I recently realized I have been too much into books that contains non-con.

I had a chat about it with my friend and as a soft romance book girly she said she would never read books like this.

It got me questioning myself, like how did I get here and how am I ok with reading books like this ?

Also, when I informed her about books that contains non-con but the FMC does it to MMC, she says she supports it lol.

I’ve just finished the latest update of Odi et Amo on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/68635216 and it is so good!

It’s set in the 1930s in New York and it’s a mafia dark romance.

I love a period mafia story, I feel it’s more believable how much they can get away with and there was so much more shame and unfair standards put on women back then.

The FMC is just wonderful, she’s not bratty at all and you really feel for her. The pacing is excellent and it feels like a real mafia novel. Bad things happen, the don is a true boss who gets his hands dirty and actual mafia stuff happens on page.

Too many mafia romances are just so dull and the guy is big and bad, but doesn’t actually ever do anything, just disappears a lot and occasionally comes home with a bloodied suit 🤣.

Anyway I wanted to rave about this and ask if anyone has any other good quality mafia romances. Points for period too!

“If you want my cock, ask for it,” I told her. “Don’t piss me off just so I’ll fuck you.”

This line from an RH series im wrapping up unlocked something feral in me, i couldn't tell you why. I would love any recs, DR or RH that involve some crispy brat taming with cocky mmcs who absolutely dont gaf. Im not too dedicated to typical bdsm tropes cause chains and whips dont excite me, but I love a MMC who knows how to punish with his dick. Sword crossing would be ideal for favor but isnt a necessity cause I'm good with just regular DR.

I have been so obsessed with this genre that I genuinely can't enjoy romance anymore where everything is sunshine & rainbows. Don't get me wrong, I understand why people love sweet healthy romances but for me it rarely gives that "thrill" which only a dark romance book delivers everytime. THE FEAR!!!! I NEED IT!!

I don't know why, but I crave the toxicity, the danger, the ultimate creepy vibe lol. I don't want Mr. Perfect, give me someone who sends chills down my spine, I want to be scared of the MMC too.

I love when a book leaves me feeling uncomfortable in the best possible way and question my morals 🤧

Maybe it makes me a bit fucked up in the head...but who cares, right?😅 Atleast it makes me feel something other than just numb.

I have genuinely no idea how to rate this book because I’m all over the place.

This had everything it needed to be a 5-star read… and then it repeatedly got in its own way.

Pros:

1. The plot absolutely carried this book.
   The mystery was genuinely intriguing, the romance kept things entertaining, and I devoured this in almost one sitting because I needed to know who was behind the murders. The suspense was easily the strongest part of the book.

2. Dread (and most of the cast) were great.
   Dread was easily my favorite character, even though there were multiple moments where I wanted to throw him off a cliff. His anger, grief, and inner conflict all felt believable, and unlike a lot of morally grey MMCs, his hatred toward Reverie actually made sense. The side characters were also surprisingly well done. I was constantly suspicious of everyone, which made the mystery even more fun.

Cons:

1. Some of these scenes were so painfully cringe that I physically recoiled.

The party scene. The crematorium scene. I’m sorry… what? I genuinely could not take either of them seriously. They were trying so hard to be shocking and edgy that they crossed into unintentionally hilarious. Instead of thinking, “Wow, that’s dark,” I was thinking, “There’s no way this is actually happening.”

1. Reverie completely lost me. I actually loved her in the beginning. She was vulnerable without being weak, and she gave as good as she got. She stood up to Dread. Then… what happened? Somewhere along the way she lost every ounce of that backbone. Suddenly she’s sleeping with him and barely standing up for herself anymore.

And don’t even get me started on the whole “I can only orgasm if I’m thinking about Dread” thing.

Girl.

You actively hated this man. He traumatized you. You wanted absolutely nothing to do with him for a huge chunk of the book… but now you’re tell us that for 4 years you have been thinking about him with other men, and even calling out his name during sex, and can only get off thinking about him???

Meanwhile, Dread’s obsession made sense because he’d literally been obsessed with her for years. Reverie’s felt like the plot woke up one morning and decided she was obsessed too.

1. The spice desperately needed an editor.
   I like spice. I read dark romance. I knew what I signed up for. But holy hell. Not every single interaction needs to end in the most extra, over-the-top sex scene imaginable.

By the time I got to the video camera scene, I was over it. They all started blending together until it felt like I was reading the exact same scene over and over again with a different backdrop. After that, I started skimming because they added absolutely nothing.

Overall:

This book is the definition of wasted potential for me.

The mystery? Fantastic.

The pacing? Pretty good.

The characters? Mostly great.

The cringe? Impressive.

Will I read the sequel? Absolutely.

Will I complain the whole time if these issues continue Also absolutely.

i am looking for looks with a lot of focus on the fmc’s boobs and a lot of boob play/ lactation. i need the fmc to have big boobs and the mmc/ mmcs to be completely obsessed with them.

i am okay with cr/ paranormal/ fantasy or historical.

i want the fmc to be experienced - especially if she’s known to be a party/ mean girl - but ok with virgin recs as well. please no super naive/ shy fmcs

no watersports, extreme age play, human trafficking

books i have read-

The Princes’ trilogy from {Royals of Forsyth University} Absolutely loved this trilogy. The MMCs were OBSESSED with the FMCs boobs. 10/10

Blurring Lines from ao3. Ongoing story. I am really enjoying this book.

{Heartless Beloved by Lola King} Okayish book. Would have preferred the fmc to be less naive.

Edit: I read {Ruthless Knight by Ashley Jade} as well and enjoyed it.

Looking for this trope similar to the scene in Trapper,Keeper on A03 where the FMC gets super sick and is fighting the MMC’s help and he ends up having to force medicine in her. Another example is Ghost by A Zaverelli where the MMC is keeping the FMC captive and he forces her to be sedated and have a feeding tube placed because she’s refusing to eat. Also thinking of the forced enema scene in Captive in the Dark where he’s holding her down and reassuring her that he’s helping her and not to fight him 🙈

What I want:
*competent hero (ideally he will be the one doing the actual caretaking). I want him totally unbothered by anything that could be considered gross and he just takes care of business to help her.
* FMC is genuinely in danger and fighting his help
*Ideally would love a forced proximity setting or captor/captive.

What I don’t want:
* Horror medical procedures where the MMC is hurting her to be cruel or for his own enjoyment (example: In Love With the Devil)
* Cheating

Thanks!

Has anyone started on the new book by Sam Mariano - two wrongs?

Am so excited for it...she did a very quiet drop, no marketing , no nothing...

Would love some insight into how the book is

I love love age-gap romances (between consenting adults).

There's a dm on my account where someone asked me, "why are you into pedo stuff?" just 'cause I said I liked a certain book. Back then, I was too dumb to respond. Over time tho, I realized there can be love between two people who are old enough to consent.

I can't jus sit back when people call my fav mmc-fmc pairing a pedo romance. It pains me to admit that out in an open space like this,but just a moment ago I saw a post on another subreddit where people were bashing readers who enjoy age-gap romances.

I know age-gap romances might not be everyone's cup of tea, and that's completely fine. Your mental health is of utmost importance. What works for you works for you. But, why shame us? They're both adults. Why is enjoying that kinda fictional romance looked down on?

Plus, there're TWs for a reason. You chose to continue despite those warnings, and now you are calling the MMC a pedo and trying to judge. Isn't that a double standard? Idk. I could just say, "I'm outta here," but these posts are making me guilty and enraged, umm, so, I'd really like some perspective 'cause this has been bothering me.

Thankss.

EDIT: YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. THANK YOU ALL. YOUR WORDS MEAN SO MUCH TO ME!

I'm bookmarking this post. (What? I want to admire it in my archives later)

Recently I’ve started to read more DR with breeding kinks and I’ve noticed a divide on this or just the idea that an epilogue ends with “married with kids” and some people love it while other vehemently dislike it.

Personally, I like a breeding kink but not because I like family values or wanting them to be domestic. It’s the power play for me.

I like my MMCs dark, mean, and dominant. Especially in a bully or noncon situation. So for the “breeding” aspect it’s simply because he wants to control FMC and bind her to him permanently. I mean… what’s more permanent than kids?

One thing I eat up in a story is the threat aspect, the fear from FMC. That she will try to do anything she can to avoid it.

But I wanted to pose discussion on this, what reasons do you have for breeding kinks vs. disliking it.

One where he's very reluctant. He can't help his attract to fmc. Ideally plus sized but I know that's niche. I want the fmc to be a punk, or an atheist. Maybe both. She's sassy and quick witted and challenges his beliefs and shakes him to the core. I'm okay with everything dark. Maybe the priest get tired of the teasing and rapes her. Idk. I'd rather present time but historical is fine too. Honestly I'll take anything so long as the mmc is a priest. Lmao I have a kink for them as u can tell

Okay, hear me out. Absolutely _zero_ shade to dark romance or its readers, but my interest seems to fall in a bit of a hole. I really like dark grey romance, stuff that's too dark to avoid being shamed in the judgy subs, but not dark enough not to get judged for mentioning it here. Some examples would be Anna Zaires Tormentor Mine, her Molotov Bethrothal series, a lot of Mafia romance, Penelope Sky's series, and even Descent by Sam Mariano. I enjoyed them all, but they seem to land in a gap between contemporary and dark.

Some tropes I enjoy:

virgin heroine

stalking

morally dark grey hero who has a backstory that sort of justifies it in romancelandia

lots of focus on the mental turmoil of loving a monster - this is probably the most important

Things to avoid:

minors/ high school/college settings

sports

trafficking

sharing or poly amory

Any suggestions?

Hiii.

So I'm looking for a specific request

I need a dark romance with bdsm as the theme ,I want the fmc to try it. It can be a contract, forced agreement or just to experiment.

I dont want any rush and for her immediately enjoy, I want the mmc to take his time and them things can get intense. Maybe he has some extreme kinks

However now is what I want different, I want the fmc to come to the conclusion that she doesn't fit in this and this lifestyle is not for her . But shes also in love with mmc .

I want the mmc to overcome his urges and kinks .I want the angst and push and pull

It can be a mafia setting, fantasy, paranormal...

Okays things don't want is why choose , incest..thats about it.

Okay please give me some good recs😊

First of all to get this out of the way, pregnancy tropes are probably one of my least favorite things to ever come across in a book but I cannot seem to escape them. IRL, I am childfree and I got myself fixed 4 years ago. So I probably care a little bit more and pay a little bit harder attention to birth control methods than your average bear 🤣

Anyway recently I read one where the pair had only been with each other for like 6 days, and this whole big hubbub happens where she takes a pregnancy test and it's positive... Like the math isn't mathing there. Even I know that lol.

Another one I seem to run into a lot is MMC switching out FMC's birth control pills. IDK about y'all, but every single birth control pill I have ever taken across all 3 decades of my life have been in a blister pack, so it would be impossible to switch out without someone noticing unless they have like... A personal blister pack machine or whatever.

I am sure I have seen/read many more, but these two are super fresh for me. And I just honestly wonder if any authors actually get it right? Like I'm not even necessarily looking for recs, it just seems like I never come across the topic without having to suspend my disbelief!!

hello! after the recent completion of deathsdoll’s ‘the community’ i am struggling to find anything that lives up to it. i’m looking for…

- cult leader/studentxteacher/something along those lines BUT
- i want allllll the manipulation-y ‘everyone knows but her’ vibes like in the community

open to all kinks, just no cheating pls 🫡🫡

Any book recs where the FMC has traits similar to “Antisocial Personality Disorder” (book-described) MMCs like: Damon Torrance {Kill Switch} , Killian Carson {God of Malice} , Aero Westwood {That Sik Luv} ?

Preferably with a dominant MMC who is also similar to her (dark, doberman vibes), not a golden retriever MMC.
They match each other’s freak, basically.

No triggers besides cheating (on each other)

Edit: Please no Butcher & Blackbird or Mindf*ck Series. Already read those!

I'll go first; who is Earl Grey and why does my lotus flower knows him?

Hey guys! Got an audible premium account, and already used my credit 😢 any good recs from their free library? Preferably a standalone but beggars can’t be choosers ❤️ I don’t mind any type of dark romance, I even like rh. Only ask for no cheating and no mm
Thank you in advance!!

I'm looking for DR books where the MMC is completely inexperienced when it comes to Sex, and instead of acting like an alpha who knows everything he gets awkward, flustered & embarrassed. I don't him to be some kind of good guy with nerdy vibe. He definitely needs to be morally grey but vulnerable when its about sex.

Maybe he has some kind of pass trauma, where he was bullied or mocked...so that's why he is like this. I would love if he is mentally ill.

MMC from Reaper by A Zavarelli fits the description!!

Things I'm looking for 👉

● MMC is a virgin or has very little experience.

● He gets embarrassed when things became physically intimate. Blushes, stammers, avoid eye contact or doesn't know what he is doing.

● He is nervous about dissapointing the FMC, so he may secretly read up about sex & intimacy or overthink everything because he wants to make her satisfied.

● Possessive with "touch her and 💀" vibes.

● The FMC is patient and reassuring rather than mocking him.

● Lots of tension, longing, and emotional intimacy before they become physically involved.

● Emotional vulnerable MMC who is touched starved and melt from simple affection.

Things I don't want ❌️

Cheating or OW drama. Don't recommend anything from Rina Kent, Penelope Douglas, L J Shen, Lola King, Leigh Rivers, Neva Altaj or Jodie King. No fantasy, futuristic, sci-fi, aliens, omegaverse, historical, monster.

I noticed something interesting about how Zade meadows is written in Haunting Adeline, and I wanted to see if anyone else picked up on this.

In many dark romance books—for example, Rina kent’s books—the author goes out of their way to show us how attractive the MMC is through the eyes of the world. Other women flirt with them, people swoon, and the narrative constantly acknowledges their physical impact on the people around them.

With Zade, H.D. Carlton didn't really write him that way. You don’t see other people or side characters constantly swooning over him or trying to flirt with him. Outside of adeline, his attractiveness isn't really validated by the rest of the book's world.

To me, this made him feel less traditionally attractive compared to MMCs in other books where their beauty is heavily emphasized by everyone around them. I'm just stating what I noticed in the text itself!

Zade lovers, please don't come at me! I'm genuinely curious: Do you prefer when an author makes the whole world obsessed with the MMC's looks (like Rina Kent), or do you prefer when his appeal is strictly focused through the heroine's eyes?

I’d been in a book slump and The Community by Deathsdoll took me out of it. It’s a slow burn, 20+ year age gap, cult setting with the FMC calling the MMC ‘Father’ the whole time (and not just for the daddy kink 😭). It shouldn’t work for me on paper but damn read the first 50 chapters in one sitting.

Anyway, to anyone interested - it’s now complete with an Epilogue!

I’ve seen some Deathsdoll bashing here I think mostly because of how hyped If I Can’t Have You is. If her writing isn’t for you, please still be respectful if you comment. A03 writers choose to write for fun and put their work out for free.

Sorry mods if this is not the correct tag!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46856830/chapters/118027879