Dubious Consent (DubCon) – Page 8 – Trigger Warning Database

White Ivy by Susie Yang

White Ivy by Susie Yang

Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her. Raised outside of Boston, she is taught how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops by her immigrant grandmother. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, where her dream instantly evaporates. Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism & ableist language
Fatmisia & body shaming
Classism
Cheating
Dubious consent scenario*
Eating disorder
Suicidal ideation
Alcohol consumption
Smoking
Cancer
Murder
Bullying

* Context : Characters have sex while drunk.

Simply Love by Catherine Anderson

Simply Love by Catherine Anderson

Cassandra Zerek is a true innocent in a wild and dangerous place — but her indomitable spirit and gentle soul make her stronger than anyone suspects. The owner of a Colorado mining empire, Luke Taggart’s wealth and position can buy him anything, yet he has grown bored with a life of saloons and gambling. Nothing soothes his restless inner yearning — until he spies Cassandra, as fresh and pure as a spring morning, and vows he will possess her. The radiant, charmingly beauty seems blind to the depth of Luke’s desire or the lengths he is willing to go to seduce her. But the lady is wise, with unwavering faith in the magical powers of love. And she’s determined to awaken the good man hiding in Luke’s tormented heart, for only one precious gift will truly win her: his deep, passionate, and unsullied love

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slut shaming
Child sexual abuse & rape
Dubious consent scenario
Wrongful imprisonment
Gun violence

Maverick’s Madness by Lorrain Allen

Maverick’s Madness by Lorrain Allen

Maverick’s bigot father raised him to be a racist. The moment he sees me—the biracial new girl—an invisible target is placed on my back. Before the first day of school, he turns most of the senior class against me.

Maverick thought I would roll over and take his abuse, never anticipating a battle. He was mistaken. I will fight until my last breath. Maverick and his friends can suck it.

When I don’t fold under pressure, he comes at me full force, wanting to destroy me. He never expected to be the one to fold.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight attendant for his airline so she can keep a closer eye on him. They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she’ll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slut-shaming
Dubious consent
Toxic relationship
Emotional abuse
Alcohol consumption
Drug use
Murder
Stabbing
Stalking
Kidnapping
Blackmail

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power. Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims’ secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Attempted sexual assault (unwanted kiss)
Anxiety & anxiety attacks (on-page)
Agoraphobia & claustrophobia
Self-harm for magic
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction & emesis
Grief & loss depiction
Death of parents mentioned
Murder (on-page)

Thief by A Zavarelli

Thief by A. Zavarelli

I live by a code that can’t be bent or broken. It is my duty to my family to stay innocent and pure. To marry an Italian man. The stars are already aligned. But Nikolai Kozlov re-writes my destiny with five simple words: You belong to me now. He’s Russian mafiya. A thief. A skilled liar with no moral boundaries. He is everything I have been taught to hate. A man who stands for nothing. A man who takes what he wants without a second thought. And what he wanted was me. He thinks he controls my fate, but what he doesn’t know is, sometimes it’s the good girls you have… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Human trafficking mentioned
Child abuse recounted
Dubious consent scenarios
Organised crime (mafia)
Kidnapping & captivity

Stealing Cinderella by A Zavarelli

Stealing Cinderella by A. Zavarelli

Every royal has their dirty little secret. His was… me.

It should have been simple. Go to the ball, meet the prince, and secure his patronage for my favourite charity. But beneath the mask, the brooding beast of a man was not at all who I expected. He was dark and intense and eerily quiet.
When I left, I could still feel the ghost of his touch branded into my skin. He haunted my dreams, but I never expected to see him again.

Then he came for me. And he took me. And I learned that his darkness was a void I never could have conceived. He’s the crown prince of Norway. And, now, I’m his captive.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Dubious consent scenarios, including improper BDSM practices
Drugging
Kidnapping & captivity

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft

Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft

Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft

He says he loves you. So…why does he do that?

You’ve asked yourself this question again and again. Now you have the chance to see inside the minds of angry and controlling men—and change your life. In Why Does He Do That? you will learn about:

• The early warning signs of abuse
• The nature of abusive thinking
• Myths about abusers
• Ten abusive personality types
• The role of drugs and alcohol
• What you can fix, and what you can’t
• And how to get out of an abusive relationship safely

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Sexism & misogyny
Body shaming & fatmisia
Racism & racial slurs
Slut-shaming
Victim blaming
Sex worker shaming & slurs
Rape, including by coercion
Sexual abuse
Sexual harassment
Abusive relationships
Age-gap relationships, including adult-minor
Cheating, including grey-area cheating
Child abuse, including sexual abuse
Domestic abuse & violence
Dubious consent scenarios
Emotional abuse
Paedophilia & grooming
Parental abuse & neglect
Physical abuse
Verbal abuse
Mental illness
Substance addiction, including alcoholism
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Suicidal ideation
Intrusive thoughts
Physical assault
Murder & attempted murder
Recreational drug use
Medical treatment & procedures
Death of a parent or guardian
Gun violence
Disappearance of a loved one
Poverty themes
Blackmail
Bullying

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism
Racism
Sexism
Slut shaming
Homomisia & homomisia slurs
Coming out themes
Dubious consent scenario*
Nonconsensual voyeurism mentioned
Parental abandonment recounted
Cheating, recounted & discussed
Alcoholism mentioned
Bipolar Disorder
Suicide & attempted suicide
Self harm
Alcohol consumption & abuse
Recreational drug use
Death from anaphylaxis
Cancer mentioned
Heart attack
Hospital
Death of a classmate, on-page
Death of an uncle
Death of a mother recounted
Murder & attempted murder
School shooting & gun violence discussed
Strangulation
Physical assault
Car accident recounted
Blackmail
Bullying

* Note : Characters under the influence of alcohol recount having sex, and a protagonist recounts coerced ‘consent’ to sex with her boyfriend.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The very married man from the bar… who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fatmisia & body shaming
Rape by coercion
Adult-minor relationship recounted
Domestic violence
Cheating
Abortion
Sleep disorder & night terrors
Substance addiction
Recreational drug use
Overdose
Alcohol consumption
Psychiatric hospital
Burns
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a wife
Death of a mother
Murder & attempted murder
Stalking
Fire recounted
Graphic animal death & death of a pet