Scorpion Kings · 2025
The Demons we HideSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Lucy Smoke
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 2 trigger warnings flagged
Lucy Smoke published The Demons we Hide in 2025. It is book 2 of Scorpion Kings. Expect enemies to lovers, morally grey, why choose and academy. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 4 (very dark). The heaviest flags readers report are sexual assault, 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: 2025. Book 2 of Scorpion Kings.
The Demons we Hide tropes
On this shelf, The Demons we Hide is filed under Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes, Why choose / reverse harem and Dark academy romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Demons we Hide spice level
Is The Demons we Hide dark romance?
Yes, firmly. The Demons we Hide scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
The Demons we Hide trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 6 readers), grouped by us. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (2) — 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 The Demons we Hide trigger warnings
Scorpion Kings reading order
The Demons we Hide is book 2 of 1 in Lucy Smoke's Scorpion Kings series. Start here.
- Book 2 The Demons we Hide (this book) · 2025
Order checked against the StoryGraph Scorpion Kings 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 The Demons we Hide
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- You're Next
You're Next
Tate James
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Morally grey heroes
- Boys Who Hunt
Boys Who Hunt
Clarissa Wild
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Why choose / reverse harem
- Faking It with the Forward
Faking It with the Forward
Angel Lawson
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Dark academy romance
- The Raven Queen's Harem
The Raven Queen's Harem
Angel Lawson
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Dark academy romance
- My Bloodline
My Bloodline
K.C. Kean
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Enemies to lovers
- Bitter Burn
Bitter Burn
Sierra Simone
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes
- Sinner's Secret
Sinner's Secret
K. Loraine, Meg Anne
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes
- Allison Shatters the Looking-Glass
Allison Shatters the Looking-Glass
C.M. Stunich
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Why choose / reverse harem, Dark academy romance
Books like The Demons we Hide, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Demons we Hide?
The Demons we Hide spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the The Demons we Hide trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence. 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 The Demons we Hide dark romance?
Yes, firmly. The Demons we Hide scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in The Demons we Hide?
On this shelf The Demons we Hide is filed under Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes, Why choose / reverse harem and Dark academy romance.
Who is The Demons we Hide for?
For a reader who wants enemies to lovers and morally grey with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start. Start earlier in Scorpion Kings if you can.
What are some books like The Demons we Hide?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: You're Next by Tate James; Boys Who Hunt by Clarissa Wild; Faking It with the Forward by Angel Lawson; The Raven Queen's Harem by Angel Lawson; My Bloodline by K.C. Kean; Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-demons-we-hide.
Is The Demons we Hide a standalone?
No. The Demons we Hide is book 2 of 1 in the Scorpion Kings series by Lucy Smoke.
What order should I read the Scorpion Kings series in?
2. The Demons we Hide.
How many books are in the Scorpion Kings series?
The Scorpion Kings series by Lucy Smoke has 1 main book.
What is the The Demons we Hide 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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