Category Archives: Representation

Boys, Beasts and Men by Sam J. Miller

Despite his ability to control the ambient digital cloud, a foster teen falls for a clever con-man. Luring bullies to a quarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated revenge through unnatural powers of suggestion. In the aftermath of a shapeshifting alien invasion, a survivor fears that he brought something out of the Arctic to infect the rest of the world. A rebellious group of queer artists create a new identity that transcends even the anonymity of death.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & racism, including slurs
  • Child abuse
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Drug abuse
  • AIDS
  • Murder
  • Physical assault (mugging)
  • Animal deaths

Gutter Mind by K.A. Merikan

Mike. Macho Biker. Scarred. Will never love again. Arden. Femme boy. Jaded. Will never succumb to lust again. Mike is always on the lookout for a fresh fling, and there are more than enough chicks for a stud like him at the Smoke Valley MC clubhouse. But the pretty little thing he spots at the gas station turns out to be a boy, and that triggers all sorts of confusion.
Mike loves a challenge, so when he’s given the cold shoulder, his predator senses are set aflame! Straight or not, Mike makes a bet with his cousin and won’t settle for anything other than a total seducti… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia
  • Adult-minor relationship recounted
  • Murder
  • Tear gas attack
  • Kidnapping

Feel My Pain by K.A. Merikan

wo years ago, the Rabid Hyenas MC ripped Zane apart like a pack of starving wolves. But he’s not only a survivor, he took revenge that same night. Turns out, one of the bikers is still alive, and as long as that’s the case, Zane will not know peace. Especially since Roach is the dirtbag who caused all the mayhem in the first place. When an act of revenge meant to close that chapter of Zane’s life takes a shocking turn, all hell breaks loose. Roach’s pain is his. When Roach bleeds, he does. When Zane suffers, Roach screams. So until Zane can figure out how to lift the curse and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Forced outing
  • Rape, statutory rape & sexual assault
  • Sex work mentioned
  • Attempted suicide & self-harm
  • Overdose
  • Arson
  • Torture mentioned

Blood and Marriage by K.A. Merikan

As the daughter of a mafia boss, I knew that keeping my head down meant staying alive. So when my father arranged my marriage to a Sicilian mafioso, I smiled and nodded, hoping for a kind man. But then my future husband’s cousin, Santo Villani, appears to pick me up for the wedding, and my life turns upside down, shattered by a kiss that shouldn’t have happened. Arrogant, cocky, and yet irresistibly charming, he’s exactly the kind of man I shouldn’t be reaching out for. A dangerous mafioso . I am torn between duty and passion, but my wedding is set in stone, so no matter which one of them wins, I will fall on their battlefield.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & biphobia
  • Sexual assault & child sexual assault recounted

Straight as a Wheel by K.A. Merikan

Zolt. Gay. Player. Predator. Fetish: Straight guys. Leo. Straight. Biker. Prey. Fetish: True love. Zolt knows what he wants from life–cold hard cash so that he can enjoy an early retirement in the Carribean as rent boys serve him drinks on the beach. Meanwhile, he’s got his pawn shop as a front for illegal operations, and a baseball bat to deal with troublemakers. When it comes to men, Zolt loves the chase, and his favourite, most elusive prey is curious straight guys. He goes out of his way to seduce and devour them. If he can be their first, all the better. His next mark? A biker. And… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & coming out themes
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Organised crime (outlaw motorcycle club)
  • Gun violence
  • Hostage situation
  • Animal death (pet)

Ex Appeal by Cathy Yardley

Vinh Doan has a problem. Ten million of them, in fact. He’s a high-level fixer for global conglomerates, which means big money…and big troubles. When ten million dollars go missing from one of his accounts, he needs a top-notch hacker to find it. His first thought? Emily MacDonald, his high school ex. While Vinh has been taking the financial world by storm, Emily has been struggling. After her dad died, she dropped out of college and put her dreams aside. Her job in tech support has seriously tested her sunny disposition and her finances. Now, there’s an unexpect… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Death of a parent mentioned

Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley

Willa Lieu-Endicott moved from California to the Pacific Northwest to start over. Since her husband’s death, she’s been struggling to get back her old career as a cookbook ghostwriter. Unfortunately, her latest project—ghostwriting for a viral cooking sensation known more for his washboard abs than his meals—has her stuck. Until she meets her new neighbour. Hudson Clark, the handyman next door, lives on a farm with his parents and two adult children. He’s the opposite of everything she’s ever known. His happily chaotic life includes biker barbecues, an escape artist dog, and adorably menacing goats. He’s also got a sinfully… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Grief & loss depiction (theme)
  • Death of a husband due to diabetes-related complications

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal―he’ll be more social if she does the same―she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch. Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée. Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Biphobia & public outing (on-page)
  • Sexism discussed
  • Divorce discussed
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Physical injury (broken foot)
  • Death of a parent from cancer recounted
  • Fatal car accident recounted

Driven to Distraction by Olivia Dade

Constance Chen is not the demure kind of librarian. Sure, her high-horsepower ride is Big Bertha the Bookmobile, but Con swears a blue streak, does her own home improvement, and wears steel-toed boots. She has a tight circle of friends, a demanding, beloved sprawl of a Chinese-American family, and a strict hookups-only policy when it comes to men. Her life is just how she wants it. Except for one maddeningly sexy footnote. Sam Wolcott, her friend’s baby brother and the library’s IT star, has been throwing sparks with Con since he moved to town. To everybody… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment mentioned
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent

Desire and the Deep Blue Sea by Olivia Dade

Thomas McKinney has never wanted a woman the way he wants Callie Adesso. Since she started working alongside him at the Colonial Marysburg Research Library, he’s spent his desk shifts fumbling pencils, tripping over his own feet, and struggling to remember both the Dewey Decimal System and the existence of her inconvenient boyfriend. Now, however, Callie is suddenly single–and in need of a last-minute faux-boyfriend for an episode of HATV’s Island Match. Thomas is more than happy to play the part…and in the process, convince Callie that a week together isn’t nearly long enough. Callie has never… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety
  • Alcohol consumption