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Dark romance books that take a walk on the wild side
Brooding billionaires, feisty heroines, and made men take center stage in these dark romance novels.
Published on March 19, 2024
Bad Intentions
Tara WyattWyatt rounds out her smoldering “The Prescotts” series with the long-awaited standalone story of the eldest Prescott brother. Lucian’s dealings with the mafia and his forbidden attraction to a business associate’s young daughter, Olivia, pack the story with action and steamy romance. As gritty as it is provocative, you’ll find yourself cheering for Lucian and Olivia despite all of the obstacles in their way.
Savage Hearts: A New Adult Mafia Romance
Vivi PaigeYoung love gets a dark twist in the second installment of the “Family First” series. High school student Angie falls for Luca, despite him being a member of an enemy mafia family. To complicate matters further, her absentee mother’s past catches up with her and Angie, putting them all at risk. Murder, love, and betrayal abound in this spicy mafia romance.
Willing Victim
Cara McKennaMcKenna’s “Willing Victim” is a dark, dubious consent romance, but it’s also a tender story about two broken souls finding one another. The book is told entirely from Laurel’s point of view, and you fall in love with Flynn, the gruff, protective hero, as she does. McKenna’s writing is grittily precise and highly erotic.
Pretty Girls Make Graves: A dark romance
Steffanie HolmesDark academia meets dark romance in Holmes’ college mystery centered around an unchecked elite secret society known for terrorizing the student body. New student Georgina (George for short) draws more attention than she asks for, not only from a sinfully hot priest but also from members of the secret society who bully her relentlessly. George suffers pretty horrific treatment at the hands of her bullies, but she still, somehow, can’t help but fall for one of them.
Marrying the Mobster: Leave Me Breathless World
Victoria ValeDiego, the head of a Colombian crime family, gives the Aguilars 30 days to pay off the patriarch’s debt — or he’ll kill the father. The man’s daughter, Elena, takes on the responsibility, and the two enter into an uneasy partnership. Diego is ruthless, but has a spark of humanity, while Elena is more than a match for him.
Still Beating
Jennifer HartmannHartmann takes the forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers romance tropes to a whole new level in a twisted tale of abduction and survival. It’s bad enough to get kidnapped and wake up in chains in a psycho’s basement, but even worse to wake up next to your arch enemy (AKA your sister’s fiancé) who’s also been taken captive. This one’s up there on the “very dark” side of the dark romance odometer: It doesn’t shy away from graphic portrayals of abuse and assault.
The Sweetest Oblivion
Danielle LoriIf loving your sister’s possessive alpha male fiancé with a violent streak is wrong, then we don’t want to be right. Neither does Elena, whose chemistry with mafia boss Nico is so palpable it practically leaps off the page. While this one’s more of a slow-burn romance than others on the list, the intense payoff at the end is worth waiting for.
Corrupt
Penelope DouglasDouglas has made a name for herself across SpicyTok for her dark, borderline twisted romance novels. “Corrupt” is the first in the “Devil’s Night” series, which is inspired by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It combines enemies-to-lovers steam with cat-and-mouse thrills as four friends try to take revenge on a young woman they believe sent them to prison years ago. But the heroine in this story isn’t as naive and defenseless as she first appears.
The Never King
Nikki St. CrowePart of the “Vicious Lost Boys” series, “The Never King” is an adult retelling of “Peter Pan,” complete with a dark romance plot, mental health crises, and enough content warnings to make even the most dedicated romance reader blush. The Darling women always disappear on their 18th birthdays, later returning with no memory of Peter or what happened in Neverland. Now, it’s Wendy’s turn, but, as the Lost Boys soon discover, she’s no damsel in distress.