Books like 'The Retreat'
Readers who enjoyed The Retreat by Natasha West also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance funny from hate to love queer fake relationship forced proximity cheating competent heroine rich heroine
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When You Least Expect It by Haley Cass
Caroline Parker knows three things to be true. First, she is going to be Boston's most sought after divorce attorney by thirty-five. Second, given how terrible her romantic track record is, falling in love isn't in the cards for her. And third, Christmas only brings her bad luck - being broken up with not once, not twice, but three times during the holidays is proof enough of that... -
Above all Things by Roslyn Sinclair
The Carlisle saga continues…Aspiring writer Jules Moretti and iconic fashion editor Vivian Carlisle have been through the wringer.As Vivian’s personal assistant, Jules was there for her ice queen boss’s whims, commands, and the shocking discovery of her pregnancy. Just as shocking was Jules’s realization that she was falling hard for Vivian…and that the feeling was mutual... -
In the Long Run by Haley Cass
Free-spirited and easygoing Taylor Vandenberg left her hometown of Faircombe, Tennessee as soon as she could, and in the twenty-five years since, she has rarely looked back. She wouldn’t change anything about how her life has turned out – having traveled to nearly every country, never staying anywhere long enough to feel stifled... -
Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking... -
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Chaos Agent by Lee Winter
What happens when the sweetest employee learns her boss’s evil secrets? This opposites-attract ice queen romance asks: Can a villain truly be redeemed?CEO Michelle Hastings has foolishly promoted a kind, clueless activist to her full-time staff. Now, on top of fighting her inconvenient feelings, Michelle must hide the evil they do... -
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 .. -
The Last to Leave by Erica Lee
Courtney Fields and Nicole Dawson were high school rivals who thought they would never have to deal with each other again. Eight years after graduating, the two are thrown back together on a trip to Cabo with their two best friends. Throughout the trip, they quickly learn they get under each other’s skin in more ways than one... -
Posing in Paradise by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
When a down-on-her-luck costumer agrees to a fake relationship for quick cash, the last thing she expects is to fall for a celebrity she despises.Margo Wells hates everything about Hollywood. Especially actors. But she loves her job as a wardrobe supervisor, until a spoiled film legend has her fired for an accident on set that wasn’t even her fault...Categorized as:
queer class difference from hate to love fake relationship forced proximity f-f humor length-medium -
Mutual Benefits by H.P. Munro
Coming out to your loved ones is stressful, so when Hannah Melville’s family not only accept but celebrate her accidental announcement, it should be a relief. Which it would be, if Hannah was gay.Ashley West isn’t looking for a relationship. When she’s set up by her mother on a blind date, she’s ready to nip any expectations in the bud. She’s less prepared for her love interest to be straight...Categorized as:
fake relationship forced proximity queer f-f contemporary humor length-short friends to lovers -
Where the Heart Leads by Ally McGuire
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA stunt car driver, an MI5 agent, a gigolo… Finn Montoya tells everyone she meets she has a different profession. It’s all part of keeping people at a distance while still being a part of the world around her. Really, she’s an accomplished writer who has taken being a mystery to heart. At least that way, she can stay safe. Under no circumstances can her past catch up with her...Categorized as:
queer class difference career professional competent heroine f-f humor single-mother mental illness -
Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton
Two old friends, one hot summer, a whole load of confusion. Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief... -
Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn offbeat lesbian romantic comedy starring penguins, plotting, and payback.Muffin maker Olivia Roberts has had it with her awful exes taking advantage of her good nature. The theft of her nana’s beloved stuffed penguin is the absolute last straw.She puts up an ad at her local crime bookstore for a henchperson to help her enact a little mild revenge...Categorized as:
queer from hate to love boss & employee age difference christmas contemporary office f-f -
Say Cheese by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
In a small town teetering on the brink of collapse, will one woman's arrival seal a factory’s fate or open the floodgate for love and redemption?Elle Robinson's world is literally swept away when a raging flood sends her car careening toward certain doom, only to be rescued by Angela Lane – a spirited, self-reliant, and unexpected savior who pulls Elle back from the edge of calamity... -
BY DESIGN: The Beginning by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBuilding bridges has a very different meaning for Jameson Reid than it does for Candace Fletcher. J.D. Reid spends her days designing some of the most elegant and majestic buildings and homes in North America. U.S. Senator Candace Fletcher has spent her life working to build bridges between people. J.D. Reid is not who Candace Fletcher was expecting to arrive on her doorstep... -
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Like First Love, Again by J.J. Arias
When the one who got away comes back...Real estate broker Tori Cruz has spent years building a life of structure and control — keeping her heart, and her past, carefully locked away. But when Mia Falcon, her childhood best friend and secret first love, crashes back into her life after fourteen years apart, everything Tori thought she buried comes rushing back.Mia didn’t mean to find Tori again... -
Just a Touch Away by Jae
An ice queen’s frosty façade is melted by the power of touchHannah Martin has an unusual job: she’s a professional cuddler. While she has a big heart for her clients, she hasn’t found someone special to snuggle up to in her personal life.Winter Sullivan isn’t looking for love. She’s an aloof workaholic who’s built walls of ice around herself...Categorized as:
from hate to love forced proximity queer competent heroine age difference f-f humor angst -
The AM Show by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Would you give up your lifelong dream for a shot at everlasting love?Amanda Morgan is a morning show host with a fierce reputation, but a bitter divorce has left her feeling all washed up. Being mistaken for a grandmother at her own son’s wedding has her teetering on the edge—until a stranger at the reception rocks her world...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity class difference competent heroine rich heroine humor f-f age difference -
Karaoke Queen by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsSkylar was horribly scarred by a fire in a violent crime, thoughts of suicide plagued her until she found music. It was her savior. She came forward from the shadows to express her pain through song. Karaoke bars were her salvation. Now in an international competition, she finds herself continually vexed by her rival, Kim, who never shows her any quarter... -
Don't Let Me Go by Rachael Sommers
Faking a relationship with your bestie might be fun…if you weren’t crushing on her gorgeous, grumpy, older aunt. A lesbian romance filled with fighting, flirting, and feisty ice queens.New Yorker Kenzie Wilson agrees to play a fake girlfriend for her best friend for a family Christmas vacation in an idyllic Portuguese town... -
Blissfully Blindsided by Robin Alexander, Lori Prince
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsBlaze Sonnier has had a bad year. In the spring she made national news while dressed as the Easter Bunny in a brawl where she was trying to defend herself, and earned the moniker Bitch Slap Bunny. In the fall the mother who abandoned Blaze for an acting career showed up on her doorstep, not only injured from an accident but broke and in need of a place to stay... -
Reservations of the Heart by T.B. Markinson
Can two wounded souls find solace together? 41-year-old doctor Stella Gilbert used to have it all. Her career was on fire, and she had a picture-perfect family--until she was blindsided by her wife doing the unthinkable... -
Learning to Trust by Kallie Mont
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 11 ratings“Parker?”Parker loved that voice and she adored hearing it say her name. But in this moment, it scared the shit out of her.In the sleepy coastal town of Doveport, the pot isn’t just stirred—that bitch is boiling over.Maggie and Parker are new... like, brand-spanking-new. But for all of their flirting and butterflies and romantic intention, the universe has devised one giant beaver-dam... -
Accidental Honeymoon by Miranda MacLeod
Would you marry a woman you hate for a life-changing inheritance?Monica’s business has been hit hard by a global recession, her ex-girlfriend is selling the house out from under her, and the hot handy ma’am, Ray, who was hired to fix up the place, turns out to be the most annoying woman on the planet... -
Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 17 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... -
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Fearless by Robin Alexander, Lori Prince
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsFalon Whyte books a cruise for her girlfriend of two years. What she hopes will be a fun vacation quickly turns out to be a nightmare. Falon is normally a woman who can roll with the punches, but life delivers a series of blows that knock her on her butt and leave her stranded in Honduras with the company of an uptight woman she doesn’t like. Haley Hollis isn’t having a good time, either... -
Jericho by Ann McMan
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...Categorized as:
forced proximity competent heroine rich heroine career professional queer contemporary f-f bisexual -
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... -
The Fall by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsNoel Savino has no problems attracting women. After several failed relationships, she's more than happy to keep it casual. Sunny Chase is willing to be another notch on Noel's bedpost, after tragedy of her own. Despite their playful intentions, they find themselves poised to fall, especially if Noel’s old-school Italian mother and Sunny's cross-dressing uncle have anything to say about it... -
The Wedding That Almost Wasn't by Sienna Waters
It’s time to fall in love. Literally.American Emily Jackson has been in love with her best friend’s oldest sister Savannah for as long as she can remember. Which is why a family wedding in far-off Scotland is a dream come true. A week trapped in the Highlands with Savannah is exactly what she needs to prove that they belong together.Harry Lorde has a problem...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity fake relationship f-f contemporary humor length-short open-door -
The Adventurers by Bryce Oakley
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThey're about to embark on their greatest adventure yet.Joey Moore got her heart stomped on. At her engagement party. So, she did what any normal, completely rational 28-year-old would do — she moved to a new city with her dog to start a new life. Without much of a plan, it turns out... -
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Lambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage-of-convenience...Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter... -
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... -
Holly and Ivy: A Lesbian Holiday Romance by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
The only thing harder than saving the world is doing it alone. Holly Lovelace is a multi-millionaire tech genius and the CEO of her own company. But if she can’t come up with a brilliant innovation and convince her investors that she’s back in tip-top shape by the end of the year, Holly could lose everything she’s worked so hard to build... -
All Wrapped Up in You by T.B. Markinson, Adrian J. Smith
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA 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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Flashbang by Lee Winter
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsAt a celebrity party, all eyes are drawn to the glamorous A-listers. No one’s watching two entertainment reporters–knockabout Iowa girl Lauren King and her secret lover, Caustic Queen Catherine Ayers–as they celebrate their last night together in LA in erotic style. A sexy slice from The Red Files universe... -
Solid Foundation by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLife is never simple in the world of politics. The pressure is on Senator Candace Fletcher to make a run for the governorship of New York State. Everyone seems convinced it's the right move for the affable senator. Everyone that is, except Candace. Life took an unexpected turn for the senator when she met and fell in love with Jameson Reid... -
Right To Remain Silent by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsMadelyn Stone and her brother moved to Seattle to make a fresh start and leave their troubled past behind them. With her brother working in a scrapyard, and Madelyn selling handmade items from her cart in Pike Place Market, everything is starting to look up. It all comes crashing down around Maddie when a thief makes off with her cash box, but not before her vendor cart get’s demolished... -
Making Waves by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLenore Statham, the runner for the Flotilla Project, had been at her lowest when she was found by Angie Wells and Paya Doshi and brought into the fold. She learned how to be strong again and break the shackles her old life had hobbled her with... -
Ships in the Night by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe playfully evil sisters, Zoey and Eve, play matchmaker from their bakery, The Pike, in Pike Place Market in Seattle. Ligaya is a quantum physicist working in a research lab at the University of Washington. She is seduced by the numbers and math with a drive that excludes everything in her life including social interactions. Emotions have always been hard for her to understand or express... -
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... -
The Proposal by T.B. Markinson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIs a single day worth changing the course of your entire life?Marley Royce has just two goals for her seventy-two-hour stay in London: land a career-making business deal and finally meet the woman of her dreams face to face.Fate has something else in mind.The mega conglomerate Marley works for wants to acquire the venerable but struggling Braithwaite Books... -
Southbound and Down by K.B. Draper
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDrew Beckett’s life is a well-curated plan. Small-town to successful Assistant U.S. Attorney, assigned to an above-the-fold case that could eliminate a notorious crime family and put her firmly in line for her ultimate promotion. The last thing she needs is a distraction; like a threat on her life or the seriously lickable dimples on the U.S. Marshal assigned to protect her.U.S... -
A Midlife Woman by T.B. Markinson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLizzie Petrie can’t quite believe she’s approaching middle age.It’s summertime and Lizzie is determined to have the best summer yet.Just as long as no one acknowledges that on July fourteenth she’s turning forty. She can’t kick the thought that getting older is a failure on her part. And it’s dangerous, too. She tweaks her neck simply trying to make toast... -
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...Categorized as:
queer forced proximity competent heroine career professional humor f-f contemporary small town -
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Christmas at Rainbow Falls by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA Sweet Small Town Romance Christmas at Rainbow Falls is a sweet small town romance written in the style of your favorite holiday movies, so grab a cup of cocoa and snuggle in for some yuletide cheer!When a disastrous mistake at work puts her career in jeopardy, Natalie Dunbar retreats to the small Vermont town of Rainbow Falls to settle the estate of an aunt she hardly knew... -
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 poor heroine f-f contemporary friends to lovers age difference humor -
Falling Hard by Jae
Dr. Jordan Williams devotes her life to two things: saving patients in the operating room and pleasuring her latest conquest in the bedroom. Her idea of commitment is spending a few hours together in bed. Single mom Emma Larson is Jordan’s polar opposite. Family and fidelity mean everything to her...Categorized as:
career professional competent heroine forced proximity rich heroine queer f-f doctors single-mother -
Dear Me by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAlexis Holt unknowingly meets the woman of her dreams at a party. Unfortunately, Alexis was at the wrong place at the wrong time and walked away from the encounter thinking Stacy Kirkland was an arrogant snob. Alexis knew it wouldn’t be the last time she saw Stacy, and she wasn’t looking forward to their next meeting... -
Next Time by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsPayton Foret agrees to play wingwoman for her best friend. She never dreamed that when she walked into the bar that night that she’d meet her soul mate. Though their only physical contact was a simple handshake, Payton begins to believe in love at first sight. There’s only one problem—the woman of her dreams is already in a relationship with someone else... -
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...
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