This week’s Sapphic Book Bingo category features golden retriever/black cat romance novels.
In case you were wondering: No, that doesn’t mean there are pets involved in the story.
Golden retriever/black cat refers to the personality of the main characters.
A golden retriever character is friendly, extraverted, enthusiastic, and cheerful, while the black cat character is reserved, introverted, and mysterious.
There’s a bit of an overlap with ice queen characters and grumpy/sunshine romances, but the black cat character doesn’t need to be an ice queen or grumpy.
She’s wary of getting close, often a little secretive and slow to open up and trust. However, unlike an ice queen, she doesn’t need to have a powerful status and is often less intimidating, more quietly reserved.
15 sapphic golden retriever/black cat romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic golden retriever/black cat romance novels:
Sparks by Jae
What seems broken might just need a reboot in this slow-burn, lesbian romance
New admin Willow Greene has the worst luck with electronics. Computers crash, printers jam, and even coffee machines refuse to cooperate when she’s around.
Like her devices, her relationships never seem to last, so she has given up on dating. That’s why she’s seriously unprepared for the IT department’s easygoing, always smiling Scottie Prescott, who has far too much charm to be safe.
Scottie can’t help noticing introverted, mysterious Willow, but she’s still healing from a bad breakup. The last thing she needs is more chaos, given she’s supposed to fix problems, not get tangled up in them.
But when they get stuck in an elevator together, the sparks between them become impossible to ignore. Can they risk their carefully protected hearts getting burned?
Available at:
When She Flies by Lee Winter
When free-spirited artist Sienna Fisher is mistaken for an intern at a New York luxury goods empire, the last thing she expects is for the CEO to be aloof English art curator Jasmine Gemayel. Years ago in London, Jasmine shredded Sienna’s art and mocked her for knowing nothing of life, setting her on a path to wander the world.
Now Sienna has a second chance to impress Jasmine, and she’s not about to waste it. Even if it means becoming an intern at age thirty-four and trying to win an in-house design competition, all to dazzle the woman who changed her life…and doesn’t even remember her. As if that’s not hard enough, there’s that strange business of the sparks that keep flying every time she argues art with her boss. Of course, that’s entirely one-sided given Jasmine’s straight and married…right?
Or…is she?
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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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The Great Popcorn Romance by Georgia Beers
Opposites attract, and Riley Shaw stands no chance of resisting Hannah Kramer’s magnetic pull. But opposites know just how to drive each other crazy…
How it starts: Her best friend Kyle suggests Riley take a job at Poptacular, his grandmother’s gourmet popcorn shop. Spending the summer mixing caramel and cheddar sounds like fun, right?
Spoiler alert: It’s not fun.
Enter Kyle’s little sister Hannah and her stubborn refusal to try any ideas that aren’t her own. Their working styles are completely different. In short, she is infuriating. And hot. Why does she have to be hot?
How it’s going: Years have passed, and Riley’s no longer a victim of her teenage hormones. She’s a high-powered consultant who travels from city to city, helping struggling businesses. Distance weakens a magnetic field, and Riley doesn’t think about Hannah Kramer. Not ever.
So, when Kyle calls to say Poptacular is in trouble and on the brink of closing its doors, her first thought definitely isn’t of Hannah. No, heading back to her hometown is not on her bingo card. But for Poptacular’s co-owner, popcorn is Hannah’s whole life, and Riley can’t stand to see her dream fail.
How it ends: With the Great (hot and buttery) Popcorn Romance, of course.
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Hot Honey Love by Nan Campbell
Chef Stef’s passion for her profession is being severely tested. After a disastrous appearance on a cooking competition show, she has become a meme. The entire Internet now knows her as the Kitchen Bawler. Her ascent through the fine dining kitchens of New York City has been thoroughly derailed, but she has a plan to get her career back on track. She’ll make cooking videos on YouTube to foil the algorithm and overhaul her search engine results. One problem: she knows nothing about creating video content.
Enter Mallory Radowski. She’s a talented filmmaker currently earning a living as a wedding videographer, with complicated reasons of her own for her reluctance to help Stef. Mallory lives with anxiety, and is the pickiest eater imaginable. Food—Stef’s love language—is untranslatable to her. How can she make Stef’s food look delicious if she won’t eat any of it?
Stef has to trust that Mallory’s videos can get her cooking food she’s proud of again, but it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire when she starts to fall for her.
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Beyond Instinct by Lynn Ames
Vaughn Elliott is a member of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Force. Someone high up in the United States government has pulled rank, hand-selecting her to oversee security for a visit by congressional VIPs to the West African nation of Mali. The question is, who picked her for the job and why?
Sage McNally, a career diplomat, is the political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mali. As control officer for the congressional visit, she is tasked to brief Vaughn regarding the political climate in the region.
The two women are instantly attracted to each other and share a wild night of passion. The next morning, Sage disappears while running, leaving behind signs of a scuffle. Why was Sage taken and by whom? Where is she being held? Vaughn’s attempts to get answers are thwarted at every turn. Even Sage does not know why she’s been targeted. Independently, Sage and Vaughn struggle to make sense of the seemingly senseless. By the time each of them figures it out, it could be too late for Sage.
As the clock ticks inexorably toward the congressional visit, the stakes get even higher, and Vaughn is faced with unspeakable choices. Her decisions will make the difference between life and death. Will she choose duty or her own code of honor?
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Candid About Space by S.E. Smyth
In an epic road trip to remember, Tera and her girlfriend, while giving their relationship one more try, are toting their moms to the New York Finger Lakes for a pleasant wine and cheese weekend. Just two moms and two daughters bonding as much as they can before Tera, approaching her mid-twenties, drifts apart into independence. Only, Tera doesn’t know the half of it. Her mom, Pauline, a well-off divorcee, has some plans of her own after the weekend ends. Those plans are realized sooner than expected when Tera bears her angst full force and creates family discord in front of their gracious traveling partners. Pauline will regret her decisions as a parent to the very end, but it won’t stop the tumultuous unravelling on the trip.
Mother and daughter trips, each one of many, is about getting along and working things out for a day or two, a week, and in life. It’s the beginning of a new start for Tera and Pauline both. Keeping the memories happy and harmonious isn’t an ultimatum, but Pauline and Tera, both, will always want to look back. When words are all too candid, it takes some space to regroup and formulate the things you always meant to say.
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The Inheritance by Alison Naomi Holt
In this compelling sapphic romance, Phyla McGuire, a fierce Ice Queen who commands respect and fear with her unmatched drive and success, finds herself isolated from the love and connections she once cherished.
Meanwhile, Ash Redux, a former army K9 handler, battles severe PTSD while living on the streets.
When the death of one of the world’s wealthiest men sparks a search for his missing heir, these two remarkable women’s lives become intertwined. As they navigate their vastly different worlds, can they forge a connection strong enough to bridge the gap between them?
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Windlass: A Seal Cove Romance by Anna Burke
Helping animals for a living? ✔
Having the best friends in the world? ✔
Falling in love with one of those friends? Um . . . ✔
Stevie has everything she wants, except the one thing that matters most: her friend and roommate, Angie. But the shadows of Angie’s past have a long reach, and even though everyone in the small town of Seal Cove knows Stevie and Angie have been in love for years, none of that matters if Angie herself isn’t willing to take the risk.
Risk, as far as Angie is concerned, equals loss. She once risked everything by telling the truth–and that ended badly. Very badly. Friendship is the only thing that has ever worked out for her. She can’t afford to lose Stevie–even at the expense of her own happiness.
However, when their other roommates move out of the house, each finds it harder and harder to resist their feelings. Angie must decide if the scars of her past will dictate her future, and Stevie will need to accept that sometimes, people need to save themselves.
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The Book Store Witch & The Curious Reader by Ariana Jade
When Florencia shows up in Tess’ witchy bookstore with the grand claim that she doesn’t like reading, the challenge is on. As an avid reader, Tess makes it her mission to find a book that Florencia will fall in love with, not realising that she herself is falling in love too.
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Greener Pastures by Aurora Rey
Audrey Adams would do anything for her aunt Ernestine. When Ernestine suffers a stroke, Audrey takes a leave from her fast-track CPA career to care for her. Only Ernestine’s hobby farm needs more tending than the patient herself. Audrey’s bitten off way more than she can chew, or harvest, or plant, or… How does one do hobby farming, anyway?
Enter her neighbor Rowan Marshall, the sexy cider maker. Rowan’s only too happy to come to Audrey’s rescue. Which is all well and good until Audrey realizes Rowan’s angling to buy the orchard that makes up more than half of Ernestine’s pride and joy.
It’s not long before a reluctant truce gives way to a romantic spark and forces Audrey to make the biggest decision of her life.
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In the Shadow of the Past by J.E. Leak
New York City, 1943. From jazz clubs to back alleys, passion and peril collide in this slow-burn sapphic love story that simmers through every twist and turn.
Nightclub singer–turned–OSS spy Kathryn Hammond has a past she can’t outrun and a mission she can’t afford to fail. But when fearless reporter Jenny Ryan becomes her assignment, sparks fly and everything starts to unravel.
Jenny is fire and fury seeking justice for her father’s murder. Kathryn is ice and regret behind a voice like sex and sin. Neither planned on the slow burn between them. Neither is ready for what it will cost them.
In a world where a lingering glance can be dangerous and a kiss can be fatal, their forbidden desire threatens Kathryn’s mission and places Jenny in the crosshairs of a ruthless enemy. When love becomes a liability, which woman will pay the price?
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Try Hard by Jacqueline Ramsden
Twenty years ago, Eve Archer was the star of her secondary school—funny, popular, and incredible at rugby. She was Ophelia Pendrick’s bisexual awakening, but studious, standoffish Ophelia thought she never stood a chance with Eve. And when Eve went on to become a world-famous rugby star, Ophelia could only admire her from afar—not that she would admit to following Eve’s social media.
But when a childhood friend’s wedding calls them both home, Ophelia isn’t the only one stunned. For Eve, finding her way back to her own childhood crush Ophelia Pendrick takes her breath away, and the chemistry between them is palpable. As they navigate the public, damaging past relationships, and Eve’s fans trying to get close to her, will Ophelia and Eve get a second shot at forever, or will they lose each other again?
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A Crown of Deceit & Ruin by Jessaca Willis
Once upon a cursed time, the love of two princesses destroyed a kingdom.
For nineteen years, Kestrel Graeme has been locked away in a tower, fed stories of cursed beasts and corrupted magic. But when she escapes, she discovers the real threat isn’t monsters—it’s the royals who rule through lies and bloodshed. Captured and taken to Irongate, Kestrel must fight for her father’s life and master the strange magic awakening inside her…before it’s twisted into a weapon by the very crown she’s come to fear.
But she’s not the only prisoner behind Irongate’s fortified walls. Slain in battle and resurrected years later, Princess Elora has spent her second life in chains. Promised a throne but given a leash, she’s ordered to keep Kestrel close and steer her toward breaking the curse. Elora will play her part…but only if it brings her the one thing she truly craves: freedom.
Monsters still haunt the realm, but Kestrel and Elora refuse to be their prey. If they want a future beyond the ruins they inherited, they’ll have to wield the power within them—before their kingdoms crumble.
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Crash and Burn by KP Evans
Parker Mandli arrives in Mayville with fresh wounds and a litany of failures. Determined to put those mistakes behind her and start a new venture, she opens a shoe store in the artsy Tomlinson Street neighborhood—right across the street from Fire Station Two.
Cate Wildman is a no-nonsense, by-the-book firefighter dedicated to her job with precious little time for romance. But when she shows up to conduct a fire inspection in Parker’s new store, Cate’s carefully curated life is thrown into a tailspin.
Soon both women find themselves in a romance hotter than a five-alarm fire and both are forced to reckon with their pasts. Can Parker learn to trust herself again? Will Cate finally break free from old trauma? Or will the heat of desire cause everything to come crashing down…
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What sapphic book will you be reading for the “golden retriever/black cat romance” category? Let us know in the comments!
