Books Like Lords of Pain
If you finished Lords of Pain and want more why choose, dark academia, 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, Lords of Pain is:
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The picks
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1. The Ritual
Shares: dark academia, possessive hero
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
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2. God of Malice
Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero, dark academia
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
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3. The Silver Swan
Shares: dark academia, 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
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4. Corrupt
Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero
Her fiancé's older brother and his friends just got out of prison, and they blame her for putting them there. Devil's Night pranks, revenge and the book that set off a whole wave of masked-men dark romance.
- Revenge
- Stalker Romance
- Enemies to Lovers
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Dubious or non-consent, Stalking, Kidnapping, Graphic violence
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5. Credence
Shares: why choose, possessive hero
After her parents die, Tiernan is sent to live in a remote mountain house with her stepuncle Jake and his two sons. The taboo is the whole point. Atmospheric snowed-in setting, but it's one of Douglas's most divisive books for a reason.
- Forbidden Love
- Why Choose
- Forced Proximity
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Dubious or non-consent, Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Suicide or suicidal thoughts
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6. Dark Notes
Shares: dark academia, possessive hero
Ivory Westbrook will do anything to get out of her life in New Orleans, and her new piano teacher at the conservatory, Emeric Marceaux, is not a safe person to need. Teacher-student taboo with real menace. One reviewer flagged that it ships without warnings.
- Forbidden Love
- Dark Academia
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Dubious or non-consent
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7. The Lies We Steal
Shares: dark academia, 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
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8. Den of Vipers
Shares: why choose, possessive hero
Kidnapped by four men to settle her father's debt, and she ends up falling for all of them. Violent and over the top, and it knows exactly what it is.
- Why Choose
- Captor and Captive
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Dubious or non-consent, Torture, Gore, Murder
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9. Does It Hurt?
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
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10. King of Battle and Blood
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
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11. A Dowry of Blood
Shares: why choose, possessive hero
Constanta, Dracula's first bride, writes to him about how she came to want him dead. Short, gothic and lush. It's really a book about getting out of an abusive relationship.
- Vampires
- Why Choose
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Murder, Gore
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12. Deviant King
Shares: enemies to lovers, possessive hero
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
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13. Vicious
Shares: enemies to lovers, 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
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14. Brutal Prince
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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15. King of Wrath
Shares: possessive hero, enemies to lovers
Dante Russo is blackmailed into marrying Vivian Lau, and he makes it clear he resents every minute. Billionaire grump, Manhattan glamour, almost no actual darkness. Think of it as dark romance with the training wheels still on.
- Arranged Marriage
- Possessive Hero
- Enemies to Lovers
- Touch Her and Die
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Drug or alcohol abuse
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