Books Like Priest
If you finished Priest and want more forbidden love, slow burn, possessive hero, 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, Priest is:
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The picks
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1. Twisted Love
Shares: forbidden love, possessive hero, slow burn
Her brother's ice-cold best friend agrees to keep an eye on her, which turns into moving her into his place. More dark-ish than dark, which makes it a good warm-up before heavier books.
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Murder, Stalking, Death of a loved one
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2. Neon Gods
Shares: forbidden love, possessive hero
Hades and Persephone in a modern city run by the Thirteen. She runs away from a forced engagement to Zeus and makes a deal with the one man nobody crosses. Quick and very steamy.
- Gods and Mythology
- Deals and Bargains
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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3. A Touch of Darkness
Shares: possessive hero, forbidden love
Persephone bets with the god of the dead and loses. Hades and Persephone in modern day, with all the jealousy that comes with it. A comfort read for a lot of fans.
- Gods and Mythology
- Deals and Bargains
- Possessive Hero
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
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4. Flock
Shares: slow burn, forbidden love
Cecelia moves to Triple Falls for one summer and gets tangled up with two men and the secret society they run. Robin Hood vibes, a slow first half and a love triangle readers still fight about.
- Love Triangle
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Drug or alcohol abuse, Graphic violence
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5. Punk 57
Shares: slow burn, forbidden love
Misha and Ryen wrote letters for years without meeting. When he shows up at her school under a fake name, he finds out his sweet pen pal is the mean queen bee. Bullying and angst more than real darkness.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Revenge
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
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6. Credence
Shares: forbidden love, 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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7. Dark Notes
Shares: forbidden love, 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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8. Deviant
Shares: possessive hero, forbidden love
Dr. Sloane Romera goes looking for her missing best friend and ends up needing Zeth Mayfair, a Seattle criminal with very particular tastes. Readers who came from Quicksilver are often shocked by how dark it is. Collected now as Blood & Roses Volume 1.
- Morally Gray
- Possessive Hero
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Drug or alcohol abuse
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9. Bound by Honor
Shares: possessive hero, slow burn
Aria is promised to the heir of the New York mafia at fifteen and married at eighteen. Luca is terrifying to everyone except her. Classic mafia-marriage setup done well.
- Mafia
- Arranged Marriage
- Possessive Hero
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
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10. It Ain't Me, Babe
Shares: forbidden love, possessive hero
Salome escapes a religious cult and lands in the compound of the Hades Hangmen, whose mute president Styx has never forgotten her. Biker romance with some of the heaviest backstory in the genre. The cult material is hard going.
- Forbidden Love
- Touch Her and Die
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Harm to children, Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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