I love dark romance books as much as the next gal. But I’m not going to deny that most DR stories are rather…trope-y. Not in a bad way! It’s just a matter of fact. The average dark romance checklist is going to include:
- Some sort of criminal underworld
- A man with a shady and violent past
- Swear words galore
- A Gothic setting
- Every slang for genitalia under the sun
…as well as some more unsetting cliches:
- An extensive trigger warning list
- Noncon or CNC
- Graphic murder and/or torture scenes
- Mentions of child abuse
Instead of taking a deep look into our souls and asking ourselves “Why do we read dark romance vs plain romance?“, let’s have some fun with it. I’ve turned your stereotypical dark romance checklist of themes, tropes, and cliches into a fun bingo card for book club:
Feel free to print it off, enjoy it, and even make suggestions for tile elements in the comments.
This is just for fun. Try using it as a bookmark and chuckling along as you fill it out for your next dark romance read. Or, have a race with the girls group chat and each read a different book to see who can get a BINGO the fastest. (Fastest as in “fewest pages/chapters,” to keep things fair and fun.)
Why did I make this? It started as an inside joke about my own What to Expect in EVERY Dark Romance Checklist. I kept notes on my phone just for fun. But jokes are way better with friends, so I’m sharing it with my readers.
What would you add to the bongo card? Let me know in the comments. OR link out to your own versions!
Want some more serious reads? I recommend:
- Best book recommendations that are similar to Haunting Adeline
- LGBTQ+ dark romance books that you have to check out ASAP