7 Holiday F/F Reads
It’s Christmas next week! So what better time to kick back and relax with one (or seven!) beautiful f/f holiday romances? Listen as Tara and Sheena, founder of The Lesbian Review and The Lesbian Talkshow, share their favourites, which are sure leave you feeling festive.
Listen to this episode here
Check out their recommendations:
It Had to Be You by Clare Lydon
Publisher Custard Books
Available in Audiobook No
Synopsis
When Georgia meets Milly, she knows she could be a game-changer. But then she meets her mother, and all hell breaks loose.
Get this book on when you sign up for Clare’s mailing list!
Under a Falling Star by Jae
Publisher Ylva Publishing
Available in Audiobook Yes, narrated by Shawn Marie Bryan
Synopsis
Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn’t off to a good start. Her first assignment – decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby – results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company’s second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper. Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She’s determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss.
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Snow Globe by Georgia Beers
Publisher Bold Strokes Books
Available in Audiobook Yes, narrated by Hollis Elizabeth
Synopsis
Mackenzie Campbell has no idea her life is about to fall apart. She’s bright and attractive with a good job, a comfortable home, and an impending Christmas wedding she’s been planning for months. So when her girlfriend bails less than two weeks before the nuptials, Kenzie’s picture-perfect Christmas world begins to crumble around her.
Determined to hold on to at least some shred of her dignity, Kenzie snags her best friend, Allison, and flees the cold of the Northeast to take the honeymoon anyway. The Rainbow’s Edge is an enormous LGBT resort in South Florida, and its atmosphere of sun and fun seems to be just what Kenzie needs to help take her mind off of her lost relationship. But can a few hot dances, a mysterious suitor, and a handful of rum runners help her figure out what it is she really wants?
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Three (Plus One) by Ann McMan
Publisher Bywater Books
Available in Audiobook Yes, narrated by Christine Williams
Synopsis
Diz and Clarissa are back for the holidays!
It’s Christmas Eve in Baltimore, and you know what that means: snow. Lots of it.
Join our dynamic duo as they battle the elements, quirky friends and family, and two marauding dogs in their annual ill-fated attempts to enjoy a quiet Christmas alone.
Originally published in 2014, this Christmas collection features the short stories Nevermore!, A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore, and Blended Families.
But wait! There’s more!
In the Bywater Books reissue of Three, you get a (Plus One)! This updated edition of Ann McMan’s romantic comedy classic includes the fourth tale of Diz and Clarissa, ‘Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas.
This trilogy (plus one) is a holiday omnibus not to be missed!
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Season’s Meetings by Amy Dunne
Publisher Bold Strokes Books
Available in Audiobook Yes, narrated by Nicola Victoria Vincent
Synopsis
Could the festive road trip from hell actually lead to love?
Catherine Birch is a lonely workaholic who hates Christmas. This year, she is being forced to celebrate with her best friend’s family in the Highlands of Scotland. Having missed her flight, Catherine reluctantly ventures on a road trip with beautiful stranger Holly Daniels.
Although polar opposites, the intense attraction between them is unmistakable. Just as Catherine begins to think spending Christmas with Holly might not be so bad, a raging snowstorm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere. Huddled together, with little chance of rescue, they forge a pact: if they escape, they’ll make this a Christmas to remember. But will it be remembered for the right reasons?
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The Bureau of Holiday Affairs by Andi Marquette
Publisher Ylva Publishing
Available in Audiobook No
Synopsis
Executive Robin Preston has dedicated her life to climbing the corporate ladder, using whatever means necessary. In the shark-infested culture at Frost Enterprises, anything goes, and Robin is a master at the game.
On the verge of a major promotion, Robin receives a strange visit from Agent Elizabeth Tolson of the Bureau of Holiday Affairs, who informs Robin that, though Robin may be a lost cause, the Bureau has scheduled her for intervention. Robin will receive three visitors in the two weeks before Christmas, who will escort her on visits to her past, present, and future.
Robin will be forced to face not only who she’s become, but the parts of herself she left behind, when she was an art major in college and in love with fellow art student Jill Chen, in whom Robin found a kindred spirit—until Jill broke if off with her. In order for Robin to change her ways, she’ll need to reclaim who she was and open her heart again, to a past she thought she left behind.
The Bureau clearly has its work cut out for it, but Agent Tolson relishes a challenge, and she’s put together just the team for Robin’s case. They may have to cut a few corners and go outside a few lines, but Agent Tolson has a perfect salvage record and she’s not about to let that change. The question is, will Robin?
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Tricky Wisdom by Camryn Eyde
Publisher Indie Author
Available in Audiobook No
Synopsis
Darcy Wright is a closeted lesbian who has been infatuated with her best friend, Taylor, since junior high. Leaving her small northeast Minnesota town for Harvard in a quest to become a doctor, she moves in with med-student Olivia Boyd, a neurotic, anal, gigantic pain in the backside. The first year of juggling medical school is gruelling, but it’s nothing compared to living with Olivia.
Coming out to her friends and family with an anti-climactic flop, Darcy uses her newly publicised sexuality to try and win Taylor’s affections through an ill-hatched scheme that crosses uncomfortable lines. The result is as unexpected to Darcy as Darcy’s affinity for medicine is to Olivia.
The first year of medical school is a nerve-wracking encounter in medicine, learning lessons the hard way, and finding what her heart desires.
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Transcript
please note this transcript has not been edited and is automatically generated meaning certain words will be incorrect
hi welcome to Les Do Books I’m Tara you can email me at Tara at the lesbian review.com with any questions or comments or come join our Facebook group the lesbians you book club pretty excited today because I’m joined by Sheena my really good friend and founder of the lesbian revue in the lesbian talk show welcome Sheena thanks Tara it’s always lovely to be with you so Christmas is next week and we thought what better time to give all these amazing listeners our favorite lesbian Christmas reads so do you want to start with one that we both agree is amazing absolutely the book is it had to be you by Claire Lydon and it’s a novella so it’s not huge it’s a very quick read but it’s a beautiful read so I’m gonna quickly go through the synopsis that I wrote for the review Georgia and Millie are in a relationship Millie once Georgia to come home with her for Christmas Georgia worries that they significant age gap will be a problem she is old enough to be Millie’s mother quite literally and she’s not convinced that she will have a lot to talk about with Millie’s family who’s to know that the simple act of meeting the family will turn lives upside down as the past comes back to haunt them all good it’s so good it really is but before we go into it I just want to say you can get this book for free all you have to do is sign up to clearance mailing lists so Tara will put a link in the show notes for it’s and Claire gives very cute updates on I could life and her writing and that kind of thing so it’s actually quite fun to be on her mailing list anyway in this book like this book is a hundred percent worth giving up your email address for because not only is it free but it is so well written it’s so beautifully written and despite it being quite short she goes really deep with the characters in a way that shocked me it’s just an absolutely marvelous read so if you just have a couple of hours that you want to kill I highly recommend picking this one up there’s a level of angst in it as well which I was worried for a while the resolution wouldn’t be a good one because she manages to create this amazing tension between the characters but the resolution was satisfying and I was amazed at her writing prowess this book is brilliant I totally agree so my first pick cuz we each also now have three of our own so you’re gonna have seven stories or books to choose from to tide you over over the holidays if you are hiding from your family or I mean taking a little bit of alone time however you like to roll so my first one is under a falling star by Jay which I think might actually have been the first book I read by her and I just I loved it and I still loved it so this story is about Austen and D two women who couldn’t be more different and yet they work so well together Austin gets a new job as a secretary and her first assignment is to decorate the Christmas tree in the lobby D the company CEO o is walking through the lobby at the end of the day when she stops to fix the Christmas tree lights while trying to correct the off-center decorations the star at the top falls off and hits her on the head Austin is in the lobby at the time and sees a woman getting hit by the falling star she takes the stranger to the emergency room and finds herself intrigued by this woman who’s both strong and vulnerable all at once d doesn’t like to accept Austin’s help but the feisty new employee won’t take no for an answer in an attempt to nurture the budding relationship D fails to tell Austin that she’s actually the CEO of the company who everybody hates the question now is what will happen when Austin finds out the D lied to her can these two women from very different positions in the company deny their attraction to one another and keep their jobs so I don’t know it’s just like a really awesome solid romance and not all of it takes place at Christmas but like a lot of it does so I count it as a Christmas romance hmm it just it it’s all the stuff that J does with her contemporary romances so well like there’s a great thawing ice queen Austin is just lovely the chemistry as it builds between them is beautiful it’s a workplace romance I don’t know man like it’s a J romance I don’t know what else to tell you just get this book you’re gonna love it it’s wonderful you know I think it was my first gay novel as well and in fact if I recall correctly I had reviewed some books and one of my readers contacted me and said to me you need to review a J book and I was like okay well what book would you suggest and she sit under a falling star and that’s that’s how I read my very first J book it’s very sweet and I completely agree with your pick well that’s good because that was your synopsis that I read outside what what’s your first story so snow globe by Georgia beers it is an audiobook that is narrated by Hollis Elizabeth Mackenzie Campbell has no idea her life is about to fall apart she’s bright and attractive with a good job a comfortable home and an impending Christmas wedding she’s been planning for months so when a girlfriend bails less than two weeks before the nuptials Kinsey’s picture-perfect christmas world begins to crumble around her it’s friends to Lover’s romance her friend comes in and rescues her and it is beautiful I was utterly captivated from the start to the finish and there’s the best airport scene ever in a romance that I barely remember it so I don’t remember what you’re talking about I remember enjoying it but that’s all I remember it’s gorgeous I mean yeah it’s judge piers right yeah you’re listening to the lesbian talk show the lesbians all choked on you have of podcast information okay what is your next one so my next is three plus one by an McMahon which has recently been released in audio by my voice crush Christine Williams I don’t care let’s just say it everybody know it’s not a secret quit Nicola Victoria Vincent and Eric Raydon listen I have lots of voice crashes we can also add Jill Smith and Britney Pope and I could go on but I’m not going to because we’re talking about 3 plus 1 by n so this is a Christmas short story collection and anyone who’s seen my top 10 list know that they never just have 10 books in them so how could I not love a trilogy that has four stories in it so this is about Dizz and Clarissa their co-workers and after working together for a couple of years it finally comes out at the company Christmas party that the attraction does feels for Clarissa is mutual and if those names are that premise sounds familiar that’s because the first story Nevermore was also in McMahon’s short story collection sidecar each of these stories show us tis and klarissa’s Christmas for four years in a row from the first expression of their interest to getting together sharing Christmas with both of their families and I’m not gonna spoil what happens on that last Christmas but it’s pretty great and if you read the original release of three because it was released previously with a different publisher it’s out with Bywater now you’re still gonna want to pick this one up because the last story has all your favorite stuff to do if it isn’t Clarissa story but a little something extra this book is just it’s adorable it’s zany it’s kind of like all the funniest and sweetest and quirkiest that Anne McMahon has to offer all stuffed into one book there is very little that’s I don’t think there’s anything like super series in it so it’s kind of like the perfect holiday pick-me-up and because they’re short stories you can even space it out like if you only have a half an hour or an hour just read one story put it down and come back to it it’s just lovely and I’m in the middle of listening to the audiobook right now and it’s also lovely and cute and funny I think Christine Williams did a fabulous job bringing the characters to life especially it is but I mean she’s great with Clarissa too so I totally recommend this one that’s great Tara I’m Esther couldn’t face I haven’t read it but I love the cover well I mean let’s not talk about emic let’s not get into an ant-man cover fangirling rathole because we might stay down there what’s your next book my next book is seasons meetings by Amy Dutton so I read this when it first came out and it’s a very sweet book but when the audio book came out this is one of those rare books for me where I was able to read the book and listen to the audiobook and I enjoyed it even more in audio Nikolov Victoria Vinson’s narrates the audio and she managed to just make this book go from very sweet to like real awesome it’s it’s something that happens if you have a really great narrator this is the synopsis could the festive road trip from Hell actually lead to love Katherine birches Allah is a lonely workaholic who hates Christmas this year she’s being forced to celebrate with her best friend’s family in the Highlands of Scotland having missed her flight Katherine reluctantly ventures on a road trip with a beautiful stranger Holly Daniels although polar opposites the intense attraction between them is unmistakable just as Catherine begins to think spending Christmas with Holly might not be so bad a raging snowstorm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere huddled together with little chance of rescue they Forge a pact if they escape they’ll make this a Christmas to remember but will it be remembered for the right reasons I can honestly go forth and say yes it will and it’s very cute and there’s a dog in here that melts my heart so you should absolutely pick it up and pick it up an audiobook because Nicola Victoria of instance is a genius genius again I haven’t read this one in a long time but I remember enjoying this one a lot too it’s just really it’s like it’s sweet and lovely and I mean it takes place in Scotland what’s not to love what’s a little bit of a thawing and Ice Queen thing going on a girl next door sort of thing is stuck in a small town of Christmas in a romantic setting it’s got a lot of the very cute tropes and that adorable dog thing and the adorable dog something for everyone so my last book is probably my favorite Christmas novel and it’s the Bureau of quality of fairs by Andy Marquette and this story follows Robin Preston a business executive secured and her role as a corporate shark after years of backstabbing her way up the ladder and after filling out the paperwork for two employees to get let go right before Christmas Robin is visited by agent Elizabeth Tolson from the bureau of holiday Affairs and she has a warning for her it’s time for Robin to change her ways if she wants to redeem herself and three visitors are coming to help agent Tolson has her doubts about Robin having begun her road into asshole news falling the death of her mother and her girlfriend Jill breaking up with her in college but hey it’s a retelling of Dickens A Christmas Carol maybe even the most irredeemable jerk can make it this book is it’s sweet it’s funny it’s a fabulous retelling of A Christmas Carol really not even just a retelling but like a contemporary reinterpretation of it like what would it look like if it happened now so that the three other people that come to visit her are really interesting and I don’t want to give away too much because discovering each of them is a lot of fun the second in particular is fabulous and that’s all I’m going to say about that character but people are going to love her and it has there’s a really lovely romance to it it’s just it’s it’s kind of got everything yeah like it has a romance it has great characters it’s a really interesting reinterpretation of a classic story and you can just feel like warm and fuzzy when you’re reading it it’s it’s just great mark it does a nice cost of queer characters which I appreciate that it wasn’t just you know straight up lesbians I like that so what’s your last pick so my last choice is not strictly a Christmas tale because it happens over a long period of time but Christmas plays an important part in the story especially with regards to the two main characters relationship it’s tricky wisdom by Cameron ID Darcy Wright is a closeted lesbian who has been infatuated with her best friend Taylor since junior-high leaving a small north-east Minnesota town for Harvard in a quest to become a doctor she moves in with med students Olivia Boyd an erotic anal giant pain in the backside the first year of juggling medical school is grueling but it’s nothing compared to living with Olivia and that’s so true that’s very funny come us coming out to her friends and family with an anti climatic flop Darcy uses her newly publicized sexuality to try and win Taylor’s affections through an ill hatched scheme that crosses uncomfortable lines the result is as unexpected to Darcy as Darcy’s affinity for medicine is to Olivia the first year of medical school is a nerve-wracking encounter in medicine learning lessons the hard way and finding that her hot finding what her heart desires so basically Darcy and Olivia pretend to be girlfriends to make Taylor jealous over a Christmas break and that’s why this falls into the Christmas category for me it’s a good one as you’re reading that I started thinking about the sequel to it and then I started wondering how’s she doing on that third book anyway because it’s so good like you’re gonna read this book and then you’re going to immediately want to pick up the second one absolutely and it’s actually quite cheap on on Kindle right now and the first book in the series what I’d manages to do with the story is quite remarkable because you get such an uptight character in Olivia and such a naive character in Darcy then and there most authors the characters be very one-dimensional and not exciting to watch but because I’d assume Astor at creating the dynamics between these two woman the story is filled with humorous painful exciting moments there just keep you going this truly is a one of my absolutely must read books like ever it also has the best word first kissy yes followed by the best second kissing well I mean it’s all one scene but yes so the first kiss was awful the second kiss was amazing that’s what you mean right do and it was amazing to read it because first kisses are always amazing in romance and so it was really refreshing to see something so much more realistic than that it was really beautiful and so it just made that second kiss even better to read about yeah absolutely so yes while it strictly isn’t a Christmas book because such an important part of it takes place over Christmas I’m just gonna go D well that is all for this episode that is seven books for you to all go and get and glom and read over the holidays and just love reading about love and Christmas and holiday stuff so thank you so much sheena for joining me thanks for having me Terry so I’m Tara and you’ve been listening to Les Deux books remember to email me at Tara at the lesbian or Viacom with your questions or comments if you’re an author who wants to come on the show and talk about how you discover lesbian fiction or the books that you love please send me an email because I want to talk to you too if you’ve enjoyed this episode please check out the show notes where you’re gonna find a patreon link for the lesbian talk show or visit patreon.com slash the lesbian talk show if you become a patron you’re going to get exclusive content like bonus podcasts that nobody else gets it’s a pretty sweet deal and you can even do it for as little as $1 a month don’t forget to join us at our Facebook group the lesbian review book club so you can talk to us about anything that you’re reading and loving including all of the books that we talked about on this show you can also find me and all the other podcasters on the lesbian talk show Channel and our Facebook group to lesbian talk-show chat group to find this and many other great shows all you need to do is search for the lesbian talk show and iTunes odd being or stitcher we’re also on Spotify waitwait Paris on Spotify wise yeah we’re on Spotify yay and we’re on Spotify look happy holidays everybody [Music]
