Can Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine Books Be Dark Romance?

What is interesting to note is that this type of character is depicted differently in various sub-genres. In Mafia dark romance novels the strong heroine is either part of the mafia family or has been brought into the fold and becomes very powerful as she becomes entrenched in the business of the main character. Examples of this would be novels like ‘Bound by Honor’ by Cora Reilly in which our heroine is a very strong character from the start who is part of the infamous Chicago Outfit. In Bully novels the strength of the heroine is in her ability to withstand the torture of her boyfriend(s) and survive without losing her spirit. The strong heroine in these types of novels also may play out the role of revenge for her tormented past. Science Fiction or Alien dark romance novels are also filled with strong female protagonists. In these stories the strength of the heroine is in her ability to be clever, resourceful and to make ends meet in order to survive in a foreign, even hostile environment. What does not work for these types of novels is for the female lead to be a blank slate. She needs to be brought to life and be more than the object of the male protagonist’s affections in order to be deemed highly recommended by readers and authors alike. The setting and context of the novel may change, but the one non-negotiable element of these dark novels is the strong heroine who is more than just a one dimensional character.

Mine is, when both are equally powerful/unhinged/psycho etc

Everyone in these comments gets my taste way too well lol. I swear I could sit here and talk books with you guys all night.

I find most of the “dark” themes are better expressed by internal struggles with mental illness. A possessive story can be very realistic if written from the perspective of someone with severe anxiety, PTSD, or borderline personality traits. These characters often attempt to control others because they fear being abandoned or left by themselves. This symptom of their illness can be portrayed as horribly flawed but relatable. It requires great care not to wander into the sphere of stigmatizing the mentally ill, but to show an obviously dysfunctional relationship and work the characters through managing to cure the symptom of possessiveness together. It is a very dark and difficult story to tell well, but it is its own unique beauty.

I'm basically planning to camp out in this comment section.

You might remember the Crossfire books by Sylvia Day, which were sweeping the nation after Fifty Shades had readers hooked to the billionaire romance scene. There were even talks of making the book into a TV series but it apparently didn’t work out. Perhaps it’s because the author is already a known name but the show still needs to find a way to adapt to a format that will do justice to the book? Same goes for The Black Dagger Brotherhood books by J.R. Ward, which have a HUGE fan base already. They’ve been optioned for TV years ago, but no green light yet. While some of the books have darker themes, most of them have paranormal elements that will of course increase production costs but also create more problems with regards to adult content. Many of these optioned books are sold as something to lock up potentially very lucrative IP, and then they stall because no one can figure out the creative or commercial solution to bring them to life. The success of Outlander, adapted from the historical time-travel romance novels by Diana Gabaldon, is evidence that novels featuring mature themes, violence, and lots of sex can be adapted into a hit television series. But that series has the added benefits of being a work of historical fiction with a unique time-travel twist. A contemporary dark romance just doesn’t have the same additional genre hooks to draw in a larger audience, and thus is a more marginal, riskier investment.

My final, messy thought: life is dark. So, teens experience anxiety and depression, deal with harsh social pressures, and are often overwhelmed by the complexity of their world. Thus, we assume that teens read fiction that is primarily positive and grows them in the best way possible? NO! It is possible that fiction that reveals the darkness in life, and how humans deal with very difficult and trying circumstances, can be comforting to teens. Of course, this does not mean that all dark romance is good. But for teens who are already anxious about intimate relationships, reading about such relationships in extreme circumstances can be a way for them to process their own fears about love, power, and vulnerability in a controlled environment. In this way, the teen who reads dark romance is not simply being corrupted by the material. Rather, the teen is being given the opportunity to recognize and to find some measure of catharsis in his or her own emotions.

Looking for free dark romance books can be a fun search for hidden treasure. BookBub is the best source for me to receive emails about free ebooks and discounts on the dark romance books I love. I have recently downloaded Fear Me by BB Reid and the other 4 books in this collection within the last month. Another site that I haven’t visited in awhile but deserves some recognition is Smashwords. I often find that indie authors list their darker novels for free on this site and recently downloaded Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters. Tapas has a Dark Romance section where you can read the beginning of novels for free and then subscribe to read the rest of the story for as low as $.59/month. I just finished reading The Devil’s Contract, which was so twisted and addicting. I also wrote about how to find free and cheap audiobooks on YouTube and found a full reading of a public domain dark romance novel as well as an indie work. There are also a few Discord servers for romance novel readers, including one I joined last year. Every now and again the members will share some freebies that are temporarily available to download from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Remember to check the legitimacy of the site offering the freebies, as not all do this in a copyright-respecting manner.

I spent hours researching ways to download free eBooks, including venturing into the free sections of big retailers like Amazon, which only stock the first book in a series. But then I discovered author’s newsletters and their websites. I found out that a lot of indie dark romance authors give away full-length novels or long novellas as reader magnets to subscribe to their newsletter. I’m talking about authors like Amelia Wilde, Sam Mariano, and Trisha Wolfe. Check if your local library uses apps like Libby or Hoopla for borrowing eBooks, audiobooks and documentaries. I was surprised by how many current dark romance titles are available to borrow for free with my library card. No waiting months for the eBook to become available, it’s the most legit way to read for free without having to rely on shady websites.

Twisted Love is one of those ‘guilty pleasure’ reads for me. I wouldn’t describe it as high literature but it’s a very engrossing, (almost) soap-like story. I’m not going to pretend it’s a great read but it’s very compelling in a ‘oh my God, how bad is he going to be?’ kind of way. (Very. Extremely. The things he does…). It’s not for newbies to dark romance, but for existing fans of the genre, it’s a decent read and well worth adding to your TBR pile.