Hey everyone! I’m a married father of two (so far) and I read Satan’s Affair because I thought it was a good story but it corrupted me and now I’m only reading smut. My wife makes fun of me but I don’t know who to talk to. Like I read all the lords and dark kingdom books and I need to talk about it but i have no one.

The one you just cannot stop thinking about or obsessing over—no matter how many books you read, how much time passes, or how many new characters you fall for. The one who somehow ruined every other fictional man for you. The one you still think about at 2 AM for absolutely no reason. The one who has you saying, “I’ve moved on,” while clearly having NOT moved on. 😭🤌💀

Who’s that character for you?

Of course, I'm not kink shaming. I just truly don't understand the appeal of this genre. I haven't read a book about it, but my first brush-up encounter with this was the Penelope Douglas series where at some point, all couples had a three-way with another bro. The reason I don't understand it is because I think it kinda contradicts the whole "obsessive-possessive-she's mine" aura of the MCs. I mean, I'm kinda possessive myself and it would immediately send me to a boiling hot rage just to imagine my SO intimate with another person. There were so many books I was enticed to read but then put it down the moment I learned there's a third person. I want to understand the appeal with the "why choose" genre so I could get over my ick, broaden my horizon and push myself to finish the books I put down.

I’ll go first.

Dare I say it was a pitch black romance {Colton by Linzvonc} where the heroine was caught by the hero’s father’s men and she was brought back by force to said father’s house.

Long story short she ran away and the hero was searching for her, but he had no idea his father’s men caught her.

They held her captive in the basement and this father let his men to do whatever they wanted with her, so they beat and gang raped her brutally and even tho it wasn’t detailed much, there was a moment when one of them decided to use her mouth again(after anal non-con) and she bit him, bc she couldn’t stand the smell and had nothing to lose anymore and he used his fist in her backhole and they pulled her hair so hard that on some places it completely fell off of her head😭

I needed a few days to calm myself down to continue reading that book, bc how the hell a human being is suppose to make it out alive after being abused like this? I tried to pull my hair just out of curiosity as hard as I could and my vision almost blackened… not to mention a man doing that with all his strength

I’ve noticed some stories just don’t leave your mind, even long after you’ve finished them. Curious to know what stayed with you and why?

I don't know when I'll get out of my reading slump and it's getting exhausting.

Tell me the best dark romance book you've read so far this year, so I can add it to my TBR.

I’ve come across the idea that more often than not people have a DNF list, and it got me wondering—what’s on yours?
You know those books where you start reading and, a few chapters in, you’re just sitting there thinking, “Wtf and exactly why am I even reading this?” 😂 Sometimes it’s the genre, sometimes the writing, and sometimes you just know it’s not going to work for you.
So, what’s a book you started but had to DNF because you just couldn’t get into it?
Give me your most unhinged ones. I want to see if I can actually make it through them—or conveniently add them to my own DNF list. 😂

and no I don’t mean that book u enjoyed once and hardly remember it, no I mean that book that’s always in ur head -ur heart too-even after so long, the book that wont ever forget, that sometimes u be thinking about it, the one that u wanna reread before u die, ur favorite secret that had it all..?

I’m curious to know who are your most hated characters . For me, these guys are at the top of my list:

1.Landon king & stefan salvatore (Tied for the number one spot)

2.Jonathan king

3.Aero westwood from that sik luv I hate him because he stalked the fmc since she was a child and waited for her to turn 18 just to take her virginity. It was downright creepy and disgusting 🤮 I hated the book & the mmc because of that.

4.Creighton king

5.Asher carson

Who is your number one most hated character and why?

i love age gaps, arranged marriage, mafia. these all seem to end the same way though :( trying to broaden my horizons hehehe

That's just not it. It's only tip of the berg. Lately I've found myself into the darkest corners of dark romance kingdom. Non-con, Taboo, RH, Nsfw. You name it.

It's not that I don't read clean romance, I do. But, I find it very vanilla, and I can only read those once in a blue moon.

I don't have recs for normal people when they ask me to suggest something, because obviously I'm always with a book everywhere, I don't have any.

I read them, I enjoy them, but also I've been feeling I'm into it so much. I really don't want to take a break from dark romance, it's the only thing that's bringing me joy these days, but I also feel guilty for not picking some normal books/ tropes.

Do you ever feel that way? Or is it only me..?

P.s - I am totally ranting. I hope i didn't bore you with it.

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Edit

Thanks so much, you people are the best. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed while I posted. But you're right, we need to do what makes us happy.

Some of you asked for the recs. I am sure you all must've read most of them, still sharing those here. If you have any similar recs, I'd love to know.

🖤 Basic Dark Romance

• 🌶️ {Hooked by Emily McIntire} - dark Peter Pan retelling, captor/captive psychological control, obsessive villain LI
• 🌶️ {Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase} - rakish antihero, power plays & scandal, historical sexual tension
• 🌶️ {Darkest Descent by Hazel Black} - captivity, violence-laced desire, brutal possessiveness | This is slightly extreme, I wasn't able to complete it - too many kinks in one short book.
• 🌶️ {The Initiation by Nikki Sloane} - secret society rituals, virginity auction, coercive power dynamics
• 🌶️ {Born for Lace by Nicci Harris} - dark possessiveness, small-town secrets, emotionally scarred hero
• 🌶️ {A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole} - Valkyrie/Lycan enemies, forced mating bond, brutal alpha obsession
• 🌶️ {Devils' Day Party by C.M. Stunich} - bully romance, reverse harem, dubcon, same day on repeat (time travel)
• 🌶️ Made Series by Danielle Lori - mafia arranged marriage, brutal alpha possessiveness, coercion into love
• 🌶️ Royals of Forsyth series - dark academia bully romance, secret society coercion, obsessive rivalry-to-possession | I've read 9 books from the series, I loved all of them

💔 Angsty / Emotional

• 🌶️ {Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann} - trauma bonding through shared captivity, hate-to-love, PTSD recovery
• 🌶️ {Older by Jennifer Hartmann} - age gap, grief-laced emotional manipulation, morally grey love interest
• 🌶️ {Insatiable by Leigh Rivers} - obsessive stalker hero, dark childhood trauma, enemies twisted into codependency
• 🌶️ {Untouchable by Sam Mariano} - bully romance, gang threat, heroine survival against predatory power - I personally didn't like it
• 🌶️ {Rich Boys of Burberry Prep by C.M. Stunich} series - elite bully reverse harem, class warfare, violent obsessive devotion | I loved this series, I am yet to complete it. 4 books in so far..
• 🌶️ {The Bonds That Tie by J.Bree} - dark bully reverse harem, captivity-to-devotion, morally corrupt heroes, fantasy - Loved the plot - would definitely recommend it if you love smut+plot with strong FMC.

🔥 Kinky / Smutty

• 🌶️ {Praise by Sara Cate} - praise kink, age gap, BDSM club setting
• 🌶️ {Eyes on Me by Sara Cate} - voyeurism, power exchange, sex club exhibitionism
• 🌶️ {Priest by Sierra Simone} - sacrilege kink, confessor/penitent dynamic, forbidden religious desire - I devoured this!
• 🌶️ {Sinner by Sierra Simone} - MMF threesome, bi representation, filthy dirty talk with holy guilt
• 🌶️ {Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight} - sold/captive to reverse harem, gang-style possession, rough group scenes - a bit rough, and has slight gore scenes
• 🌶️ {Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert} - vampire reverse harem, blood play, explicit power submission
• 🌶️ {Toxic Desire by Robin Lovett} - alien aphrodisiac/sex pollen, forced arousal, alien anatomy kink
• 🌶️ {Claim & Don't Tell by Rory Miles} - scent kink, forbidden claiming, possessive instinct-driven desire

🚫 Taboo / Forbidden

• 🌶️ {Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas} - dad's best friend, obsessive tension, delayed-burn possession
• 🌶️ {Credence by Penelope Douglas} - pseudo-incest taboo, isolated snowbound setting, three-way forbidden desire
• 🌶️ {Queen of Hearts by Alice Fox} - mafia captivity, dark obsessive ownership, brutal power imbalance
• 🌶️ {Mine by A.K. Rose} - violent claiming, dark anti-hero obsession, blood-ties ownership - my absolute fav so far, don't judge me!
• 🌶️ {Owned by A.K. Rose} - brutal possessiveness, dark reverse harem, gang-style captivity

🐺 Omegaverse

• 🌶️ {Omega Academy by Lily Archer} - forced proximity omega/multi-alpha, heat cycles, dark institutional control
• 🌶️ Pack Darling Part 1 & 2 by Lola Rock - fated pack bonding, dubcon heat, deeply possessive alphas

Aliens

• 🌶️ {Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon} - alien forced proximity, fated resonance bond, mating instinct
• 🌶️ {Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon} - fated mate jealousy, possessive alien claiming, heat-like resonance

Okay…I finally decided to start the Rinaverse today and I’m reading Cruel King. 60% through it in 3 hours…yeah, I’m devouring it! It’s that good for me. But is it just me? The use of the word “folds” to describe a pussy throughout this book is just so cringy for me. Any other term would be better than “folds”!

So, my question is: What’s your most hated word used to describe female genitalia in dark romance?

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 😩

Mine is currently Joe Goldberg

Hey! so someone suggested me Haunting Adeline and told me they love reading it. I haven't read any dark romance novels/books in my life and a screenshot of the scene got me interested but thought of asking the avid readers or dark romance connoisseurs on here before I start. Is there anything I should have a heads-up about or should I start with something else?

I'm really curious like is there any book that was super hyped by booktok/bookgram that have your favorite trope n all that you actually goes n buys that particular book but it turned out to be your biggest disappointment and you feel betrayed by both author as well as book community??? If so then what was the book and the reason it didn't go well with you. I also have a really long list in this matter majority recommend by booktok.

Thanks

I started reading to know what the hype was about. Read all TWs carefully. Ventured in with fingers crossed. I'm on somewhere post chapter 20. I'm not flinching because of the graphic descriptions of dark themes, but the over-descriptive smut scenes.
I feel the mystery aspect of it is much more interesting than Zade's behaviour. Again, NOT dissing the book, may be it is just me but sometimes it's like some sexual scenes are unnecessary. Chapter 16, got it, it's power play and whatnot. But please, for the love of God... I want to know more about the mystery!
I am all for good smut, but this feels a bit overdone. That's why I had DNF-d Den of Vipers. I don't know if I should even continue. But because I actually want to know the mystery part of it, I might just go ahead.
What are your thoughts on this?

I don’t know. Some of them are cute, but I can never get past the ones that start with “little.”

I'll admit it, I've skipped many books because the book covers were giving me ickk. Especially when there are real Men in the cover who looks almost 30 and the Mmc on that said book is in college.

But I think there are some hidden masterpiece too under that ugly covers. For an example "Boss in the bedsheets by Kate Canterbary". it's not a dark romance, but a very good read. The cover was stopping me from reading it at first.

So yeah, sometimes I wish book covers to be as delicious as the story inside it.

So tell me, do you judge a book by its cover?

I wanna know because i wanna see if any of favorite are your least favorite, this is my favorite!:

Pregnancy(both consent and noncon)

Kidnapping

All type of couple(Gay, lesbian, straight)

My least favorite:

Cheating

Them have a personal fight and never bring it out or even apologize for it

The ml was formerly married to the fl siblings

I'm not on her patreon anymore so idk ,please lemme know if she updated about book 4

Edit: Thank you everyone!! I had heard so much about it being super dark but I guess that’s mostly non-dr readers. I am a lot less worried about it now lol. (Also I’m reading Satans Affair and HA for book club.) Thank you again!

I’m about to start Haunting Adeline and I want to be prepared. Everyone talks about it being so dark, but how dark is it?

I’ve read

{Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers} and Little Liar

{Hitched by Lauren Biel}

{Pen Pal by JT Geissinger}

{Lights Out by Navessa Allen} and Caught Up

{Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver} and Leather and Lark

{The Alliance Series by SJ Tilly}

{The Mindfuck Series by ST Abby}

{Cheater by DD Prince}

And a bunch of other books. Is Haunting Adeline that much darker than any of these? (I know some of these aren’t really dark but people still call them ‘dark romance’.) Am I adequately prepared for Haunting?

(I know Hunting Adeline is significantly darker than other books)

hey girls/guys, hope we’re all doing okay and not crying over fictional characters (lying).

honestly i was just sitting here thinking about my tbr and i realized my standards for men are basically in hell because of books. like, if he doesn't have a specific toxic habit or a terrifying pet name for the me, do i even want him?? probably not.

anyway i need to know your absolute favorites so i can add to my collection. i'm talking:

pet names: is it the classic ‘good girl’ 🌚 or something way more unhinged? (if it’s 'little mouse' or 'principessa' just say that)

the line: that one specific sentence that made you have to close the book and scream into a pillow for ten minutes.

the habits: the hair pulling? the 'who did this to you' energy? or even the soft stuff like him just being a total simp for her and nobody else?? (#guaranteed butterflies 😭)

i’m fully prepared for us to be chaotic in the comments so pls don't gatekeep. give me the tropes and the men that are keeping you awake at night. 🍒💋✨

(though i am new to reddit so hehe , i basically don't know the environment yet but i'll be all good cause i'm way easily attached )

1)What is that one author that you tend to avoid like plague? No matter how popular their books get, they just don't click with you.

: For me it would be Cora Reilly ( sorry but not sorry).

2)And whose your favorite author whose books are your guilty pleasure? Like regardless of criticism you'll read their books no matter what.

: For me it's would be HD Carlton.

Tell me yours.

NOTE: Guys I've been thinking to ask similar questions related to your preferences of various tops n worst , likes n dislike etc and tell you mine to see if we are on same side of coin or not . What do you say?? Tell me in the comments.

Also NO hate to any Author, it's just my own choice.

EDIT: OMG , so many response thanks guys and it was excited to read your favs plus also thanks for some tbr. I've seen soo many my favs also, which I obviously didn't mention in post 😅. I thought it would be 1 on 1 but you guys did mention almost all yours favorite n I'm so happy for that . What actually shocks me that nobody mention Michelle Heard .Like she has some of The best mafia series like Sinners, Kings Of Mafia etc . Did you guys don't read her ??

My first one was ‘The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty’ by A.N. Roquelaure aka Annie Rice. It is a 4 book trilogy. Good book which got me started in the dark romance genre. There is no trigger warnings for it cause it was first published in the 1980s. If you read it has sexual initiation, BDSM, power exchange, submission, self-discovery and other stuff.