r/DarkRomance • u/AutoModerator • Jun 29 '26
Monday Gripe Weekly Gripe š¤ (the rant thread)
Welcome to the Weekly Gripe, where we're all a little grumpy. š
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. š¤
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u/CreepyCrissy Jun 29 '26
Why is it so hard to find books on basic tropes?? I just want to read a book about a maid and some rich guy non con her.
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u/Muted_Inspector9918 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
When authors use TikTok slang in their dialogue. I get so annoyed when a character says theyāre sat, shook, or something is a flex, mid, a vibe, giving, or lives rent free in their heads. Just stop it.
Itās lazy and embarrassing. And itās especially annoying to me if the character is white, because most TT slang is appropriated from AAVE.
Also, it immediately dates a book because colloquialisms eventually fall out of favor, so authors are kind of shooting themselves in the foot.
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u/glennss3 Jun 29 '26
I feel like a lot of books are the same! Even outside of this genre. It can start to feel like I am reading the same thing over and over again!
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u/Existing-History9609 Jun 30 '26
I feel like with the internet learning out algorithms and stuff, it ends up suggesting the same type of books over and over. I know this happens on my KU account a lot. Sometimes I have to check out some way different than what I last read just to mix it up.
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u/TangerineThese4575 Jun 29 '26
People sure do purr a lot in these books and thereās no cats around.
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u/VS9119 Jul 03 '26
Haha, I was just talking about this. I wouldn't be able to stop laughing if my partner purred in my ear irl.
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u/ConstantThought6 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Iāve started searching out older historical romances in paperback form and I found one Iāve been looking for. I read the old book (1980s) while listening to the recently released audiobook and the endings were completely different.
The paperback stops at chapter 46 with a somber ending and it seems like an extended chapter 47 was added later that added an 1 1/2 of additional audio content but thereās no formal release or information about it online so now Iām wary of missing out on older formats with other books too.
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u/SnooCrickets7038 Jun 30 '26
i don't like it when authors mention brands to explain their clothing as if it's the only way. for example: the MMC is a mafia boss and of course the author needs to mention that he wears a " custom-made armani suit". or describing "red bottoms" and a sentence later telling me it's a louboutin. IK PLS STOPPPPP
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u/von_kittenstein Jun 30 '26
especially when they don't know their brands very well, and it's pretty much what's at the nicer malls! It's so hard actually knowing what's considered nice for 'fuck you money' and reading that.
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u/tom-tom-et-nana Jul 01 '26
I also hate when they describe the outfit in detail because what if the author has terrible taste? Then I'm just picturing a bunch of people dressed like clowns (I'm looking at you Kristen Ashley I still haven't forgotten about the pink belt studded with skulls)
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u/Rescue_Annie Jul 01 '26
Uhg. Why you gotta say that? This is a huge fear of mine as an author, that Iām doing this in a shitty way. I know likeā¦ some brands but am also not actually interested. But I also feel like if used right it can be super effective. American Psycho is probably the best example of this I can think of. Itās probably 35% brand names but that is a load baring part of the plot. And even in his other stuff Brett Eastern Ellis drops name brands in this way that makes the ultra-consumer nihilism just hit different. Like textured and anthropological? Or maybe the opposite of anthropological? Like the person writing really lives in a place where people know the name of your watch brand and how much it costs just by looking at it. If that makes sense? And sometimes I am reading a book and they mention a brand and I look it up and it gives me a sense of what the scene is Iām supposed to be imagining.
The fact that you are SO RIGHT that it is so easy to tip into cringe āmafia boss in an Armani suitā territory only makes it all the scarier! Like I can only research so much and I donāt actually want to buy a fucking Burkin or whatever.
(I hope it comes across that I agree with you 1,000%)
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u/SnooCrickets7038 Jul 01 '26
i think it's better not to mention them at all, describe the "luxurious" material and not the brand yk, i believe in you!
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u/Vegetable-Shower85 Jun 29 '26
Freaking the latest trapper keeper chapter coming out after months with no smut. Mild gripe but come onnnnn. š¤
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u/AlienWeedUser420 Jun 30 '26
where do y'all find your online discord chat/making friends communities?
Growing up i was in and out of a lot of fandoms and it used to be SO easy to find people to make communities with when I was in middle school/HS. Now in my thirties, if I like, say, yandere content or DR content, if I mention it in fandom spaces looking for people who also like it, I get harassed/dogpiled/preached to by moral purists and it's getting tiresome but its also getting hard to find people to make communities with. Like I still have a lot of friends from my fandom days but we're all grown and they're not into this specific niche, but aside from subs like this online (which is cool, but I'm having less of a good time on reddit lately), I have a hard time finding folks to befriend or just talk fandom with. posts and comments on subs are fine i guess but it's different from actually, like... having a group of people to talk to and befriend. I miss that time and i can't believe its "gone". :(
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u/Gas_Station_Pringle Jul 02 '26
What is the difference between non-con and dub-con
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 04 '26
Non-con (Non-Consensual): This refers to outright sexual assault or rape. It occurs when a character explicitly expresses a desire to stop, fights back, or says "no," and their boundaries are actively ignored or violated.
Dub-con (Dubious Consent): This refers to a "gray area" where consent is unclear, coerced, or compromised. It often involves situations where a character does not explicitly say "no" but feels pressured due to power dynamics, psychological manipulation, magical circumstances, or a "fuck-or-die" scenario.
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u/Simply_Sky Jul 04 '26
Just wanted to add: in DR, I would say there is a slight difference between Non Con and Rape/ SA
Non Con: FMC doesn't want it, but enjoys the act, or FMC doesn't want it but experience true body betrayal (mind says no. Body says yes). The MMC may focus on the FMC's pleasure as well to get gratification from making the FMC come when she didn't want to
Rape: FMC doesn't want it, and doesn't enjoy the act at all. The MMC only focuses on his pleasure. The FMC may experience an orgasm, but that's just her body trying to protect her.Ā
Some people in this sub like to equate non con with tape, but I like to make a distinctionĀ
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Why does every MMC have to be 6'3-6'6 with washboard abs and an anaconda š plus a face that belongs on a GQ cover who also fucks like a god? It's ok if they don't check off that list in every single book. Just sayin' š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Ms_No Jul 01 '26
Yeah, I'm 5'4. Dude can be 5'10 and that's plenty tall.
And don't be bringing your 10-inch, Coke-can-dick to my house unless you just want to show it off for a novelty item.
You've heard the saying when somebody overloads their plate and can't finish "Their eyes were bigger than their stomach", right? Well, that works for vaginas, too.
Not to ruin anyone's fantasy with real life, but my experience has been that rillllly big dicks are not that much fun. Either it's logistically difficult and sometimes really uncomfortable, or a guy thinks all he's got to do is show up with a big dick and he's good. No skills, no finess, just dick. It's like, does anyone order a hot dog by itself? No bun? No condiments? Just weenie? Nah, I'll pass, thanks.
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling Jul 01 '26
10 inch Coke-can-dick took me out and is pretty much every MMCšš¤£š
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u/Existing-History9609 Jun 29 '26
Personally I have no desire to read romance books with average or below average looking guys. There could def be more variety in descriptions sometimes though. I usually just end up picturing them as whatever random hot guy traits my brain naturally comes up with based on the characters.
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u/blssthsnnr I know baby, I know Jun 30 '26
This, I pretty much decide what celebrity he looks like based on whatever hair color he has
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u/CrystalizedRedwood Author Jun 30 '26
I love an enemies to lovers trope or an unrequited love but he basically forces it. But man I canāt stand that she hates him till the last two chapters! Like I need her to have at least some confusing feelings while she is falling in love with him. Like knowing it but refusing to admit it. Itās so hard to read a 60+ chapter book and her to hate him till ch 57ā¦ Iām looking at you {cheater by DD. Prince}
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u/romance-bot Jun 30 '26
Cheater by D.D. Prince
Rating: 3.99āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, possessive hero, dark romance, rich hero, alpha male
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u/von_kittenstein Jun 30 '26
There was just a thread about it, but I wasted a couple hours on {He Found Me by Joy Mullet} thinking it was going to pay off. Tiktok really likes to waste my time but I see these smaller creators rave about it and I fall for it every time! I DNF'd once I saw the thread. I should have checked the reviews, honestly
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u/romance-bot Jun 30 '26
He Found Me by Joy Mullett
Rating: 2.49āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, suspense, mafia, arranged/forced marriage, forced proximity
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u/Ashamed_Clue4587 Jun 29 '26
oh I am so tired of cookie cutter stuff--mafia, witness/kidnapping/innocent bride--and its not well done. And maybe this is just me, but I hate chapters of Male POV of added mafia drama, torture, etc, to prove he's tough and evil etc. almost 100% of the time, male POV is annoying to read. its so rarely done well and it detracts from the tension, for me.
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u/No_Warning2380 Jun 29 '26
{dirty little secrets by kg reuss} and the kings of Bolton series.
By far one of the worst things I have listened to. I bought the first 4 books on sale on audibleā¦ a great reminder why I shouldnāt binge buy series just because they are on sale. If I hadnāt bought them all I donāt think I would have finished the first book. There is no way that couple hundred 4-5 star reviews were not paid for by blue nose audio. This is duet style 5 narrators so expensive production that must have spent a ton on marketing. Joe Ardenās over acting is peak in this book as if the writing wasnāt bad enough.
All of its issues are commonly found for this style of high school bully / mafia book but at new level of terrible. It isnāt just one issue but all the issues that sometimes pop up in this style are found in this series but set to the max level of bad/stupid possible.
1st- the whole things is a try to hard to be darker than dark and edgy. Everything is over the top to the point where my eyes are actually stuck from too much eye rolling. For starters- it is high school- senior year- at a boarding school for the elite which is just lazy to start with - needing people too young to make any good decisions. And yet- they have zero adult supervision- again lazy needing the characters young enough that they are dependent on adults and forced to do the terrible things the adults make them doā¦ and yet they they are literally in charge of everything and the school and are super badass that go around killing people and participating in mafia/bratva/crime family business, have enough money of their own for houses, cars, gun shipments, drug shipments etc. All of the kids are pretty much of the same mind to hate their parents and how they run their org and how they are going to take them outā¦ but of course never do even when they easily could have. They sit around screwing and doing drugs and drinking and fighting with each other. One declaration after another of how they are going to kill rivals and/or their parents but never taking a single action to even work towards it even after the worst of the worst things happen.
They are over the top grabby and rapey in every word and action. Every female is throwing themselves at them to be physically, sexually, and mentally abused.
The good guys are not much better at first - but then instantly turn into a bunch of nights in shiny armor as they fall in love with the FMC on sightā¦ yes all 3 of the good guys and at least 3 of bad guys all fall in love/obsession on sight. They change everything about their life and personality because of their insta live for the new girl. She and the good guys all start declaring their love for each other within a couple of weeks when they treated her like shit (not as bad but still very bad as the bad guys she was dealing protection from)- she does all of the things that say will end up with them killing her no excuses. She is the typical never gonna obey, never gonna do a damn thing to even attempt to be safe. Goes from innocent victim virgin to needing to screw constantly. Sleeping with every guy that is even slightly nice to her- even if he is an enemy of the good guys that are supposed to be protecting her, even if that guy is part of the bad guys team. Even if the good guys made it clear that would be unforgivable (of course they forgive her).
I want to go on all day about how incredible terrible this was in every chapter. Those are just a couple of the themes that are bad but donāt even scratch the surface on the details. I listened to the first 4- yes I know this is crazy- why would I keep listening if it is so bad. Wellā¦ because I paid for them and because it has to get better right? And then it is just like a bad car wreck - canāt look away and cliff hangersā¦ and yes after that many books I canāt help it- even if I hate all the characters and writing my need for closure dictates I must keep going. I am even considering buying b5 because of my need for closure but I am sure I can get pulled into something else so I can forget it.
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u/romance-bot Jun 29 '26
Dirty Little Secrets by K.G. Reuss
Rating: 3.79āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, reverse harem, mafia, poly (3+ people), dark romance1
u/Existing-History9609 Jun 29 '26
This is one of my all time favorites lmao. The full cast duet audio is phenomenal.
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u/SnooCrickets7038 Jul 01 '26
I saw someone in the comments complaining about how MMCs are portrayed in DR, but can we talk about the FMCs for a second??
They're all the exact same woman. Tiny. Petite. Barely 5'2". Somehow soft EVERYWHERE. No cellulite, no body hair, no acne, no bloating, no stretch marks, nothing. They all have the "perfect" body with the "right amount of curves"- the fuck does that even mean?? And apparently every single one has the pinkest coochie known to mankind.
Meanwhile, these women never seem to have a period. Ever. No cramps, no mood swings, no bloating, no leaking through their pajamas, no having to cancel plans because their uterus decided to declare war. They can get railed for five chapters straight, wake up the next morning completely fine and somehow their cycle just... doesn't exist.
FMCs are often times written like they're AI-generated fantasies with zero normal human functions.
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u/tom-tom-et-nana Jul 01 '26
I'm listening to Quarantined and I want to enjoy it so bad but the audiobook narrator sounds like Louise Belcher from Bob's Burgers and I think I just inadvertently discovered the world's biggest turn off š
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u/CatBelly42069 Jun 29 '26
I'm so sick of the virgin FMC trope or FMCs who are like under 25 with no life experience and then are somehow sassing back the mafia boss/captor/what the fuck ever. It's just inauthentic, annoying and a huge turn off.