Creeping Lily

The core of this book revolves around the FMC's past sexual assault and rape — this is not background detail, it's the wound the entire story is built around, and the villain who violated her is an active presence in the plot. There is an attempted assault scene and at least one reviewer notes a particularly distressing moment around the 75% mark involving the FMC and her attacker. Titan (MMC) is a trained assassin and cleaner for a shadow organisation called Goliath — murder and violence are present and depicted as part of his normal function. The stalking element is central and immersive; Titan watches and follows Lily extensively before making contact. The captor/captive dynamic and subsequent romantic development will read as Stockholm syndrome for some readers. The FMC carries deep trauma and PTSD from a betrayal that occurred during her childhood/teen years (from age 8 she was close to the Walker brothers; the betrayal/violation occurred at 16), with grooming-adjacent dynamics worth flagging given the long-term childhood connection. She is described as having become "a shell of who she had been" following the events — depression and anxiety are evident throughout. Manipulation and psychological abuse feature via the villain. Coercion and power dynamics are present in the MMC/FMC dynamic.