Crooked Sinners · 2020
Riot RulesSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Callie Hart
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 6 trigger warnings flagged
From Callie Hart, 2020: Riot Rules, book 2 of Crooked Sinners. The pull here is mafia, enemies to lovers, morally grey and academy. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are sexual assault, death, abuse. 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: 2020. Book 2 of Crooked Sinners.
Riot Rules tropes
On this shelf, Riot Rules is filed under Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes and Dark academy romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Riot Rules spice level
Is Riot Rules dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Riot Rules scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
Riot Rules trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 6 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: drug abuse, drug use, sexual content, addiction, adult/minor relationship, medical trauma, alcohol. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (6) — 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 Riot Rules trigger warnings
Crooked Sinners reading order
Riot Rules is book 2 of 4 in Callie Hart's Crooked Sinners series. Start with Riot House.
- Book 1 Riot House · 2020
- Book 2 Riot Rules (this book)
- Book 3 Riot Act · 2021 not on our shelf yet
- Book 4 Riot Reunion · 2023 not on our shelf yet
Order checked against the Goodreads Crooked Sinners series page on 9 October 2026. The Crooked Sinners 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 Riot Rules
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- The Truths We Burn
The Truths We Burn
Monty Jay
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- Burn With Me
Burn With Me
Lucy Smoke
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- You're Next
You're Next
Tate James
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- Kiss the Villain
Kiss the Villain
Rina Kent
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Enemies to lovers
- Moments of Malevolence
Moments of Malevolence
T.L. Smith
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Morally grey heroes
- Endless Anger
Endless Anger
Sav R. Miller
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark academy romance, Enemies to lovers
- North of the Stars
North of the Stars
Monica James
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Binding Rose
Binding Rose
Ivy Fox
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
Books like Riot Rules, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Riot Rules?
Riot Rules 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 Riot Rules trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Abuse, Violence, Murder, Blood. 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 6 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Riot Rules dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. Riot Rules scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in Riot Rules?
On this shelf Riot Rules is filed under Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes and Dark academy romance.
Who is Riot Rules for?
Pick this up if you want mafia and enemies to lovers with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start. Start earlier in Crooked Sinners if you can.
What are some books like Riot Rules?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: The Truths We Burn by Monty Jay; Burn With Me by Lucy Smoke; You're Next by Tate James; Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent; Moments of Malevolence by T.L. Smith; Endless Anger by Sav R. Miller. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/riot-rules.
Is Riot Rules a standalone?
No. Riot Rules is book 2 of 4 in the Crooked Sinners series by Callie Hart. The series starts with Riot House.
What order should I read the Crooked Sinners series in?
1. Riot House; 2. Riot Rules; 3. Riot Act; 4. Riot Reunion.
How many books are in the Crooked Sinners series?
The Crooked Sinners series by Callie Hart has 4 main books.
What is the Riot Rules 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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