Corrupted Royals · 2023
Destroy MeSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 6 trigger warnings flagged
From Michelle Heard, 2023: Destroy Me, book 1 of Corrupted Royals. The pull here is mafia, Bratva, enemies to lovers, morally grey and forbidden. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 4 (very dark). The heaviest flags readers report are torture, violence, blood. 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: 2023. Book 1 of Corrupted Royals.
Destroy Me tropes
On this shelf, Destroy Me is filed under Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance, Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes and Forbidden romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Destroy Me spice level
Is Destroy Me dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Destroy Me scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Destroy Me trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 10 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, gun violence, injury/injury detail. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (6) — 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.
Full Destroy Me trigger warnings
Corrupted Royals reading order
Destroy Me is book 1 of 3 in Michelle Heard's Corrupted Royals series. Start here.
- Book 1 Destroy Me (this book) · 2023
- Book 2 Control Me · 2023
- Book 3 Brutalize Me · 2023
Order checked against the StoryGraph Corrupted Royals series page on 13 October 2026. The Corrupted Royals 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 Destroy Me
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Control Me
Control Me
Michelle Heard
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance
- Burn With Me
Burn With Me
Lucy Smoke
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Forbidden romance
- Heavy
Heavy
M.L. Burns
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- By Fate I Conquer
By Fate I Conquer
Cora Reilly
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Lies of My Monster
Lies of My Monster
Rina Kent
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- Sinners Anonymous
Sinners Anonymous
Somme Sketcher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- A London Villain
A London Villain
Catherine Wiltcher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Anastasia
Anastasia
Sophie Lark
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
Books like Destroy Me, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Destroy Me?
Destroy Me spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Destroy Me trigger warnings?
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Captivity. 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 10 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Destroy Me dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Destroy Me scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Destroy Me?
On this shelf Destroy Me is filed under Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance, Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes and Forbidden romance.
Who is Destroy Me for?
Pick this up if you want mafia and Bratva with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start.
What are some books like Destroy Me?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Control Me by Michelle Heard; Burn With Me by Lucy Smoke; Heavy by M.L. Burns; By Fate I Conquer by Cora Reilly; Lies of My Monster by Rina Kent; Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/destroy-me.
Is Destroy Me a standalone?
No. Destroy Me is book 1 of 3 in the Corrupted Royals series by Michelle Heard.
What order should I read the Corrupted Royals series in?
1. Destroy Me; 2. Control Me; 3. Brutalize Me.
How many books are in the Corrupted Royals series?
The Corrupted Royals series by Michelle Heard has 3 main books.
What is the Destroy Me 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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