To many, dark romance books are highly attractive reads. They are dramatic and intense, offering a form of entertainment that lets readers insert themselves into scenarios and tropes that would otherwise be questionable in real life. Realistically, no one actually wants to be swept off their feet by a potentially psychopathic, dangerous 6’7 mafia boss who quite literally hates everyone but them, but reading about it sure can be fun. Dark romances are typically written by women for a predominantly female audience, and this genre of romance books enables many readers to explore their sexuality and engage with taboos safely.
Unlike traditional romance books – which are more wholesome, with swoonworthy meet-cutes and happily-ever-afters – dark romances feature some of these elements, but the portrayal of romantic relationships involves power imbalances, toxic dynamics, spicy scenes, and behaviours that typically blur the lines of morality without crossing them. In normal, healthy relationships, extreme jealousy and excessive control are red flags, but in dark romance, these behaviours can be proof of one’s undying love and devotion. Importantly, most readers of these books are aware that these are not the type of relationships one should strive for in real life. Rather, they are guilty pleasures or ways to get your reading in without having to go through 500 pages of some pretentious person telling you that you are only poor because you do not wake up at the crack of dawn.
The problem with some dark romances emerges when authors do not blur the lines of morality but instead romanticise grooming and sexual assault. In the book Credence by Penelope Douglas, a 17-year-old orphan moves in with her step-uncle and his two sons. Throughout the book, these adults have various sexually charged encounters with her and eventually engage in sexual acts with her from the exact day she turns 18. In what disturbing world should anybody read a book about a child being groomed and come out of it thinking it was romantic?
In some BDSM-specific dark romance books, authors write scenes that feature “resistance play”, which is defined by ChoosingTherapy.com as a “role play scenario where participants pre-negotiate and agree to simulate a forced or non-consensual sexual encounter”. But members of the BDSM community argue that their kinks – which, above everything, require full and enthusiastic consent – are misrepresented, especially in books such as Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton. In this book, a woman is relentlessly stalked, harassed, and continuously forced into sexual acts that go as far as to include the forceful insertion of a gun into her genitals. At the end of the book, the victim falls in love with her perpetrator. As it currently stands, this book is being adapted into a movie. How can this book be portrayed as romantic and not some deeply messed-up, badly-written PSA about severe abuse leading to Stockholm Syndrome? Dark romance authors who write for the sake of writing and substitute romance for gory scenes not only pose harm to the reader – regardless of the grocery list of trigger warnings listed and the “protect your mental health” pleas before the book begins – but also harm communities that are already misunderstood, judged, and shamed for their interests.
It is important to support authors who tackle dark romances with nuance – authors who can explore otherwise taboo themes that some people enjoy reading about or participating in with tact, never compromising a character’s autonomy or ability to consent. A dark romance book, above all, should be romantic, not abusive.
Visual: Gabriella Le Roux
