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Verdict: A fast, funny stud/femme second-chance thriller with a pair readers root for from page one, held back by a plot even its fans call ridiculous and a romance that sometimes rides in the back seat of the action.
Best for: Readers who want a Black sapphic action romp with a retiring assassin, a pink-loving femme and heroines pushing forty, and who will trade plausibility and depth for momentum and a one-sitting read.
Heat level: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 — open door but restrained; romance.io carries no steam rating, so this comes from I Heart SapphFic’s “Medium” label and reader reports)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 4.24 Goodreads average across 127 ratings, tempered by a 3.79 on StoryGraph and a recurring “fun but ridiculous” caveat)
Tropes: Second chance, high school sweethearts, stud/femme, assassin heroine, protector, on the run, woman in danger, opposites attract, older heroines, found family.
Those We Run From by Fiona Zedde is a self-published standalone from her own Red Hills Publishing imprint, released in May 2025 as her entry in the multi-author Sapphic Suspense Collection — a lesbian romantic suspense novella that runs from Miami to the Bahamas and southern Georgia, and whose collision is Sweet, a stud assassin one job from retirement, discovering that the next name on somebody’s list belongs to Tilly, the girl she walked away from twenty years ago.
It holds a 4.24 average across 127 Goodreads ratings and a noticeably cooler 3.79 across 12 StoryGraph reviews, and it is in Kindle Unlimited. Almost everyone had fun with it; a good number of those same readers tell you, cheerfully, that the plot makes no sense. Knowing which of those two facts matters more to you is the whole decision.
What Is Those We Run From About?
Those We Run From is a second-chance romance built inside an action thriller, and Zedde’s own site files it under exactly those words — second chance, femme/stud, woman in danger, romantic suspense. The romance does not have to be discovered, because both women already know what they had; the suspense supplies the proximity and the reasons not to talk. At roughly 180 to 205 pages depending on the edition, it moves at thriller speed.
Sweet is the book’s engine — competent, guarded, physically worn by a career that has started to cost her, and carrying the old decision to leave before Tilly went to college. Tilly is the counterweight: a boudoir photographer with a vintage wardrobe, a loud social life and no interest in believing she is anyone’s target. At least part of the story is told from Tilly’s point of view, and the pairing of a stoic professional with a woman who refuses to be managed gives it most of its humour. Both heroines, and most of the cast, are in their late thirties, which readers noticed and liked.
What Makes This Stud/Femme Romantic Suspense Work
- Tilly: The most-loved element in the reviews. Readers call her bubbly, pink-everything and quietly capable, and the femme who refuses to be a damsel is the thing they name first.
- Stud/femme chemistry: One Goodreads reader says she got her stud dose and her femme dose “all in one exciting read,” and several others call the chemistry the reason the book works.
- Action that lands: Even the book’s harshest reviewer credits Zedde’s shootouts and knife fights with a strong sense of timing. The set pieces are where the prose is sharpest.
- Grown women with real bodies: A retiring assassin who feels every injury and a lover who tends to her aging body read as refreshing to reviewers who are tired of indestructible heroines.
- No wasted denial: Neither woman spends half the book pretending the feelings are gone. For a second-chance story, that is a welcome choice.
Book Synopsis
Dulcinea Sterling — Sweet to the few people who get to call her that — has spent years killing people for money and is finally ready to stop. She has the exit planned. Then she learns that a contract has been taken out on a woman she has not spoken to since they were teenagers: Matilda Harper, the girl she loved in high school and left before college could take her away first.
Tilly has built a full, bright life in Miami. She runs a boudoir photography business, she lives in pink vintage dresses and heels, and her weekends belong to her friends and drag bingo. When the ex she has not seen in twenty years turns up at her door insisting that someone has paid to have her killed, Tilly’s first instinct is to wave it off. Her second, after an armed attacker proves Sweet right, is to run — and the only person who knows how is the woman who ran from her once already.
So they go — out of Miami and across the water, with Sweet deciding every move. Every mile puts the two of them closer together and brings back everything they never resolved. But a contract has to come from somewhere, and a gentle woman who takes pretty pictures should not have enemies who can afford a professional. Somebody wants Tilly dead badly enough to pay for it. Sweet has to find out who before her retirement becomes permanent, and before the second chance neither of them expected is over before it starts.
My Review
The premise is the best thing here, and it is a genuinely good one. A killer on the verge of retirement who finds her first love’s name on a hit list is pure genre pleasure — one reader pitches it as Grosse Pointe Blank meets The Bodyguard, and that is exactly the promise. Zedde delivers it at speed. The first attack arrives early, and from there the book barely stops to breathe. Several readers say they read it in one sitting or could not put it down.
The second strength is the couple. Sweet is written as a stud with weight — tired, protective, hard on herself — and Tilly as a femme with a spine, which keeps the protector dynamic from curdling into rescue fantasy. The book’s best idea is that Tilly takes care of Sweet as much as the reverse: the assassin is the one who gets hurt, and the photographer is the one who sits with it. That is where the romance actually lives, and at least one reader singles out that tenderness as the book’s best quality.
Where it struggles is plausibility, and this is not my gripe so much as the book’s most consistent review. Fans and critics alike describe the plot as goofy, ridiculous or predictable; one four-star reviewer says she simply stopped caring whether it made sense and enjoyed herself, and a one-star reviewer says the story went off the rails once the motive for the contract surfaced around the halfway point. The mystery is also back-loaded — one reader notes that most of the answers arrive in the last twenty or so pages. Add a couple of loose ends and you have a thriller that works on momentum rather than design.
One expectation to reset: this is marketed as romance and reads, for some, as an action story with a romance inside it. At least one reviewer went in expecting the love story to lead and found the assassin plot doing most of the talking, and Zedde regulars note that it carries less heat than her usual work. If you came for a slow, steamy reunion, calibrate. If you came for a fun, violent chase with two women falling back into each other along the way, you are in exactly the right place.
My honest note: A three-star plot carried by four-star characters and a pace that never lets you notice for long. If you need your suspense to hold up to scrutiny, this will frustrate you. If you want an evening with a tired stud assassin and the femme she never got over, it is very easy to love.
| Element | In Those We Run From |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Sweet Sterling & Tilly Harper — stud assassin and femme boudoir photographer, high school sweethearts, second chance |
| Core tropes | Second chance, stud/femme, assassin heroine, protector, on the run, woman in danger, opposites attract |
| Setting | Contemporary Miami, the Bahamas and southern Georgia |
| Heat level | 3/5 — open door but restrained; no romance.io steam rating |
| Series | Standalone, part of the multi-author Sapphic Suspense Collection; no sequel announced |
| Content notes | Graphic violence including shootouts and knife fights, murder discussed casually, gunshot wounds and recovery, an explosion and its aftermath, a woman targeted for killing, a family member’s neurodivergent-coded portrayal one reader found hostile |
How Spicy Is Those We Run From?
A 3/5, and I am deriving that rather than quoting it: romance.io lists the book with only two ratings and no steam band. I Heart SapphFic labels it “Medium,” with sex scenes that may be mildly graphic, and the reader reports fit that. There is open-door intimacy, and some readers call it hot or very sexy, but others are specific that it is lighter than usual for Zedde — one long-time reader counts a single major scene, and another who reads a lot of spicier fiction says she expected more.
The thing worth knowing in advance is not sexual. This is a violent book by romance standards — shootouts, knife fights, an explosion and a character nursing several bullet wounds — and one reviewer also objects to how a family member who reads as neurodivergent is treated on the page. No reviewer I found flags anything else. For romantic suspense at the same heat level, The Killing Room and Above All, Honor sit in the same band.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a stud/femme couple where the femme holds her own, you enjoy action movies more than slow-burn mysteries, you like heroines closer to forty than twenty, and you want something you can finish in an evening.
You may want to skip it if: you need suspense plots that survive a second look, you want the romance to lead rather than share the wheel, you are here for Zedde at her spiciest, or on-page violence sits badly with you.
In short: a gleefully implausible chase powered by a couple worth rooting for — fun first, sense second.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
There is no viral moment behind this book and no trade or blog coverage that I could find — no Publishers Weekly, Kirkus or The Lesbian Review review, and no steam rating on romance.io. What it has is Zedde’s own readership and Kindle Unlimited. Several of its Goodreads reviewers identify themselves as long-time Zedde readers comparing it to her backlist, it turned up in Skye Kilaen’s June 2025 roundup of new queer romance releases (billed there as a Black sapphic romantic suspense with a stud-femme couple in their late thirties), and it launched as part of the nine-author Sapphic Suspense Collection. The numbers are healthy for its reach: 82% of its 127 Goodreads ratings are four or five stars and only one is a one-star.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Momentum, first and most consistently — “fast-paced,” “action-packed” and “one sitting” recur across independent reviews, and StoryGraph’s reviewers mark it fast without exception. Second, the couple: readers single out Tilly as a bubbly, pink-loving femme who can handle business, Sweet as sexy and intense, and the chemistry between them as the thing that holds the book together. Third, who is on the page — one reader celebrates powerful queer women of colour taking down the bad guys, others note the older heroines and a cast diverse in both gender and sexuality. One long-time reader says it displaced Bliss as her favourite Zedde; another ranks it with Nightshade.
What readers argue about and complain about: Plausibility, above everything. “Ridiculous,” “goofy” and “predictable” come from four-star readers as often as low-star ones; the fans have simply decided not to mind. The romance-to-action balance is the second theme: one reviewer expected a romance and found the assassin plot leading, another found the love story cute but no more, and a couple more wanted extra pages for the relationship to breathe. Third: loose ends, including the unexplained breakup two decades earlier and one small unresolved moment at the close. Heat is a genuine split — some readers call it very sexy, while others who know Zedde’s work well say it is tamer than they expected. And one detailed one-star review names two problems nobody else raises: thinly drawn settings, and a hostile portrayal of a neurodivergent-coded family member. That is one voice, but it is a specific and serious one.
The standalone question worth asking first: Those We Run From stands alone. The collection it launched with was built around new characters from each author, so you need nothing else to read it, and reader reviews confirm Sweet and Tilly end the book together. Several readers ask for a sequel and one notes a small detail that could set one up, but I found no announcement. If you want more Zedde afterwards, the numbers point clearly. Nightshade, her earlier assassin novella, averages 4.03 across 62 ratings; Stud Like Her sits at 4.30 across 271; and Just Like Her leads her catalogue at 4.67 across 95.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Those We Run From a stud/femme romance?
Yes. Fiona Zedde files it as femme/stud on her own site, and Skye Kilaen’s release roundup describes a stud-femme couple in their late thirties. Sweet is the stud assassin; Tilly is the femme photographer.
How spicy is Those We Run From?
About a 3/5. romance.io has no steam rating for it, but I Heart SapphFic labels it medium heat and readers describe open-door intimacy that is lighter than Zedde’s usual. It is warm rather than steamy.
Does Those We Run From have a happy ending?
Yes. Reader reviews confirm Sweet and Tilly end the book together, and nobody reports a cliffhanger. One small detail near the close is left open, which some readers hope means a sequel.
Is Those We Run From part of a series?
No. It is a standalone with new characters, released as part of the multi-author Sapphic Suspense Collection. You do not need any other Zedde book to follow it.
Is Those We Run From on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes. The Kindle edition is in Kindle Unlimited, and a paperback is also available.
Is there an audiobook?
Not that I could find. Libro.fm does not stock one, and Amazon lists only the Kindle and paperback editions.
If You Loved Those We Run From, Read These Next
For more Zedde with a masculine-of-centre lead, heavier heat and a deeper dive into stud identity, Stud Like Her is the obvious next step. If the assassin-in-love premise is what hooked you, Manic Pixie Dream Assassin plays a hitwoman romance lighter, funnier and much spicier. And for a classic of lesbian romantic suspense with a loner detective and more heat, Hunter’s Way is worth a look.
For more in this register, browse our butch/femme lesbian romance guide or the full Book Reviews collection.
The Bottom Line
Those We Run From wants to be a sapphic action movie with a love story at its heart, and it mostly is. The premise is irresistible, Sweet and Tilly are a stud/femme pair worth cheering for, and the pace makes 200 pages vanish. It also asks you to swallow a plot its own fans call ridiculous, leaves the romance sharing the wheel with the gunfire, and saves most of its answers for the last few chapters. If you want tight suspense, look elsewhere; if you want a fun, violent, big-hearted reunion with two grown Black queer women at the centre, it is well worth an evening. Check Those We Run From on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Those We Run From ranks as a fast, crowd-pleasing indie stud/femme romantic suspense — charming and relentlessly readable, held back by an implausible plot, and best approached for Sweet and Tilly rather than for the mystery.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ 4.24 average across 127 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 82% of Goodreads ratings at four or five
- ✓ StoryGraph lower at 3.79 across 12
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Chemistry praised across independent reviews
- ✓ No wasted denial of old feelings
- ✓ Tilly cares for Sweet as much as reverse
- ✓ Action plot often leads over the romance
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Tilly the most-loved element in reviews
- ✓ Heroines and most of the cast near forty
- ✓ Diverse in race, gender and sexuality
- ✓ One reader objects to a family portrayal
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Action scenes praised even by critics
- ✓ 100% of StoryGraph reviewers call it fast
- ✓ Humour and snappy dialogue noted
- ✓ Settings sketched rather than built
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Twenty years of unfinished love
- ✓ Injury and aging treated honestly
- ✓ Readers call it a palate cleanser
- ✓ Implausible plot lowers the real stakes
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ I Heart SapphFic labels it medium
- ✓ Open door, called hot by several readers
- ✓ No romance.io steam rating yet
- ✓ Zedde regulars say lighter than usual
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Sweet and Tilly end together
- ✓ Standalone, no cliffhanger reported
- ✓ Mystery answers packed into final pages
- ✓ Breakup backstory left unexplained
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ One-sitting length invites a revisit
- ✓ In Kindle Unlimited at no extra cost
- ✓ Readers asking for a Sweet and Tilly sequel
- ✓ Predictable plot and no audiobook
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