Tag Archives: Child Abuse & Neglect

Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles

Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles

Be brave. Just for sixty seconds. Twenty breaths. It took every ounce of my courage to return to the small town I fled all those years ago. But I should’ve known he’d hate me. How could he not when my father’s blood still runs through my veins? Yet here I am, desperate for a chance to make things right. Even if it means facing the family my father almost destroyed and the boy with the dark eyes—now grown—who still haunts my dreams. I never expected just how explosive things would turn between us. He’s the last person I should want. Yet, somehow, I keep drawing closer—so close I know I’ll… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse recounted
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent
  • Attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Physical assault
  • Stalking
  • Arson
  • Kidnapping & attempted kidnapping
  • Animal cruelty & injury, on-page (dog)

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

My family tried to break me. But, somehow, I made it out alive, even though the wounds from that survival are forever carved into my bones. Now, my only wish is for…normal. To know what it’s like to have friends, a job, a home. The last thing I want is for my new roommate to see the scars I’m so desperate to keep hidden, especially not the ruggedly handsome man who steals my breath and sends my heart into overdrive. But something tells me that Beckett has demons, too. I see it in the shadows haunting his gorgeous eyes and the way he looks at me with gentle under… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic abuse
  • Child abuse
  • Sexual assault & groping
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer by Sara Gran

A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that’s replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off-kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she’s doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.. The new voice in Amanda’s head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Rape
  • Incest
  • Child abuse
  • Infidelity
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Body horror
  • Emesis
  • Death of a child
  • Murder
  • Drowning
  • Animal attack

Made of Steel by Ivy Smoak

Made of Steel by Ivy Smoak

Summer fell in love with the boy next door when she was six years old. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was going to marry him. Just as soon as she could convince him that she didn’t have cooties. But tragedy tore her away from him before they ever got a chance at their happily ever after. And the worst part? He forgot all about her. Ten years after Summer lost everything, she’s given a fresh start in the witness protection program. The only rule: don’t speak to anyone from her past. A rule that’s hard to follow when she finds out that the boy next door is… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse in the foster care system
  • Death of parents recounted

A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

“Mom seems off.” Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone. She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & mentions of white supremacy
  • Fatmisia & body-shaming including in medical situations
  • Child verbal & emotional abuse recounted
  • Anxiety
  • Nightmares & sleep paralysis
  • Death of a parent recounted
  • Blood, gore and injury depiction including body horror
  • Cannibalism
  • Emesis mentioned
  • Heart attack recounted

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

She just wanted to claim her inheritance. What she got was a husband… Xeni Everly-Wilkins has ten days to clean out her recently departed aunt’s massive colonial in Upstate New York. With the feud between her mom and her sisters still raging even in death, she knows this will be no easy task, but when the will is read Xeni quickly discovers the decades-old drama between the former R&B singers is just the tip of the iceberg. The Secrets, lies, and a crap ton of cash spilled on her lawyer’s conference room table all come with terms and conditions. Xeni must marry before she can claim the estate that will set her up for life and her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Bimisia
  • Racist microaggressions
  • Emotional parental abuse
  • Pregnancy mentioned
  • Abortion recounted
  • Miscarriage recounted
  • Hospital
  • Heart attack
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a family member

Harbor by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Harbor by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Months before she’s set to walk down the aisle, assistant district attorney Brooklyn Lewis suffers an unthinkable loss. It’s bad enough her fiancé is violently taken from her, but along with her grief she must also process the fact that the man of her dreams was unfaithful. Friends and family want to see her heal, but Brooklyn doesn’t know how to move on from trauma and deception until she discovers she’s not the only one broken by this tragedy. Attorney Vaughn Coleman and his partner Chris Shaw have also lost the love of their lives, who was found lifeless in the same bed as Brooklyn’s fiancé, taken from them by the same killer… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Disownment recounted
  • Cheating (scs)
  • Child abuse mentioned
  • Sexual assault mentioned
  • Suicide, off-page
  • Emesis
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a partner recounted
  • Murder mentioned
  • Stalking recounted

Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan

Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan

A wry, affecting tale set in a small town on the Indonesian coast, Man Tiger tells the story of two interlinked and tormented families and of Margio, a young man ordinary in all particulars except that he conceals within himself a supernatural female white tiger. The inequities and betrayals of family life coalesce around and torment this magical being. An explosive act of violence follows, and its mysterious cause is unraveled as events progress toward a heartbreaking revelation.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Marital rape
  • Parental abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Murder

Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins

Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins

Sable, a slave on the run to escape the cruel man she’s been sold to is forced to betray the charming Union officer Raimond LeVeq, who had romanced her and championed her. Brought together again by fate and an arranged marriage, she must try and win the trust of LeVeq–the man she truly loves.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Slavery
  • Child abuse
  • Arson
  • Kidnapping
  • Drowning mentioned

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

When Amber runs, it’s the only time she feels completely free – far away from her claustrophobic home life. Her father wants her to be a dutiful daughter, waiting for an arranged marriage like her sister Ruby. Running is a quiet rebellion. But Amber wants so much more – and she’s ready to fight for it. It’s time for a revolution.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Alcoholism
  • Anxiety & panic attacks
  • Emesis
  • Dieting mentioned
  • Bullying