Top 5 Dark Heroes

Top 5 Dark Heroes

When I wrote Flirting with Chaos, I wanted a dark hero. He needed to be broken and tortured, good more than bad, but definitely bad too. I needed to give the reader this hopeless hero and see if I could convince the reader that he was deserving of the heroine's love.

Creating this guy takes balls. Big ones. I'm sad to say that at the beginning of writing the novel, I didn't have huge testicles. They were just little tiny ones that barely hung low at all and. . .ok that's weird. . .anyway. . .

I read lots of books with dark heroes in an attempt to research ones that were successful in the literary world. Here's my top dark heroes that helped me develop Jude.

Mr. Rochester 

brooding and mysterious. . .rich yet utterly poor in happiness!

Jericho Barrons

The asshole we love to hate! 

Oh God! Yummy!

Travis Maddox

Boxing bad boy that doesn't 

know how to love, but is willing to learn. . .

after messing up a whole lot.

Gideon Cross

HOT!

Did I say Hot?

What is his bad quality?

. . . he may be a dick.

But he's a hot one!! 

Sometimes that counts.

Caleb

Okay. 

So yes, he's a human trafficker of young girls.

Yikes!

But if you had to get kidnapped. . .

I'm just saying.

If you had to get kidnapped, I guess it wouldn't be bad if it was Caleb.

Not buying it?

Fine. 

I do need help.

Rape Culture in Romance, good or bad?

I asked my husband to read the first 5 chapters of my work-in-progress. It's an Interracial Romance set in Tokyo. 

This is what he said, "Wow. You're writing improves with each book. It's like I'm in Tokyo. However, you should make the hero less Rapey."

I was blown away. "What the fuck? Rapey? Please explain this."

So he did. "You have this guy, invading the heroine's space upon meeting her, running his fingers through her hair, saying things that no rational male would say to any female he doesn't know, and. . .the guy is just creepy."


"No." I laughed. "That's romance."

"Hell no! That's rapey."

"Look. I've read tons of books where the Alpha Hero is a bit more than the typical guy."

"Then you've read a lot of romance novels with Rapey guys."

I'm a hard headed person so I made my darling husband act out the whole scene right there in our living room.

I was the heroine. He was the hero. 

Boom. 

We're in a Tokyo soapland (a brothel that bathes and provides sexual services to rich men). My hubby is a suspected yakuza gang leader. I'm a fast-talking fiction writer. 

We say the lines and do the actions.

The Results?

THE HERO IS RAPEY!!!

I'm totally creeped out.

What did I learn?

1- I need to re-write the freaking novel.

2- I should act out all scenes with my husband! 

What do I need to learn?

Dear god why did I find the hero so attractive. He was perfect when he lived in black and white on my laptop screen? Out in the real world, not acceptable.

but why was this jerk off acceptable in the story?

I have no idea. . .maybe I'm a sicko. . .maybe Rapey is in now. . .maybe I should change that. . .maybe I should not. . .

However, I'm not alone.

If you do a google search of the words "Rape. Hero. Novel" what you will get are TONS of goodreads lists and blog posts on many romance novels with rape in it.

Here's some of the lists with a link for all you naughty readers out there:

Romances with Forced Seduction or Rape by the Hero

Popular Rape by Hero Novels


...and we can't just let the guys have all the fun, can we? No way. Check out this great blog post by HeroesandHeartbreakers.com.

Waistcoat Rippers: Heroines that Rape the Heroes

So where am I going with discussion? 
I have no idea. 

I was just forced to realize that somewhere deep within my creative soul, I enjoy writing Rapey Heroes. I'm vowing to change this.

Why? 

I'm supposed to be a freaking feminist! Can feminists love Rapey Heroes? I doubt it.

but before I beat myself up, I need to understand why these novels are so popular and why have they captivated even me

I mean there are a whole bunch of women and men out there who enjoy a Rapey hero from time to time.

So now I'm asking you all to help me understand this fascination with Rapey Heroes. . 

Are you one of those readers that love a guy to go too far? 
Why or why not?  
How far is too far for a Rapey Hero?  
Would it be better if the Heroine raped the Hero?
Is Rape culture in romance, good or bad?

New Adult Erotic Romance is Women's Horror Fiction

I'm so going to get in trouble for saying this, but I've come to a realization that New Adult Erotic Romance at times is a sort of Women's Horror Fiction.

Now before we get into this. I need you to STOP,

Remember. . . 

I said New Adult EROTIC romance, not the whole New Adult category.

First of all, the term women's fiction is really an umbrella term for women centered novels that focus on our lives and tend to be promoted to female readers.

Then we have to understand how I'm defining horror.

According to good ole' Wikipedia:

Horror fiction is a genre of literature intended to frighten, scare or startle its readers by inducing feelings of terror. It creates a frightening atmosphere. 

Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of Horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society. 

So my concept of Women's Horror Fiction is that it's women-centered literature that startles or frightens female readers and provides a central menace that can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of women in society.

Horror for the feminist!

 

I'm not saying every New Adult Erotic Romance novel is Women's Horror Fiction.

That would just be plain looney.

But I do believe that the NA Erotic Romance genre has been getting a lot of glares, scowls, and middle fingers because readers are simply put off by the angsty plot-lines and verging on abusive (or at least creepy) heroes.

Plus, I believe more experienced female readers are just not sure how to swallow this new genre.

And that's perfectly fine. 

But, I think I'm able to enjoy these books because I read them like I would watch a horror film.

Here's an example:

In Beautiful Disaster, when Travis hooked up with you know who in you know where while Abby was you know what. . . (sorry, I don't want to give away spoilers), but when that happened I was like. . .

"Get out of there, Abby!! Run! Hurry!
There's a monster in your bedroom! This guy is an asshole. He'll cheat on and emotionally abuse you. Run!"

Isn't that what we would do in at a scary movie, scream at the heroine and hope that she gets to safety as well as far away from the monster?

The biggest problem in NA Erotic Romance is that. . .the heroine usually doesn't get to safety.

She falls in love with The Monster!!

and as if that isn't enough. . .

the book ends with a Happily Ever After scene. . .
with the heroine and the Monster!

"No, you two stupid people will procreate and have more stupid people!!"

More experienced women will read these books and think, "Uh oh. I know how this ends. I've seen this happen to my friend or. . .this happened to me. Leave him alone."

But the heroine doesn't listen, and somehow she ends up being happy with him, which is even scarier.

The ending shoves against our preconceived notions about men, women, attraction, and how relationships should work.

Is that a good or bad thing? 

I don't know. 

But for the few that are really starting to be disgusted by New Adult Erotic Romance. . .

just give it a try

one more book

one more time

and when you open it up

read it like it's Women's Horror Fiction.

Top Five Dark Erotica Novels

D. T. Dyllin

Hey Floozies and Floozers!

I was asked to list my top five dark erotica type style romances for Two Fantasy Floozies. 

The only problem I ran into is that I’ve crossed over some invisible line somewhere, and I’m like a jaded New Yorker on the subway watching the violence unfold before me with nary a care. 

Nothing is too dark or too disturbing for me anymore. Lol. So I made my list up of some of my favorite erotica. 

Are they dark and disturbing? 

I’ll let you be the judge. *winks *



5) The Siren by Tiffany Reisz 

     


The Siren is not your garden variety erotica. 

Yes, it’s centered around the BDSM lifestyle, but it’s more…so much more. 



It takes you on a journey into the world of two people who are exploring both their emotions and sexuality after having lost the loves of their lives. 


4) The Dark Garden by Eden Bradley

This one is an oldie but a goodie. 


It was my first BDSM read and it blows 50 Shades of Grey out of the water. ‘Nuff said. 





3) Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

    

Yes, this one deals with human trafficking and rape and a host of other things that make most people cringe at the mere mention of them. 

*cough * Kenya Wright * cough * cough * 


But when you get down to it, it’s a tail woven about two broken souls looking for their place in life. Will they heal each other in the end or break each other irrevocably? The answer found in my number two book…




2) Seduced in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

     
I seriously loved this series. 

It was raw and gritty and I got the ending that I wanted. 

That’s why they are number 3&2 on my list. 







1) Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

This book caused me to get an author crush on Madeline Sheehan. 

It was dark, twisty, and the characters drop the F bomb almost as much as I do…almost.


It just felt very authentic to me. Real life isn’t pretty, and neither is this book, which is why I loved it. 

About D.T.Dyllin

Author Website

Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Romance Junkie. Self Imposed Insomniac. Animal Lover. Writer.