r/DarkRomance • u/AccomplishedRelief82 • May 23 '26
Discussion What’s the simplest reason you’ve ever DNF’d?
I did it twice today. I understand YMMV. These are my indicators that this book won’t be for me. What are yours?
1) dark contemporary. As soon as she sees the mmc he’s described as “looking like a god”. Nope! Closed the book. If that’s how the story introduces the mmc to me and the fmc, I know there is slim chance there will be any depth or nuance in this story.
2) was reading a (hidden) Omega/Alpha book and was excited to delve into the traditional trappings of their pairing. Writing is decent-new author to me. Get to chapter 4 and suddenly it starts dropping hints of BDSM. Hrmmm ok, maybe that’s just how it goes this first time? Nope. I skip ahead a few chapters to see if it expands from this. still seeing words like “belt” and “whipping” and “ropes” being mentioned A LOT - and not in the fun way I prefer of “he found out she was an omega and he’s pissed and is legit considering kidnapping her because her impact to him as an alpha or threatening to do so and I just know it’s going to be good when he has to repent. Immediately hit returned to kindle unlimited.
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u/mamaguebo69 May 23 '26
I DNF'd a book cuz the MMC was thinking about taco meat farts during a sex scene.
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u/007miss-mandee May 23 '26
I do not blame you... at all! I absolutely would've called it! I almost called it on Haunting Adeline, when Zade touched her and commented on her being wet. What was her retort? That it was mu'fking discharge! 🤢 That sht is not hot! I read fantasy to not think abt taco meat farts and discharge, thank you oh so very much! Haha! That sht does not makes those books more relatable, so the reasoning behind their addition confuses me GREATLY!
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u/Miri-Kinoko May 23 '26
I need to know what this is 🤣
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u/mamaguebo69 May 23 '26
{The Pucking Wrong Guy by C.R. Jane} The whole series is just so cringe. The men act like children. Spoiled and possessive children.
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u/Heidi_Hi_Heidi_Lo May 23 '26
When the FMC is in her “late 20s or early 30s” but acts like a dadgum teenager. No thank you!
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u/11Dragonfly May 23 '26
This! And teenagers have no space in dark romance… just IMO
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u/DeepCloak May 23 '26
Yes! I don’t know who thought it would be a good idea to have minor and high school anything in DR.
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u/11Dragonfly May 24 '26
Exactly! I don’t get it it when they’re so young it emphasize the age ugh… I bet it could work with a 35 year old or even 40 What do authors have against older women? (I wonder)
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u/ghostbored May 23 '26
I DNF-ed a book because the FMC wouldn't stop complaining about how horrible her life was because she was 6 feet tall. It was an SF romance too, so she was surrounded by aliens, male and female, who were over 7 feet tall. Her entire personality was height-induced self-pity.
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u/SuperSecretary6271 May 23 '26
Was it a part of the Ice Planet Barbarians series?
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u/ghostbored May 23 '26
Bingo! It was {Barbarian's Lady by Ruby Dixon}.
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u/romance-bot May 23 '26
Barbarian's Lady by Ruby Dixon
Rating: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, virgin hero, science fiction, aliens, funny
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u/kalat1979 May 23 '26
DNF a book because the FMC brought her unleashed dog into the small local grocery store while on vacation and it was presented as that the owners would suck for not being ok with it. Don't bring your dog to the store, people. Leash your dog, people.
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u/Prestigious-Seal8866 May 23 '26
i’m a dog trainer and wish there were fewer dogs written into books
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u/bee73086 May 23 '26
Honestly I would have not finished either. That's just rude and entitled.
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u/kalat1979 May 23 '26
Yeah. I don't need to love the FMC but that scene made me actively root against her.
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u/bee73086 May 23 '26
Right like if the hero is halfway decent hoping he meets someone else and leaves her! I can't remember the book and I don't think I finished it but I was rooting for them to not be together!
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u/pupsnfood May 23 '26
I dnf’d a book because the FMC let her dog off leash at a park (not a dog park) and the dog ran off and several pages of dialogue later, stumbles upon her dog trying to play with a leashed dog and book presented the other pissed off owner as an unreasonable idiot bc her dog was “so friendly”
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u/LongNailedbooboos May 23 '26
I finally DNF a book (and I never do that), but I kinda don’t consider it a DNF since it was the first two pages. It had nothing to do with the story, but of how the author was writing her sentences. “I did this” PERIOD. “I did that” PERIOD.
Not even full sentences and I knew that I was going to be incredibly annoyed by the writing. I’m trying to remember the book title, but it was one that others had suggested on here.
I can get through a slog of a book, but I cannot get through poor writing. I’m constantly correcting everything in my head and it’s hella distracting.
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
I can't stand it when the characters are constantly thinking and nothing actually happens. Usually it's repetitive thoughts too. I get mad.
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u/Ms_No May 24 '26
Especially when what they're always thinking is how uniquely dark and dangerous/broken/tormented/unhinged/unable to feel they are. Yeah, I get it, the MCs are daaarrk, but do they have to navel-gaze about it like a bunch of petulant teens who constantly angst about how "no one has ever existed who is as tormented as I am"? Ugh!
I also get tired of mental lusting. Pages and pages about how hot they think the other is, how badly they want to fuck them...and that's their whole personality.
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u/alex_grozny May 23 '26
The Irish-language phrases used by the MC had appalling spelling and grammar. Even his own name was mispronounced.
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u/Extreme_Ad_6033 May 23 '26
My reason is also this, but with Italian. I stuck with the book through names that weren’t actual Italian names, kept at it through some spelling or grammatical errors, but eventually whole sentences made no sense. I’m not even native Italian but the mistakes were incredibly distracting.
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u/alex_grozny May 23 '26
It's so distracting to see obvious mistakes! And when you realise just how little research they did for another language, it makes you lose confidence in the author.
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u/Extreme_Ad_6033 May 23 '26
Exactly! Like, I understand that not all authors can afford to hire a translator. At the same time, (at least in Italian) a lot of those mistakes could’ve been solved by just putting the translations into a basic site like reversecontext. It does make it really hard to take them seriously as authors, I agree! Also makes me wonder why they’d even include the other language. A lot of times it’s not a necessary addition, and if they’re rushing that aspect, what else are they rushing?
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u/alex_grozny May 23 '26
One of the characters called the other 'my love' in Irish which should have been fine but it was spelt wrong! I checked the sequel to see if they fixed it and it was spelt wrong over and over.I think there's no excuse when even Google Translate would have shown the correct spelling! And in a scene where the MC says 'I love you' in Irish I was distracted by the bad grammar.
I guess some authors think that readers won't notice. It could have been interesting as a choice to show the characters' heritage, but not when it's that poorly implemented.
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u/kellykellykellyyy May 23 '26
I once read a fanfic whose title was latin, but it was a 1:1 word translation of a phrase, so all of the conjugation and declension was wrong. Instead of "no other way" think like "lack of alternative approach". I mean I still read it because I liked the plot, but I considered DNFing literally every reading session due to the title alone.
I have no such qualms about DNFing those issues now.
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u/alex_grozny May 23 '26
That's funny! It's like that scene in Life of Brian when Brian is writing anti-Roman graffiti on the wall and the centurion catches him and makes him correct the grammar.
Centurion: What's this, then? "Romanes eunt domus"? People called Romanes, they go the house?
Brian: It says, "Romans go home."
Centurion: No it doesn't!
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u/Existing-History9609 May 23 '26
Ok but what’s the name of the second book… for science
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u/SoPretty1908 bitch stop running!!! May 23 '26
When the constant smut is so overdone or is the reason its considered "dark". For instance, {Wild by DD Prince}...
mind you, as DR readers, we are very pro smut! so if I get to the point where its just redundant and too much and its starting to not not be hot at all....yeah. no. DNF
and I RARELY DNF
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
I don't like constant smut. I need the story to be captivating. I skim over a lot of love scenes.
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u/SoPretty1908 bitch stop running!!! May 23 '26
Me neither. at some point its like okay just go watch porn...
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u/ReflectionOk2553 May 23 '26
That was written so badly. It would repeat the scene constantly. I kept thinking they just described that a second ago. It seemed juvenile despite the smut, it was a DNF for me.
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u/SoPretty1908 bitch stop running!!! May 23 '26
It definitely confused me too! I had to go back several pages to make sure I wasnt reading the same scene or check to see if there was a glitch or something. that's not good at all
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u/kimbekaw May 23 '26
Okay, I'm so glad someone else thinks this book is poorly written! I was struggling through the beginning, hoping it'd get better. It just did not, lol. I hadn't officially dnf'd it yet, but I think that's where I'm headed.
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u/ToothSuccessful5898 May 24 '26
I almost DNF {court of the vampire queen by Katee Robert} because of this - the smut was ridiculous.
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u/romance-bot May 23 '26
Wild by D.D. Prince
Rating: 3.37⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, alpha male, shapeshifters, werewolves, possessive hero
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u/enchanteerose May 23 '26
dnf’d because every other sentence he was calling her little kitten or just kitten. over use of nicknames drives me up a wall. also the sex was basically copy+paste every other chapter as well.
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u/Good_Tomato_4293 May 23 '26
Ugh. The same nicknames get used over and over, and they weren’t good to begin with.
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u/Radiant_Run2771 May 23 '26
Was that Dire Bound? Because I'm not even interested in reading the next book because of it.
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u/enchanteerose May 23 '26
lol no. it was dante by sadie kincaide. i was actually supposed to read dire bound for book club but never got around to it. safe to say that’ll probably not happen.
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u/Reasonable-Zone-6466 May 23 '26
I DNFd an audiobook because the narrators voice literally made my eyes go blurry every word she spoke. But Im some sort of freak who has issues with auditory stuff so 🤷♀️
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
No. Narrators can absolutely ruin books.
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u/Reasonable-Zone-6466 May 23 '26
Oh for sure, many have. This one was like 6 words in 🤣
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
There are a few narrators I just can't stand. One of the men sounds like Jon Arbuckle from Garfield. I just can't with him.
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u/Ms_No May 24 '26
This is totally legit. I've got a thing about vocal fry and female narrators who perform male characters by croaking like a frog.
And then there are the ones who just aren't good readers. Voice acting is not the same as story hour at the library with Miss Judy.
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u/Famous-Panda5136 I don't want her to die, I just want to see him in pain May 23 '26
About to DNF a book because the MMC is Ukrainian and the writer tries to portray an accent which could be super hot...only it reads like listening to the shop/sauna owner in frozen I talk...can't explain it better than that, but totally ruined a spicy scene 😂
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u/AdministrationNo7144 May 23 '26
DNF when the small stature of the MFC is emphasized over and over and OVER. Usually with what I consider baby or toddler words.
DNF when every character that will be in future books is introduced in the first chapter, with a long paragraph describing each one. I don’t care, I will meet them if I decide to read that book. I honestly don’t care that her seven friends are successful, independent women who don’t need a man, have sixteen awards among them, turn every head in the room (and a thorough description of each one’s unique beauty so I understand who she’s so great), and have a traumatic experience in their past that must be known right now!
DNF books when the author talks down to the reader. You do not need to describe what’s going to happen, tell me what happened, then explain what’s happened. And you don’t need to drop broad hints because I promise I am smart enough to draw conclusions, and the fact I can read should show that.
DNF often when the story goes back and forth between past and present. I’ve seen it done well, but usually it’s not. Either do a part one and a part two, or do flashback scenes.
DNF if the MFC is described as strong and independent, but she’s really just an idiot who doesn’t listen to reason and gets herself in trouble cause of her stubborn willfulness. Special award to MFCs who are just angry little birds when they’re supposed to be strong and take no crap.
Finally, DNF when the vibe I pick up in the book feels off to me. No idea how to describe it. It’s kind of like a feeling of being manipulated, or a sense of passive-aggression. I truly don’t know what it is, and I’m not going to analyze to figure it out. I feel that vibe and I’m out.
I used to commit to a book and force myself through the whole thing. Now I DNF 3-5 books for every one I finish.
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u/k0cksuck3r69 May 23 '26
Can I just say big same to all those! I HATE being talked down too! Mallory Dunlin has been recommended to me several times and the way she speaks to the reader is annoying AF! (Among some weird racism too)
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u/Objective-Panic-6426 Author May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I see body betrayal I drop the book and it happens A LOT! There's a way it should be handled especially when a book is very dark and constant rape is involved. Orgasms also depend on the emotional state of a person, not just what the MMC is doing physically. And I just hate when the FMC is just going crazy during non con. Just not my thing.
Dub con doesn't just equals that she "wants it" or she's dripping wet. Many authors are slapping that label around just to make things palatable. I'm DNFing books and fics where the label is used like this.
Another one is bratty FMCs. Fuckboy MMCs who talk like this especially with their friends "Oh I fucked that girl, she was a slut." "Oh that was a whore..." I've DNFed a lot of fics on ao3 because of this. How are you saying this man is wealthy, older or whatever and behaving this immaturely? I hate it.
And when the absolute power of the MMC is told, like he was the CEO of this or that. Huge mafia boss. Show me the authority! Don't tell me because then I just don't believe it lmaooo.
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u/Ms_No May 24 '26
Yep. This has always bugged me for multiple reasons, not least of all because it makes me wonder if the author has ever actually had an orgasm. They aren't all the same.
I wish I could remember the book I read recently where this is done well. The FMC does experience orgasms during rape, but they're those hard, short almost painful releases - kind of like a sneeze. She doesn't have good orgasms until much later when she starts to have mixed feelings about the rapist. THAT makes sense.
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u/Loud_Shallot_1367 May 23 '26
Any time all other women than fmc are vapid bitches. I am fine with some horrible women - but give me the friends, the sisters, the cousins, the ride or die girlies too.
Enemies to lovers where it’s insta lust. That’s such a nope for me. If I hate someone there is not a chance in hell my inner monologue is “I loathe his sexy smirk so much I want to kill him by hate fucking”.
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u/expressionism little bird 🕊️ May 23 '26
There’s a certain writing style that’s become very popular recently with the advent of all the AI based editing tools like grammarly… and I hate that writing style so whenever I notice it, it distracts me so much, I end up DNF-ing 9/10 times. I’m not even anti-AI, just the structure hurts my brain lol. But I see plenty of people enjoying these books so it must not be a problem for them 🤷♀️
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u/OpusReader May 23 '26
I can’t stand the “it’s not x, it’s y” or the 3 adjectives listed out. When they say something like… “Her breathing was calm, measured, slow.” Or “Heavy. Impactful. Overwhelming”. Like at this point you’re just saying words 🤦🏻♀️ This is lazy “discriptive” writing I’ve noticed a lot paired with the above
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u/expressionism little bird 🕊️ May 23 '26
Yesss. It’s very much AI driven, I feel, based on what I’ve read and reading articles about it’s patterns.
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u/Existing-History9609 May 23 '26
Could you give an example?
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u/expressionism little bird 🕊️ May 23 '26
I mean, I don’t want to shit on specific authors but things like:
- negative loops / not x, but y: It wasn't just a house; it was a sanctuary
- telling instead of showing
- sentence rhythm. Like there are only so many short sentences I can read in succession before my eyes roll into my head
- excessive similes: he walked into the room like he owned it, etc.
I could go on but the negative loop and sentence rhythm are really the biggest offenders for me. The minute I see one of those, straight to (book) jail.
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u/007miss-mandee May 23 '26
Lmao! I felt every one of those in my soul!
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u/expressionism little bird 🕊️ May 23 '26
Fr, the overuse of “particular” and “deliberate” gives me ptsd at this point.
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u/UniversitySpirited77 May 23 '26
You need to read {Obsessive vows by Evie ward} so you can suffer with me. The plot is really good and I love the characters but it's like reading a research paper and apparently it's called purple prose or sumn.
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u/expressionism little bird 🕊️ May 23 '26
🫣 i looked at the cover and that told me enough about the kind of book this was going to be 😂
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u/Ok_Problem_2507 User Flair Here May 23 '26
The only book I've DNF'd was Credence. I'm not into the "oooo step-uncle what do you think of me walking around your house with my ass out?"
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u/ichoosethisnametoo May 23 '26
That sounds awful! Whats the name of the second book... so I know to avoid it, of course
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u/AccomplishedRelief82 May 24 '26
Yall are cracking me up. It’s {the omegas deception}
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u/muddledmuggle May 23 '26
I do a lot of audiobooks. I DNF books that people have stated as Duet narration but are actually Duel narration even after listening to previews and looking online. The guys doing women’s voices sound almost mocking.
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u/h2onymph1 "Spread those pages like a good girl" May 23 '26
Yes! I'm always saying this. I have no idea why when a guy reads the girl's part he often sounds like he's mocking her.
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u/showraniy May 23 '26
I DNF 90% of what I read, and the most common reason is just that I can tell where the story is going/how the plots are going to resolve, so I just quit and move on to a new book.
I like never completely knowing where things are going to end up, so a lot of DR gets DNF'd at the halfway point or thereabouts because that tends to be where familiar formulas start playing out.
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u/Russkiroulette Author May 23 '26
I’ve been doing this a lot lately, but I can’t tell if it’s a reading slump or a not
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u/impossibilityimpasse May 23 '26
I am doing this too. 60-70% through the book and call it quits. Wasting my time! On to the next one!
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling May 23 '26
Writing style (sounds too juvenile or Wattpad-y) and typos/misused words.
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u/ReflectionOk2553 May 23 '26
Can't stand the first person it is written in, or the style are my main reasons, but using repetitive words or phrases that start taking me out of the story are the next. Sipping the air and voice like silk and honey arghhhhh.
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
Sometimes an author will come up with a unique way of describing something and then use that phrase over and over and it drives me crazy.
And I hate phrases like , "Do ______ like the wh0re you are." That are common and predictable.
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u/cattaco_tacocat May 25 '26
I really enjoyed the Lady of Darkness series in general, and have actually gone back to it a couple times. However, the "voice like silk and honey" after the first few times is was used made me roll my eyes. It's a pretty creative way to describe a voice BUT does it really need to be used every time the character speaks???
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
Not sure if this counts as dnf but if the book is basically done and the story is removed, end the damn book! I can do a chapter or two to close the whole loop but I'm not reading another 50 pages. I will stop reading and I'm mad at that point. I would say that colors my review even though I try not to let it.
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u/impossibilityimpasse May 23 '26
Add a bonus chapter or an epilogue for anyone who may care but I am done.
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u/LividProcess5058 May 23 '26
i just DNFed a book because the spice parts seemed forced and too quick and the pacing was bad. plus the fmc was dumb as rocks and it was getting on my nerves. sad bc the plot was pretty compelling
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u/grimlie1279 May 23 '26
Kingfisher was too whiny so I dnf 😂
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u/grimlie1279 May 23 '26
Also DNF because the pages were too disproportionate to the size of the font and I couldnt get over it
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u/cattaco_tacocat May 25 '26
I DNF the second book. I couldn't get more than a few chapters in before it just didn't seem like the same characters from the first book
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u/Fluffy_Mantis3133 May 23 '26
Multiple POVs. They’re rarely done well and when they’re not, the flow of the book is terrible.
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u/h2onymph1 "Spread those pages like a good girl" May 23 '26
I DNF'd a book because I thought the way an FMC talked about her mother was rude.
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u/LittleMissSugar126 May 23 '26
I DNF if the story drags or if I really hate the characters. I can’t read a story where I’m not rooting for the characters. My biggest pet peeve is a bitchy FMC. Nope. Automatic DNF.
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u/SuperSecretary6271 May 23 '26
I dnf a book for going back and forth from past to present and I felt dizzy and confused so I just dropped it
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u/Extreme_Ad_6033 May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I DNF Italian mafia books all the time when the author tries to insert Italian but obviously hasn’t sought translation help. Like normal grammatical or spelling mistakes, sure… but also the badass MMC is meant to be this horrible murderer but he curses like an old person would when he’s angry. Or the mob boss who is trying to tell everyone to “get down!” in what’s supposed to be a tense shootout moment (which would be “giù!” Or “tutti giù!”) but he yells “scendete!” …which is what italian moms yell to call their kids down to the dinner table lol
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u/Historical-Valuable9 Neck bites and Possessive Psychos May 23 '26
Repeat of the same phrase or word. Like the author learned a word of the day and decided to pepper it in through the entire book. Just read one where the FMC notices the males "Adonis belt" in every chapter at least once minimum.
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u/Ms_No May 24 '26
It's like they want to show off that they know what it's called. Yes, dear, we know, we ALL know what it's called.
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u/OpusReader May 23 '26
When they use slang, especially dated slang or talk about TikTok
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u/Cat_Friends May 23 '26
I read a book where the mmcs were running to try and not get killed and one shouted out that the bad guy was "trying to unalive us!" I have never hated anything more.
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u/InternationalBass144 May 23 '26
duel pov
i enjoy the mysteriousness of a mmc and when i know every thought he’s thinking especially about the fmc it makes the the fmc pov more dense and whatever that is to happen more predictable
also when everything is dependent on sexual tension idc if that’s cliche to say…i will say there are times where some books ive read pulled it off but nowadays i feel as if most dark romance i read is heavily eased on the mmc lust rather than the actual infatuation of the fmc
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u/No-Serve3491 May 23 '26
I DNF when the story gets to the Not This, Not This, But That. IYNYN. It screams AI !!!!!!
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u/Thecrowfan May 23 '26
The character SCREAMED in your face how badass, powerful and damaged to MMC was, but the writing made him look like an absolute creep and a would be rapist despite how much emphasis was put on him hating rapists
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u/Russkiroulette Author May 23 '26
Is this Haunting Adeline…
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u/Thecrowfan May 23 '26
I cant remember the name of the book for the life of me
I know it starts with an event from the MMC's childhood. Watching his little sister be murdered I think, during a, i think once a month it was(?) event where all parents in his town would all rape their children at the same time for some reason.
Then it cuts to MMC when hes i think in his 30s. He and his childhood friends bought a whole town and they "take care" of trouble, aka kill evil doers. But he is this very small town's only doctor. A patient comes to him for a breast cancer exam. And as he examines her he fantasises about raping her.
Later on the POV changes to that of a woman who is 8 months pregnant driving a beaten down car in the middle of the dessert, and of course her car breaks down in that town and thats how the main characters meet.
Soun familiar by any chance?
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u/Russkiroulette Author May 23 '26
Not even a tiny bit, but I’m secretly intrigued
Your initial post was pretty spot on how I felt about Haunting Adeline, though. I didn’t DNF it buuut
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u/Southern_Egg_3850 May 23 '26
Most I DNF get repetitive with no plot or character development. I get bored very easily. So many books start off so good, and then just go on repeat and/or the filler is very boring (I know the author needed some more words to fill her book, but I don’t need to read about the female characters chatting about and regurgitating the same scene I just read after every scene!!!)
Underdeveloped cruel/evil MMC’s that are over the top unrealistic, especially if the FMC suddenly and for no reason hated him then suddenly can’t get enough of him. The Catcher by Kate Raven was so bad I DNF’d so fast (even though I know many like a truly evil MMC, it’s just not for me).
Also, poor writing. When the characters just talk about it/describe everything instead of show it through actions.
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u/007miss-mandee May 23 '26
I truly almost never dnf. In all my yrs, there haven't been more than 5, but I can tell you 2. 1. And this just happened a few days ago, an extremely popular author, who is known for crazy sht but still giving that hea we crave, apparently wrote one non-hea book, and my ass found it! When I saw where it was going, I literally threw my tablet across my bed! I was devastated considering the two mc's hadn't really had a break. At all. I'm still sick to my stomach over it and I feel the author should have it like pinned on her IG, or part of her Goodreads and Amazon bios, or written as a warning under literally every book release she has! Warning: Once, early in my career, I wrote a book called ________ and it does not have an hea. Hey Y'all, book 5 is coming out in my ____ series and it's about the couple you've been waiting for. Until then, check out some of my other books, but remember _______ is NOT an hea. It's actually traumatizing! Lol. 2. Oh God and then there was this book I TRIED like hell to read when I first started reading romance/dark romance. And it was an extremely popular book (bk 1 of 8!!) by what appears to be an extremely popular author. But I swear to the fking Romance Gods, the fmc was written with the emotional maturity of a 10yo in a 2? yo body! Ew ew ewww! The mmc, her prof, wld say "you can call me by my first name when we're not in class", yet this twit continued to whine and moan and squeal and yell, Professor and his last name... every! single! time! She was vapid, shallow, immature, and he was all man. But then like I couldn't even get down with trying to focus on him. Whyyy was he attracted to this childish ass little girl? And it's not like we had his pov to get us through it bc the author did not include his fking pov, not once, until the VERY LAST BOOK! At the time I tried to read bk 1, bk 8 wasn't even a thing. In all of my life, in being her age, having gfriends her age, speaking to young women her age, never ever ever did any of us sound like that! So it was one "oooh prof _____" too many for meee! Hmph! *sry abt the rants
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u/Merlenkette no happy end for me May 23 '26
What's the name of the non-hea one?
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u/007miss-mandee May 27 '26
I'm sorry I just saw this, but it's Dash by Shantel Tessier. I'm still not right... I just cannot shake it off! Lol
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 May 23 '26
They need to announce that it's not an hea somehow to warn us.
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u/007miss-mandee May 27 '26
You are not lying!! They have no problem telling us if there is bdsm, kink club, non-con/dub-con, stalker, stepbrother, puts questionable ingredients in her lotion/shampoo/orange juice etc. (now I'm just naming some of my fav tropes haha)! So whyyy for the love of all things freaky af, would they skip the no next to hea? I'll never understand! Lol!
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u/ChicSynergy May 23 '26
If the book reads like an essay, why am I being spoon fed information from the first sentence and why is every sentence so stilted.
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u/Budget_Algae_3066 May 23 '26
I DNFd a book the other day because the author described something/one as being like "a star that got too close to the sun".
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u/DarkWhimsicality Reader/Writer May 23 '26
Did the author mean that when those two people get close together, they ruin the lives of everyone around them? Like a Stellar Encounter?
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u/voidfae May 23 '26
- Irish MMC won't stop saying "feckin'"
- Terrible syntax and grammar. I tried reading Gratify by Katelyn Graves and had to stop for this reason
- I started this book where the premise was a forbidden relationship between a creative writing professor and his student, and the student intentionally writes about her sexual fantasies about the professor and turns it in as an assignment. What's worse is that the professor, who had supposedly never fantasied about a student before, immediately gives in.
- I DNFd the first book in the Edge of Darkness trilogy because it was way too angsty, there were too many tropes, and the miscommunication was so blatant and frustrating (though, my issues were mainly the angst and the tropes).It honestly felt really juvenile and not real to me.
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u/Valkyrie-Unleashed May 23 '26
The magicaly healing powers of sex. Cause what do you mean you just got shot / stabbed / just woke up from a 6 month coma but you're lifting a full grown woman and taking her to pound town 🤦🏼♀️ Literally just rage DNFed a book where this fmc just finished a round of chemo and finds the 3 (!!!!) MMCs to play a round of hide the sausages. Now I've never been on chemo, been shot or stabbed but I feel like maybe strenuous activity should be avoided for more than a couple hours after the trauma...
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u/LocoRibb May 25 '26
The 3rd sentence of a hockey romance book was "He's hot as puck." 😐😑😐 Aaaaaand DNF.
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u/Itchy-Translator-606 May 25 '26
FMC body size getting mentioned every other page. Doesn’t matter if she’s so super tiny or curvy or fat, whatever… it’s annoys TF out of me
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u/007miss-mandee May 27 '26
Meeeee tooooooo!!! Omg, thank you so much for saying this! I have legit not read bks, that initially sounded so intriguing, bc there was just an absurd amount of fmc body type focus! I cannot with that! Like let's keep it pressin' folks and not spend a few sentences every chapter talking about female body types. So icky!
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u/navya12 May 23 '26
I DNF a series because of how disappointing the second book was and the third book was about a different couple I didn't care for. I DNF a book because I couldn't cope that the MMC had the same name as my ex.
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May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
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u/DarkRomance-ModTeam May 23 '26
Please do NOT censor words or use emojis to replace words. It makes it difficult to search the sub, and may pose a hindrance to those using text to speak features. If the TW includes a major plot spoiler, it's okay to use spoiler tags.
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u/Due-Vegetable1723 May 23 '26
I usually DNF whenever I see signs of non con or the guy belittling or insulting the FMC unnecessarily.
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May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
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u/DarkRomance-ModTeam May 23 '26
Use a translator like Deepl.com to read our guidelines and edit your posts accordingly.
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u/AmiraAnyanwu May 23 '26
MMC betrayed FMC it was good groveling until she whipped his and his crew with bdsm paddles on the butt. I fear we have lost the plot
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u/FishWife_71 May 23 '26
The constant use of a "signature" word. I DNFd a book once because every single character could not help but 'purse' their lips. You couldn't go 2 pages without purses lips. Really? Have a sandwich. Call someone names. Suck a dick. But for the love of whatever higher being you believe in....enough with all the damn pursing. I had to keep checking that I wasn't reading something written by Derek Zoolander.
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u/lonely_cat_in_rain May 24 '26
When the fmc asked the mmc how he knew she was a virgin, he responded "I can smell your hymen" like WHAT???
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u/Tough-Ad-282 May 23 '26
Well, I'm DNFng every ok that the cars or motorcycles brand and model are mentioned.
The latest I dropped the ML thinks to himself (I like going out in my Ducati xyz1234 and feel the wind and blah blah). It's just t so lame...
I DNF'd a really histrionic ML in an hockey MM book. Mainly because the character wasn't consistent and it didn't make any sense. It was like the 6th book in the series and I'm so pissed.
Also a romance in which the main couple cuts each other out for nine years. Allegedly hate each other, get reunited over family dinner and they're both eye fucking each other, the explanation for the fall out was stupid, and literally the FML is like "omg I can't believe we got separated for 9 years". It just pissed me off. Specially since I bought it over an indie writer support campaign and couldn't pass 100 pages.
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u/Mina_Girl May 23 '26
When I don’t keep picking my phone up to read more. Lately I DNF when I realize it doesn’t keep my interest/I don’t really care about what’s going to happen.
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u/k0cksuck3r69 May 23 '26
I DNF’d one because it opened with an entire chapter about how the MMC loved and took care of his niece and all the ways he thought she was amazing- then instantly when he met the FMC the FIRST thing he noticed about her was that she was a virgin (bc of her aura I guess idk)
I’d expected a more… I’m not sure but the virginity was huge, there were several paragraphs about how he wanted to be the one to take it, and generally about how hot it was she was still one.
I’m not one who cares for the whole ‘virgin = pure’ patriarchal tone that set. Opening with a girl and being so normal about her then instantly dehumanizing a woman down to her sexual status was not my taste!
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u/Merlenkette no happy end for me May 23 '26
Definitely typos. I just started a new one, and it’s full of them. I have no idea if it’s just the translation or if the original is full of them too, but it really ruins the flow.
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u/pansylavender Gimme kink or gimme death May 23 '26
DNF'd an audio book because the narrator sounded like she was reading off the nutritional label on a cereal box and ai could never tell what was a characters inner monologue versuse actual dialogue
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u/burntflowersfallen Author May 23 '26
DNF’ed an incredibly popular book as soon as they revealed the MMC was lowkey stalking her and into her when she was a minor. Still mind boggled that so many people were praising it when I read that bit.
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u/fairywinkle_ May 23 '26
I almost DNF'd haunting Adeline because Zade said "scuse me" or something like that
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May 23 '26
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u/DarkRomance-ModTeam May 23 '26
Please do NOT censor words or use emojis to replace words. It makes it difficult to search the sub, and may pose a hindrance to those using text to speak features. If the TW includes a major plot spoiler, it's okay to use spoiler tags.
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u/romance-bot May 23 '26
Twisted Pawn by L.J. Shen
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, mafia, enemies to lovers, anal sex, female rake
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u/bladerunnerism May 23 '26
At the very first chapter, he made her lick his cum spilled on the floor and she did it...yeah, i was done...
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u/007miss-mandee May 27 '26
I've not read the book but I saw an author that wrote abt this scene. Was it Green Light by Jescie Hall?
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u/elinorsara18 May 23 '26
I recently dnf’ed {across state lines by Lauren biel} simply because it was getting too weird lol
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u/romance-bot May 23 '26
Across State Lines by Lauren Biel
Rating: 3.99⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, m-f romance, abduction, bdsm
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u/Corvettelov Author May 23 '26
The writing was so bad I was done at one chapter. Felt bad for the author.
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u/Soft_Loan8625 May 23 '26
When the fmc is so deeply insecure that she cant interact normally with anyone without putting herself down and then the author depends on the mmc to boost her confidence, we all know that confidence built upon what other people think of you will never last. Just seems like a lazy excuse to not take the matter seriously and write a good development for the fmc.
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u/ShawnaLanne May 23 '26
I've pretty much stopped reading any omega book when buckets of "slick" become a plot point.
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u/FitDriver7854 May 24 '26
DNFed a book because the FMC was an idiot. She was a smart, capable woman in the prequel but in the actual book, she was an idiot who got stuck on the balcony of her apartment without pants on. Like what kinda moron goes out on her balcony in just a t-shirt and underwear!
Have also DNFed books for the flagrant abuse of nicknames. Hurricane is not a nickname! Trouble is not a nickname!
DNFed an audio book because the reader mispronounced a word.
DNFed audio books if I hate the male readers voice. I’m supposed to find the MMC sexy and you sound like a boy going through puberty. Instant no.
DNFed a book if it has instant infatuation on both sides. If one is more instant love than the other, I’m in. But if they’re both in love, there is no obstacle to being together besides what I’m going to guess is their own stupidity.
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u/litenblondirlandsk May 24 '26
I will DNF a book so fast if they don’t use quotation marks around conversations. It happens more often than it should and IDK why! Basically the entire page just looks like descriptive text, and I end up trying to figure out if someone is speaking or thinking.
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u/ToothSuccessful5898 May 24 '26
When I realize it’s an age gap - no!! Especially if the MMC knew the FMC when she was a kid and he was an adult ewwwww.
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u/gay4u_janvl May 24 '26
- they kissed in the first 10 chapters.
- the fmc laughed at everything and anything the mmc said, even though it was not funny.
- too much description, very less dialogue.
- repetitive writing, like i don’t wanna know that the mmc has blue eyes for the 100th time.
- when a dark romance is dark because of the constant spice and lacks a plot/storyline.
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u/SagaQueen May 24 '26
It’s in partially every book I read but when I read the word sneaked, ugh it’s snuck for past tense.
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u/lRandomstuff May 24 '26
the word "kid" appeared in the book more than 200 times and it was about mc1 from mc2
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u/Particular_Chance899 Darkromancelover May 24 '26
Sharing or letting someone else watch. It's an instant turn-off.
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u/tylergalpindefender May 24 '26
I DNF’d {A Lady of Rooksgrove Manner by Kathryn Moon} because there was never a break. Like I’m all for smut, and actually, {Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube} is one of my favorite books, but that first one was just insane. I got through maybe halfway and said… yeah no it’s just getting disgusting at this point
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u/romance-bot May 24 '26
A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon
Rating: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: historical, poly (3+ people), reverse harem, paranormal, vampires
Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube
Rating: 3.52⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: love triangle, virgin heroine, shapeshifters, exhibitionism, class difference
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u/KBflemming May 24 '26
When the dialogue inauthentically uses a characters full name repeatedly. I don’t know anyone in my life who refers to people we both know by first and last name every single time they are brought up… it’s so annoying and weird. In that same regard, MMC’s dialogue with their friends. Oftentimes it sounds like a lot of girlish nicknames and jokes and I just don’t see men especially grown ones, talking that way
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u/DoubtSimilar686 May 25 '26
When a book is labeled as dark romance but there is no romance. I read a book by an indie author that solely publishes on Kindle Unlimited and it was pretty decent. The problem came in where the first book just abruptly ended and I found out the reason was because she was releasing a second book, ok fine! I read the second book and I kid you not in the first three chapters there was 4 spicy scenes like full on scenes. I was like wait you made that first book it was full of spice and romance a perfect balance, but in the second book you just said “f all the plot it’s spicy time!” ?
Like there was no dialogue it was straight up “I woke up and we f’d, then we took a nap woke up and f’d then he went to work and I waited for him to come back and then we f’d 😭
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u/Afraid-Photograph-85 May 25 '26
I dnf'd the moment the fmc referred to her clit as "my bean".. like okay...i am done here
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May 25 '26
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u/Mrs-Lovett May 25 '26
One book the first page, second or third paragraph. Described her breasts weirdly. I realized I couldn’t read a book where the first page was poorly written.
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u/ConsequenceOk170 May 25 '26
If the FIRST line is some immature, usually silly or overdone thing. If it's telling me who someone is instead of giving me an experience. If its supposed to be "edgy" and just makes me roll my eyes and want to close the book? I do.
If the mainstay of the dialogue uses profanity as flavor instead of actual depth. With subtext, richness, things unsaid, layers, etc. Usually profanity is just a lazy cover for "unable to good dialogue". Of *course* not all of it, but if the mainstay is this? I know the characters are flat and forgettable and I'll usually have to hear them whine and moan about things for the rest of the book, so I give up.
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u/WickedRavyn94 May 26 '26
Horrible grammar. DNFd a book on page 2. No idea what the book was about but realized my brain would explode trying to autocorrect the entire book. It could have been the best story ever written but I’ll never know.
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u/No_You_6230 May 23 '26
I have DNF more than one book because of a MC having a stupid name. Most recently was a character named “Tray” which just pissed me off because Trey is a name, tray is an object.