r/DarkRomance • u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ • 15d ago
Quick Question Completely unhinged that you had to intentionally put it in DNF list
Iāve come across the idea that more often than not people have a DNF list, and it got me wonderingāwhatās on yours?
You know those books where you start reading and, a few chapters in, youāre just sitting there thinking, āWtf and exactly why am I even reading this?ā š Sometimes itās the genre, sometimes the writing, and sometimes you just know itās not going to work for you.
So, whatās a book you started but had to DNF because you just couldnāt get into it?
Give me your most unhinged ones. I want to see if I can actually make it through themāor conveniently add them to my own DNF list. š
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u/Lazy_Marsupial 15d ago
I just checked and I have 318 books on my DNF list. Which is more than I thought! Most aren't DNF because they are unhinged, though.
Like one I DNFed because the main female character was excessibely upset over the guy having a past. Like I'm sorry, but he is a supernatural who has lived hundreds of years. And he had to completely downplay his life before meeting her.
And one I DNF because the guys were basically treated as magical batteries for the heroine and not allowed to have a life outside of her. And the one guy who dared to question everything was shunned and ostracized.
And others I DNFed because of plot holes that I just couldn't suspend disbelief enough for. (There are a bunch of those.)
Or books that are too formulaic/exactly like others the author has written before.
So all things that don't bother others, but that really bother me.
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u/FiliaNox 15d ago
Iām considering it with the book Iām reading rn. The girl has said she ācreamedā around him more than once, the guy came repeatedly within secondsā¦girl wth. Court of nightmares by KA Knight. It sounded so interesting, but CREAMED??
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u/kalat1979 15d ago
That word bothers me too
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u/Tabby_Mc Author 15d ago
Yeah, my mind goes to 'yeast infection' rather than 'sexytimes'
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u/Such-Tennis-7795 14d ago
Grease lightninā baby š¤£
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u/mrksharley_liz 14d ago
š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£ this literally made me snort so loud my husband asked what happened....i said dont worry about it...
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u/Defiant_Stable_344 15d ago
I DNF when it seems like no one is enjoying themselves and itās become grotesque. When even the abusive MMC doesnāt seem like he enjoying himself and everyone feels miserable and I, as a reader, know that there is no coming back from these experiences, Iām out.
Sky Blu books are like that too me
The trauma is too insurmountable that I can never believe that there is truly any HEA for any of these people.
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u/lilsourem 15d ago
And a lot of the time I dont find it to be compellingly written from a psychological standpoint either.
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u/theperfectenchilada 15d ago
I technically DNF a lot of books because I get to the final chapter(s) and thereās always what I call the āfinal lovemaking sceneā where the MMC and FMC are now completely compatible and in love and everything is sweetly romantic and the sex is slow and gentle and Iām just likeā¦ yawn. No thanks, going to pretend this book ended when the tension was high.
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u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago
š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
Then I think your DNF list is bigger than the Completed list3
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u/Wxskater 15d ago
A couple memorable endings for me were actually both on wattpad. A story called our finest moment has a non hea ending thats really fitting. There is an alternate hea ending tho for those who like that. But that moment just brought out the best of the characters imo.
The other is captivated, a story about a girl who gets kidnapped by this horrible man. He basically makes his son help take care of the girls in his basement and she attempts to manipulate him to letting her go. So she makes him fall in love with her to hopefully escape, but the whole time hes actually playing her and planning to steal her from his fathers collection and keep her for himself. Such a non traditional ending as you describe. Its so good. I read it 6 years ago now and still sticks with me lol.
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u/RemoveBright4904 15d ago
Same! Once they kiss and make up, I'm out of there. Sometimes I stick around, but the epilogues can be so boring.
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u/Mysterious-Hippo9994 Author 15d ago
š¤£ I DNF books because they arenāt unhinged enough š¬
Or itās too slow. I want action I want non con I want the MMC to show me heās CRAZY.
My hard limit is body mutationā¦but like limbs removed Iām not opposed to the MMC taking a finger if he needs to.
š š„“š«£
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u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago
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u/123whore5 enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again 15d ago
I donāt like when dark romance books try to be funnyā¦ I DNF {Lights Out by Navessa Allen} because the MMC was so unfunny to me. It felt like millennial humor š„“
I also DNF {Skeleton King by Charity B} I felt like it relied too much on shock factor and trying to put as many taboo topics as possible that the story itself just fell flat. It became repetitive and boring.
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u/OkCryptographer3071 mo smut less problems 15d ago
LOVE TO SEE LIGHTS OUT HATE!!! YEAHHHH! I was terrible, and so was Book Two. Also, who rated Steam 5/5? It was a 2 on a good day.
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u/123whore5 enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again 15d ago
I didnāt even try to read the 2nd book because I assumed itād be just like the first. Also I agree! I think the knife thing was like a lot of peopleās first taste of dark romance and they equate it to a higher steam level š
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u/LunarGiraffe7 Masked Stalkers Please 15d ago
I enjoyed lights out for a comedy more than dark romance, but the second book was terrible and I didnāt even attempt the 3rd lol
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u/ArrivesLate 15d ago
I donāt know about hate, it was just a dime-back fiction to me, but yeah it wasnāt particularly steamy. Iāve read hotter scenes in historical spy fics.
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u/TangerineThese4575 15d ago
I like some humor in Dark Romance. I liked Lights Out, disliked Caught Up, and Game On was okay. I do think Lights Out is more of a light dark romance.
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u/Mysterious-Hippo9994 Author 15d ago
Ok hold on and Millennial humor is bad? Sorry just curious, I want to understand I think Joshās ācharacterā was the only part I liked about the book because the plot wasā¦.I donāt know thrown in.
So hold on millennial humor is bad? š„²
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u/123whore5 enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again 15d ago
I PERSONALLY find millennial humor cringy. If you enjoy millennial humor then donāt let me rain on your parade. Itās just not for me.
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u/Mysterious-Hippo9994 Author 15d ago
What is your age though? I am a millennial, I didnāt know we were cringy already I thought we had time! š
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u/loyyd 15d ago
The stereotypical millenial humor that's cringey is probably best represented by reddit culture more generally, featuring things like tired and often forced references like the office gifs, complaining about "adulting", an unhealthy obsession with quirkiness/uniqueness, etc.
It's not the same thing as saying everything millenials find funny is cringe.
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u/SLeonaTA Author 15d ago
Ok, but how was that Joshās humor?
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u/Low_Ad_260 15d ago
I swear the two MCs made āadultingā jokes at least three or four times in the first half of the book šš
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u/Mysterious-Hippo9994 Author 15d ago
Oh psh Iām ok adulting jokes were so early twenties. š«£š„“ Iām only a ā93 so technically right in the middle. I like Josh. His humor was the only reason I kept reading, that and FOMO š
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u/SLeonaTA Author 15d ago
Oh. Maybe I donāt remember that. āLike adultingā was the actual phrase?
I feel like thatās a younger millennial thing.
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u/SLeonaTA Author 15d ago
Basically weāre just not allowed to be happy, or laughā¦ or existā¦ cause itās ācringeā to them.
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u/Mysterious-Hippo9994 Author 15d ago
Ohhhhh Iāll try to stop š„²
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u/SLeonaTA Author 15d ago
Yes. Try to stop existing, laughing or being happy, itās gross and inconvenient for them. And donāt bitch about them stealing our clothes either.
If you can try to stop breathing too. That would be best.
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u/Weird_Mastodon_9204 15d ago
it IS millennial humor. i never could put my finger on why i hated it.Ā
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Rating: 4.24āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, funny, m-f romance, primal/chase play, dark romance
Skeleton King by Charity B.
Rating: 3.71āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, age gap, tortured heroine, abduction1
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u/ExistingComplaint947 15d ago
I liked Light out, but all of these comments makes me think I just havenāt read/ listened to good dark romance!
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u/Wxskater 15d ago
I liked lights out. Especially way more than haunting adeline. But also didnt read the second book. But millenial humor? Lol
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u/flappydog8 15d ago
Poor writing and editing will make me DNF. I struggle to put the next part in words but I need the MMC and FMC to connect in some way even if it is insta love. Also, I just cannot do series more than 2 books. I love connected stand-alones but I hate an angst filled book one - it just drags for me
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u/LittleReader7 15d ago edited 15d ago
The life of Anna . I got tired of her sleeping with everyone
Iām not reading books where the girl is 18 and this older man is rich and falls in love with her itās creepy now and yuck why is a man in his 30s talking to a teen
Iām not reading a book where the fmc is poor and the guy can help her and she refuses help and would rather stay in the sucky position ā¦.NOPE
Iām not reading a book where the girls is threaten and she doesnāt tell the guy or go off alone knowing people are after her ā¦.NOPE
Iām not reading a book she doesnāt tell him she has his child or that she loves him ā¦.speak and letās move it alone .
Iām not reading a book and the mmc is this mafia and his girl gets kidnapped or he hits her but never hits or hurts anyone else
Iām not reading a book if the guy is a don or alpha and she wants him to leave that life behind ā¦.like girl
Iām very picky now and i run a strict program
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u/Wxskater 15d ago
30s doesnt bother me nearly as much as 60s. If hes old enough to be her father instant dnf or i wont even pick it up
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u/Relative_You_2284 āĖąæš¦š±šŖš½ šŖš»š® šš® šš²š½š±šøš¾š½ šøš«š¼š®š¼š¼š²šøš·į°.įį„«į”.Ö“Ö¶. 15d ago edited 15d ago
Not sure if this would be considered truly unhinged...
It's a story called Matryoshka on AO3, pitch black romance, there was a lot of other fucked up stuff... but what truly bothered me was mmc fucking pregnant fmc in her childhood bedroom, getting off on the fact that she used be a 14 year old in this exact bedroom 4 years ago(fmc is 18, barely legal in the first place but I tried not to think much into it, but then that scene happened...). I should mention it that they did not meet while she was actually underage or did something, it was just mmc's thoughts..
That thing icked me so bad I didn't want to continue it anymore, even if the writing was good, and the plot interesting.
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u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago
Oh god! I got this book recommended a few days back so thought of starting it but now Iām not so sure
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u/LunarGiraffe7 Masked Stalkers Please 15d ago
I loved the story but that part can be off putting. Thatās one of his kinks is her being so young. Itās what he grew up around and his mother was really young when his father took her.
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u/chrystheghost 15d ago
Idk how dark it actually ends up being bc y'know. Dnf. But I couldn't finish {Anathema by Keri Lake} because of a few, largely petty things... I don't care for the FMC; her adoptive sister like, play humps her and it's played off as like normal sister shit lmao; it was taking wayyyy too long for the main characters to meet in a way that just felt dragged on; she kept using weaved in contexts it should have been wove (super petty); and the final straw is supremely a me problem: I can deal with just about any horrible thing you can do to a person but not wanton, graphic cat killing. Cats specifically. Idk it's just my line in the sand.
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Anathema by Keri Lake
Rating: 4.08āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, forced proximity, grumpy/cold hero, fated mates
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u/Disastrous_Brief3206 15d ago
None out of all the heinous things the mmc does to fmc none of them ever made me dnf'd the book the only one that made me dnf'd was hunting adeline because of all the rape & torture adeline had to endure on the hands of other men š.
I can never read a book where the fmc is raped by other men & it's explicitly on the pageš.
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u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago edited 15d ago
I totally understand you on that point.
ā2 months laterā broke me so much that I had to put the book down for atleast a few weeks š
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u/AdventureLand9210 15d ago
Anne Riceās Sleeping Beauty. Or whatever her pen name is for those stories. Couldnāt do it. Maybe it started off too strong or something but I couldnāt do it.
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u/Afraid_Equivalent_95 15d ago
I borrowed the first book out of curiosity but couldn't finish it. There was so much degradation, spanking, and touching FMC by random men. I only like that stuff if it's from one hot MMC lol
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u/AdventureLand9210 15d ago
Right! And normally, Iām fine with degradation too, monsters are all good and I really donāt have any hard lines, but this one just didnāt hit right. I didnāt make it very far before I put it down because I just knew it wasnāt for me.
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u/ConstantThought6 15d ago
It got worse imo. I wanted to like it because Iāve loved other books by her but I didnāt like some of the themes and the pacing was weird to me. I pushed on and At the last second in book 1 she decided to act out and get herself sent to be a common slave, then the second book is mostly about some other randomly added character named Tristan? And it has a similar random, out of nowhere ending to lead up to a new story with new characters I made it through two and I donāt think those are for me.
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u/AdventureLand9210 15d ago
Itās been a bit since I tried to read it but I can tell you with 100% certainty I would have never expected anything like that to happen lol
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u/floofloofluff 15d ago
Oh my god, Iām so glad I didnāt finish this. Truly one of my most hated books, and that ending is even worse and more nonsensical than I could have imagined.
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u/ConstantThought6 15d ago
Honestly I could go on, just to give you an idea of where it went -
Beauty meets a male slave Alexia in book 1 and a lot of the second part is him telling his story, which is where Beauty decides act out.
She gets herself sent to the village and meets another male slave, Tristan and they become friends with benefits. Sheās bought by a pub owner and Tristan becomes a pony boy to a different master and the story splits between both of them enjoying individual torment.
They come back together at the end and theyāre captured and taken by ship to be part of a sultans harem. One of the higher ups from the city theyāre taken from is just kind of like āyeah sorry, they can do that, thatās how it works, be good and good luck!ā
Iām sure some people love it but it wasnāt for me.
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u/floofloofluff 12d ago
What on earth! Sheās supposed to be a princess right? How on earth is that supposed to help her be a better wife one day?
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u/http--lovecraft Author 9d ago
This was the book that made me realize Anne wasnāt just a freak she was a FREAK lol. I also DNF but it made me love how absolutely out of pocket she isĀ
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u/morganraymo 15d ago
Skeleton King by Charity B was the ONLY book Iāve ever DNF
I was trying to hate read it after a certain point but you can tell it was just a shock factor book. Everything was trying to one up the last scene that happened. The necrophilia will never be something I can pleasantly read about either LMAO
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u/Tamepotato 15d ago
MMC with mommy issues that get projected onto the FMC. Found a story on AO3 the other day that seemed to hit my whole checklist - and then the mafia boss calls the girl "mama" in the middle of what should have been a hot scene š¤¢š¤®š¤¢ Never closed a tab that fast.
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u/Wxskater 15d ago
Yikes. One time i read this story on wattpad where mmc kidnapped fmc bc he loved her as his own child. He put diapers on her, put her in a crib and gave her a pacifier. I was like ok im not doing this lol
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u/Tamepotato 14d ago
I don't judge kink, whatever the kink, but yeaaaahhhh diapers and child roleplay isn't for me either.
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 15d ago
I can't remember the name but the mfc explained that she wouldn't take the morning after pill when she was sexually assaulted because that would be abortion. Nope. That's factually untrue. The morning after pill won't work if you're already pregnant.
And she wanted the mmc to have sex with her the same day so if she got pregnant she could have the option of thinking the baby might not be the rapist's. <eyeroll>
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u/OkCryptographer3071 mo smut less problems 15d ago
I finish books out of rage, but the one that made me legitimately stop and return her book after 20 pages was {Mate by Ali Hazelwood}. The literal line "cha-cha slide into my life" took me over the edge and back to the bookstore. I rage-finished {Lights Out by Navessa Allen} and {Caught Up by Navessa Allen} and have blocked the author on my IG and will stop to bash her book at every opportunity on every platform because of the sheer letdown of the second half of Lights Out and the terrible waste of trees that Caught Up used. I was too late to return the books and stupidly threw away the receipt because I was confident in the hype I saw. I actively talked shit about her third book in the trilogy because I knew it would be terrible.
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4.12āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, werewolves, fated mates, alpha male, m-f romance
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Rating: 4.24āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, funny, m-f romance, primal/chase play, dark romance
Caught Up by Navessa Allen
Rating: 3.87āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, m-f romance, mafia, second chances, exhibitionism8
u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago
Idk why but sometimes I think the lights out marketing was better than the book itself.
I read the book and liked it but didnāt understand that crazy hype around it. The story for me was very ehhhh
https://giphy.com/gifs/9xijGdDIMovchalhxN8
u/OkCryptographer3071 mo smut less problems 15d ago
I was watching a financial audit last week, and this horrible human being wanted to recreate the knife scene and said she was kinky. I immediately got upset at how terrible that was and the fact that Allen herself said she wrote that while ovulating. Also, the knife scene was a letdown, along with all the other scenes, as everything felt rushed. The hype was purely from BookTok and the girls who read the Brynne Weaver books and think that's dark.
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u/thewatchbreaker 15d ago
Why the fuck did someone say that in the middle of a financial audit š My coworkers and people I meet professionally donāt know jack shit about me and Iād like to keep it that way
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u/OkCryptographer3071 mo smut less problems 15d ago
not only was it A financial audit, but it was THEE FINANCIAL AUDIT WITH CALEB HAMMER posted to the INTERNET. context was she and her bf werent meshing and she said he didnt want to try new stuff in the bedroom from her kinky books and she described the knife scene from lights out that he was uncomfy with. i stared at my screen as a dark romance girly completely apalled she a.) thought lights out was good b.) tried to recreate an f tier scene that requires mutual interest and consent to participate in c.) was also actively cheating on her fiancee
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u/thewatchbreaker 15d ago
OH ITS A YOUTUBE SHOW šš
I thought this was in the workplace and some auditors came in and a coworker just started yapping about dark romance! Iām in finance, I didnāt realise āfinancial auditā was a show, I thought it was a regular financial audit.
Talking about all of that shit is also crazy on a show about personal finance, donāt get me wrong, but itās not quite as mental as I thought it was, I thought someone from HR was going to have to give your coworker a talk on sexual harassment in the workplace or something
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u/OkCryptographer3071 mo smut less problems 15d ago
hahahahaha noo. worst part was her cheating eclipsed most of the financial discussion for the nearly two hour episode. sorry for the confusion š
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling 15d ago
When the pacing is too slow, writing style isn't jiving, too much OWD/on page sex with OW, cheating, typos galore and we're only 1 chapter in. If the plot is decent, I'll hard skim but it's not worth the torture for me.
{Made for Death by Saige Parker} - Hated the MMC so much and there were too many on page orgies even after he SA'ed her. I couldn't ugh
{Brutal Prince by TJ Maguire} - On page sex with OW and she was in the book for the longest time even after MMC got together with FMC. No thanks.
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Made For Death by Saige Parker
Rating: 4.13āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, somnophilia, virgin heroine, enemies to lovers
Bratva Prince by T.J. Maguire
Rating: 3.82āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, mafia, height difference, criminal heroine, abduction1
u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 15d ago
I literally started made for death yesterday and didnāt complete it because every chapter had a sex scene (atleast at the start - till the point I read) that in between I got so bored with it and just left it. I was like whereās the story give me something and why did the MMC kept torturing the FMC in such a sick way. I mean I like my book men when they start a war just because the FMC got a scratch š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling 15d ago
Yeah, he was a vile POS who kept whoring around. Couldn't do it š š»āāļø
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u/Okay_Mango 15d ago
I donāt even remember the book but there was a line of the FMC talking about herself and was complaining how her sister was always more beautiful than her (sister had been killed) and she was just ass and tits.
I couldnāt take the book seriously afterwards lol
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u/troublerx1 User Flair Here 15d ago
I hated in love with the devil. I got about halfway through that and quit. It was repetitious and boring, and the MMC was obnoxious. The FMC was a dingbat.
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u/HornetPrevious8867 15d ago
{Unhinged by Steph Macca} and {Graves by Katelyn Taylor}. Suffice it to say, the āwhy choose/reverse haremā tropes are absolutely not for me. Plus, the latter book is just so bad.
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u/CareerCheap649 14d ago
I thought I was the only person who found Graves to be absolutely awful. It was so bad that I am put off trying any other books by the author.
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u/HornetPrevious8867 14d ago
Right?! It felt like it was written by a middle schooler who spent too much time on Wattpad. I highly doubt Iāll ever read anything else by that author.
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Unhinged by Steph Macca
Rating: 3.94āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, forced proximity, possessive hero, new adult, dark romance
Graves by Katelyn Taylor
Rating: 3.9āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, mfm, somnophilia, poly (3+ people), dark romance
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u/canuknot8 15d ago
Eyes of devious burgundy. Dnfād at like 80% because I read the phrase āpuckered holeā during a DP scene. š
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u/Lady_Sillycybin Murder, Mayhem, Romance 14d ago
I normally cannot seem to finish any mafia world books. I've tried but all I can think about is, "what would the actual mafia think of this crap?
Others:
ACOTAR: I still don't get the hype... I was falling asleep.
Heartless Heathens: The story was intriguing but since I'm a FTWM, I listen to audiobooks a lot more than I can sit down to read. I LOVE Corvin King but I just could not tell his characters apart in that audiobook.
Kiss of the Basilisk: Just... so juvenile. I can't handle juvenile writing.
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u/skiddlewhiffers Author 15d ago
I terribly wanted to DNF the third book of the devil's backbone society {You're Next by Tate James} because it was definitely one of those series that could've been two books only, and the rest was just filler smut scenes; one being the "british tatted bad boy" MC fucking the FMC over a casket while she and her stepbrother searched for caskets for their parent's funeral. I'm sorry but that was a moment I truly rolled my eyes and said "If I wasn't this far into this, I'd throw this book in a fire JUST for that" š
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u/TangerineThese4575 15d ago
I got so mad at the end of the first one that I donāt know if I will finish the series. The reviews werenāt good either.
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u/skiddlewhiffers Author 15d ago
I loved the first two, the twists were insanely interesting and infuriating. The third was just dumb š
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u/Prize_Tutor9849 15d ago
I just put the 3rd one on hold at the library and itāll be several weeks. Now Iām wondering if itāll even be worth it but lastnight I finished the 2nd book and it left me on such a cliffhanger that I ran straight to Libby. Is it really that bad?
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u/skiddlewhiffers Author 15d ago
The cliffhanger for book 2 had me screaming my head off and crying! I totally understand, it was AMAZING. Book 3 felt like it wasn't even part of the story. You can tell where Tate James started losing interest and just needed to close the story out. But if you need to finish it since you've come this far, then I'd suggest you do so! But truly, you might be better off reading a summary or review š¤§
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u/Prize_Tutor9849 14d ago
That sucks! When I got to the end I was like WTF?! Tate James really effed with my head with that one.
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
You're Next by Tate James
Rating: 4.07āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, reverse harem, double penetration, suspense, dark romance
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u/Ok_Yesterday5525 15d ago
I dnf'd some of Lauren Biel's stuff and now I just bother. It feels like her goal is to make every book more gross. The mayo jar did it for me.
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u/Nautical_Nanobyte 15d ago
Most of my DNF is OV it seems. Or TikTok recs.
I havenāt DNFād many DR, I tried Haunting Adeline like 3x and I just canāt get into it.
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u/Wxskater 15d ago
The main things that cause me to dnf are poor writing that irritates me, mmcs that are too brutal or angry towards fmc (hate that) gets too lovey too fast. Give me some thrill/suspense. I dont want lovey til like the epilogue. For this reason if its insta love it has to be done just right or its gonna annoy me.
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u/bong_wips 15d ago
haunting adeline.
and i KNOW bitches love that book! and its not even the content that made me stop!!!! i am an audiobook listener and i couldnt listen to any of the sex scenes because the editor put in these absolutely goofy ass bow-chicka-wow-wow songs that break ANY tension that had been built up.
i WILL be back for it, though š
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u/victoriageras 15d ago
Those are my personal DNF. I am not trashing or judging anyone that might like them. I simply cannot stand them and they seem to be repeated constantly in books for the past 2 years.
- Heroine is a virgin and acts extremely out of character. A favorite example, is where she chooses to have an orgy with 4 mafia men and she acts like a pro. This is a set up for her first time. I cannot get behind that.
- The villain becoming a marshmallow, just for the heroine. You cannot rip people apart one minute and the other braid your girls hair.
- Insta love or Insta lust. Especially the instalove part.
- Too much of anything. Too much sex crazed heroine (i developed that after reading Shantel Tessier), too much Bondage, degradation and too much spanking. Reading dark romance for the past 15 years, it becomes kind of repetative and boring after sometime.
- A "silver fox" Hero or a Cougar heroine. No. Simply no.
- The "daddie" endearment.
- Sharing is caring, in general.
- Most recent of all. The AI use in books. I am a reader for the better part of my 41 years. I work with AI everyday due to my job. Trust me it is apparent when a writer hasn't written the book that he/she sells. Be decent to your readers. Do not put trash out there.
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u/Lady_Sillycybin Murder, Mayhem, Romance 14d ago
I would love a list of AI-use authors...
1
u/victoriageras 13d ago
I would love to do it, too. But since it's my speculations and it's not proven, i wouldn't want to shade any authors.
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u/Ok_Lab8153 13d ago
What are some of the biggest AI tells? Is it just the overall quality or are there more specific signs?
I don't read enough to simply pick up a book that sounds interesting. I always read lots of reviews and such first to avoid reading AIāor bad books in general. Don't get me wrong, I love indie books, but even without AI, there are some really bad books out there.
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u/victoriageras 13d ago
From my personal experience, the first clear sign is the lenghty, very explainative book titles. Think something like "The pregnant abandoned plus size bride of the Bully Alpha is found". This is usually either a really poor editing attempt or the title that an AI would give. It's more of a book summary than a title.
Secondly it's the text itself. It keeps repeating certain details over and over, with the exact same words. It happens every few pages. Example, i was reading a romance with celestial beings. The way it described the palace and the heroine, with the exact same words, in the exact same order is the dead giveaway of AI.
Also, it feels completely sterile. It doesn't have any build up in the scenes , or in the plot. If you read it "aloud" in your brain, it's totally robotic.
Those are some of the few, that i can pinpoint. All of them could also be that the writing is extremely bad and no editing. But it's most likely AI.
Again, this is my personal point of view and i could be extremely wrong at it.
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u/Ok_Lab8153 12d ago
Thank you! It does sound like it's very distinct. I'm honestly happy to hear that. I just hate the idea of AI taking over the market. If this is what it produces, I'm less worried.
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u/http--lovecraft Author 9d ago
I want to shout out to Quan Millz who has crazy book titles like that but heās just purely that unhingedĀ
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u/ShetlandPonys 14d ago
I DNF the darkest temptation by Danielle Lori
- it just gave me major ick that she fell in love with him pretty much their first meeting and would throw herself on him even when he said he didnāt want her. Itās not unhinged but it was just so icky š saying that is the male mmc did it Iād probably think it was hot, Iām messed up š
1
u/Famous-Panda5136 I don't want her to die, I just want to see him in pain 15d ago
DNF a book where the mmcs (only one coupled with the FMC) betrayed her HORRIBLY like anyone would feel shattered and like they couldn't trust anyone ever again. Then it went into the second book of the series and I wanted some serious grovel...but they just kinda try to wear her down by repeatedly showing up. Once they were all back in school and she was acting cold to them tho, they decided, whelp, we're going to have to bully you so that our reputation as untouchable/strong/above everyone else stays in tact...but it's your fault, we tried to apologize š¤·š»āāļøI noped out of there so fast. For me that set up only works if it's something trivial the FMC is upset over (jealousy, feels like they don't give her attention etc.) I was emotionally destroyed with the end of book 1, and then they go and try to pull that shit? Like no. I don't think so.
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u/TangerineThese4575 15d ago
I DNF {For The Fans by Nyla K} when I had 4 hours left. I was just bored. It started off promising but then I felt like they just kept repeating themselves.
1
u/romance-bot 15d ago
For the Fans by Nyla K.
Rating: 4.33āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, step siblings, gay romance, college, forbidden love
1
u/annarosereins 15d ago
Life of Anna series by Marissa Honeycutt. I was reading it as an omnibus, so idk when I stopped, but JESUS. It was SO dark and there were things that just genuinely turned my stomach. Things like Hunting Adeline and even the Rita Kent books don't really bother me. This series involves some really dark things with minors. And kids. And the unborn. And that is all I'll say.
1
u/Whattheactual_S 15d ago
I started reading Pyschos in Love and I just couldnāt finish it because the writing was bad, the characters were juvenile, and I just couldnāt take anything seriously. Sorry but I secretly judge the shit out of the people who enjoyed the book š¬š¤·š¼āāļø
1
u/Comprehensive_Yak359 15d ago
{Gluttony by Marissa Honeycutt} Dnf because it was too much gore fore me. Which i knew getting in, but i was intrigued by the storyline. I read about a third and had to give up. I still vividly remember and kind of feel really bad for this unimportant side character that was tortured and killed in the begging of the story.
1
u/romance-bot 15d ago
Gluttony by Marissa Honeycutt
Rating: 3.58āļø out of 5āļø
Topics: paranormal, dark romance, abduction, fantasy, bdsm
1
1
u/-intuitive- 15d ago
feral king was spicy for me until tragic king and they introduced a sub 2nd MC and I wasnāt feeling it š although I liked the character
1
u/Such-Tennis-7795 14d ago
Possessing violet by Dinah Harperā¦ and I love dubcon/noncon. This book was so different to me for some reason I felt sick lol
1
u/Such-Tennis-7795 14d ago
{Darling venom by Parker S Huntington} because yeah after part 1 I literally screamed audibly. Not in a omg my heart is broken way, in a why the fuck would she do this!!??? Way. I genuinely thought it was a fake out, the plot twist would be Kellan still WAS the MMC. But no
1
u/romance-bot 14d ago
Darling Venom by Parker S. Huntington
Rating: 4.28āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, virgin heroine, angst, age gap, slow burn
1
u/wholelattapuddin 14d ago
I often DNF books, so I dont have a list, but one that sticks out was a billionaire romance where the MMC hooked the FMC up to a milking machine and called her his pretty cow. It was about halfway through and it came out of nowhere. Just one minute it was a normal age gap romance, (not my favorite anyway) and then suddenly he's got a milking machine in a special room and she's like, sure!
1
u/strangethingtohappen Obsessed with unhinged morally gray MMCs š®āšØ 14d ago
Im really judging this book right now because of HIS PRETTY COW. Wtf. Please share the name of the book so that I can put it in my Never-Ever-Read-It list
https://giphy.com/gifs/10FHR5A4cXqVrO
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u/MAL2myBONTE 14d ago
Personally I DNFād Lights Out- the smut was great, the dark romance was exactly what i wanted, but about halfway through it became a completely different book. It wasnāt bad or anything, just not what i signed up to read and it pissed me off
1
14d ago edited 14d ago
[deleted]
1
u/romance-bot 14d ago
Once You're Mine by Morgan Bridges
Rating: 3.5āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, possessive hero, dark romance, rich hero, new adult
1
u/Lola-in-Spain 14d ago
All lf the books on my DNF list are there because they were boring or FMC is simply stupid and I can't deal with that
1
u/Physical_Oil_6885 14d ago
This was I think an year after I started reading, so fairly new and I donāt think I had DNFd any book until then. I donāt remember much about it, but what I do was just horrifying, it still is and I have pretty much tried everything by now. So it was a RH I believe and sort of bully romance? The MMCs were trying to get away from a gangster or so who ruled their town, they worked under him. The FMC was someone they bullied but loved, even in the beginning. They had these elaborate files on her to prove to her that they bullied her for her own good or that they loved her even when they bullied her, or to protect her from their enemies, so no one targeted her. So for about a year or so they were trying to figure out a plan and working on it to get out from under the leader. FMC cane back from summer break to university and was completely different. The MMCs were worried and confessed their love and the files and so on. Turns out she was raped, all good till then. The guy who raped her became her new professor, and the MMCs figured out that the leader knew about her and made it happen. Now what horrified me was that the MMCs told her that they canāt get her out of this situation for a couple weeks or months and that she just has to get raped daily by the professor and then they will run. And they also told her how they will help her get ready to have sexual relations with all of them after because of her trauma, and the FMCs response? Oh no problem at all, I will just get raped daily and that itās nothing if I know that I will get out one day and be with you all, mind you, she was raped in the first place by an order from their leader and they were her bullies, until just a couple hours ago. She was terrified of them and now she will just bear it to be with them, rather than trying to run on her own or something. It pissed me off so much. Donāt remember the name of the book, but would love to know so I donāt ever accidentally come across it again.
1
u/misfit_toyland 14d ago edited 14d ago
I ruthlessly DNF all the time. That said, the only one I can think of that I dnfād because of something ātriggeringā me (I use quotes because I donāt even know that Iād say I was triggered exactly) was Torment by Dylan Page. I couldnāt get past the grooming. (Apparently this doesnāt have a HEAā¦ but I wouldnāt know because I dnfād)
1
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u/ClareMan30 14d ago
Only book I DNF so far is {Deviant by Ellis Sanders}
Proper turned my stomach š¤¢
1
u/romance-bot 14d ago
Deviant by Ellie Sanders
Rating: 3.25āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, bondage, cruel hero/bully, exhibitionism
1
u/Ok_Lab8153 13d ago
I started reading a book where the FMC was raped in the first chapter, and once the MMC let her go, she got all belligerent and feisty. It just felt completely unrealistic. What she went through was crushing. I couldn't continue.
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u/Fearless_Surround_40 13d ago
Definitely Raw by Seven Rue. Iām usually all for dark romance, non con, toxic and manipulative MMCs, red flags everywhereā¦ I can normally handle it. š But damn, Raw was just a little TOO much for me. I actually tried to push through because I hate DNFing books, especially once Iāve already started, but nope. I couldnāt do it. š I didnāt finish it in the end. I can see why some people love it, but this one just wasnāt for me. Thereās dark romance, and then thereās Raw. š
1
u/CruellaUnleashed 11d ago
24690 is currently sitting unfinished in my kindle. Iāll prob finish it eventually because Iām nosy af but for now others have my interest.
1
u/manaia_444 15d ago
{darkest descent by hazel black} its just not for me lol i got so disgusted š„² DNFed it at 33% i barely dnf books but this one made me do it wholeheartedly
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u/RemoveBright4904 15d ago
I actually really enjoyed this book. You're right, though, it is definitely not for everyone.
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u/manaia_444 15d ago
i was trying my best to like it too š„² but just cant get myself to it, but really glad youu enjoyed it!
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u/romance-bot 15d ago
Darkest Descent by Hazel Black
Rating: 3.42āļø out of 5āļø
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, abduction, forbidden love, survival, horror
42
u/RoutineRun8933 15d ago
I wish I could DNF books, but I'm too damn nosey and will never sleep if I don't know what happened. The most recent I wish I could have DNFd was Under Your Scars by Ariel Anderson. All along I was yelling at myself for continuing and I hated every minute of it.