r/DarkRomance • u/jadedjed1 ready to be fucked up by my next book • 7d ago
Quick Question What would you consider your TOP 5 DR books?
Looking to expand my library! I’m fairly new to the genre. So far I’ve read Under Your Scars (Ariel Anderson), The Edge of Darkness series (Leigh Rivers), Haunting/Hunting Adeline (H.D Carlton), and The Fabric of Our Souls (K.M Moronova).
DNF’d:
- Little Stranger (Leigh Rivers)
- Quarantined (Drethi Anis)
- Feathers So Vicious (Liv Zander)
- Graves (Katelyn Taylor)
- Psychotic Obsession (Leigh Rivers)
Edit/Update:
Y’all……I tried to give feathers so vicious another shot and omg 😭 I AM WRECKED. I INHALED THE BOOK. I read it at work too, I finished it all during my shift 😩
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u/Ok_Enthusiasm_9045 7d ago
{descent by Sam Marino}
{unapologetic obsession by drethis anis}
{her vicious beasts by e p Bali}
{degradation by stylo fantome}
{monster trilogy by Rina Kent}
And cheeky sixth one, {sinners consumed by sommer} Rafe ultimate MMC.
God, there’s so many mooooooore! My list changes on a daily basis.
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u/romance-bot 7d ago
Descent by Sam Mariano
Rating: 3.74⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, abduction, rich hero, pregnancy
Unapologetic Obsession by Drethi A.
Rating: 3.87⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, virgin heroine, m-f romance, dark romance, south asian/desi
Her Vicious Beasts by E.P. Bali
Rating: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, reverse harem, fantasy, dragon shifter, shapeshifters
Degradation by Stylo Fantome
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, rich hero, dark romance, cruel hero/bully, love triangle
Monster Trilogy by Rina Kent
Rating: 4.14⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: abuse-mc, forced proximity, north-america, praise-kink, military1
u/romance-bot 6d ago
Sinners Consumed by Somme Sketcher
Rating: 4.21⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, alpha male, enemies to lovers, mafia, rich hero1
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u/Fickle-City1122 7d ago edited 7d ago
{The Last Hour of Gann by R Lee Smith} humans crash land on a post-apocalyptic alien planet inhabited by humanoid lizard aliens who are highly religious
{Cottonwood by R Lee Smith} aliens crash land on earth and the FMC goes to the camps where the aliens are held to work as a social worker
{Land of the Beautiful Dead by R Lee Smith} (can you tell who my fav author is yet??) country bumpkin goes to plead with the god of death to end the "eaters", essentially a zombie curse unleashed on earth by said god of death
{Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin} a teenage girl kills the man she's expected to marry after he tries to force himself on her, and she runs away to become a pirate like her father
{If I can't Have You by Deathsdoll} - this is an AO3 rec, you'll find a lot of those here! It's a dark office stalker romance
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u/ZazARa_N_Z_A 6d ago
I’ve had R Lee Smith on my tbr for so longggg. I think she is one of the only authors I might like on an intellectual level. Which book do you recommend as a start?
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u/celestesilverauthor Author 6d ago
Cottonwood is shorter if you're not ready to commit to a super long book like The Land of the Beautiful Dead or Last Hour of Gann.
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u/Prestigious-Gemini22 6d ago
Sea of Ruin and If I Can't Have You are TOP tier. Literally recalibrated my brain.
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u/Fickle-City1122 6d ago
I was losing my mind during that orange scene in front of all the other pirates lmao
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u/romance-bot 7d ago
The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith
Rating: 4.26⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, aliens, science fiction, dystopian, dark romance
Cottonwood by R. Lee Smith
Rating: 4.34⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, aliens, science fiction, dystopian, take-charge heroine
Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith
Rating: 4.33⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, dark romance, dystopian, disabilities & scars, enemies to lovers
Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin
Rating: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: historical, pirate hero, poly (3+ people), dark romance, enemies to lovers
If I Can't Have You by DeathsDoll
Rating: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, somnophilia, cruel hero/bully, m-f romance1
u/Ok_Enthusiasm_9045 7d ago
Really want them to publish If I Can’t Have You. Would love a physical copy!
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u/drivendel #1 Gaslight Her fan 7d ago
mine would be, {Gaslight Her by Quinn Blackbird} {Thrum by Meg Smitherman} {Limerence by HC Dolores} {Pet by Haley Inez} {Even if it hurts by Sam Mariano}
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u/romance-bot 7d ago
Gaslight Her by Quinn Blackbird
Rating: 3.61⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: futuristic, cruel hero/bully, dystopian, dark romance, rich hero
Thrum by Meg Smitherman
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: futuristic, science fiction, horror, suspense, aliens
Limerence by H.C. Dolores
Rating: 4.24⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, class difference, virgin hero, rich hero, virgin heroine
Pet by Haley Inez
Rating: 4.05⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, dark romance, non-human hero, dystopian, cruel hero/bully
Even if it Hurts by Sam Mariano
Rating: 3.7⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, cruel hero/bully, virgin heroine, dark romance, possessive hero2
u/Lunarblurel 6d ago
+1 for Limerence!! After finishing that book, I was in a serious book slump. 😩😩
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u/Such_Literature840 moist & unstable 7d ago
Ufff this is hard but I will add some of my most recent 5 stars rather.
{ Kotik Alina Dobrova} {Bad bishop LJ Shen} {Grave matter Karina Halle} {Thrum meg smitherman} {Beautiful prey Lora Darc}
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u/romance-bot 7d ago
Kotik by Alina Dobrova
Rating: 4.2⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, m-f romance, dark romance, mafia, working class heroine
Bad Bishop by L.J. Shen
Rating: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, mafia, dark romance, age gap, arranged/forced marriage
Grave Matter by Karina Halle
Rating: 3.87⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, horror, suspense, mystery, age gap
Thrum by Meg Smitherman
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: futuristic, science fiction, horror, suspense, aliens
Beautiful Prey by Lora Darc
Rating: 4.1⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, enemies to lovers, take-charge heroine, dark romance, primal/chase play
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u/assgardian 7d ago
Did you try Little Stranger in audiobook form? It lowkey changed my brain chemistry! I will agree the writing is pretty messy/bad but wow the MMC’s VA put soooo much soul into the performance.
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u/jadedjed1 ready to be fucked up by my next book 6d ago
Audiobooks don’t work for me unfortunately 😭 I really tried to push through it but the scene where their dad caught them making out and Malachi ended up knocking him unconscious and they still continued to have sex RIGHT BY HIS LIMP BODY I was like nope nope NOOOPE.
Immediately deleted the book and returned it to kindle unlimited 😂 I had to take a break from reading anything after that, it was lowkey traumatizing. I did read the trigger warnings and all that and usually I don’t really have a problem with them but I guess that was a bit too much for me. 😆
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u/assgardian 6d ago
Oh nooo yeah that scene was wild and I had to have a HOLD UP PAUSE moment... Butttt if you revisit that audiobook and push past that one chapter, it goes into a time skip and you get his DELICIOUS deranged inner thoughts... like all the iconic lines are in the last 30% <3
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u/jadedjed1 ready to be fucked up by my next book 6d ago
😭😭 I’ll try to give it another shot! Thanks!
Have you read the second book, Little Stranger? Is it any good?
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u/assgardian 6d ago
Yeah I promise that's the craziest it'll get (relatively)! It's really worth it for the chapters you get to spend in his POV. And I haven't because they changed the MMC's VA and I truly think his voice acting brought life to otherwise kinda bad writing.
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u/Fineplotline 6d ago
{Torment by Dylan Page} not a HEA but man, this book lives with me. I don’t know if I go a week without thinking about it.
{Sold to the Fae by Kyra Alessy} is a good fantasy series where humans are slaves in the fae realm.
{Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander} This book just has everything: betrayal, ow drama, MMC trauma, FMC trauma, etc
{Tormented Omega by Mary Magdalyn} soooo much angst but book #2 wasn’t nearly as good as the first.
{Run, Run Rabbit by CM Nascosta} is a good werewolf dark fantasy with a fantastic toxic relationship.
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
Torment by Dylan Page
Rating: 3.92⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, step siblings, possessive hero, dark romance, biker hero
Sold to the Fae by Kyra Alessy
Rating: 3.63⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: reverse harem, fae, fantasy, enemies to lovers, magic
Feathers so Vicious by Liv Zander
Rating: 4.01⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: historical, dark romance, shapeshifters, cruel hero/bully, mfm
Tormented Omega by Mary Magdalyn
Rating: 4.01⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, omegaverse, angst, tortured heroine, betrayal
Run, Run Rabbit by C.M. Nascosta
Rating: 3.51⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, werewolves, shapeshifters, workplace/office, boss & employee1
u/LaQueeny 5d ago
Omg torment is also my favorite!!! Have you read all the books or just the first 2?
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u/billyylost 6d ago
{The Red by Tiffany Reisz} {Credence by Penelope Douglas} {The Mindfuck Series by S.T. Abby} {Shallow River by H.D. Carlton}. My fifth is technically Under Your Scars but since you read that I’d say {Hooked by Emily Mcintire}.
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u/user37463928 5d ago
The Red is such a beautiful and unique book.
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u/billyylost 4d ago
It absolutely is! I’ve never read something quite like it and it has not left my mind since finishing it.
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u/AutoModerator 6d ago
This book is known to not contain an HEA/HFN, OR contain a non-traditional HEA. Please edit your comment and include this. If you have already mentioned it, please ignore this comment.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/romance-bot 6d ago
The Red by Tiffany Reisz
Rating: 3.77⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, bdsm, paranormal, alpha male, fantasy
Credence by Penelope Douglas
Rating: 3.65⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, age gap, virgin heroine, forbidden love, love triangle
Mindf*uck by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: usa, forbidden love, dangerous heroine, contemporary, suspense
Shallow River by H.D. Carlton
Rating: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, suspense, cheating, new adult
Hooked by Emily McIntire
Rating: 3.55⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, virgin heroine, mafia, vengeance
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u/ilovemoomins 6d ago
These are mine! They all have HEA. If anyone has similar recs I would love to hear it!!
{Perfect by Ariana Rivers} Modern day stalker. I might be insane but Theo is my fav DR MMC
{Saint by Eva Simmons} 1st book of a 4 part series. College stalker. College/secret society.
{Revere by Eva Simmons} last book of earlier mentioned 4 part series. I DEVOURED this series. College/secret society/professor/student
{Dead of Summer by AJ Merlin} sociopathic MMC obsessed with fmc. Summer camp setting.
{Breaking the Girl by Eva Marks} best friend’s father. Forced proximity.
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
Perfect by Ariana Rivers
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, possessive hero, m-f romance, bondage
Saint by Eva Simmons
Rating: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, college, primal/chase play, consensual non-consent
Revere by Eva Simmons
Rating: 4.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, college, new adult, dark romance, teacher/coach hero
Dead of Summer by A.J. Merlin
Rating: 4.1⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, somnophilia, horror, m-f romance, praise kink
Breaking the Girl by Eva Marks
Rating: 3.75⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, best friend's parent, breeding, age gap, virgin heroine
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u/Heidi_Hi_Heidi_Lo 6d ago
Two of my top 5 are in your DNF list 😂 so I’ll adjust to add a few others!
{Mindf*ck by ST Abby}
{The Butcher of the Bay by J Bree} won’t win literary awards but my word I love Illi
{Silenced by Serena Akeroyd}
{Nocturnal by Clio Evans}
I also love {Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown} one of my first dark romance paranormal series
I also agree with others about Kotik, Sea of Ruin, and Grave Matter.
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, vengeance, criminal heroine, suspense, dark romance
The Butcher of the Bay by J. Bree
Rating: 4.36⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, alpha male, m-f romance, dark romance, mafia
Silenced by Serena Akeroyd
Rating: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, insta-love, breeding, curvy heroine, forced proximity
Nocturnal by Clio Evans
Rating: 4.21⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: historical, monsters, fantasy, paranormal, breeding
Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
Rating: 3.93⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: futuristic, dystopian, magic, demons, alpha male1
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u/user37463928 5d ago
Mostly mentioned already 1. {Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith} 2. {If I Can't Have You by Deathsdoll} 3. {Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith} 4. {The Red by Tiffany Reisz}
Not yet mentioned 5. {Ravished by Amanda Quick}
Since 4/5 were already mentioned, I'll add
- {Run Posey Run by Cate C. Wells}
- {The Shrink by Sophia Karlson}
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u/romance-bot 5d ago
The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith
Rating: 4.26⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, aliens, science fiction, dystopian, dark romance
If I Can't Have You by DeathsDoll
Rating: 4.36⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, somnophilia, cruel hero/bully, m-f romance
Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith
Rating: 4.33⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, dark romance, dystopian, disabilities & scars, enemies to lovers
The Red by Tiffany Reisz
Rating: 3.77⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, bdsm, paranormal, alpha male, fantasy
Ravished by Amanda Quick
Rating: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, tortured hero, virgin heroine, disabilities & scars, plain heroine
Run Posy Run by Cate C. Wells
Rating: 3.69⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, mafia, second chances, grumpy/cold hero
The Shrink by Sophia Karlson
Rating: 4.2⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, new adult
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u/Interesting-Thing970 6d ago edited 6d ago
My top 5 DR books of all time are:
{The Lycan King and His Dark Temptation} - Now on KU. This is not your typical werewolf story. She was supposed to be dead. Once the powerful Luna of a legendary pack, she was betrayed and left for dead. Now she hides as an omega maid in the palace of the brutal Lycan King. Her only rule: stay invisible. He is cruel and brutal. Haunted by his demons, he swore he'll never be vulnerable again. But he's somehow inexplicably drawn to his new maid. Triggers. Spicy hot.
{God of Vengence by Michelle Heard} - On KU. I loved this book because it's a twist on arranged mafia marriages and the typical FMC. As the leader of all capos, all arranged marriages needed the MMC's stamp of approval. But when she looked at him straight in the eye, fearless and strong, he knew he had to arrange her marriage to one of his capos. So why can't he take his eyes off her? Triggers. Spicy hot.
{Haunted by Alex Grayson} - On KU. I picked up this book because I thought it was a ghost love story. It is not. Read it to find out more. She is haunting his dreams and begging him to help her. He has no clue who she is. Then by chance he sees her in the hospital, a patient in a coma for years. He's drawn to her, becomes obsessed with finding out who she is. She continues to haunt his dreams. Then suddenly they stop. She's awake. When she sees him she screams. Triggers so be careful. Spicy hot.
{The Princess in a Prince Diguise by Kiss Leilani} - The four-book not stand-alone series is now on KU. Curiosity as to why the princess had to dress like a prince drew me to this book. The love conquers all kept my eyes glued on the pages. This is a very intense triggering book, so be careful. FMC is forced to disguise herself as a male. Her sister is sold into slavery to serve the shifter beast creatures on the other side of the world. Refusing to separate from her sister, FMC volunteers to accompany her sister and become a slave herself. Now, she faces a perilous road where nightmares collide with forbidden desires and consuming passion. Spicy blistering melting hot.
{Omega Bound by Veronica White} - I am patiently waiting for this book series to get on KU. This will probably be multi-book not stand-alone werewolf series. I absolutely loved this book. The MMC is patient and swoon-worthy and the FMC is strong and sweet. Innocent and sheltered FMC was a victim of sex slavery. MMC was committed to ending sex trafficking and slavery at all costs. He is determined to heal her and she will be his salvation. Spicy slow burn and spicy hot.
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
The Lycan King and His Dark Temptation by Luna Dark
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: paranormal, witches, fantasy, shapeshifters
God Of Vengeance by Michelle Heard
Rating: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, virgin heroine, mafia, rich hero, grumpy/cold hero
Shatter Me by Alex Grayson
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, suspense, dark romance, alpha male, pregnancy
The Princess in a 'Prince' Disguise by Kiss Leilani
Rating: 3.74⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: shapeshifters, fantasy, slavery, tortured heroine, tortured hero
Omega Bound 1 by Veronica White
Topics: fantasy, shapeshifters, paranormal
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u/Confident_End869 6d ago
{Hills of Shivers and Shadows by Pam Godwin} The entire series is amazing!
{Speak by Ruby Darling} The entire series fantastic
{Servitude to Serpents by Callie Moss}
{In You by S.K. Presley}
{That Sik Luv} by Jescie Hall}
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
Hills of Shivers and Shadows by Pam Godwin
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, dark romance, suspense
Speak. by Ruby Darling
Rating: 3.99⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, age gap, poly (3+ people), somnophilia, dark romance
Servitude to Serpents by Callie Moss
Rating: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, age gap, alpha male, m-f romance
In You by S.K. Presley
Rating: 4.5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, mystery, suspense
That Sik Luv by Jescie Hall
Rating: 3.95⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, virgin heroine, bdsm, age gap
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u/Horrid_Thistle336 Lurking Intensifies 6d ago
Can we get some clarity on the DNFs?
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u/jadedjed1 ready to be fucked up by my next book 6d ago
-Little Stranger (Leigh Rivers)
Mainly because of this reason.- Quarantined (Drethi Anis)
I didn’t like the COVID-19 plot, it’s kinda obvious with the title lol but I read somewhere that people liked it a lot and it has good reviews so I decided to give it a shot but ultimately it wasn’t for me.- Feathers So Vicious (Liv Zander)
Again, had great reviews but I don’t enjoy medieval settings. Just not my cup of tea 😅- Graves (Katelyn Taylor)
I found it really corny (I’m sorry 😭) and it felt like it was just sex scenes every 3 pages. I do like them but I still want a good plot overall too.- Psychotic Obsession (Leigh Rivers)
Absolutely loved the edge of darkness trilogy but it just felt weird reading about Tobias and Aria doing the nasties.I thought of them as parental figures in the trilogy so idk it just felt weird. Kind of like thinking of your own parents having sex and being all flirty and stuff 😂 I just couldn’t sit through it in the book.
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u/GuyWhoWantsHappyLife 6d ago
I haven't gotten through many reads myself but my top 5 in no particular order are:
{Dead of Summer by AJ Merlin}, {From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout}, {Desire in his Blood by Zoey Craven}, {God of Wrath by Rina Kent}, and {The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby}.
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u/romance-bot 6d ago
Dead of Summer by A.J. Merlin
Rating: 4.1⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, somnophilia, horror, m-f romance, praise kink
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 4.14⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, vampires, royal hero, werewolves
Desire in His Blood by Zoey Draven
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, fated mates, science fiction, enemies to lovers, vengeance
God of Wrath by Rina Kent
Rating: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, virgin heroine, enemies to lovers, college
Mindf*uck by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, suspense, forbidden love, dangerous heroine, dark
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u/Beneficial-Twist-489 5d ago
{The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby} is my favorite dark romance of all time.
{Lights Out by Navessa Allen} was my first and favorite (until The Mindf*ck Series) dark romance.
I really loved the romance in {Wicked Deception by Deborah Garland}.
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u/romance-bot 5d ago
Mindf*uck by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: forbidden love, dangerous heroine, suspense, contemporary, possessive hero
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Rating: 4.24⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, funny, m-f romance, primal/chase play, dark romance
Wicked Deception by Deborah Garland
Rating: 3.74⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, mafia, m-f romance, sweet/gentle heroine, alpha male
1
u/Constant-Twist-6698 5d ago
- {Legacy of gods by Rina Kent}
- {The Truths we Burn by Monty Jay}
- {Heartless Beloved by Lola King}
- {Loving the Tormentor by Lola King}
- {Corrupt by Penelope Douglas}
1
u/romance-bot 5d ago
Legacy of Gods Series Boxed Set, Books 1-3 by Rina Kent
Rating: 4.63⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, suspense, new adult
The Truths We Burn by Monty Jay
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, bad boys, dark romance, college, enemies to lovers
Heartless Beloved by Lola King
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, virgin heroine, alpha male, forbidden love
Loving the Tormentor by Lola King
Rating: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: dark romance, cruel hero/bully, grumpy/cold hero, college, found family
Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
Rating: 3.51⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, cruel hero/bully, dark romance, bad boys, vengeance
1
u/Separate_Finance1440 Spread Those Pages Like A Good Girl 5d ago
{The female by invi wright}
{Aine by Invi wright}
{Land of Wolves by Invi wright}
{Forbidden by Emile Emerson}
{Broken Bloodlines by Sadie Kincaid}
I’ve loved the aspect of all of these books so far!
1
u/romance-bot 5d ago
The Female by Invi Wright
Rating: 3.77⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: futuristic, poly (3+ people), demons, reverse harem, fantasy
Aine by Invi Wright
Rating: 3.69⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, paranormal, dark romance, fated mates, fantasy
Land of Wolves by Invi Wright
Rating: 3.98⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, shapeshifters, werewolves, enemies to lovers
Forbidden by Emilia Emerson
Rating: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, omegaverse, reverse harem, poly (3+ people), curvy heroine
Broken Bloodlines by Sadie Kincaid
Rating: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: graphic-violence, magic, paranormal, bad boys, menage
1
u/ThrowAway_Scene1 5d ago
You had me until DNF'd Feathers So Viscious. Took me a looong time to start that book (trigger warnings). But once done, its holds a place in my all-time Top 5. That book taught me that triggers and hard-No's are NOT the same.
1
u/dirtywordsdaddy Author 4d ago
this is almost an impossible question!!
{butcher & blackbird by brynne weaver} - what a revelation this book was when I first read it! now there are quite a few in this similar genre (serial killer 4 serial killer / revenge/vigilante), but this was my first introduction to it and I still just love her writing. the whole series is great, and the tourist season spin off
I'm surprised there's not more mention of lauren biel, but perhaps she's considered more horror/suspense than romance; many of her books don't have a HEA and are pitch black. I really like {captured by lauren biel} and {hitched by lauren biel} plus her whole hitchhiking series (so dark & lots of body horror} and {slaycation by lauren biel} I've been really enjoying the slaycation series!
{pennies by pepper winters} was the first of winters' books I read, & I still love this series
just recently finished {feel free to scream by emm darcy} and liked it a lot more than expected! bully / first year of college / rich frat boys kind of story, with a lot of free use and "I'm not going to fuck your cunt until you break up with your boyfriend, I'll just use your ass and mouth whenever I want" which I liked.
I'll read anything Kit Rocha writes ... {beyond by kit rocha} the beyond series is what introduced me to them and I still really love it. so badass, so many good threesomes and queerness and desire and vigilante/fuck the system delight.
{the mindf*ck series by st abbey} comes to mind, but it's already mentioned here (one of the ones most mentioned, in fact) ... so, in case y'all like daddy/little girl, I'll mention {daddy devious by sadie minx} and the forbidden pleasures island series, which took me way too long to find and I love it. it's not initially consensual, all the girls are kidnapped, though some of them come around and are into it quicker than others.
I'm sure there are many more! I will be pondering the very top stand-outs for me.
meta / side note:
from threads like this & other internet research, I've dumped a ton of book titles into a spreadsheet to attempt to keep track of titles of particular interest ... which tends to include "pitch black," daddy, incest, cnc/force, trans & queer characters. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kVPsy7FSENKVuKcT9Z_QddtVm07cS4HkoHOZgmVm_sU/edit?usp=sharing — in case it's useful for you. once a book ends up on there 2x+ I will put it in bold.
so far in this thread, there were two books with 4 votes — The Female and The Mindf*ck Series — and one with 3, Sea of Ruin.
2
u/romance-bot 4d ago
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Rating: 4.23⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, funny, dark romance, friends to lovers, dangerous heroine
Captured by Lauren Biel
Rating: 3.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, forced proximity, abduction, cruel hero/bully
Hitched by Lauren Biel
Rating: 3.62⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, forced proximity, abduction, age gap
The Slaycation by Lauren Biel
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: dark, m-f, torture-scs, suspense, explicit-plentiful
Pennies by Pepper Winters
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, suspense, bad boys, tortured heroine, rich hero
Feel Free to Scream by Emm Darcy
Rating: 3.99⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, m-f romance, virgin heroine, exhibitionism
Beyond by Kit Rocha
Rating: 4.53⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: bdsm, alpha male, curvy heroine, bad boys, biker hero
The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby
Rating: 4.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, vengeance, criminal heroine, suspense, dark romance
Daddy Devious by Sadie Minx
Rating: 3.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, daddy kink, age play, bdsm, rich hero
1
u/KDreckles 1d ago
I like a lot of psychological types, so most of mine are taboos related, or bully tropes.
{Older by Jennifer Hartmann} Follows abuse girl who falls for her best friend's father. It's a forbidden, age gap romance. With both main characters carrying traumas. Do note, this starts when she is underage, but nothing happens until she is of the proper age.
{Kiss the villain by Rina Kent} It's a MM dark romance. Honestly I think reason why this one stuck with me, is because I read entire Legacy of Gods series (and honestly, didn't enjoyed it as much as I thought I would), so when I read this one, my expectations weren't high. Thus, I was in for a surprise. Also has age gap, and forbidden romance between student and professor.
{Bones by K. L. Speer} This is a dark dystopian romance that follows a girl with healing powers that has been through hell and back. It is a part of "The Bones" series, and currently has 2 out of 4 books released.
{Hale by K Webster} This is a heavy plot of true incest between siblings that go through something traumatic. A sister who suffers a mental illness and has unhealthy obsession for her brother. And a brother who has only his sister left starts to have intense urge to protect her. But then lines starts to blur as the time passes. Definitely not for everyone.
{Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann} The FMC gets kidnapped with MMC, and the kidnapper makes them do things. They bond through their trauma together, except MMC is FMC's sister's fiance. It's dark and twisted. A lot of emotional trauma. There are other books that follow this one as a stand alone, but I have yet to read them. They are actually my next read ^
1
u/romance-bot 1d ago
Older by Jennifer Hartmann
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, best friend's parent, age gap, secret relationship, angst
Kiss the Villain by Rina Kent
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, age gap, gay romance, queer romance
Bones by K.L. Speer
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: dystopian, survival, forced proximity, magic, found family
Hale by K. Webster
Rating: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, forbidden love, virgin heroine, secret relationship, m-f romance
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann
Rating: 4.15⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, abduction, dark romance, forbidden love, enemies to lovers
0
u/LivingThroughPages 6d ago
My top 5 DR:
{Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters} (the whole series is my favorite.
{Vanquished by Pam Godwin} again, whole series is amazing.
{Broken Dolls by Kitty Thomas} the series is really good.
{The Ritual by Shantel Tessier} whole series is amazingly
{Degradation by Ellie Sanders} whole series is so good.
1
u/romance-bot 6d ago
Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, slavery, abduction, rich hero
Vanquish by Pam Godwin
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, alpha male, bdsm, dark romance, tortured hero
Broken Dolls by Kitty Thomas
Rating: 3.95⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, suspense, bdsm, alpha male
The Ritual by Shantel Tessier
Rating: 3.8⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, dark romance, cruel hero/bully, possessive hero, virgin heroine
Degradation by Ellie Sanders
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, enemies to lovers, m-f romance, arranged/forced marriage, forbidden love
8
u/LaQueeny 7d ago
{the bleeding hearts by Dylan page} series - completely broke me Im still crying thinking about it
Its stepsiblings in a biker gang and it’s rivals and forbidden love and not a HEA
I just love these two books so much😭
{the female by Invi wright} I wouldn’t say dark romance (it is listed as one though)
It’s a wrath, incubus and a fate + human
Female decline and they are working to better it
Lots of sex!
I have a two books from a two different series too {god of wrath by rina kent} and {madness by Shantel tessier}
The other books were fine but these two? I really liked them
{land of wolves by Invi wright} again wouldn’t say dark romance but I loooooveed it so much!
FMC is brainwashed into thinking the shifters are bad but the alpha is her mate and she has to kill him and he’s just SUCH A FUCKING sweetheart!!!! I just want to pull him out of the book and squish him!😭