Books Like Ruthless Creatures
If you finished Ruthless Creatures and want more mafia, possessive hero, touch her and die, 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, Ruthless Creatures is:
Last updated
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change what we recommend. How we make money.
The picks
-
1. The Sweetest Oblivion
Shares: mafia
Elena's sister is engaged to Nico Russo, and Elena is the one he can't stop looking at. Sharp and funny. Lighter on darkness than most mafia books.
- Mafia
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
2. Painted Scars
Shares: mafia, possessive hero, touch her and die
The opener of Neva Altaj's sprawling Bratva series, and the hero is a Pakhan. Readers call it one of the gentler books in the run, with several open-door scenes. Past abuse is a big part of the backstory.
- Mafia
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Harm to children, Graphic violence
-
3. Crow
Shares: mafia, morally gray, possessive hero
Crow is an Irish mob enforcer in Boston, and Mack is a woman with no options left who ends up owing him. Gritty and sad in places, with a hero who's a killer and doesn't apologize. Heavy warnings, including an on-page assault.
- Mafia
- Morally Gray
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Sexual assault, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
4. Lights Out
Shares: possessive hero, morally gray, touch her and die
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
-
5. Promises and Pomegranates
Shares: mafia, possessive hero, morally gray
A modern Hades and Persephone where Hades is a hitman named Kal and Persephone is Elena Rossi, a mafia daughter who's tired of being kept. The prose is moodier than most mafia books. Each sequel follows a new couple.
- Gods and Mythology
- Mafia
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
6. Blood of My Monster
Shares: mafia, possessive hero, morally gray
Sasha hides as a man to work security for a Bratva boss, and Kirill figures out a lot faster than she'd like. Classic Rina Kent: violent, obsessive and very spicy. The trilogy has to be read in order.
- Mafia
- Captor and Captive
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Torture, Dubious or non-consent
-
7. It Ain't Me, Babe
Shares: touch her and die, possessive hero, morally gray
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
-
8. The Professional
Shares: mafia, possessive hero
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
-
9. Hooked
Shares: mafia, morally gray
Peter Pan, except Hook runs a criminal empire and Wendy is the daughter of the man he wants dead. Each book in the series is a different villain. Great entry point if you want dark romance that isn't relentless.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Mafia
- Revenge
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
10. Deviant
Shares: morally gray, possessive hero
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
-
11. Deviant King
Shares: possessive hero, morally gray
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
-
12. Her Soul to Take
Shares: possessive hero, morally gray
A demon named Leon is summoned to hunt Rae down, and he likes his work a little too much. Horror-adjacent, very kinky and full of CNC and blood play. Laroux posts a thorough warning list, use it.
- Demons
- Possessive Hero
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Torture, Graphic violence, Gore, Dubious or non-consent
-
13. Vicious
Shares: possessive hero, morally gray
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
-
14. Haunting Adeline
Shares: possessive hero, morally gray
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
-
15. Bound by Honor
Shares: mafia, possessive hero
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
Read more than just Ruthless Creatures? Tap everything you've loved and we'll build a reading list around all of it, not just this one book.