Secrets and the City · 2021
Deadly IllusionSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 1 trigger warning flagged
Deadly Illusion is book 1 of Secrets and the City by Kathy Lockheart. It came out in 2021. Expect romantic suspense. Spice is explicit (4 of 5) and the darkness is pitch dark (4 of 5). We could not find the author's own warning list yet, so check it before you start. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 10 December 2021 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 1 of Secrets and the City.
Deadly Illusion tropes
On this shelf, Deadly Illusion is filed under Romantic suspense. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Deadly Illusion spice level
Is Deadly Illusion dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Deadly Illusion scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Deadly Illusion trigger warnings
Warnings not yet verified. We could not find the author's own content warning list for this book, so the flags here are only what the publisher's description makes clear. Check the author's note before you start.
Graphic (0) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
None flagged in this band.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full Deadly Illusion trigger warnings
Secrets and the City reading order
Deadly Illusion is book 1 of 2 in Kathy Lockheart's Secrets and the City series. Start here.
- Book 1 Deadly Illusion (this book) · 2021
- Book 2 Fatal Cure · 2022
Order checked against the Goodreads Secrets and the City series page on 13 October 2026. The Secrets and the City 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 Deadly Illusion
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Come
Come
J.A. Huss
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- First Touch
First Touch
Laurelin Paige
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- Last Hit
Last Hit
Jessica Clare
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- Last Kiss
Last Kiss
Laurelin Paige
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- Against the Dark
Against the Dark
Carolyn Crane
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- For Luca
For Luca
Soraya Naomi
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- Nikolai, Volume 2
Nikolai, Volume 2
Roxie Rivera
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
- One Last Sin
One Last Sin
Georgia Cates
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Romantic suspense
Books like Deadly Illusion, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Deadly Illusion?
Deadly Illusion spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Deadly Illusion trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Murder. Minor: none flagged. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is Deadly Illusion dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Deadly Illusion scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Deadly Illusion?
On this shelf Deadly Illusion is filed under Romantic suspense.
Who is Deadly Illusion for?
For a reader who wants danger on every page alongside the romance. Spice is explicit. Darkness is pitch. Warnings are not yet verified, so check the author's note first.
What are some books like Deadly Illusion?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Come by J.A. Huss; First Touch by Laurelin Paige; Last Hit by Jessica Clare; Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige; Against the Dark by Carolyn Crane; For Luca by Soraya Naomi. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/deadly-illusion.
Is Deadly Illusion a standalone?
No. Deadly Illusion is book 1 of 2 in the Secrets and the City series by Kathy Lockheart.
What order should I read the Secrets and the City series in?
1. Deadly Illusion; 2. Fatal Cure.
How many books are in the Secrets and the City series?
The Secrets and the City series by Kathy Lockheart has 2 main books.
What is the Deadly Illusion age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 4/5 (pitch). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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