Sapphic & romantic: 10 spicy lesbian romance books we love

In need of book recommendations that eclipse your average steamy read? BookTok and Goodreads come in clutch with book recs pretty regularly, but it always feels like queer books don’t always get the love they deserve.

LGBTQIA+ stories traverse a seemingly endless landscape of experiences, but this list is specifically made for the sapphics. If steamy sapphic romance novels are what you’re in search of, then welcome. We’re very happy to have you.

Buckle up and prepare your TBR. My bookshelf (and my Kindle and my phone and my laptop) is filled to bursting with spicy books just waiting to make your acquaintance. Everything from slow burn to age gap to fated love with an extra dose of steamy lesbian romance awaits you.

1. “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston

There’s no reason August and Jane should work, right? August is a New York City commuter with a crazy band of roommates and a penchant for sleuthing, and Jane is a punk butch lesbian who has been stuck in a time loop since the 1970s. Yes, I’m serious.

This story knows how to tug at every last heartstring, and even while there are a few will they/won’t they moments that make you wait for the good stuff, it’s a must-read in my book (pun intended). As far as spicy scenes go, you’ll never look at a subway car the same way again. In a good way.

2. “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” by Ashley Herring Blake

So maybe I’ve waxed poetic about the Bright Falls series once or twice already, but I can’t help it. These WLW books (women loving women) are utterly heart-wrenching.

Asked to return to her hometown to photograph her stepsister Astrid’s wedding, Delilah Green is stunned to be suddenly hit on by one of Astrid’s best friends. Does this girl forget how lonely they all made Delilah feel in high school? How ignored?

But it quickly becomes clear that Delilah’s recollection of those years is very different from Claire’s, and something blooms between them that neither one expected.

The series continues with “Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail” and “Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date,” and all three are too adorable (and steamy) for words. Enjoy.

3. “Tryst Six Venom” by Penelope Douglas

Looking for something a little darker? Penelope Douglas doesn’t miss with this “I’m not so sure this is healthy, but I can’t stop reading” book.

Clay Collins is the Queen Bee bad girl of Marymount, and she has a serious fixation on Olivia Jaeger, a girl from the wrong side of the track who only wants to keep her head down and graduate. Do we condone bullying here? No, of course not. Does it make for some delicious fictional tension? Some steamy mutual pining? Umm...YES.

4. “Mistakes Were Made” by Meryl Wilsner

Oh. My. Goodness. This story by sapphic fave Meryl Wilsner did things to me. If you caught the phrase “age gap” earlier and were hoping I’d get to it in a hurry, here you go.

College senior Cassie tries to bail on her school’s Family Weekend and instead finds herself a hookup at a nearby off-campus bar—a phenomenal one night stand with an older woman. Then she’s invited to breakfast the following morning to meet her friend’s mother...guess who? Did you just squeal? Because I definitely squealed.

5. “The Figure” on Dipsea

Umm...did I think I needed a WLW pottery studio moment? No, I did not. Did I kick my feet and nearly cry when I got one? Big time.

Cecelia is Lev’s instructor (hello, teacher/student dynamic), and it doesn’t take long for their * ahem * professional banter to become a lot more pointed and tense than Lev was anticipating. Age gap romance? Praise from a woman with a French accent? Yes, please.

6. “Blessed by the Cupid Distribution System” by Robin Jo Margaret

Okay, I never said anything about conventional lesbian smut, did I? What’s a list of sapphic romance reads without a few fantasy books? (Don’t worry. I have more.)

Finding herself single and lonesome on Valentine’s Day, Iris is both stunned and relieved when Jaya appears, ready to make all of her dream dates become a reality. It’s cute, it’s romantic, and it’s absolutely stuffed with emotional communication. (And yes, some extra sweet spice.)

7. “The Fae Queen’s Captive” by Sierra Simone

A fantasy romance with a sprinkle of darkness? I am so in. True story: I picked up a copy of this beauty at my favorite romance book shop. I see Sierra Simone’s name, and I buy on sight. My friend thought it sounded nuts, but I read it in one sitting that night.

This quick little novella follows Janneth Carter as she falls into an unexpected adventure that takes her from her humdrum life into the land of Faerie. Even with an insatiable appetite for, well, everything, Janneth is still totally overwhelmed by the shocking and terrifying rules of her new home. She’s even more intrigued and intimidated by the mysterious and beautiful Stag Queen who rules over it all.

8. “Queen Takes Rose” by Katee Robert

You didn’t think I’d pull together a list of book recs with “spicy” in the title and not mention Katee Robert, did you?

In her Wicked Villains series, Robert takes everything we love about classic fairytales and twists them into bondage-worthy knots. “Queen Takes Rose” starts off as ye olde Sleeping Beauty retelling and diverts into a world of dominance and submission that’s oh so sumptuous.

This is the book for all the ladies who kept watching “Maleficent” on repeat and hadn’t quite put their finger on why.

9. “A Game of Hearts and Heists” by Ruby Roe

I’m sorry, but as soon as a series is called Girl Games, I ask no further questions. I just start reading.

If you considered reading “Butcher & Blackbird” but decided that it just wasn’t sapphic enough, this is your solution. “A Game of Hearts and Heists” introduces a shamed assassin and a professional poisoner, a pair of rivals with enough tension it could snap like a twig.

It’s giving forced proximity trope (because who doesn’t love a “the queen made us work together” moment), it’s giving “you know I could kill you, right?”, and it’s giving HEAPS of chemistry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

10. “Familiar Face” on Dipsea

I cannot stress this enough: a second chance romance gets me like nothing else can. Friends-to-lovers is even more delicious and such a sapphic cliche I could cry, but some things are stereotypes for a reason, right?

When Caitlin encounters Irene eight years after majorly crushing on her only to find out Irene is dating someone else, it feels impossible to let her attraction be known. But what happens when it turns out that crush was entirely mutual?

This audiobook even scratches the Irish accent itch in my brain. Swoon.

Looking for even more delightfully spicy lesbian stories? Take a look at more Dipsea audiobooks here, and check out the sapphic, Her + Her, or WLW tags.