This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo features sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover.
Not only are People of Color still underrepresented in sapphic fiction, it’s still relatively rare to find People of Color represented on covers, even in books featuring Characters of Color.
For examples of whitewashing covers in publishing, check out this blog post by The Book Smugglers.
15 sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books with a Person of Color on the cover:
Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde
Chance has been in love only once, but it wasn’t with the girlfriend she stayed with for far too long. The same girlfriend who dropped Chance when she became too inconvenient. Or maybe just boring.
To bury her disappointment, Chance tries to return to the woman she loved back when she was too afraid to be herself. A stud attracted to other studs.
Instead of her old love, though, Chance finds Garett: a new and persistent admirer with the kind of swagger that leaves Chance weak in the knees. Garett is hot and very popular with her half a million followers on social media. She’s also a lot younger than Chance is used to. Not to mention there’s something familiar about her, something dangerous, that Chance can’t quite put her finger on.
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The Honeymoon Mix-Up by Frankie Fyre
When her fiancée leaves her at the altar, Basil Jones’s picture perfect life turns upside down, but nothing can stop her from enjoying her honeymoon—not even the luxurious island resort’s strict “couples only” policy. Basil’s vacation and her six-figure wine deal with the resort’s owners are riding on her finding a fake wife ASAP, and her sights are soon set on tall, dark, and gorgeous Caroline.
If only she knew Caroline had eyes on her first…
Caroline King never stays in one place—or in a woman’s bed—for too long. After risking her career in the past, the emotionally detached private investigator created two rules: always finish a job and never mix business with pleasure.
But when she gets roped into a false marriage with her breathtakingly beautiful target, she finds herself teetering the line of not just one but both rules.
Basil always gets what she wants—but Caroline’s professional reputation is on the line.
As Basil and Caroline’s attraction blazes like the island sun, both women struggle to fight delicious temptation while protecting their secrets—as well as their hearts—on the most romantic honeymoon island in the world.
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Changing Spaces by Karmen Lee
Star has spent the past five years making Clover Hill’s Anisse & Clover Diner her home away from home. She’s turned her job there into a fulfilling career and has never felt more content. If her dating life is a little lackluster, well, that’s just how it’ll have to be. But when ownership of the diner changes hands from mother to daughter, Star finds herself scrambling to keep up…and to keep far away from the attractive woman who’s now at the helm.
Anisse moved back home to reconnect with her roots after too many years in the city, and she’s excited to bring the diner her family founded into the current decade. Unfortunately, she might have more to worry about than just reinventing the recipes she grew up with. Star, the gorgeous manager whose cooperation she needs to make the refreshed Anisse & Clover a success, hardly gives her the time of day.
But once Star and Anisse are pushed into sitting down together, their mutual attraction is undeniable. Going from coworkers to dating would be tricky, but neither of them wants to walk away from what might be the relationship they’ve always wanted.
Can these two women navigate their burgeoning connection, or will too many changes too fast leave both of them singed beyond repair?
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An Outsider Inside by RJ Samuel
For Irish-Indian lesbian activist, JAYA DILLON, an outsider who craves belonging over all else, survival depends on hiding the truth of who she is and who she loves – from herself. In the heated run-up to Ireland’s referendum on same-sex marriage, she finds herself trapped between the “Yes” and “No” sides. And Jaya’s got a boulder on her shoulder about bisexual women and being brown in Ireland. While clearing out an Indian couple’s rental house in Galway, she discovers a manuscript, written by the wife, Lana, who disappeared in worrying circumstances. When Jaya travels to France, she comes closer to the characters in Lana’s unfinished novel than she ever imagined possible. And she is shoved back into contact with her ex- fiancée, Chloe, who is planning her own wedding. To a man. Jaya is drawn into a fictional world that may be truer than reality. As she fights to uncover the truth, everything she thought she knew about her politics and her place in the world turns on its head as she falls for the elusive Lana, is attracted to the charming, gay French-Algerian Ishmael and his beautiful sister Isabella, and confronts her unresolved feelings and dread over the choices Chloe is making. Can she find Lana and the truth in time to save Chloe … without losing herself?
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Take Two by Stephanie Shea
Being in love is Whitney Dimaano’s favorite past time. Though lately, she can’t seem to get it right. She’s tried—she is trying—but it just hasn’t…clicked, and maybe her time would be better spent focusing on all the things that are actually good in her life. The gym she all but built with her own two hands, the new-found bond with her brother and sister, her friends… Anything but chasing the ghost of how it felt with the woman who left her behind.
Award-winning documentarian Andy Vahn dreamed of being an extraordinary filmmaker. Her recipe for success is a fusion of meticulous planning, diligence, and never letting anything stand in her way. Not even love. When a trip to convince a misanthropic celebrity chef to appear in her docuseries leads her home, Andy knows it won’t be easy. Least of all because she hasn’t been back in six years. Hasn’t seen Whitney in six years. Still, it’s true what they say. You never forget your first.
Maybe Andy’s return is the closure Whitney needs. But what if all it does is reaffirm Andy’s deepest fear?
She should never have left.
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Pivot by Anna Pulley
After a disastrous and publicly humiliating rejection at a cosplay convention, naive yet hopeful romantic Paula Suarez is left with another crushing failure in her quest for love – and her dream of becoming a costume designer. But when she stumbles upon feisty mixed-race journalist Nita Funmaker, a friendship blossoms which may soon grow into something much more.
Embroiled in a bitter divorce and immersed in pursuing her latest scoop, Nita isn’t sure if she’s ready for another try at love. But with her father’s paper on the ropes and her ex still hounding her, maybe a bit of fun and relaxation is exactly what she needs.
Drawn together by a series of increasingly amusing and absurd events – from Paula joining an underground drag wrestling show to Nita’s secret passion for ice skating – Paula and Nita must navigate their increasingly tumultuous emotions, help each other face their deepest fears, and maybe even find true love along the way.
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Catching a Coyote by Serenity Snow
Mallory wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, but she still wasn’t interested in getting caught in a woman’s snare. Leading her pack and watching her friends fall in love was enough for her. After all, her club kept her busy.
But the curious gaze of a cat turned her head and, before she knows what’s happening, Mallory’s more than interested in an affair with the mysterious red-headed dancer with intriguing flower-blue eyes.
Only Mallory isn’t prepared for the trouble stalking Cordelia that led right back to Mallory’s door. Determined to save Cordelia, Mallory soon realizes it’s love not lust driving her actions—but will the fall cost her the pack?
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Under the Mistletoe by Everly James
Samantha Evans, popular lesbian romance author, has writer’s block and a book due by New Year’s Eve. When she signs up for a writing retreat in an attempt to overcome her lack of creativity, she expects a single-occupancy cabin and plenty of silence for crafting her new book.
What she doesn’t expect is a roommate. A gorgeous, woman roommate.
Gia Torres is an aspiring novelist eager to break into the publishing world and leave her horrible day job as a barista behind. She travels to a Colorado retreat to finish her very first novel, not expecting to find beautiful Samantha waiting for her there.
The only problem? The two women hate each other.
How will they overcome their first impressions and let Christmas sparks fly?
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Securing Ava by Anne Shade
Ava Prescott has had one goal in life, to carry on the Prescott legacy by taking the reins of Diamond Unlimited Wealth Management. Her father’s determination to uphold the company’s wholesome family image propels Ava into a reluctant fake relationship with Kyle, a man she’s sure is a threat to the business. When her father is the victim of a suspicious accident, Ava believes Kyle is responsible and has no choice but to run.
Paige Richards saw enough violence to last a lifetime during her years as a counterintelligence specialist. She’s ready for some peace on her ranch in Oklahoma and is paying the bills as a private investigator. Paige takes a case to locate and bring back runaway heiress Ava Prescott. It seems simple enough, until she stumbles upon a bungled kidnapping attempt and her peaceful life is turned upside down. Now she must use every skill she has to secure Ava.
As they try to figure out who is out to hurt Ava and her family, Paige and Ava fight to stay one step ahead of the threat and resist their growing attraction. But ignoring their feelings may prove impossible when their hearts and lives are at stake.
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Bodies in Motion by Elizabeth Andre
Gorgeous Shondra Frazier gets that chance. It all starts at the “40 Under 40” reception for high achievers under the age of 40. Even though she really doesn’t want the attention, she is honored because she is the first African American woman to be named manager of one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
At the reception she unexpectedly reunites with her still beautiful college ex-girlfriend who broke Shondra’s heart many years ago. Lynette Johnson is a former cheerleader who can still make male and female heads turn. As Lynette walks away promising to be in touch soon, Shondra spots Denyse Gabriel, one of the few African American female PhD physicists in the world and a fellow “40 Under 40” honoree. Shondra realizes attention from Denyse, with her long black hair and high collar tweed jacket, is what she wants. This beautiful scientist, however, is heading to a months-long project in Antarctica, but Lynette is sticking around and is more than willing to keep her company. Shondra has to decide whether she will stay safe and start up again with her long lost college love or if she will wait for Denyse to return. Shondra can’t stop thinking about Denyse, but Shondra isn’t even that sure, after only one night of passion, whether the sexy physicist will want to see her when she comes back from the ice.
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Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole
While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy—so of course she runs into the woman who broke her heart.
When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily ever after.
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Tailor-Made by Yolanda Wallace
Before Grace Henderson began working as a tailor in her father’s bespoke suit shop in Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn, she established a hard and fast rule about not dating clients. The edict is an easy one for her to follow, considering the overwhelming majority of the shop’s clients are men. But when Dakota Lane contacts her to commission a suit to wear to her sister’s wedding, Grace finds herself tempted to throw all the rules out the window.
Dakota Lane works as a bicycle messenger by day and moonlights as a male model. Her high-profile career, gender-bending looks, and hard-partying ways garner her plenty of romantic attention, but she would rather play the field than settle down. When she meets sexy tailor Grace Henderson, however, she suddenly finds herself in the market for much more than a custom suit.
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Deadline (Harrietta Lee Book 1) by Stephanie Ahn
Disgraced witch Harrietta Lee has made a lot of mistakes in her life; there’s a reason she’s got a sizable burn scar slapped across the side of her neck and a formal letter of excommunication from the international underground magical community. But who has time to dwell on the past when you’re trying to make rent in New York? Things are mostly clean and simple, until her next odd job is brought to her by the representative of a powerful corporate family—a family she once had close personal ties to. As she unwillingly digs through six years’ worth of personal baggage, she’s also got to contend with an inhuman admirer shadowing her in the street.
But hey, maybe it’ll be worth it for the beautiful women she gets to kiss…
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Half a Heart by Kim Hartfield
Jenelle is facing her worst nightmare. Through no fault of her own, her seven-year-old was placed in foster care. No one understands what the hard-working single mom is going through – especially the beautiful, heartless social worker standing between her and Mercy.
Sylvia’s job is to bring families back together. She’s doing her best, but it’s not easy when Jenelle is determined to hate her. As Sylvia tries to understand the fiery young woman, she begins to appreciate her courage and strength.
Sylvia tells herself her feelings are professional and platonic. Jenelle has more important things on her mind than romance. Both only want what’s best for Mercy – but what if following their hearts is best for all of them?
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Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the sapphic book with a Person of Color on the cover category!
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi and its sequel The Battle Drum have the MOST gorgeous covers. I would describe the books as Fingersmith, but make it dark fantasy.
Free to Love, written by Ali Spooner and me, is a historical romance and has a person of color on the cover. https://www.amazon.com/Free-Love-Ali-Spooner-ebook/dp/B079T4NSWZ
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan A Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins! The cover is adorable and eye catching while the story is witty.
Cinderella is Dead, This Poison Heart and This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron
Both Ways by Ileandra Young
Moon Fever by Ileandra Young
There is only one that says audio. That is problematic. I am so never see covers.
Rachel Gold – In the Silences; one character is black , the other is non-binary. A beautiful story about helping each other survive high school.
Mason Dixon (Yolanda Wallace) – 21 Questions
Gun Brooke – Advance and Homeworld. These are both part of a series but not the first in the series.
cw
Oops. Gun Brooke – Advance IS book one in her Exodus series. Homeworld is book 3 in her new series.
Nurturing Hope by Kara Ripley its not a real human but comic and she is darker skinned ;)