Hate & Love Duet · 2020
He Hates MeSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 2 trigger warnings flagged
He Hates Me is book 1 of Hate & Love Duet by Isabella Starling, first out in 2020. The lane here is mafia, stalker and enemies to lovers. 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: 9 April 2020 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 1 of Hate & Love Duet.
He Hates Me tropes
On this shelf, He Hates Me is filed under Mafia dark romance, Stalker romance and Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
He Hates Me spice level
Is He Hates Me dark romance?
Yes, firmly. He Hates Me scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
He Hates Me 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 He Hates Me trigger warnings
Hate & Love Duet reading order
He Hates Me is book 1 of 2 in Isabella Starling's Hate & Love Duet series. Start here.
- Book 1 He Hates Me (this book) · 2020
- Book 2 He Hates Me Not · 2020
Order checked against the Goodreads Hate & Love Duet series page on 13 October 2026. The Hate & Love Duet 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 He Hates Me
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- He Hates Me Not
He Hates Me Not
Isabella Starling
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Stalker romance
- Innocence
Innocence
Lee Savino
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Stalker romance
- The Maddest Obsession
The Maddest Obsession
Danielle Lori
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Awakening
Awakening
Lee Savino
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Buttons & Hate
Buttons & Hate
Penelope Sky
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Descent
Descent
Sam Mariano
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Stalker romance, Enemies to lovers
- Guns n' Boys: Book 1, Part 1
Guns n' Boys: Book 1, Part 1
K.A. Merikan
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Her Saint
Her Saint
Harmony West
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Stalker romance, Enemies to lovers
Books like He Hates Me, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of He Hates Me?
He Hates 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 He Hates Me trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Stalking, Murder. Minor: none flagged. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is He Hates Me dark romance?
Yes, firmly. He Hates Me scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in He Hates Me?
On this shelf He Hates Me is filed under Mafia dark romance, Stalker romance and Enemies to lovers.
Who is He Hates Me 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 He Hates Me?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: He Hates Me Not by Isabella Starling; Innocence by Lee Savino; The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori; Awakening by Lee Savino; Buttons & Hate by Penelope Sky; Descent by Sam Mariano. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/he-hates-me.
Is He Hates Me a standalone?
No. He Hates Me is book 1 of 2 in the Hate & Love Duet series by Isabella Starling.
What order should I read the Hate & Love Duet series in?
1. He Hates Me; 2. He Hates Me Not.
How many books are in the Hate & Love Duet series?
The Hate & Love Duet series by Isabella Starling has 2 main books.
What is the He Hates 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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