The Eating Woods · 2025
EldritchSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Keri Lake
Spice 3/5 (Hot) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 1 trigger warning flagged
Eldritch is book 2 of The Eating Woods by Keri Lake. It came out in 2025. The lane here is captive, romantasy, fantasy and gothic. Spice is open door (3 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: 9 September 2025 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 2 of The Eating Woods.
Eldritch tropes
On this shelf, Eldritch is filed under Captive romance, Dark romantasy, Dark fantasy romance and Gothic romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Eldritch spice level
Is Eldritch dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Eldritch scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Eldritch 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 Eldritch trigger warnings
The Eating Woods reading order
Eldritch is book 2 of 2 in Keri Lake's The Eating Woods series. Start with Anathema.
- Book 1 Anathema · 2024
- Book 2 Eldritch (this book) · 2025
Order checked against the Goodreads The Eating Woods series page on 13 October 2026. The The Eating Woods 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 Eldritch
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- A Dawn of Onyx
A Dawn of Onyx
Kate Golden
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark romantasy, Dark fantasy romance
- Bonds of Cupidity
Bonds of Cupidity
Raven Kennedy
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark fantasy romance, Dark romantasy
- Can't Fix Cupid
Can't Fix Cupid
Raven Kennedy
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark fantasy romance, Dark romantasy
- Phantasma
Phantasma
Kaylie Smith
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark romantasy, Dark fantasy romance
- Born Sinner
Born Sinner
S.L. Jennings
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Captive romance, Dark fantasy romance
- Curse of Dracula
Curse of Dracula
Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Dark fantasy romance, Gothic romance
- Fervor
Fervor
Meg Smitherman
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Dark romantasy, Gothic romance
- Bonetide
Bonetide
Karina Halle
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Dark romantasy, Gothic romance
Books like Eldritch, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Eldritch?
Eldritch spice level is 3 of 5 (Hot). Open door. The scene stays. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Eldritch trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Captivity. Minor: none flagged. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is Eldritch dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Eldritch scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Eldritch?
On this shelf Eldritch is filed under Captive romance, Dark romantasy, Dark fantasy romance and Gothic romance.
Who is Eldritch for?
For a reader who wants captivity and a captor who wants more. Spice is hot. Darkness is pitch. Warnings are not yet verified, so check the author's note first.
What are some books like Eldritch?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden; Bonds of Cupidity by Raven Kennedy; Can't Fix Cupid by Raven Kennedy; Phantasma by Kaylie Smith; Born Sinner by S.L. Jennings; Curse of Dracula by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/eldritch.
Is Eldritch a standalone?
No. Eldritch is book 2 of 2 in the The Eating Woods series by Keri Lake. The series starts with Anathema.
What order should I read the The Eating Woods series in?
1. Anathema; 2. Eldritch.
How many books are in the The Eating Woods series?
The The Eating Woods series by Keri Lake has 2 main books.
What is the Eldritch age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 3/5 (hot) 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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