Through the Smoke by Brenda Novak

Riches. Power. An ancient heritage of pride. The Earl of Druridge wanted only for an heir. So when he learned that his wife was carrying another man’s child, he was filled with a thirst for vengeance. But he wasn’t the one who caused Katherine’s death. Or was he? To his horror, he remembers nothing of that dreadful night, when their last confrontation ended in scorching flame and cold blood. A forbidden love… But he wasn’t the one who caused Katherine’s death. Or was he? To his horror, he remembers nothing of that dreadful night, when their last confrontation ended in scorching flame and cold blood. Passionately drawn to the…. Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Drugging
  • Death of a mother
  • Death of a wife in a fire recounted

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Belly has only ever been in love with two boys, both with the last name Fisher. And after being with Jeremiah for the last two years, she’s almost positive he is her soul mate. Almost. While Conrad has not gotten over the mistake of letting Belly go, Jeremiah has always known that Belly is the girl for him. So when Belly and Jeremiah decide to make things forever, Conrad realizes that it’s now or never—tell Belly he loves her, or lose her for good.  Belly will have to confront her feelings for Jeremiah and Conrad and face the inevitable: She will have to break one of their hearts.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Cheating
  • Death of a mother from cancer recounted

It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come. But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Child abuse (parent slaps a child)
  • Emesis
  • Smoking & drug use mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of a mother from cancer

Ghost Book by Remy Lai

July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it’s Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth―for William to live, July must die.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Death of a mother and wife in childbirth recounted
  • Near-death of a friend and child (on-page)
  • Mentions of death of a pet dog.

Second Chance by Audra North

Wilford town librarian Marnie Thomas has had too much loss to risk her heart ever again. She buries her hurt in books and finds her friends in stories, even though she longs for love and a family of her own. Real estate developer Collin Morgan is back in town on Halloween to help his sister, but the last person he expected to see at his niece’s story hour is Marnie Thomas. The shy, awkward girl he remembered from high school has turned into a beautiful—but still shy—woman, and Collin can’t help the desire that rises up when he sees her.
But this year, the magic of Halloween conjures a wisecracking, cigar-smoking ghost name… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental & spousal abandonment
  • Verbal child abuse
  • Smoking
  • Death from a heart attack mentioned
  • Death of a mother from cancer recounted

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. But should she trust Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land? He promises her freedom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together they can team up and win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. It seems like a foolproof plan—until Gauri and Vikram arrive at the tournament and find that danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans, mischievous story… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Attempted sexual assault recounted
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood depiction
  • Serious injury & illness of a loved one
  • Death of a mother
  • War themes

What Was Meant to Be by Heather Guerre

There’s nothing Wes Sorenson cares about more than restoring his family’s lost legacy—a Northwoods cottage resort that’s been handed down from one generation to the next since the late-1800s until it was stolen from them by unscrupulous business partners, dismantled, and sold in pieces. Bit by bit, over the course of years, Wes has managed to restore the family business, except for one piece: the crucial lakefront acreage necessary to the resort’s success. But after years of dead ends, he’s finally figured out how to secure to the last piece of the puzzle: marrying the woman who owns the land. Rain has never really belonged anywhere… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Anxiety
  • Emotional child abuse recounted
  • Parental infidelity & divorce recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Physical illness (migraine)
  • Death of grandparents mentioned
  • Death of a father
  • Death of a mother from a heart defect recounted

King of Country by CW Farnsworth

Kyle Spencer is the king of country music. She’s the city girl, sent to talk him into returning to the stage. Piper Egan landed her dream job straight out of college—working at Empire Records. But instead of discovering new talent and changing lives, like she’d hoped, her time is spent taking meeting notes and catering to spoiled celebrities. When the chance to change that finally appears, she should be thrilled. Unfortunately, Piper’s promotion involves the charming cowboy she’s spent years attempting to avoid. And flying to middle of nowhere, Texas, in a desperate attempt to talk the king of country music into returning to the… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Infidelity recounted
  • Parent in alcoholism recounted
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Death of a mother in a self-inflicted drunk-driving accident recounted
  • Death of a stepfather recounted

*Context : The female protagonist’s ex-partner cheated on her in the past.

Sabotage by Shantel Tessier

Colton: Raylee Lexington Adams is my stepsister and the one woman in the world who can make my blood boil. She’s vindictive, a lot of crazy, and absolutely stunning. I hate everything about her except for when she’s on her knees begging me to use her as my own personal toy. We’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse for far too long. We have used each other for our own sick pleasure. I’ve ruined every relationship my little princess has ever had. A sure way that she’ll come crawling back to me, begging me for what only I can give her when another man fails her. But I’m tired of watching others get a piece of what is… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Misogyny & slut-shaming
  • Rape by an ex-partner, on-page
  • Sexual assault
  • Intimate partner violence & emotional abuse
  • Parental abandonment recounted
  • Infidelity
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drug use (cigarettes, marijuana)
  • Involuntary body modifications
  • Consensual blood & knife play
  • Death of a mother recounted
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Physical assault
  • Attempted strangulation
  • Car accident & car fire (arson)
  • Whipping

*Context : The female protagonist (FMC) is kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend to be raped, mutilated, and killed; she murders him after being raped. The male protagonist (MMC) kidnaps the FMC’s boyfriend, forces him to watch him have sex with the FMC, and orchestrates his friends to sexually assault him. The MMC also has these friends tape him having sex with the FMC without her consent and releases the video, again, without her consent. The FMC cheats on her boyfriend with MMC. The MMC carves his name into FMC’s skin without her consent.

Titan by Shantel Tessier

I know I have a black soul. Bloodshed and danger are what I live for. A King is supposed to rule his Kingdom using any means necessary to demand respect. I’m not a weak man. A King kneels to no one. I’ve only ever cared about one other person in my life, but the thing is, she never belonged to me. And before I could tell her how I felt, she left. Now she’s returned, needing someone to save her. Emilee York was always meant to be mine, and I’ll see to it that happens. I always get what I want, even if that means I have to take it. And she’s no different. She’ll be my queen, on…. Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Misogyny & slut-shaming
  • Sex work & sex work shaming
  • Rape by coercion*
  • Sexual harassment
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Infidelity*
  • Parental divorce recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Involuntary body modifications (forced branding)
  • Death of a mother from cancer (lymphoma), on-page
  • Death of a grandparent in a car accident
  • Faked death of a father from a heart attack
  • Murder
  • Torture including waterboarding and strangulation
  • Arson
  • Physical assault
  • Kidnapping*
  • Plane crash recounted

*Context : A secondary character kidnaps the female protagonist (FMC)’s mother and withdraws her medical care until she has sex with him. There are multiple mentions of secondary characters having affair or their infidelity.