The Hollow Boys · 2022
The Truths We BurnSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Monty Jay
Spice 4/5 (Explicit) · Darkness 5/5 (No light) · 10 trigger warnings flagged
From Monty Jay, 2022: The Truths We Burn, book 2 of The Hollow Boys. The pull here is mafia, revenge, possessive hero, morally grey, enemies to lovers and academy. We score it spice 4 (explicit) and darkness 5 (pitch black). The heaviest flags readers report are murder, violence, grief. 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: 2022. Book 2 of The Hollow Boys.
The Truths We Burn tropes
On this shelf, The Truths We Burn is filed under Mafia dark romance, Revenge romance, Possessive heroes, Morally grey heroes, Enemies to lovers and Dark academy romance. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
The Truths We Burn spice level
Is The Truths We Burn dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Truths We Burn scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More no light books. How we rate.
The Truths We Burn trigger warnings
Book-specific flags taken from reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 37 readers), grouped by us. Also on that list: self harm, fire/fire injury, trafficking, sexual content, schizophrenia/psychosis, suicide attempt, pedophilia, death of parent, forced institutionalization, suicidal thoughts. See the reader-submitted list.
Graphic (9) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full The Truths We Burn trigger warnings
The Hollow Boys reading order
The Truths We Burn is book 2 of 5 in Monty Jay's The Hollow Boys series. Start with The Lies We Steal.
- Book 1 The Lies We Steal · 2021
- Book 2 The Truths We Burn (this book) · 2022
- Book 3 The Blood We Crave: Part One · 2022
- Book 4 The Blood We Crave: Part Two · 2023
- Book 5 The Oath We Give · 2023
Order checked against the StoryGraph The Hollow Boys series page on 13 October 2026. The The Hollow Boys 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 Truths We Burn
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Possessive Enemy
Possessive Enemy
Michelle Heard
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Riot Rules
Riot Rules
Callie Hart
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Enemies to lovers
- Devil from Moscow
Devil from Moscow
Sonja Grey
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Revenge romance
- Driving My Obsession
Driving My Obsession
Lauren Biel
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Revenge romance, Possessive heroes
- The Blood We Crave: Part Two
The Blood We Crave: Part Two
Monty Jay
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Revenge romance, Morally grey heroes
- The Lies We Steal
The Lies We Steal
Monty Jay
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Dark academy romance, Revenge romance
- Vicious Secret
Vicious Secret
Morgan Bridges
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●●
Shared: Possessive heroes, Morally grey heroes
- When He Desires
When He Desires
Gabrielle Sands
Spice ●●●●○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Mafia dark romance, Possessive heroes
Books like The Truths We Burn, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of The Truths We Burn?
The Truths We Burn 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 Truths We Burn trigger warnings?
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Grief, Blood, Abuse, Death, Torture, Gore, Psychological abuse. Moderate: Sexual assault. Minor: none flagged. These are book-specific flags reported by readers on reader-submitted content warnings on The StoryGraph (top flag reported by 37 readers), grouped by us. The author's own note may list more. Read it before you start.
Is The Truths We Burn dark romance?
Yes, at the very dark end. The Truths We Burn scores 5 of 5 on our darkness scale (No light). The book is not interested in pulling the punch.
What tropes are in The Truths We Burn?
On this shelf The Truths We Burn is filed under Mafia dark romance, Revenge romance, Possessive heroes, Morally grey heroes, Enemies to lovers and Dark academy romance.
Who is The Truths We Burn for?
For a reader who wants mafia and revenge with explicit spice. Check the trigger warnings before you start. Start earlier in The Hollow Boys if you can.
What are some books like The Truths We Burn?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Possessive Enemy by Michelle Heard; Riot Rules by Callie Hart; Devil from Moscow by Sonja Grey; Driving My Obsession by Lauren Biel; The Blood We Crave: Part Two by Monty Jay; The Lies We Steal by Monty Jay. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/the-truths-we-burn.
Is The Truths We Burn a standalone?
No. The Truths We Burn is book 2 of 5 in the The Hollow Boys series by Monty Jay. The series starts with The Lies We Steal.
What order should I read the The Hollow Boys series in?
1. The Lies We Steal; 2. The Truths We Burn; 3. The Blood We Crave: Part One; 4. The Blood We Crave: Part Two; 5. The Oath We Give.
How many books are in the The Hollow Boys series?
The The Hollow Boys series by Monty Jay has 5 main books.
What is the The Truths We Burn 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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