rachel @ typed truths

Swan Peak by LB Alexander

Swan Peak by L.B. Alexander

The Wolfe is hungry for more…

Entranced by the exquisite delights introduced to her by William Wolfe, April Ekdahl eagerly joins him on a luxurious winter holiday at his alpine estate.

But as she opens her mind to unfathomable new experiences, April finds her heart aching as deep fractures in her prince’s façade are revealed. Despite the demons that still haunt her, William accepts her.

But will he allow her to embrace his darkness in return?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Rape mentioned
Eating disorder (anorexia nervosa)
Anxiety

Swan Lake by LB Alexander

Swan Lake by L.B. Alexander

Doubts and fears of her own making have kept April a prisoner of her mind for far too long. Her promising ballet career was halted after a violent attack, forcing her into a rehabilitation facility to cope with her crushing emotional pain. Now, eager for a fresh start, she battles to hide her daily struggles under an ill-fitting mask of control.

Until she meets William. Underneath his intoxicating guidance, April explores exquisite freedoms that unlock a powerful side of herself she never knew existed. But the handsome billionaire has a dark side of his own, and may not be the modern-day prince the world believes him to be. Plagued by labels of both good and evil, will he be her salvation? Or her ultimate undoing?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Rape mentioned
Sexual assault mentioned
Eating disorder (anorexia nervosa)
Suicide
Suicidal ideation
Bullying

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander

Lilah Silver’s a young actress who dreams of climbing out of B-list stardom. She’s been cast as the lead in what could be her breakout performance…but if she wants to prove herself to everyone who ever doubted her, she’s going to need major help along the way.

Noa Birnbaum may be a brilliant makeup artist and special effects whiz-kid, but cracking into the union is more difficult than she imagined. Keeping everyone happy is a full-time job, and she’s already run ragged. And yet when the beautiful star she’s been secretly crushing on admits to fears of her own, Noa vows to do everything in her power to help Lilah shine like never before. Together they can take the world by storm…but can the connection forged over long hours in the makeup chair ever hope to survive the glare of the spotlight?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Bimisia & internalised bimisia
Stalking

A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath

A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath

Plain, respectable Lizzie Anderson is in the devil of a fix. After catching sight of something she was not supposed to, her whole family is torn apart by the ensuing scandal. Lizzie’s steadfast principles means she cannot deny the evidence of her own eyes and as a consequence finds herself thrown out onto the street! Her only ally in her time of need, comes from a very unexpected quarter indeed…

Benedict Toomes has long thought Lizzie a thorn in his side, but after seeing her staunchness in the face of adversity, he finds himself picturing her in a totally different role in his life. A stand-in for the betrothed he no longer wants to marry… Find out how this unlikeliest of couples navigates life together after a rocky start and find their preconceived notions about the other could not have been further from the truth!

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Imprisonment recounted

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert

Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert

In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District—a thriving, affluent neighbourhood known as America’s Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives.

In a few short hours, they’d razed thirty-five square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial profiling
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a brother in a gang shooting recounted

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She’s always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw is so done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight. Only problem? Duke can’t vote.

When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn’t spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that’s how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva’s missing cat), it’s clear that there’s more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial profiling
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a brother in a gang shooting recounted

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta’s best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can’t understand. When the bed and breakfast across the street finds new owners, Alberta is ecstatic to learn the family is black-and they have a 12-year-old daughter just like her. Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adapt to small-town living.

When the girls discover a box of old journals in Edie’s attic, they team up to figure out exactly who’s behind them and why they got left behind. Soon they discover shocking and painful secrets of the past and learn that nothing is quite what it seems.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Cheating mentioned
Pregnancy
Bullying

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Dove “Birdie” Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she’s on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past…whom she knows her parents will never approve of.

When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family’s apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded–she’s also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she’s known to be true is turned upside down.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial profiling
Parental abandonment mentioned
Familial estrangement
Substance addiction
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug use & abuse
Death of a parent from cancer mentioned
Physical assault recounted
Bullying mentioned

Fallow by Jordan Hawk

Fallow by Jordan L. Hawk

Between the threat of a world-ending invasion from the Outside and unwelcome revelations about his own nature, Percival Endicott Whyborne is under a great deal of strain. His husband, Griffin Flaherty, wants to help—but how can he, when Whyborne won’t tell him what’s wrong?

When a man from Griffin’s past murders a sorcerer, the situation grows even more dire. Once a simple farmer from Griffin’s hometown of Fallow, the assassin now bears a terrifying magical corruption, one whose nature even Whyborne can’t explain.

To keep Griffin’s estranged mother safe, they must travel to a dying town in Kansas. But as drought withers the crops of Fallow, a sinister cult sinks its roots deep into the arid soil. And if the cult’s foul harvest isn’t stopped in time, Fallow will be only the first city to fall.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia
Racism
Blood & injury depiction
Autopsy
Gun violence
Physical assault
Kidnapping
Loss of autonomy (mind control)
Death by train

Bloodline by Jordan Hawk

Bloodline by Jordan L. Hawk

Between his bullying father and dissolute brother, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough problematic family members to deal with. So when his sister returns to Widdershins asking for help solving the mystery of a derelict ship, Whyborne is reluctant to get involved. Until, that is, a brutal murderer strikes, leaving Whyborne and his lover Griffin no choice but to take the case.

The investigation leads them deep into a conspiracy of blackmail, murder, and darkest sorcery. But worst of all are the secrets held within the family itself, one of which will destroy everything Whyborne believed to be true, not only about his family, but about himself.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia
Self-sacrifice
Physical injury
Murder of a sister
Gun violence
Fire
Drowning