The whole dark romances discourse is very weird because you see fans screaming about how much they love them and then, systematically, proceed to ignore any dark element in favour of a washed-up, hallmarked version of them.
And then, they accused others of being puritans or conservatives for, check notes, acknowledge those dark elements as essential to the story?
And it is not only annoying, but it is also detrimental to the complexity of these romances. Because love sometimes is violent, twisted and abusive. Sometimes someone hurts you because they love you. And sometimes you let them because you love them back. Love is not always and only a positive emotion. And that is true (in real life) especially in fiction, where these kinds of relationships are harmless.
This goes for the whole 'Calm down! My fav is a war criminal, but this is fiction.' Proceed to write thousands and thousands of words on why the villain is not the real villain (the real villain is usually a good person whose only crime is to exist on the show) and attack everyone who doesn't agree with their fanon interpretation.
"Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a lethal dose of arsenic to kill you?
Thirty-five hours, twenty-nine minutes, and fifteen seconds.
I should know. I counted myself."
Amidst the gaslit alleys and cobblestone streets of Victorian London, two killers find themselves entangled in a waltz they cannot escape.
Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has a pastime of killing unsavory men in her twisted sense of poetic justice. When she targets the conceited playboy, Silas Forbes, only to find him in her apothecary the following week, she discovers human men are the least of her problems.
The pair’s unlikely association sparks gossip among affluent society. As their mysterious bond deepens, a chilling truth emerges—concealed identities, lurking foes, and questions as plentiful as the hydra’s head brew within this haunting Gothic tale of violent passion.
Will Silas and Alina find themselves in each other's arms, or will the shadows of their past keep them apart?
Review:
He was a vampire, she was a poisoner, can I make it any more obvious? He drinks blood, she did botany what more can I say? If you love dark gothic romances with a touch of edwardian and really morally grey characters, this book is for you... and let me tell you this book was for me. Alina is a a botanist who creates poisons to get rid of abusive men.... and then there is the deranged vampire who becomes obsessed with her, Silas. Silas is unhinged and I can't wait to see how he grows in the next book. These characters are not for everyone and honestly this book itself has a ton of trigger warnings which I highly recommend you check before going into. I had a absolute blast with this one though, this book was such a fun gothic delight and gave me the feeling of watching Penny Dreadful/ Salem, I love gothic dark romances with supernatural creatures and powerful women. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I am absolutely desperate for book 2!! This was a delight of a debut novel and i adored this vampire story so much. I dont want to spoil it or get into too many details, but if you love gothic romances and unhinged characters, this is for you!!!!!
I don't understand people who try Dark Romance, knowing full well that it's not going to be their thing, but still do it for the sole purpose of releasing videos / reviews to review the books in question in order to shout about what this is problematic, dangerous, and we really shouldn't read this ! But actually stop people. Honestly, when I see people saying that people who like Dark Romance do horrible things in real life, or are capable of doing so because there's a reason why they like that kind of thing... That's it's the thing really twisted and toxic. Personally, Dark Romances are rarely my thing, in the way they are written. But I still try it because I've always liked toxic fictional relationships. But boxes need to be ticked. In particular perhaps a change of era, a supernatural aspect, or a gothic atmosphere. Maybe even all of its elements at once. Personally my favorite dark romance of all time is Vila Emilia, 5 volumes, and it's a French series, so much the better for me.
I wish I had more time to write. I have so many fic ideas that live in folders that I am afraid will never see the light. After I finish my Big Bang fic I still have to finish To B With Love & All The Kings Men (oof poor baby has gone so neglected). So this brain bunny will sadly probably not see life until next years big bang honestly. But I love the idea so much and want to share it. All my love to @dream-about-dancing who helped me with my initial brainstorming and encouraged me that this wasn't too dark of an idea lol.
That said. Warnings ahead for some dark!romance as in, this is fucked up with purpose.
The idea came to me after the massive disappointment that was Don't Worry Darling. I just feel like the film missed a lot of the horror and emotional beats that make the original Stepford Wives so twisted and compelling.
So my idea for a Harringrove Stepford!Wives Au was born.
A secret government organization has given Martin Brenner funding for "The Eden project". The goal of Eden is to create an actionable community model that would end poverty, wealth inequality, crime, war etc in the western world. Their slogan is " take the first step to world peace. Choose Eden."
World peace is the surface goal, but we all know Brenner is a closeted sociopath - so naturally he's using Eden and the technology behind it to create a weapon that can control/erase/change the will of others on a mass scale. World peace through mind control in other words. Everyone in Eden is essentially a test subject.
Brenner finds volunteers by preying on fringe groups and people who are ostracized in society, because they can more easily disappear without being missed. Nobody cares if the guy dealing drugs out of his van stops showing up to the corner, or some "tranny" quits their job and moves without telling anyone.
Billy and Steve are college roommates, it's the 80s, and they're both deep in the closet. Billy struggles with his childhood trauma and Steve is there for him like no one else ever has been. Steve is exploring his own sexuality and trying to live independently of his overbearing parents for the first time and they form a very codependent relationship.
Steve's parents start to suspect somethings up with him and his roommate and start to put pressure on him to live up to his responsibilities (Aka join his father's firm and get married to a nice girl). It doesn't help that Billy is fearful and possessive of their relationship and generally just a giant redflag. Steve just wants to be with Billy, but he knows they don't have a future and he doesn't want to be the son who fucks up and ruins his family over something he shouldn't even want - so he breaks up with Billy.
Billy spirals. He completely ignores the part about Steve breaking up with him because he's an unstable mess lol and fixates on Steve's parents and the world telling them it's wrong to be together. He knows Steve was happy with him and that Steve loves him and is desperate to get him back.
He meets someone at a bar who introduces him to Project Eden and indoctrinates him into Brenner's circle. At first Billy thinks this sounds like some weird geek novel bullshit, but the idea of a safe world where he's not wrong for being the way that he is, and where Steve still loves him and he's powerful and successful and nothing can touch him? Appealing as fuck. Sign him up. He'll be a warrior for world peace.
Cue him literally abducting Steve on his wedding day and bringing him into Eden, where they become The Hargroves. They have the perfect life and the perfect marriage that the outside world tells them they can't have. Billy's the provider and each day he gets to come home to his blissfully happy and submissive husband.
He was afraid at first that Brenner's technology would take away what he loves most about Steve, but no he's still the same dork with the same fire. The only downside is Billy knows deep down that Steve didn't choose this and he lives in fear of Steve waking up one day and truly hating him.
The first crack comes when Steve starts to have upsetting dreams about the past, including the time his dad called him a slur and accused him of ruining the family and breaking his mother's heart. Billy tells him these are just nightmares but he knows they are really Steve's memories popping up where they shouldn't. He starts to panic and does everything he can to "fix" Steve, gaslighting him the entire way.
Meanwhile poor Steve is on a reluctant heroes journey slowly regaining his memories and his own mind. He starts unraveling the mysteries behind Eden with the help of Eleven and his friends, who are also fellow residents of Eden. Eleven is Brenner's "daughter" and unknowingly is a big part of how the technology works. Max and Lucas came to Eden together so they could be together without persecution. Heather and Robin were lesbians who didn't know each other and wanted a chance to experience being in love. Jason was a closeted man escaping religious trauma, but in Eden he's the perfect husband to Chrissy who isn't sick or being abused by her mother anymore, and Eddie was a poor social outcast who wanted the world to hear his music. In Eden he's a rock star and has a budding romance with Jason & Chrissy.
Steve agrees that they can't allow Brenner to use El and the Eden technology for what he's planning, but the more of the truth he discovers the more he wishes he'd never woken up. Because despite everything, he loves Billy and the life they have. Billy's very sorry of course. It was never his intention to hurt Steve. He just wanted to make things right for them. And it can all be right again if they all just take this little pill and go to sleep.
I will never be a good book critic. I, for the life of me, can't leave a review lower than 3* and don't leave anything if I can't finish it. I've been binging Dark Romances because why not. I go through phases of genre and for some reason Dark Romances intrigue me. So,anyways, I have been leaving 5* reviews on most things and I see 1* reviews about the depth of the story. Ma'am, I'm here for the smut. The story is appreciated but not really the main focus here.
Hey, lovelies! I swear that I am still alive! Been just taking some time out to read a bit through my tbr and getting inspired! (Don't be surprised if I share what I'm currently reading 😂) Also been working on a fun little collab with @everydaydreamer, which cannot express the excitement of sharing! Anyways, I hope to be back into full swing again here soon! Maybe with something yummy for the first day of spring! Anyways, thanks again for sticking around and still supporting me! ❤️
