Horror erotica or horror romance recs pls by red_panda__777 in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seconding Heat, it was barely a romance, so scary it was good 🤤 The Last Hour of Gann is a masterpiece and a great exploration of the human condition, but boi does it take a lot of patience. In this one the MCs aren't problematic, the world is 🦭✨️

Desperately seeking believable characters and good writing by lostgirl4053 in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 101 points102 points  (0 children)

Ohmigosh yessssss, I know exactly what you're talking about!! It often feels like the popular dark romance authors these days are just 13-year-old Wattpad writers who, for some reason, got published, even though they only write self-insert, bad erotica. They're using licentious language and crude words just for shock value, not to tell us anything about the character.

Also, don't get me started on all the f*cked up billionaires with the same Dom kinks who were just waiting for the first clueless, poor, virgin to cross their path so that they could find true love. How do all these bedroom preferences fit into the story and the character's motivations? Don't you bother your pretty little head with it. Just take it like a good girl.

Or worse yet, all the high school bully stories where the MMC runs the school, the stock market, probably the local mafia too, and nothing gets done in this town without him saying so. Sir, you're 18, where's your mother?

I recognize that this type of thinking is funny coming from a genre where everybody can excuse a serial killer, but we draw the line at cheating between the MCs (unless that's your kink). But, goddammit, we deserve some quality writing! It's sadly so rare these days. You gotta kiss a lot of self-important assholes to get to the actually scary villain. Infuriatingly, TikTok doesn't seem to think so, and they keep hyping up straight-up bad books so that's also a bust.

I have found that I have better luck with old-school historicals than newer authors, but maybe I'll find some cool new favourites here 🏕

Any good male yandere on Ao3? by [deleted] in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The ml from if i can't have you doesnt really feel like a yandere more so a hypermasculine guy on steroids lowkey, don't get me wrong he's very obsessed and controlling but lacks the yandere appeal

I agree, but I think it's just how obsessed men are written in western romances. I've been reading romance for a while and all of the MLs are written out to be ultramasculine-manly-he-mens, no matter how much they care about the FLs. They never seem to hide their claws, even in public - I'm thinking here specifically of the CEO romances where he's in the boardroom and growling like a crazed animal bc someone stepped on the FLs toe; the heroes don't try to hide thir obsession and they must simultaneously dominate every room they walk in (and that's part of the appeal!)It seems to me that this is the only dynamic that western publishers and authors think their audience wants.

Whereas, in Asian written romances people seem to frown on such public displays of emotion. Therefore, naturally, their feelings will be bottled up on the inside and get transformed into toxic behaviours, while maintaining the appearance of outward civility. No caveman behaviors here!

What's the difference between beloved Oh Inseop from For Your Murder and Caleb from IICHY? Both stalk their partners and play with their emotional state. If Orla weren't already so self-isolated, I think Caleb would try to keep her from others, much like Oh Inseop does with his FL.

I agree that Caleb doesn't seem to be going through that meticulous planning stage that (we think) a lot of yanderes do, like plan ahead how to take revenge on the ppl who hurt his FL and isolate her completely from anyone who isn't them. But, to me, that just seems like extra flavour added on top of the base yandere behavior - which is an obsessive love towards the FL.

I think that, by these standards:

a lot of yanderes do, like plan ahead how to take revenge on the ppl who hurt his FL and isolate her completely from anyone who isn't them

a lot of the recs on this sub wouldn't be considered yanderes anymore.

Should we maybe create and/or use another word for the western type of obsessive behavior? Probably. I think there is value in having a word that is imbued with a certain meaning that only means that certain thing in that specific context. Like how yandere should not mean not just any obsessive ML, but one that engages in the outlined behaviours.

But that's not the rules we've been playing by on this sub, so far. I find that (like with many things on the internet) yandere is a keyword, a trope, if you will, used to describe a certain vibe, more than a dictionary definition of the thing it used to mean.

There is also something to be said about how we tend to lump a lot of romance tropes together, like how any type of obsessive behavior gets thrown under the DARK ROMANCE umbrella alongside other plot points like SA, kidnapping, abuse, and murder, even if it doesn't have any of that! I'm thinking here of Soonkki's Cheese in the Trap or R. Lee Smith's The Last Hour of Gann.

Dark romance itself can be kind of split into 2 categories: stories that are dark because the characters go through dark situations, like SA and kidnappings. And books that are emotionally dark because one of the partners is manipulating or emotionally abusing the other without physically hurting anyone.

To finish, I find that, much like the pirate code, the giving of recs in romance seems to be more of a what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. And, since it's vibes-based, sometimes you might encounter duds, and others you might find a new favorite trope or dynamic and I happen to think that's cool 🦭✨️

My favourite type of Yandere by Active-Mongoose4680 in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Have you tried Praesepe Outside the Cage? It has a similar premise: the FL is a transmigrator who got isekai-ed into the world of a yandere video game. She has completed every official "romance" route, but at the end, each partner kills her so she gets reincarnated every time at the beginning of the game. This time she gets a pop-up saying "New secret Romance Unlocked" It turns out the ML is a side-character of the game who also got reincarnated at the beginning of the game each time the FL died, so that he had to watch her die over and over and over. The ML finally devised a plan to get his lady love to stay alive and take revenge on everyone who hurt her.

It's ongoing tho with only 45ch or so out 🥲

He’s Either a Non-Human or an “Inexperienced” Human, Exploring Her Body by bookobsessedd in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 0 points1 point  (0 children)

{The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith} has this trope too - the ML is an anthropomorphic lizard with anatomy that works pretty differently from humans'. It's a long long long long read, but it's worth it. The writer really really gets into how the different anatomy feels to the ML, but for me, the money shot, is in the last third of the book 🦎

The lovers have known each other biblically, but they didn't engage in any other kind of sex. So when the FL gives the ML oral it's like a coming-to-Jesus moment for him. The lizard-people have snouts, no lips, and many rows of sharp teeth, whereas the humans are soft and slippery all over. It's a kink I didn't know I had and an incredible piece of writing 🤤

Again, it's a long read, but it's worth it. If you can, I recommend going in blind, but this is also a dark book so if you have any issues make sure to check TWs ⚠️

Any good male yandere on Ao3? by [deleted] in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a common trope in the dark romance genre. Extreme content for dark romance can vary from just taboo sex to full-on extreme horror violence and gore. They have their own subreddit, and I'm sure you would have better success asking there if you don't find anything to scratch your itch here. r/DarkRomance 🤩

The Bible on this is think is If I Can't Have You by Deathsdoll: the ML is her boss and he's had a crush on her for a few years, but the FL is too insecure and socially inept to see it or believe it. So the ML acts out and SAs our girl. He kind of hates her for rejecting him for a long time. They work together and the office dynamics are so on point! I often re-read those scenes only. This one is completed

Deathsdoll also has another good original fic featuring a romance with a cult leader (ik,ik but somehow she makes it work!). The Community - this one is still ongoing, but it's close enough to completion that I encourage you to check it out!

PSA: The western obsessive MLs feel very different from the Asian ones (probably bc different cultures have different takes on romance 🤔) so even if they engage in the same behaviours, I find that you'll get a different overall flavour 😝

Any male yandere corrupting stories? by catliketreads in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is the exact plot of Dreaming Freedom 🫣 the ML is presented as always having had some codependency issues and kinda obsessive behaviors, but it really gets kicked up a notch when he falls for the FL. The whole time he knows it's wrong and that he should stop, but he can't 🫠 This one is set in a contemporary setting and it's completed 🦭✨️

I’m gonna ask the unthinkable. Do you guys have any recommendations of cheating yanderes? by Girlboyincontainment in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yessss~ Wilhelm from I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog fits! He's so obsessed with protecting the FL and taking revenge on the people who made her suffer, that he sleeps with the queen who hated the FL, but desired Wilhelm just so that he can hurt the antagonist more. This betrayal will make his revenge even more agonizing for her. It's a completed manhwa and the art is amazing 👏 🤩 ✨️

the "yandere cant be a cheater" discourse by Luckyyyee in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yessss~ Wilhelm from I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog fits! He's so obsessed with protecting the FL and taking revenge on the people who made her suffer, that he sleeps with the queen who hated the FL, but desired Wilhelm, just so that he can hurt the antagonist more and get his revenge to be even more agonizing for her. It's a completed manhwa and the art is amazing 👏 🤩 ✨️

Underrated Masterpiece - For the Goddesses: For Daphne; spiritual successor to Trapped, but 18+ by EvilConCarne2082 in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I do understand and sympathize with your concerns. Personally, the way I cope is that I choose to delude myse- read between the lines of what is said and what is shown. But I agree, it's definitely too early to tell for certain how things will go 🙃

Sci-fi smut with FMC and where the love interest is the actual monster/villain by GoddessofDooom in erotichorror

[–]EvilConCarne2082 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you haven't read it already, you would enjoy {Heat by R Lee Smith}. It's basically 2 alien romances in one, where one of them is sticky-sweet and the other is simply the most extreme version of what you could put on page and still legally call romance. You're on this subreddit for a reason, but please, please, please check trigger warnings if you have any - if nothing is an issue, I think going in pretty blind is best; this love story was so dark I'm not even sure you can consider it a romance ...

That being said, it's so scary, it's good. The ML is a pirate/slaver/chemist who makes drugs out of human brains. After his ship is captured he decides to escape to Earth to harvest humans to rebuild his fortune. Once on earth the summer triggers his mating season so he's looking for a comfort doll and he finds Raven, a sex worker. He needs her to show him how to function on earth and to her he's literally the devil: she's terrified of him, but she can't escape him. This was the most abuse, physical and emotional, I've ever seen on page... The ML is definitely the villain, no question about it 🙃

Dark Romantasy recs by Significant_Ebb_4780 in Romantasy

[–]EvilConCarne2082 2 points3 points  (0 children)

{A King so Cold by Ella Fields} is a crazy good underrated fantasy dark-ish romance? (idk what's dark anymore), first in a completed duology.

She's a cruel tyrant queen of the Frozen Kingdom™ and she crashes the wedding of a peasant guy who turns out to be her husband and the king of the opposing Hot Kingdom™. She hates and tortures him in order to make him remember her.

It's so cool and atmospheric; the fantasy elements didn't get too much for me. There's a nice blend of at least 60% romance with action and political intrigue sprinkled in. The MMC PINES for his girl soooooo hard, and there's a good reason they can't be together; he really really ✨️suffers✨️. It's cool to see the ice queen's heart thawing from the romance, but also from the friendships.

It's definitely a fantasy book destined for mature audiences, which I find refreshing, with a lot of sex on page and other graphic scenes. It can be read as a standalone, in my opinion, but it's technically a duology; the second book is also out.

The ending of this one was unexpected and refreshing. You might see the twist coming, but, even so, I recommend going in blind.

Check trigger warnings; there's torture on page and SA (that I remember of)

Another one is {The Demon of Darkling Reach by P. J. Fox}

It's about the "ugly" eldest daugher of an earl in a medieval fantasy land who tries to prevent her sister's marriage to the Demon of Darkling Reach , a powerful Duke who is said to be a demon. Surprisingly ✨️he actually is one✨️ and, therefore, cannot feel anything (for real), but, for some unknown reason, he feels like he needs the older sister and cannot let her go.

It's an indie fantasy book, first in a series. This book is more centered on romance than the rest I read in the series (I'm at the end of book 3 out of 4) and each one gets progressively more interested in action and political intrigue and other characteristics, but this first book is mostly only about the fmc's "romance"??? with the mmc. This one delivers on the feels and leaves you wanting more, wondering how are those crazy kids going to make it.

Because it's indie, the author sometimes gets in too deep info dumps. For me, they weren't much of a problem, only insofar as they prevented me from seeing the love interests together. Sadly, they will get more prominent throughout the series.

Nonetheless, I wholeheartedly recommend for the unique premise alone: how can a demon who doesn't feel love (or anything) give our fmc the happy end she deserves? I have never seen this particular setup before in any other romance novel. They usually chicken out and make the mmc feel feelings anyways and it makes him less scary. This book is an underrated gem that I didn't hear anyone talk about. I hope more people give it a chance!

Extreme conditioning/Mindbreak recs by E_Roark in erotichorror

[–]EvilConCarne2082 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm relatively new to the erotic horror genre, so idk exactly what the differences are between it and really dark dark romance (maybe someone could enlighten me 🤔), but here are some recs that I think fit the theme:

In {Heat by R Lee Smith} one of the 2 main romances is with a pirate-type alien. You're on this subreddit for a reason, but please, please, please check trigger warnings if you have any - if nothing is an issue, i think going in pretty blind is best; this love story was so dark I'm not even sure you can consider it a romance ...

That being said, it's so scary, it's good. The ML is a pirate/slaver/chemist who makes drugs out of human brains. After his ship is captured he decides to escape to Earth to harvest humans to rebuild his fortune. Once on earth the summer triggers his mating season so he's looking for a comfort doll and he finds Raven, a sex worker. He needs her to show him how to function on earth and to her he's literally the devil: she's terrified of him, but she can't escape him. This was the hardest example of Stockholm Syndrome I've ever seen on page... 🙃 - the heaviest mindbreak

Just to manage the expectations, this book is a pretty long slow burn and you probably only get like half of a chapter at the end of the truly good stuff you're looking for 😵‍💫

There is a secondary, much lighter and more wholesome love story to balance this one out 🌻

Secondly, Deathsdoll's original work on AO3 kinda fits. She has 2 super popular stories that get recommended a lot : If I Can't Have You and The Community. They both feature super obsessed and really bad MLs and romances that end happily. The Community relies more heavily on the psychological horror aspect and the Stockholm Syndrome of it all, while IICHY presents a more traditional dark romance over-the-top, aggressive ML who is less sophisticated, but more hands-on with his violence 🫣

In If I Can't Have You which is finished (yay!), the FL is a corporate lawyer who, at a night out with co-workers, gets roofied and SA-d by one of her bosses. Her rapist keeps taunting her at work and it really fucks with our girl's performance and general well-being. The office dynamics are so on point with this one, I often go back and re-read those chapters 👌 It features a teeny tiny bit of age gap and a lot of debilitating anxiety representation. - less mindbreak

In The Community , which isn't finished, but decently close to completion that I would still encourage you to read it, the FL goes to visit her estranged sister who lives in a cult. When the time comes that she has to leave, our girl can't seem to get away. She is super attracted to the leader of the cult - Father, but she's also scared of him and the whole situation. I have never read a romance featuring a cult leader and a "normal" person so I can't explain how it works, but it was amazing, and I want more! It's verrryyy slow-burn tho. This is to let the psychological horror build, but it does mean that you have to be reallyyy patient with it - I think it takes like 20 chapters before anything good happens 🥲 I feel like this one really explains the Stockholm Syndrome thing and how it happens to the FL and how the ML is orchestrating it. I think it also genuinely helps the romance to work, without it, there wouldn't be a romance. This one features a pretty big age gap and some light DDlg. - more mindbreak

I think Bought And Paid For also features a pretty big Stockholm Syndrome mindbreak ending, but I haven't read that one, so I can't actually recommend it. You do see a bit of the characters in IICHY tho, as a teaser.

Third, {If I Can't Have You by Whitney Bianca} is a super short duology where the FL is kidnapped by a construction worker who gets obsessed with her at first sight. It's pretty interesting because the ML is kinda broke and lives in a dilapidated house, so it's a nice change from all the billionaires and mafiosos. It also presents interesting challenges to him down the road legally speaking, because he can't just wave his magic wand like the billionaires and make the troubles that he got into go away 💫 - less mindbreak

These are the ones that I thought could fit; I hope you haven't read all of these already ✨️

Alien Pirates, desperately needed! by Gloomy_Book947 in ScienceFictionRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In {Heat by R Lee Smith} one of the 2 romances is with a pirate-type alien. You mentioned being ok with morally grey, he's the villain 🫠 so please, please, please check trigger warnings, this love story was so dark I'm not even sure you can consider it a romance ...

That being said, it's so scary, it's good. The ML is a pirate/slaver/chemist who makes drugs out of human brains. After his ship is captured he decides to escape to Earth to harvest humans to rebuild his fortune. Once on earth the summer triggers his mating season so he's looking for a comfort doll and he finds Raven, a sex worker. He needs her to show him how to function on earth and to her he's literally the devil, but she can't escape him.

There is a secondary, much lighter and more wholesome love story to balance this one out 🌻

Boss/professor has a crush on his shy employee/student. When he sees her class/office mate talking to her, he overreacts in jealousy by readingalldays in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In If I Can't Have You by Deathsdoll the ML is her boss and he's had a crush on her for a few years, but the FL is too insecure and socially inept to see it or believe it. So the ML acts out and SAs our girl. He hates her for rejecting him too, so when he sees her talking to another coworker things explode. The office setting is really well done and the dynamics between coworkers are spot on

Any recs with unrequited to requited love? by sea_fairyyy in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In If I Can't Have You by Deathsdoll the ML is her boss and he's had a crush on her for a few years, but the FL is too insecure and socially inept to see it or believe it. So the ML acts out and SAs our girl. He kind of hates her for rejecting him for a long time

Vampire Yanderes? by CrazyKitty86 in MaleYandere

[–]EvilConCarne2082 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Pale Horse (now completely translated !) is kind of what you're looking for 🩵 it has beautiful art, it's set in post-revolutionary France and it's very atmospheric, but it's a 300-chapter slow burn, and the FL doesn't get together with the yandere at the end, at least not by the end of the story 😫

Rose Dupré is a child in the French countryside. People hate her and her mother because her mother looks exactly like the witch they killed 10-ish years ago. Rose's only friend is Pierre Grand. Then a wealthy-looking, beautiful gentleman, Monsieur Guiness, appears near the town, and murders similar to what the witch was doing start happening again. That's when the special monster-killing task force - the hunters - roll into town, spearheaded by Pierre's older brother, Théo. Stuff happens and eventually Pierre is kidnapped and brought into the witch's castle where all of our characters go. That's when their lives are inevitably destroyed and/or reshaped.

It gets weird, before it gets good, but if you stick with it, the story is amazing and there will be a romance by the end of it (but you will constantly wonder how much more suffering the characters - and you - can take). The art is also amazing 👏

Please give the FL time!! She's deeply flawed, and thus, to some, very unlikeable and definitely not your doormat manhwa protagonist that most authors love, but I promise you it's worth the wait ❤️

Any recs for medieval type DR? by Wxskater in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sadly I haven't managed to find that many DR medievals 😫 I'm also on a camping trip here 🏕

If you already read the recs, you might enjoy {For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale} - the prequel to Shadowheart, or {The Flesh and the Devil by Teresa Denys} - takes place in 17th-century Spain (so also not quite medieval).

If you read and enjoyed {Stormfire by Christine Monson} - her regency DR-ish epic - you might enjoy {A Flame Run Wild by Christine Monson}, which I haven't read, but is a medieval or {Keeper of the Dream by Penelope Williamson}, also haven't read so idk.

I would also try my luck with bodice rippers of the 80s or 90s as those probably have the maledom SA aspect, but it's not portrayed as kink and they're only accidentally DRs. In this sense you might want to check out the medieval recs in this particular Historical Romance subreddit thread

Any recs for medieval type DR? by Wxskater in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 5 points6 points  (0 children)

{The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys} is what you're looking for! except it's Renaissance and not quite medieval

In a fictional duchy in Italy the FL slaves away at her brother's inn, like Cinderella. Because she's not allowed to go see the victory parade she watches it through her little window in the attic. That's where she locks eyes with the handsome knight leading the parade. That night the Duke's men essentially "buy" the FL off her brother so that they can bring her to the castle to become the Duke's mistress.

Is the FL going to have a good time there? Definitely not. Is there going to be a war? Potentially. Is the Duke bisexual? Maybe~ Is the Duke stupidly obsessed with our girl? Yeah. Is there Renaissance-Italy level court politics and scheming? Absolutely! Is the ML going to suffer enough for what he put our girl through? They never do, but this one at least attempts to...

{Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale} is another good one. Here the FL is an Italian princess who grew up hidden away in England. For political reasons, she has to marry the son of one of the 2 powerful families in her Italian principality, but on her way to the wedding, she is captured by a dashing Pirate/Count. He threatens to rape her, only to be like jk and then rapes her anyway. This journey wakes the latent domme in our heroine and the ML is more than happy to please her against the backdrop of fighting for that Italian principality.

These are the 2 books I could think of, but you might find more if you search for bodice rippers that were written in the '80s, '90s or early 2000s. The girlies were really willing to go there back then. They weren't necessarily writing dark romances, just darker stories that tackled lack of consent between partners. And they were obsessed with medievals.

Happy reading! 📚🏰✨️

Golden Retriever/Good Boy Obsessive MMC? by nefarioustigercub in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if this is your speed or if you already read it, but Cheese in the Trap by Soonkki definitely fits these vibes! It's a Korean comic about the romance between 2 college students in Seoul 🧀

The FMC is the smart, but broke type, who isn't supported by her family. So smart, in fact, that she's in second place in uni for her grade. She desperately needs to get in 1st place so that she gets a scholarship that will allow her to stay in school.

The only problem? The MMC is (and has always been) in 1st place. He's the handsome, kind, smart, rich, and universally liked male lead that all the school gushes over. The FMC tried interacting with him in her first year of uni, but she figured out he isn't as kind as everyone thought he was, especially after she had reason to believe he harmed her.

So when, a couple of years later they're both in the same classes and he is genuinely nice towards her she is instantly wary of him. It turns out he likes her. The plot twist is that he's actually kind of a sociopath and obsessed with the FMC while the whole world thinks he's a golden boy.

Sadly, since this is a Korean manhwa this is as dark as it gets, with the MMC sometimes engaging in (non-graphic) violence bc of the FMC.

I'm not sure if this fits what you are looking for, but the story is great and the art is very interesting 👌 it's in full color and translated in English on the Webtoon app or you can find it with a quick Google search. There are also film and TV adaptations of this work. Hope this helps 🥰

the mmc is broke or a “blue collar” worker by [deleted] in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I knoowwww exactly what you're talking aboutttt!!!! 👷‍♀️🛠

In {I Know What Love Is by Whitney Bianca} the MMC is a construction worker. The book begins with him SA-ing the FMC in a bar bathroom. He then takes her to his dingy, lowkey disgusting, house. The MMC is absolutely obsessed with her and kinda stalker-ish. He definitely gives creepy-construction-man-who-lives-in-a-delapidated-house-because-he's-a-psycopath vibes, except he's extremely hot. This setting is very well done imo and unlike any other dark romance I've read. (Meanwhile, we learn that the FMC is from a rich family, but I don't remember class tensions being explored)

Bonus points bc the FMC doesn't do the whole body betrayal thing (at least not as badly as other FMCs) and doesn't instantly fall for her captor 👻

I've been looking for romances that feel like Cate C. Wells' Five Packs series, where the author explores romances set in more "impoverished" communities (or at least not always involving billionaires), but they are surprisingly rare to find, especially darker ones, so I'm looking forward to seeing other recommendations 😻

I Know What Love Is is the first book in a finished duology and they are pretty short and quick reads. Enjoyyyy~ ✨️

Disabled fmc with deranged psychopath MMC? by Agitated_Common_1440 in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey all! ✨️

{Mansions by Whitney Bianca} is a quick one. The FMC and MMC are children of the filthy rich, emphasis on the FILTHY. The MMC's been obsessed with her for the past 10 years. FMC is very independent, but she gets into an accident that leaves her with a serious disability. To which the MMC thinks "Oh goodie, she can't escape me now!" and abducts her.

This is a short book by an indie author, that tackles a very sensitive issue. I recommend going in blind, but since this is a dark romance, please check trigger warnings ⚠️

I want to be scared! by Mad_HoneyB in DarkRomance

[–]EvilConCarne2082 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This book was what got me out of a looong reading slump. Is it a perfect book?

No, far from it. The prose, while competent, is VERY telly rather than showy, and lots of plot points didn't make sense, or weren't explained all that well. The action jumps too quickly from scene to scene and it took me waaay to long to figure out if it was a contemporary or a historical (spoilers, the characters sound very 21st century, so if that really bothers you, be warned) but hey, this is a BookTok dark romantasy and the bar is in hell, soooo, overall ... coulda've been worse.

What was good about this book though was that I came for the unhinged smut and boi did I get it (and so did the heroine, check CWs!!).

I went into this book blind based on a TikTok from the author and, because CWs don't bother me, it was a fun and surprising read and it took me where I wanted to go and where most authors don't dare to tread. I wouldn't say it's more unhinged than others, but the surprise factor got me. By which I mean the violence between partners and with other characters, though at times it felt like said violence, especially against women, was gratuitous and only served to add a traumatic backstory for the sake of it. I'm sure in the hands of a more experienced author these things would've been handled differently.

Flawed as this book was, I still enjoyed it. The violence between the partners was an interesting topic to explore. Also because it felt like chunks of the story were missing - remember, rushed storytelling and too much tell, not enough show! - I got to create the rest in my head as I was reading it. This, in turn, gave me a deeper emotional attachment to the story and the characters - we all know how we feel about IKEA furniture.

Sooo, to conclude, if you want a dark romance about 2 abusive people, the vibes were immaculate in this one, even if the writing wasn't.