If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions — affection, despair, and hope.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Misogyny
  • Rape
  • Sexual assault
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Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen. However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

  • Sexual harassment
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Arson resulting in property damage/building collapse and physical injury (burns)
  • Sword violence recounted
  • Organised crime
  • Home invasion

Obie Is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar

Obie Is Man Enough by Schuyler Bailar

Obie knew his transition would have ripple effects. He has to leave his swim coach, his pool, and his best friends. But it’s time for Obie to find where he truly belongs. As Obie dives into a new team, though, things are strange. Obie always felt at home in the water, but now he can’t get his old coach out of his head. Even worse are the bullies that wait in the locker room and on the pool deck. Luckily, Obie has family behind him. And maybe some new friends too, including Charlie, his first crush. Obie is ready to prove he can be one of the fastest boys in the water–to his coach, his critics, and his biggest competition: himself.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Homomisia
  • Transmisia & transmisic slurs
  • Deadnaming
  • Misgendering
  • Outing
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a grandparent
  • Physical assault
  • Bullying
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The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

Growing up, Antonia “Toni” Bennett’s guitar was her only companion…until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni’s way out, promising they’d escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia’s indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She’s in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Parental abuse & neglect
  • Recreational drug use
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Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher 

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher

Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne—the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance—along with Violet’s magic—they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for sure: magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse recounted
  • Bullying
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Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe

Relative Justice by Gregory Ashe

When Emery Hazard and his husband, John-Henry Somerset, arrive home from their honeymoon, they’re shocked (understatement of the year) to find a boy waiting for them on their doorstep. Colt, fifteen and eager to pick a fight, claims to be Hazard’s son. It’s almost a relief, then, for Hazard and Somers to be called out to assist the Dore County Sheriff’s Department with what seems to be an impossible murder: a man has been found stabbed to death in a stretch of woods, and the only set of footprints in the soft ground belong to the victim… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Paedophilia & grooming mentioned
  • Child abuse mentioned
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Redirection by Gregory Ashe

Redirection by Gregory Ashe

The Borealis boys are settling into their new normal, or at least into their new digs. But when North’s soon-to-be (please-let-it-be-soon) ex-husband, Tucker, is arrested and charged with murder, everything goes sideways.

Hired by Tucker’s parents, North and Shaw begin looking for proof that Tucker is innocent, in spite of the evidence against him. When they find seemingly incriminating photos hidden in Tucker’s BMW, North is convinced that someone is trying to frame Tucker—and might get away with it… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Ableism
  • Rape mentioned
  • Emotional abuse & gaslighting
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Drug abuse & overdose
  • Parent with cancer mentioned
  • Stroke mentioned
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Blackmail
  • Death of a pet recounted
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Misdirection by Gregory Ashe

Misdirection by Gregory Ashe

When a rising star in the state senate asks Shaw Aldrich and North McKinney to transport her son, Flip, to and from his drug testing appointments, they’re not happy—they don’t do babysitting jobs. Arriving at the boy’s dorm room, though, they discover that the door has been forced and that Flip has disappeared, and rumours of strange men on campus suggest that something seriously bad has happened. The students and staff at the ritzy private school have plenty to tell about Flip, but the deeper North and Shaw dig, the less they understand what might have happened to the boy… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Statutory rape
  • Emotional & physical abuse mentioned
  • Bulimia mentioned
  • Blackmail
  • Murder
  • Fire & destruction of property in a house fire
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A Friend in the Dark by Gregory Ashe and CS Poe

A Friend in the Dark by Gregory Ashe & C.S. Poe

Rufus O’Callaghan has eked out a living on the streets of New York City by helping the police put away criminals as a confidential informant. But when Rufus shows up for an arranged meeting and finds his handler dead, his already-uncertain life is thrown into a tailspin. Now someone is trying to kill Rufus too, and he’s determined to find out why.

After leaving the Army under less than desirable circumstances, Sam Auden has drifted from town to town, hitching rides and catching Greyhounds… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Graphic suicide
  • Attempted murder
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The Keeper of Bees by Gregory Ashe 

The Keeper of Bees by Gregory Ashe

Emery Hazard has pretty much everything under control. He and his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, are more in love than ever, despite the stress of wedding preparations hanging over them. His business as a private investigator is growing. He’s even enjoying time with his growing circle of friends. The only major problem on the horizon is whether or not he and Somers will be dancing at the wedding reception.

When Mitchell Martin shows up in his office, though, everything changes. The year before, Mitchell was abducted and tortured… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Ableism
  • Homomisia
  • Transmisia
  • Misogyny
  • Sexual assault of a child
  • Drugging
  • Kidnapping
  • Stalking
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