Reviews – Starrier Skies

In addition to the standalone reviews below, I also have a semi-regular reading column and a dedicated short fiction column!

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Zodiac Starforce Volume 1: By the Power of Astra by Keven Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau — A group of magical girls have already saved the world once, and they’re ready to get back to their normal lives. Unfortunately, their normal lives are about to be turned upside down, again. (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
The Water Dragon’s Bride Volumes 1-5 by Rei Toma — A little girl is sucked into a fantasy world, where she is immediately sacrificed as a “bride” for a water dragon. Except that the water dragon lets her live. [Caution warning: human sacrifice, child abuse and neglect, attempted murder, imagery of suicide, torture, floods] (Lady Business, manga)
Provenance by Ann Leckie — A young woman, trying to one-up her brother, decides that her best plan is to spring the her planet’s most notorious prisoner from an inescapable jail. This can only end well. [Caution warnings: child endangerment, bullying, terrorism] (Lesbrary, novel)
Essex Colony by Lia Cooper — The colony on Essex Prime went radio silent a year ago. Now, an android – who happens to be the former lover of the colony’s werewolf XO – is part of the team sent in to discover why. [Caution warnings: bigotry, murder] (Lesbrary, novel)
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey — Esther has smuggled herself out of town in the back of a librarian wagon in the hope that the librarians, as bastions of morality who travel this future Wild West handing out government propaganda, can help her become the woman society wants her to be before she’s killed for her queerness. … She wasn’t expecting the librarians to be a band of queer gunslinging spies, okay. [Caution warning: off-screen abuse, hostages, homophobia, internalised homophobia, backstory death of a queer character] (Lady Business, novella)
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden — When Mia was in school, she had a fledgling romance with Grace, a sweet but unusual girl who disappeared. Now, as an adult working in a team of restorers (iiiin spaaaaaace), she starts finding clues for what might have happened to Grace. [Caution warning: bullying, misgendering] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Changing Course by Brey Willows — When her spaceship crashes on a planet so ill-regarded that it’s not even on shipping routes, Jessa thinks all hope for her and her crew are lost. Lucky for her, she’s picked up by a scavenger with a heart of gold who dedicates herself to helping Jessa find any survivors. [Caution warning: dying parent, slavery and enslavement, mentions of abuse and eating human flesh.] (Lesbrary, novel)
Heathens Volumes 1 and 2 by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering — A lesbian viking sets out to smash the patriarchy by rescue a valkyrie from a curse! [Caution warning: homophobia, misogyny, forced marriage, fridging, abusive marriages, mind control, mentions of slavery] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
The Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth by Aikawa Yu — Seven people are kidnapped and thrown into a legendary labyrinth to force them to decide who the new emperor will be. Unfortunately, the labyrinth is full of traps and someone has decided that the easiest way to become emperor is to activate them all! [Caution warnings: child abuse, murder and death traps, mentions of off-screen torture] (Lady Business, manga)
Witchmark by C. L. Polk — An army doctor turned psychiatrist is trying to keep a low profile to avoid being snatched into magical slavery, which is blown out of the water when a dying man charges him with solving his murder. [Caution warnings: enslavement, false imprisonment, mentions of forced marriages and off-screen rape, murder, abuse, mentions of torture] (Lady Business, novel)
Robots Vs Fairies, edited by Navah Wolfd and Dominik Parisien — A collection of scifi and fantasy stories about fairy tales, robots, and sometimes even both! [Caution warnings are listed on each story] (SFF Reviews, anthology)
Shade the Changing Girl Volume 1: Earth Girl Made Easy by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone — A sequel to and reimagining of Shade the Changing Man, where an alien woman decides to live up to Rac Shade’s legacy – by stealing the Madness Vest and bodyhopping her way to Earth. [Caution warning: bullying, drug use] (Lady Business, graphic novel)
In/Spectre Volumes 1-6 by Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase — A young woman who traded parts of herself to become a “god of knowledge” for yokai recruits a man with equally weird abilities to… Fight the ghost of a dead idol who now terrorises a city with a steel beam? (Lady Business, manga)
A City Inside by Tillie Walden — A surreal exploration of a young woman growing into herself over and over again. (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
In the Vanisher’s Palace by Aliette de Bodard — A queer post-apocalyptic post-colonial Beauty and the Beast retelling where a poor scholar offers herself to a dragon to pay her village’s debts, and finds herself teaching the dragon’s children in a nightmare Escher castle. (Lesbrary and Lady Business, novella.)
Death By Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold — A metaphysicist is hired to ensure that the family silver isn’t cursed… By the family of his old school bully. Unfortunately for him, shortly after he declares it safe, the silver kills someone, so obviously he and his best friend/lover/let us never speak of our emotions private investigator have to find out what really happened. [Caution warnings: physical and sexual abuse in backstory, bullying] (Lady Business, novel)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages — A fabulist romance between a pulp artist and a drag singer in a magical version of 1940s San Francisco. [Caution warnings: spousal abuse, police harassment, historical homophobia and racism, non-graphic suicide] (Lesbrary, novella)
Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card Volume 1 by CLAMP — Sakura is now going to high school and in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend… Until he unexpectedly comes back and all of her Clow Cards disappear! (Lady Business, manga)
Space Battle Lunchtime Volumes 1 and 2 by Natalie Reiss — A baker gets invited onto a competitive cooking show iiiiiiiin spaaaaaaaaaaaace! Good thing no one’s willing to cheat their way to victory! (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill — Sadie has your standard princess backstory of being locked in a tower while princes fail to rescue her, until another determined princess and her cookie-loving unicorn show up to help her rescue herself. (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear — Sequel to Karen Memory, where Karen and Priya try to have a night out on the town and accidentally ending trapped in a collapsing hotel with a widowed illusionist, two spiritualists, and whatever’s haunting the dining room. [Caution warnings: mentions of historical racism, sex trafficking, and abuse] (Lesbrary, novella)
Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir and Steenz
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear — Steampunk alternate history about sex workers in gold rush-era Seattle hunting for a serial killer, foiling human traffickers, and trying to work out why someone’s using mind control on their customers. [Caution warnings: misgendering, historical racism, human trafficking, mostly off-screen torture and abuse, off-screen murder of sex workers] (Lesbrary, novel)
Piper Deez and the Case of the Winter Planet by M. Fenn — Space noir about a queer investigator being sent to look into thefts on a mining planet that definitely is not in the middle of a power struggle and only has a few suspicious deaths! [Caution warning: partner abuse, abuse of power, police harassment, oppression] (Lesbrary, novel)
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher — A queer retelling of the Snow Queen with T. Kingfisher’s trademark practical protagonist and delicious use of nature and magic. Also contains FLYING OTTERS! (Lesbrary, novella)
Bearly A Lady by Cassandra Khaw — A fat bisexual were-bear fashionista is having One Of Those Weeks; her sexy werewolf neighbour has finally noticed her, she’s had a fae prince shoved into her life, her vampire roommate is Unhappy about the fae prince thing, and her crush on the cute human girl she works with is totally unrequited. Don’t worry, it gets worse! [Caution warning: magical coercion] (Lesbrary, novella)
The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley — Splatterpunk space fantasy about a woman with amnesia who’s been charged with taking over an autonomous planet for women who say they’re her family. [Caution warnings: forced pregnancy, abuse] (Lady Business, novel)
Humanity For Beginners by Faith Mudges — B&B owner in the Lake District didn’t mean to start a halfway house for lesbian werewolves, and yet somehow this is her life now? [Caution warnings: mention of abuse] (Lesbrary, novella)
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones — Historical Ruritanian fantasy of manners about a young would-be scholar inheriting a fortune – and a swordswoman. [Caution warning: attempted sexual assault] (Lesbrary, novel)
Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall — A lesbian private investigator (who happens to be a fairy princess) has to find out who killed a werewolf outside a vampire bar, without actually sparking off a supernatural war or banging her vampire prince client. [Caution warnings: assault; references to past abuse, stalking, and centuries-old vampire dating a high-school girl.] (Lesbrary, novel)
Mahou Josei Chimaka by Kaiju — A former magical girl, now a distinctly un-magical feeling adult, needs to find her magic again to save the world! (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Hawkeye Volume 1 by Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido, Francesco Francavilla, Steve Lieber, Jesse Hamm, Annie Wu, Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, Matt Hollingswoth, Paul Mounts, Chris Eliopoulos, and Cory Petit — Okay, this looks bad; or, the epic adventures of Human Disaster Hawkeye. (Lady Business, graphic novel)
Costume Quest — It’s halloween, which obviously means it’s time to use your costumes’ superpowers to fight monsters, rescue your twin, and get SO MUCH CANDY. (Lady Business, video game)
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott — Hear me out: alternate history where the ice age never ended, Carthage doesn’t fall to Rome, the industrial revolution is in full swing, and also magic and hyper-intelligent dinosaurs exist! [Caution warning: forced marriage] (Lady Business, novel)
Transistor — A singer tracks down the people who tried to assassinate her and are dismantling the world. (Lady Business, video game). Written with Ira Alexandre
Library Wars: Love and War Volume 1 by Kiiro Yumi — When libraries are threatened, librarians militarise to protect them! … Our Protagonist is not very good at being a librarian. (Lady Business, manga)

Historical

Heathens Volumes 1 and 2 by Natasha Alterici and Rachel Deering — A lesbian viking sets out to smash the patriarchy by rescue a valkyrie from a curse! [Caution warning: homophobia, misogyny, forced marriage, fridging, abusive marriages, mind control, mentions of slavery] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles — Will Darling came back from World War I with some medals, a trench knife, and no chance of getting a job. Fortunately, he inherits his uncle’s bookshop! Unfortunately, he also inherits some secrets that secret societies and the government would kill for. Good thing his new friend Kim Secretan is here to help! (Lady Business, novel)
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter by KJ Charles — An ace romance between a fence and a trans musical hall performer who are being threatened by the same man. [Caution warnings: Misgendering; references to forced sex work; threats of violence, acid attacks, and torture] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, short story)
Gilded Cage by KJ Charles — Friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sequel to Any Old Diamonds. Once upon a time, Susan Lazarus was a young girl in love with a boy from a noble family – and then it all went to hell. Now she’s a private investigator, he’s a jewel thief, and she’s the only person who can stop him being hanged for a murder he didn’t commit. [Caution warnings: off-screen miscarriage, kidnapping, child abuse, threats of torture, mentions of off-screen spousal abuse, off-screen slut-shaming] (Lady Business, novel)
Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn Volume 1 by Waki Yamoto — A manga adaptation of Murasaki Shibiku’s Tale of Genji, following the son of an emperor as he falls in love with his step-mother and pursues several other women to find a replacement for her.
A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner — A former sex worker turned crime boss turned respectable inn owner finally gets the chance to repay the man who gave her the money she needed to start over! Unfortunately that chance comes during the worst month of her life, so she has to deal with thefts, betrayals, and feelings all at once. [Caution warning: period-typical homophobia, mentions of suicidal inclinations, sexual harassment, mentions of abuse] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, novel)
Proper English by KJ Charles — A prequel to Think of England, about an expert markswoman and a charming socialite trapped at a house party that’s going wrong in every possible way even before the murder happens. (Lesbrary and Lady Business, novel)
Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles — The cast-off son of a lord hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal from his father, which can’t possibly end basly for anyone. [Caution warning: murder, suicide, abusive and neglectful parents/spouses] (Lady Business, novel)
Death By Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold — A metaphysicist is hired to ensure that the family silver isn’t cursed… By the family of his old school bully. Unfortunately for him, shortly after he declares it safe, the silver kills someone, so obviously he and his best friend/lover/let us never speak of our emotions private investigator have to find out what really happened. [Caution warnings: physical and sexual abuse in backstory, bullying] (Lady Business, novel)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages — A fabulist romance between a pulp artist and a drag singer in a magical version of 1940s San Francisco. [Caution warnings: spousal abuse, police harassment, historical homophobia and racism, non-graphic suicide] (Lesbrary, novella)
Band Sinister by KJ Charles — A queer regency romance about an anxious young man whose sister has been in a terrible accident on a neighbouring estate – the one owned by a notorious rake that his sister has just written a very scandalous novel about. To protect her honour, he stays with her in the house, and discovers that the world is far more than he imagined. [Caution warnings: neglect, abuse, and slavery mentioned in backstory.] (Lady Business, novel)
Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear — Sequel to Karen Memory, where Karen and Priya try to have a night out on the town and accidentally ending trapped in a collapsing hotel with a widowed illusionist, two spiritualists, and whatever’s haunting the dining room. [Caution warnings: mentions of historical racism, sex trafficking, and abuse] (Lesbrary, novella)
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones — Historical Ruritanian fantasy of manners about a young would-be scholar inheriting a fortune – and a swordswoman. [Caution warning: attempted sexual assault] (Lesbrary, novel)
Stranger on Lesbos by Valerie Taylor — 1960s pulp novel about a queer woman [Caution warning: rape, homophobia, adultery, abuse, incest] (Lesbrary, novel)
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott — Hear me out: alternate history where the ice age never ended, Carthage doesn’t fall to Rome, the industrial revolution is in full swing, and also magic and hyper-intelligent dinosaurs exist! [Caution warning: forced marriage] (Lady Business, novel)

Horror

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volumes 1-14 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki — A horror/mystery series about group of broke university graduates with unusual talents using their skills to grant the last requests of the dead. [Caution warning: suicide, murder, body horror, gore, abuse (sexual, physical, medical), incest, mentions of attempted rape, infanticide and dead children, kidnapping, mentions of war crimes, harassment and stalking, urban legends, mutilation, zombies] (Lady Business, manga)
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi — A surreal, dreamy horror story where the house is doing the haunting. (Lesbrary, novel)
The Price of Meat by KJ Charles — A horror pastiche of penny dreadfuls, where a young woman makes a devil’s bargain: her lover will be released from the asylum she’s trapped in, and the protagonist will investigate a potentially murderous barber. [Content warning: cannibalism, mentioned sexual assault and threats thereof, false imprisonment, offscreen medical abuse, medical torture and disfigurement] (Lesbrary, novella)
The Black Tapes — Horror mockumentary about a paranormal investigator who doesn’t believe in ghosts, and the reporter chasing up his cold cases. (Lady Business, podcast)

Mysteries, crime, and thriller

Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles — Will Darling came back from World War I with some medals, a trench knife, and no chance of getting a job. Fortunately, he inherits his uncle’s bookshop! Unfortunately, he also inherits some secrets that secret societies and the government would kill for. Good thing his new friend Kim Secretan is here to help! (Lady Business, novel)
Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey — Sequel to Apple Cider Slaying. Cozy mystery about a cider-shop owner whose first attempt at hosting a wedding reception ends with the groom murdered in her orchard. (Read and Buried, novel)
Bury the Lede by Gaby Dunn and Claire Roe — A journalism intern gets her big break when a murderer decides that she’s the only person she’ll give information to. [Caution warning: murder, abuse, drugging] (Read and Buried, graphic novel)
Provenance by Ann Leckie — A young woman, trying to one-up her brother, decides that her best plan is to spring the her planet’s most notorious prisoner from an inescapable jail. This can only end well. [Caution warnings: child endangerment, bullying, terrorism] (Lesbrary, novel)
Journaled to Death by Heather Redmond — A stationery vlogger whose dayjob in a hospital café is under threat thought she was having a bad month, and then she found her cousin’s body in her basement. (Read and Buried, novel)
Essex Colony by Lia Cooper — The colony on Essex Prime went radio silent a year ago. Now, an android – who happens to be the former lover of the colony’s werewolf XO – is part of the team sent in to discover why. [Caution warnings: bigotry, murder] (Lesbrary, novel)
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey — Esther has smuggled herself out of town in the back of a librarian wagon in the hope that the librarians, as bastions of morality who travel this future Wild West handing out government propaganda, can help her become the woman society wants her to be before she’s killed for her queerness. … She wasn’t expecting the librarians to be a band of queer gunslinging spies, okay. [Caution warning: off-screen abuse, hostages, homophobia, internalised homophobia, backstory death of a queer character] (Lady Business, novella)
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden — When Mia was in school, she had a fledgling romance with Grace, a sweet but unusual girl who disappeared. Now, as an adult working in a team of restorers (iiiin spaaaaaace), she starts finding clues for what might have happened to Grace. [Caution warning: bullying, misgendering] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Not Dead Enough by J. M. Redmann — A private investigator is hired to find her client’s missing sister, only for her client to turn up dead the very next day. [Caution warnings: Spousal abuse and murder, misogyny, homophobia, drug overdoses] (Lesbrary, novel)
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter by KJ Charles — An ace romance between a fence and a trans musical hall performer who are being threatened by the same man. [Caution warnings: Misgendering; references to forced sex work; threats of violence, acid attacks, and torture] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, short story)
Gilded Cage by KJ Charles — Friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sequel to Any Old Diamonds. Once upon a time, Susan Lazarus was a young girl in love with a boy from a noble family – and then it all went to hell. Now she’s a private investigator, he’s a jewel thief, and she’s the only person who can stop him being hanged for a murder he didn’t commit. [Caution warnings: off-screen miscarriage, kidnapping, child abuse, threats of torture, mentions of off-screen spousal abuse, off-screen slut-shaming] (Lady Business, novel)
Out of the Ashes by MJ James — A bookseller thinks he’s lost everything when his store burns down, but he finds the fire marshall assigned to the case to be at least some consolation. (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, novel)
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volumes 1-14 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki — A horror/mystery series about group of broke university graduates with unusual talents using their skills to grant the last requests of the dead. [Caution warning: suicide, murder, body horror, gore, abuse (sexual, physical, medical), incest, mentions of attempted rape, infanticide and dead children, kidnapping, mentions of war crimes, harassment and stalking, urban legends, mutilation, zombies] (Lady Business, manga)
A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner — A former sex worker turned crime boss turned respectable inn owner finally gets the chance to repay the man who gave her the money she needed to start over! Unfortunately that chance comes during the worst month of her life, so she has to deal with thefts, betrayals, and feelings all at once. [Caution warning: period-typical homophobia, mentions of suicidal inclinations, sexual harassment, mentions of abuse] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, novel)
The Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth by Aikawa Yu — Seven people are kidnapped and thrown into a legendary labyrinth to force them to decide who the new emperor will be. Unfortunately, the labyrinth is full of traps and someone has decided that the easiest way to become emperor is to activate them all! [Caution warnings: child abuse, murder and death traps, mentions of off-screen torture] (Lady Business, manga)
Sawmill Springs by Gerri Hill — Two women independently decide to start new, peaceful lives as police officers in Sawmill Springs, which works great until the murders start.[Caution warnings: murder, hostage situations, homophobia] (Lesbrary, novel)
Witchmark by C. L. Polk — An army doctor turned psychiatrist is trying to keep a low profile to avoid being snatched into magical slavery, which is blown out of the water when a dying man charges him with solving his murder. [Caution warnings: enslavement, false imprisonment, mentions of forced marriages and off-screen rape, murder, abuse, mentions of torture] (Lady Business, novel)
Hell’s Highway by Gerri Hill — The sequel to Devil’s Rock; Andrea Sullivan and Cameron Ross are now on the road together in Ross’ armoured FBI motorhome, tracking down whoever’s killing sex workers along the I-40. [Caution warnings: attempted rape; kidnapping; sexual assault; offscreen rape, murder, necrophilia, and mutilation] (Lesbrary, novel)
Proper English by KJ Charles — A prequel to Think of England, about an expert markswoman and a charming socialite trapped at a house party that’s going wrong in every possible way even before the murder happens. (Lesbrary and Lady Business, novel)
In/Spectre Volumes 1-6 by Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase — A young woman who traded parts of herself to become a “god of knowledge” for yokai recruits a man with equally weird abilities to… Fight the ghost of a dead idol who now terrorises a city with a steel beam? (Lady Business, manga)
Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles — The cast-off son of a lord hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal from his father, which can’t possibly end basly for anyone. [Caution warning: murder, suicide, abusive and neglectful parents/spouses] (Lady Business, novel)
Death By Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold — A metaphysicist is hired to ensure that the family silver isn’t cursed… By the family of his old school bully. Unfortunately for him, shortly after he declares it safe, the silver kills someone, so obviously he and his best friend/lover/let us never speak of our emotions private investigator have to find out what really happened. [Caution warnings: physical and sexual abuse in backstory, bullying] (Lady Business, novel)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages — A fabulist romance between a pulp artist and a drag singer in a magical version of 1940s San Francisco. [Caution warnings: spousal abuse, police harassment, historical homophobia and racism, non-graphic suicide] (Lesbrary, novella)
The Price of Meat by KJ Charles — A horror pastiche of penny dreadfuls, where a young woman makes a devil’s bargain: her lover will be released from the asylum she’s trapped in, and the protagonist will investigate a potentially murderous barber. [Content warning: cannibalism, mentioned sexual assault and threats thereof, false imprisonment, offscreen medical abuse, medical torture and disfigurement] (Lesbrary, novella)
Devil’s Rock by Gerri Hill — The start of a new series and a follow-up to Partners. A small-town police officer teams up with an obnoxious FBI agent (and her kitten, and her motorhome of high-tech computers) to find a serial killer who’s dumping bodies in her jurisdiction. [Caution warning: murder, kidnapping, abuse, bullying, mentions of infidelity, mentions of sexual assault, ableist language] (Lesbrary, novel)
The Scorpion by Gerri Hill — A reporter who specialises in cold cases has to go on the run with a cop when her latest investigation isn’t as cold as she thought. [Caution warning: murder, corruption, references to torture, misogyny, microaggressions, misunderstanding of asexuality] (Lesbrary, novel)
Stone Mad by Elizabeth Bear — Sequel to Karen Memory, where Karen and Priya try to have a night out on the town and accidentally ending trapped in a collapsing hotel with a widowed illusionist, two spiritualists, and whatever’s haunting the dining room. [Caution warnings: mentions of historical racism, sex trafficking, and abuse] (Lesbrary, novella)
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear — Steampunk alternate history about sex workers in gold rush-era Seattle hunting for a serial killer, foiling human traffickers, and trying to work out why someone’s using mind control on their customers. [Caution warnings: misgendering, historical racism, human trafficking, mostly off-screen torture and abuse, off-screen murder of sex workers] (Lesbrary, novel)
Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall — A lesbian private investigator (who happens to be a fairy princess) has to find out who killed a werewolf outside a vampire bar, without actually sparking off a supernatural war or banging her vampire prince client. [Caution warnings: assault; references to past abuse, stalking, and centuries-old vampire dating a high-school girl.] (Lesbrary, novel)
Hunter’s Way by Gerri Hill — Lesbian police procedural about two opposites-attract partners track down a serial killer who’s attacking young lesbians. [Caution warning: rape, stalking, terrible boyfriends, transphobia and mishandling of a trans person’s murder] (Lesbrary, novel)
In The Name of the Father by Gerri Hill — Sequel to Hunter’s Way; the team look into the death of a gay priest, and are not prepared for the PR nonsense standing between them and the truth. [Caution warnings: constant consideration of sexual abuse and rape, mentions of child abuse, homophobia (in the church and out of it)] (Lesbrary, novel)
Partners by Gerri Hill — Sequel to In The Name of the Father; retreads the romance plot of Hunter’s Way, but this time the serial killer is targeting women in their homes. [Caution warnings: homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexual assault.] (Lesbrary, novel)
We Go Around in the Night and Are Consumed By Fire by Jules Grant — Literary crime novel about queer gangsters in Manchester getting revenge for the death of one of their own. [Caution warnings: abuse, neglect, drug dealing] (Lesbrary, novel)
1st Impression by Kate Calloway — A lesbian private investigator looks into the death of the town scumbag, despite her crush being the prime suspect. (Lesbrary, novel)
The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson — Fake dating m/m romance about two police officers going undercover and really going hard on the denial front. [Caution warnings: attempted and threat of rape, homophobia] (Lady Business, novel)

Romance

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin and Jenn St-Onge — A second-chance romance between two sixty+ year old women who were separated from their homophobic families as teenagers. [Caution warnings: adultery, homophobia, dementia] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
The Rat-Catcher’s Daughter by KJ Charles — An ace romance between a fence and a trans musical hall performer who are being threatened by the same man. [Caution warnings: Misgendering; references to forced sex work; threats of violence, acid attacks, and torture] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, short story)
Gilded Cage by KJ Charles — Friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sequel to Any Old Diamonds. Once upon a time, Susan Lazarus was a young girl in love with a boy from a noble family – and then it all went to hell. Now she’s a private investigator, he’s a jewel thief, and she’s the only person who can stop him being hanged for a murder he didn’t commit. [Caution warnings: off-screen miscarriage, kidnapping, child abuse, threats of torture, mentions of off-screen spousal abuse, off-screen slut-shaming] (Lady Business, novel)
Out of the Ashes by MJ James — A bookseller thinks he’s lost everything when his store burns down, but he finds the fire marshall assigned to the case to be at least some consolation. (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, novel)
A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner — A former sex worker turned crime boss turned respectable inn owner finally gets the chance to repay the man who gave her the money she needed to start over! Unfortunately that chance comes during the worst month of her life, so she has to deal with thefts, betrayals, and feelings all at once. [Caution warning: period-typical homophobia, mentions of suicidal inclinations, sexual harassment, mentions of abuse] (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, novel)
Sawmill Springs by Gerri Hill — Two women independently decide to start new, peaceful lives as police officers in Sawmill Springs, which works great until the murders start.[Caution warnings: murder, hostage situations, homophobia] (Lesbrary, novel)
éclair — An anthology of f/f manga that doesn’t really have a unifying theme or tone. [Caution warnings are listed on each story] (Lesbrary, anthology manga)
Proper English by KJ Charles — A prequel to Think of England, about an expert markswoman and a charming socialite trapped at a house party that’s going wrong in every possible way even before the murder happens. (Lesbrary and Lady Business, novel)
Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles — The cast-off son of a lord hires a pair of jewel thieves to steal from his father, which can’t possibly end basly for anyone. [Caution warning: murder, suicide, abusive and neglectful parents/spouses] (Lady Business, novel)
Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 1 by Takako Shimura — Childhood best friends are reunited when they discover they take the same train to their high schools, and romantic entanglements spin out from there for both them and their friends. [Caution warning: sexual harrassment from strangers on trains, mentions of emotional incest, outing] (Lesbrary, manga)
Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 2 by Takako Shimura — It’s the summer holidays, which would be great if everyone wasn’t dealing with the repercussions of relationships breaking up. [Caution warnings: mentions of incest] (Lesbrary, manga)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages — A fabulist romance between a pulp artist and a drag singer in a magical version of 1940s San Francisco. [Caution warnings: spousal abuse, police harassment, historical homophobia and racism, non-graphic suicide] (Lesbrary, novella)
Band Sinister by KJ Charles — A queer regency romance about an anxious young man whose sister has been in a terrible accident on a neighbouring estate – the one owned by a notorious rake that his sister has just written a very scandalous novel about. To protect her honour, he stays with her in the house, and discovers that the world is far more than he imagined. [Caution warnings: neglect, abuse, and slavery mentioned in backstory.] (Lady Business, novel)
Devil’s Rock by Gerri Hill — The start of a new series and a follow-up to Partners. A small-town police officer teams up with an obnoxious FBI agent (and her kitten, and her motorhome of high-tech computers) to find a serial killer who’s dumping bodies in her jurisdiction. [Caution warning: murder, kidnapping, abuse, bullying, mentions of infidelity, mentions of sexual assault, ableist language] (Lesbrary, novel)
The Scorpion by Gerri Hill — A reporter who specialises in cold cases has to go on the run with a cop when her latest investigation isn’t as cold as she thought. [Caution warning: murder, corruption, references to torture, misogyny, microaggressions, misunderstanding of asexuality] (Lesbrary, novel)
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill — Sadie has your standard princess backstory of being locked in a tower while princes fail to rescue her, until another determined princess and her cookie-loving unicorn show up to help her rescue herself. (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Piper Deez and the Case of the Winter Planet by M. Fenn — Space noir about a queer investigator being sent to look into thefts on a mining planet that definitely is not in the middle of a power struggle and only has a few suspicious deaths! [Caution warning: partner abuse, abuse of power, police harassment, oppression] (Lesbrary, novel)
Fearless by Shira Glassman — A high school music event gets snowed in, which gives the newly out divorcee protagonist plenty of time to reckon with her crush on her daughter’s music teacher. (Lesbrary, novella)
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher — A queer retelling of the Snow Queen with T. Kingfisher’s trademark practical protagonist and delicious use of nature and magic. Also contains FLYING OTTERS! (Lesbrary, novella)
Bearly A Lady by Cassandra Khaw — A fat bisexual were-bear fashionista is having One Of Those Weeks; her sexy werewolf neighbour has finally noticed her, she’s had a fae prince shoved into her life, her vampire roommate is Unhappy about the fae prince thing, and her crush on the cute human girl she works with is totally unrequited. Don’t worry, it gets worse! [Caution warning: magical coercion] (Lesbrary, novella)
Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman — A yarn dyer falls in love with a local artist while looking for inspiration! Cue cats, fandom, and crafting! [Caution warnings: AO3 being down] (Lesbrary, novella)
Humanity For Beginners by Faith Mudges — B&B owner in the Lake District didn’t mean to start a halfway house for lesbian werewolves, and yet somehow this is her life now? [Caution warnings: mention of abuse] (Lesbrary, novella)
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones — Historical Ruritanian fantasy of manners about a young would-be scholar inheriting a fortune – and a swordswoman. [Caution warning: attempted sexual assault] (Lesbrary, novel)
Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall — A lesbian private investigator (who happens to be a fairy princess) has to find out who killed a werewolf outside a vampire bar, without actually sparking off a supernatural war or banging her vampire prince client. [Caution warnings: assault; references to past abuse, stalking, and centuries-old vampire dating a high-school girl.] (Lesbrary, novel)
Hunter’s Way by Gerri Hill — Lesbian police procedural about two opposites-attract partners track down a serial killer who’s attacking young lesbians. [Caution warning: rape, stalking, terrible boyfriends, transphobia and mishandling of a trans person’s murder] (Lesbrary, novel)
In The Name of the Father by Gerri Hill — Sequel to Hunter’s Way; the team look into the death of a gay priest, and are not prepared for the PR nonsense standing between them and the truth. [Caution warnings: constant consideration of sexual abuse and rape, mentions of child abuse, homophobia (in the church and out of it)] (Lesbrary, novel)
Partners by Gerri Hill — Sequel to In The Name of the Father; retreads the romance plot of Hunter’s Way, but this time the serial killer is targeting women in their homes. [Caution warnings: homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexual assault.] (Lesbrary, novel)
Mahou Josei Chimaka by Kaiju — A former magical girl, now a distinctly un-magical feeling adult, needs to find her magic again to save the world! (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
1st Impression by Kate Calloway — A lesbian private investigator looks into the death of the town scumbag, despite her crush being the prime suspect. (Lesbrary, novel)
The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson — Fake dating m/m romance about two police officers going undercover and really going hard on the denial front. [Caution warnings: attempted and threat of rape, homophobia] (Lady Business, novel)
Library Wars: Love and War Volume 1 by Kiiro Yumi — When libraries are threatened, librarians militarise to protect them! … Our Protagonist is not very good at being a librarian. (Lady Business, manga)

Slice of life

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero — Laura Dean is handsome, magnetic, and charming – and she’s just dumped Freddy for the third time. Cue Freddy trying to work out who she wants to be, and what relationships she wants to prioritise. [Caution warning: cheating] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
éclair — An anthology of f/f manga that doesn’t really have a unifying theme or tone. [Caution warnings are listed on each story] (Lesbrary, anthology manga)
A City Inside by Tillie Walden — A surreal exploration of a young woman growing into herself over and over again. (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Tokyo Tarareba Girls Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura — A trio of successful women decide that they’re going to get married by the Tokyo Olympics, despite not having anyone they’re interested in and their lives being much more centred on their lives and careers. It does not go well. (Lady Business, manga)
Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 1 by Takako Shimura — Childhood best friends are reunited when they discover they take the same train to their high schools, and romantic entanglements spin out from there for both them and their friends. [Caution warning: sexual harrassment from strangers on trains, mentions of emotional incest, outing] (Lesbrary, manga)
Sweet Blue Flowers Volume 2 by Takako Shimura — It’s the summer holidays, which would be great if everyone wasn’t dealing with the repercussions of relationships breaking up. [Caution warnings: mentions of incest] (Lesbrary, manga)
i love this part by Tillie Walden — Short comic about first love and first heartbreak. [Caution warnings: homophobia] (Lesbrary, graphic novel)
Beyond Eyes — A blind girl goes out into an unfamiliar world to find her missing cat. (Lady Business, video game)

Non-fiction

Supercrash by Darryl Cunningham — Graphic non-fiction about the 2008 financial crash, and how it can be traced back to Ayn Rand’s influences. [Caution warnings: ableist and homophobic slurs, adultery, cruelty to and judgement of people in poverty, cults, pop psychology, references to suicide, spousal and medical abuse (including Fit For Work assessments and the way austerity literally kills people in the UK), unpunished financial fraud on a global scale. May leave you yelling EAT THE RICH by the midpoint.] (Lady Business, graphic non-fiction)
Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide by Kate Charlesworth — A cook’s tour of 20th queer history in the UK and memoir of being a lesbian cartoonist born in 1950s Yorkshire. [Caution warnings: Homophobia, the AIDs Crisis, sexual harassment, forced outing, references to historical treatment of queer people including aversion therapy and chemical castration.] (Lesbrary, graphic non-fiction)
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Nagata Kabi — The autobiographical manga of a queer depressed artist who decides that the best way to solve her difficulties in connecting with others is to hire an escort. [Caution warning: depression, eating disorders] (Lesbrary, non-fiction manga)
My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 by Nagata Kabi — A follow-up manga essay collection to My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness that digs into Nagata Kabi’s family, her attempts at independence, and her depression. [Caution warnings: depression, self-harm, emotional neglect/abuse, mentions of eating disorders] (Lesbrary, non-fiction manga)
My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 2 by Nagata Kabi — More essays from Nagata Kabi, this time talking about her new-found friendships and emotional intimacies, and the nosedive her mental health takes. [Caution warning: alcoholism, depression, hospitalisation, self-harm, suicide attempt] (Lesbrary, non-fiction manga)
Spinning by Tillie Walden — Graphic autobiography of Tillie Walden’s childhood as a figure skater. [Caution warning: sexual assault, homophobia, bullying] (Lesbrary, graphic non-fiction)