15 New Lesbian Romance Books to Read in 2023
Time to fill up your to-read book lists with these must-read new lesbian romance books releasing in 2023.
This year we have quite the turnout for new lesbian romance books and I’m all for it – with several from some of my favorite authors.
See which books I recommend you read this year and then check out these additional book lists for more amazing queer romance books worth reading:
- Best Lesbian Romance Books
- 15 New Gay Romance Books Releasing in 2023
- Best Gay Romance Novels
- Best MM Romance Books
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
New Lesbian Romance Books Releasing in 2023:
The Fiance Farce
by Alexandria Bellefleur
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.
Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book.
They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly does her in.
Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit.
When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.
Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match.
Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur.
But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout.
Do I want to read a steamy sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage of convenience? Why yes, yes I do! 😊
I’ve totally fallen for Bellefleur’s writing with her past lesbian romance books so I’m totally on board with this new release for 2023.
Related: Most Anticipated New Romance Books of 2023, Best Marriage of Convenience Romance Books
Sorry, Bro
by Taleen Voskuni
When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.
Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city.
But it’s Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity that catches Nar’s eye.
Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual.
The clock is ticking on her double life when her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.
This book caught my attention because I’m honestly interested in learning about Armenian culture through the events Nar and Erebuni attend.
There has been a need for more queer romance books about bisexual characters so I’m glad that Voskuni is filling that void with this must-read romance for 2023.
For Her Consideration
by Amy Spalding
Since a crushing breakup three years ago, Nina Rice has written romance, friends, her dreams of scriptwriting for TV, and even LA proper out of her life. Instead, she’s safely out in the suburbs in her aunt’s condo working her talent agency job from home, managing celebrity email accounts, and certain that’s plenty of writing—and plot—for her life.
But a surprise meeting called by Ari Fox, a young actress on everyone’s radar, stirs up all kinds of feelings Nina thought she’d deleted for good.
Ari is hot, out and proud, and a serious control freak, according to Nina’s boss. She has her own ideas about how Nina should handle her emails—and about getting to know her ghostwriter.
When she tells Nina she should be writing again, Nina suddenly finds it less scary to revisit her abandoned life than seriously consider that Ari is flirting with her.
Between reconnecting with her old crew and working on a new script, a relationship with a movie star seems like something she’ll definitely mess up—but what could be more worth the risk?
This book honestly had me at control freak. I cannot wait to see what Ari is all about and how she brings Nina out of her shell in this new lesbian romance for 2023.
I love books about writers and characters who revisit their dreams so this one is a keeper.
Love at First Set
by Jennifer Dugan
The gym is Lizzie’s life—it’s her passion, her job, and the only place that’s ever felt like home. Unfortunately, her bosses consider her a glorified check-in girl at best, and the gym punching bag at worst.
When their son, Lizzie’s best friend, James, begs her to be his plus one at his perfect sister Cara’s wedding, things go wrong immediately, and culminate in Lizzie giving a drunken pep talk to a hot stranger in the women’s bathroom—except that stranger is actually the bride-to-be, and Lizzie has accidentally convinced her to ditch her groom.
Now, newly directionless Cara is on a quest to find herself, and Lizzie—desperate to make sure her bosses never find out her role in this fiasco—gets strong-armed by James into “entertaining” her.
Cara doesn’t have to know it’s a setup; it’ll just be a quick fling before she sobers up and goes back to her real life. After all, how could someone like Cara fall for someone like Lizzie, with no career and no future?
But the more Lizzie gets to know Cara, the more she likes her, and the bigger the potential disaster if any of her rapidly multiplying secrets get out. Because now it’s not just Lizzie’s job and entire future on the line, but also the girl of her dreams.
OK, this lesbian romance sounds too cute for words, am I right?! I love a good “wedding that doesn’t happen” story and I cannot wait to see how Lizzie navigates the craziness of her life while trying not to fall for Cara at the same time.
Behind the Scenes
by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Business consultant Rose Josten might not have officially reached “pug lady” middle age, but she’s already got the pugs. Still, life is good, with her work, her sisters, and a secret hobby creating incredibly tactile mindfulness videos.
So why does it feel like it’s not quite enough? Which is exactly when former filmmaker Ash Stewart enters camera left, and Rose’s world suddenly goes full technicolor.
Ash never looks at anyone. Not since her ex ripped her heart from her chest in Spielberg-esque style, crushing Ash’s reputation, dreams, and directorial career in one brutal blow.
But Rose is altogether different. She’s curvy, beautiful, and just so put together. And her business expertise might be Ash’s best bet for getting her last film—and her last chance—financed.
Now if they can just keep their attraction under wraps, Ash’s lost dream could finally come true. But are they creating movie magic . . . or setting the stage for disaster?
I absolutely love books with characters who find love after an epic break-up that crushed their heart. I like seeing how they learn to trust again and it sounds like Ash doesn’t have a choice when it comes to Rose.
Related: Best Office Romance Books
Cleat Cute
by Meryl Wilsner
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot.
22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.
Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can’t keep their hands off of each other.
As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with hilariously different perspectives on their relationship.
But they’re on the same page on the field, realizing they can play together instead of vying for the same position. With every tackle the tension between them grows, and both players soon have to decide what’s more important—being together or making the roster.
Yes! A lesbian romance that’s also a sports romance book? I am so there and hoping we get a bit of soccer fever along with this teammates-with-benefits relationship that turns into more. I’m ready for Wilsner to wow me with this one.
Related: Best Sports Romance Books
Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date
by Ashley Herring Blake
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. She’s happy for all of them, only Iris doesn’t want any of that—dating, love, romance, for herself.
Those who love her want to see her settled down, but she holds firmly to her no dating rule. There’s only one problem—Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she’s completely out of ideas.
Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life.
To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for the lead role in a local play, a queer retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, but comes face-to-face with Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie.
Desperate to save face in front of her friends, Stevie asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend. Iris is shocked, but when she realizes the arrangement might provide her with some much-needed romantic content for her book, she agrees.
As the two women play the part of a happy couple, lines start to blur, and they’re left wondering who will make the real first move.
Ashley Herring Blake came on the scene in 2022 with her Bright Falls lesbian romance series and I have a feeling we are going to continue to see even more from her!
I’m such a sucker for books with romance authors as characters and I love how this book weaves in a fake relationship story. It reminds me of Written in the Stars if you liked that one!
Related: Best Fake Relationship Romance Books
Stars Collide
by Rachel Lacey
Eden Sands has been a star for twenty years, but it’s lonely at the top. Her mediocre marriage just ended, and her inner circle is smaller than ever. The stage is the only place she’s ever felt like she truly belonged, and yet, her last album flopped, and her upcoming tour hasn’t sold out.
Eden’s desperate for her star to shine bright again, but when her team suggests a collaboration with an up-and-coming young star to give her a boost, she balks.
Anna Moss is pop music’s rising star. She’s idolized Eden Sands for most of her life—so it’s a dream come true when she’s invited to perform with her at the Grammys.
Anna’s tired of being defined by her bubbly persona. She wants to be taken seriously as an artist, and a duet with Eden could be just what she needs.
As Anna and Eden rehearse, they soon realize they have more in common than their musical talents.
Now they just have to decide if what is between them is a one-hit wonder or the making of a romance worthy of one of the greatest love songs of all time.
I’m excited to check out this new lesbian romance that is a bit of rock star romance and age gap romance in one.
I hope we get a mix of their life and collaboration on stage as well as some steaminess behind-the-scenes!
Related: Best Steamy Romance Novels, Best Age Gap Romance Books
That Summer Feeling
by Bridget Morrissey
Garland Moore used to believe in magic, the power of optimism, and signs from the universe. Then her husband surprised her with divorce papers over Valentine’s Day dinner.
Now Garland isn’t sure what to believe anymore, except that she’s clearly never meant to love again. When new friends invite her to spend a week at their reopened sleepaway camp, she and her sister decide it’s an opportunity to enjoy the kind of summer getaway they never had as kids.
Nestled into the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, Camp Carl Cove provides the exact escape Garland always dreamed of, until she runs into Mason—the man she had a premonition about after one brief meeting years ago. No matter how she tries to run, the universe appears determined to bring love back into Garland’s life.
She even ends up rooming with Mason’s sister Stevie, a vibrant former park ranger who is as charming as she is competitive. The more time Garland spends with Stevie, the more the signs confuse her. The stars are aligning in a way Garland never could have predicted.
Amid camp tournaments and moonlit dances, Garland continues to be pulled toward the beautiful blonde outdoorswoman who makes her laugh and swoon. Summer camp doesn’t last forever, but if Garland can learn to trust her heart, the love she finds there just might.
Adults back at summer sleepaway camp?! I’m all for it in this intriguing new lesbian romance book where someone who’s sworn off love finds it again in a most unexpected way.
Related: Romance Books That Inspire Travel
Sizzle Reel
by Carlyn Greenwald
For aspiring cinematographer Luna Roth, coming out as bisexual at twenty-four is proving more difficult than she anticipated. Sure, her best friend and fellow queer Romy is thrilled for her—but she has no interest in coming out to her backwards parents, she wouldn’t know how to flirt with a girl if one fell at her feet, and she has no intimate history to build off.
Not to mention she really needs to focus her energy on escaping her emotionally-abusive-but-that’s-Hollywood talent manager boss and actually get working under a real director of photography anyway.
When she meets twenty-eight-year-old A-list actress Valeria Sullivan around the office, Luna thinks she’s found her solution. She’ll use Valeria’s interest in her cinematography to get a PA job on the set of Valeria’s directorial debut—and if Valeria is as gay as Luna suspects, and she happens to be Luna’s route to losing her virginity, too . . . well, that’s just an added bonus.
Enlisting Romy’s help, Luna starts the juggling act of her life—impress Valeria’s DP to get another job after this one, get as close to Valeria as possible, and help Romy with her own career moves.
But when Valeria begins to reciprocate romantic interest in Luna, the act begins to crumble—straining her relationship with Romy and leaving her job prospects precarious.
Now Luna has to figure out if she can she fulfill her dreams as a filmmaker, keep her best friend, and get the girl. . . or if she’s destined to end up on the cutting room floor.
Oh! There are LOTS of things to like in this new rom-com that already has my head spinning for poor Luna and her juggling act.
I’m slightly more interested in the virgin story angle, but also what might transpire with her best friend. Plus, Hollywood always makes a great backdrop to any queer romance novel!
Related: Best Romcom Books to Laugh With
Just as You Are
by Camille Kellogg
Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians.
Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.”
When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.
But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme.
Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.
I’m excited to check out this rom-com that explores and celebrates queer culture and falling in love against your better judgment. It also has a fun enemies to lovers bent to it which I always love too!
Related: Best Enemies to Lovers in MM Romance
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
by Adriana Herrera
For Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, the invitation to show her paintings at the 1889 Exposition Universelle came at the perfect time. Soon to be trapped in a loveless marriage, Manuela has given herself one last summer of freedom—in Paris, with her two best friends.
Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, is known for her ruthlessness in business. It’s not money she chases, but power. When she sees the opportunity to secure her position among her rivals, she does not hesitate. How difficult could it be to convince the mercurial Miss Caceres Galvan to part with a parcel of land she’s sworn never to sell?
Tempted by Cora’s offer, Manuela proposes a trade: her beloved land for a summer with the duchess in her corner of Paris. A taste of the wild, carefree world that will soon be out of her reach.
What follows thrills and terrifies Cora, igniting desires the duchess long thought gone. As they fill their days indulging in a shared passion for the arts and their nights with dark and delicious deeds, the happiness that seemed impossible moves within reach…though claiming it would cause the greatest scandal Paris has seen in decades.
I’m so intrigued by this new lesbian romance from Herrera. As a sucker for erotic historical romance novels so I hope this one brings a high level of steam to their unexpected romance.
Related: Best Historical Romance Novels
Infamous
by Lex Crocher
Twenty-two-year-old aspiring writer Edith (“Eddie”) Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together—from climbing trees and sneaking bottles of wine, to extensive kissing practice.
But Rose has started talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified. Why can’t they continue as they always have?
Then Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson––a rival of Lord Byron, if he does say so himself––and he welcomes her into his world of eccentric artists and boundary-breaking visionaries.
When Eddie receives an invitation to Nash’s crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside, promising inspiration (and time to finish her novel, a long-held dream), she eagerly agrees.
But the pure hedonism and debauchery that ensues isn’t exactly what she had in mind, and Eddie soon finds herself torn between her complicated feelings for Rose and her equally complicated dynamic with Nash, whose increasingly bad behavior doesn’t match up to her vision for her literary hero.
Will Eddie be forced to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary dreams––or will she be able to write her own happily ever after?
I haven’t yet had a chance to read Lex Crocher’s first novel in the series, Reputation, but I’ve been so captivated by her take on love and romance in this series from the summaries alone.
This appears to be so much more than a simple friends to lovers romance and I’m excited to see what happens behind all the closed doors in this one.
Related: Best Historical Romance Novels
6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)
by Tess Sharpe
After years of bickering, Penny and Tate have called a truce: they’ll play nice. They have to. Their mothers (life-long best friends) need them to be perfect, drama-free daughters when Penny’s mother becomes a living liver donor to Tate’s mom.
Forced to live together as the Moms recover, the girls’ truce is essential in keeping everything—their jobs, the house, the finances, the Moms’ healing—running smoothly. They’ve got to let this thing between them go.
There’s one little hitch: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing.
It’s just this confusing thing that keeps happening. You know, from time to time. For basically their entire teenaged existence.
They’ve never talked about it. They’ve always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they’re living across the hall from each other.
And some things—like their kisses—can’t be almosts forever.
This young adult lesbian romance books looks just too cute with a bit of an enemies to lovers and roommates to lovers story in one.
I love that it’s told from the present and the past to see just how truly these two girls come to depend and love one another after all.
Related: Best Teen Romances Set in High School
A Life Worth Living
by Monica McCallan
Nora Gallagher can begrudgingly admit that she and Gray Ferris are both stellar Philadelphia real estate agents, but that’s the beginning and the end of the similarities between them.
Nora’s life has been in a self-imposed holding pattern for half a decade. Depending on people in her personal life only leads to disappointment, and she has no plans of making that mistake again.
Gray Ferris is extroversion personified. Bubbly. Conversational. Vibrant. She’s trying to make the best of life, even if it hasn’t always gone her way.
When the two women begin to learn that maybe they’re not as different as they think, they may finally figure out the most important thing they have in common when it comes to finding a life worth living.
Check out this new lesbian romance when you’re in the mood for a slow burn, opposites attract story. I like that these two women have known each other for awhile through their profession but then things begin to change once they look past their differences.
Related: Best Slow Burn Romance Books
Related Book Lists:
- Best Lesbian Romance Books
- 15 New Gay Romance Books Releasing in 2023
- New Queer Romance Books Releasing in 2024
- Best Gay Romance Novels
- Best MM Romance Books
- Best Enemies to Lovers Books in MM Romance
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