Ruthless Creatures

Geissinger’s four Queens & Monsters novels position their women protagonists as “queens” and their male romantic interests, who are always affiliated with various mafia organizations, as “monsters.” Because the series features violent antiheroes as romantic partners, it is part of the dark-romance subgenre. The novels’ two-word titles—Ruthless Creatures (2021), Carnal Urges (2021), Savage Hearts (2021), and Brutal Vows (2022)—highlight the series interest in The Irrationality of Sexual Desire. As is typical of the genre, the passion that characters experience for one another defies explanation and transgresses concerns about relationship red flags. 

By ending Ruthless Creatures with an epilogue in the voice of Sloane, Geissinger sets up Carnal Urges, which centers Sloane’s story. In Ruthless Creatures, Sloane prioritizes varied sexual experiences and enjoys relationship instability: As Nat quips, “There’s nothing more the girl loves than drama. Well, dick. But also drama” (221). In Carnal Urges, the kidnapped Sloane undergoes a character transformation when she falls in love with her kidnapper, Declan, a member of the Irish mafia. Sloane begins to value commitment, which tempers her inclination toward casual sex.

Sloane and Declan’s wedding leads to Savage Hearts, which centers Sloane’s sister, Riley, and Malek, a member of the Bratva. Like the first two novels, which show Women Humanizing Brutal Men, Savage Hearts depicts a woman revealing the emotional vulnerabilities of a monstrous organized crime enforcer. This dynamic creates a paradoxical portrait of masculinity, with the female characters attracted to men who are simultaneously violent and threatening yet caring and empathetic. For example, in Ruthless Creatures, Nat admires Kage for going “full Alpha mode” during sex but also is moved when he expresses empathy over her situation with David (420). 

Brutal Vows also portrays a romantic interest who exhibit traits of both toxic and positive masculinity. In it, 38-year-old Spider refuses an arranged marriage with an 18-year-old woman because this age gap would create an unhealthy power imbalance. Instead, Spider falls in love with a woman his own age; she, in turn, softens the volatile Spider. Since female protagonists in the novel tame the men they connect with, the series establishes a power dynamic where the “queens” ultimately control the “monsters.”