Category Archives: Contemporary

Rhythm, Chord and Malykhin by Mariana Zapata 

Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata

Twenty-six-year-old Gaby Barreto might be a lot of things (loyal, sarcastic, one of the guys and a pain in the butt depending on which family member you ask), but dumb isn’t one of them. When her twin brother invites her to go on tour as his band’s merch girl, she isn’t exactly screaming at the top of her lungs with joy. With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexism & slut-shaming
  • Transphobia

Under Locke by Mariana Zapata 

He was my boss, my brother’s friend, a Widower, an ex-felon, and a man I’d seen casually with a handful of women. But he was everything that gripped me, both the good and the bad. Worst case scenario if things turned awkward between us, I could go somewhere else. I’d gotten over epic heartbreak before, one more wouldn’t kill me. After moving to Austin following six months of unemployment back home, Iris Taylor knows she should be glad to have landed a job so quickly… even if the business is owned by a member of the same motorcycle club her estranged father… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment
  • Slut-shaming
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Emesis
  • Death of a mother from breast cancer recounted
  • Murder by gun violence
  • Physical assault
  • Car accident recounted

Lingus by Mariana Zapata 

Lingus by Mariana Zapata

Most people would describe Katherine Berger as a responsible girl with a big heart, a loyal friend who takes care of those close to her, and the possessor of a wicked sense of humour. There was something about her that most people didn’t know. “My name is Kat Berger, and I love porn.” When twenty-five-year-old Kat is dragged to a porn convention by her best friend, she’s both embarrassed and nervous. The last thing she ever expected was to meet someone who makes her laugh like no other.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Sex work discussed

Hate Crush by A Zavarelli

Hate Crush by A. Zavarelli

When I crash-landed into him on my first day at Loyola Academy, I was sure that couldn’t be true. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in real life. Little did I know he was also the cruellest. I went from starstruck to stunned the moment his cynical eyes cut through me. I can’t tell you what it was that made him want to punish me. But from that day forward the brooding recluse of a man-made it his goal to torment me. I want to loathe him, and some days, I do. But good or bad, nobody’s attention has ever tasted so sweet. What do you do when you have a hate crush on your bully? Worse yet, what do you do when he’s also your teacher?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Teacher-student relationship
  • Bullying

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib

Hadi and Sama are a young Syrian couple flying high on a whirlwind love, dreaming up a life in the country that brought them together. She had come to Boston years before chasing dreams of a bigger life; he’d landed there as a sponsored refugee from a bloody civil war. Now, they are giddily awaiting the birth of their son, a boy whose native language would be freedom and belonging. When Sama is five months pregnant, Hadi’s father dies suddenly in Jordan, the night before his visa appointment at the embassy. Hadi flies back for the funeral, promising his wife that he’ll only… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Pregnancy & childbirth
  • Death of a father
  • Imprisonment recounted
  • Refugee experiences

Convict by A Zavarelli

Convict by A. Zavarelli

From the shadows, I’ve tracked her every move. I was just supposed to watch her. But now, I can’t stop. She’s my obsession. My addiction. My poison. Watching her isn’t enough. The savage in me won’t be satisfied until I take her and make her mine. One taste and I’m hooked. Too bad for her… I’m never letting her go. He took me from my life and locked me away in his compound. The ex-con. The big bad biker. Inked, bearded, and inhumanely sized. And yet, every time he looks at me, I melt… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child sex trafficking
  • Physical & emotional abuse
  • Threats of rape

Confess by A Zavarelli

Confess by A. Zavarelli

One contract. Two signatures. A marriage of inconvenience. Lucian West is one of the most hated men in America. He’s a ruthless attorney who gets what he wants in the courtroom, and outside of it. Now, he wants me. For reasons I can’t fathom, he’s determined to make me his wife. He makes it clear he’s not above blackmailing me to put a ring on my finger. But he should know I can’t be domesticated. I don’t know how to love men. I only know how to leave them… with everything I want… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child sex trafficking
  • Child sexual abuse recounted
  • Terminal illness
  • Death of a child

Tap Left by A Zavarelli

Tap Left by A. Zavarelli

Lola Bell could easily bring an army of men to their knees… as long as she never opened her mouth. She’s soft in too many ways. A people pleaser who goes the extra mile. Some might call her an easy target. In short, she has all of the qualities that I despise. But when it comes to me, she doesn’t hesitate to fling her poison arrows my way. She has every right to her feelings. Over the years, I’ve given her plenty of ammo. Yeah, I hate Lola. But it doesn’t stop me from wanting her too. When she makes me a proposition I can’t refuse, there’s just one problem. She tastes so f*cking sweet. So f*cking good. So f*cking mine.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Cheating mentioned
  • Alcoholism, on-page
  • Drug use
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Bliss by Fiona Zedde

Bliss by Fiona Zedde

Bliss Sinclair’s life of dull routine and unhappiness makes her imagination the only place she can find fulfilment. Until she meets Regina, a provocative writer who pulls her out of her head and into a sensuously real world alive with flavours and sensations beyond any she’d ever imagined. This real-world is exciting and rich with irresistible pleasures, but Sinclair quickly learns these pleasures are not what they seem. She discovers that lust can simply be another illusion, and passion without love can poison just as easily as it redeems. To cleanse herself of Regina’s poison, she escapes to Jamaica, the place where… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Queermisia

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even.. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Miscarriage
  • Cancer
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a spouse