Lesbian Spy Thriller: The Reckoning will destroy you
What Happens When the Enemy Is Already Inside the House?
She built a family from broken people and impossible second chances. Now her father wants to watch it burn.
If you've been searching for a lesbian spy thriller that delivers gut-punch betrayals, sizzling chemistry, and women who would kill for each other (literally), The Reckoning by Ruby Scott is the book that will wreck you, and you'll thank it for the privilege.
This is the sequel to The Turning,but it stands on its own. New readers can dive in; returning readers will find their hearts ripped out and handed back to them, still beating.
The Plot: When Rescue Becomes War
Suzette Conner-Wakeman thought she was done with the shadows.
She'd traded Moscow's games for something worth protecting—a wife who still makes her knees weak, a tight-knit crew of misfits and operatives who'd die for each other, and a new mission: saving women the system has abandoned.
Then a refugee stumbles into her life with surgical scars and a story too horrific to ignore.
Twelve women have vanished into illegal drug trials. Trafficked. Experimented on. Disappeared when the experiments fail. No one's looking for them. No one cares.
Suzette cares.
What begins as a rescue becomes a war—against traffickers, against a pharmaceutical empire, against enemies she never saw coming.
Then the trap springs shut.
One of her team is shot. Two more are taken. The woman she trusted most has been feeding intelligence to the enemy for years. And behind it all—pulling every string, baiting every hook—is her dying father, a man who destroyed her once and won't rest until he's done it again.
To save her family, Suzette must become the weapon she swore she'd never be again. But the deeper she goes, the more the past claws its way back—old betrayals, buried loves, and a truth about the woman she lost that could shatter everything she's built.
How far will she go to protect the people she loves? And when the monster inside her wakes up, will anyone be able to put it back to sleep?
Why Lesbian Fiction Readers Can't Put Down The Reckoning
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
The Turning introduced us to Suzette's world. The Reckoning burns it to the ground.
This isn't a book where the threat stays at a comfortable distance. The danger is intimate. Personal. The people Suzette loves most are captured, shot, betrayed. Every chapter tightens the noose, and Ruby Scott isn't afraid to make you genuinely fear for characters you've grown to love.
When a book makes you physically tense while reading, you know it's doing something right.
Found Family Under Fire
At the heart of The Reckoning is the family Suzette has built—not through blood, but through choice.
There's Amber, her wife, ex-Spetsnaz, who looks at Suzette like she's the only woman in every room. Victoria and Abby, civilians drawn into a world they never imagined, discovering reserves of courage they didn't know they had. Operatives, hackers, and women who've been broken by the world and rebuilt themselves into something stronger.
This chosen family is tested in ways that will break your heart. Watching them fight for each other—watching them refuse to let go even when everything's falling apart—is the emotional core that elevates The Reckoning beyond standard thriller fare.
The Steam Earns Its Heat
Ruby Scott writes explicit lesbian romance that never feels gratuitous. In The Reckoning, intimacy becomes a lifeline—stolen moments of connection when the world is crumbling, fierce reassurance that they're still alive, still together, still fighting.
The chemistry between the women is electric. Whether it's Suzette and Amber's decades-deep passion or the complex dynamics of their extended family, every intimate scene carries emotional weight.
For readers who love their FF romance with substance alongside the spice, The Reckoning delivers.
A Villain You'll Despise
Suzette's father is a masterclass in quiet menace.
He's dying. Frail. Confined to a care home. And he's orchestrated a trap years in the making, designed not just to kill his daughter but to destroy everything she loves first—to force her to crawl back to him, broken, admitting he was right all along.
The cruelty is personal. Intimate. And watching Suzette face the monster who made her is one of the most gripping threads in the book.
The Reckoning's Key Tropes for Sapphic Romance Readers
Looking for specific tropes? Here's what you'll find:
- Found Family – The heart of everything
- Protector Romance – Touch her family and die
- Morally Grey Heroines – Women who've done terrible things for complicated reasons
- Betrayal from Within – The enemy wears a familiar face
- Forced Proximity – Safe houses, stakeouts, and nowhere to hide
- Explicit FF and FFF Romance – High heat, emotionally earned
- High Stakes Suspense – Life-or-death consequences on every page
- Ex-Lovers with Guns – Old flames, unfinished business, loaded weapons
- Revenge – Some debts can only be paid in blood
Who Should Read The Reckoning?
This book is for you if you want:
- A former Russian spy who traded killing for wine-making but kept the skills
- A wife who's ex-Spetsnaz and looks at her like she's the only woman in every room
- Found family that includes hackers, operatives, and women who'd die for each other
- Old flames who show up with weapons and unfinished business between the sheets
- A plot that makes you miss your bedtime, your stop, your sanity
- Steam that earns its heat through tension, danger, and emotional stakes
This book might not be for you if:
- You prefer low-angst romance
- You need your heroines to be morally uncomplicated
- You're uncomfortable with open relationships
- You prefer fade-to-black intimacy
What Readers Are Saying About Ruby Scott
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Ruby Scott writes women I want to be and women I want to be with."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I didn't sleep. No regrets."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "If you thought The Turning was intense, you're not ready for this."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The found family in this series has my whole heart. I would die for every single one of them."
Do I Need to Read The Turning First?
The Reckoning works as a standalone. You'll understand the characters, the relationships, and the stakes without prior context.
That said, reading The Turning first will deepen your connection to Suzette and Amber's relationship and give you the full impact of certain reveals in The Reckoning. If you have time, start with The Turning. If you want to dive straight into The Reckoning, you won't be lost.
About Ruby Scott
Ruby Scott is a bestselling, award-winning author of sapphic fiction known for emotional storylines, dry wit, and nuanced, three-dimensional characters. With two Lesfic Bard Awards and double finalist recognition in the GCLS Goldie Awards, she's earned a reputation for writing women readers can't forget.
Her catalogue spans contemporary lesbian romance, lesbian medical romance, romantasy, and lesbian thrillers—always with sapphic love at the centre.
Other works include the Healing Hearts series, the Awakening of Desire series (also available in German & spanish and as audiobooks), and standalone novels like Blood Marks, Evergreen, and The City General: Medic 1 series.
Ready for The Reckoning?
The Reckoning is available now in ebook, paperback, and signed copy.
New to the series? Start with The Turning to experience Suzette's story from the beginning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Reckoning a standalone or do I need to read The Turning first?
The Reckoning works as a standalone with enough context for new readers. However, reading The Turning first will enrich your experience and give you the full emotional impact of the character relationships and reveals.
How steamy is The Reckoning?
Very. This is high-heat lesbian romance with explicit FF and FFF scenes. The intimacy is emotionally grounded and integral to the characters' relationships.
Is there a happy ending?
Yes. Ruby Scott writes sapphic fiction with hopeful endings. You'll go through hell getting there, but the destination is worth the journey.
What's the content warning for human trafficking?
The trafficking elements are handled with care. The actual abuse happens off-page. The focus is on rescue and justice, not exploitation. Suzette and her team are fighting to save these women, not witnessing their suffering in graphic detail.
Is this book polyamorous?
Suzette and Amber have an established open relationship that includes other members of their found family. This dynamic is presented positively and is integral to the series.