Do You Like Dark Romance? I Have Recommendations!

My dark romance thriller featuring a cop/serial killer couple will be available TOMORROW [10.4.24], but to tide you over until then, I've made a list of my favorite dark romances.

Warning: these are smut heavy and very dark with lots of triggers that would take too long to list. But I think that's exactly what you want 😈

[Also, I should note, these are all M/M.]

#1: One For Sorrow by Louise Collins

This book heavily influenced The Butterfly Killer and it was the one that sparked the idea. It would be wrong to not put it first!

Description:

The press nickname him “The Countdown Killer”, branding his victims with a number, but Chad knows him as Romeo. Captured by the killer he’s hunting, Chad’s situation seems dire, but Romeo doesn’t want to kill him because Chad doesn’t fit his pattern.

Instead, he’s keeping Chad for two months, hiding him away where no one will find him, making sure Chad can’t reveal who he is. Romeo is not going to hurt Chad; he’s going to let him go—but only once he’s claimed number one.

But in two months with only the killer for company, a bond begins to grow. They’re not detective and killer, but Chad and Romeo. It’s wrong, but in their messed-up situation, it feels right.

Still, Chad is a detective, and his duty is to the public, to keep them safe. And if that means betraying the man he’s learned to rely on, then so be it…

#2: Mine by Julie Mannino

I'm a sucker for prison romances so when it also features fantasy I couldn't resist picking it up. If you've read my book "Exterminate", then I think you will like this as well.

Description:

After a theft, Luke ends up in the city prison and faces serious consequences for his actions. The next few years of his life will be spent laboring in a lirek mine.

Jagger, a senior guard, splits his time between the mine and the prison. He knows how the cruel system works, and Luke needs someone to help him.

Protection has a cost, and Luke will have to be trained to serve and submit in the way Jagger prefers before they leave the prison for the mine. Jagger can be harsh, and he enjoys punishing, but Luke also finds himself being cared for and comforted.

Surely, Luke can survive the next five years even if Jagger pushes the boundaries a little.

#3: Take My Body by K.A. Merikan

This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors! K.A. Merikan (a writing duo) are masters of m/m dark romance. This book in particular I've reread at least four times!

Description:

Freaky Friday. But Gay.

Gunner.Big. Butch. Bully… Secretly submissive.

Caspian. Tiny. Weak. Nerd… A Dominant at heart.

Caspian might be rich and destined for a life of privilege, courtesy of loving parents, but he’s far from happy. Short, frail, and hung up on his physique, he’s never built up the confidence to be the dominant man from his dreams.

But when he clashes with his old high school bully - Gunner Russo, reality becomes stranger than either of them could imagine.

Gunner is Caspian’s polar opposite. Tall, muscular, tattooed, he oozes testosterone, and violence. Caspian hates him with all his heart, yet he couldn’t be more jealous, so when they swap bodies, it’s everything Caspian ever wanted.

Only that it isn’t.

Because Gunner is dirt-poor, unemployed, lives in a trailer with his toxic ex, and has drug dealers for friends.

Gunner on the other hand, wakes up in a body that is nothing like the hyper-masculine mask he’d perfected, and in that new form, he feels free to explore his submissive fantasies without consequences.

Only that the man whose body he now occupies isn’t about to let him sleep with just anyone. Caspian wants to experiment too, and if they both found themselves in this crazy situation, why not do that... with one another?

*

Dirty, dark, and delicious, “Take My Body” is a gritty M/M dark romance novel with magical elements and a happy ending. Prepare for violence, intense arguments, and scorching hot, emotional, explicit scenes.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

Themes: body swap, enemies to lovers, magical bond, revenge, poverty, body dysmorphia, past bully, masculinity, coming out, size difference, opposites attract

Length: ~130,000 words (Standalone novel)

WARNING: This story contains scenes of violence, offensive language and morally ambiguous characters as well as sensitive topics of child abuse, body dysmorphia, and bullying.

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[Disclosure: This page contains Amazon affiliate links. All opinions/recommendations/reviews are honest.]