I think Dark Romance can be best explained through a Venn Diagram
One question I get asked a lot is…
What is dark romance?
I struggle a lot to try and explain what it is and I think that’s because it’s not just one thing. So, I was really pondering on this the other day and, BAM! A-HA! I thought of something.
Dark romance can be best explained through a Venn Diagram, or two.
In my mind, there are two distinct types of DR.
Where the romance itself is dark.
Where the situation, world, and circumstances in which they fall in love are dark.
Then, you have those that overlap. However, I would always argue that even in those books where the romance itself is dark, it doesn't usually stay dark or toxic, it becomes a unique kind of love.
I think the other distinction between dark romance and 'regular' romance is the spice.
Now, this is not to say that 'regular' romance doesn’t have spice; there are some that are hella spicy. But with DR, a lot of the time the spice is more on the taboo end, and/ or there's just more of it in general.
Another question I get asked a lot (especially once I've given a brief overview of a books plot) is...
How can you enjoy dark romance?
For me, it's the light in the dark element. In some of these books the characters go through some serious shit, like really awful stuff. Yet, amongst all that darkness, all that weight, something good and beautiful comes out of it. If the events in the character’s lives didn't happen the way they did or at all in some cases, they would have never found each other. They would have never found the love of their life or their found families.
I find this genre and its sub-genres (more on that in a moment) comforting. I like seeing that so much good can come out of so much bad. That peace can be found after tragedy. That light can still be present in the dark. That's why I love dark romance.
Now, I'm not claiming that anything that happens in these kinds of books is ok in real life. I want to make that clear. Especially, in some of my favourite dark romances...yeah...a lot of what happens between the main couple is in no way ok in real life. But, that's the point. These are fiction books. The inherent and underlying meanings or metaphors may be rooted in real life, but they are works of fiction. Personally, I find it quite easy to distinguish between real life and fictional life, which is why I don't think a lot triggers me and trust me those who know me will be reading this right now like: Damn, girl? You? You, Natalie, don't get triggered by some of this stuff? But, I honestly don't. My brain works in mysterious ways, most of those ways I hate, but when it comes to this, I thank my crazy mind and its irregular workings.
Who I am in the real world is vastly different to who I am in the fictional world of books. What I mean by the fictional world, is the books I like to 'live in' or as some other people say, read. For me, when I start a new book, I live in that world. It's probably cheesy as hell, but it's more than just reading, it's finding an escape, and finding comfort, but more on that in another post.
Back to our original discussion.
In real life, i.e., right here and now, I'm a very introverted and emotional person. I take things to heart and work very hard to try not to. I get invested in other people's emotions and making them feel better; I'm very much an empath in this sense.
Compare all this to who I am in the fictional world... I'm very different. The books I read are dark, their worlds are dangerous, the characters are in no way saints, and their choices are sometimes things I couldn't even imagine thinking about in real life, but in my world of books, I revel in all of that.
I love a happy ending but I know that life isn't like that, so I like to see that even in my fictional worlds, life is a bucket of god-knows-what on fire, but all that crap leads to something incredible.
Ok, so now I've gotten all the mushiness and cheesiness out of the way (lol), we can get to the next and final section of this post. Something I like to call, the dark romance tree.
The other important part of dark romance is the sub-genres. I would argue that the darkness levels differ from sub-genre to sub-genre. Within each, you know there are certain things you will always get. For example, in mafia romance, you know someone is dying, whether that character is important or not, someone will be offed, and in dark high school romance the MMC will likely always have a group of equally dark male friends, and one of those friends will become very close with the FMC at some point despite the MMCs possessive nature.
My dark romance tree displayed here is not extensive by any means. There are so many sub-genres (like in 'regular' romance) that are all wonderful in their own rights. The ones I've chosen to highlight in this tree are both some of my favourites and some of the most popular.
Bully romance is also something I'm asked a lot of questions about so I will save that discussion for another post. For now, I will leave you with a list of some of my favourite dark romance books, and two little disclaimers.
1) KNOW YOUR TRIGGERS! All dark romance books have a (often extensive) list of the triggers you can expect in the book. READ IT! Make sure you can handle reading the types of issues/ situations that come up. And, if you know you can't handle them, that's ok. No shame in that. Reading should be something fun and give you comfort.
2) Even if you feel ok with the trigger warnings, I guarantee if you've never read a dark romance before, the first ever one you pick up, you will stop and think, WTF is this? I can't read any further. But, trust me, push through that initial WTF feeling and you will find yourself very much addicted to all books dark and dangerous.
Have a wonderfully bookish day,
Nat :)
10 of my favoruite Dark Romance books…
God of Malice by Rina Kent (Legacy of Gods Series, Book 1)
The Ritual by Shantel Tessier (L.O.R.D.S. Series, Book 1)
Without Mercy by Lou Stock & Vicki James (Babylon M.C. Series, Book 2)
God of Fury by Rina Kent (Legacy of Gods Series, Book 5)
Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas (Devils Night Series, Book 3)
Blood of My Monster by Rina Kent (Monster Trilogy, Book 1)
Fierce Obsession by S. Massery (Hockeys Gods Series, Book 5)
Wicked Knight by Tracey Lorraine (Knights Ridge Empire, Book 1)
The Lies We Tell by Becca Steele (The Four Series, Book 1)
Good Girls Never Rise by S.J. Sylvis (St. Mary's Series, Book 1)