Historical Fiction – Page 18 – Trigger Warning Database

The Dream Hunter by Laura Kinsale

The Dream Hunter by Laura Kinsale

Desperate to find safety in England, Zenia, the descendent of the Queen of the Desert, dresses herself as a Bedouin boy. For protection, she agrees to guide Arden, the Lord of Winter, through the wilds of her dangerous desert homeland as he searches for a legendary Arabian mare. Consigned by her mother to live disguised, Zenia hasn’t the courage to admit her sex to Arden. Yet, as they cross a merciless desert, she comes to yearn for this fearless, untamable man to know the feminine heart beating beneath her Bedouin rags. Lord Winter’s loneliness and adventurous spirit have always driven him to the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Antiziganism
Misogyny
Unplanned pregnancy
Childbirth
Alcohol consumption
Death of a fiancé by drowning
Death of a mother
Gun violence
Kidnapping
Imprisonment
Animal attack (snake) mentioned

Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke

Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke

Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn’t return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam’s peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose – to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Blood depiction
Murder
Fire
Loss of autonomy (possession)

The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan

The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan

In the summer of 1933, Alice Eveleigh has arrived at Fiercombe Manor in disgrace. The beautiful house becomes her sanctuary, a place to hide her shame from society in the care of the housekeeper, Mrs Jelphs. But the manor also becomes a place of suspicion, one of secrecy. Something isn’t right. Someone is watching. There are secrets that the manor house seems determined to keep. Tragedy haunts the empty rooms and foreboding hangs heavy in the stifling heat. Traces of the previous occupant, Elizabeth Stanton, are everywhere and soon Alice discovers Elizabeth’s life eerily mirrors the path she herself is on.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Emotional child abuse & gaslighting
Postpartum depression
Suicide
Self-harm
Abortion mentioned
Miscarriage

Shadow Music by Julie Garwood

Shadow Music by Julie Garwood

Prized for her exquisite beauty, Princess Gabrielle of St. Biel, the daughter of one of England’s most influential barons, is a perfect bargaining chip for a king who needs peace in the Highlands: King John has arranged Gabrielle’s marriage to a good and gentle laird. But this marriage will never take place. Upon her arrival in Scotland, Gabrielle is immediately entangled in Highland intrigue, as a battle royal flares between enemies old and new. For two sadistic noblemen, underestimating Gabrielle’s bravery and prowess may prove fatal. Colm MacHugh, the most feared man in Scotland, makes no such mistakes about the captivating princess. Under his penetrating gaze, neither Gabrielle’s body nor her heart is safe.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Murder
Physical assault
Kidnapping

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing. It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Murder
Torture

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

Near the island of Black Conch, a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch. But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected – Aycayia, an innocent young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid. When American tourists capture Aycayia, David rescues her and vows to win her trust. Slowly, painfully, she transforms into a woman again. Yet as their love grows, they discover that the world around them is changing – and they cannot escape the curse for ever…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Racism
Attempted suicide
Genocide

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country’s vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxane Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Kidnapping & hostage situation

The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George

The Devil and the Heiress by Harper St. George

No one would guess that beneath Violet Crenshaw’s ladylike demeanour lies the heart of a rebel. American heiresses looking to secure English lords must be on their best behaviour, but Violet has other plans. She intends to flee London and the marriage her parents have arranged to become a published author–if only the wickedly handsome earl who inspired her most outrageously sinful character didn’t insist on coming with her. Christian Halston, Earl of Leigh, has a scheme of his own: escort the surprisingly spirited dollar princess north and use every delicious moment in close quarters to convince Violet to marry him… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Ableism
Parental abandonment
Domestic abuse
Physical & emotional child abuse
Death of a parent

An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler by Vanessa Riley

An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler by Vanessa Riley

Surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica was just the start of personal maid Jemina St. Maur’s nightmare. Suffering from amnesia, she was separated from anyone who might know her and imprisoned in Bedlam. She was freed only because barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, was convinced to betray the one thing he holds dear: the law. Desperate to unearth her true identity, Jemina’s only option is to work outside the law–which means staying steps ahead of the formidable Daniel, no matter how strongly she is drawn to him. Married only by proxy, now widow… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Misogyny
Ableism
Slavery
Nightmares
Shipwreck

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Lahore, Pakistan. Then. Misbah is a dreamer and storyteller, newly married to Toufiq in an arranged match. After their young life is shaken by tragedy, they come to the United States and open the Cloud’s Rest Inn Motel, hoping for a new start. Juniper, California. Now. Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding. Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial slurs
Islamomisia
Sexual assault of a child
Physical child abuse
Panic attacks
Alcohol consumption
Drug use & abuse, including a non-fatal overdose
Substance addiction
Alcoholism
Death of a parent
Police brutality
Bullying