Ruthless Creatures

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What did you think of Ruthless Creatures? Do you like Nat and Kage’s story? Did it make you want to read the other books in the series?

2. Were there any specific moments in Ruthless Creatures that you especially liked or disliked? What did you think of the violence? How did you react to the sex scenes?

3. If you’ve read another book in the Queens & Monsters series, how do the main female and male characters differ or stay the same? If you’ve read one of J. T. Geissinger stand-alone novels, like Perfect Strangers (2019), can you compare Olivia and James to Kage and Nat?

4. How does the dark-romance genre compare to other kinds of genre fiction that it borrows from? For example, how would you relate Geissinger’s work to a cozy mystery like Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club (2020) or Lisa Scottoline’s mafia crime novel Loyalty (2023)?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How relatable or realistic did you find Nat and Sloane’s friendship? How do their bawdy and honest conversations compare to the ones you’ve experienced in your relationships? 

2. Have you ever gotten close to a person who was dangerous or otherwise inadvisable to get close to? How did you navigate this connection in the face of social disapproval or your own self-protective instincts?

3. Did you find it believable that Kage’s life of murder for hire does not preclude him from being a redeemable love interest? How does Nat’s attraction to this violent man compare to your own feelings about people who pose a threat?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the book connect to current debates about the power dynamics of sex and gender? Do Nat and Kage complicate or simply reinforce traditional stereotypes about male and female roles in relationships?

2. How does Geissinger’s presentation of the Bratva compare to other portrayals of organized crime? Why do you think these syndicates have been depicted as noble or following codes of honor in both this novel and in fiction like Mario Puzzo’s The Godfather (1968)?

3. How do the sex scenes between Nat and Kage reflect contemporary conversations about consent, exploration of kink, and sex positivity?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Why does Geissinger use two first-person narrators? How does this structure favor Nat’s voice? How does Nat’s dominance as the chronicler of her relationship with Kage reinforce and subvert gender norms?

2. How do the novel’s secondary and minor characters function in the character development of the protagonists? What role does Sloane play in Nat’s transformation? How do the other members of the Bratva show Kage changing internally?

3. How does the book present overwhelming sexual attraction as a tool of characterization, a motivation for character growth, and an indicator of long-term partnership material? 

4. Find places where the novel uses foreshadowing to hint to readers what is coming next. Why does Geissinger rely on this technique so often? How does it affect the reading experience?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Geissinger includes a playlist that features a variety of songs. How do they connect to the plot? Create your own playlist with different music. How do your songs capture the story?

2. If you were casting the movie version of Ruthless Creatures, would Momoa play Kage, as minor character Diane suggests? What about Nat, Sloane, Chris, and David?

3. Nat is a painter; one of her paintings leads her to David. If you were tasked with creating an art show based on the novel, what style and genre of paintings would you use to represent Nat’s artwork?

4. David writes Nat a letter to give her a clue about his whereabouts. Turn the moment into a game among your book club. Write each other letters that contain clues that lead to something tangible.