This week’s category of the Sapphic Book Bingo features sapphic books with main characters who have unusual jobs.
You could approach this category in two ways:
Either pick a main character with a job that is unusual (or unusual for a woman) in “real life” or choose a main character with a job that you rarely see in sapphic fiction.
Some jobs are rare in real life but common in sapphic fiction and the other way around, e.g., cashiers are common in real life but rare in sapphic fiction; famous actresses or pop stars are rare in real life but common in sapphic fiction.
Personally, I’ll be going for a book featuring a job that is rare in both real life and sapphic fiction.
Download a free bonus scene
Speaking of unusual job: The main character in my new romance, Just a Touch Away, is a professional cuddler. If you haven’t already downloaded it, you can get the bonus scene “The Welcome Party” as a free ebook here.
15 recommended sapphic books featuring a character with an unusual job
Here are my book recommendations for sapphic books with characters who have an unusual job:
Just a Touch Away by Jae (professional cuddler)
Hannah Martin has an unusual job: she’s a professional cuddler. While she has a big heart for her clients, she hasn’t found someone special to snuggle up to in her personal life.
Winter Sullivan isn’t looking for love. She’s an aloof workaholic who’s built walls of ice around herself. She would rather drive toothpicks under her fingernails than cuddle, and she certainly doesn’t want to share her space with anyone.
When Winter’s estranged father dies, he leaves her one last surprise: she and Hannah, a perfect stranger, will inherit a building together. But there’s a catch: first, they have to live together for ninety-two days.
Winter is determined to dislike her rival, but soon finds Hannah isn’t what she expected at all. Thanks to a hilarious doormat war, a cuddle dare from Winter’s half sister, and a kiss in the most unusual of places, the frosty fortress around her heart begins to melt.
Will she be able to accept that love might be just a touch away?
Available at:
The AM Show by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod (morning show host)
Would you give up your lifelong dream for a shot at everlasting love?
Amanda Morgan is a morning show host with a fierce reputation, but a bitter divorce has left her feeling all washed up. Being mistaken for a grandmother at her own son’s wedding has her teetering on the edge—until a stranger at the reception rocks her world.
Dakota Washington is a young reporter who is flabbergasted to meet her career idol—and biggest celebrity crush—at a friend’s out-of-town wedding. Their night together goes beyond her wildest fantasies. And she’s had a lot of them.
They were never meant to see each other again, until fate steps in, landing Dakota a job at Amanda’s network in New York City. Thanks to a draconian employment contract, the network could fire them on the spot for getting romantically involved. They agree to keep their distance and never breathe a word about their past.
Easy, right?
Except every time they’re alone for more than five minutes, they end up having sex. Soon, it’s obvious this is more than a fling, leaving them with an unthinkable choice: give up the careers they’ve poured their souls into or lose the love of a lifetime. Which one will be easier to walk away from?
Available at:
Requiem for Immortals by Lee Winter (assassin)
What would make the most dangerous ice queen of them all, ruthless underworld assassin Requiem, hesitate?
Professional cellist Natalya Tsvetnenko moves seamlessly among the elite where she fills the souls of symphony patrons with beauty even as she takes the lives of the corrupt of Australia’s ruthless underworld. The cold, exacting assassin is hired to kill a woman who seems so innocent that Natalya can’t understand why anyone would want her dead. As she gets to know her target, she can’t work out why she even cares.
This powerful, enemies-to-lovers lesbian thriller has compelling characters and twists galore.
Available at:
House of Agnes by Fiona Zedde (runs an escort agency)
Agnes Noble is private, mysterious, and untouchable. She rules House of Agnes, the most exclusive escort agency on the East Coast, with a diamond fist. Crossing her is a mistake no one makes twice.
Investigative reporter Lola Osbourne is not afraid. She’s gunning for the House and its so-called queen. She’ll make sure no other innocent gets dragged into Agnes’s alluring web, to be used and discarded the way Lola’s sister was. But her plan to get close to the elusive madam shatters the moment her eyes meet the Queen’s. One look and everything’s different. More complicated. Dangerous.
Now, Lola’s not just fighting to topple a queen from her throne, she’s also scrambling to escape their explosive collision with her suddenly vulnerable heart intact.
Available at:
A Family Affair by Harper Bliss (actress)
Best-selling lesbian romance author Harper Bliss brings you a deliciously impossible love story about falling for the one person you can’t have.
Kate has been married to Kevin for ten years, but their failed journey to parenthood has left their relationship on the brink. As Kevin tries to heal by remodeling their home, Kate finds herself living in her mother-in-law’s pool house. And having to spend a lot of time with Kevin’s spoiled sister.
Stella is preparing for a career-defining audition, but is happy to welcome her brother and his wife to the house—even though she thinks Kate doesn’t like her all that much.
With Kevin away, Kate and Stella bond over secret crushes, hot movie stars, and glitzy celebrity parties.
Until one night, after too many shots of tequila, their bonding goes a step too far…
Available at:
A Closer Look by Michele L. Rivera (dating coach)
With Boston’s queer community teeming with single women, professional dating coach Harley Cooper’s incomparable match-making abilities are in high demand. Harley attributes her success to her unwavering resolve to maintain professional boundaries with her clients. Of course, her cool demeanor and charming smile don’t hurt. But when Harley meets her newest client, she not only loses her cool, she wavers.
Tessa Pearson is one of Boston’s most acclaimed wedding photographers. And although she has a talent for capturing love on film, she has no desire to be in a relationship. She’s happily committed to her bachelorette lifestyle. Tessa’s best friend, however, has other plans for her.
The last thing Tessa wants is to work with a dating coach. Harley is Tessa’s worst nightmare: prying, overly confident, and guarded. Yet somehow she’s become the star of Tessa’s fantasies.
The last thing Harley wants is to waste her efforts on someone who doesn’t want to date. Tessa is jaded, stubborn, and uncooperative. So why can’t Harley stop thinking about her?
All Harley has to do is her job. All Tessa has to do is play along. But the more time they spend together, the more blurry the lines between work and play become.
Available at:
Hot Line by Alison Grey (sex hotline worker)
Two women from different worlds.
Linda, a successful psychologist, uses her work to distance herself from her own loneliness. Christina works for a sex hotline to make ends meet.
Their worlds collide when Linda calls Christina’s sex line. Christina quickly realizes Linda is not her usual customer. Instead of wanting phone sex, Linda makes an unexpected proposition. Does Christina dare accept the offer that will change both their lives?
Available at:
Her Royal Happiness by Lola Keeley (princess)
Keeping a secret isn’t easy when you’re in the most visible family in the world. It’s even harder when you’re a lesbian who has just fallen madly in love. An opposites attract, charming royal romance with a dash of fake dating.
When tabloid darling Princess Alice, the first out member of the British royal family, meets an opinionated single mother, the encounter goes viral. It seems the anti-monarchist education specialist Sara has a view on all things and doesn’t mind sharing.
So when Alice later has to ask Sara to help diagnose her young nephew’s learning difficulties, it’s seriously awkward. At least until they discover how beautifully they click together.
With the press sniffing around them, and Alice desperately wanting to protect her nephew’s privacy, they agree to claim they’re dating.
But as their fake dates start to feel like much more, Sara and Alice must navigate having a real relationship in the public eye. Is that even possible, though, while keeping Sara’s daughter safe and happy, and facing the Queen’s disapproval?
Can they overcome their doubts for love? A love they can no longer hide?
Available at:
Uncharted by Alli Temple (spy)
In a world of arrogant nobles and their punishing laws, Georgina will be hanged if anyone discovers she is a spy. But when the wicked prince proposes marriage, Georgina must accept. Refusing would expose the secrets she has delivered to a hidden resistance and forfeit her life. With her wedding day looming ever closer, salvation comes from an unlikely source.
Pirate Captain Cinder is a terror on the open sea, striking fear into hearts wherever she sails. Now she has a new target. The vulnerable Princess Georgina should be an easy mark in Cinder’s kidnapping plot. But the legend of Captain Cinder is more intertwined with Georgina’s own history than either of them expect.
Treacherous storms. A mysterious pirate king. The prince’s unrelenting pursuit. Georgina and Cinder can only escape by following the uncharted course of their hearts. But just as a future together is within their grasp, Cinder’s past threatens to drag them both to the deep.
Available at:
The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau (demon hunter)
Grace Carter, a „source“ of magic, has spent the last nine months searching for Maggie Mulvaney, her „catalyst.“ The joy of reuniting with her partner—and her lover—is thwarted by her worst fear: Maggie remembers neither Grace nor their life together in the Order of Saint Teresa, the centuries-old organization that trained them to be the strongest demon-hunting duo in generations.
When Maggie and Grace unexpectedly come face-to-face with the demon Horde, they are forced to team up once again. As they begin to piece their lives back together, they discover that their memories have been masked by someone within the Order. Should the Horde succeed in their plan, those who have committed their lives to slay worldly demons will be relegated to little more than minions as humans are completely enslaved.
Now, Grace and Maggie must sacrifice everything, possibly even their love, and their lives, in an all-out battle to save humanity.
Available at:
On the Fence by Cade Haddock Strong (art thief)
After a Mercedes rear-ends Wallace Mahar, her annoyance evaporates the moment the offending driver steps out of the car. Much to her dismay, the stunning woman hands her $10,000. Then disappears.
Ellen Church hoped throwing money at the woman she rear-ended would make her go away, but when she sees her at a bar, she realizes Wallace may be a bigger complication than she first thought. Ellen doesn’t have time for relationships, even if she is attracted to the cute swim coach. She has her eyes on a bigger prize—a Warhol painting with something very special hidden in the frame.
Reformed art thief Mattie Pearson is trying to live on the straight and narrow. After their failed heist at the Schuyler House, she married Alex Holland and the two women couldn’t be happier. But when Mattie’s old friend Ellen shows up with a big-payday proposal, the lure of her old life proves too strong to resist.
The Warhol job draws Wallace deep into the world of female art thieves, and even deeper into the dangers of romance with a woman who steals art—and hearts—for a living.
Available at:
Leveling Up by Jazzy Mitchell (video game graphic designer)
Six years after completing her internship, Clarke Parson, a video game graphic designer and animator, finds herself back in the orbit of Haboob Software’s CEO, Fran Silvetti. Clarke contacts Fran to warn her that the game her company is developing was stolen from Clarke’s computer by an ex-girlfriend after an acrimonious breakup. As Clarke is swept into a torrid affair with the fascinating woman, she covets their time together, hoping Fran may someday return the love Clarke harbors for her.
Available at:
Go Around by EJ Noyes (federal air marshal)
Avery Weston is doing fine.
Sure, she’s not doing as fine as her ex―award-winning actress and current television It Girl, Elise Hayes―but Avery enjoys her work as a Federal Air Marshal and also enjoys almost being over Elise walking out on their relationship fifteen months ago. Until Elise is seated next to her on a flight, and the emotional progress Avery thought she’d made is reset in an instant.
Just like their first flight together, this one also has some bumps. But this time they don’t have to make a go around for a safe landing; they just have to deal with an overzealous fan threatening Elise. And when Elise comes begging for a place to stay until the stalker situation is resolved, Avery has to agree it’s the perfect solution to keep Elise safe. After all, nobody knows Elise Hayes used to have a girlfriend.
It’s only for a few weeks, what’s the harm? Except for some tiny issues, like when you’re still kind of in love with your ex and the mutual spark is as strong as ever, it’s easy to fall into familiar habits. Then there’s Elise’s apologies and genuine regret over leaving, which makes it hard for Avery to hold on to past hurts and sends her simmering emotions to a boil.
But love and sparks aren’t always enough. If Avery and Elise can find a way to move past everything that came between them last time, maybe they’ll get a chance to go around and try landing their relationship again.
Available at:
Taking the Risk by Scarlett Knight (drummer)
When the famous all-female rock band The Neon Fishnets embark on a new sold-out tour, life couldn’t be more perfect for the band’s drummer and co-founder, CJ McLaughlin. Even though CJ is madly in love with her best friend and fellow Neon Fishnets co-founder, Trish Carlucci, so far, she’s been able to keep it a secret. But when she catches the lead singer’s boyfriend, who is also the band’s manager, with another woman, CJ realizes that it’s time to tell Trish not only about what she discovered, but about the romantic feelings she’s been hiding for years. But will taking the risk pay off? Or will it ruin their friendship and ultimately break up the band?
Available at:
Lady Killer by Cara Malone (forensic investigator)
Opposites attract when a forensic investigator dying to fit in teams up with a detective with a major case of wanderlust.
Maya Ross has worked hard to cultivate a tough, no-nonsense reputation as ‘one of the guys’ in a male-dominated field. As lead investigator, she’s at the peak of her career – and she can’t admit to anyone that it’s making her deeply unhappy.
When femme, gorgeous Detective Arlen Rose blows into town on a killer’s trail, she’s everything Maya never knew she needed – and the answer to the gnawing emptiness inside her. They team up to catch the prolific serial killer before he strikes again, but the closer they get to him, the sooner Arlen will move on.
Can they bring the Rideshare Creep to justice, or will their own hearts become casualties of the chase?
Available at:
Party Wall by Cheyenne Blue (owns a sex toy store)
From the moment Freya looks in the window of the brash, new sex shop in Grasstree Flat she knows it will be nothing but trouble. For a start, it will clash with her own new-age store next door. And she’s right. Outgoing newcomer Lily begins to intrude on Freya’s well-ordered life. Freya’s friends, lifestyle, and even her cat are all affected by Lily’s magic touch. Even Freya’s yoga classes rub shoulders with Lily’s sexual-expression workshops. Lily stands for everything Freya has lost in life—playfulness, spontaneity, delight in the physical, and sex. But does Lily have more in common with Freya than the wall that divides them?
Available at:
Leave a comment
Leave a comment and let us know what book you’ll be reading for the “character with an unusual job” category!
I just finished reading your novel, Just A Touch Away but I’m not using it for this category.
I had already read and decided to use, The Athena Project by Shamim Sarif.
I know I’m going to use Just a Touch Away for another category later!
BTW the scene with the birthday card put me in mind of the song “Passionate Kisses” by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Look it up on YouTube, it might make you want to dance!
I think I have that album somewhere! Thanks for reading Just a Touch Away.