Category Archives: Representation

Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh

Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh

Illium and Aodhan. Aodhan and Illium. For centuries they’ve been inseparable: the best of friends, closer than brothers, companions of the heart. But that was before—before darkness befell Aodhan and shattered him, body, mind, and soul. Now, at long last, Aodhan is healing, but his newfound strength and independence may come at a devastating cost—his relationship with Illium. As they serve side by side in China, a territory yet marked by the evil of its former archangel, the secret it holds nightmarish beyond imagining, things come to an explosive decision point. Illium and Aodhan must either walk away from the relationship that has… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Torture recounted
  • Kidnapping recounted

White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter

White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter

The sudden and tragic death of her mother throws Hannah Hawkins into a position she doesn’t feel at all prepared for. With the duty of leading her family’s decades-long moonshining business weighing heavy on her shoulders, the last thing she needs is something making her transition even harder. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she gets. A band of vicious new players has arrived in small-town Harlan, Kentucky, and while what they really want remains a mystery, it quickly becomes clear they’re willing to stoop to dark lengths to get it. To fight off a beast, Hannah realizes she needs to join forces with a rival. Javier Meza may be… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a mother
  • Death of an aunt from pancreatic cancer
  • Attempted murder
  • Arson
  • Kidnapping

Just One More by Jodie Slaughter

Just One More by Jodie Slaughter

Tattoo artist Whitney Harris loves Valentine’s Day. The bright colours, giant hearts, and sugary sweet coating that seems to cover the world on February 14th make her feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside. She may be more festive than the average person, but her plans for her long weekend off are pretty tame. As long as she gets to stay in her bed, marathon a ton of romantic movies, and eat at least three of her favourite pink heart cupcakes, she’ll count it as a win. The very last thing she expects is for a handsome stranger to get in the way of that. The only thing Victor … Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Recreational drug use
  • Death of a grandfather recounted

All Things Burn by Jodie Slaughter

All Things Burn by Jodie Slaughter

A woman forced to take dark, desperate measures for the sake of her safety seeks out a man who deals exclusively in doling out death sentences. What sparks between them is just as unavoidable as it is life-changing. Halle Temple is a good person; she doesn’t know anything as surely as she knows that. A successful black woman who uses her expensive law degree to work full-time at a women’s legal aid centre, she has no doubt that her entire existence is being spent in the service of others. That perfectly normal life takes a deadly turn, however, when she crosses paths with a man who is willing to go to extreme… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic violence mentioned
  • Graphic murder
  • Stalking

To Be Alone With You by Jodie Slaughter

To Be Alone With You by Jodie Slaughter

A decade ago, Naomi Porter confessed her love to the handsome, enigmatic sculptor her artist mother mentored. Ten years her senior and seemingly uninterested, his rejection sent her reeling…then it sent her running as far away from him as possible. Now, he’s more successful than ever, and she’s a burnt-out personal assistant in desperate need of a vacation. Only, she’s too broke to afford a real one. Her mother’s solution? Calling in a favor from an old friend and getting her daughter a week-long stay in the luxe guesthouse of a gorgeous home in the California desert — all for free. The only drawback is that… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • COVID-19

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski

It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship―after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Transmisia
  • Lesbomisia
  • Rape, implied
  • Domestic abuse mentioned

The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski

The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski

At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty. In the Herrani court, rumours begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Coerced drug abuse recounted
  • Blood depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Amputation recounted
  • Decapitation, on-page
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Poisoning

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colours. You either follow the rules or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest. But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumours that the High Caste possesses magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Queermisia
  • Physical & emotional child abuse
  • Blood-letting
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder
  • Imprisonment

The Prince by Tiffany Reisz

The Prince by Tiffany Reisz

Wes Railey is the object of Nora’s tamest yet most maddening fantasies, and the one man she can’t forget. He’s young. He’s wonderful. He’s also thoroughbred royalty and, reuniting with him in Kentucky, she’s in his world now. But this infamous New York dominatrix is no simpering Southern belle, and Nora’s dream of fitting into Wesley’s world is perpetually at odds with the relentlessly seductive pull of Søren—her owner, her lover, the forever she cannot have. At least, not completely. Meanwhile Nora’s associate… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child physical & sexual abuse recounted
  • Suicide recounted
  • Animal death (racehorse, dog)

Dark Shores by Danielle Jensen

Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West. Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. Marcus is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Dismemberment
  • Murder
  • Hanging
  • Torture
  • Shipwreck
  • War themes