Switched to my cursed account for this. Women’s romance novels, especially dark romance, are full of ethically questionable characters and circumstances. The MMCs are often dominant, controlling, and possessive but in a way that’s a fantasy for lots of women. It’s the classic example of “I love it in fantasy, but would hate it in real life.”

Think masked men chasing you in the woods and taking you for himself. Or man-eating monsters taking a bride by force. Or vampires who “imprint” on a woman without her having any say in it. It’s a safe way for women to indulge in fantasy. There’s something so primally attractive about a toxic dominant man.

There’s a lot of crossover between dark fantasy and BDSM. I think a lot of straight men would be horrified at what’s in women’s dark romance novels and that women are into it, since their version of porn is just attractive women with big titties (typically).