Nightshade · 2021
NightshadeSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Keri Lake
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 14 trigger warnings flagged
Nightshade is book 1 of Nightshade by Keri Lake, first published in 2021. Expect forbidden, gothic and romantasy. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are sexual assault, death, violence. 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: 2021. Book 1 of Nightshade.
Nightshade tropes
On this shelf, Nightshade is filed under Forbidden romance, Gothic romance and Dark romantasy. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Nightshade spice level
Is Nightshade dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Nightshade scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
Nightshade trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 30 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, death of parent, pregnancy, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, toxic relationship, pedophilia, vomit, suicide, body horror. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (13) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full Nightshade trigger warnings
Nightshade reading order
Nightshade is book 1 of 2 in Keri Lake's Nightshade series. Start here.
- Book 1 Nightshade (this book) · 2021
- Book 2 Infernium · 2022
Order checked against the StoryGraph Nightshade series page on 13 October 2026. The Nightshade 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 Nightshade
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Anathema
Anathema
Keri Lake
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark romantasy, Gothic romance
- Master of Salt and Bones
Master of Salt and Bones
Keri Lake
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Forbidden romance, Gothic romance
- The Lies Of Lena
The Lies Of Lena
Kylie Snow
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark romantasy
- Fairydale
Fairydale
Veronica Lancet
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Gothic romance, Dark romantasy
- How Does It Feel?
How Does It Feel?
Jeneane O'Riley
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark romantasy
- Demon with Benefits
Demon with Benefits
Aurora Ascher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Forbidden romance, Gothic romance
- The Ever King
The Ever King
LJ Andrews
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark romantasy
- Crown Me Yours
Crown Me Yours
Liv Zander
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Forbidden romance, Dark romantasy
Books like Nightshade, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Nightshade?
Nightshade 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 Nightshade trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Torture, Murder, Gore, Abuse, Religious trauma, Grief, Blood, Psychological abuse, Stalking, Kidnapping. Moderate: Captivity. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 30 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Nightshade dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Nightshade scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in Nightshade?
On this shelf Nightshade is filed under Forbidden romance, Gothic romance and Dark romantasy.
Who is Nightshade for?
For readers hunting forbidden and gothic with explicit spice. Read the warnings first.
What are some books like Nightshade?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Anathema by Keri Lake; Master of Salt and Bones by Keri Lake; The Lies Of Lena by Kylie Snow; Fairydale by Veronica Lancet; How Does It Feel? by Jeneane O'Riley; Demon with Benefits by Aurora Ascher. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/nightshade.
Is Nightshade a standalone?
No. Nightshade is book 1 of 2 in the Nightshade series by Keri Lake.
What order should I read the Nightshade series in?
1. Nightshade; 2. Infernium.
How many books are in the Nightshade series?
The Nightshade series by Keri Lake has 2 main books.
What is the Nightshade 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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