Gallows Hill · 2024
DeceitSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 11 trigger warnings flagged
From Katelyn Taylor, 2024: Deceit, book 1 of Gallows Hill. Expect academy, enemies to lovers, secret society, why choose and dark academia. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are bullying, stalking, psychological abuse. 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: 2024. Book 1 of Gallows Hill.
Deceit tropes
On this shelf, Deceit is filed under Dark academy romance, Enemies to lovers, Secret society romance, Why choose / reverse harem and Dark academia romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Deceit spice level
Is Deceit dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Deceit scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
Deceit trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 15 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, panic attacks/disorders, toxic relationship, misogyny, sexism, death of parent. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (11) — 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.
Gallows Hill reading order
Deceit is book 1 of 1 in Katelyn Taylor's Gallows Hill series. Start here.
- Book 1 Deceit (this book) · 2024
Order checked against the StoryGraph Gallows Hill series page on 13 October 2026.
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 Deceit
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- You're Next
You're Next
Tate James
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Secret society romance
- F*ck You: Term One
F*ck You: Term One
Crystal North
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Enemies to lovers
- Endless Anger
Endless Anger
Sav R. Miller
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark academy romance, Enemies to lovers
- The Wallflower
The Wallflower
J.L. Beck
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark academy romance, Enemies to lovers
- When Sinners Play
When Sinners Play
Eva Ashwood
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark academy romance, Why choose / reverse harem
- Vicious Secret
Vicious Secret
Morgan Bridges
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Secret society romance, Enemies to lovers
- Dynasty
Dynasty
Sheridan Anne
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Enemies to lovers
- My Bloodline
My Bloodline
K.C. Kean
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Enemies to lovers
Books like Deceit, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Deceit?
Deceit spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 5 of 5 (No light).
What are the Deceit trigger warnings?
Graphic: Bullying, Stalking, Psychological abuse, Violence, Abuse, Murder, Blood, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Cheating. 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 15 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Deceit dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Deceit scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in Deceit?
On this shelf Deceit is filed under Dark academy romance, Enemies to lovers, Secret society romance, Why choose / reverse harem and Dark academia romance.
Who is Deceit for?
For readers hunting academy and enemies to lovers with explicit spice. Read the warnings first.
What are some books like Deceit?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: You're Next by Tate James; F*ck You: Term One by Crystal North; Endless Anger by Sav R. Miller; The Wallflower by J.L. Beck; When Sinners Play by Eva Ashwood; Vicious Secret by Morgan Bridges. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/deceit.
Is Deceit a standalone?
No. Deceit is book 1 of 1 in the Gallows Hill series by Katelyn Taylor.
What order should I read the Gallows Hill series in?
1. Deceit.
How many books are in the Gallows Hill series?
The Gallows Hill series by Katelyn Taylor has 1 main book.
What is the Deceit age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 5/5 (no light). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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