Dark romance is a subgenre of romance characterized by ‘dark’ and ‘mature’ content, with common tropes including morally grey anti-heroes, mafia, motorcycle gangs, stalking, arranged marriages, and kidnapping. Dark romance also includes darker erotic content including BDSM, kink, and ‘taboo’ sexual desires. As a result, the sexual relationships between characters range from fully consensual to non-consensual or rape. This article explores how dark romance readers engage with the romantic and sexual dynamics between main characters through an analysis of two popular stalker dark romances – Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton and Lights Out by Navessa Allen – and their corresponding Goodreads reviews. I explore how readers evaluate a reading experience and content as pleasurable, focusing reader responses to the physical features and personalities of the masculine main characters while chronicling their journeys exploring sexual desires and dynamics alongside the feminine main characters.
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As the romance genre continues to be critiqued for its adherence to patriarchy, perpetuating misogyny, and rearing yet another generation of anti-feminists, there seems to be a hesitancy to include themes of rape in contemporary romance for fear of glorifying sexual violence. I contend that dark romance affords an opportunity to engage with themes that the genre is leery to acknowledge but are deeply engrained in its history. Dark romance is a shadowy corner of the romance genre where themes of rape and consent are highly prevalent, and the success of dark romance has proven that there are many readers who want to dance in the dark. The sexual dynamics between the characters in Haunting Adeline and Lights Out enable the FMCs to assert their desires, which are eagerly fulfilled by the MMCs.
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The popularity of stalker romances like Haunting Adeline and Lights Out and their engagement with dub-con begs the following question: how do readers reconcile their enjoyment of novels featuring violent men and dub-con? Many readers admitted to ‘forgetting feminism’, temporarily disavowing their feminist sensibilities to enjoy dark romance.
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While many readers were discouraged from associating their pleasurable reading experiences with feminism, I counter that dark romance books and their readership are engaging in truly feminist practices. As sexual violence continues to occur, spaces are still needed to discuss its prevalence. Further, spaces are needed to work through complicated desires around gender, control, and consent. Further, dark romance challenges the contemporary romance characterizations of the ‘assertive and sexually liberated woman’ by offering representations of sexual empowerment through submissive, yet empowering, power dynamics.
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