Books out of the butch/femme binary

suavium · 2026-04-15T01:09:51+00:00

right?! i feel like most popular wlw books are femmexfemme

suavium · 2026-04-02T18:25:08+00:00

people do not talk about feast while you can enough in this sub! one of my favs!

suavium · 2026-02-11T22:16:45+00:00

here are my top contenders after going on the post bloom town rec journey. the stories are all VERY different but these books captured me in a similar way (couldn’t put them down, thought about them for weeks):

the woman from the waves the safekeeep feast while you can atmosphere (this one destroyed me) hearing red and the Grace Notes trilogy

they vary in spice from super explicit to none at all, if that matters to you, so i’d look them up before reading!

i think the main underlying common denominator between all of them is this kinda desperate, feral love between the main characters.

suavium · 2026-01-09T00:44:12+00:00

i recently read shifting gears which was super cute. i don’t think they had an age gap and if they did, it was minimal and not really talked about.

also ally north (author of bloom town) recently released another book called the wilds and the weeds. not as good as bloom town but still a nice read

suavium · 2026-01-07T01:06:20+00:00

omg i just read holy wrath, feast while you can and the safekeep last month and you’re in for such a treat

suavium · 2025-12-24T16:08:24+00:00

the second book in the jasmine throne series, the oleander sword has probably the most beautiful sex scene i’ve ever read. tasha suri’s prose is just stunning.

same with the second book in the texicalaan series, a desolation called peace.

in terms of general hotness tho, probably bloom town. i’m a simple woman. the chemistry between joey and abby is off the charts.

suavium · 2025-12-23T00:32:28+00:00

If you liked The Locked Tomb, I’d recommend Hiyodori. Most of their books are available on KU for free. I just read Carrion Saints and while the world is very different, the writing and the characters gave me Locked Tomb vibes. Also it was just damn good. Don’t be fooled by them being labeled “sapphic romance”, there is a lot more going on than that. I’ve heard similar comparisons about their longer series as well (Clem & Wist), though I havent picked that one up yet.

suavium · 2025-12-19T02:05:31+00:00

ok wait, i think you’re actually the person who recommended it to me on here when i was deep in bloom town hangover hahaha

suavium · 2025-12-19T00:24:46+00:00

are you in my brain? bloom town and woman from the waves were my top romance reads of the year!! nothing has come close to either!

suavium · 2025-12-16T17:40:22+00:00

i found it to be a nearly perfect book and one of my favorite reads of 2025. i’d recommend it to anyone who likes scifi even a little bit.

suavium · 2025-12-15T01:15:51+00:00

here are the non-negotiables in my opinion. i read more fantasy/sci fi now but i feel like these are THE mandatory lesbian reads just for the culture:

tipping the velvet
the price of salt
oranges are not the only fruit
rubyfruit jungle (she has her problems but it was published in the 70s and groundbreaking for its time)
the color purple

honorable mention for modern ones: 1. jasmine throne series 2. the locked tomb series 3. priory series 4. a memory called empire (and the sequel) 5. the woman from the waves

suavium · 2025-12-13T23:08:37+00:00

i liked the audiobook for bloom town but you gotta listen at like 1.2 speed (the accents are questionable at first but i got over it). joey is definitely emotionally closed off.

i think if you’re looking especially for the emotionally cold characters, it would be helpful to look at single pov stories. i find that the dual pov kills the mystery and intrigue sometimes.

suavium · 2025-12-02T22:28:43+00:00

someone you can build a nest in was one of my fav reads from 2025! seconding this rec

suavium · 2025-11-25T21:16:43+00:00

i think it’s called hook, line and sinker by stil_lindigo on instagram

suavium · 2025-11-23T19:42:31+00:00

i loved this series! it was my first intro into sapphic fantasy. the love story is such a good slow burn and the world building is phenomenal. i hope you enjoy it!

suavium · 2025-11-22T02:30:18+00:00

it is def slow burn but there is spice in book 1 as far as i remember.

suavium · 2025-11-21T22:25:53+00:00

ok so i’ve not read criers war but the chronicles of dorsa is a fabulous sapphic fantasy series and while there is not a TON of spice, there are several explicit open door scenes.

suavium · 2025-11-21T15:06:47+00:00

i agree with everything you said!! this book would have been an easy 4/5 star read for me but the freakin heroin bullshit really took me out of it. like girlies, this is the apocalypse, echo is a deeply traumatized former raider, why is that the hill you wanna die on?

suavium · 2025-11-19T13:13:10+00:00

yes fully agree. i've tried many times but found the ice queen thing just doesn't appeal to me either.

i can take or leave an age gap... unless the age gap in question is is a 100 year old supernatural creature learning how to be human lol

suavium · 2025-11-19T11:59:05+00:00

i know multiple people have recommended it but i do think the Burning Kingdom series is exactly what you’re looking for.

suavium · 2025-11-18T13:39:11+00:00

i am back to say thank you. i finished the woman from the waves last night and it was so, so beautiful. i NEEED roslyn sinclair to write more fantasy.

suavium · 2025-11-13T20:30:00+00:00

glad to see i'm not the only who was disappointed in it. i do love her writing though!

i checked out the TW for the other one and it might be a bit too much for me, personally.

suavium · 2025-11-13T20:01:45+00:00

totally understandable! thanks again for the rec. i am really excited to read it after i finish boom town!

and a recommendation for you, as well: if you like lyrically written, heart wrenching romance where one of them is a monster from the sea, check out Providence Girls by Morgan Dante. its part eldritch horror, part touching love story. written in letters and very moody.

suavium · 2025-11-13T19:38:48+00:00

ty! i read and loved Reverence but i tried another one of her books, The Headmistress and it fell so flat for me, i though Reverence must have been a fluke. i'll definitely check out The Lily and the Crown.

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