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Books Like Five Steps Ahead

If you loved Five Steps Ahead by Samantha Baca, these 12 books share its tropes (forbidden romance, morally grey MC, possessive-obsessive MC, revenge) and sit at a similar heat and darkness (it rates 3/5 for spice and 4/5 for darkness). Each pick says what it has in common, so you can choose before you buy.

Five Steps Ahead: spice level, darkness and content warnings →

1. 

   1. Righteous Enforcer: A Dark, Mafia Romance (The Dante Dynasty)

   Ajme Williams

   Shares revenge, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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2. 

   2. Broken Bonds (The Bonds that Tie Book 1)

   J Bree

   Shares slow burn, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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3. 

   3. Eternally Damned: A Vampire Romance (Eternally Series Book 2)

   January Rayne

   Shares slow burn, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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4. 

   4. Rook & Ronin Trilogy – Books 1-3: A Dark Secret Society Romance Box Set

   JA Huss

   Shares slow burn, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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5. 

   5. Debt and Retribution: A M/M Mafia Dark Romance

   Marian Black

   Shares revenge, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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6. 

   6. The Book of Azrael

   Amber V. Nicole

   Shares revenge, slow burn, forbidden romance; spice 3/5, darkness 4/5.

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7. 

   7. Dawn of the Cursed Queen: Deluxe Special Edition (Gods and Monsters)

   Amber V. Nicole

   Shares revenge, slow burn, forbidden romance; spice 3/5, darkness 4/5.

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8. 

   8. Dragon’s Kiss (Blood & Flame Saga Book 1)

   E.A. Winters

   Shares slow burn, forbidden romance, possessive-obsessive MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 3/5, darkness 3/5.

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9. 

   9. Razr: Iron Scorpions MC: A Dark MC Romance (The Outlaw Chess Series Book 3)

   Harley Diamond

   Shares revenge, morally grey MC, possessive-obsessive MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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10. 

    10. Lord of Vengeance – The Bratva Lords Series: A Forced Marriage, Secret Baby, Dark Bratva Romance

    Arianna Fraser

    Shares revenge, possessive-obsessive MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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11. 

    11. Carved: A dark, obsessive romance (The Verge Club Series Book 3)

    Heather Swell

    Shares slow burn, forbidden romance, morally grey MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 5/5, darkness 4/5.

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12. 

    12. Wicked Games: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Dark Obsession Book 1)

    Zoe Blake

    Shares revenge, morally grey MC, possessive-obsessive MC; also Forced / Arranged Marriage (Dark); spice 4/5, darkness 4/5.

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Matches are calculated from Readark’s own tags: shared tropes (rarer ones count more), subgenre, and how close the spice and darkness ratings are. Books from the same series are left out — see the reading order instead. How we rate