Delicate Escape by Catherine Cowles

Trust doesn’t come easily when you’ve been running for as long as I have, which is why moving in with a man I barely know is such a bad idea. Shepard Colson is all golden-boy charm and devastating good looks. But I know what it’s like to be taken in by easy smiles and the promise of forever—I have the scars to prove it. Only the handsome contractor won’t stop coming by the bakery and prying little truths from my lips. Those amber eyes of his seeing far too much. And when all the secrets come crashing down, he’s determined to keep me safe. Even if it means moving into my rundown… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Domestic emotional abuse & gaslighting (secondary character)
  • Attempted murder by gun violence
  • Kidnapping & stalking

Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles

Since the moment our lives fell apart, the only thing that mattered was making a good life for my son. A life where he was happy and safe. I just never expected to find that safety with a hockey player known for his brutal dominance on the ice and his recklessness off it. But Cope Colson is so much more. The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me. When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Domestic violence & abuse
  • Death of a friend
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Organised crime
  • Car accident

Ashes of You by Catherine Cowles

Five years ago, I nearly lost everything. But there was a glimmer of hope on that darkest night. There was him—a stranger I could never forget. Now, I’m finally getting the fresh start I’ve longed for. But when I show up to interview for a nanny position in the small mountain town, the single dad has startlingly familiar blue eyes. Eyes that have haunted my dreams for the past five years. Lawson Hartley is everything I know I can’t have. Older, handsome, and my boss. Not to mention the shadows in his eyes that tell me he has demons, too. Still, he seems to understand me better than anyone I’ve ever met. So gentle and careful of my… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexual assault & harassment
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & panic attacks (on-page)
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping, captivity & torture (on-page & recounted)

One Little Sigh by Shannon Hollinger

When Chief Maggie Riley sees the body of the small boy still dressed in pyjamas in Beaverhead Lake, her heart breaks. Little Patrick Warner went missing last night. Despite immediately calling the entire town of Coyote Cove into action, Maggie’s desperate search failed. Even worse, it’s clear it was Patrick took his last breath long before he entered the water. Maggie is devastated—Patrick reminds her so much of her beautiful younger brother, gone for so long. Visiting the tiny, rumpled bed where Patrick’s teddy bear still lies, and where Patrick was last seen by his mother Jenny, Maggie’s grief turns to rage. She is determined to bring who…. Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Kidnapping of a sibling recounted

Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder

Nico Mackenzie is angry and argumentative— in every way, he is the exact opposite of NHL goaltender Anthony Lawson. Thrown together for a summer of coaching college hockey at South Carolina University, Anthony makes every effort to be friendly; Nico, on the other hand, seems intent on being infuriating and keeping the other man at arm’s length. When a causal relationship forms between the pair, they form an unsteady truce. The summer is finite, however, and when it comes to an end a decision has to be do they end things as they are or try for more?

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia
  • Chronic pain & migraines (protagonist)
  • Vision impairment (protagonist)

Save the Game by J.J. Mulder

After a traumatizing event and rough sophomore year, Max Kuemper does his best to keep his head down and not draw attention to himself. School and hockey are the only two things he can handle; it’s all he can do to keep himself afloat. He wants to forget about what happened to him and bring the secret to his grave. Confident and flirty Luke Kelly likes to play the field—dating as well as baseball. When he meets Max during a night shift at work, he takes an instant liking to him, despite the other man’s reserved exterior and shy personality. But secrets have a way… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Drug-facilitated rape recounted (protagonist)
  • Panic attacks (on-page)
  • Emesis (on-page)

Shots on Net by J.J. Mulder

Carter Morgan III hates everything about South Carolina University except for one thing: hockey. As the starting netminder for the team, he lives for those moments when he can step onto the ice and between the pipes. Unfortunately, his time at school and on the team is slowly coming to an end; although he’d love nothing more than to pursue a career in the NHL, he knows better than to get his hopes up. Zeke Cassidy needs a place to live. When he answers an advertisement for a roommate, he’s not sure what he is expecting except that it isn’t Carter… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Classism
  • Death of a parent recounted

Just Between Us by Lena Hendrix

Royal King is pure mischief wrapped in a cocky smirk and a heated stare. Five minutes in his small town and I knew he was going to be nothing but trouble. He’s an arrogant, tattooed playboy with a secret, and I’m the woman tasked with quietly cleaning up his family’s mess. I never dreamed he could be the mysterious stranger behind my hidden, late-night messages. It doesn’t matter what he says or how hard he tries to get under my skin. I won’t break. Not for him. Not for anyone. But when our secrets are exposed, all bets are off. He knows the rules—just a little fun… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment discussed
  • Death of a parent mentioned (off-page)

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality. I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love. Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the…. Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned (off-page)
  • Child abuse recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Cannibalism recounted (unintentional)
  • Death of a parent
  • Mass shooting
  • Knife & gun play
  • Car accident recounted
  • Stalking & invasion of privacy

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

Matthew Prince is young, rich, and thoroughly spoiled. So what if his parents barely remember he exists and the press is totally obsessed with him? He’s on top of the world. But one major PR misstep later, and Matthew is cut off and shipped away to spend the holidays in his grandparents’ charming small town hellscape. Population: who cares? It’s bad enough he’s stuck in some festive winter wonderland—it’s even worse that he has to share space with Hector Martinez, an obnoxiously attractive local who’s unimpressed with anything and everything Matthew does… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Classism
  • Parental abandonment
  • Forced outing recounted
  • Anxiety & panic attacks (on-page)