"Are you... lost?" Someone asked, her tone impatient. I stopped scanning the room to find the woman behind the voice. I blinked. She had the most luminous blue eyes I had ever seen. Even in the dim glow of the bar they glowed brightly, like her pupils were some type of smooth stone at the bottom of a clear blue ocean. Within her blue there flickered tiny speckles of silver, which gave her an icy, somewhat stony appeal. But it was her slight, lopsided smile that erased any signs of wanting to be alone. No wonder this bar was so popular. "Uh, no," I said, holding up the Help Wanted sign I had snagged from the front window. The woman's cool eyes flickered between the sign and me. She didn't say anything, only looked slightly thoughtful as slender fingers raked through her long blonde hair. "What can you do?" She finally asked, definitely not expecting me to be able to do much of anything at all. She'd be right. "Anything and everything," I answered-lied-instantly, hoping I didn't look too desperate, didn't sound too eager. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't worked a day in my life. My hands were used to weekly manicures not hard labor. But desperate times call for desperate measures. The blonde appeared thoughtful again. Those magnificent eyes gave me a once over, slow and steady. You could see the cogs turning in her head as she considered it. I decided to try and sound more convincing. "I have many skills," I added. Okay, so I stole that from Xena, but I was hoping it worked as well for me as it did for her. The blonde lifted a sculpted brow and the smile was, once again, back on her lips. She seemed amused. Maybe she was a Xena fan? "Alright... I'll start you off cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping the floors, doing the dishes..." Crap.

⚠️ Very important ⚠️ !!! This is a re-upload; I did NOT write this book. The author deleted their account. A brainy, awkward young American moves to England to attend Oxford University. She befriends a much older (historically heterosexual) female English professor. Over the years, their relationship evolves from one of protective friendship to something romantic, highlighting the difficulties and joys of age gap, lesbian relationships. 1,914 pages. (I'm not sure if this would count as Mature or not- it's borderline in some places later on, so I'm marking it so, just in case. It's certainly not HBO in here.) Please read the first chapter!! If the author will contact me, I'll delete the book immediately!! Author: BlakeVBurton

WATTYS WINNER When her fiancé ends up in a coma and his secret mistress, Halley, shows up, Mary feels like her world is falling apart. What she doesn't realize is she's actually falling in love...with Halley. ***** Eight years after a traumatizing accident that killed one of her loved ones, Mary Kincaid is about to marry her childhood sweetheart when the universe yanks the rug out from under her yet again, leaving her fiancé badly injured and in a coma. Of course this is when his secret mistress shows up, a beautiful person whom Mary should by all rights hate - so why does she find herself inviting her to stay in the spare bedroom? She soon learns that sometimes the person you're looking for comes when you're not looking at all. Content and/or trigger warning: This story mentions violence, addiction, and childhood trauma, which may be triggering for some readers. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]]

A trip to Fiji with her dismissive boyfriend and his alluring mother lands Valentina into the most unexpected romance of her lifetime. ***** College student Valentina has been at a standstill in her relationship for three years, so when her boyfriend invites her on vacation to Fiji with his estranged fashion designer mother, Val can't think of anything worse. Mothers-in-law are notoriously one of the most dreadful aspects of a committed relationship, right? But nobody prepared Val for the aloof, refined Diana, who at first seems to absolutely detest her but soon warms under the tropical sun. As a unique and steamy connection sizzles and the two begin sneaking around, Val wonders if she's finally found the love she's been looking for in the most unexpected of places. But can their spark last, and is it worth what it will cost them? WARNING: This story contains mature themes such as depictions of domestic abuse and coercion that may be upsetting to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Love was a term coined by the movement for equality beginning in the 1960's. Love was something that Rebecca Hayes never thought she would find. A young, introverted college graduate, Rebecca is commission to be a French tutor to the youngest children of the wealthy Donnelley family. In the summer of 1964, Rebecca is uprooted from her quiet life in the suburbs of New Orleans and settles in with the Donnelleys in Los Angeles, California. During this internment, Rebecca finds experience. She finds friends. She finds purpose. What she did not expect to find, was love. And the last place she ever thought she would find it was in the eldest Donnelley daughter, Joanne. Now an old woman, Rebecca recounts the passionate love affair that is still just as picturesque as it was 59 years ago, during a time when this kind of love was considered something entirely opposite.