Dark Hearts · 2023
Deviant HeartsSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Jagger Cole
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 7 trigger warnings flagged
From Jagger Cole, 2023: Deviant Hearts, book 1 of Dark Hearts. The pull here is mafia, enemies to lovers, war, morally grey and arranged marriage. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are violence, sexual assault, 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 Dark Hearts.
Deviant Hearts tropes
On this shelf, Deviant Hearts is filed under Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers, War romance, Morally grey heroes and Arranged marriage. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Deviant Hearts spice level
Is Deviant Hearts dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Deviant Hearts scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
Deviant Hearts trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 16 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, gun violence, body horror, death of parent, injury/injury detail, medical content, cursing. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (7) — 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 Deviant Hearts trigger warnings
Dark Hearts reading order
Deviant Hearts is book 1 of 1 in Jagger Cole's Dark Hearts series. Start here.
- Book 1 Deviant Hearts (this book) · 2023
Order checked against the StoryGraph Dark Hearts 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 Deviant Hearts
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Bad Bishop
Bad Bishop
L.J. Shen
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- North of the Stars
North of the Stars
Monica James
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
- Dante
Dante
Sadie Kincaid
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
- Anastasia
Anastasia
Sophie Lark
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
- Bloody Heart
Bloody Heart
Sophie Lark
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
- Brutalize Me
Brutalize Me
Michelle Heard
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, War romance
- Girl in Black and White
Girl in Black and White
Danielle Lori
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
- The Darkest Temptation
The Darkest Temptation
Danielle Lori
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Arranged marriage
Books like Deviant Hearts, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Deviant Hearts?
Deviant Hearts 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 Deviant Hearts trigger warnings?
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Torture. 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 16 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Deviant Hearts dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Deviant Hearts scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in Deviant Hearts?
On this shelf Deviant Hearts is filed under Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers, War romance, Morally grey heroes and Arranged marriage.
Who is Deviant Hearts for?
For a reader who wants mafia and enemies to lovers with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start.
What are some books like Deviant Hearts?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Bad Bishop by L.J. Shen; North of the Stars by Monica James; Dante by Sadie Kincaid; Anastasia by Sophie Lark; Bloody Heart by Sophie Lark; Brutalize Me by Michelle Heard. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/deviant-hearts.
Is Deviant Hearts a standalone?
No. Deviant Hearts is book 1 of 1 in the Dark Hearts series by Jagger Cole.
What order should I read the Dark Hearts series in?
1. Deviant Hearts.
How many books are in the Dark Hearts series?
The Dark Hearts series by Jagger Cole has 1 main book.
What is the Deviant Hearts 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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