Books like 'Not Like Before'
Readers who enjoyed Not Like Before by Lily Seabrooke & Jacqueline Ramsden also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance grumpy sunshine queer trans-heroine sweet heroine bisexual cold heroine famous heroine
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On the Same Page by Haley Cass
Riley Beckett met Gianna Mäkinen – drop-dead gorgeous influencer, trilingual, daughter of world-famous models, yes, that Gianna Mäkinen – their first year at Boston University, and it changed everything for the both of them...Categorized as:
queer bisexual famous heroine sweet heroine friends to lovers f-f contemporary new adult -
Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOlivia Sachdeva’s life is flawless. With a first from Oxford and as the youngest partner at Bentley lawyers, she expects high standards from everyone. Her only indulgences are eating iced desserts and repeat watching romcoms, especially those featuring Kate Laurence – pure escapism and cinematic perfection... -
Broken Beyond Repair by Emily Banting
WINNER OF THE QUEER INDIE AWARDS 2022 CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE CATEGORYAn age gap, celebrity ice queen romance that will pull at the heart strings — even the icy ones!Sydney MacKenzie, personal assistant to the rich and famous, is looking forward to a well-earned break to go travelling in her beloved VW camper van, Gertie — that is, until Gertie cries off sick...Categorized as:
bisexual queer grumpy sunshine cold heroine famous heroine f-f contemporary age difference -
The Fixer by Lee Winter
A naive activist is hired by a corporate villain but doesn’t realize it. Cue one awkward farce, a twisty puzzle, and the slowest of slow burns in this opposites-attract, ice queen romance.Nine years ago, aloof, icy Michelle Hastings chose career over love. She’s now living with that choice as she rules a secret corporation catering to the rich and powerful.Enter Eden Lawless... -
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Just Three Words by Melissa Brayden
Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect... Accountant Samantha Ennis craves order and structure. As the bookkeeper at the boutique advertising agency she owns with her three best friends, it’s her job to apply logic to the chaos. When one of those best friends, laid back Hunter Blair, moves in to share her loft apartment, Sam’s carefully organized world is thrown wildly askew...Categorized as:
bisexual queer f-f contemporary friends to lovers forced proximity length-medium open-door -
Truth and Measure by Telanu
The Devil Wears Prada fanfiction:Andy doesn't leave Miranda in Paris, and learns that a single decision can change your life. But the main thing about decisions? You don't get to stop with one...Categorized as:
bisexual queer age difference f-f pregnancy contemporary from hate to love explicit-open-door -
The Headmistress by Milena McKay
A chance encounter. An unforgettable night. And back home, trouble is brewing on the remote island of Three Dragons, where nothing feels like it used to. Alone and lonely, Sam Threadneedle wishes upon a star, hoping for change. But when said change comes, it’s with a roar and not a whimper.Torn between loyalty and lust, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything... -
The Brutal Truth by Lee Winter
Australian crime reporter Maddie Grey is out of her depth in New York, miserable, and secretly drawn to her powerful, twice-married, media mogul boss, Elena Bartell, who eats failing newspapers for breakfast. As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss—where they have to tell the complete truth to each other...Categorized as:
cold heroine grumpy sunshine famous heroine queer f-f age difference contemporary angst -
The Music and the Mirror by Lola Keeley
Anna is the newest member of an elite ballet company. Her first class with her mysterious idol, Victoria, almost ruins her career before it starts. When she shows she might be a potential star, Victoria chooses Anna to launch a new season around. Now Anna must face down jealousy, sabotage and injury, not to mention navigate the circus of friends and lovers within the company...Categorized as:
cold heroine queer grumpy sunshine sweet heroine f-f age difference forced proximity office -
Better Than Expected by Haley Cass
Hannah Dalton had a lot of expectations in her life. Growing up watching her mother struggle for everything they had, she resolved to make sure she did everything she could to make those hardships worthwhile... -
Destination You by J.J. Arias
Fantasy Becomes Reality in this Super Steamy Age-Gap, Ice Queen RomanceWhen 27-year-old free-spirit Taylor Lopez flies back to Miami to attend her high school reunion, she doesn’t expect to run into Mrs. Alonso — her former history teacher — at the airport... -
A Whisper of Solace by Milena McKay
What makes an Ice Queen?Neve Blackthorne, head of one of the most successful Studios in Hollywood, is the one to rule them all. Powerful, beautiful, and aloof, she’s ruthless, yet irresistible. Above all, she has an unquenchable survival instinct.Surely a fleeting entanglement with one Audrey Avens, a bright, young, rising star in her company, won’t bring down the Wicked Queen of Tinseltown...Categorized as:
cold heroine queer age difference f-f second chances contemporary boss & employee length-medium -
Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton
Jessica Lambert, movie star and ingénue, is in danger of burning out. Returning to London for the premiere of her latest film, she’s recognised everywhere she goes. When she runs away through the streets of London, she’s taken in by the beautiful and more mature Anna...Categorized as:
bisexual famous heroine queer f-f age difference contemporary angst class difference -
Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton
Oxford – celebrated city of dreaming spires and class warfare – is an ambition come true for lesbian, geeky, upper-middle-class Charlotte and straight, charismatic, working-class Millie. Against the odds, theirs is an instant, best friendship. Forever. Exuberant Millie is a breath of fresh air for polite Charlotte and a force of nature within the university's hallowed walls... -
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Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae
At a singles auction where no one was bidding on love, a warmhearted ER nurse finds herself dating a prickly doctor in this enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance.Ellie Fisher loves most things about being a nurse in the emergency department…just not working with Regina Novak, an icy attending physician who acts as if she’s God’s gift to medicine.The dislike is completely mutual...Categorized as:
cold heroine sweet heroine queer grumpy sunshine f-f contemporary office from hate to love -
Scarlett Fever by Claire Highton-Stevenson
On a girl's night out with her friends; fifty-something, divorced, and really not looking for any attention, Claudia Maddox is somewhat surprised when girls' night takes on a whole new meaning. Ending up in bed with a woman twenty years her junior, hadn’t been the plan, but it was a night she certainly wouldn’t forget. Scarlett was sexy, and fun and knew just what she was doing... -
Reality In Check by Emily Banting
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of Broken Beyond Repair comes a new sapphic celebrity ice queen romance — read as a standalone or as the second book in the South Downs Romance series.Sculptor Arte Tremaine is thrown into the hospitality industry when her beloved late grandmother bequeaths her and her sister a charming yet rundown country hotel with zero guests... -
Honey in the Marrow by Emily Waters
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAn enemies-to-friends-to-lovers lesbian romance about finding heart, hope, and second chances you never thought you’d have.Stella Carter is a former criminal prosecutor and new widow facing down middle age alone in Los Angeles. Without being a prestigious lawyer and someone’s wife, she’s not sure who she is anymore or where her life is headed...Categorized as:
bisexual queer from hate to love f-f age difference friends to lovers contemporary length-medium -
Breaking Character by Lee Winter
Life has become a farcical mess for icy British A-lister Elizabeth Thornton. America’s most-hated villain stars in a top-rated TV medical drama that she hates. Now, she’s been romantically linked to her perky, new co-star, Summer, due to the young woman’s clumsiness. As a closeted actress, that’s the last thing Elizabeth needs...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine cold heroine famous heroine sweet heroine queer f-f age difference contemporary -
The Forever and The Now by K.J .
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust... -
Impulse Buy by Jae
Prickly emergency physician Regina has never liked romantic gestures, but when her girlfriend, ER nurse Ellie, surprises her with a gift right after Valentine’s Day, rejecting it is not an option.Little does she know the impulse buy will have unexpected consequences.“Impulse Buy” is a short story sequel to Jae’s lesbian romance Bachelorette Number Twelve...Categorized as:
cold heroine queer f-f contemporary childfree-couple dual-pov third-person-pov competent heroine -
Temptation by Kris Bryant
Cassie Miller is broke. Her parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school, and graduate school is expensive. A full-time nanny job at the Wellington estate is the answer to her problems, except working for beautiful, successful Brook Wellington wasn't in the job description. Brook has always had a head for business... -
Beyond the Blue by T.J. O'Shea
Numbers rule Dr. Mei Sharpe’s life. She has no husband, one friend, two daughters, and three random meetings with the same woman within four weeks. Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but upon the third meeting, even Mei in all her empirical rigidness must admit that perhaps the universe is giving her a nudge...Categorized as:
bisexual grumpy sunshine cold heroine sweet heroine queer f-f age difference friends to lovers -
The Secret Pond by Gerri Hill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsGrieving over the loss of her family and feeling like her life is unraveling, Lindsey McDermott quits her job, gets a puppy and retreats to her grandparents’ home in the Texas Hill Country. She spends her solitary days walking childhood trails and reminiscing, trying to reconcile the conflict within her as she struggles with survivor’s guilt... -
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Cover Story by Rachel Lacey
Rachel Lacey, author of Stars Collide, serves up a steamy tale of Hollywood fame and subterfuge about a glamorous actress and the sexy bodyguard posing as her girlfriend.Natalie Keane is one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, but she’s paid a steep price for her fame. After she was stalked eight years ago, the ensuing media frenzy almost broke her...Categorized as:
queer famous heroine contemporary f-f office length-medium fake relationship forced proximity -
From Fan to Forever by Tiana Warner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn age-gap lesbian celebrity romance about how much you’d risk to have your dream.Talented A-lister Cate Whitney is the gorgeous middle-aged movie star almost every lesbian has a crush on.Rachel Janssen, an introverted medical physics student, is no exception. So when her celebrity crush starts filming near her Vancouver apartment, she can’t believe her luck... -
About That Kiss by Harper Bliss
What if the greatest role of your life is playing your true self?Ida Burton used to be Hollywood’s sweetheart until the best roles started drying up in her forties.When Ida lands one of the leads in a big-budget lesbian rom-com, it's not only a chance at reviving her dwindling career. Maybe this movie can be an opportunity to finally burst out of the closet she's forced herself into...Categorized as:
famous heroine queer f-f office contemporary age difference secret-relationship length-medium -
The Fifth Surgeon by Faith Prize
Nadia Keating has barely started her cardiothoracic fellowship training, but she already has the archetype nailed—she’s direct, uncompromising, and suffering from a God complex.Before she can focus on her impressive research, deeply closeted Nadia has a personal project: getting her inconvenient attraction to women out of her system. She picks a stranger online for a one-night stand...Categorized as:
cold heroine queer grumpy sunshine f-f office length-medium explicit-open-door contemporary -
The Awkward Truth by Lee Winter
This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.Ambitious ice queen and corporate lawyer Felicity Simmons has spent her life focused on one thing: scuttling up the career ladder. She’s achingly close to taking charge of a media empire for her boss when she’s sent to investigate a South Bronx charity that helps homeless people’s pets... -
Back to September by Melissa Brayden
Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble...Categorized as:
famous heroine queer contemporary forced proximity f-f office open-door rich heroine -
Paradise Pride by Lise Gold
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsLondon-based casino manager Meghan has no expectations of her two-week holiday in Spain; she’s just tagging along with her friend who’s visiting her love interest. When they arrive at a deserted hotel due to a booking fault and her friend leaves to see her boyfriend, she’s left with the bartender who stays on for the night... -
If It's Meant to Be by Lily Seabrooke
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsSome love stories just aren’t meant to be. And some people don’t care. While she’s lost in her biggest contract yet, freelance producer Emberlynn’s comfy small-town life gets turned upside-down by the arrival of her best friend Paisley’s older sister. Sleek, chic, impossibly cool and way more attractive than her friend’s sister has any right being, Aria is distracting—and off-limits... -
Forgetting With You by Robin Clairvaux
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA simple night of forgetting. A connection that’s simply unforgettable.Camryn Durant plays it safe. Since losing her heart to the wrong woman ten years ago, the shy graphic designer focuses on work and never takes risks...Categorized as:
queer bisexual contemporary dual-pov f-f indigenous-mc queer-awakening multicultural -
Teach Me by Melissa Tereze, Jourdyn Kelly
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter years of separation and mutual longing, Vanessa Hughes and Emma Bradley are blissfully engaged. Everything about their new life together is wonderful, until Emma learns the children’s sport agency that sent her to Africa has gone bankrupt. Back when she was pining for Vanessa, Emma’s work was a godsend, both for her and for the kids who had nothing else good in their lives... -
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Open Tab by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFallon Foster serves up more than the most potent drinks at Murphy’s Law, the local pub in Whiskey Springs, Vermont. Fallon is the keeper of the town’s secrets. She’s heard tales of broken hearts, torrid affairs, closet cases, and the dreams of hopeful romantics. With a sensitive ear and a warm bed, Fallon is a legend in her small town. One thing still eludes her—love... -
The Stepmother by Melissa Tereze
Their connection flares hot in an instant…but is it doomed to fizzle out?After the death of her estranged father, Hayley McAllister plans to endure cold, wet England just long enough to tie up loose ends. Then she’s heading straight back to Ibiza, where she lives exactly as she pleases—performing her music, soaking up sunshine, and indulging in flings with gorgeous women...Categorized as:
bisexual queer f-f age difference angst contemporary lgbtqia hate explicit-open-door -
In Development by Rachel Spangler
From a young age, Cobie Galloway made a career of playing the girl-next-door on the silver screen. Only, she's not a teenager anymore. Ready to challenge herself artistically and earn the part she's always dreamed of, she's forced to face the realization that in order to win the roles afforded to edgier actresses, she might first have to audition by playing someone edgier in her day-to-day life...Categorized as:
bisexual famous heroine queer f-f forced proximity contemporary fake relationship competent heroine -
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake
An interior designer learns to rebuild her love life from the ground up with zero blueprints in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care.For Astrid Parker, failure is unacceptable. Ever since she broke up with her fiancé a year ago, she’s been focused on her career—her friends might say she’s obsessed, but she’s just driven...Categorized as:
bisexual cold heroine grumpy sunshine queer contemporary humor from hate to love new adult -
Love Next Door by Rachael Sommers
A sweet toaster-oven lesbian romance that asks whether the one we’re meant to be with might be right under our nose.Reserved tattoo artist Riley Foster has just moved apartments and can’t take her eyes off the single mom who lives next door...Categorized as:
queer bisexual friends to lovers f-f contemporary queer-awakening competent heroine single-mother -
Popcorn Love by K.L. Hughes
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA prominent figure amongst New York City’s fashion elite, Elena Vega is a successful businesswoman and single mother to an adorable three-year-old son, Lucas. Her love life, however, is lacking, as those closest to her keep pointing out.At the persistent urging of her closest friend, Elena reluctantly agrees to a string of blind dates if she can find a suitable babysitter for Lucas...Categorized as:
bisexual queer f-f contemporary age difference boss & employee single-mother length-medium -
Just Jorie by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSome believe that special someone is out there just waiting to be found. Jorie Andolini is one of those people and has spent a lot of time envisioning that moment. She bumps into a woman at a grocery store, the woman drops a can of peas, Jorie picks it up, their eyes meet, and two souls connect... -
Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Following Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur pens another steamy queer rom-com about former best friends who might be each other's second chance at love…Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine bisexual cold heroine queer contemporary humor friends to lovers f-f -
Heart Block by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHappily ever after is easier said than done… Sarah Matamoros can’t complain. After immigrating from Mexico when she was nine years old, she’s content with the life she’s made for herself in sunny San Diego. She works hard at her mother’s housecleaning service by day and spends the evenings with her quirky eight-year-old daughter, Grace...Categorized as:
cold heroine grumpy sunshine queer f-f contemporary forced proximity class difference dual-pov -
Fake It by Lily Seabrooke
To spark interest in Avery’s restaurant, and to revitalize Holly’s image, a fake relationship is the answer to both their problems.And the start of a pressing new problem: falling in love.Avery Lindt finally opened her dream restaurant—and there’s no customers...Categorized as:
trans-heroine bisexual queer f-f fake relationship strong heroine found-family length-short -
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Not in the Script by K.E. Morrison
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCharlie Evans leads an ordinary life. Boring in fact, by many people's standards. So, when she unexpectedly finds herself tutoring a student on set at Pinewood Studios, the last thing she imagines is that the lead actress is none other than a global superstar, Robyn White...Categorized as:
famous heroine queer contemporary f-f forced proximity office rich heroine career professional -
Marigold by Melissa Brayden
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen enemies fall into temptation, love brings out the most delicious flavor of all.Marigold Lavender lights up every room she enters. Then she’s left to turn out the lights and head home alone. Soft on the inside and a go-getter on the outside, Marigold just wants to make sure everyone else is okay before worrying about herself...Categorized as:
grumpy sunshine cold heroine queer contemporary from hate to love f-f third-person-pov dual-pov -
I Do by Cheyenne Blue
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA fabulous twin-swap lesbian romance where the toaster oven could double as a wedding gift.Accountant Allie Lane would do anything for her injured twin sister, including pretend to be her to save Sophie’s fledgling event-planning business. All Allie has to do is fake being a lesbian for a few weeks and co-ordinate a rural gay wedding festival. Simple... -
Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition by Tee Franklin, Marguerite Bennett
When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall...Categorized as:
bisexual queer contemporary f-f mature couple friends to lovers curvy heroine length-novella -
The Love Factor by Quinn Ivins
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA smart, opposites-attract, student-professor romance filled with nostalgia, edgy politics, and the forbidden thrills of lesbian love in the nineties.Molly Cook is almost thirty, with dismal career prospects, and has given up on saving the world. It might be the nineties, and everything’s shoulder pads, Doc Martens, and The X-Files, but people won’t budge on gay rights... -
Strength Check by Katherine McIntyre
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsRoxie Esposito just opened a board game café in San Francisco and should be basking in success. Instead, she’s picking out shards from her last relationship and handling her perpetually drunk mother, both of which strain her finances and fuel the need for a roommate.Melody Roberts finally got the promotion she’d been aiming for—across the country in San Francisco...Categorized as:
bisexual queer friends to lovers contemporary f-f new adult found-family length-medium
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