A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole 

A Hope Divided by Alyssa Cole

For three years of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother’s traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her–until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie’s home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Threats of sexual assault & rape
  • Blood depiction
  • Death of a parent
  • Torture
  • War themes
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An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole 

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Slavery
  • Rape mentioned
  • Gun violence
  • Physical assault
  • Near-drowning incident
  • War themes
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Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole 

Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole

Sofronia Wallis knows that proper Black women don’t court trouble by upending the status quo, but it’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is in full swing. Sofie’s spent half her life being prim, proper, and reserved—as if that could bring her mother back—but the nonviolent protests happening across the South bring out her inner agitator.

Ivan Friedman has devoted his life to boxing, loving the finesse of a well-delivered punch… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut shaming
  • Antisemitism & antisemitic slurs
  • Racism & white supremacy
  • Abortion & miscarriage mentioned
  • Cancer
  • Death of a mother recounted
  • The Holocaust mentioned
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Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer 

Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer

Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades. But the last thing Alyssa wants is to follow in their footsteps as the next in line for the throne. Why would she choose to be trapped in a palace when she could be having wild adventures exploring a thousand-and-one planet in her own ship?… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Physical injuries
  • Medical treatment
  • Grief & loss depiction (theme)
  • Death of a mother recounted
  • Death of an uncle
  • Death of a friend
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Gun violence
  • Explosions & bombings
  • Plane crash
  • War themes discussed
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The Odyssey by Homer

The Odyssey by Homer

The epic tale of Odysseus and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War forms one of the earliest and greatest works of Western literature. Confronted by natural and supernatural threats – shipwrecks, battles, monsters and the implacable enmity of the sea-god Poseidon – Odysseus must use his wit and native cunning if he is to reach his homeland safely and overcome the obstacles that, even there, await him.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Shipwreck
  • Trojan War
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Lovely War by Julie Berry

Lovely War by Julie Berry

It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexual assault
  • Racism
  • Hate crimes
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Gun violence
  • Lynching
  • War themes & battle scenes
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Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett and Cherie Bennett 

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett & Cherie Bennett

In one moment Nicole Burns’s life changes forever. The sound of gunfire at an Anne Frank exhibit, the panic, the crowd, and Nicole is no longer Nicole. Whiplashed through time and space, she wakes to find herself a privileged Jewish girl living in German-occupied Paris during World War II. No more Internet diaries and boy troubles for Nicole – now she’s a carefree Jewish girl, with wonderful friends and a charming boyfriend. But when the Nazi death grip tightens over France, Nicole is forced into hiding, and begins a struggle for survival that brings her face to face with Anne Frank.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Death of a friend
  • World War Two & the Holocaust
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The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft

Fearing an uprising, the Sphinx sends Senlin to investigate a plot that has taken hold in the ringdom of Pelphia. Alone in the city, Senlin infiltrates a bloody arena where hods battle for the public’s entertainment. But his investigation is quickly derailed by a gruesome crime and an unexpected reunion.

Posing as a noble lady and her handmaid, Voleta and Iren attempt to reach Marya, who is isolated by her fame. While navigating the court, Voleta attracts the unwanted attention of a powerful prince whose pursuit of her threatens their plan… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery & human trafficking
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • War themes
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Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel in the world. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Soon after arriving for his honeymoon at the Tower, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, Thomas Senlin, gets separated from his wife, Marya, in the overwhelming swarm of tourists… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Attempted rape
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Up in Smoke by Tessa Bailey

Up in Smoke by Tessa Bailey

Connor Bannon is supposed to be dead. Dishonorably discharged from the Navy SEALs, he’s spent the last two years working as a street enforcer in Brooklyn for his cousin’s crime ring. Through a twist of fate, he’s now in Chicago, working undercover to bust criminals. But when a cute little arsonist joins the team—all combat boots, tiny jean shorts, and hot-pink hair—Connor’s notorious iron control slips.

Erin O’Dea knows two things. She hates authority. And… Nope, that’s it. When she’s forced to operate on the “right” side of the law… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • PTSD & trauma
  • Arson
  • Military service recounted (Navy SEALs)
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