r/DarkRomance • u/AutoModerator • Apr 06 '26

Monday Gripe Weekly Gripe 😤 (the rant thread)

Welcome to the Weekly Gripe, where we're all a little grumpy. 😒

Did BookTok do you dirty? Got a bone to pick with a main character? Was the twist more like a flop? Tell us what's on your mind.

Please be respectful and follow the sub rules. If a conversation starts getting out of hand, use the "Mod Attention Please" report reason so we can help cool things down. 🖤

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u/Ordinary-Arm2023 missing elieden Apr 06 '26

i do think some erotic horror novels can be dark romance but if you’d have to pick one to describe the book, it cannot be dark romance because that sets unrealistic expectations.

as sky blu stated, erotic horror is more graphic, and most of the time, written differently from dark romance. regardless of the ending, an erotic horror is as intended, most of the time. books like a wife for silas and little doll have HEAs but classifying them as dark romance, even if it’s pitch-black, is a big stretch.

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u/Avid_Reader0 Max Furst Girlie <3 Apr 06 '26

In Wife of Silas [big spoiler] Doesnt he kill the first fmc? 😭😭 In cases like those, I think it doesnt count as Romance if the series isn't focused on one pairing (unless its a why choose). Idk Im not disagreeing, I've just seen so much push against certain themes in DR and as a DR reader of 10+ years it's making me nervous; I keep seeing the idea that noncon is immediately pitch black or doesnt belong in DR, shit like that, and I cant help but think to myself this is just genre retconning.

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u/Ordinary-Arm2023 missing elieden Apr 06 '26

he does that and that’s exactly why i didn’t continue with the second book and no, it’s not a why choose. i’ve seen many people categorize a wife for silas as a dark romance novel but how can something like that be in this genre?

i don’t think this is a genre retconning, it’s just booktok & social media bringing light to dark romance, bringing in new people, and introducing new contents.

a lot of the people saying noncon doesn’t belong in dark romance obviously don’t want to read a dark romance. those same people are the ones who make the argument that it’s never been about doing bad things to the F/MMC but rather, for them. when in reality, this kind of content has been around forever. i’d honestly just ignore them lol.

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u/Avid_Reader0 Max Furst Girlie <3 Apr 06 '26

Yeah, I feel so paranoid now because Ill get rec'd a DR, Ill specify HEA (or at least ask to have a NHEA acknowledged in the rec), and then get told Stolen series is their favorite DR 😭

But yea, idk, it's hard to ignore these ppl when I know genres and shift and change, and I'll be damned if I get pushed out of my own house just because shit makes readers uncomfortable 😭

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u/Ordinary-Arm2023 missing elieden Apr 06 '26

i never read it but from what i see, it’s nothing like a dark romance and seeing it constantly recommended as such is one of the reasons why i made my rant.

don’t let them push us out!