Seen your layla frost mention - any good dark romance books you would recommend? 👀
oh, absolutely!!! though, fair warning - my ideal dr is a horror/thriller moonlighting as a romance so! def read the warnings.
Little Dove by Layla Frost. Maximo, honestly, is my ideal mmc. cold, collected, cunning, unflappable, with a cruel and sadistic side (but never directed toward the the fmc), and wholly devoted to Juliet on a level that would probably land him in jail irl
Then, Earth Swallowed Ocean (book 1) by Shiloh Sloane
"Southern Gothic Werewolves Fight the Devil" that's it. this is the book for me. Shiloh Sloane is my favourite author. genuinely, truly. i love her writing, i love her characters. i love her for her tiktok bio alone: I write love stories whose trailers would have Ethel Cain music in ‘em. obsessed with her. i stalk her daily on insta and tiktok.
but the book: it's more horror erotica than DR, but to be totally honest, this is so far up my alley, it was practically written for me. werewolves, the devil, smut, an INSANE mmc (obsessed, mean, possessive), a strong fmc, and it's set in post WW2 Appalachia. instant fave. when i die, bury me with this book.
Cracked Blue Sky (book 2) by Shiloh Sloane
features a native fmc and i know Shiloh Sloane is white, but how she shapes Howie Black Elk was pretty realistic. i loved how much she reminded me of a few cousins, aunties. love this book!!
Snuff by Bonny Capps
dark horror erotica that you absolutely should heed the warnings to. i loved it. 5*. but it does end up on several dnf lists for being brutal and disgusting. fmc goes to Russia to discover her roots, is taken by the Bratva to feature in their "passion projects" (snuff films!), but the mmc decides he wants her all to himself. if you're queasy about totally irredeemable mmcs (sadistic, vile, possessive, obsessed, cruel), then this probably is not for you, but lucky for me, i'm into that. def on my "i couldn't look my therapist in the eye for a while" collection, though.
Lemonade by Nina Pennacchi. mmc is irredeemable (cruel, vile, obsessed). historical romance (Victorian). also on the collection.
Little Mouse by Emily Rose. mafia. age gap.
A Stone's Throw by Stevie Sparks. age gap (dad's best friend. Scottish hero. auction. weird rich people doing weird rich people shit.
God Of Vengeance by Michelle Heard. age gap. mafia. found family.
i re-read the bound series this week and my favourites are Bound by Vengeance (Growl and Cora), Bound by Duty (Dante and Valentina), and Twisted Pride (Remo and Serafina).
anything by Lilith Vincent. Brutal Husband is dropping in October and i cannot wait.
The Devil's Vice by Mindy Paige. trauma bonding. motorcycle gang. age gap.
Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers. revenge (fmc sends mmc to prison and he gets out and comes for her). insane mmc.
Spectre by Shiloh Walker. kidnapping. violence. neuro-atypical fmc.
Slashed by Thalia Sanchez. fmc wants to become a Final Girl. Slasher!mmc gives her just that.
also, not a romance but if you're into dark books with compelling characters, Break Her by BG Harlen was sooo good!!!! the premise is that a professional rapist is sent to break the fmc and it's such a good psychological thriller. def not for everyone though. A Beautiful Evil by Eris Belmont has no HEA but a very brutal and malicious mml. God's Eye by Ansa Reads is brutal. loved it, dgmw. but it's def not for the faint of heart.
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🥰
8. a fic that gives you warm fuzzy feelings
protection @1d1195
i ate this shit up ‼️ this harry is just a DREAM and the slow burn… woof this is the one i read when i feel like love is impossible
knockout @freedomfireflies
angsty, smutty, complete and utter love between the fmc and mmc <3
nerdy h @purplecoffee13
this one gave me butterflies 🤭 i think i’m crushing on nerdy harry
y/n and harry are definitely obsessed with each other @jawllines
no words will do this justice. if you want to completely fall in love with a fic, this is the one 🥰🥰
thank you anon!! 💖
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when writing enemies to lovers, how to I avoid the trope of “hes mean to me but it’s okay because he likes me” and make the mmc redeemable after being mean, because so far all I have is have her be just as bad 😭 (I don’t know if I worded that right)
Redeeming The Bad Boy Character
Drop Subtle Hints of Redeemability
Okay. Rule Number 1 for romance heroes: They need to be LOVABLE. Full stop.
Before you start coming up with possible justifications, place the actions of your bad boy on the emotional balancing scale of your girl. Do his real feelings shine through the meanness on the surface?
What readers usually DON’T want to see redeemed is:
Outright lying/manipulating the girl
Being obsessive and controlling
Physical/emotional bullying (i.e. stuff that real bullies would do)
“Crossing the line”: This will depend on character - like insulting a disabled sister the girl character feels super protective towards (like NO PLEASE NO)
Even if the “enemy” phase of your romance is meant to be intense, your bad boy needs to display “goodness of heart”. This is easy if you’re switching POVs or 3rd person omniscient where you can show him secretly beating himself in regret, trying to make up with her behind her back although she doesn’t know, etc.
Even if you’re doing the girl’s 1st person POV, drop subtle hints that the guy character isn’t as mean as the girl is made to believe:
Him having the reputation with friends/teachers/neighbors for being kind
Him being awarded in school for good deeds
The girl’s friend telling her stories about how the guy actually seems nice. If this is a YA setting, you can even get away with explicit comments like, “maybe you’re judging him too hard”, etc.
A good example is Bryce in <Flipped>:
Bryce is an innately shy middle schooler who finds himself inadvertently influenced by his toxic dad, who looks down on the girl (Juli) and her family.
By flipping over to Bryce’s POV, his reluctance for the “mean” things he’s done is revealed (he’s kinda scared of his dad + he’s never been taught better)
Eventually, Bryce grows up and learns to treat Juli better.
If you’re going to use family history/backstory as justification, remember:
The backstory doesn’t justify anything by just existing. That’s called an excuse.
The bad boy needs to have a point of realization and grow up, moving away from his dark past into the light, towards the love interest.
Misunderstanding
Another way to redeem a bad boy character is to shift some blame on the female character too. In fact, every story has two sides - the girl has her own goals and biases.
For example:
Academic or workplace rivals: since the girl has to compete with him, she will tend to take offhand comments offensively, etc.
A third person badmouthing the buy deliberately to the girl
The girl overhearing the guy saying something bad about her (which wasn’t in fact the case) and being determined to not like anything he does after
Make Him Suffer
If you want to give your girl some backbone, just make her fight back! “Fighting back” can be in different forms:
Ignoring the guy outright
Just giving her another potential love interest who treats her better
She literally correcting him with awesome logic and maturity that make him shut up
She crying (either out of madness or sadness), then proceeding to avoid him actively
Write about how your bad boy will eventually realize his mistakes and come around after he takes a real blow. Think about why your bad boy is being mean in the first place: it’s to get her attention. Tit-for-tat can work for female characters who have some teeth, but doing the same things he does would mean that she IS giving him attention, which ironically fulfills his initial motives.
Personally, I think the best way to “fight back” is to no longer give him the attention, hinting that the girl wishes to move on from this unhelpful relationship status. This will set off warning signs in the MMC’s head that if he doesn’t change his ways, she would be gone for good.
The point is, if your girl cannot tolerate something, you can’t make her sit around. If your boy is mean and immature, she needs to be the one to take the mature step - and walk away.
Apologizing in the Other Character’s Style
What the MMC will need to do to gain the girl’s attention back will depend on what she thinks, but this will often involve:
Explaining his true motivations/resolving the misunderstanding
A genuine apology
Spending some time apart during which he can reflect and make up to her
Undoing the damage, if this is possible
If she’s been just as bad as him on occasions, make her reciprocate the apology! Re-establish healthy boundaries that didn’t exist before, and show how they stick to it.
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