Chicago Bratva · 2020
The DirectorSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Renee Rose
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 3/5 (Dark) · 1 trigger warning flagged
From Renee Rose, 2020: The Director, book 1 of Chicago Bratva. Readers shelve it for mafia, Bratva, possessive hero and enemies to lovers. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 3 (dark). The heaviest flags readers report are kidnapping. 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 1 of Chicago Bratva.
The Director tropes
On this shelf, The Director is filed under Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance, Possessive heroes and Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Director spice level
Is The Director dark romance?
Yes. The Director scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More dark books. How we rate.
The Director 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: sexual content, pregnancy. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (1) — 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 Director trigger warnings
Chicago Bratva reading order
The Director is book 1 of 1 in Renee Rose's Chicago Bratva series. Start here.
- Book 1 The Director (this book) · 2020
Order checked against the StoryGraph Chicago Bratva 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 Director
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- An Indecent Proposal
An Indecent Proposal
Katee Robert
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance
- Heartless Beloved
Heartless Beloved
Lola King
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Keeping Lily
Keeping Lily
Izzy Sweet
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Sinners Consumed
Sinners Consumed
Somme Sketcher
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- The Dominator
The Dominator
D.D. Prince
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- He Hates Me Not
He Hates Me Not
Isabella Starling
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Sweet Captivity
Sweet Captivity
Julia Sykes
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Tears of Betrayal
Tears of Betrayal
Michelle Heard
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●○○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance
Books like The Director, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Director?
The Director spice level is 4 of 5 (Explicit). On-page sex, clearly written. Darkness is a separate score: 3 of 5 (Dark).
What are the The Director trigger warnings?
Graphic: Kidnapping. 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 Director dark romance?
Yes. The Director scores 3 of 5 on our darkness scale (Dark). Harm is part of the romance, not a footnote.
What tropes are in The Director?
On this shelf The Director is filed under Mafia dark romance, Bratva romance, Possessive heroes and Enemies to lovers.
Who is The Director for?
For readers hunting mafia and Bratva with explicit spice. Look at the warnings before you commit.
What are some books like The Director?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: An Indecent Proposal by Katee Robert; Heartless Beloved by Lola King; Keeping Lily by Izzy Sweet; Sinners Consumed by Somme Sketcher; The Dominator by D.D. Prince; He Hates Me Not by Isabella Starling. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-director.
Is The Director a standalone?
No. The Director is book 1 of 1 in the Chicago Bratva series by Renee Rose.
What order should I read the Chicago Bratva series in?
1. The Director.
How many books are in the Chicago Bratva series?
The Chicago Bratva series by Renee Rose has 1 main book.
What is the The Director age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 4/5 (explicit) and darkness at 3/5 (dark). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
Join on Patreon for the Zade Masked serial.