Welcome to romance’s darkest and wild side, where flawed antiheroes and morally complex relationships create some of literature’s most compulsive reading.

Not for the faint of heart, dark romance blurs the lines between devotion, sexual desires and danger. As a genre, it offers aplenty of violence, intrigue, lust and a healthy dosage of sex play and just plain old lovemaking—enough to get you flushed, fantasising and squeezing your thighs. These books oftentimes feature morally questionable behaviour and possessive tendencies that would be red flags in real relationships, but in fiction, it’s a go. However, for readers who enjoy exploring the darker side of desire and the complexity of flawed characters, this subgenre offers some of the most emotionally intense and addictive reading experiences in romance.

So, for those who’d like to dip their toes in the world of dark romance, take a look at our curated guide of some of the best books to read, from the tamest to the most unhinged. 

Note: Do check trigger warnings before reading.

The best dark romance books to read, from the tamest to the most unhinged: 

The Maddest Obsession

Danielle Lori

A great appetiser for your initiation to dark romance—one of the tamest ones out there(we think)—The Maddest Obsession follows Christian Allister, the cold and calculating consigliere to the mafia family and Gianna, the daughter of a powerful mob boss. After seeing the back of Gianna’s hair at her wedding, the dirty FBI agent develops a contentious relationship built on verbal sparring and mutual antagonism with her, though Christian becomes increasingly obsessed with the chaotic woman who represents everything he never planned for in his ordered life. She’s chaos embodied, not his type, and married, but none of that can stop his eyes from following her wherever she goes.

Still Beating

Jennifer Hartmann

For those who’d want a little depth in their stories, Still Beating is a hauntingly beautiful story about Cora and Dean, longtime enemies with a fifteen-year history of antagonism, who find themselves kidnapped and chained together in a basement after a party goes wrong. What begins as a survival story between two people who hate each other transforms into something far more complex when their captor reveals he has deliberate plans for the pair. Forced to depend on each other to escape, Cora and Dean must navigate not only their physical captivity but also the psychological manipulation designed to break down the barriers between them, ultimately blurring the line between their hatred and an emerging dangerous attraction. The story explores themes of forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers dynamics, and Stockholm syndrome-like elements as their relationship evolves under extreme duress.

The Predator 

Runyx

“I want you out of my system” is the heated, carnal atmosphere this dark romance vibrates—and if that doesn’t thrill you, then we still suggest you stick around. Peppered with spicy, I-want-to-but-I-don’t scenes, this enemies-to-lovers has all the drama and spice you’d need to keep you entertained. Combined with the lure of a deranged man in the high circle of the Tenebrae Outfit, there’s nothing you wouldn’t love about this book. When a twenty-year-old mystery resurfaces, Morana infiltrates Caine’s home to kill him, unaware that they share a deeper connection that binds them together beyond their family rivalry. Their encounter ignites an explosive mix of hatred, sexual tension and shared history that creates unexpected chemistry between these two equally dangerous individuals. However, as their personal animosity and attraction intensify, a larger threat emerges in their criminal underworld that forces them to overcome their enmity and work together, as they’re the only ones capable of confronting this greater evil. 

The Mindf*ck Series 

S.T. Abby

If you’d like something quick, The Mindf*ck series by S.T. Abby is your best bet. The five-book novella follows Lana Myers (formerly Victoria Evans), a vigilante seeking revenge after a traumatic event left her presumed dead, and Logan Bennett, a law enforcement officer who unknowingly falls for the very killer he might be professionally obligated to stop. The series explores the psychological complexity of their relationship as it develops against the backdrop of Lana’s mission, creating a morally ambiguous cat-and-mouse dynamic that blurs the lines between justice and revenge, love and obsession. 

Sinners Anonymous

Somme Sketcher

This book follows Rory Carter, a woman with a dark past who calls a “Sinners Anonymous” hotline weekly to confess her misdeeds and is engaged to marry an elderly Cosa Nostra boss to save her father. Her carefully maintained facade begins to crumble when Angelo “Vicious” Visconti, her fiancé’s nephew, unexpectedly appears at dinner—a dangerous former Made Man who supposedly went straight nine years ago but whom Rory considers the most threatening Visconti of all. Angelo knows all of Rory’s sins and secrets, creating an intense power dynamic between them as she finds herself both terrified and attracted to the beautiful, sharp-tongued man whose own dark past may be even more twisted than hers. This dark mafia romance explores forbidden love with an age gap and enemies-to-lovers tension as two morally compromised people are drawn together despite the dangerous consequences.

Be With Me 

Gabrielle Sands

Picture black leather against delicate wrists—if that doesn’t make you squirm, then stick around for this Italian mafia dark romance. Hitting just the right amount of spice with banter and angst, Be With Me follows the mayor-to-be’s perfect daughter as she gets tangled up with Romolo Ferraro, the dangerous, tattooed, merciless son of the man her father has sworn to destroy. Not as unhinged as the other books in the list, this is the perfect book to start your dark romance era. 

God of Wrath

Rina Kent

From primal kink to dubcon, and an enemies-to-lovers angst, God of Wrath is a dark college romance book following Jeremy Volkov, a dangerous mafia prince and his innocent prey, Cecily Knight. After getting entangled with Cecily at a “hunting” party, Jeremy is driven by an obsessive need to possess, own, and keep her in his violent, blood-soaked mafia world, even though she’s determined to keep him out of her life. But, as their separate world collides and their darkest desires weave together, the lines between hate and love start to blur, and their sexcapades become more intense than ever. 

Butcher and Blackbird

Brynne Weaver

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is the first book in the Ruinous Love trilogy, featuring a darkly comedic romance between two rival serial killers, Sloane and Rowan, who discover an unexpected friendship when they realize they’re kindred spirits with “pitch-black souls.” Their relationship begins as a twisted game where these two hunters compete in an annual contest of violence, traveling across the country from small-town West Virginia to upscale California, downtown Boston to rural Texas, as they target what they consider the most dangerous monsters in society. As their deadly competition evolves, their friendship deepens into something romantic, creating a unique bond between two people who understand each other’s dark nature. However, their past victims’ “restless ghosts” begin catching up to them, threatening not only their newfound love but their lives, forcing them to question whether they can escape the cycle of violence they’ve created or if they’ve finally encountered opponents who match their lethal skills.

Beautiful Venom

Rina Kent

With lines such as “If you’re dying for another taste, all you have to do is drop to your knees”—there’s nothing you wouldn’t love about this unhinged, dark romance. With praise and degradation, exhibitionism, primal play and consensual non-con/dub-con, Beautiful Venom sees Dahlia Thorne seeking revenge against those who destroyed her life, and her only lead? It’s the Vipers, an elite college hockey team. To infiltrate their secret society, she targets Kane Davenport, the team’s hot, charismatic captain. However, she soon realises that Kane is not the weak link she anticipated but the most dangerous predator of them all. From forbidden attraction to risque scenes and an obsessed man, you’ll devour this in one sitting.

Lights Out 

Navessa Allen

Splattered with knife play, a masked man and exploring the darkest of desires, Lights Out is a fast-paced, morally complex romance that’s brimming with humorous dialogue. The book follows a trauma nurse, Aly, who escapes her demanding job by fantasising about masked men online, particularly her favourite tattooed content creator. When a drunken text turns her fantasies into reality, she connects with Josh, the mysterious man behind the mask who posts anonymous thirst traps for millions of followers. As they explore their darkest desires together, Aly unknowingly attracts someone with dangerous intentions, forcing Josh to transform from predator to protector. 

Insatiable

Leigh Rivers

Dotted with the darkest pits of hell, Insatiable has numerous kinks that will entice a few people. From breath play to hand necklaces and exhibitionism, the book follows a dark romance between Kade Mitchell and Stacey Rhodes, described as “a snake in an angel’s skin”, who shattered his heart and drove him into the darkness of the criminal underworld. He has watched her for years and killed anyone who came close to her, but when granted a brief moment of freedom from his trapped life, he returns home determined to claim her again, breaking every rule he’s made for himself. The story explores themes of toxic obsession, second chances, enemies to lovers, dark secrets, and forced proximity. 

Haunting Adeline

H.D. Carlton

This is where thing gets extremely dark and spicy, and it’s not for the faint of heart. With intense possessive and toxic behavour, praise and degradation, gun play and more, this is a dark romance thriller that follows Adeline Reilly, a young, bold author who inherits her grandmother’s eerie estate, Parsons Manor and becomes entangled with Zade Meadows, who runs Z—a secret company that hacks and takes down corrupt rich people and human trafficking rings. The central tension comes from Zade’s role as both a charismatic anti-trafficking vigilante and Adeline’s mysterious stalker, creating a twisted “cat-and-mouse” dynamic that blurs the lines between protection and obsession.

The Ritual 

Shantel Tessier

If you’d like role-playing, breath play, dom-sub and exhibitionism in your books, then stick around for this—it’ll be a wild journey. Set at Barrington University, home to the Lords—a secret society of powerful men who exchange blood and violence for ultimate power and control—the story follows a wealthy young woman whose entire life has been predetermined until Ryat Alexander Archer, a member of the Lords, offers her what appears to be freedom by choosing her as his “chosen one” during his senior year. Initially believing she’s gaining autonomy, the protagonist soon discovers this is just another form of manipulation by the Lords, who use psychological tactics to control their chosen ones. As she’s drawn deeper into their dark, twisted world and paraded around as Ryat’s trophy, what begins as a dangerous game escalates into a deadly fight for survival where the only escape seems to be death.