i read 3 dark romances and i’m calling the police 🚨

[@charlie2.048]

"Grayson," "Brax," "Q," "Zade." Arguably, the worst crime here is the way these authors name men.

[@LiterallyScarecrow]

What's wrong with Grayson noooo

[@freddie6307]

brax??! hello?!?! JAIL🚨💅🏽

[@GoostarionTheFirst]

It’s even more weird that a French man would be named Q because in french Q is said the exact same way as « cul » wich mean a$$ 😂

[@ithseem]

What did Grayson ever do to you?? 😭😭

[@ilaya4183]

brax sounds like a solid fart

[@mariehurtado_]

The “my mom sold me to one direction” fanfic to dark romance pipeline is real

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂😂😂

[@LeniPeni]

That’s literally what I thought when she was talking about the second book

[@froggycolouring]

I think for them being sold to one direction was more than a fanfic…

[@catlady8256]

FR!! The fact it’s the exact same storyline of a dark haired white mafia guy (sometimes with an accent the writers most definitely do not speak) noticing that one special girl 😭

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Tfw cishet white women.

[@IFarore]

“And of course, Zade had a horse cock.” I literally bust out laughing, I love this video.

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂😂😂

[@DaraLindsey]

I fully believe that these authors have no damn clue how fucking big a horse's "punishment stick" is

[@randomnerd3402]

​@@DaraLindseyA horse stick literally killed a guy once. It caused him to die of internal bleeding

[@chromesthesia]

​@@DaraLindseythey're terrifyingly huge. I don't think they need all that

[@rosemary3029]

I envision zade saying "my doctor messed up the transplant"

[@comprehensiblehorrors]

bestie this is the opposite of group therapy, i'm so traumatized

[@sarawithoutanH]

We're trauma bonded now ♥️

[@sleepy.timaeus.arts.]

😭 nooo

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Me writing a romance novel: "Behold! The new \"\"feel good\"\" novel of the century!" I intend to invoke ALL the emotions!

[@journeywithrosie]

"Tess may be dripping but I'mmmm very dry" 😭😭🔪

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂

[@belovedgoddess8637]

I died

[@RockingChairAdventures]

Ah yes, dark romance is making Stockholm syndrome sexy again 😂

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂😂😂

[@DaraLindsey]

I thought we were done with these things after Beauty and the Beast 😭

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

@@DaraLindseyoh hold on we’re not gonna do BATB dirty like this 💀🤣

[@DaraLindsey]

@TheRenaissanceStudent It was the only example I could think of at 3am lol

[@Lackingsarahtonin]

365 days is a prime example of Stockholm syndrome trying to be sexy 🤢

[@neverhowever3231]

it’s the mutuality for me. i can get into a book with dark subject matter or fucked up possessiveness etc if there’s actually an interesting dynamic, but the Alpha Possessive No Consent Manchild x Virgin With Daddy Issues is just boring, so you’re left with a bunch of pointless abuse and terrible writing

[@burnerburner-rk5nv]

thats such a good way of defining my issues with 'dark romances'! I do like dark topics/themes but these kinds of books fall into repetitive and boring tropes too often... good girl x bad boy? again? groundbreaking. and like forget any lgbt characters or women with some backbone/agency. do you have any recommendations for better books?

[@madamemystery4256]

thank you for putting how I feel about it into words! It's never a terrifying woman with a man/ partner regardless of gender who's like 'mark me down as scared and horny' (but in a loving non-abusive way) or two equally morally gray or morally defunct individuals finding each other and either building each other up to the detriment of everyone else around them or destroying each other piece by piece. It's always a man being shitty to a woman and even if the female lead is presented as some sort of badass (virgin with daddy issues that can at least fight) it still doesn't feel equal like a partnership. And ultimately some people will like this. But it's really boring if it's all that's available.

[@oo648]

Exactly, the first book she talked about sounds super interesting to me even though I’m not into romance bc she’s actually and adult who’s her own person and does fucked up things too as opposed to the big bad wolf having a cnc kink towards the usually barely legal and severely abused FMC.

[@stacybrown7863]

Wasn't it a few years ago dark romance was for supernatural books? And the 'dark' element was mainly because the love interest was a vampire, but it was never dark *toward* the MC, you know? I think I prefer that kind of dark romance. Bring back supernatural books plz. 😅 🔪

[@sarawithoutanH]

The authors are getting a little too wild and creative 😂

[@wochenente6977]

Isn't that just plain paranormal romance?

[@rx500android]

I agree! I miss those days

[@virginiarodriguez8732]

@@wochenente6977 paranormal and supernatural is not the same when it comes to books, even if I myself struggle sometimes to distinguish them

[@prizedfox]

Supernatural and paranormal books still exist. Stay in your lane and stop bothering people who just plain like these books. It’s annoying as hell when an author warns people about their book and what it contains and people *still read the book* when they know they won’t like it. It’s ridiculous. It’s not even criticism it’s bullying of the genre and people who safely enjoy it.

[@samuel_and_carrots8920]

Generally, I read dark romance like a phycological thriller. Do people actually think of it as hot cause if so, that’s wild.

[@mammoneymelon]

unfortunately, a lot of people get off on fictional SA and abusive relationships. begging these authors to get therapy because if you're into this, something is actually wrong and you need real help

[@smileimagirl]

I'm curious as to the mind that created the story.

[@antisocialal4799]

@@mammoneymelonAgreed. I mean, I’m okay with all topics being written about, but not in the way these writers are doing it. Make it horror! Not romance. You can put romance in horror, but you shouldn’t (if the love interest is the antagonist) make it normalized.

[@LangkeeLongkee]

@@mammoneymelonI disagree. If you’re sensible enough to separate reality from fantasy do as you’d like.

[@disw9892]

In France we have this book named Captive, following a girl in a sort of cartel of sex slaves, she had a owner who raped her for years but then sells her to a very beautiful millionaire mafia chief you know The guy is horrible to her, drown her, slaps her, threaten to rape her, burns her hand and stuff Well EVERY french girl love this book and they want a boyfriend like him, they want THIS exact relationship

[@cealens]

i know i am not just a fan of dark romances in general but i feel like i would enjoy it if both parties were just messed up, making eachother worse, partners in crime, etc instead of how it usually goes with one party (almost 99% the girl) being ~innocent~ but ~into freaky sex~ and then gets repeatly sa’d throughout the novel. it’s not interesting at all for me to read about a girl getting sa’d until she figures out she likes it apparently 😅 i also wish authors just admitted they’re writing something dark. like don’t try to convince me the love interest you wrote is secretly actually a good guy and that apparently allows him to sa girls he likes 😭 commit to the fact you are writing a effed up guy! i think these authors want to have their cake (the ~dark romance~) and eat it too (the romantic fantasy) and it just causes books like the last two you read to exist 🔪

[@bishielurfer]

Yeah it seems like they mostly just go to SA, but that's not the only way to write a dark romance. Even with having someone fall in love with their stalker, you can make that work. Personally I think it'd be far more interesting if the main character falls in love with the romantic interest and _then_ discovers they've been stalking them. Also I think these books need to be very explicitly marketed towards adults. A lot of them feature young girls or get advertised in places with younger userbases and it really makes me question who they're trying to sell these to. Because I am far more comfortable with an adult who has relationship experience and is more experienced with the whole thing reading a dark romance than I am a young person who hasn't really learned some of the finer details of things like boundaries and healthy relationship dynamics.

[@thuhuong8838]

That is why the new book by Trisha Wolfe, Marrow is an upgrade for me. Instead of the innocent girl it is both 2 serial killers fall in love. They both fuck up yet have amazing chemistry together. So when they do fuck up thing together it is actually fill with consent and approval instead of super manipulative bullshit. Try it if you interested

[@AnnekeOosterink]

Yeah, I like dark stories, but just all SA until they're in love is not it. Honestly it's boring and predictable. I like Hannibal, the TV show, which has Will Graham being seduced by Hannibal, he killed someone while working for the FBI and realises he liked it. And boom, that's Hannibal's in. And it works. Like, it is dark and toxic and horrible, and great entertainment. Give me that, that's dark and twisted, but not SA until there's love. It's sad that that kind of story usually has two men. It's as if women must be victims in these stories and can't meet the dark guy as an equally dark accomplice and partner. Although there is some fem!Will fanfic I guess.

[@kirakoraawesome]

​@@AnnekeOosterinkthere's killing eve

[@maevem316]

Yeah, I don't particularly like dark romance, but two fucked up people being fucked up together can be very fun. In general the het gender roles common in the romance genre kind of put me off that sort of reading really 😔

[@liaistotallyfine]

If men like Zade are all the hope women and children have then I'm afraid we're all doomed

[@Dakshna-mg9oj]

Here's the kicker......... You have women fawning over zade all over the internet

[@BooksandBuns]

2:08 suddenly, I got flashbacks to all the master x slave dark romamce mlm books I read as a young baby gay on Wattpad. Oh gods, this is gonna be fun

[@mammoneymelon]

oh no don't remind me it was the wild west back then 😭 it still kind of is but at least trigger warnings and proper tags are considered the bare minimum now lol

[@Kevin_Theadore1]

At least they tagged triggers properly 😭

[@BooksandBuns]

@@Kevin_Theadore1 most of the time

[@aliciafaithreads]

Me, a dark romance reader, clicking on this video hoping you will ROAST these books 😂😂😂

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂😂😂 roast i did

[@reagan7460]

Haunting Adeline was a dumpster fire... and not even a fun one

[@Harley24986]

@@reagan7460yes! I was too excited to grab this one since everyone spoke of it so highly…only to end up beyond disappointed lol

[@drapersefone]

We al know and accept the trash we read 😂😂

[@chelonianmobile]

Dark is one thing, what always bothers me is how stupid every character has to be for these stories to work. See the bit where Tess cut off the tracking device Q put on her, kept it with her in the car, and acted like he was some sort of magical wizard when he nevertheless tracked her with it.

[@DaraLindsey]

No please, I cannot even with these dumb ass women dude

[@chelonianmobile]

@@DaraLindsey Rape fantasies I get, but I honestly don't understand why women want to self-insert as characters who are either dumber than bricks or so sexually naive they can't find their genitals or both.

[@DaraLindsey]

@chelonianmobile No seriously. I've read a few GOOD r word fantasies, but they were only as good as they were bc the women weren't dumber than sand

[@withcindy]

omg i love ur makeup with ur blue floral top at the end!! also SO many ppl told me to read haunting adeline after i read hooked but i couldnt find it thru libby, where did u read it? 🔪

[@sarawithoutanH]

i had to get it on audible!! i will be returning the credit when they allow me to lmaoooo

[@rx500android]

@withcindy Omg I can’t wait for this video

[@kit922]

KZbin-universe crossover

[@adulaide]

Sarah: "i actually finished the entire book while we were in the car" Everyone: "wow, i would need more time" Me: YOU GUYS CAN READ IN CARS? (i get nautious if i do, regarless of how long)

[@amandaehrlich616]

For me, it depends how the book is positioned. If I lift the book up I won’t be super nauseous when compared to me keeping the book in my lap

[@sarahouillette1357]

I have pretty bad motion sickness so I can't read in cars either😢

[@mambleino8456]

i get headaches whenever im in a car, especially when there isn't ac so im w ya there, i cannot read in the car

[@bluebeka2458]

I can but... not that fast. I can't read fast in general. 😂

[@makeupstop123]

I do audible - Sprite and crackers 😂

[@abbigailmakyla]

When I picked up Haunting Adeline, it was misplaced. I had no idea what it was about and had never heard of it before. I read the back of it and I 100% thought that it was a creepy paranormal romance. When I started reading it, I still thought it was going in a paranormal direction with the description of the house. I was very disappointed when I found out it wasn't paranormal and started looking it up and read all the horrible things about it, my god I never thought of throwing a book away before 😂

[@sy1sk3]

when you read dark romance there are ALWAYS triggers in the beginning of the book.

[@bxnnym0]

@@sy1sk3no there is not, it’s not a required thing

[@sy1sk3]

@@bxnnym0 its almost walwaye there. And if it's not it should be classified as dark romance

[@ladywriter73]

There is definitely a trigger warning page in the book. It's on page five.

[@pink_seapickles3819]

literally, unironically, I'm on Tumblr reading yandere fanfiction and the fanfiction is better than any book in this video lmao

[@zoijoy_369]

A lot of the yandere stories I’ve stumbled upon do a great job of not over-romanticizing questionable behavior and of depicting the strain of being a victim…clearly these published authors didn’t get the memo 😭😭

[@m5676]

Can you recommend anything?

[@strawberry_silk3364]

Even wattpad's gotten better.

[@Harley24986]

Fan fiction does not get near the amount of credit it should.

[@sarabrothern2442]

The way you felt about Tears of Tess is how I felt about the 50 Shades series. Hatred. Terrible writing. Not real BDSM. I burned the books when I was done reading them. I didn’t even get past the first chapter of the second book 😂

[@DaraLindsey]

No because I'm an active member of the BDSM community and to hear about these bullshit ways that kinks are portrayed is so damn strange bro 😭 Like dude, this ain't kinky, this is jail

[@kimilynP]

🔪 honestly i will never understand how people read and enjoy books where sa is portrayed as sexy. I just can't divorce it from real life where it's hard enough for victims to come forward and be believed or for abusers to be held accountable. i just don't get it.

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yeah it's hard for sure. Not really the genre for me 😅

[@chelonianmobile]

A lot of people process their fears about sex by learning to experience fear as sexy. Lots of people who've been raped/molested enjoy roleplaying or reading about rape scenarios because it's a way of regaining control. The problem is with books like this, where it isn't acknowledged that what's going on IS rape.

[@yasmineguerin2852]

​@@chelonianmobileYESS

[@XMissGX]

@@chelonianmobile Um.... fear should in no way be sexy tf. I fear dying in a car crash, so I should just drive like an asshole and make it sexy because I fear it right? Girl I hope you realize how insane you sound.

[@abcdeghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz658]

Dark romance would be so much better if it was a regular guy falling for a crazy insane deranged woman

[@a1bayyde]

i'm writing this rn !!! these broody manchild male leads have severely disappointed me so i had to take matters into my own hands

[@ValerieEnriquez]

@@a1bayydeI believe in women's rights, and more importantly, women's wrongs. I love an unhinged female main character.

[@mammoneymelon]

i feel like several of these authors have ideas that could work well, but they are so impatient and horny that it ends up being terrible and trauma porn also i've said it before and i'll say it again: bdsm can be healthy, you don't need to make the relationship disgusting and nonconsensual to write about it lol i get that the plots are SUPPOSED to be messed up, but i just don't understand how people can romanticize some of the worst things that could happen to people without lengthy content warnings + in-detail explanations of how horrible these things are irl + real resources to be educated on the topic + resources for victims or people who are negatively affected by the book's contents. if you're gonna write about your r*pe fantasy that's fine, but at least recognize the damage you could cause and be responsible about what you're putting out into the world

[@isfpoisson]

I so strongly agree with your last point. I don't care if it's a 🌟genre🌟, sex trafficking IS real and it IS horrible and if you decide you want to write a romance about it, you need to do that in a way that is respectful to actual victims. If you cannot write it respectfully, you shouldn't write it.

[@mammoneymelon]

@@isfpoisson exactly. when i heard that my jaw dropped. i've spoken to victims of sex trafficking and it's unbelievable to me that people act like it's some casual thing when it's severely traumatic and very often ends violently for the victims (some of which are CHILDREN). i'm a pretty big believer in not kinkshaming people, but if you can't be at least a little respectful, keep it to yourself lmao

[@kaylasnow5161]

I read Haunting Adeline a few years ago before I heard about how popular it was on book tok. It was during my dark/ dark romance book era. And I got to say that I hated the book. Zade is the biggest contradiction known to man. Man's day job is literally saving women and children from people like himself. And the author uses it to justify his actions. I ended up looking at everyone who recommended this book sideways because how can u say Zade is the best book husband? Or just praise him up and down about how hot he is. You would immediately call the cops if you saw him in real life. Mind you I've read PLENTY of dark romances but I couldn't get behind Zade for some reason. Like where was the love he supposedly had for Adeline? Why was Adeline such a fucking doormat? Dark romances usually hits when BOTH people are equally fucked up. Poor Adeline was a victim with a capital V.

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yes, that's why I loved the Born Darkly duet! It seems like these other authors made the female MCs vanilla and innocent so that it could be more of a self insert for readers? I'd love recommendations of actually good dark romance where both MCs are unhinged!

[@kaylasnow5161]

⁠@@sarawithoutanHThe Death Club by Caroline peckham! Fmc is so unhinged it’s actually hilarious. It’s also a RH. Satan’s Affair by H.D. Carlton. Also RH. I liked it better than Haunting Adeline

[@Looneylovegood]

😂😂 how you acted the characters of haunting Adeline was just spot on. So insufferable characters, and the writing was so bad. Not to mention all the SA, like there’s no way I can see those as ‘sexy’ when she’s literally screaming and crying, fighting to get away from him

[@lankxns1818]

Some situations shouldn’t be turned into romance, such as trafficking. It is such a huge issue that hundreds of thousands of women and people, and children go through, and to turn that situation into a romance and turn a trafficker into a love interest is such an FU to everyone who experiences such horrific things, especially coming from someone in such a position of privilege as Pepper Winters because a lot of women trafficked are women lacking certain privileges such as women of color, poor women, and women living in third world countries. Not the mention, Winters insinuates that anyone could want to be trafficked and that good situations could arise from being trafficked, regardless of whether it’s fiction or not, is horrific.

[@the_goddess_1859]

Bb bb bbbut MAH FANTASIES?!?!?! YOU CANT COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THEYRE MY FANTASIES?!?!? I swear, these are all valid ass criticisms and every damn time they're like "ITS JUST A FANTASY STOP BEING A PUSSY" Like yall are toxic, please just own it.

[@nourabdelghafar5948]

Fiction can be anything, people can do whatever they want with it and the readers can choose whatever they want to read and enjoy. there is no spectrum on what you should or shouldn't enjoy. when we read dark romance, we are perfectly capable of separating fiction from real life. these two Do NOT mix. what's unacceptable here can be acceptable there and vice versa, because at the end of the day it's not real. she's not glorifying anything. when you look at it with real life logic, yes it's disgusting, but when you look from a fictional story point of you that's a whole other thing.

[@anabeatrizhenriquedeolivei6422]

idea: haunting adeline, but make it slightly less unnerving. just a tad more consensual, little bit less creepy. keep the stalking, but make it just a bit wholesome. like of course someone is breaking into her home semi-oftenly, but they bought her favorite flowers (the only ones she's not allergic to), left the eggs she forgot to buy in her last trip to the supermarket and leaves little notes on the fridge or by her bedside, and with time and a complete lack of an instinct of self-preservation she just gets used to that, writes back, asks for things. one time he breaks in when she should be at work, and she almost sees him, but he covers her eyes and she gets that he doesn't want to be seen, so she ties a ribbon over her eyes and that turns into a habit, he comes in, blinds her, and they hang around, he cooks something, listens to her talk. he doesn't want to be heard either but doesn't mind being felt. she figures he would have hurt her by now if he ever intended to. at some point she gets lonely and decides the dude must be hot, hits on him, notes notes and some time, they do sleep together, it's her-centric... i even have an idea for her wanting to know how *big* he is (it involves not a word nor a glimpse, just non-indecent tact). also, two major senses not being valid is probably enough for the crazies. also, man could be involved in combating s*x trafficking because he was trafficked when younger? and that also led to image issues that make him not want to be perceived out of self-preservation? okay, i think i might have figured out my next work. it s*x scenes weren't impossible to write.

[@heylotheee3416]

I would buy it😳

[@syedaarshmaali]

A dark romance starts with an abusive relationship, a bad romance starts with rah rah-ah-ah-ah roma roma-ma

[@snowingonolympus8588]

between this video and cindy's read of hooked, i am now 100% sure that i do NOT wanna even touch dark romance with a ten foot pole! 🔪🔪🔪

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂😂😂

[@DaraLindsey]

These male names are giving emo middle school boy, underdeveloped emo sophomore, super senior who's "not like other boys" if you will.

[@standdownrobots_ihaveoldglory]

It always freaks me out when therapeutic abuse is romanticized. Just to be clear, from a professional standpoint, getting nakey with a client is a crime against the client, even if he's a killer. No matter what he says, it's a horrible thing to do, medically analogous to poisoning him intentionally. Dark romance is clearly a good genre for this kind of thing, but it's much, much deeper than being "professional." As the victim of some very nefarious therapist abuse, I wish people would understand that it always means something very, very dark about the therapist (ive never been in jail, but i can imagine how much more traumatic it would be to be abused by a therapist while being unable to get away, and i could not see that it was abuse until a 3rd party got involved). The boundaries drawn with prisoners are meant to help them and improve safety, not tittilate medical providers with forbidden fruit.

[@persephoneshause]

I absolutely love these dark romance reviews as I am a 'critical consumer' which is basically a nice term for 'hate-watcher/reader'. I go out of my way to read awful reviewed books and share thoughts with others like myself. I think it's the shock value of it and trying to imagine how in the world one would find this attractive. Only sometimes though as I would be a bitter ass person if that is all I read hahahaha

[@Thallus_Alex]

okay, reading Haunting Adeline was sooooo hard for me. i have to commend you for getting through it bc i only got to the interrupted hook-up scene before I literally threw the book away. the writing was god awful, the dialogue is so unreal, and the chemistry just was not there. it read more like an original wattpad self-insert story than an actual book that is VIRAL.... crazy.

[@elviadixon640]

I just finished it today and everytime they had "romance" I refused to read it after the gun scene. I skipped to find out who killed her great grandmother. Thanks to this book I'm taking a month off from romance books

[@Casssamdracass]

I bought it for (I thought it was paranormal ) went to TikTok and now I have it can’t read it cause the writing is bad and so sa scenes and 30€ less

[@skhan7994]

My biggest flex would be that I have not ever read Haunting Adeline

[@RED-my9hl]

"so pick me, choose me, love me"

[@yasmineguerin2852]

​@@RED-my9hlyou read it huh? Did you enjoy the SA?

[@RED-my9hl]

@@yasmineguerin2852 as someone who was SA'd, yes actually I did.

[@Moonlight-řæven]

@@RED-my9hlif you enjoy rape please get help.. you’re not as edgy as you think you are,trust me

[@Hellokitty002]

@@RED-my9hlthe best comment in this damn comment section. Be my friend.

[@marsiepan]

its also weird how h.d carlton or whatever her name is even admitted that she wrote the SA scenes and enjoyed them.

[@antobutera]

I read Haunting Adeline as an ARC, and yeah, the Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde thing Zade had going on where he played savior while also being a grapist was a no for me. But I'll add the first book to my TBR. Honestly, I like the dark romance when both parties realise they're effed up, but someone they still make sense together. Would recommend Spark of Madness, that one is both VERY messed up, but also so good!

[@sarawithoutanH]

I'll look that up! I love when they are equally unhinged

[@astra1971]

i don’t understand why the author made zade fight against s3x trafficking and save women and children all the time but also made him grape a woman 😀 like why give him redeeming qualities if he’s a grapist that just makes everything “good” he does worse!! get him tf away from the kids 😭

[@lilynote2016]

This 😂. I agree :’) lol xD

[@Stonedandbookish]

Literally!!!

[@hurremhightower]

having someone look like a ,,good person” and then finding out that they are actually r*pist can still be pretty realistic(not in all cases but again going against something problematic doesn’t automatically makes one not capable of horrible stuff)

[@ashleighnichole8197]

It's a series. The first book isn't the whole story

[@the_goddess_1859]

​@@hurremhightowerSure, but we also don't pretend like that's ok in real life

[@majamikasiewicz9572]

I think that I would like dark romances more if dynamics between characters were more interesting then old, tired big dominant man corrupting innocent submissive woman. I wish that it was more about power struggle between two equally twisted people. Like I get that some women are into this, but does it always has to be about men dominating women? I want some actual friction between them, I want a mc that can actually keep up with her love interest, not in a bratty "i have to struggle to keep up appearances" way. I want her to actually be as unhinged and dangerous as him. I feel like it would be much more interesting and compelling.

[@missmagenta4978]

As somebody who was SAed, was stalked and *still* enjoys dark romance (am i freaky? Is it just the trauma? Who knows!), when it comes to the plot....it *has* to have A+ writing. Like, sell this plot to me. Paint me a picture of stellar writings and zero grammar errors. Give the characters colorful personalities and not the "girl boss x EDGE" pairing I see so many times. If it reads like a hastily written horny fanfiction that wasn't proofread even once...that's a no for me. Anyway, you earned yourself a subscriber!

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yes totally agree! I want nuance and intrigue not cringey dialogue and eyeroll worthy sex scenes

[@DaraLindsey]

No seriously dude, it has to be S-Tier writing bro, if not it stays desert

[@katierasburn9571]

exactly like you have to sell to me why this is hot and why i should root for the characters

[@kjlucky6501]

Personally, I love a sweet, nice, wholesome romantic interest. Which is funny because I’m a big fan of really dark and gritty world-building/environments/themes. I just like it when the world is dark and brutal but the love interest is that hopeful spark/light in the dark❤

[@Ocean-f3g]

The romanticizing SA is so unhinged and not in a good way- like making it sound like being SA’d is a good thing or should be viewed as good is insane

[@jasminrios6820]

Thank you so much for perfectly explaining my feelings towards Haunting Adeline and booktok recommendations in general! I thought something was wrong with me and I was being too picky that I wasn’t enjoying what everyone else was loving. I’m a dark romance enjoyer, but I’ve read so much fan fiction that is thousands of times better than HA. You’ve got a new subscriber and I’m definitely gonna start taking note of what it is you enjoy reading since we’re both sticklers for prose and good writing.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I'd probably call the police too tbh

[@sarawithoutanH]

We can both be eye witness on the case 😭✋🏻

[@doraokeke3228]

As a person who read read the other dark romances and hated them, born darkly was actually the first dark romance I enjoyed because they came from a psychological stand points.

[@CircusoftheMoon]

I haven’t read it, but based off her description it gives me a similar vibe to the Hannibal TV show which I love. So I may have to give it a read.

[@doraokeke3228]

@@CircusoftheMoon yeah that’s how I would describe it too, yeah you should go for it, I hope you enjoy ✨✨🫶

[@jkpiowa]

The Haunting Adeline gun scene will haunt ME forever. The plot of the 2nd Adeline book is more cohesive, like it is somewhat better written, but is so, so wildly f*cked up.

[@sarawithoutanH]

I think HD Carlton and I are parting ways here 😂😂😂

[@dardenmcdougal3837]

Hunting Adeline left me so conflicted because the writing was better but I hated every second of the plot. It felt like torture corn and honestly felt like they were from two completely different series to me. SO dark. Haunting Adeline was already A LOT.

[@jkpiowa]

@@dardenmcdougal3837 same! The first one is "sexy mysterious stalker", then bam - you get "human trafficked and tortured and traumatized".

[@dardenmcdougal3837]

@@jkpiowa exactly!! I felt like I was in fight or flight mode the whole book lmao

[@sunnyandthechlo]

I wonder if they got a ghost writer for the sequel.

[@BookLionQueen]

The way I loved this video. I also don’t read dark romances but watching you react to them was so fun! 🔪🔪🔪

[@sarawithoutanH]

😂 I probably won't be a frequent dark romance reader either

[@phoebeakpobi3961]

no because same. i literally was like "babes u may have to turn yourself in." while i was reading the madly, darkly duet.

[@dotdotdot...176]

I didn't know what to expect because 'dark romance' _sounded_ like paranormal teen romance (e.g. falling in love with a quirky ghost boy or something) to me but it's _wayyy_ darker and more twisted (I mean particularly the SA and trafficking and stuff)

[@lexa4160]

HEAVY on ur comments abt the writting style, im the same! i dont read mf dark romance but the thing i notice the most abt a book is the writting, no matter the genre. if its not good im just not reading 😭

[@mammoneymelon]

most self-published erotica writers started out writing fanfiction and never really evolved from the "parents sold me to harry styles" writing style. it's impossible to get into if you've ever read a well-written book before (and i'm saying this as a fanfic writer, i'm very pro transformative works but man these authors suck lol)

[@arkkon2740]

16:52 this bit reminds me that humans aren't normal in smut. Im convinced every smut novel revolving around people is about a race of aliens that are 99% water.

[@tiffani-amberstuurman2016]

Booktok is arguably the worst thing thats ever happened to me

[@Ace-ace-baby]

I am so glad you get to see the great Colorado! It's fun when you get used to the altitude I swear, hope you have fun!

[@geminiloco27]

15:22 THE SONG CHOICE HAS ME DYING. Omg I'm so happy I found you, you make me laugh so much and so happy i'm not the only one that thinks these books are so disturbing 😂

[@foodforfaeries]

10:50 Damn I can see why the book is called 'Tears of Tess'

[@user-wh3cs2vc3t]

😭😭😭 its called Tears of Tess cos I’d be crying if I read that book and traumatized

[@perewinklebee2943]

As a dark romance enjoyer, I will tell you the best stuff is the kind that makes you fight your own wants, if you want teh relationship to corrupt, to heal or end entirely, the psychoanalysis and exploration of the human soul is what makes a good read. Nothing will ever top that sonadow dark shadow fic that uses the knowledge of shadow having an evil plot and keeps you on edge with his reappearance as an ally. Also, insane prose, good execution and nuance will always be king

[@aiglentinaa]

As another dark romance enjoyer, agreed. I’m tired of people excusing their sexual fantasy BS by saying it’s “dark romance.” If you’re gonna write dark smut, just say it’s dark smut. Ngl Im also tried of reviewers saying “that’s the point of dark romance but -“ Like no. There’s a difference between well-crafted morally wrong romance and straight-up disgusting smut that glorifies abuse.

[@perewinklebee2943]

EXACTLY!!! Speaking words of wisdom, I think readers need to get that knowledge of nuance first hand in their tastes. It’s something you grow into and approach tentatively, not barge into. If that makes any sense

[@cl0ud_4ng3l]

3:21 MY STATE WAS MENTIONED- I LOVE THE MOUTAINS SM 😋😋

[@Mrs-Misfortune]

I know a writer and they are working on a book rn. It's idk to me it is a dark romance, but I'm not sure since she gave me the first 5 chapters to read. Im so excited for itt

[@rawanahmed8459]

i found you today by coincidence and I really love you channel girl

[@sarawithoutanH]

aw thank you! so glad you're enjoying my content! 🫶

[@Getheltel]

I have honestly found much more well-written dark romance stories on ao3 than in any traditionally published romance

[@bonbon7_]

I thought I was the only one who cringed at Haunting Adeline. The biggest trigger for me was the belt thing. Because I can't stand a sudden change of heart because I've been in an abusive relationship between the ages of 16 and 18 and when the situation escalates and you try to leave and the other person gets his hand on your... Nope... I love this genre and so on, but damn Zade was more irritating and triggering. It seemed to me just immature and those "daddy" throws... jeez...

[@kellyfish920]

A. As someone from Appalachia GA, Colorado mountains are unreal B. Tears of Tess is giving WattPad

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yes absolutely wattpad 💀✋🏻

[@pancake8180]

How can a mother name her lovely child ZADE. How can someone love someone with the name ZADE. If someone comes up to me and introduces themselfves as ZADE I would strongly suggest them to change their name the second this cursed name leaves their mouth

[@AzraelonEarth]

This was really fun to watch. I HAVE been looking for a romance where the love interest might be a bit unhinged, but not an asshole. I'll have to look more into dark romances. Thanks!

[@brennasullivan8273]

My Dark Romero by Parker S. Huntington is really good, and the Never After series by Emily McIntire is great (where the princesses from fairytales fall in love with the villains), and the Madison Kate series by Tate James.

[@mar-vc6fu]

your hair looks so good

[@Tornghostly]

Lights Out would’ve been a better choice for stalker that just my personal opinion

[@sarawithoutanH]

well if i had a time machine i'd go back and read it because this video is from february 2023 and that book came out in 2024

[@Salukiprincess]

I’m kind of shocked by how aligned our opinions were in this video, haha. I was so ready to defend Born, Darkly as a legitimately good book, but I didn’t have to. And I also couldn’t stand Tears of Tess for the exact reasons you stated. I decided not to read Haunting Adeline based on complaints about bad writing. I’m not really into romance in general (I only read dark romance for the dark eroticism and twisted relationship drama), but you clearly have great taste in writing, so I’m definitely going to check out your channel!

[@MoJordanReads]

🔪 Dark romance is not something I read often but that's mostly because I don't like any type of contemporary fiction. I know a lot of people are into Hooked by Emily McIntire, which I tried and thought it was ok - just not my thing. But then I found out that one of her other books in that series, Scarred, was a little bit historical so I decided to try it... and I actually LOVED IT. The MC is legit unhinged AF and he is 🔥🔥🔥 Needless to say, I highly recommend it.

[@sarawithoutanH]

Oooh interesting!!! That's good to know about that book

[@TheOtherSyd1994]

I literally made that argument with Zade for haunting!! You can’t show me this “perfect” guy and expect me to just accept how cruddy he is!

[@cassidygrover2032]

I dont really like dark romance but a dark romance book that i love is "still beating" by jennifer Hartmann. It is heartbreaking yet so beautiful. I cannot recommend it enough. It does deal with some heavy topics so id read the trigger warnings before diving in, but i think even when triggering topics were occuring, the author handled it in the best way she honestly could have.

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yes! I have read it and I loved it! I've also read Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann and I loved that too.

[@raven_watches]

I feel the same about the bad writing 😅 crazy story? Fine! Taboo romance? It's the fun shock value! Bad writing? How dare you get this published

[@Harley24986]

Exactly!

[@aromaladyellie]

Born Darkly is the only book I think should qualify as “dark romance” because they’re both toxic people on equal footing. IMO “dark romances” should not have a power imbalance. Once it has a power imbalance it shouldn’t qualify. I feel like most of the DR books should be a different category bc I think it’s dangerous to call abuse ‘romance’ :/

[@tessalexander4569]

my name is Tess and watching u review “Tears of Tess” is one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life😭😭😭😭

[@lissa3046]

I am just experiencing these books through reviewers because I hear these excerpts and I’m like “oh that’s just… abuse. Ok.”

[@LizzieSB]

Your police transitions are hilarious!

[@cur1ouscatf1sh]

So is the second book guy just called Q? Because in French, the letter Q is pronounced like the word for ass, and I just really want that to be his name

[@sarawithoutanH]

Hahah I can't remember if he had a full name to be honest

[@thebookwitch895]

I mean, if the shoe fits..............

[@symonehenderson]

I cannot express how many times a day I watch this video

[@xxDeeMmmVeexx]

I truly only enjoy these kinds of books for the LOLZ and to discover how depraved the authors truly are cause holy holy sometimes these books are so bad that they’re comical.

[@blackgem944]

I feel so dirty when ppl hate haunting Adaline bc i actually really like the book 😅😅

[@CODE0M3GA]

Read the cat and mouse duet recently, as well as satan's affair, SA was kinda weak but the cat and mouse duet was cool, it got me hooked into this kind of stuff

[@DaisyRosa652]

It’s books like Haunting Adeline that make me want someone to write a troll book against the booktok girlies.. like have zero direct description of the stalker MMC. Doing all the sexy dialogue and have the FMC super into it because she’s an author of the dark romance genre and thinks it’s poetic that she has a (presumably) hot, possessive stalker.. until the near the end where it reveals he’s actually an obese, balding, 5’7” gross man who is doing the stalking.. I feel like Aron Beauregard would be great at this feat tbh

[@Lazy_Gay_Man]

It depends on the execution. I am not good at romance otherwise I would write this.

[@lavenderteawitch]

Clicking off of this one only because I have Haunting Adeline in my tbr and I don’t want spoilers. But considering what you said about it in the opening, I'm already scared for my wellbeing. Edit: Alright I'm back. That book was a biiiig yikes....

[@yasmineguerin2852]

Side eyee

[@evelinarichter2710]

I love your narration style and you look gorgeous with the blue eyeliner, okay bye

[@NixLaLoupe]

🔪That song choice had me laughing so hard

[@eleonorarosato3766]

I have Tears of Tess on Kindle, I had no idea what it was about! (To be fair, when I downloaded it it was free so I probably didn't read the plot and if I did I must have forgotten it). Hunting Adeline instead I knew what it was about and decided to get it anyway, I still have to read it though cause I'm lowkey scared.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Omg the intro is SO TRUE 😂😂😂

[@PrathimmaM]

Zade is the perfect for dark triad- he is not a good guy. That’s what narcissists masochist and psychopath are - they can save the whole world but throw the person they love under the bus. If you can’t understand the character it’s a perfect picture of narcissist.

[@haleywilson520]

Oh god. You talking about the first book has made me realize that the novel concept I've been planning for years but have only read bits and pieces of would probably be classed as dark romance...I really don't want to be known for or pigeonholed into that sort of genre, and I've been wanting to push it in a more literary direction, so this is showing me that I definitely need to do some major revision of the plot before I actually sit down to seriously write the thing. Maybe I should just be careful to not write any sex scenes? Lol. I was going to put a tasteful one in somewhere, but I may not now.

[@sarawithoutanH]

Yeah I would probably just assess what the goal is - if you wanna lean lit fic, it might make sense not to go hard on sex. Also if it's dark/taboo, making sure you have your angle figured out. These books very much wanted to fall into that toxic vibe and didn't really serve a message or propose beyond being like ooh this is sexyyyy.

[@haleywilson520]

@@sarawithoutanH yeah that's not what I'm going for lol. I'm sort of going for Donna Tartt's asshole dropout cousin lol

[@xdevildeadlyx7650]

Thb Dark Romance will never be normal

[@Harley24986]

This is my biggest issue. As a writer myself, I want so much to enjoy the books that get recommended but half the time the writing is just so bad I can’t be bothered. It really sucks when I come across one with a fabulously thought out plot and idea but the translation to paper is painfully horrific lol

[@jewelbaby9310]

I love the outfit you wear during the Haunting Adeline review, sooo pretty!!

[@Anna2187_]

You should read historical romance next! Since you love Jane Austen and Veronica speedwell (taste 😌) I think it might work for you? Or that’s what I assume for myself at least

[@sarawithoutanH]

I should try more historical romance! I used to read a lot of regency romance but it's been a few years since I read one and idk why!!

[@hollib3900]

I read the title of this video and I screamed! This is hilarious!😂

[@roomofmirros]

lol I get you on your feelings abt Trisha Wolfe cause after reading Born darkly I was like wait am I insane for liking this book or what?? 😭 I just went into it on my trashy mafia romance marathon and couldn't believe I ACTUALLY found a good book and ended up reading other books from her as well!! She does what other "dark" romance authors WANT to do but fail at all the time. Instead of just slapping a mafia label on an alpha male with no personality and pairing him up with an innocent fmc he constantly abuses and calling it "dark", she actually writes dark chars that are very complex and interesting and EQUALLY unhinged (I love a messy romance between two messy ppl lol), very well developed suspense/mvrder mystery (which she's actually getting better at in her newer books) and also lots of very intriguing psychological stuff.

[@v1la_]

3:33 I live in colorado and whenever I go to other states I feel like an athlete because the elevation is so low

[@mannatvaid6767]

In my opinion, enjoying and endorsing books on such topics isn’t a question of ‘you like what you like’, it’s also important to look at the ethicality of even writing such content at all. If it’s not alright to normalize and casualizing sa or harassment by making dismissive jokes of it, then what makes depicting sa and abuse as something to be glorified or something to be romanticized/sought after alright? Depicting abuse and sa for plot or character development and even showing the effects of it all on the person on the recieving end’s mentality (eg: female lead starting to like being stalked) is fine but it’s important to also look at the nuance of it all - if its being glorified, or denounced, as the author’s writing should reflect that. I sort of hold it against these people for enjoying and writing such content ngl, as if there aren’t enough people dismissing these real issues, we dont need people romanticizing it too now😭

[@hi_there1239]

i thought i didn't like dark romance, then i watched the tv show hannibal. apparently i like whatever that had going on so... in all honesty though, i think it's the balance between the characters, like they have the capacity to be on equal footing, even if they're not in every single moment overall things even out so it feels more like dark romance rather than just abuse

[@ExLibris-Alys]

🔪🔪couldn’t agree more about Haunting Adeline 💩 Hunting Adeline is at least as bad, if not worse 🤢

[@Pook-xr6dy]

I’m sorry but dark romance is so disgusting. The glorification of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and abuse is insane. I understand wanting a criminal or a murderer or whatever but sexual assault is never attractive. Abuse is never attractive. It isn’t bdsm that’s literal rape.

[@RockeiraForEver14]

Full disclosure: sometimes I will read dark romances just to hate on the characters, laugh at their stupidity and cringe. (ngl though some are good)

[@RubiByron]

Somebody tells me to read this dark romance on tiktok I stay away