5 Dark Romances for Adventurous Readers

Vivienne Charles has overcome a devastating moment of trauma and is now living a pretty average life as an graduate student. There’s just one problem: her sex life. She remains constantly unfulfilled save for the rape fantasies she hides from her previous partners. When she meets mysterious Jonah Marks at a party, she’s stunned to find that he’ll help her with her fantasies. In a no-strings-attached arrangement, Viv and Jonah begin an affair there’s no coming back from, until Jonah discovers the source of Viv’s desires. Bonus points for scenes where Viv visits her therapist in an effort to make sense of her conflicting history versus sexual needs.

When Emily Wayborn receives a voicemail that her best friend is in trouble, she drops everything to track her down. Her amateur investigation leads her to billionaire hotelier Reeve Sallis. Reeve is rumored to be involved with the mafia and Emily believes he has some sort of involvement in her friend’s disappearance. What follows is an erotic cat and mouse game in the seductive world of the rich and dangerous. Told from Emily’s point of view, First Touch is full of suspense and readers never truly know whether or not Reeve is trustworthy.

At age fourteen, Sarai and her mother started their lives with a drug lord in Mexico. As a girl, Sarai just wanted a normal life, but instead was confined to a compound where death and destruction were frequent. Now, she sees her chance for an escape when an assassin named Victor arrives at the compound. However, safety seems fleeting for Sarai once she leaves the compound and is in the company of the dangerous Victor. When news of her escape sends the compound into turmoil, the only retribution is to kill Sarai.

As part of her university curriculum, Abigail Winslow has undertaken a project to teach English & writing classes at a local prison. There she meets inmate Grayson Kane, whose charming and manipulative ways convince Abigail to help get him free. Once out, though, Abigail isn’t absolved of Grayson’s presence. Instead, he takes her prisoner as he begins his quest for revenge on the people who put him behind bars. This dark romance has instances of dubious consent and, of course, kidnapping. It’s twisted, suspenseful, and uncomfortable, but in the best of ways.

Ruin and Rule certainly poses the question of whether a hero can truly be redeemed and if he’s worthy of that redemption. Cleo Price has no clue where she is, waking up blindfolded after being kidnapped. Cleo is there to be inspected and then trafficked, and the man who comes to check her over is the president of the Pure Corruption motorcycle club, Arthur Kilian. Their first meet is tense and oh…the hero is covered in blood. It’s a rather divisive romance, though for fans of dark romance, it’s a keeper.
How do you feel about dark romances? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?