Fresh Ten Lesbian Books of 2009

Amazon made a huge mistake last week when hundreds of gay and lesbian-themed books lost their sales ranks, causing major media outlets, bloggers, vloggers, and everyone in between to speak up in outrage. Spokespeople for the company claimed that is was a “glitch” and “an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error by Amazon,” but many in the community felt differently, and took it as a personal attack. Amazon.com appears to be operating correctly now though, so Cherry Grrl decided to utilize the restored system and compile a list of the bestselling and best reviewed lesbian works of fiction that have been released this year. Here are our Fresh Ten Lesbian Books of 2009.

10. Thief of Always (Elite Operatives) by Kim Baldwin and Xenia Alexiou (paperback release date: February 17, 2009). Second in the romantic suspense series: Elite Operatives, Thief of Always follows special agent Mishael Taylor as she attempts to steal from a woman who “has somehow managed to steal her heart.”

9. Paybacks by Gabrielle Goldsby (paperback date: January 13, 2009). Cameron Howard decides to attend her 10-year high school reunion so that she can face her tormentor, Mackenzie Bryant, but payback doesn’t go exactly as planned when she learns that Mackenzie is actually there to apologize.

8. Suspect Passions by V. K. Powell (paperback release date: March 17, 2009). An uptight attorney and her adrenaline rush craving cop client clash at first, but soon can’t fight their growing attraction.

7. Stranded by Blayne Cooper (paperback release date: April 14, 2009). Rachel Michaels, new to the position of color commentator for Denver’s new professional women’s soccer team, travels to Venezuela to profile the team’s sizzling star recruit, Miranda Gutierrez, and is then forced to extend her stay to accompany team big-wig, Nora Butler, and the headstrong player on a “bonding” adventure. The journey does not go well and all three women are tested mentally and physically as they fight for their lives.

6. Warming Trend by Karin Kallmaker (paperback release date: April 14, 2009). Golden Crown and Lambda Literary award-winning author Karin Kallmaker brings her readers a romantic story about one woman trying to recover from her past and rekindle a once very strong relationship with the woman she loves.

5. Worth Every Step by KG MacGregor (paperback release date: January 13, 2009). Lambda Award Winner KG MacGregor’s tale of two women, Mary Kate Sasser and Addison Falk, who vacation to Africa separately but find that their mutual undertaking challenges not just daily survival, but also the plans each woman has made for her future, is romantic, captivating, and insightful.

4. Just Business by Julie Cannon (paperback release date: March 17, 2009). What should be “just business” becomes much more when two women (who each have what the other needs) agree to a deal and then love threatens to derail the negotiations.

3. Missionary No More: Purple Panties 2 by Zane (paperback release date: January 6, 2009). “The Queen of Erotic Fiction” has had great success in the literary arena with her offerings and her latest is a collection of lesbian erotica that will have readers, “squirming on the edge of their seats, curling up beneath the sheets, and fantasizing about the possibilities.”

2. Justice for All by Radclyffe (paperback release date: April 14, 2009). The very popular lesbian fiction writer, Radclyffe, does not disappoint her many fans with this suspenseful and exciting read about organized crime, human trafficking, and the very complex and dangerous world of undercover police work.

1. No Strings by Gerri Hill (paperback release date: March 17, 2009). Golden Crown Literary Award winner Gerri Hill tells the story of a new-to-town police chief, Reese Daniels, and local resident and Forest Ranger, M. Z. Morgan. Daniels plans to leave the quiet Colorado town as soon as possible but develops a “no strings” sexual relationship with Morgan to help pass the time. Obviously, things don’t go quite as planned.