This post is all about 23 dark romance books that you need to add to your dark romance books list for hot summer reading!

 

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Strap yourselves in and hang on! Welcome to Booked and Bewitched, the land of all things horror and mystery. This week we are jumping head-first into the worlds of dark romance, obsessed/possessive heroes, alpha holes, dark themes, mature audience material, and trigger-warning romances.

And given this is me, and my lists, naturally most if not all of these have some form of creep factor to them. I assume that’s why you’re here right? My love of the dark and twisty mixed with our most beloved genres.

So let’s get on with the show and jump in to these hot and heavy dark romance reads. If you needs a few more options, go check out- 21 Best Science Fiction Romance Books That Are Out Of This World

Hottest Dark Romance Books

1. Titillating enemies to lovers books dark romance

by Claire Contreras (Author)

My reputation at Fairview University preceded me. I was the projected number-one pick in the NHL draft and the fan favorite at the rink. People wanted to be me or be with me.

Except for Lyla James Marichal. She didn’t look at me like I was her next meal. She eyed me with disdain. Instead of vying for my attention, she ignored me and pushed me away. She was completely unattainable, and I became obsessed with her.

When I finally got her, it felt like I was on top of the world. I was going to help the team win another championship, going into the draft, and had Lyla by my side. And then, without warning, she left me.

Vanished.

It took me three bitter, angry, long years to find her, but I did, and now she owes me a lot more than just an explanation. Three years ago, she ruined my life. Now, I was going to become her worst nightmare.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- If you love dark romance, enemies to lovers, or alpha holes, Until I Get You needs to be on your nightstand. Besides who doesn’t love a good revenge-driven Alpha male?

2. Amorous dark gothic romance books

by Audrey Rush (Author)

She embodied perfection.
Innocent. Sheltered. Untouched.
Even as she stared out from her protective cage, my little flower secretly begged to be conquered.

But the only way to truly conquer an object that is sacred is to ruin every part of it.

So I ripped her from her stem. Plucked off every petal.
Destroyed her home and plunged her deep into mine.

And when her mother begged for her daughter back,
I took her daughter’s innocence instead.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So, if you love a dark romance with dark stalker romance, and gothic romance vibes Dead Love is a must-read for you. I haven’t gotten to read this one yet, but it gives Hades vibes for sure.

 

3. Risqué dark romance books mafia

by Caroline Peckham (Author), Susanne Valenti (Author) 

I was there to murder her father, but then I saw her walking down the aisle. She’s been my secret obsession for too long. The sinfully beautiful Calabresi princess. Sloan was the perfect payment for their crimes.

Now she’s mine, to claim, to possess, to destroy.

Her fiancé is still hunting for us, but his bride might not be so innocent by the time he tracks her down. I’m lining her family up like dominoes. And she’ll be the first to fall. Unless I fall prey to temptation and decide to keep her for myself.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- Show of hands if you can’t resist a dark mafia romance. Same, needless to say, Beautiful Carnage is at the top of my ever-growing dark romance book reading list.

 

4. X-rated extremely dark romance books

by Caroline Peckham (Author), Susanne Valenti (Author) 

I’m a broken toy.

A daughter of destruction born of violent acts and brutal designs.

Nobody ever wanted me. Until they did. Niall, Mateo, Jack.

The serial killer who bought me, the tortured man he keeps locked in his basement, and the wicked sinner I abandoned when I ran from my past.

They’re the kind of men with blood on their hands and the seven sins tainting their souls.

But my heart is as black as theirs, and I’m tempted by the dark in them.

I keep taking their punishments and relishing the pain, and a part of me isn’t even sure I want to escape.

Because in this house of heathens, I might have found a place for my inner demons to thrive.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- Needless to say, the concept of this taboo dark romance definitely piqued my interest. If you like reverse harem romance, forbidden romance or multiple partners The Death Club will satisfy all your needs.

 

5. Erotic dark forbidden romance books

by Charity Ferrell (Author)

The first time I met Weston, he was my psychologist.

I never planned to see him again.

We lived in two different worlds.

He was responsible. I was reckless.

He was the good guy. They’d labeled me as out of control.

He was harmonious on a warm beach day. I was the hurricane that erupted through.

But one night, I called him to rescue me.

And he did more than that.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So if you need more forbidden dark romance, Pretty and Reckless will give you that and then some. Full of steamy romance, this one is full of all our favorite trigger warnings and mature audience goodies.

6. Lascivious reverse harem dark romance books

by Penelope Douglas (Author)

Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue…

Tiernan de Haas doesn’t care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she’s grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance.

Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents’ fame followed her everywhere. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?

Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore.

As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.

And as a part of them. She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching. One of them has her. The other one wants her. But he…He’s going to keep her.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- This one is for all the stand-alone dark romance, reverse harem readers out there that also like things that blur the lines. Credence will hit top marks across the board for you, without a doubt.

7. Smutty top books to read dark romance

by Callie Rose (Author) 

Maddoc, Dante, and Logan. The Reapers.

They’re the type of men mothers warn their daughters about, and the last thing I should be doing is marching into their territory and proposing a deal.

But I don’t have any other options.

My sister has been sold to the notorious West Point gang to cover a debt my father owes, and I’ll do anything to get her back… even if it means offering myself up to the Reapers, West Point’s enemies.

It should be simple. Live under their roof, under their control, until they find a way to free my sister.

But in this dangerous new world I find myself part of, nothing is ever simple. And with every rough touch, every searing look, something inside me starts to unravel. I start to crave their darkness instead of fearing it.

I’m playing with fire, dancing too close to the flames…

And when secrets and lies light the match, we’re all going to burn.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- If you’ve been looking for a dark romance series that brings enemies to lovers, college romance and adult romance to the table. Pretty Dark Vows needs to be on your TBR list for sure.

8. Bawdy dark stalker romance books

by Eva Ashwood (Author) 

My whole life, no one has had my back. My parents are dead, my adoptive mother is a drug addict, and the mean girls on campus mock me for my scars.

So when I end up desperate for money and out of options, I agree to sell the one thing I have left: my innocence.

On the night I’m meant to give my body to a brutal Russian mobster, three men storm into the room like dark shadows and kill him before he can claim me. When they drag me from the blood-soaked bed, I’m certain they’re going to kill me too.

They don’t… but they don’t forget about me, either.

These three dangerous brothers will do anything to make sure I keep my mouth shut about what I saw, even if it means stalking my every movement. I’m a loose thread to them—but somehow, I’m becoming more than that too.

I’m becoming an obsession.

A temptation.

A craving.

And no matter how much I try to deny the terrifying attraction that pulses between us, I know if I don’t find a way out of this tangled web soon…

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- This dark stalker romance will most definitely get your heart rate and libido up and running. Twisted Game is a dark romance series you must read if you love anti-heroes and extreme heat.

 

9. Explosive enemies-to-lovers adult fantasy romance

by Nisha J Tuli (Author)

It’s the day of the Hunt, and I’ve always known it would decide my future. The man who brings the largest stag to the feet of my father will win my hand in marriage.

My oldest friend and the greatest hunter in Aetherus is favored to win, and we’ve planned our entire lives together.

That is, until the Reaper, the monster who haunts the trees, arrives with the largest stag in the forest and claims me as his own.

Booked & Bewitched Babbles- If you need more enemies-to-lovers romance on your shelves full of trigger warnings and dark themes, Wicked Is The Reaper is a perfect choice. Needless to say, this one is an 18+ read.

 

10. Soft-core smutty dark romance books

by Katee Robert (Author) 

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth…a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- Hands down one of my favorite books of 2022. Neon Gods is top notch retelling dark romance mixed with intense burn and a whole host of other goodies.

11. Carnal dark romance books standalone

by Cassie Alexander (Author) 

New Oldbury, 1821

Bend Her: A Dark Beauty and the Beast Fantasy Romance is the story of Rhaim the All-Beast, a cruel beast mage doomed to die at the hands of the woman he must protect at all costs, and Lisane, the sheltered Princess of Tears, who has been given into his care and who needs him to teach her magic so she can be free—no matter how much it might hurt her.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you have been searching for a good retelling dark romance, Bend Her won’t leave you disappointed.

12. Hot best dark bully romance books

by Caroline Peckham (Author), Susanne Valenti (Author) 

Fox, JJ, Chase and Maverick. The four names tattooed onto my heart more permanently than the ink on my skin.

Once upon a time, they broke my heart, stole my life and sent me away from everything I’d ever known.

But they don’t just live in this town anymore, they rule it. And the view here may be beautiful, but the sun, sea and sand hide dark secrets.

The gangs, lies, and violence.

It all lurks beneath a veil so thin that once you’ve seen through it, you can never close your eyes to the truth again. But I don’t plan on closing my eyes.

I have four devils set in my sights. And this dead girl no longer has anything to lose.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- Well, needless to say, this enemies-to-lovers dark romance series brought all my weekend chores to a grinding halt. Who doesn’t love a set of possessive alpha holes anyways?

13. Sensual taboo dark romance books

by L.J. Shen (Author) 

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So I haven’t had the pleasure of reading this one yet. But, Beautiful Graves with all its angst-ridden dark romance has found its way onto my shelves for sure.

 

14. Steamy kindle unlimited books best dark romance

by Keri Lake (Author)

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority. He aches for redemption.

Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So this is the next book on my TBR and I cannot wait to dive into this standalone dark gothic romance. Nocticadia hits all my favorite tropes and I’ve no doubt will keep me up all night.

 

15. Spicy dark and twisted romance books

by Gina L. Maxwell (Author) 

For Bryn Meara, a free trip to the exclusive and ultra-luxe Nightfall Hotel and Casino in Vegas should’ve been the perfect way to escape the debris of her crumbling career. But waking up from a martini-and-lust-fueled night to find herself married to Caiden Verran, the reclusive billionaire who owns the hotel and most of the city, isn’t the jackpot one would think. It seems her dark and sexy new husband is actual royalty—the fae king of the Night Court—and there’s an entire world beneath the veil of Vegas.

Whether light or shadow, the fae are a far cry from fairy tales, and now they’ve made Bryn a pawn in their dark games for power. And Caiden is the most dangerous of all—an intoxicating cocktail of sin and raw, insatiable hunger. She should run. But every night of passion pulls Bryn deeper into his strange and sinister world until she’s no longer certain she wants to leave…even if she could.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- No lie, I read this in four hours. The Dark King is for everyone who enjoyed 50 Shades of Grey, or Neon Gods. Needless to say, if you love dark romance full of delayed pleasure this is a great option.

 

16. Dirty dark romance mystery books

by Margot Scott (Author)

Mason Black was everything to me: my father, my provider, my protector. But then one day, he vanished, leaving me lost and alone.

I was devastated.

Years later, just when I thought I had put the pieces of my life together, my world splintered apart again. Everything I thought I knew about my biological father and Mason’s role in my life? Turns out, it was all a lie. Every. Last. Word.

Now Mason’s back.

However, he offers no excuses, no explanations. He just wants me to be what he claims I’ve always been: his little girl. But the ache inside me won’t be denied. The longing I feel isn’t one of a little girl who misses her father.

No. I need Mason to be more than just a father figure. More than a loving protector. I need him to be my Daddy.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- We don’t kink shame here, so if daddy figure dark romance isn’t your flavor just keep scrolling. However, if you’re like me, and will give anything a one-time chance even taboo romance, Pretty, Dark, and Dirty might just be your next favorite read.

17. Naughty dark romance books spicy

by Ana Huang (Author)

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy. It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He’ll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: now that he has her…he can’t bring himself to let her go.

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty. Craving his touch was never part of the plan. Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- I love a good forced proximity romance, throw in a dark romance with a hot cranky billionaire, and King Of Wrath delivers.

 

18. Sexy dark romance books kindle unlimited

by Kathy Lockheart (Author) 

I could not let anyone find out what happened, or the life I’d finally built would come crashing down, and I’d never be the same. All I had to do was hide the bruises for a few more days…

Totally doable.

Until an MMA fighter with a heart as fierce as his punches uncovers my secret. I try to deny it, but he sees right through my lies.

And pierces my heart. But Damian can’t vow his protection like this—it puts us both in danger…

Can we survive to get our happily ever after?

from FATAL CURE:

She’ll stop at nothing to destroy her dangerous enemy. He’ll stop at nothing to save her.

Other girls dream of a prince charming, but I dream of vengeance against the man who decimated my family. I dream of the ways I’ll make him suffer, and, so help me, my soul will not rest until I annihilate him.

I’ve waited my whole life for this moment, and now I’m on the cusp of hunting him down and making him pay.

The last thing I have time for is falling in love with a handsome stranger whose life I saved from a chamber of flames, but he ignites something new in me—happiness.

And dare I say, love.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So if you love a two-for-one, The Lies We Tell will give you all the forbidden love, and sexual tension you can handle.

19. Hardcore dark romance books to buy

by P Mulholland (Author) 

Hell, it’s not like I can hide it. The red line runs from an inch under my left eye down my cheek to the corner of my mouth. It’s a reminder of where I’ve been, how far I’ve come, and who I killed to get here.

My mom is marrying Robert Huntsman—rich, elitist, and handsome, if you close one eye. And soon I’ll have two arrogant, attractive stepbrothers to avoid-Royce and Dalzell, and their sullen, mysterious cousin, Layne. Jock kings of Addington University. Perfect sons. Handsome devils who can do no wrong. That’s what my mom says anyway.

The plan was to come for the ceremony and fly back home the following day. But that’s before I stumbled across something sinister in the forest on the morning of the happiest day of my mom’s life.

I saw what those boys did. And now that I’m a witness to their crime, they won’t let me leave.

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you love a dark romance series with reverse harem romance, enemies to lovers, hot as Hades sex scenes, and all-around wicked behavior. The Huntsmen-Scorn needs to be on your radar.

 

20. Seductive best romance books to read 

by K.J. Jackson (Author) 

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- I happened upon this one and I love a good fated-mates dark romance, and The Way You Break seems to hit it out of the park. So here’s to another dark romance series full of morally-grey peeps in a fantasy setting!

 

21. Passionate new adult romance books

by Sara Thorn (Author) 

Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you love an angsty vampire dark romance, Craved needs to be on your TBR list.

This post was all about 23 sexiest full-length, new adult romance, dark themes, damaged anti-heroes, high heat, smutty dark romance books, adult dark romance books, new adult dark romance books, dark and twisted romance books, and dark romance books on amazon to add to your TBR right now. Seriously, what doing? Go! Read something!

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