Off Balance · 2016
BalanceSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Lucia Franco
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 3/5 (Dark) · 2 trigger warnings flagged
Lucia Franco published Balance in 2016. It is book 1 of Off Balance. The pull here is academy and forbidden. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 3 (dark). The heaviest flags readers report are cheating, bullying. Our scores lean on what readers report, not on a full reread, so treat them as a guide. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 2016. Book 1 of Off Balance.
Balance tropes
On this shelf, Balance is filed under Dark academy romance and Forbidden romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Balance spice level
Is Balance dark romance?
Yes. Balance scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More dark books. How we rate.
Balance trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 45 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: adult/minor relationship, sexual content, toxic relationship, eating disorder, injury/injury detail, body shaming. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (2) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
Moderate (0)
Harm, control, or obsession that is common in this lane.
None flagged in this band.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Off Balance reading order
Balance is book 1 of 5 in Lucia Franco's Off Balance series. Start here.
- Book 1 Balance (this book) · 2016
- Book 2 Execution · 2018 not on our shelf yet
- Book 3 Release · 2019
- Book 4 Twist · 2019 not on our shelf yet
- Book 5 Dismount · 2020 not on our shelf yet
Order checked against the Goodreads Off Balance series page on 9 October 2026. The Off Balance series in order.
Who it's for
Shelf note written for this site. We do not copy reviews or publisher blurbs. Outbound links are search pages, not quoted ratings. Kindle Unlimited and endings are only flagged when we were willing to mark them. How we rate.
Missing a book? Suggest it.
Books like Balance
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Wrath of an Exile
Wrath of an Exile
Monty Jay
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark academy romance
- Burn With Me
Burn With Me
Lucy Smoke
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark academy romance
- Green Light
Green Light
Jescie Hall
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark academy romance
- Release
Release
Lucia Franco
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Forbidden romance
- Braving the Storm
Braving the Storm
Elliott Rose
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Forbidden romance
- My Stalker, My Protector
My Stalker, My Protector
Jessa Kane
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark academy romance
- Night Witch
Night Witch
Jaymin Eve
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark academy romance
- Double-edged
Double-edged
Nyla K.
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Forbidden romance
Books like Balance, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Balance?
Balance spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 3 of 5 (Dark).
What are the Balance trigger warnings?
Graphic: Cheating, Bullying. Moderate: none flagged. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 45 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Balance dark romance?
Yes. Balance scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark). Harm is part of the romance, not a footnote.
What tropes are in Balance?
On this shelf Balance is filed under Dark academy romance and Forbidden romance.
Who is Balance for?
Pick this up if you want academy and forbidden with explicit spice. Look at the warnings before you commit.
What are some books like Balance?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Wrath of an Exile by Monty Jay; Burn With Me by Lucy Smoke; Green Light by Jescie Hall; Release by Lucia Franco; Braving the Storm by Elliott Rose; My Stalker, My Protector by Jessa Kane. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/balance.
Is Balance a standalone?
No. Balance is book 1 of 5 in the Off Balance series by Lucia Franco.
What order should I read the Off Balance series in?
1. Balance; 2. Execution; 3. Release; 4. Twist; 5. Dismount.
How many books are in the Off Balance series?
The Off Balance series by Lucia Franco has 5 main books.
What is the Balance age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 3/5 (dark). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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