Buying Guides · Half or Nothing
Sapphic romances, fantasy and historical fiction readers can't stop talking about, with spice levels, content warnings and Amazon deals at 50% off or more.
2026-10-11 · Written by Dann Nazario · 14 min read
Explore sapphic romances, fantasy and historical fiction, from rom-coms to epic fantasy, with a simple guide to how much heat each one brings. Learn what "spicy" actually means and see my own heat rating, from one to five chili peppers, for the books I have read. The Half or Nothing deals below are 50% or more off. Prices and availability can change, so check the Amazon page before you buy. Every book links to its content warnings on StoryGraph, so you know what to expect before you start. * These are only some of the books in this series. I keep adding more as I find them at 50% off or more. You can ask me to look up a book on social media.
In This Article
Jesus!!! Some of these books. Seriously.
Sapphic readers, I have SO much to tell you. You know that feeling when you start a book thinking you will read a couple of chapters, and suddenly it is way past midnight, you are emotionally invested in fictional women, and sleep is no longer an option? Yeah. We are talking about those kinds of books.
With more than 450 books read and logged on Goodreads, I have had plenty of time to discover the stories that stay with me, and sapphic romance has given me some of my absolute favorites. We are talking butterflies, tension, chemistry, questionable decisions, scenes that make you put the book down for a second, and moments that have you thinking, Jesus, did that really just happen? And then, naturally, picking the book right back up because you NEED to know what happens next.
I have been wanting to put this little series together because these are the kinds of books I get excited about sharing with other readers. Whether you are looking for your next obsession or simply need something good to get lost in, I hope you find something here. I read in both English and Spanish, so there will be books in both languages, with Spanish editions clearly marked. And if one of my favorites has not reached the 50% off or more discount we look for at Half or Nothing, I am including it anyway. Some books are simply too good to leave out, and I will let you know when I find them at the discount we want.
If you have been around here for a while, you already know I have a soft spot for classic dystopias. And if you missed them, my spicy romance picks, Part 1 and Part 2, are there waiting for you, too. But sapphic romance deserves its own little corner around here, and I have a feeling we are going to have a lot of fun with this one.
Now tell me, which book are you picking up first? And if you have a sapphic favorite you think I absolutely NEED to read, I want to hear about it.
Spicy is not a genre as such. It is a term readers use for books of any genre with highly erotic scenes and plenty of sexual tension, as Planeta de Libros explains, in Spanish. It took off on BookTok. Readers share their favorite spicy reads there and often rate them with hot pepper emojis on a scale of one to five, as CBC News reported.
There is no official rating, so here is how I use the scale: one chili is mostly tension and kisses, and five is as explicit as it gets. Every book below shows my own rating, or says coming soon if I have not read it yet. Want a second opinion on heat? Reader sites like Romance.io and StoryGraph show how other readers rate each book.
Not every book in this post is spicy: some of them are mostly about the story, and their level is low on purpose. That is useful to know before you pick one.
New to spicy romance? Part 1 has the full guide, from open door vs. clean to romantasy and dark romance.
You'll see plenty of familiar favorites throughout this list. If you spot a trope in a book's "Why You'll Get Hooked" note that you do not know yet, Part 1 has a simple guide to what it means.
| Book | Author | Style | Half or Nothing deal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delilah Green Doesn't Care | Ashley Herring Blake | Rom-com, small town | 50% off or more |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Hollywood, historical | 50% off or more |
| Last Night at the Telegraph Club | Malinda Lo | Historical, 1954 | 50% off or more |
| Finding Forever | Lise Gold | Rom-com, reality show | 50% off or more |
| Windburn (Crow's Coven, book 1) | Milena McKay | Witches, paranormal romance | 50% off or more |
| Midnight Wine and Stormy Waters (The Maiden Voyage, books 1 and 2) | Lise Gold | Novellas, yacht crew | 50% off or more |
| The Unbroken | C.L. Clark | Epic fantasy | 50% off or more |
| Spear | Nicola Griffith | Arthurian retelling | 50% off or more |
Deals checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change. More deals are on the Half or Nothing Amazon Picks page.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Paperback.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam. When her estranged stepsister Astrid pressures her into photographing her wedding, Delilah finds herself back in the town she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, until she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid's friends.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Return to your hometown, a queer romantic comedy with a steamy edge.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Paperback.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
Aging and reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. She chooses an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant, for the job, and no one is more astonished than Monique herself.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Old Hollywood glamour, long-held secrets, a story told by the woman who lived it.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Paperback.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️🌶️ 2.5 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
San Francisco, 1954. Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu walks under the neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club with Kathleen Miller, and suddenly everything seems possible. But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially in Chinatown, where Red Scare paranoia threatens Chinese American families. The publisher describes it as a National Book Award and Stonewall Book Award winner.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Forbidden love, a coming-of-age story, a tender romance in a hard time.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Kindle edition.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): Coming soon
Content Warnings: No reader content warnings have been submitted yet on StoryGraph. Check the StoryGraph page before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
Suki Pendleton is a fashion designer who needs eyes on her brand, so she lands a spot on Finding Forever, a sapphic reality dating show filmed in Hawaii. Freya Lindqvist came to win a bet she is already regretting. She is a charmer with an allergy to commitment, and Suki is her infuriating rival and roommate.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Rivals to lovers, forced proximity, a reality show where nobody is playing it straight.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Kindle edition.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 5 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
Hunted as witches during the Salem trials, the Crowhart women carry a deep secret and an inescapable curse. Rhiannon Crowhart, the renegade second sister, returns to Dragons Island after twenty-two years, after inheriting the old Atelier she hated. Everything about the island felt like a burden, except a pair of gray eyes in the bookstore next door.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Witches, a curse, return to your hometown, a storm-swept island.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Find Midnight Wine, book 1, on Amazon
Find Stormy Waters, book 2, on Amazon
Kindle editions.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take):
Midnight Wine: Coming soon Stormy Waters: Coming soon
Content Warnings:
Midnight Wine: No reader content warnings have been submitted yet on StoryGraph. Check the StoryGraph page before you start. Stormy Waters: No reader content warnings have been submitted yet on StoryGraph. Check the StoryGraph page before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
Welcome aboard the Maiden Voyage, where the all-female crew navigates more than just turbulent waters. In Midnight Wine, the yacht's chef, Lindsay Brewin, expects a routine week in the Bahamas until a guest boards: global superstar Maddie McDean, hounded by the media. Sleepless nights lead to midnight wine sessions and a dangerous attraction. In Stormy Waters, first mate Zoe Freeman is chasing her captain's license when a charter guest turns out to be Stormy Clarke, the woman who made her high school years a nightmare.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a yacht full of queer women, short novellas you can finish in one sitting.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Paperback.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️ 1.5 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
On the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire, two women, a princess and a soldier, haggle over the price of a nation. Touraine was stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire. Now her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion. Luca needs a turncoat, someone who can sway the rebels toward peace while she focuses on getting her uncle off her throne.
Why You'll Get Hooked
Rebellion, espionage, assassinations, a sapphic epic fantasy where politics comes first.
At a Glance
Half or Nothing Find
Hardcover.
Checked October 12, 2026. Prices and availability can change.
Spice Level (My Take): 🌶️🌶️ 2.5 of 5
Content Warnings: Readers report content warnings for this book on StoryGraph. See the full list before you start.
What It Is About, No Spoilers
She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, until she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, and decides her future lies at his court. With a stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero who forges her own path. On her adventures she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home. The publisher describes it as a winner of the L.A. Times Ray Bradbury Prize.
Why You'll Get Hooked
A queer retelling of an old legend, magic and mystery, a short book with a big story.
Spicy is not a genre as such. It is a term readers use for books of any genre with highly erotic scenes and plenty of sexual tension, as Planeta de Libros explains, in Spanish. It took off on BookTok, where readers often rate spicy reads with hot pepper emojis on a scale of one to five, as CBC News reported.
In a clean or wholesome romance there are no sex scenes on the page, only romance and kisses. In an open door romance you will see sex on the page. Spicy or steamy books sit at the open end, where sex features heavily, as The Romance Genre Specialist describes it.
Every book in this post shows my own spice rating, from one to five chili peppers, or says coming soon if I have not read it yet, and a link to the content warnings readers report on StoryGraph. Check that list before you start, especially for dark romance and romantasy, which can carry heavy themes.
These are only some of the books in my sapphic series. As I keep finding books at 50% off or more, I will keep adding more in new posts. Is there a book or an author you would like me to look up? Send me a message on social media and I will go find the deal. Browse everything on the Half or Nothing blog.
About the author: Dann Nazario is a reader with more than 450 books logged on Goodreads. Dann writes about book deals for Half or Nothing.
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