Sullivan
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor Nicole Robinson, Christmas means returning to the family home in Hebden Bridge with her sister Beth and their brother Liam, who has lived with permanent delays since a childhood accident. Though Beth and Nicole have grown up and moved away, every December the Robinson kids reunite for a month of family and festive traditions... -
This Is the Season to Make You Mine by Johana Gavez
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWill the Christmas magic help these two friends take a shot at love?Morgan Bergman doesn’t want to go home for Christmas. She loves her family, but since her parents retired and her sister moved back to their hometown of Apfelville to take over the family business, she’s been avoiding them, feeling guilty about choosing her rising career in New York over her family... -
Finally Loved by Jacqueline Ramsden
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCan you meet The One in the middle of being dumped?Neve thought she’d finally found someone who would love her, but here she is, getting dumped again. Perhaps it would be less embarrassing if it were happening in private—and with words she hadn’t heard time and time again. Or, perhaps she’s destined to never find real love... -
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... -
Every Little Thing by Lily Seabrooke
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsThe end isn’t the best time to realize you’ve been in love all along.Bakery owner Harper has her secrets. She’s always kept to herself, constantly on a career climb that only she can see, with no one allowed close—except the one person in Bayview who won’t take no for an answer.Paisley’s fallen into bed with Harper twice already over their years of friendship, but it’s never meant anything... -
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... -
Sunstone: Mercy Book Three by Stjepan Šejić
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo women deal with modern themes of sex, relationships, and fetishism in this erotic romantic comedy."MERCY," Part Three. Loving someone means building a shrine within your heart dedicated to them. A shrine made of good memories and treasured moments. As the mercy arc reaches its third volume Anne is about to find the shrine of her heart ransacked by none other than the person it was devoted to... -
No After You by Nicole Pyland
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDani Wilder only intended to go to a fundraiser and donate money to a worthy cause. She had no idea that she’d meet the love of her life that night. There were only a couple of problems with that chance meeting. Dani had a boyfriend. That chance meeting – it was with Peyton Gloss, the world’s most famous music star, who also happened to be a woman. Peyton had only planned on performing that night... -
Enchanted By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI was NOT looking forward to my sister’s wedding in the fall. It’s just another reminder of how single I am and how much pressure my family is putting on me to “find the one.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m a hopeless romantic, but all their meddling is making me feel a little murderous.Then one day a woman walks into the bookshop where I work... -
Run Away With me, Girl 2 by Battan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMaki's first love was her high school classmate, a girl named Midori. But Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were now "too old to be fooling around dating girls... -
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Whenever You're Ready by Rachel Runya Katz
After reconnecting on a road trip, two friends must decide if love is the ultimate risk worth taking in this funny, emotional sapphic romanceNia and Jade had been inseparable ever since their best friend, Michal, introduced them at her tenth birthday party...Categorized as:
queer friends to lovers found-family forced proximity humor contemporary f-f length-medium -
Sirens & Muses by Antonia Angress
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsFour artists are drawn into a web of rivalry and desire at an elite art school and on the streets of New York in this “gripping, provocative, and supremely entertaining” (BuzzFeed) debut“Captures the ache-inducing quality of art and desire . . . a deeply relatable and profoundly enjoyable read, one drenched in prismatic color and light... -
Rat Race by Eden Emory, Ashley Pines
From Ashley Pines and Eden Emory comes a queer dark, smutty thriller set in world where the rich pay handsomely to watch the live-streaming event of the year. The desperate sign-up to play a game with life-changing rewards and life-ending consequences.CamLegacy. A word I reckon I’d heard a hundred times more than my own name.It’s what I am, who I am. The product of generations of greatness... -
Making It by Laura Kay
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 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... -
Work In Progress by Olivia Lucas
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDear God, Can I please return her?I know I asked for a hot, amazing woman to shake things up, but this is not what I had in mind. Not even close.Sure, she has mesmerizing eyes that hypnotize me, killer legs, wild hair –Ugh.Anyway, Reagan and I are polar opposites.First of all – she is New York, I am small-town Harmon Valley.She is also bossy, career-obsessed, and oh, a royal pain in my ass... -
A Long Way From Home by Olivia Lucas
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLogic versus desire – only one can survive the scorching heat of the Australian Outback. When no-nonsense, Chicago teacher Callie Rogers receives news that her deadbeat father has passed and has left her a share of his million-acre cattle station in the inhospitable Outback, she begrudgingly flies to the other side of the world... -
Closer than Ever by Lisa Elliot
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLong-lost friends from university explore their unresolved history on a road trip around Scotland in this second chance sapphic romance.Anna lives in the Scottish Highlands and works at Glenbuinidh whisky distillery. Loyal to her small town and her beloved distillery, all she wants is to find her future wife, settle down and start a family... -
Feels Like Home by Jo Cox
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsJess has loved Melissa for longer than she can remember and it’s bearable when they’re a hundred miles apart, but what will happen when they’re thrown back together and there’s nowhere to hide?Jess has tried everything to put her feelings aside, but when Melissa comes home from university and becomes a permanent fixture in her office, kitchen, and sometimes even bed, she’s got no chance of... -
Back to Me by Katie Duggan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen you can’t see ahead, try looking back.Jo Quinn has everything under control. After her engagement suddenly ends, she is perfectly fine, thank you very much. Until her first love crashes through her walls and back into her life.Hunter Cleary is looking for a new start after coming out, and moving in with her first love might not be the best way to do it, but it definitely isn’t the worst... -
Nochebuena: a holiday novella by Stephanie Shea
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCamila Morales is a hopeless romantic. Not that she thinks every couple is meant to be—she is a divorce lawyer, after all. But when her happy, married-thirty-years parents announce their own separation three weeks before Christmas, Cami’s world is turned upside down, especially since she’s been trying to feel her way through her own marital slump for months.Sutton Davies is an imposter... -
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Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition by Tee Franklin, Marguerite Bennett
When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall...Categorized as:
bisexual friends to lovers queer contemporary f-f mature couple curvy heroine length-novella -
Flight SQA016 by A.E. Radley
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSpurred on by overwhelming and ever-increasing debts, Emily White takes a job working in the first-class cabin on the prestigious commuter route from her home of New York to London with Crown Airlines. A gruelling transatlantic schedule means she is in the air nearly as much as she is on the ground and desperately misses her five-year-old son... -
The Hues of Me and You by Morgan Lee Miller
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsArlette Adair has always done what’s right. From the day she was born, she’s lived the life her parents forced upon her. Now, she’s stuck in a sparkless relationship and a job she never wanted. Her father's presidential campaign will forever root her in the world of politics that she’s trying to escape from.Brooke Dawson has always made her own rules... -
Tip In by Josie Mae
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this sapphic romance, a superstar women’s college basketball player and a commitment-phobe college student navigate complicated feelings—and busy schedules—after a photo of the two of them goes viral and fans theorize that they’re a couple... -
The Principal's Office by Jae
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsChemistry teacher Regan and her childhood best friend, Kylie, are no strangers to visiting the principal’s office. When they were growing up, mischievous Regan often got them in trouble at school. But this time, their trip to the principal’s office has a very different they need to tell Regan’s boss that the gossip about them is no longer just rumors... -
The Roads Left Behind Us by Kat Jackson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter some unexpected detours in life, Callie Lewes is determined to complete her PhD program and figure out the rest of her professional life. Her laser focus is finely tuned and she's ready for a total immersion in nothing but literature, subpar student essays, and all the joys that come with being a graduate teaching assistant...
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