This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features sapphic books with two BIPOC main characters.
For this square, read a sapphic book where both leads are BIPOC (which is short for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).
The main characters might share similar cultural heritages and ethnicities or come from entirely different racial identities. For example, one could be a Black woman and the other might be Vietnamese-American, or one lead might be a member of the Navajo Nation, while the other is of Filipino descent.
Ideally, the book should be written by a BIPOC author to ensure the story is told from an authentic perspective.
Of course, the books for this square of the bingo card can span any genre, from contemporary romance or historical fiction to fantasy or suspense.
15 sapphic books with two BIPOC main characters
Below, you’ll find 15 sapphic books with two BIPOC main characters:
Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao
Her gorgeous butch roommate is the last person she should fall for.
When Mira’s awful ex-boyfriend harasses her in public, she’s stunned by the tough butch stranger who rescues her and offers her a post-breakup place to stay. Mira’s straight, and she’s still healing, and she can’t risk getting hurt again. But her roommate Isabel makes her want everything she shouldn’t want…
Available at:
Someone Else’s Shoes by Aldrea Alien
Stripped of her inheritance as a child by a greedy stepmother, Alla’s future hovers between drudgery and slavery. Having spent years toiling in the mansion that was once her happy home, tending to her stepmother’s every whim, she has long since put aside any thoughts of a better future.
When a chance encounter in the marketplace leaves her with an invitation to the upcoming ball, her only opportunity to play out an old dream of seeing inside the palace walls is by being someone she’s not. A farce that could see her executed or sold.
But will she be able to maintain the illusion once she meets Princess Viktoriya?
Available at:
Of Chasing Raindrops by Aya Canicosa
“What if we were never meant to be whole?”
Casey wasn’t trying to heal.
She went to Sagada to lose what still hurt—the past, the woman she couldn’t forget, the version of herself that kept holding on. She wasn’t looking for closure. Not even a fresh start. Just a way to keep breathing.
Julia is crashing.
Her picture-perfect life has cracked at the seams, and underneath it? A whole lot of nothing she can’t explain.
They had no interest in beginnings. No room for endings. They weren’t searching for each other.
But sometimes what you never wanted finds you anyway—and refuses to let go.
For anyone who’s ever run away. Fallen apart. And dared to love anyway.
Available at:
You Make Loving Easy by Dominique Davis
After suspecting her husband of infidelity, Deia Stokes reluctantly returns to her hometown. Despite being four months pregnant and having lost touch with her mother, she feels the need for space. If her life wasn’t already in turmoil, a chance encounter with Izzy Barnett, a girl she bullied in high school, forces Deia to confront her past.
Overwhelmed by guilt, Deia aims to make things right, but Izzy wants nothing to do with her. But Deia isn’t giving up. Not even when Izzy begins stirring up a deep-seated truth inside of her that she tried to bury. A truth that could cost Deia her marriage, her mom, and the future she thought she wanted.
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Wolf Shirt & High Heels by Evie Marque
Flirting at work has never felt this intense—or this real.
The last thing Ramona St. Germaine needed was public humiliation on her wedding day. Yet, the universe had different plans, leaving her jilted and questioning everything—friendships, loyalty, and her own judgment. She soon learns the culprit behind her unique engagement falling apart: Quinn Archer. After some internet sleuthing, Ramona finds Quinn. She could face her and move on—easy. Well, easy if she ignores their mutual attraction.
Quinn Archer thrives in the grey, predictable landscape of her corporate job. So, imagine her shock when she grabs the same coffee as the most intriguing woman she’s ever met. Despite Quinn’s less-than-stellar social skills, their chemistry draws her in and that predictability takes a backseat.
Wolf Shirt & High Heels is a fun, intimate third-person dual-POV contemporary lesbian romance brimming with banter, slow-burn tension, office nonsense, heartfelt kisses, and healing.
Available at:
Those We Run From by Fiona Zedde
Dulcinea “Sweet” Sterling is an assassin about to retire. That is until she finds out there’s a contract out on someone from her past—Tilly, her high school sweetheart. Determined to stop her first love from being killed, Sweet races to Miami.
Matilda “Tilly” Harper is a boudoir photographer with a passion for pink vintage dresses, high heels, and drag bingo. Far from the threatening type. When her ex from twenty years ago pops up saying someone is trying to kill her, Tilly doesn’t believe it. But it isn’t long before an armed attacker strikes.
Sweet will stop at nothing to protect Tilly. She’ll even put her own life at risk trying to find out who’s after her girl and why. While the two women flee from danger, old feelings come rushing back, catching neither of them by surprise.
Can Sweet save Tilly from the faceless enemy determined to see her six feet under? Or will their second chance at happiness die before it ever has the opportunity to live?
Available at:
Dragon Boats & Doctor’s Notes by Hudson Lin
Two hearts, one boat, and a race against time—will love or work win the day?
When workaholic obstetrician Julie decides to join a dragon boat team, she never expected to be so captivated by enigmatic team captain Rae. Dragon boat was supposed to help change up her routine, not blow her entire life out of the water, but now Rae is making her question every decision she’s ever made.
Rae has always been a natural caretaker, and seeing Julie’s all work-no play approach to life brings out all of their protective tendencies. The unending shifts and emotional toil of working at a busy Toronto hospital isn’t sustainable, but no matter how many times Rae points that out, Julie doesn’t seem willing to change.
As they train for the biggest regatta of the year, Rae and Julie must decide whether their budding love is worth fighting for, or if they’ll let Julie’s dedication to her job drive them apart.
Available at:
Mark of Ravage and Ruin by Jacyn Gormish
When Barli wakes up in a religious-run prison called the Asylum, she has one goal: get out and back to her girlfriend.
The Priest that runs the Asylum sees something more in Barli. He sees an assassin in the making. He pushes her into training to become a Black Sin, a killer for the clergy, free to roam the streets and eliminate anyone he wants removed from society.
For Barli, this is a way to escape and get back to her girlfriend’s arms. She plays along with the Priest’s plans, even if she has no desire to be a Black Sin.
But the friendships she develops along the way take her by surprise. In particular, she becomes fond of Ferran, a boy locked in the asylum for life for reasons she doesn’t know…if there is even a valid reason for the power-hungry Priest to do such a thing.
When Barli’s opportunity finally arises to set out into the city and escape to her lover, she learns something that stops her in her tracks.
Ferran is to be killed.
And only Barli can save him.
Available at:
Undercover Madam by JJ Arias
She was supposed to catch the criminal. . . not fall in love with her.
All Charlotte Castro ever wanted was to be an FBI agent. When her best friend, a Miami detective, presents her with an opportunity to go undercover and bust a madam to the rich and powerful, Charlotte’s dreams are finally within reach. All she has to do is get an accounting job at Alexandra Leon’s spa and collect evidence that will bring her to justice. If she can do that, the police chief will pull strings to get her to Quantico.
There’s only one complication. Charlotte didn’t count on the uncontrollable chemistry between her and Alexandra.
When Alexandra met Charlotte, a fiery woman nearly half her age, she didn’t expect to be so drawn to her. When passion transforms into something deeper, Alexandra wonders whether she can trust the eager Charlotte with her secrets. Could she be the true partner Alex has been waiting for?
Available at:
Score to Love by Johana Gavez
Antonia Carvalho left her native Brazil in search of a dream: a professional soccer career and better opportunities for her and her brother. The plan is simple; score as many goals as possible with the Houston Starlight and become one of their top players. She won’t let anything get in the way. Not even Camila Sánchez, her attractive but annoying teammate.
Camila Sánchez spent all her life in the shadow of her father, a former soccer star and coach. There’s no time for distractions as she fights to show everyone she deserves her spot on the team. Playing for the Houston Starlight is her opportunity to shine. She won’t let Antonia steal her spot on the team, no matter how much chemistry they have in bed.
Available at:
The Wicked and the Willing by Lianyu Tan
A destitute housemaid. Her wealthy, vampiric mistress. A love she won’t survive…
Gean Choo needs salvation. Newly orphaned and hounded by her father’s creditors, she’s lost all hope. But when an enigmatic young widow, Verity Edevane, sweeps her into a dazzling world of wealth and blood-stained secrets, Gean Choo starts believing she could be worthy of Verity’s regard.
Becoming a vampire’s pet means surrendering her body and the life in her veins. But it’s only fair, because she owes Verity everything, and Verity is the sort of woman who deserves to take all she desires.
Can Gean Choo survive Verity’s insatiable appetites, or will her devotion to an undead monster lead only to destruction?
Available at:
The Price of Happiness by Ophelia Rose
Josephine Gray is down on her luck, after losing a high-profile case, she isn’t hitting the ground running in her budding career like she’d hoped. Add on another bombshell in her personal life
and she’s done with the hustle and bustle of NYC.
So when her sister offers the chance for her to come to Aspen Hollow for the holidays, Josephine takes the leap and heads for the small, snowy town. There she meets Charlie Winters, a sexy and charming barista who captures Josephine’s attention from the start. But just how long can one wait after a broken heart? And is Josephine ready to make the changes she knows in her heart she needs?
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Holding Out For Her Hero by Rebecca Freeman
Sam thought she was an ordinary person until forced to take refuge in the sacred cliffs of the local deity known only as “The Goddess,” impish and kind. She informs Sam that she is destined to be one of her elite warriors, a Soturi (the real world calls them butches), and drags her into the adventure of a lifetime.
Gala is an Aiti, what the real world calls a femme. Sam’s Soturi team, Lili, Dasha, and Fern, became the best found family she could imagine. Their first mission begins as a rescue, but Sam and Gala soon find themselves in more danger than they ever imagined. Now, Sam’s training team finds themselves forced to rescue not just one kidnapped Aiti but a town full of people held hostage by a greedy, petty tyrant who would kill anyone who stands in his way.
Available at:
Chef’s Kiss by Stephanie Shea
Sparks fly when a meticulous head chef falls for her captivating new hire.
Valentina Rosas has always known what she wants. Mostly. Sort of. At least, she does now. And what she wants is the coveted staging role at Gia, San Francisco. With four years at the top of her class in culinary school and enough tenacity to fuel the entire Mission, no one doubts she is about to land the job of her dreams—including the three-person cheer squad made up of her best friend and adorably overbearing parents.
Renowned chef Jenn Coleman is not a people person. Her rise to the top of the culinary industry stems from a cultivated blend of top-tier schooling—from her nonna—and bouts of carefully managed misanthropy. Owning and operating two Michelin starred restaurants doesn’t leave time for much else anyway. Just ask her ex.
When the new stage at her restaurant trips into her with all the grace of a baby giraffe, it’s a sure recipe for disaster. But for all of Jenn’s reserve, Valentina has twice the allure, and the chemistry between them is just… chef’s kiss.
If only Jenn wasn’t Valentina’s boss with nearly ten years between them.
Available at:
The Flowers I Deserve by Tamara Jerée
Weeping luna is as common as wildflowers, and in the northern kingdoms, assassination by its floral poison is rampant. Those born with immunity are coveted by heretic clerical orders and the endangered aristocracy—and shunned by a superstitious society.
One so gifted, or cursed, Carlotta embraces her power as the currency to deliver her from a land in the grip of drought. Luxury and beauty, glimpsed through the portal of her late mother’s letters, become an easy trade to consider in exchange for her life. And looming always in her imagination is the symbol of it all—King Emelia, a demon who rose to power under mysterious circumstances.
However, once initiated into the world of indulgence and magic within the castle walls, Carlotta finds that not even a king’s devotion is enough to sate her.
Available at:
Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black
Like her father before her, Joan Matthews is a witch. Their family of binder witches has protected Calvert, Oregon from vampires for generations by strengthening the land with spellcraft. Pushing back against tradition, Joan defied her father and left town to become a war witch who fights the monsters hand-to-hand. But when her father dies, Joan returns to find her hometown assailed by a vampire lord’s endless attacks—and the answers lie with the one woman who chose a rival over Joan.
Leigh Phan once believed her heart was safe and her future was set. When Joan left town, Leigh’s choices led to ruin and unintended consequences. Now Leigh harbors a dark secret forcing her to live a moment-to-moment existence. Her only hope of survival lies in trusting the war witch who left her behind.
Now it’s up to Joan to fight for a town she left behind, while Leigh faces a destiny she never imagined was possible. With Calvert on the brink of total destruction, Joan and Leigh join forces and face inconvenient truths in order to save their town—and each other.
Available at:
She Fell for the Witch’s Disciple by Bea Chicory
Their hearts belong to each other, but their bonds say otherwise… can their love survive in this sapphic fantasy romance that includes magical shifters, witches, and princesses, or will they be torn apart to opposite sides of the spirit realm forever?
Soli Fang’s a snake shifter who’s been hiding within the performance house of the Fang clan her entire life. She must hide the Starshone eyes that denote her as a powerful being whom nobles would love to get their hands on. Her only reprieve from loneliness and boredom is watching Ren, the cute shifter next door, practice outside with her own Starshone eyes shining out for all to see. When an infamous witch chooses Ren to be her disciple, Soli reveals herself in order to go in her place.
19-year-old Ren Taildash has spent her life focusing on becoming a dancer brilliant enough to earn the position of house leader. Falling in love is the last thing on her mind, but once she’s saved by the dashing shifter next door, she can’t stop thinking about her.
Throughout the next couple of years, they find themselves on opposite sides of a royal rivalry as they get thrown into situations that bring them closer than ever before. Will the bond they form during that time be enough to overcome the forces that demand their undying loyalty, or will their ties keep them on opposite sides of the lower spirit realm forever?
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New Sapphic Book Bingo app
I’d like to share something really cool with you.
One of my wonderful readers and a long-time Sapphic Book Bingo participant has created an app as a search tool to help you find books to fill your bingo cards (or just books with tropes you enjoy if you’re not into reading challenges).
It’s a web-based app, so no download or log-in required.
You can search, explore, and hopefully discover new books and authors along the way.
She even built in a tab just for my books (You can find it by clicking on the quill icon in the app’s menu).
I love seeing members of this community creating things that make it more fun for everyone!
You can check out the app here.
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Leave a comment
What sapphic book will you be reading for the “two BIPOC main characters” category? Let us know in the comments!
4 Responses
Also check out debut author Rashah Solun’s book The Longest Bloom: https://www.amazon.com/Longest-Bloom-Rashah-Solun-ebook/dp/B0F28DFYS4/
Sabrina Khan has a few titles that would fit this category.
Sorry, her name is Sabina Khan. My bad!
Aricka Alexander has a bevy of books with wonderful BIPOC characters.