Harrow Faire · 2020
The RingmasterSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 10 trigger warnings flagged
Kathryn Ann Kingsley published The Ringmaster in 2020. It is book 4 of Harrow Faire. Expect morally grey, romantasy and enemies to lovers. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are sexual assault, death, blood. 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 4 of Harrow Faire.
The Ringmaster tropes
On this shelf, The Ringmaster is filed under Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy and Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Ringmaster spice level
Is The Ringmaster dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Ringmaster scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
The Ringmaster trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 9 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: sexual content, schizophrenia/psychosis, mental illness, toxic relationship, injury/injury detail, alcohol, body horror, panic attacks/disorders, cursing, suicide. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (10) — 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 Ringmaster trigger warnings
Harrow Faire reading order
The Ringmaster is book 4 of 3 in Kathryn Ann Kingsley's Harrow Faire series. Start with The Puppeteer.
- Book 2 The Puppeteer · 2020
- Book 3 The Clown · 2020
- Book 4 The Ringmaster (this book) · 2020
Order checked against the Goodreads Harrow Faire series page on 13 October 2026. The Harrow Faire 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 The Ringmaster
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Shadows So Cruel
Shadows So Cruel
Liv Zander
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy
- Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Melissa K. Roehrich
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy
- How Does It Feel?
How Does It Feel?
Jeneane O'Riley
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy
- The Ever King
The Ever King
LJ Andrews
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes
- The Throne of Broken Gods
The Throne of Broken Gods
Amber V. Nicole
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes
- The Wrath of the Fallen
The Wrath of the Fallen
Amber V. Nicole
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy
- A Soul to Heal
A Soul to Heal
Opal Reyne
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Enemies to lovers, Morally grey heroes
- Barbi and the Villain
Barbi and the Villain
Veronica Lancet
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy
Books like The Ringmaster, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Ringmaster?
The Ringmaster 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 The Ringmaster trigger warnings?
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Blood, Torture, Murder, Psychological abuse, Gore, Violence, Captivity, Abuse. 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 9 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is The Ringmaster dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Ringmaster scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in The Ringmaster?
On this shelf The Ringmaster is filed under Morally grey heroes, Dark romantasy and Enemies to lovers.
Who is The Ringmaster for?
For a reader who wants morally grey and romantasy with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start. Start earlier in Harrow Faire if you can.
What are some books like The Ringmaster?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Shadows So Cruel by Liv Zander; Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich; How Does It Feel? by Jeneane O'Riley; The Ever King by LJ Andrews; The Throne of Broken Gods by Amber V. Nicole; The Wrath of the Fallen by Amber V. Nicole. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-ringmaster.
Is The Ringmaster a standalone?
No. The Ringmaster is book 4 of 3 in the Harrow Faire series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. The series starts with The Puppeteer.
What order should I read the Harrow Faire series in?
2. The Puppeteer; 3. The Clown; 4. The Ringmaster.
How many books are in the Harrow Faire series?
The Harrow Faire series by Kathryn Ann Kingsley has 3 main books.
What is the The Ringmaster 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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