Category Archives: Contemporary

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.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

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

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage

Teddy Andersen doesn’t have a plan. She’s never needed one before. She’s always been more of a go with the flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn’t seem to be going her way this time. Her favourite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it’s starting to change. Teddy’s used to being a leader, but now she feels like she’s getting left behind, wondering if the life she lives in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore. Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Hospitalisation for a heart attack (off-page, secondary character)

The Villain by LJ Shen

Cruel. Coldblooded. Hades in a Brioni suit. Cillian Fitzpatrick has been dubbed every wicked thing on planet earth. To the media, he is The Villain. To me, he is the man who (reluctantly) saved my life. Now I need him to do me another, small solid. Bail me out of the mess my husband got me into. What’s a hundred grand to one of the wealthiest men in America, anyway? Only Cillian doesn’t hand out free favours. The price for the money, it turns out, is my freedom. Now I’m the eldest Fitzpatrick brother’s little toy. To play, to mould, to break. Too bad Cillian forgot one, tiny detail. Persephone wasn’t only the goddess of… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Attempted rape (on-page)
  • Emotional & physical domestic violence and child abuse (on- & off-page, secondary character)
  • Cancer
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder & Tourette’s Syndrome (protagonist)
  • Emesis (prologue)
  • Torture
  • Blackmail

Thief by Tarryn Fisher

Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle Caleb must decide how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life there is a consequence, and soon Caleb finds out that sometimes love comes at an unbearably high price.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned
  • Infidelity mentioned
  • Cancer
  • Infertility
  • Death of a partner
  • Fatal car accident

The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Misogyny & ableism (r slur)
  • Amnesia & memory loss (love interest)
  • Suicidal ideation

Missing Christmas by Kate Clayborn

It’s all work and no play for long-time friends-turned-business-partners Kristen and Jasper—until an unexpected kiss turns things personal. Will it mean the end of something, or the beginning? With a major contract in the balance, Christmas around the corner, and a lot of unspoken feelings, it may take an unpredictable blizzard in New England to seal the deal…

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Emotional & physical parent abuse recounted
  • Disownment
  • Blizzard

Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn

Sure, winning the lottery allows Zoe Ferris to quit her job as a cutthroat corporate attorney, but no amount of cash will clear her conscience about the way her firm treated the O’Leary family in a wrongful death case. So she sets out to make things right, only to find gruff, grieving Aiden O’Leary doesn’t need—or want—her apology. He does, however, need something else from her. Something Zoe is more than willing to give, if only to ease the pain in her heart, a sorrow she sees mirrored in his eyes Aiden doesn’t know what possesses him to ask his family’s enemy to be his fake fiancée. But he needs a bride if he hopes to be the win… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Medical emergencies & treatment including mentions of seizures and chronic asthma
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a twin brother from opioid overdose recounted
  • Death of a father from a heart attack recounted

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Emotionally abusive relationship (secondary character)
  • Parental divorce recounted
  • Psoriasis (protagonist)
  • Bullying recounted

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Sixteen years ago, teenager Will Sterling saw – or rather, heard – the girl of his dreams. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property pronto and get back to his regular life. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, Nora Clarke won’t let Will’s plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. With a little sabotage, she sets out to foil his renovation efforts. But as their feud heats up, so does the attraction between them. A star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting – maybe it’s the kind of story that can’t work out. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance…

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Hospitalisation for a broken leg & hand (secondary character)
  • Heart attack mentioned (secondary character)
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of an uncle recounted
  • Death of a grandmother recounted (theme)
  • Death of a father from a terminal illness recounted (protagonist)
  • Death of a mother from an aneurysm recounted (protagonist)

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page. But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Familial estrangement
  • Emotional child abuse
  • Anxiety
  • Substance addiction & depression recovery
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Pregnancy & childbirth mentioned (secondary character)
  • Parent with rheumatoid arthritis
  • Death of a mother from cancer mentioned (secondary character)
  • Bullying recounted
  • Dog attack & minor injuries to pet dog