Welcome to the first Micro-Trope card post of the Sapphic Book Bingo 2025!
Micro-Tropes are those little moments or scenes that we all love and look forward to—small elements that add to our enjoyment of the story and that come up often enough that they have become recognizable.
The first Micro-Trope category is “sapphic books with an almost kiss.” For this square, read a sapphic book where the main characters come close to kissing but then don’t—either something interrupts the moment or they stop before their lips can touch.
Check out the rules & download your Sapphic Book Bingo card
If you haven’t done so already, check out the rules of the Sapphic Book Bingo and download your Micro-Tropes bingo card. Then come back here to take a look at my suggestions for the first Micro-Tropes category below.
15 recommended sapphic books with an almost kiss
Below, you’ll find a list of 15 sapphic books with an almost kiss.
Finally Loved by Jacqueline Ramsden
Neve thought she’d finally found someone who would love her, but here she is, getting dumped again. Perhaps it would be less embarrassing if it were happening in private—and with words she hadn’t heard time and time again. Or, perhaps she’s destined to never find real love. At least, that’s how it feels until she runs directly into her very own knight in shining armor.
Alba is perfectly happy dating, but nothing seems to stick. It seems every one of her friends knows her type, but something is always missing. However, when she collides with Neve, the challenge is on to try not falling for someone who is both exactly her type and one of the most wonderful people she’s ever met.
As the pair get closer, Neve’s life as she knows it falls apart, but Alba is there to help pick up the pieces. With interfering friends, the fear of never finding love, and Neve attempting to navigate the complications of dating while ace, will the two take a risk on what’s growing between them, or ignore it to preserve the friendship neither wants to lose?
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Something in the Wine by Jae
All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother’s constant practical jokes. But Jake’s last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew—neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: her date is not a man, but a lesbian.
Annie and Drew decide it’s time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.
At first glance, they have nothing in common. Disillusioned with love, Annie focuses on books, her cat, and her work as an accountant while Drew, more confident and outgoing, owns a dog and spends most of her time working in her beloved vineyard.
Only their common goal to take revenge on Jake unites them. But what starts as a table-turning game soon turns Annie’s and Drew’s lives upside down as the lines between pretending and reality begin to blur.
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A Heart to Trust by A. L. Brooks
Change is not Jenny Quinn’s strong suit, but she’s happy enough with her easy-going life, friends, and job as a TV production assistant. That is until a company shake-up foists the infuriating Olivia Sinclair on her. The woman is uptight, snobby, and has some perfect and famous motor-racing husband.
TV and theater producer Olivia moved to New York from the UK to marry her longtime friend. It’s a sham marriage, a favor to a man she loves as a brother, but the strain is beginning to take its toll. How can she even meet women when she’s the picture of heterosexual bliss? Add in her stressful new job, an irritating colleague called Jenny, who thinks being goofy is some kind of admirable work ethic, and life can be a grind some days. The worst part isn’t the office politics or clashing personalities, but the fact there’s an attraction between both women that’s gradually becoming impossible to ignore.
So…should they stop ignoring it? That would mean learning to trust your heart that this is the right woman. And that’s a huge step.
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Imperfectly Perfect by Adrian J. Smith
Savannah Logan wants nothing more than a quiet life with her daughter. But when her brother dies of cancer, her world is thrown for yet another spin. Fighting through her grief, she takes on the hospital and doctors, suing them in a battle that will only benefit her brother’s family. But she finds herself more than intrigued by the lawyer’s assistant. The only problem is that Savannah refuses to make the same mistake twice, and what she needs is friendship, not love.
Fallon Schroeder has sworn off love. But the curvy, ray of sunshine that just walked through the office door has caught her attention. Proposing a no strings attached relationship is the best she can offer, and when Savannah accepts, Fallon is all in. The only problem? Every day, Fallon finds herself a little more in love with Savannah and her energetic daughter.
Can these two women overcome their fears and find love?
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Reality In Check by Emily Banting
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. Arte is determined to make a success of the business, despite her sister snapping at her heels to sell it and painful memories confronting her inside.
Charlotte Beaufort, heiress to a hotel empire, television celebrity, and self-confessed city woman, hits the countryside to film an episode of her reality television show, Hotel SOS, where she immediately clashes with the overwhelmed Arte and her inquisitive Labrador, Rodin.
Arte doesn’t take kindly to Charlotte’s attitude and frank opinions about her hotel, but when they are thrown together, she begins to realise not everything is as it seems with her attractive nemesis. As Arte begins to chip away at Charlotte’s icy exterior, both women begin to realise dreams and reality rarely entwine and that, sometimes, our dreams are not even our own.
Can the artsy dreamer and ambitious heiress face the reality of their situations and discover their true paths? And if so, can those paths lead them toward true love?
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In the Shadow of the Past by J.E. Leak
She fell for the wrong woman … now it’s going to cost her.
In the shadowy world of 1940s New York City, a sultry spy falls for the one woman she shouldn’t. When reporter Jenny Ryan’s father is murdered, her burning need for justice drives her to take on a ruthless tycoon. But her plan goes awry when she falls for the criminal’s alluring mistress, OSS agent Kathryn Hammond.
Kathryn is more than just a popular nightclub singer with a glamorous façade. She’s an undercover spy, trapped stateside in a dead-end assignment while the war rages on in Europe. Frustrated and resentful, her feelings get her into real trouble when Jenny steals her heart. As their forbidden desire blooms, they find themselves caught in a web of danger and intrigue.
Will their passion endanger their lives and unravel everything they’ve worked for, or will their love be the very thing that saves them?
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The Senator’s Wife by Jen Lyon
When professional soccer player, Alex Grey, goes on a vacation to the local South Carolina islands, she isn’t anticipating any life-changing events. Just a relaxing weekend to prepare for the upcoming season. But that quickly changes when she finds herself the lone witness to a sailing accident and makes the decision to risk her own life to save a drowning woman—unwittingly coming to the rescue of a U.S. senator’s wife, Catharine Cleveland.
Despite the vast disparity between their worlds, the two women find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another after the near-catastrophic afternoon. Following a series of interactions from the soccer fields of Portland, to the Marina District of San Francisco Bay, and the cutthroat political circle of Washington, D.C., they find their friendship growing, transforming into an attraction neither woman can deny.
Nor an attraction either woman can comfortably embrace.
As the magnetism of their connection grows, both women are forced to decide if the pursuit of love is worth the cost while living under the scrutiny of the public eye.
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Secrets Well Kept by Lynn Ames
It’s March, 1943. World War II rages across the globe, and twenty-five-year-old Nora Lindstrom is about to take a huge leap of faith. One of the few women in the male-dominated field of physics, she travels to an undisclosed destination to undertake a vital, top-secret project that the government insists could help the Allies win the war.
At eighteen, Mary Trask is ready to put high school and the boy who wants to marry her in her rearview mirror. But what alternative could the future hold for the dyslexic daughter of a train conductor? When a cousin in Tennessee provides Mary with a cryptic job opportunity, she jumps at the chance to rewrite her life.
Nora and Mary are drawn together under impossible circumstances. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they find solace in their love for each other. But in a place where secrecy is paramount, their relationship is forever changed by the consequences of secrets well kept.
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The Love Lie by Monica McCallan
A year ago, Sydney King was a successful pro tennis player with a long-term boyfriend, a plan for the future, and a shot at fulfilling all her dreams.
Now, she has a cheating ex-boyfriend and a career-ending injury, and—quite frankly—things could not be going worse for her.
She hopes that returning home to Stoneport, Massachusetts will be the reset her life needs—until she finds out her ex’s wedding to the woman he cheated with is the social event of the season.
The last person Sydney expects to find camaraderie with is her former fiancé’s sister, Reese Devereux. Back home after the purchase of a local inn, Reese has wounds of her own and seems even less enthused about her brother’s wedding than Sydney.
When an unexpected mix-up creates the perfect story that she and Reese are dating, shockingly, Reese runs with it. Sydney knows it’s a bad idea, but being on Reese’s arm gives her the chance to pretend life is just a little bit more in her control than it feels.
Both women are coming home to their pasts, but it’s up to them to decide what they want their futures to look like.
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Hide No More by Rita Potter
When Vicky Cogburn’s Mafia boyfriend enters the witness protection program, she enlists a law firm to set her up with a fake wife and fake life far away from the city.
Ambitious, no-nonsense attorney Rachel Huntington would do anything to secure a partnership in her New York City law firm—even if it means hiding out and playing house with a seductive Mafia mistress.
Assuming new identities, Rachel swaps her beloved practical suits for a more femme look, while blond bombshell Vicky must tamp down her oozing sexuality. But can they convince the eccentric locals of Mud Bluff, South Carolina, they’re in love?
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Heartlines by Simonetta Pastorini
Dianna Laydon is an actress starring in one of TV’s top series, Treasure Hunt, but she has never gotten used to fame. In her heart, she’s still the simple Southern girl who had moved to Los Angeles years ago to make her dream come true. She’s also a control freak, a play-by-the-book kind of girl, and a totally rational person. Her life, though, is turned upside down when a new actress is cast as a recurring character in Treasure Hunt. Vivien Reese has spent her whole life under the spotlights, being the wild daughter of a renowned British director, and a famous actress herself since she was just eighteen years old. With her party-girl reputation and her go-with-the-flow attitude, she seems Dianna’s polar opposite, so when the two girls meet sparks start flying, and not necessarily in a good way. But as they work together and they get to know each other, they discover that they might be more similar than they had initially thought, and more importantly, they’re terribly drawn to each other.
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The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau
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.
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Flowing like Water by Jutta Swietlinski
Chocolate shop owner Laura is 57 years old and has been married to the same man for decades. She never would have expected to end up falling in love with another woman. But when she meets 53-year-old single mother Carina, her whole world is turned upside down …
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To Be Loved by Shannon O’Connor
Two strangers, one summer house & a little bit of unexpected love.
Norah:
I really wish everyone would stop looking at me like my husband died. It’s been over a year and while it hurts, I’m happy to be getting back to myself. My job at the bookstore, my reading and my nights alone are what keep me going. When Alana asks if I mind her friend staying with me for the summer, of course I say yes. I mean this house is big enough to fit a library. I just don’t expect her to be the first person I’m attracted to since my husband.
Gemma:
When my college best friend asks me to be her maid of honor, I’m honored. She offers me a place to stay, as long as I don’t mind a roommate for the summer. She doesn’t mention how beautiful Norah is. What starts as awkward roommate interaction, soon begins to be the best part of my week. That is, until she tells me she’s carrying her dead husband’s baby.
I don’t know what to think, but I’m afraid I’m already falling in love with her.
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Reverence by Milena McKay
It’s the carefree ’80s and Juliette Lucian-Sorel has it all. She’s the greatest dancer to ever grace the floorboards of Palais Garnier, she’s royalty to her adoring fans, and Paris is at her feet. Or so it seems…
Katarina Vyatka is defecting from behind the Iron Curtain, desperate to save herself and her career. Or so she claims…
What happens when the Princess of Paris rescues the brightest star in the history of Bolshoi? Will the Paris ballet stage be big enough for both of them? Sparks fly and rivals become lovers as they set their lives ablaze in a torrent of secrets, intrigue and grands jetés!
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you read for the “sapphic book with an almost kiss” category? Let us know in the comments!
3 Responses
I don’t know which one I will read yet but one I read not too long ago and is not on your list is, When You Least Expect It, by Haley Cass. It was fantastic!
For the ‘Almost Kiss’ category I’m currently reading How To Flirt With A Witch by Tiana Warner
‘Storm in my heart’ by KC Luck. Just finished reading it. Great book