Secrets and the City · 2022
Fatal CureSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 4 trigger warnings flagged
Fatal Cure is book 2 of Secrets and the City by Kathy Lockheart, first out in 2022. It sits in the mafia, cartel, captive, enemies to lovers and romantic suspense corner of the shelf. 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: 8 March 2022 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 2 of Secrets and the City.
Fatal Cure tropes
On this shelf, Fatal Cure is filed under Mafia dark romance, Cartel romance, Captive romance, Enemies to lovers and Romantic suspense. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Fatal Cure spice level
Is Fatal Cure dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Fatal Cure scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Fatal Cure 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.
Full Fatal Cure trigger warnings
Secrets and the City reading order
Fatal Cure is book 2 of 2 in Kathy Lockheart's Secrets and the City series. Start with Deadly Illusion.
- Book 1 Deadly Illusion · 2021
- Book 2 Fatal Cure (this book) · 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 Fatal Cure
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Skeletons of Society
Skeletons of Society
Marie Maravilla
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Cartel romance
- A Little Bit Dirty
A Little Bit Dirty
Willow Winters
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Captive romance
- A London Villain
A London Villain
Catherine Wiltcher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Cartel romance
- A Single Glance
A Single Glance
Willow Winters
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Captive romance
- Bad Blood
Bad Blood
Catherine Wiltcher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Cartel romance
- Breathless
Breathless
Giana Darling
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Captive romance
- Broken
Broken
Ker Dukey
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Captive romance
- Dark Mafia Prince
Dark Mafia Prince
Annika Martin
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Captive romance, Romantic suspense
Books like Fatal Cure, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Fatal Cure?
Fatal Cure spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Fatal Cure trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Captivity. Minor: Organised crime, Crime, Death. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is Fatal Cure dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Fatal Cure scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Fatal Cure?
On this shelf Fatal Cure is filed under Mafia dark romance, Cartel romance, Captive romance, Enemies to lovers and Romantic suspense.
Who is Fatal Cure for?
For a reader who wants made men and a family business you do not walk away from. Spice is explicit. Darkness is pitch. Warnings are not yet verified, so check the author's note first.
What are some books like Fatal Cure?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Skeletons of Society by Marie Maravilla; A Little Bit Dirty by Willow Winters; A London Villain by Catherine Wiltcher; A Single Glance by Willow Winters; Bad Blood by Catherine Wiltcher; Breathless by Giana Darling. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/fatal-cure.
Is Fatal Cure a standalone?
No. Fatal Cure is book 2 of 2 in the Secrets and the City series by Kathy Lockheart. The series starts with Deadly Illusion.
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 Fatal Cure 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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