2022 Lesfic Bard Awards Runner-up

At this time we would like to thank ALL the entrants into the 2022 Lesfic Bard Awards. We received the MOST entries this year in all the years we have been running the awards. Our judges were kept quite busy!

Action-Adventure

Britt Evans’ working holiday on picturesque Santorini turns perilous when a Greek photographer plunges from the island’s steep cliffs. The death is ruled an accident, but the enigmatic Susan Marcello of the American Embassy suspects otherwise. She enlists Britt to discover the truth, but is it a setup that will take her life?

Into the mix sails Cassie Burkhardt, a windsurfing computer engineer at the archaeological site. She finds herself falling hard for the enchanting Professor Evans… and becomes, like Britt, caught in a treacherous game between Greek intelligence and a criminal enterprise.

A gripping suspense/romance blend set in the land of myths and ancient ruins.

Drama

Nicole, a socially awkward loner, hasn’t seen her family of origin or her hometown for decades. Blocking out the pain and memories of her earlier life, she’s spent this time honing her skills as a talented wildlife photographer. When she’s offered a dream contract for a book, she hesitates, realizing that she would have to return to her hometown to do it. She takes it, hoping she can enjoy it without seeing her family, the woman she had adored from afar, or dredging up the past.

Erotica

Syrene Harkman likes to be in control. She heads an award-winning global architectural firm, she designs things of beauty, she pays for the finest pleasures. When she loses one of the biggest jobs in her company’s history and turns forty-five on the same day, she does not appreciate the cheap, tacky, dive of a strip club her friends drag her to. With a half-decent whiskey in her hand, she decides to stay. What’s the worst that could happen?

Burlesque dancer and stripper Beatriz Rose has bills to pay, her grandmother to support and dreams of one day doing something more with that art-school degree than just repaying the student debt. She never expects true love to strike when she’s at work, but when it does, it hits her hard in the form of a steely, demanding and outright gorgeous woman. Bea breaks her own rules and finds herself in a client’s bed.

They’re perfect for each other but their worlds are a million miles apart. In the aftermath of a one night stand that flares hotter than either expected, the two women decide they’re meant for each other—but real life has other ideas.

Society tells them one night to forever is a fairy tale.

Fantasy

Amanda Hawthorne, Dr. Jen Dawson, and Detective Tommy Vietti volunteer to help in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Dr. Jen treats victims in the hospital, including someone once very special to her, but makes a new friend in Nurse Denni Russo.

While on a dark ops mission, Amanda summons her inner strength to avoid falling into old habits as she learns earth-shattering revelations about her Scottish ancestry.

Tommy feels like he’s walking on shifting sands as he transitions from a city detective to an international agent, relying on his gut instincts, drinking abilities, and shooting skills.

Roxy performs a highwire balancing act by revealing something life-changing to Amanda while deftly training Tommy and Amanda to operate in her clandestine world.

Roxy, Tommy, and Amanda might be outgunned and outnumbered on foreign soil, but they’ll never be outsmarted as they attempt to save humanity.

Fiction

Lucy Manetti is positively euphoric over her recent purchase of an old ghost town. Unfortunately, she failed to consult with her wife, Bea, before buying the abandoned village. Predictably, Bea is not as enamored with transforming the ghost town into a sapphic retirement community, but Bea’s love for her wife trumps her displeasure over Lucy’s impulsiveness. The mature couple hires Fiona, an expert at restoring old houses, and Saville, a certified electrician, to bring the ghost town back to its glory days.
According to the adorable real estate agent who recommended the pair, Fiona and Saville have history. Lucy detects a spark between the two young women and decides, against the advice of her wife, to play matchmaker, bringing her beautiful niece into the mix. As the ragtag team begins their work on the old saloon, they discover a lot more than they bargained for, including ghosts, long-buried secrets, an abused golden retriever, and maybe even love.

Historical

Attracted by passion, repelled by war. Can two shieldmaidens navigate battlegrounds of the sword and the heart?
A Viking sapphic enemies-to-lovers action/romance

Sigrid the Valiant is legendary throughout the kingdoms of Norvegr for her heroic deeds, but her love has yet to find a home. Now, racing on the heels of her father’s murder, a neighboring kingdom’s raids signal an all-out conflict.

Elyn is a young shieldmaiden with a score to settle, fighting her own insecurities along with enemies who threaten her homeland, but she suspects a more menacing danger lurks in the shadows.

When the two clash on opposite sides of their shield walls, sparks fly from both their swords and passions. But when they talk, the fierce women discover an antagonist’s plot has pitted their kingdoms against each other.

Can Sigrid and Elyn move past their suspicions and differences to forge a binding love and foil the villain’s scheme, or will the enemy’s assassins end their search for the truth?

Action, adventure, and intrigue ride together with romance in this enemies-to-lovers saga from the pre-Viking land of Norvegr. Award-winning, best-selling author Edale Lane brings history to life in this fast-paced sapphic novel.

Grab your ax and rönd and join the quest by clicking to buy now!

Mystery

Solving mysteries is her business. Finding love is her dream. Will combining the two get her killed?
Daring Duplicity: The Wellington Mysteries, Vol. 1, Adventures of a Lesbian Victorian Detective is a collection of five sequential novellas, each encompassing its own exciting mystery while furthering the story of Stetson’s life in London.

Victorian Era England. Stetson revels in being unconventional. So when society shies away from her independent nature, the bold woman creates an imaginary boss and opens her own detective agency. And her keen observational skills, convincing disguises, and Holmesian methods quickly bring in a string of tough-to-crack cases.

Struggling to squeeze a personal life in around a series of hazardous investigations, Stetson worries she’ll never find a woman of like-passions. But with her heart set on true love despite the risk, she carries on hunting for the perfect relationship.

Will her clever escapades lead to death, or delight?

If you enjoy crime dramas, Victorian era fiction, or a sweet lesbian romance, then you’ll love award-winning author Edale Lane’s Daring Duplicity.

New Author

My world turned to shades of grey as I squared my shoulders and turned around. The woman with the short, dark hair and the blue scarf was the only source of color in the coffee shop. I seemed to glide across the floor until I found myself standing by her table. She had been stunning from across the room; up close she dazzled.

Suddenly, there was Sophie….

On the surface, Jensy Willett appears to have it all: good friends, a storied basketball career, a great job, and most important, the love of her life, Sophie Barnes.

But there is a secret in Jensy Willett’s past that she will not share. Not even with her beloved Sophie. That vow of silence will have far-reaching ramifications when a chance encounter results in a disastrous decision. A decision that will tear at the fabric of Jensy and Sophie’s relationship and send them spiraling out of control.

Can their relationship be saved?

Paranormal

In Book Two of this Mystic Meteor Tale, the meddling spirit Lily is back in matchmaking mode, working with a few new cohorts to help two women find their Evermore.

Raven, a reclusive but wealthy video game developer, needs more than just a paid caretaker; she needs true healing to melt the cold core of her deeply wounded heart. She’s lived her entire life without love and trusts no one. Only once did Raven allow anyone close, but it wasn’t to be, and she vowed Nevermore!

Lynn, a gifted empath, seeks a safe haven not only for herself but for a little girl that she’s sworn to protect. Like Raven, she experienced an early childhood rejection. Although she didn’t close herself off to others, Lynn has never shared herself entirely with another. It has kept her moving on from one relationship to another.

The advent of a spectral raven starts these women down a path that can potentially redress these old hurts if only they can open their hearts to each other. Join these two women in their quest to discover if the spirits and fate will bring them together or tear them apart.

Romance

Cover

Lenora owned a bar and had a great family and friends. But two things were missing.

One she was working on and the other just walked into her bedroom.

Jess was new in town and just started at the South Bend Indiana Police station in homicide. Her partner Sam had to make a quick stop one morning and she followed her in not knowing this one innocent move could very well change their lives forever.

If you are looking for an honest look at what really goes on in a relationship with a good laugh or two, not to mention hot sex that curls your toes be ready to enjoy, Rainbow Roses.

Novella ~ Erotica

Emily – I like simplicity, calmness and I love routine. So you can imagine how much I disliked having to find a new place to live and a new roommate. River is cluttered, she is a tornado of personality, sarcasm and nerdiness that makes my left eye twitch. Not to mention her hellcat, Gizmo, who wants to kill me in my sleep. But, once I looked past the wall of sarcastic remarks and attitude, I saw the real her, the one that she couldn’t show to the world and seeing her in that light became a drug.

River – I have a five year plan. Keep my head down, work myself up the ladder at the law firm and keep my ass tucked neatly in the closet until I can support myself without my parents’ help. It was going perfect, that is until Emily walked into my loft, critiquing my grammar and telling me exactly why the Ravenclaw house was far less superior than Hufflepuff. She irritated me, like an itch I couldn’t scratch, until she wasn’t. Then she became the person that made me want to throw away my five year plan for, but how could I? How could I throw my career, my life away for my roommate?

Novella ~ New Author

You can see all these, including links and bio’s (where available) on the website!

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