Writing as Jossef S.
Sapphic Romance Books by Jossef S.
Lyrical, atmospheric love stories of devotion, dark secrets and slow-burn longing — with endings that are earned.
Jossef S. writes sapphic and general romance: age gap, enemies to lovers, forbidden love and forced proximity, from a sun-drenched Italian villa ruled by a crime family to a frozen Manhattan high-rise. Start with a novel, or read one of the free stories below.
Novel · Dark sapphic mafia romance
Matelda: In Silence We Forgive
Age gap · enemies to lovers · slow burn · complete standalone with a guaranteed happy ending
She hated her father’s companion for three years. Now they are the only two women standing between a crime family and its collapse.
Mia Salvatore swore she’d never return to the sun-drenched villa of her childhood. Then her father, Gabriel, is killed, and she comes home to an empire on the edge of collapse — bound in an uneasy alliance with the woman she blames for everything: Matelda.
Matelda is a woman carved from silence. She survived eighteen years under the heel of a monster by becoming untouchable, and she never expected Gabriel’s fierce, grieving daughter to be the one person who could see past it. A rival family is circling, every loyalty is for sale — and the only thing more dangerous than their enemies is what is growing between them.
- Sapphic mafia romance
- Age gap
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow burn
- Found family
- HEA
Novel · Contemporary queer romance
Between Two Doors
An angsty, forbidden love triangle · slow-burn contemporary romance
A Manhattan winter, a high-rise corridor, and a love triangle that tests the line between safety and desire.
Stranded in the freezing grip of a Manhattan winter, twenty-one-year-old Lina finds herself emotionally unmoored. For a year she believed she was building an ordinary, beautiful life with Maya — the commanding, elegant boutique owner who gave up her family’s approval to love her. Then a sudden revelation threatens the sanctuary they shared, and Lina steps into the grey corridor of the Remington high-rise and knocks on apartment 21D.
- Love triangle
- Forbidden love
- Slow burn
- Angst
- New York City
Start with the free prequel: Before the Doors tells how Lina and Maya met, long before apartment 21D.
Free to read
Free sapphic stories by Jossef S.
Complete stories you can read right now — no sign-up, no catch.
Free prequel · Between Two Doors
Before the Doors
Nineteen, broke and new to Manhattan, Lina walks into a boutique with fourteen dollars — and meets Maya. How their story began, in five chapters.
Free novella · PDF
Pain in Teenage Love
All the Ways She Stayed, and the Love I Left With. Nancy is eighteen and counting the days until she can leave — then Clara and Ruth both see her.
Free short story
Finding Herself at Forty
After two decades of marriage, Rachel discovers her truth at forty-two. A tender story of second chances and self-discovery.
Free short story
Moonlit Confessions
Rival bookstore owners forced to plan a literary festival together — and a rivalry that turns into something else.
The Matelda world
Characters, guides & extras
Character
Matelda: The Woman at the Center of the Silence
Who Matelda is, and why she became untouchable.
Book club
The Matelda Reading Guide
Spoiler-free discussion questions on loyalty, silence and forbidden love.
From the romance blog
Latest sapphic reads & guides
Book lists
Sapphic romance book lists
- What Is Sapphic Romance?A complete guide + 5 best-selling WLW books
- Sapphic Romance: 10 Sub-GenresFind your next favourite kind of story
- Lesbian Romance: 10 Irresistible TropesAnd where to find the best books
- Sapphic Mafia RomanceWhy we cannot stop reading it
- Age-Gap Slow Burn Sapphic RomanceThe tension that ruins you
- Enemies to Lovers Sapphic RomanceWhen hate is just want in disguise
Coming soon from Jossef S.: The Girl Who Collected Moths — ask to be told when it’s out → · More recommendations on our sister site, Lesbian Romance Reads.
Questions
About the books
What is sapphic romance?
Sapphic romance is romance fiction centred on love between women — lesbian, bisexual and queer women. Read the complete guide →
Is Matelda a standalone with a happy ending?
Yes. Matelda: In Silence We Forgive is a complete standalone dark sapphic mafia romance with a guaranteed happy ending.
Which Jossef S. book should I read first?
If you love dark, high-stakes romance with an age gap and enemies-to-lovers tension, start with Matelda. If you prefer contemporary, emotional love-triangle stories, choose Between Two Doors. To try the writing first, read one of the free stories above.
Is Jossef S. the same author as Jossef Salman?
Yes. Jossef S. is the pen name Jossef Salman uses for romance. Under his own name he writes non-fiction on ancient history and religion, including Echoes of History.
The same author, another shelf
Non-fiction by Jossef Salman
Under his own name, Jossef Salman writes about ancient civilizations, sacred scripture and the origins of God — including Echoes of History and the free book The Oldest Thing in You.
All sapphic romance articles
The Matelda series
- Sam: The One Who Stayed
- Mia: The Cousin Who Walked Away
- Matelda: The Woman at the Center of the Silence
- The Salvatore Dynasty: Blood, Loyalty, and the Women Who Rule From the Shadows
- Draw the Silence: The MATELDA Fan Art Invitation
- The MATELDA Playlist: A Soundtrack for Silence and Longing
- The MATELDA Reading Guide: Questions for Your Book Club
- Gabriel: The Man Who Keeps the Family’s Secrets
Trope deep dives
- Romance lesbienne en français : le guide complet des 10 tropes (148 livres vérifiés)
- Forced Proximity Sapphic Romance: One House, No Escape, All the Tension
- Enemies to Lovers Sapphic Romance: When Hate Is Just Want in Disguise
- Age-Gap Slow Burn Sapphic Romance: The Tension That Ruins You
- Sapphic Mafia Romance: Why We Cannot Stop Reading It
- Lesbian Romance: 10 Irresistible Tropes and Where to Find the Best Books
- Sapphic Ice Queen Romance Books: The Ultimate Guide + 5 Best-Selling Reads
Reading lists and guides
- What Is Sapphic Romance? A Complete Guide + 5 Best-Selling WLW Books on Amazon
- Sapphic Romance Reading List for August 2026: Spicy, Cozy & Fantasy WLW Books
- Sapphic Romance Books: A Guide to 10 Irresistible Sub-Genres
- Best Sapphic Books to Read in June & July 2026
- Amazon Best Seller Rank Explained: What BSR Really Measures (And What It Doesn’t)
- Best Sapphic Romance Books: The Ultimate WLW & Lesbian Romance Reading Guide
- Bridging the Gap in Sapphic Romance: Why Readers Want Real Characters, Not Just Real Worlds
Short stories and story guides
- Before the Doors: A Free Between Two Doors Prequel
- Inside the Story: Kissing the Ice Queen by Grace Parkes — A Sapphic Billionaire CEO Ice Queen Story Guide
- Inside the Story: For The Record by Jen-Lea Mercy — A Sapphic Age Gap Ice Queen Story Guide
- Inside the Story: Breadwinner by Cass Morgan — A Sapphic Billionaire Ice Queen Story Guide
- Inside the Story: Reality In Check by Emily Banting — A Sapphic Ice Queen Story Guide
- Inside the Story: Broken Beyond Repair by Emily Banting — A Sapphic Ice Queen Story Guide
- Finding Herself at Forty: A Late Bloomer Love Story
- Moonlit Confessions: A Slow-Burn Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
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