Dark Romance and How the Genre Has Changed: Yap Edition
- Kayjah Taylor
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
There's a lot of controversy over what dark romance is and has become over the years. As someone who used to enjoy the genre and has read plenty of books in it, I thought I'd give some of my thoughts on how it has changed.
My thoughts may not align with yours, of course, because they're mine alone. While our thoughts may be different, I continue this article without judging people who enjoy the genre. Who am I to tell you what you can or can't like? Enjoy what you enjoy and don't care what anyone else says. Life is too short!
With all that being said, let's get into it!
I started out by mentioning that I used to enjoy the dark romance genre. I didn't stop because of the way it has changed, but more so because my overall interests changed. I've always been into romance, but gravitate more towards my love of horror and mystery, so it just happened naturally. Not that I don't love a masked, tattooed, buff, broody man. A part of me will always fall for that fantasy, and I still do in other media!
Dark Romance: In the Past
When I was in my early to mid-twenties, I got back into reading again. Dark romance was one genre that captivated my attention, being young and explorative and all that jazz. I really enjoyed it! I've read somewhere that it's the mentality of having a dangerous partner who's only soft for you. Of seeing how terrible someone can be and choosing to love them anyway.
I feel old saying this, but dark romance was just hitting differently then. There was a formula that felt comforting. The MMCs were broody most times, dangerous others. They would 'hate' the FMC, throwing jabs and possibly hurting them [most of the time emotionally]. Then they would slowly start growing to like the FMC. Hating themselves instead for growing soft. Hating that they had someone important to lose.
You get what I'm saying. It's the 'I'm going to bully her' into 'touch her and die' type vibe.
That's a morally gray character. It's dark, it's edgy, but the FMC isn't genuinely fearing for her life. She likes the danger, knowing it will never come from the MMC. Yes, the MMC could be obsessive, possessive, and a little unhinged, but to hurt her was to be condemned.
Dark Romance: Present
In the past year or two I've tried out three more recent dark romance novels. While I personally couldn't finish any of them, they really stuck with me. They were probably the first books to make me question if this was the new definition of dark romance. Not to say they were . . . bad? Just not my taste.
Where we used to have gray characters, I believe they are now called 'pitch black.'
Where the previous dark romance men were unhinged, these are a little farther past the point of no return. The scenes get graphic. There are nonconsensual scenes. There is genuine abuse. Sometimes there's even gore. While I say to each their own, I'll also say there could be a separate genre for it. Darker Romance? Romantic Horror? I don't know.
I'll mention a book, but not because I think it's to be used as examples of 'bad books'. It was just one of the few I read, and has scenes I remember off the top of my head. I also want to preface that all these books have trigger warnings, so it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into.
So, Haunting Adeline. If you follow BookTok or like dark romance, I'd be a bit surprised if you haven't heard of it. The book is popular. That's the reason I picked it up, like many other people. I'm a curious person and will try anything once.
Now, this book really hit me differently. The MMC was working for a good cause, but it felt like the way he handled Adeline [because that's exactly what he did, HANDLE HER] felt more like control than natural feelings. I can handle stalking someone and breaking into her house, but non-consensual scenes are really uncomfortable to read through, and there are a lot of them. Especially when it really didn't seem like Adeline was into it until the very end. I think it felt more like Stockholm syndrome than that they had feelings for each other.
The chemistry just didn't feel realistic, and the MMC's character was a little off for me. I expected him to be obsessive, but as someone who rescues others from being trafficked, doing nonconsensual acts with Adeline just made little sense. Making her feel unsafe didn't make sense.
Anyway, this yap session may not make too much sense or be coherent, but those are my thoughts on how the genre has changed. I've seen tons of discourse, and usually stay far away from anything that may ruffle feathers, but it's something I've been thinking about lately as I scour for more books to read in the dark romance genre.
Thanks, as always, for reading, and have a lovely saturday <3
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