Book Reviews: Lesbian Books for the Soul

In case you haven’t heard of Bywater Books before now, they are an independent publishing company that only publishes lesbian fiction. So obviously, they’re one of our favourites. And we are very lucky to be able to review three of their books today!

So, if you’re looking for a contemporary romance, or a mystery, check out these books!

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Jenn Alexander
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mcs
Genre: adult contemporary romance

Reasons to Read

One. The first reason I have to include on this list is cowgirls. Like cowgirls are hot, I’m sure we can all agree. About a month back, I had a serious craving for (even more) cowgirl romances and if that sentence has led to you having a craving too, make sure you start with this one.

Two. It’s a story about taking chances, even if they don’t work out, about dealing with what happens when plans don’t quite come into fruition, and putting down roots in place you don’t know. And I don’t know about you, but I love romances that aren’t just romances.

Three. Rowan and Kate have a lovely relationship, developed first as friends then something more, and I enjoyed that about this book. Yes, they had the attraction straightaway, but they also had the chemistry to build on that.

You Can’t But Die Once

Penny Mickelbury
Goodreads
Rep: Black lesbian mc, lesbian mc, wlw side characters, trans side character
Genre: adult mystery
CWs: child prostitution, sex trafficking, rape, domestic abuse, murder, Antisemitic violence, racism (including slurs)

Reasons to Read

One. For me, mysteries work best with a cast of characters you can get behind as they work on the case. Okay, so lone-wolf-type mains can also work, but I prefer when there’s a lot of people and a few different POVs, just to get different angles on everything that’s going on. Which this one did excellently.

Two. It’s a tightly plotted and well paced mystery too, with the varying threads of the story tying together neatly at the end. There’s also plenty going on — it’s less a single mystery and more like two or three (which do and don’t tie in). The book juggles them all very well and you never feel like one is being left behind while the other(s) progress.

Three. I love a solid established central relationship and this book surely delivers on that. It’s the first that I’ve read in the series, but I was able to easily root for Mimi and Gianna as they carried out their investigations and battled corruption.

Blue

Abigail Padgett
Goodreads
Rep: lesbian mc
Genre: adult mystery
CWs: cissexism, murder, mentions of rape

Reasons to Read

One. Sometimes, you just want to read a mystery where a cop isn’t the main character (and who could blame you). There’s something very fresh about following a character who looks at everything with a different perspective than you might expect in the genre. And, as a psychologist myself, I couldn’t help but automatically enjoy this one all the more (it’s also interesting to see how social psychology has developed — this was first written in the 90s, after all).

Two. I love a mystery that has foreshadowing and this one does that incredibly well. It’s the sort of foreshadowing that makes you think yes, now we’re getting into things. The kind that makes you just want to keep reading so you find out what’s going on. It hooks you and keeps you guessing.

Three. It balances very well a burgeoning romance (or potential of one) with the mystery. There wasn’t any point where I thought the two plotlines didn’t fit together, or where I wanted more of one than the other, and that’s the best kind of mystery. Truly, I love mysteries the most when there’s an ongoing romance too (preferably between the two people doing the investigating, but that’s a different matter).

So, have any of these caught your eye?