Dear Reader: Devil’s Backbone, Book 1

Name: Dear Reader: Devil’s Backbone, Book 1
Author: Tate James

Amazon Bestseller · #87 in Polyamory Romance

Tate James

Book 1 in the Devil's Backbone, 1 series · Reading order →

SpiceDarkness

How we rate spice & darkness

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Spice & darkness rated — content warnings listed below

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Why we recommend it

An intimate, obsessive dark romance that addresses the reader directly and pulls them into a dangerous fixation. Expect a possessive, morally grey love interest, a creeping sense of being watched, and a tension that tightens with every page. Readers who crave stalker-tinged intensity, forbidden longing, and the unsettling thrill of being someone's whole obsession will want to crack the spine of this series opener.

At a glance

Dear Reader is a dark academia romance by Tate James. It rates 4/5 for spice and 4/5 for darkness, mid-range for dark academia romance: of the 191 dark academia romance books we rate, 28% score lower for darkness and 56% lower for spice. Tropes: stalker, slow burn and forbidden romance. It is darker than Tate James’s other books on Readark (average darkness 3.5/5). 1 content warning is listed below, hidden until you tap.

Tropes

Forbidden Romance Morally Grey MC Possessive-Obsessive MC Slow Burn Stalker

Book details

Published: May 2025

Dear Reader spice level

Dear Reader is rated 4/5 for spice on Readark’s scale: explicit and frequent, meaning multiple detailed scenes, with heat central to the story. Its darkness rating is 4/5: heavy, meaning sustained cruelty, trauma or non-consent central to the relationship. How we rate