This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category highlights sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption.
For this square of the bingo card, read a sapphic book with a main character who was either adopted or grew up in the foster system. Alternatively, the main character can also adopt or foster a child.
15 sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic books featuring foster care or adoption:
Heart Trouble by Jae
Dr. Hope Finlay loves her job as an emergency room physician, especially since it allows her only brief encounters with her patients. She learned early in life not to get attached to anyone because it never lasts.
Laleh Samadi, a waitress at her aunt’s restaurant, is the exact opposite. She easily connects with people and loves her big, boisterous Persian family, despite their tendency to meddle in her life.
When Laleh needs to be rushed to the ER with heart trouble, Hope saves her life. Afterwards, strange things begin to occur: Why does Laleh suddenly know even the most obscure diseases, while Hope is fluent in Farsi?
Soon, they can no longer deny that there’s a mysterious connection between them—one that becomes stronger with each passing day.
Are they losing their minds…or their hearts?
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The Rules of Parenthood by Cara Malone
Max and Ruby Saddlerwhite are newlyweds who seem to have it all. They have mastered the rules of love and navigated the challenges of a long-term relationship, and now they are settling happily into married life and beginning their careers.
There’s just one thing Ruby wants – to start a family.
And that’s something Max isn’t sure she can give her. She has learned to work through the challenges of life and love on the autism spectrum by researching her way through major obstacles, but a baby is a challenge Max might not be up for.
Ruby pushes aside dreams of starting her own family when Max’s cousin Stacy gets called to active duty, leaving behind her seven-year-old son, Aiden. She needs Max and Ruby to take care of him while she’s deployed and they rise to the occasion.
It’s not all play time and games, though, as Aiden struggles with separation anxiety and the rulebooks fly right out the window as Max and Ruby discover just how difficult raising a child can be.
Can Max and Ruby master the rules of parenthood, or will Ruby’s dream go unfulfilled?
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Year of the Monsoon by Caren J. Werlinger
Leisa Yeats has always defined herself by the things that are important to her – a good family, a loving relationship and a meaningful job working with kids. Life is good. But within a span of a few weeks, all of that changes. She’s always known she was adopted, but newly revealed lies and secrets kept by her parents make her question everything she thought she knew about her beginnings. Her ten-year relationship with her partner, Nan, is unexpectedly on shaky ground when she discovers that Nan, too, has kept a secret from her all these years.
Suddenly, everything Leisa believed – about her life, about the people around her, about herself – everything is turned upside down, and nothing is as she thought it was. Pulling away to try and sort things out, Leisa reaches out to the wrong people and, in the process, nearly loses herself. Buffeted at every turn by storms that shake the very foundation of her world, Leisa must figure out whom and what she can hold fast to as the winds of change blow.
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A Troublemaker May Surprise by Genta Sebastian
It’s 1968 and the Troublemakers, a group of lesbians living on a tiny island in the mid-Atlantic, are braving the shockingly decadent waves of a European sexual revolution. Butch Traf Mendes, a captain and VIP driver for the USAF, falls in lust with a breathtaking flamenco dancer. Carmen offers sexual pleasures she’s never experienced, but what about pretty, faithful Ana and her desire for a baby?
Traf craves sexual fulfillment almost as much as she wants to give her girl everything her heart desires. Perhaps if she adopts a prostitute’s unwanted newborn as a surprise, this ultimate act of love will solve all their problems. But will it cure Traf’s fascination with Carmen’s seductive bedroom eyes that promise so much… and her hips even more?
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Playing For Keeps by Zoey Lennox
When Lacey Evans returns to her childhood town of Wyvale for her estranged mother’s funeral she plans to stay for a short visit to pay her respects and then return home. The last thing she expects is to get sucked back into the town life she’s tried so hard to prise herself away from. First, she bumps into Ramie, her former youth councillor, and learns the LGBTQ centre which played such an instrumental part in her teenage years is closing, then she comes face to face with her childhood sweetheart, Taylor, who she hasn’t seen since their messy break-up several years ago.
Social worker Taylor Stanton has had to grow up fast since dropping out of university due to an unplanned pregnancy. She now spends her days running about town after her most troublesome charge, River, and her evenings at home looking after her two-year old son while pining over what could have been with her first love, Lacey.
When fate brings Taylor and Lacey back together, old hurts bubble to the surface. It’s immediately clear there are still feelings between them, but can they find their way back to each other? And what about the LGBTQ centre? Surely there must be a way to save it, or better yet, find a new location and build it from the ground up?
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Snowblooded by Emma Sterner-Radley
Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city’s illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.
If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.
As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.
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Taming of a Rebel by Eada Friesian
Tori Frazee is unapologetic when it comes to falling in love before she’s thirty. When her marriage ended amicably, she knew she had to get back into the game to find her soulmate and have the family she wanted. Running face first into a cold but frazzled funeral director and a rebellious toddler at the grocery store isn’t how she expected to find love, and Miranda certainly isn’t her soulmate. Or is she?
Miranda Hart doesn’t believe in love. When she’s saddled with her flakey sister’s kid, she has a choice to make—step up to break the cycle and keep her niece from being another victim or continue to live through her work. When she meets the cute, down to earth Tori, she can’t help but wonder if maybe she does want more than her career.
When opposites attract, steam rises, especially with an ice queen in the mix. Will these two single parents break down their preconceived notions enough to find a family they can rely on?
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Red Mist and Solace – The Life of Lucy book 3 by Alysia D Evans
In the wake of shocking revelations and unexpected twists, Lucy and Jaz’s marriage is put to the ultimate test as family secrets unravel and bonds are strained to their breaking point. When Lucy and Jaz embark on their honeymoon, the fragile threads holding their family together begin to unravel.
Jaz’s friend Abi has her world turned upside down when she uncovers the truth about her parentage, confronting a past she never knew existed. She and her family grapple with the weight of newfound knowledge and uncertain futures.
But amidst the chaos, a glimmer of hope emerges as Lucy and Abi forge an unexpected connection, united by their shared history and a desire to mend the fractured pieces of their family.
However, their newfound understanding is shattered when incidents threaten to tear them apart. Lucy is faced with her worst nightmare, grappling with the possibility of losing her daughter once again.
As the bonds of family are tested to their limits, Lucy must summon every ounce of courage and resilience to confront the demons of her past and fight for the future of the family she never knew existed. In a journey fraught with heartache and redemption, she must find a way to heal the wounds of the past and forge a path toward forgiveness and reconciliation before it’s too late.
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The Spirit Child by Alison Naomi Holt
In the kingdom of Anacafria, Duchess Aurelia “Bree” Makenna, a hero to knights and foot soldiers alike, struggles with the depths of despair after losing her wife to the plague.
But when Bree discovers an orphan being sold by a trader, she makes a fateful decision that sets off a chain of events that will change her life and her kingdom forever. With the help of her fellow warriors, Becca and Nashotah, as well as their Animal Spirit Guides, Bree must find the strength to face her fears and save the kingdom from a looming threat.
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Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue
Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business. Mischief and little fingers around expensive materials? No thanks!
But then her gorgeous friend, Sarah Santoro, winds up in a custody battle with Sarah’s former in-laws and now… Well, somehow Andi’s agreed to pretend she’s Sarah’s live-in partner.
She’s still not quite sure how she got stuck playing a role she’s so utterly clueless about and that’s everything she doesn’t want in life. But as long as Sarah and Noa, the world’s cutest seven-year-old, don’t get a hold of her heart, she’ll be fine.
Easy, right?
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Falling Through the Night by Gail Marlene Schwartz
Audrey Meyerwitz wants to fall in love and have a family. But for this queer 30-something insomniac who’s struggled with Generalized Anxiety Disorder since childhood, it’s a goal that’s far from simple. When best friend Jessica, a recovering alcoholic, helps introvert Audrey with a profile on SheLovesHer, Audrey takes that scary first step toward her lifelong dream. Through online dating, immigrating to Canada, and having a baby with Down Syndrome, she struggles and grows. But when Audrey unearths a secret about her mother, everything about her identity as a mother, a daughter, and a person with mental illness ruptures. How do we create closeness from roots of deep alienation? With humor, honesty, and complexity, Audrey learns that healthy love means accepting gains and losses, taking off the blinders of fantasy, and embracing the messiness that defines human families.
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Invisible by Anna Larner
Violet Unwin is convinced she is invisible. Overlooked by her adoptive family, her only solace is her uncle’s costume shop. By day, she’s an assistant no one remembers, but after hours, in the wonder of her imagination, she becomes explorer, warrior, queen. Devastated by news of the shop’s imminent closure, Violet finds comfort in an unlikely companion, the ghostly figure of her namesake, the suffragette Vi Unwin.
Medical school dropout Phoebe Frink’s life is in disarray. She has no idea who she is anymore, what to do about it, or how to tell her parents. Taken under the wing of the infamous drag king Mr. Duke, owner of the struggling Banana Bar, fate steps in when Phoebe seeks Violet’s help with costumes for the bar’s fundraising Christmas Ball.
Phoebe is captivated by beautiful, shy Violet, and for the first time in her life, Violet experiences what it is to be truly seen. But for love to be possible, Violet and Phoebe must take a risk on a future they’ve never dared to imagine.
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Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes by E.V. Bancroft
Maud Heaston has been in love with Beatrice Williams since they first met in 1939. They’ve been through hell and back; family, careers, and secrets have threatened to tear them apart, but their love has endured it all. Until now. Old age and illness have forced them into separate nursing homes and the family Maud trusted to take care of them are only out for themselves.
Hannah Jones is trying to put her past behind her and find her place in the world. Midway through a doctorate and living with Suki, the woman she’d like to be more than just friends with, the last thing she needs is Gammy, her interfering great aunt, back in her life. Though Gammy took Hannah in when her mother died, her overbearing nature and constant criticisms forced them apart. Now they barely speak.
Maud needs Hannah’s help to be reunited with the love of her life. Hannah needs Suki to take a chance on love. Can a reconciliation between Maud and Hannah free them both to be with the women they love or will the past destroy their future?
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Paisley’s Breakthrough by Amber Perez
When life hands you the unimaginable, you can either have a breakdown or a breakthrough.
Paisley, a successful psychologist, runs a thriving practice in downtown Knoxville. She’s worked hard to build a lucrative career and it shows, from her tailored designer wardrobe to her luxurious penthouse condo. But, when she encounters a patient who makes her face her hidden past, her carefully contrived lifestyle begins to unravel. She seems to have all the answers except when it comes to her own life.
Rae, a tough on the surface paramedic with a heart of gold, wants more out of life than the meaningless hookups her coworkers seem content with. Determined to put her energy into her career, running, and playing grease monkey with her collection of vintage vehicles, Rae is convinced she has all she needs to live a fulfilled life.
Thrown together in the wake of a tragedy, both women struggle with the attraction they instantly feel for the other. More than aware of the dangers associated with trauma bonding, Rae questions every interaction as Paisley questions who she is.
Will they find a way to triage the hardships they face? Or will Paisley’s inability to break through leave them both in need of counsel?
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Two Is A Pattern by Emily Waters
A mission gone wrong leads to rising-star CIA operative Annie Weaver quitting her job and reinventing herself as a college student. But the CIA, desperate for her skills, refuses to let her go without a price.
Annie finds herself juggling classes in Criminology and falling for her beautiful landlord, Professor Helen Everton, while dealing with off-the-books secret missions for an increasingly controlling ex-boss.
As the perceptive Helen circles ever closer to the truth, Annie has to figure out how to keep her freedom without putting Helen in danger—and without revealing her own past.
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “foster care or adoption” category? Are there other books that are a good fit for this category? Let us know in the comments!
5 Responses
Thank you Jae for the book title suggestions. Heart Trouble is a fantastic story filled with magic and love. I love the main characters Hope and Laleh. There’s a hint of unicorn dust sprinkled on them that gives both a new perspective. No spoilers here but this is such a wonderful book! I highly recommend! ; ) Also I love the Persian culture and food references.
For this category I read Charm City by Monica McCallan (one of the MCs grew up in foster care, no actual children in this book) and Building Blocks by J. A. Armstrong (book 7 in series, MCs have adopted a little boy they met in the previous book). Thanks for the list, Jae! I just bought one of them through the link.
My go-to for this category is Melissa Brayden’s Kiss the Girl –I always reread it. I’m also going to read Warm Pearls and Paper Cranes by E.V. Bancroft. It has been on my TBR list since 2021. I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet, because I love historical romances. Thanks for the reminder.
I’m reading The Fire by Nicole Pyland. Ridley Fox went from the foster care system to becoming a force as a social worker. Reporter Kenna Crawford is determined to find out the whole story behind the woman she can’t seem to figure out.
Thanks for the list!
G Benson’s All the Little Moments is what I’d recommend reading for this, it’s what got me hooked on the category.