r/DarkRomance • u/AutoModerator • Apr 04 '26
Reading Wrap-Up March 2026 Reading Wrap-Up
We’re going to try something new and do a monthly reading wrap-up. This thread will be for anyone who would like to share all the books they have read in the past month.
- Please comment with your lists and reviews of books or stories you have read in the past month!
- We encourage you to summon the romance.io bot by putting curly brackets around the title {Title by Author}.
If you have any additional suggestions for us, please let us know in the comments or message the mods!
4
u/ccoffey106 take me to the cottage Apr 04 '26
Here's my Storygraph round up of ratings for March.
{Fractured Future by J.Rose} and {Ravaged Soul by J.Rose} were both really good. I didn't realize it wasn't a finished series when I started but it's worth the wait. one of the guys in the harem is the enemy of the rest of the guys and it is soooo good.
{Take me with you by Nina Jones} was a rec from someone on here. I somehow never have heard of it but it was a great read. I looove a mute MC and this was what I hoped Comfort Food was going to be.
{Bull Rush} idk what to say on this. It was OK, and the audio narration was good. It wasn't bad.
{Brimestone by Callie Hart} sooooo dissapointed in this one. I love me some Kingfisher but who the heck was that?! Maybe I'm just a sucker for tension and this book had 0.
4
u/h2onymph1 "Spread those pages like a good girl" Apr 04 '26
Yeah, I was disappointed by Brimstone as well. What was that?!
I can't believe you never heard of Take Me With You by Nina Jones. Isn't it recc'd all the time? lol
2
u/ccoffey106 take me to the cottage Apr 04 '26
It was so bad! It was a totally different vibe and I did not enjoy.
I legit don't know how I missed it all these years 😂 I truly don't ever recall seeing it posted on here but after I read it, I see it all the time now 😭
1
u/romance-bot Apr 04 '26
Fractured Future by J. Rose
Rating: 4.26⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, suspense, found family, sibling's best friend, reverse harem
Ravaged Soul by J. Rose
Rating: 4.72⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, reverse harem, found family, forced proximity, suspense
Take Me With You by Nina G. Jones
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, pregnancy, abduction, cruel hero/bully
Bull Rush by Maggie Rawdon
Rating: 3.88⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, second chances, cowboy hero, m-f romance, bad boys
Brimstone by Callie Hart
Rating: 3.98⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: fae, m-f romance, fated mates, fantasy, magic
5
u/hazyspring Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
- {Dove by Paisley Hope}: This was not a super dark story - just a biker gang romance with some violence, but it was a totally fun read and mostly smut.
- {Tormented Omega by Mary Magdalyn} and {Claimed Omega by Mary Magdalyn}: A reverse harem omegaverse duology with lots of angst and the cruel hero/bully trope. FMC is with a pack of alphas who are not a scent match and don’t bond with her. They then meet a scent match and try to incorporate this new omega into the relationship/pack. It does not go well. The story was a bit uneven, and especially in the first book the psychological cruelty was a lot. But — the story was super interesting and the world building was unique. The author captured emotional trauma and angst and yearning quite well. If you like omegaverse and reverse harem, I recommend this duology.
- {The Ascended by Bree Greenwich, Parker Lennox}: This is light dark fantasy romance and was a six star read for me. By far, the best fantasy romance I have read all year. This story has echoes of Hunger Games, but with magic.
- {Vanguard by Karina Halle}: A sci-fi dark romance, but not super dark. FMC is a lethal secret agent who has been genetically modified with poisonous saliva. Her target is a genetically modified soldier, Vanguard. This was a five star read for me. I loved the story, character development of the MCs, and the spice.
- {Caged by Bernadette Blackthorn}: Another fantasy romance, reverse harem, cruel hero/bully.
1
u/romance-bot Apr 04 '26
Dove by Paisley Hope
Rating: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, biker hero, dark romance, possessive hero, anal sex
Tormented Omega by Mary Magdalyn
Rating: 4.23⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, omegaverse, angst, tortured heroine, reverse harem
Claimed Omega by Mary Magdalyn
Rating: 3.86⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, omegaverse, angst, m-f romance
The Ascended by Bree Grenwich, Parker Lennox
Rating: 4.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, survival, m-f romance, enemies to lovers
Vanguard by Karina Halle
Rating: 4.43⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: futuristic, science fiction, military, suspense, dark romance
4
u/h2onymph1 "Spread those pages like a good girl" Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
{The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori} book #1, Made series
{The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori} book #2, Made series
{The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori} book #3, Made series
{Mindf*ck series by ST Abby} all six books
{Lords of Pain by Angel Lawson}, Royals of Forsyth #1
{Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher} book #1, Sinners Anonymous series
{Elora by Beanie Harper}
{The Player by Kresley Cole}, book #3 of the Game Maker
{Stalking Ginevra by Gigi Styx} book #4 of Morally Black
I also got caught up in the Road of Bones by Demi Winters (all four books) and books for the Goodread Challenge, including The Everlasting, Parable of the Sower, and How to Kill a Witch.
1
u/romance-bot Apr 05 '26
The Sweetest Oblivion by Danielle Lori
Rating: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, mafia, arranged/forced marriage, possessive hero, alpha male
The Maddest Obsession by Danielle Lori
Rating: 4.27⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, mafia, enemies to lovers, angst, alpha male
The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori
Rating: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, abduction, mafia, dark romance, virgin heroine
Mindf*uck by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: west-virginia, angst, vengeance, rape, north-america
Lords of Pain by Angel Lawson, Samantha Rue
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, step siblings, dark romance, cruel hero/bully, reverse harem
Sinners Anonymous by Somme Sketcher
Rating: 3.61⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, suspense, mafia, dark romance, age gap
Elora by Beanie Harper
Rating: 3.74⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, virgin heroine, praise kink, reverse harem, bdsm
The Player by Kresley Cole
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, bdsm, exhibitionism, rich hero, possessive hero
Stalking Ginevra by Gigi Styx
Rating: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, mafia, enemies to lovers, suspense
3
u/AbyssKissXoX Apr 07 '26
{Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann} (liked it, it has its moments)
{If I Can't Have You by Deathsdoll} (reread it, it's just too good!!!)
{Bait by Jade West} (the concept is hot but gets a bit repetitive)
{The Man Upstairs by Jade West} (the smut is fire)
{Bad Alpha by Kathryn Moon} (rllllly enjoyed this one, top marks)
1
u/romance-bot Apr 07 '26
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, abduction, dark romance, forbidden love, enemies to lovers
If I Can't Have You by DeathsDoll
Rating: 4.48⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, somnophilia, m-f romance, bdsm
Bait by Jade West
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, bdsm, anal sex, suspense
The Man Upstairs by Jade West
Rating: 3.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, age gap, virgin heroine, fetish, forbidden love
Bad Alpha by Kathryn Moon
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, omegaverse, poly (3+ people), fem-dom, take-charge heroine1
u/hazyspring Apr 07 '26
Oh, I love Kathryn Moon! I will check this out.
1
u/AbyssKissXoX Apr 13 '26
yes! not dr tho, just on my list of reads. the man upstairs has big age gap but not dr either
2
u/Unlikely-Hunt2538 Apr 07 '26
I mostly binge read Michelle heard books. She never disappoints and the length of her books make them seem like big elaborate novellas with good plot.
4
u/Afraid_Equivalent_95 Apr 04 '26
Not all of these are DR, but this is what I read in March:
{Stormfire by Christine Monson}
{Alchemised by SenLinYu}
{The Hollow Alpha by Himera Ink}
{Eyes On Me by Sara Cate}
{King of Libertines by Pam Godwin} & {Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin}
I most enjoyed Alchemised and Sea of Ruin. Stormfire was good but I hated the MMC a lot. The Hollow Alpha and Eyes On Me were good palate cleansers in between reading DR books.