Romance novels are my jam. However, every time I think I’ve heard about all the different subgenres and variants, another one pops up to knock me for a loop. The first time I heard of “dark romance”, I was happily browsing Etsy for all things romance when I stumbled upon some dark romance themed swag. I didn’t understand what that was or what the various key phrases meant. I have since been educated.
Per Google:
“Dark romance is a subgenre of romance fiction that explores intense, often taboo, and emotionally charged relationships, featuring morally ambiguous characters, themes of danger, crime, dubious consent, and power dynamics (e.g., kidnapping, stalking, mafia). Unlike traditional romance, it focuses on high-stakes emotional intensity, often resulting in complex, positive, or sometimes tragic, conclusions.”
One thing about dark romances that I really appreciate is a list of potential trigger warnings provided by the author. I appreciate it when an author includes them in the front of a book, but some authors will just say to check their website to see the associated trigger warnings associated with each of their books. For example, an author might warn readers that there are scenes or sections that mention animal abuse or SA. Readers who would find that too upsetting to read about, might avoid that book. As a reader, I’ve read several books by best-selling paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors that I would have appreciated a trigger warning list for. For me, it’s not a spoiler, but just lets you make a more informed decision about whether or not to read a particular book. There were times that I was reading and enjoying a book, only to suddenly have a very lengthy and detailed SA scene pop up. Even if I would otherwise enjoy stories by that author, scenes like that tend to swirl around my mind and stick like a sludge. Everybody has their own triggers.
Warm and Fuzzies
Was it destiny?
I don’t know yet
Was it just by chance?
Could this be kismet?
Now I’m always touched by your presence, dear
(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear, Blondie
Since dipping my toes into the dark romance pond, I’ve discovered the variety in this subgenre and fine tooled my preferences. First there is what I would consider the “warm and fuzzies” – some dodgy stuff goes on, and several crimes are committed (usually by the male protagonist), but the male protagonist is uber into the female main character and tries to do stuff that’s protective and will make her happy. Examples include FOR I HAVE SINNED by Heather Ashley, SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE by Lilith Vincent, FEAR ME, LOVE ME by Lilith Vincent, and BEAUTIFUL CARNAGE by Heather Ashley.
In FOR I HAVE SINNED, the story opens with Blair being publicly humiliated by her boyfriend and his side chick. I love how author Heather Ashley puts it in her opening book dedication, “For the girls who got cheated on and chose violence. May your revenge be merry and your new man be his father“. Rather than shattering completely, Blair picks herself up and opts to get revenge by having a tryst with her boyfriend’s rich hottie dad, Gabriel Hollis. What nobody knows, is that Gabriel has longed for Blair for quite some time and is fully prepared to capitalize on his son’s folly. While this story has an age gap, and Gabriel does some pretty wild things to secure Blair in his life, he is also pretty clear with her about his intentions – if not about the way in which he chooses to achieve his goals. Blair surprises herself by enjoying and feeling comforted by Gabriel’s loving care, but she also realizes she is stronger than she thinks. She’s proactive in rebuilding what her loser ex tried to destroy. Gabriel is a formidable defender and source of support for his woman, but he appreciates her strength and doesn’t try and steamroll her as some alpha heroes can do. This was totally delicious and has become a re-read for me.
I love SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE and FEAR ME, LOVE ME by Lilith Vincent. As with the previously mentioned books by Heather Ashley, these stories by Lilith Vincent are age gap romances. In SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE, Lilith Vincent does her dark romance spin on the nanny/single dad trope. Elena is a young woman saddled with the “good girl” persona. She was abandoned by her parents and left in the care of two old harpies who leech off her and use religion as a weapon to bend her to their will. Thankfully the scenes with Elena’s aunts are few in this book, but their influence hangs heavy over her and every decision she makes. Everybody in Elena’s life makes demands on her – including her sad sack boyfriend. When Cullan, the father of Elena’s boyfriend, meets her by chance – he’s instantly captivated. He offers her a job as a nanny for his young daughter but tries to keep an appropriate distance. However, when he sees how neglectful his son is with Elena, and she seems to express that she’s attracted to Cullan, he low key tries to give Elena the comfort and support that she doesn’t get anywhere else. Although this story has its share of carnage and some late-night murderous sprees, at the heart of it is a tale about two people coming together who appreciate each other for who they are and grow together. Spicy scenes are a given and much appreciated by this reader.
BEAUTIFUL CARNAGE is the first book in Heather Ashley’s Savage Society of Emerald Hills series. The Savage Society is a group of guys who rule the crime scene in Emerald Hills and are power brokers as well. This is an age gap romance. Over the years, age gap romances have grown on me – but I’m particular. In this story, the younger female character is not a sheltered innocent. Fallon may be a young adult, but with her father being part of the Savage Society and having to deal with cutthroat rich kids, she’s savvy. She also stands firm about not letting Cole fight all her battles and he respects her enough to let her extract the pound of flesh she feels she needs to – even though he does a little follow-up work to hammer her points home. Although Cole is friends with Fallon’s dad, and a Savage Society member, his relationship doesn’t feel predatory. Fallon is the one to pursue Cole initially and act on her attraction. Cole only acts on his attraction after getting the green light from Fallon. Once he gets the signal from her, he goes all in and is fierce in his protection and efforts to bind her to him in every way imaginable. Fallon may be a newly minted adult, but she’s had years to grow her claws, so she’s capable of defending herself when required and not taking any bs.
FEAR ME, LOVE ME is perhaps my favorite book by Lilith Vincent. As with any work of fiction, the things that go on in FEAR ME, LOVE ME might not appeal to all readers. Some readers might be freaked out by some of the characters’ actions, but Tyrant Mercer – the male main character – just does it for me. The story is divided into sections – the present, the past, then back to the present. Vivienne has been too good for too long. She’s a college student and has nobody who really cares for her. Her father is a loser who is verbally abusive and uses her love for her baby half-brother as a way to try and move her like a pawn. Given her harsh family life, she fantasizes about local crime kingpin Tyrant Mercer. One day she sees him violently defend his sister and she longs for that kind of fierce love. Much to her surprise and occasional regrets later on – she gets her wish. She soon finds herself in his clutches and is a little uncomfortable with how comfortable she finds being in his clutches. Tyrant is amusing, fiercely protective, violent, and utterly devoted. His attraction to Vivienne takes him by surprise and confounds him at times. He so badly wants her to let him off his leash and destroy anybody and everybody who darkens her day – though he does make greats strides in that respect without her permission. His frequent plea to her is, “Say, I wish Tyrant Mercer would give me my heart’s desire”. She eventually gives in, but I would have taken him up on his offer way sooner.
I’ll be back for another deep dive into dark romance soon!
Playlist:
(I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear, Blondie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMWpZtj_284&list=RDIMWpZtj_284&start_radio=1
Sway, Puppini Sisters – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klddUd8raY8&list=RDklddUd8raY8&start_radio=1
Deeper and Deeper, Madonna – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUAD35WzLpk&list=RDLUAD35WzLpk&start_radio=1
Once Upon a Dream, Lana Del Rey – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8waJ7W3QcJc&list=RD8waJ7W3QcJc&start_radio=1
Thieves Like Us, New Order – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv9cO4Uf40A&list=RDuv9cO4Uf40A&start_radio=1
Could It Be Magic, Puppini Sisters – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq5hkX2RTOs&list=RDgq5hkX2RTOs&start_radio=1
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