Category Archives: Representation

Bound to Fate by Kiru Taye

Bound to Fate by Kiru Taye

Lara Johnson is coping with the emotional scars of losing both parents in a tragic incident and facing the challenges of starting a new school. Getting involved in a relationship isn’t on her priority list. Certainly not this illicit desire for a man, who demands the best from her, yet leaves her breathless in his presence. All Ike Thomas wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of an intelligent and brave girl who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Graphic rape recounted
  • Teacher-student relationship
  • PTSD & trauma

Snowsisters by Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick

Snowsisters by Tom Wilinsky & Jen Sternick

High school students—Soph, who attends private school in Manhattan, and Tess, a public school student who lives on a dairy farm in New Hampshire—are thrown together as roommates at a week-long writing conference. As they get to know each other and the other young women, both Soph and Tess discover unexpected truths and about friendship, their craft, and how to hold fast to their convictions while opening their hearts to love.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Transmisia
  • Misgendering
  • Child abuse
  • Bullying

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the mean… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Emesis

The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot by Alice Winters

The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot by Alice Winters

Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Murder mentioned

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own. Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights. Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Sexism
  • Slut-shaming
  • Threats of sexual assault
  • Cheating
  • Dieting mentioned
  • Physical assault
  • Bullying

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore

Dylan and her adored French mother dream of one day sailing across the ocean to France. Paris, Dylan imagines, is a place where her black skin won’t stand out, a place she might feel she belongs. But when she loses her mother in a freak accident, Dylan finds herself on a very different journey: a road trip across outback Australia in the care of her mother’s grieving boyfriend, Pat. As they travel through remote towns further and further from the water Dylan longs for, she and Pat form an unlikely bond. One that will be broken when he leaves her with the family she has never… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Internalised racism & racial slurs
  • Domestic violence recounted
  • Hospitalisation
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent

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

Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge

The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance—the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City. A devious saboteur is wreaking havoc in Las Vegas’s criminal underworld, and the entire city seems to be barreling toward an all-out gang war. As Detective Levi Abrams is pushed ever closer to his breaking point, his control over his dangerous rage slips further every day. His relationship with PI Dominic Russo should be a source of comfort, but Dominic is secretly locked in his own downward spiral, confronting a night… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Homomisia
  • Physical abuse
  • Gambling addiction
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Dead bodies
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Fire

Nine First Dates by Jennifer Ryder

Nine First Dates by Jennifer Ryder

Abbie, 25, Canberra. Aspiring event planner. Foodie. Aquarius. Coffee will always be my number-one beverage and I love watching sports. The gym isn’t for me—I love bike riding, camping and exploring the outdoors. Oh, and doughnuts are life. Looking for a partner to explore with and enjoy the good things in life. My new year’s resolution is to find a partner. Someone I can snort-laugh and get down and dirty with. Someone who gains the approval of my mum, but with whom I can also share this crazy ride called life. Not too much to ask, right? Thanks to my high school sweetheart, I’ve spent two years in Singletown, but now… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Fatmisia
  • Domestic violence
  • Blood depiction
  • Emesis
  • Death of a parent recounted

Fake Out by Eden Finley

Fake Out by Eden Finley

Maddox.The reason I rarely go home is three simple words: I’m a liar.. When the pressure to marry my childhood sweetheart became too much, I told her I was gay and then fled to New York like my ass was on fire. Now, five years later and after a drunken encounter, I find myself invited to her wedding. And I have to bring my boyfriend—the boyfriend who doesn’t exist because I’m straight. At least, I think I am. Meeting the guy I’m bribing to be my boyfriend for the weekend makes me question everything about myself. Damon. …Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Bismisia
  • Forced outing
  • Family member with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)