I hope you’ve been enjoying the Sapphic Book Bingo so far!
This week’s bingo category is a popular subgenre of sapphic romance: medical romance novels.
Readers really enjoy the blend of heart-warming romance and the high-stakes world of medicine.
For this category, read a book with a medical setting. At least one main character is a doctor, a nurse, or a healthcare professional. For the book to count as a medical romance, we need to see them at their job. At least a couple of scenes need to take place in the medical setting.
15 sapphic medical romance novels
Below, you’ll find 15 recommended sapphic medical romance novels:
Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae
A kind ER nurse accidentally wins a date with a prickly doctor at a singles auction
Ellie Fisher loves most things about being a nurse in the emergency department…just not working with Regina Novak, an icy attending physician who acts as if she’s God’s gift to medicine.
The dislike is completely mutual. Regina thinks Ellie is a starry-eyed romantic with a sentimental attitude that has no place at work.
When Regina gets talked into volunteering at a singles auction, Ellie accidentally bids on her—and ends up winning. Oops!
Since the money raised is for a good cause, they reluctantly decide to go through with the dates.
Thanks to a baking class that turns into a competition and a hot-as-hell road trip snack incident, the ice between them starts to thaw. Is it possible the ER isn’t the most unromantic place on earth after all?
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Blurred Lines by KD Williamson
Kelli MacCabe is a no nonsense detective with a tough exterior. Only a select few know her as a loyal, loving friend. Committed to her family, her friends, and her job, Kelli puts her needs behind everyone else’s.
As a surgeon, Nora Whitmore is used to being in control. The hospital is her life and leaves room for little else. Respected by her colleagues, but misunderstood by the residents, Nora takes what she needs and keeps everyone at arm’s length. In the process, she creates unexpected enemies.
Tragedy brings them together. As chaos grows around them, the lines between them begin to blur. Despite being from different worlds, friendship grows between them, turning quickly to attraction. Will these two strong, independent women find a way to deal with their individual baggage? Or will they be overcome by it?
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Fated Love by Radclyffe
What do you do when your carefully planned life takes a wrong turn into hell? When Quinn Maguire, a dashing young trauma surgeon, unaccountably accepts a position as an ER physician, her new boss, Honor Blake, suspects that Quinn is hiding a dark secret. While the two declare an uneasy truce in an effort to work together, both struggle with mutual, and unexpected, attraction. Honor, however, has more than one reason to resist her growing feelings for the attractive newcomer—not the least of which is that her heart belongs to the woman whose wedding ring she wears. Amidst the chaos and drama of a busy emergency room, Quinn and Honor must contend not only with the fragile nature of life, but also with the mysteries of the heart and the irresistible forces of fate.
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Irregular Heartbeat by Chris Zett
After nearly a decade as a professional drummer, Diana Petrell leaves her rock-star life behind to continue her residency in emergency medicine. She’s determined not to let anything stop her—not even falling in love with her aloof mentor, Dr. Emily Barnes.
Emily has only ever focused on her career as a senior attending in the emergency department, and she isn’t happy about having to babysit a resident with a ten-year gap in her résumé, no matter how intriguing she is.
But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.
When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship. A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.
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If I Don’t Ask by E.J. Noyes
Rebecca Keane has it all figured out. With a successful career as an Army surgeon and a fresh promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, she loves her life leading a surgical team. Even if that life means she’s spent years hiding her sexuality and ignoring her desires under the Army’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Then Captain Sabine Fleischer’s arrival sets off an attraction that cracks Rebecca’s carefully cultivated armor and brings about fresh complications.
As Sabine’s direct commanding officer, Rebecca knows she cannot act on her attraction, but that knowledge does nothing to squash her desires. Unable to keep her thoughts about the alluring other woman under control, Rebecca resigns herself to years of censoring her thoughts and feelings until Sabine’s time in the Army is done. She’s spent decades suppressing parts of herself for her job, so what’s a few more years?
But as Rebecca and Sabine work closely together on Army bases in Afghanistan and the States, the undeniable sparks between them begin to ignite. And despite Rebecca’s constant self-censure, her denials and her knowledge of every obstacle standing between them, her resolve crumbles with each passing day. But when the consequences of your love run deeper than just breaking one of the unbreakable rules of the military, you risk losing more than just your heart.
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Hearts in Motion by Miranda MacLeod
After tragedy strikes, can love blossom out of grief?
As an emergency room doctor, 41-year-old Hadley Moore has spent a decade perfecting the art of shutting down her emotions to focus on saving lives. But when her younger sister and brother-in-law die tragically, the pain of loss is too great to ignore. Reeling from guilt over letting her family take a back seat to her career, Hadley seizes the opportunity to make things right by returning to her hometown to raise the infant son her sister left behind.
At 29, Tyne Briggs knows firsthand how hard it is to grow up without a loving family. After being saved from a hostile foster home as a queer pre-teen, the young artist dotes on her large and boisterous adoptive family. When she loses her brother and sister-in-law in a car accident, her top priority is to make sure her baby nephew has the happy childhood she was denied.
Shared grief and mutual attraction bring the two women together, where they find solace and passion in equal measure. But they are soon at odds when each decides she is the best choice to give baby Owen a permanent home. Without a will to guide them, and with the two aunts unable to reach a compromise, a lengthy custody battle looms.
Cooperation and a common purpose could lead to true love and the creation of a new family together, but not if impulsive decisions and unsavory lawyers tear them apart first.
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Reservations of the Heart by TB Markinson
Can two wounded souls find solace together?
41-year-old doctor Stella Gilbert used to have it all. Her career was on fire, and she had a picture-perfect family–until she was blindsided by her wife doing the unthinkable. Three years after her divorce, Stella’s loved ones worry about her non-existent personal life and her stubborn belief that focusing on her career and raising her daughter are all she needs to be fulfilled.
Reeling from the revelation of a long-held family secret, 29-year-old Aurora Shirley is just over it all. If her parents could lie to Aurora all her life, won’t everyone else? Women are the last thing on her mind as she starts a temporary job at a local medical school. Unfortunately for Aurora, she needs to find a date for her best friend’s wedding or be deemed the worst maid of honor in history.
When Stella and Aurora unexpectedly come together, sparks fly. Neither is looking for a relationship, but what they discover in one another is so much more than a physical connection. Can two wounded women who believe love is the last thing they want overcome their fears to find healing?
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L.A. Metro by RJ Nolan
Dr. Kimberly Donovan’s life is in shambles. After her medical ethics are questioned, first her family, then her closeted lover, the Chief of the ER, betray her. Determined to make a fresh start, she flees to California and L.A. Metropolitan Hospital.
Dr. Jess McKenna, L.A. Metro’s Chief of the ER, gives new meaning to the phrase emotionally guarded, but she has her reasons.
When Kim and Jess meet, the attraction is immediate. Emotions Jess has tried to repress for years surface. But her interest in Kim also stirs dark memories. They settle for friendship, determined not to repeat past mistakes, but secretly they both wish things could be different.
Will the demons from Jess’s past destroy their future before it can even get started? Or will L.A. Metro be a place to not only heal the sick, but to mend wounded hearts?
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Queen Vs Queen by Barbara Winkes, Alysia D Evans, Anne Hagan
She meets her match!
When ice queens converge at a business conference, they exhibit ultimate control, authority, and strength. The conference forces the women to show their vulnerabilities. Will they thrive in the training situation? Is there a chance that any romantic unions could form? Or will any sparks of romance remain hidden beneath the icy exteriors of the attendees?
Three novellas of power and passion, all with a Happily Ever After.
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Sunset to Sunrise by Barbara Winkes
When ice meets ice, can passion melt away the pain?
Isabel Windsor is confident in her leadership qualities. When her bosses send her to a seminar at the International Leadership Institute for Women after a confrontation with a client, she sees it as an affront. She is determined to make it clear that she doesn’t need any help.
Grace McAllister has decided to make the best of a bad situation: After getting fired from her old job, she plans to start her own business, and hopes to make connections at the same institute. What she doesn’t expect is to run into a woman she has met before—Isabel.
Sparks fly—again—when Isabel and Grace try to navigate these complicated circumstances. Against the picturesque backdrop of Quebec City, they must choose whether they want to be enemies or allies in a cutthroat world, and if there’s a future for them beyond another chance meeting.
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Adrenaline Kisses by Alysia D. Evans
When insubordinate Meryl and uptight Polly meet at a business coaching conference, there is instantaneous conflict and friction.
Forced by a conference organizer to work together, the pair agree to complete the assigned activity, tick the box, and then go their separate ways. Ideally, this was the perfect solution, until Meryl provokes confrontation by delving into Polly’s personal life.
In response to Meryl’s intrusive behavior, Polly suffers a seizure, and onlookers expect Meryl to help her so-called friend. Polly’s illness reluctantly pushes the twosome together. They are compelled to endure activities outside of the conference and demonstrate they can develop a supportive network.
Is it possible for two women from contrasting ends of the social spectrum to find common ground, enjoy spending time together, and develop an intimate rapport? Find out in this irresistible ice queen romance.
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Turning Two by Anne Hagan
If your flame constantly singes others, maybe you need a dose of your own medicine.
Tonya and Abigail, two forces of nature from different worlds, face off against their own worst enemy: themselves. Tonya, a sharp-tongued trailblazer in a man’s world, and Abigail, a surgical mastermind with a bedside manner worse than her scalpel.
When they come to realize they have been both sent to a conference to learn and grow, their simmering rage boils over. To rid themselves of their mutual disdain, they must take a dose of their own medicine: learning how to co-exist.
With their tempers flaring, they face off in a fierce battle of wit and will. Will they learn to work together, no matter how much they clash? Or will they be forever changed by their own flames? The only thing certain is that the outcome will leave a mark.
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Stunted Heart by Helena Harte
A stunt rider who lives in the fast lane. An ER doctor who can’t take chances. A passion that could turn their worlds upside down.
Taryn Taylor wants it all, and she wants it fast. As a stunt rider she’s always looking for the next big jump, the next adrenaline fix, and the next scorching encounter with an irresistible woman. Settling down isn’t her style and she’s sworn never to stay in one place long enough to grow roots. But when her team is asked to do a longer running show in Vegas, she gives in. It’s temporary, after all. And in Vegas, anything goes…
Dr. Cassandra Kennedy doesn’t understand why people engage in risky behavior when life is so precious and death so final. As an ER doctor she sees the devastation wrought by people being reckless, and she’s felt the pain of loss herself. There’s no way she could ever get involved with someone who didn’t take the road more cautious.
When they meet, passions ignite with off-the-charts chemistry. They both know it’s only temporary—after all, Taryn will soon be back on the road chasing the ultimate rush, and Cassandra will go back to her orderly life where she’s the one in control. Will they decide that love is worth betting on, or will caution keep them apart forever?
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The Fifth Surgeon by Faith Prize
Nadia Keating has barely started her cardiothoracic fellowship training, but she already has the archetype nailed—she’s direct, uncompromising, and suffering from a God complex.
Before she can focus on her impressive research, deeply closeted Nadia has a personal project: getting her inconvenient attraction to women out of her system. She picks a stranger online for a one-night stand.
Ashley Rylan, the chief of Nadia’s department, is her polar opposite—sweet, agreeable, and soft-spoken—and the stranger Nadia unwittingly chooses.
The two women’s meeting is a hostile disaster and they would love nothing more than to never see each other again. However, their paths keep colliding as Nadia embarks on an ambitious experiment that could lead to a historic medical breakthrough.
Despite warring egos and the secrets they keep, their connection is powerful and growing. Maybe having sex would help them get over their distraction at work? Or would that just ruin everything?
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Major Surgery by Lola Keeley
Skilled surgeon Veronica Mallick runs her London hospital department like she runs her surgeries: with hawkish efficiency. Then her perfect world is turned upside down by the arrival of a new Head of Trauma.
Cassie Taylor is a brash, no-nonsense army surgeon, fresh from the front lines, and trying to find her way in civilian life. She’s all action and sharp edges, not too interested in rules. She’s even less interested in bureaucracy, or playing nice with her uptight, paper-pushing colleague, Veronica.
While they’re circling each other warily at St. Sophia’s hospital, Cassie becomes entangled in some shady financial dealings.
Their shared search for the truth draws them closer together, sparking heated moments as they try to see justice done. But in exposing a scandal, can they also find some common ground? How will they both deal with being attracted to a woman they don’t even like?
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Who’d Have Thought by G Benson
Top neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast and is tightlipped as to why. And with over $200,000 on offer to tie the knot, no questions asked, cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez isn’t about to demand answers.
The deal is only for a year of marriage, but Hayden’s going into it knowing it will be a nightmare. Sam is complicated, rude, kind of cold, and someone Hayden barely tolerates at work, let alone wants to marry. The hardest part is that Hayden has to convince everyone around them that they’re madly in love and that racing down the aisle together is all they’ve ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong?
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Souls’ Rescue by Patty Schramm
Kelly McCoy is a firefighter and paramedic who’s lived most of her adult life in New York. After 9-11, she relocates to Cincinnati, nursing a broken heart and looking for a new start. She takes one day at a time, trying not to let her losses overwhelm her.
Talia Stoddard is an insurance wiz who’s always been smart on the job, but unlucky in love. After years of being told that she’s too big, too tall, too black, too lesbian, and not a very snappy dresser, Talia has resigned herself to a life alone with only her dear gay friend Jacob for a diversion.
When Kelly and Talia’s lives crash into one another, it’s under the most stressful and threatening circumstances. Talia is in terrible danger, and it’s up to Kelly to rescue her. In the horrendous situation they end up in, neither expects to find a friend, much less a soul mate.
Will they rescue one another and heal the wounds of their pasts? Or will they both continue to believe that they’re not worthy of the kind of love the other might offer?
Souls’ Rescue is the story of opening up to love, taking chances, and building a life that everyone dreams about, but few people ever find.
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If It’s Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen
Dr. Alexandra Edison lives a life that many would be envious of. A beautiful world-famous fiancée, more money than she could spend, and a career that she loved. To honor her grandfather’s wishes, she moved from L.A. to Seattle to take over one of her family’s hospitals. When her perfect life fell apart, the last person she expected to be there to help her pick up the pieces was Dr. Blake Westmore. The woman who was cold and indifferent towards her since the day they met. But one touch from Blake made Alexandra question everything she knew about her life. In the end, life forced her to make choices that could end up costing her more than she bargained for.
Dr. Blake Westmore thought she had all she needed. A career that she loved and her fill of women with no commitments as she did not do relationships. When her very engaged new boss arrived on the scene, the last thing Blake wanted was to be attracted to her. Despite doing everything in her power to stay away from Alexandra, when her world fell apart, Blake could not stay away. When she got her first taste of Alexandra, she knew there was no going back. Always in control of her emotions, Blake felt anything but in control around Alexandra. Consumed with lust and possessiveness, she just had to have her. Consequences be damned.
One night of passion turned into a week of romance in Paris. A week of romance in Paris turned into a love affair filled with passion that will change both women forever. Circumstances beyond their control forced Alexandra to choose between her past and her present and Blake thought she had no choice but to let her go. In the end, life made choices for them and maybe it was just not meant to be, or was it?
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What book will you be reading for the sapphic medical romance novel category? Let us know in the comments!
Highly recommend choosing Bachelorette Number Twelve!!!!! It has every single feeling, is a fantastic read, and we get to visit with old friends! Love that!!! Also, prepare to need to remove your sweater. It’s hot!
I’m going to read Hearts In Motion by Miranda Macleod. It’s sitting in my kindle library and I don’t remember if I read it.