Tag Archives: Rape

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of rape. This includes statutory rape, marital rape, rape by coercion, gang rape, and threats of rape.

See other tags for specific warnings, such as Gang rape, Statutory Rape, and Paedophilia & CSA.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape. Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Domestic violence
  • Animal abuse

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with Porfiry, a suspicious detective, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Period-typical antisemitism, misogyny & classism
  • Rape
  • Domestic violence & child abuse
  • Anxiety
  • Schizophrenia & psychosis
  • Suicide & self-harm
  • Murder

The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Noble Aislinn grieves as the Iron Wolf and his minions storm through her beloved Darkenwald. And she burns with malice for the handsome Norman savage who would enslave her. . .even as she aches to know the rapture of the conqueror’s kiss. For the first time ever, mighty Wulfgar has been vanquished — and by a bold and beautiful princess of Saxon blood. He must have the chaste, sensuous enchantress who is sworn to his destruction. And he will risk life itself to nurture with tender passion a glorious union born in the blistering heat of hatred and war…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Familial disownment mentioned
  • Rape (on-page)
  • Death of a father
  • Decapitation
  • Kidnapping

Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard

Lexi thought she knew everything about Mara Vannatta. Best friends since middle school, they drifted apart after a tragedy derailed their senior year. But when Mara shows up on Lexi’s doorstep sixteen years later fleeing an abusive husband, Lexi takes her in without question. Lexi’s own marriage has been strained by her desire to have a baby, and when Mara offers to become her surrogate, their friendship feels stronger than ever. But four days before the due date, Mara disappears. Lexi is shocked but certain there must be… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Domestic abuse mentioned
  • Anxiety
  • Infertility & pregnancy
  • Abortion mentioned
  • Knife violence
  • School shooting & gun violence mentioned
  • Missing person

Marrow by Brynne Weaver and Trisha Wolfe

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Jack Sorensen is the perfect serial killer. In the bright lights of his public persona he’s a respected scientist, a leader in the field of human decomposition. But in his shadowed secret life he’s a ruthless and elusive killer, unseen by the authorities who have failed to follow his faint trail of destruction. Beautifully cold, brilliant and cruel, Jack wants nothing more than to keep his life captured in his vise-like grip of control. And Jack Sorensen never makes mistakes… until he underestimates Dr. Kyrie Roth. Wildlife biologist Kyrie is the enemy… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Consensual non-consent scene (‘CNC’)
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction, including discussions of the decomposition of dead bodies (theme)
  • Murder & attempted murder (theme)
  • Murder of a mother & father recounted (protagonist)

The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano

Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1646. Thomas and Margaret Jones arrive from England to build a life in the New World. Though of differing temperaments, cautious Thomas and fiery Margaret, a healer, are bound by a love that has lasted decades. With a child on the way, their new beginning promises only blessings. But in this austere Puritan community, comely faces hide malicious intent. Wrong moves or words are met with suspicion, and Margaret’s bold and unguarded nature draws scorn. Soon, Margaret is mistrusted as more cunning woman than kind caregiver. And when personal tragedies, religious hysteria, and wariness…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape (on-page)

The Master by Kresley Cole

Rich, irresistible politician/Mafya boss Maksimilian Sevastyan prefers tall, obedient blondes to fulfill his… complicated desires. That is, until the icy Russian encounters a disobedient brunette whose exquisite little body threatens his legendary restraint. Catarina Marín was a well-off young wife until her world fell apart. Now she’s hiding out, forced to start working as an escort in Miami. Her very first client is beyond gorgeous, but when he tells her what he plans to do to her, Cat almost walks out of the door… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned & dubious consent (‘dubcon’)
  • Sex work (protagonist, on-page)
  • Intimate partner violence & attempted murder
  • Infidelity (by husband)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of parents in a car accident
  • Murder
  • Death of a mother from murder
  • Whipping & resulting scars discussed
  • Organised crime (mafia)

Context : The heroine’s husband is a serial killer & con man who marries women for their money and then murders them. He is also cheating on her with his real partner. When the heroine accidentally kills his partner, he tries to kill her in revenge.

Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night by Kresley Cole

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed—until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive. Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment
  • Threats of rape
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a partner (‘mate’)
  • Kidnapping & imprisonment
  • Plane crash

Taming Seraphine by Gigi Styx

They captured me, broke me. Molded me into their perfect weapon. They made me murder and seduce strangers. Until a hitman killed my captors and set me free. Leroi: I rescued a girl from a basement thinking she was innocent, but I brought home a serial killer whose darkness borders on insanity. Now, I need to tame her murderous instincts before I become her next victim. Seraphine is reckless, unstable, and likely to get us both destroyed. Every instinct says I should end her, but she’s too captivating to resist.Each day, she draws me deeper into her web, her allure stripping my self-control. But I’m harboring secrets treach… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape, sexual assault & dubious consent (‘dubcon’)
  • Paedophilia & child sexual abuse
  • Child abandonment
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Drugging
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Cannibalism
  • Gential mutilation (castration) & dismemberment
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Knife play
  • Electrocution
  • Organised crime
  • Car accident
  • Kidnapping
  • Human & organ trafficking

Stalking Ginevra by Gigi Styx

Ginevra: A masked man killed my fiancé, so I offered him anything in exchange for my life. He demanded my mouth, but he’s taken my body… and my soul. At night, he comes to my room to degrade and humiliate me for fun. When he murders my date, I turn to the only person strong enough to defeat my stalker. My ex-fiancé, Benito—the man I ruthlessly dumped for another guy. He’ll help, but only if I marry him and agree to his controlling demands. Benito: I’ve despised her since she left me for a bitter enemy. When I shot her fiancé, I also wanted to erase her from the earth. Then she made me an offer that was hard to resist. I got one… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Foster care experiences recounted
  • Rape recounted. attempted rape & dubious consent (‘dubcon’)
  • Incest mentioned
  • Domestic violence & forced marriage
  • Alcoholism
  • Teen pregnancy recounted (secondary character)
  • Decapitation & evisceration
  • Forced body modifications (shaving)
  • Murder of a fiancé
  • Whipping & knife play
  • Bombing
  • Kidnapping & imprisonment
  • Stalking/surveillance & blackmail