Corrupt by Penelope Douglas book cover

Books Like Corrupt

If you finished Corrupt and want more revenge, stalker romance, enemies to lovers, start here. Each pick shares at least two tropes with it, and we've rated every one for spice and darkness so you know what you're getting into.

For reference, Corrupt is:

Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

Last updated

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The picks

  1. 1. God of Malice

    Rina Kent · Legacy of Gods #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Shares: stalker romance, enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    Killian is a psychopath at a university on a private island, and Glyndon catches his eye. Rina Kent goes full throttle. People either love it or DNF it.

    • Stalker Romance
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Dark Academia
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Stalking, Graphic violence, Suicide or suicidal thoughts

  2. 2. Deviant King

    Rina Kent · Royal Elite #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero, revenge

    Aiden King decides Elsa is his target at their elite British prep school, and he is relentless about it. A bully romance with a buried childhood mystery underneath. Early Rina Kent, so tamer than her college books but still dub-con heavy.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Revenge
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse

  3. 3. Vicious

    L.J. Shen · Sinners of Saint #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 3/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, revenge, possessive hero

    Baron Spencer earned the nickname Vicious, and Emilia LeBlanc was the one girl at their Todos Santos high school who saw through him. Ten years later in New York, he's still not done with her. Classic bully-to-lovers angst.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse, Sexual assault

  4. 4. Lords of Pain

    Angel Lawson and Samantha Rue · Royals of Forsyth University #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    At Forsyth University a trio of Lords runs everything, and Story Austin becomes their very unwilling plaything. Dark college why-choose with secret-society rituals. The foreword warnings are long, read them.

    • Why Choose
    • Dark Academia
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence

  5. 5. The Lies We Steal

    Monty Jay · The Hollow Boys #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 4/5

    Shares: revenge, enemies to lovers

    Ponderosa Springs is rotten, and the Hollow Boys are the four guys nobody in town wants to cross. Rook and Sage start as enemies after her sister dies, and the secrets get uglier from there. Moody small-town gothic with real grief in it.

    • Dark Academia
    • Revenge
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Murder, Death of a loved one, Sexual assault, Drug or alcohol abuse

  6. 6. Haunting Adeline

    H.D. Carlton · Cat and Mouse Duet #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Shares: stalker romance, possessive hero

    The book that made dark romance go viral. A stalker, a gothic manor and a lot that's legitimately disturbing. Read every warning before you start. It earns its reputation.

    • Stalker Romance
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    • Villain Gets the Girl
    Content warnings

    Stalking, Dubious or non-consent, Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Murder, Gore

  7. 7. Does It Hurt?

    H.D. Carlton · standalone

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    Sawyer is a con artist on the run, and Enzo Vitale is the man she tries to steal from. Then things go very wrong for both of them. Less stalker than Haunting Adeline, but the backstories are brutal, so read the warning list first.

    • Captor and Captive
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Morally Gray
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Harm to children, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder

  8. 8. King of Battle and Blood

    Scarlett St. Clair · Adrian x Isolde #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 3/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    A princess marries the vampire king to save her people and plans to kill him on the wedding night. A lot spicier than her Hades books.

    • Vampires
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Gore, Murder

  9. 9. Lights Out

    Navessa Allen · Into Darkness #1 · complete series

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 3/5

    Shares: stalker romance, possessive hero

    Josie has a masked-stalker fantasy, and a hacker named Aiden makes it real. The twist is that she's into it and he keeps checking in. Funny, filthy, and a soft landing if Haunting Adeline sounds like too much.

    • Stalker Romance
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    • Touch Her and Die
    Content warnings

    Stalking, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one, Graphic violence

  10. 10. My Dark Romeo

    Parker S. Huntington and L.J. Shen · Dark Prince Road #1

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 2/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, revenge, possessive hero

    Dallas Townsend's family needs money, and Romeo Costa needs a wife he can hurt. He's genuinely cruel for a long stretch, so the grovel has to work hard. Feels more like an angsty billionaire romance than true dark.

    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Physical or emotional abuse

  11. 11. The Professional

    Kresley Cole · The Game Maker #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 3/5

    Shares: possessive hero, stalker romance

    Grad student Natalie Porter wants answers about her birth family, and enforcer Aleksandr Sevastyan whisks her off to Russia. Old-school erotic Bratva romance, a little dated but still a cult favorite.

    • Mafia
    • Possessive Hero
    • Captor and Captive
    • Stalker Romance
    Content warnings

    Stalking, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture

  12. 12. The Ritual

    Shantel Tessier · L.O.R.D.S. #1

    Spice 5/5 Darkness 5/5

    Shares: possessive hero, stalker romance

    Secret society, masked men, a girl promised to one of them. Very explicit, very dark and not subtle about any of it.

    • Dark Academia
    • Possessive Hero
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Stalker Romance
    Content warnings

    Dubious or non-consent, Sexual assault, Graphic violence, Drug or alcohol abuse, Kidnapping

  13. 13. The Silver Swan

    Amo Jones · Elite Kings Club #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 4/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    Madison Montgomery transfers to Riverside and lands in the middle of a secret club of ten guys run by Bishop Hayes. The plot is chaotic and twisty to the point of confusion, and people love it for exactly that. One reader noted the front-matter warnings don't cover everything.

    • Dark Academia
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    • Morally Gray
    Content warnings

    Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Harm to children, Graphic violence

  14. 14. This Monster of Mine

    Shalini Abeysekara · This Monster of Mine #1 · complete series

    Spice 3/5 Darkness 4/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, revenge

    A legal thriller in a Rome-inspired city. Four years after someone threw Sarai from a tower, she's back as a Petitor who can hear lies, assigned to Tetrarch Kadra, the feared judge whose voice sounds exactly like her attacker's. She works with him by day and plots against him by night.

    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Revenge
    • Morally Gray
    • Court Intrigue
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse

  15. 15. Brutal Prince

    Sophie Lark · Brutal Birthright #1 · complete series

    Spice 4/5 Darkness 2/5

    Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero

    Aida Gallo burns down part of the Griffin family's house, so Callum Griffin gets her as a wife to keep the Chicago peace. She is a gremlin and it's a delight. Mafia-lite, lots of banter, a good first mafia book.

    • Mafia
    • Arranged Marriage
    • Enemies to Lovers
    • Possessive Hero
    Content warnings

    Graphic violence, Murder, Kidnapping

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