Royal Hearts Academy · 2020
Ruthless KnightSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Ashley Jade
Spice 3/5 (Hot) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 1 trigger warning flagged
Ruthless Knight is book 2 of Royal Hearts Academy by Ashley Jade, first out in 2020. Expect enemies to lovers. Spice is open door (3 of 5) and the darkness is pitch dark (4 of 5). We took the warnings from the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 20 January 2020 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 2 of Royal Hearts Academy.
Ruthless Knight tropes
On this shelf, Ruthless Knight is filed under Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Ruthless Knight spice level
Is Ruthless Knight dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Ruthless Knight scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Ruthless Knight trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list, grouped by us. Also on that list: drug or alcohol use, eating disorder. See the reader-submitted list.
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 Ruthless Knight trigger warnings
Royal Hearts Academy reading order
Ruthless Knight is book 2 of 1 in Ashley Jade's Royal Hearts Academy series. Start here.
- Book 2 Ruthless Knight (this book) · 2020
Order checked against the Goodreads Royal Hearts Academy series page on 13 October 2026.
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 Ruthless Knight
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- All the Little Lies
All the Little Lies
S.J. Sylvis
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Bad Boy Blues
Bad Boy Blues
Saffron A. Kent
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Bad Habit
Bad Habit
Charleigh Rose
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Amelia Wilde
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- The Peer and the Puppet
The Peer and the Puppet
B. B. Reid
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- The Touch of a Villain
The Touch of a Villain
Holly Renee
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Truly
Truly
Carmel Rhodes
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
- Until You
Until You
Penelope Douglas
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers
Books like Ruthless Knight, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Ruthless Knight?
Ruthless Knight spice level is 3 of 5 (Hot). Open door. The scene stays. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Ruthless Knight trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Bullying. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on the Trigger Warning Database, a reader-run list, grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is Ruthless Knight dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Ruthless Knight scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Ruthless Knight?
On this shelf Ruthless Knight is filed under Enemies to lovers.
Who is Ruthless Knight for?
For a reader who wants hate that tips over into wanting. Spice is hot. Darkness is pitch. Read the warnings on this page before you start.
What are some books like Ruthless Knight?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis; Bad Boy Blues by Saffron A. Kent; Bad Habit by Charleigh Rose; The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Amelia Wilde; The Peer and the Puppet by B. B. Reid; The Touch of a Villain by Holly Renee. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/ruthless-knight.
Is Ruthless Knight a standalone?
No. Ruthless Knight is book 2 of 1 in the Royal Hearts Academy series by Ashley Jade.
What order should I read the Royal Hearts Academy series in?
2. Ruthless Knight.
How many books are in the Royal Hearts Academy series?
The Royal Hearts Academy series by Ashley Jade has 1 main book.
What is the Ruthless Knight 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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