My Dreadful Darling review — H.D. Carlton (spice level, tropes & is it worth it)
looking for a dark romance with actual enemies to lovers, high tension, and a relationship that really shouldn’t happen… but does anyway?
my dreadful darling might be exactly what you’re looking for.
verdict
everybody in this book is carrying ghosts. hers just happen to have his mother's face. it's messy, painful, frustrating at times, and about as far from a feel-good romance as you can get. i ate it up.
vibe
this book is dark. not "he's a little mean and then immediately obsessed" dark. i mean he genuinely puts her through it. both of them are carrying the weight of things that happened long before they met, and every page feels heavy because of it. if you're looking for something easy, this isn't it. if you're looking for angst, pain, and two people who are absolutely wrecked by their pasts, welcome.
“You’ve ingrained yourself so deeply in me, I would die if I cut you out.”
My Dreadful Darling by H.D. Carlton
what you’ll find in this book
this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026.
and it overdelivered. like actually overdelivered.
(which if you know me… i don’t say that often.)
what this book does really well? the enemies part.
not tension for the sake of it. not “they dislike each other for a chapter.”
actual enemies. the kind where you’re sitting there thinking… how is this even going to turn into anything?
and then it does.
it’s dark, it’s spicy, and it’s genuinely addictive in that just one more chapter way.
my take
if they’re not actually enemies first… i don’t want it.
the book
my dreadful darling
dark, addictive, and built on a dynamic that really shouldn’t turn into anything… but does anyway.
My Dreadful Darling
✓ on kindle unlimited
she carries her father's sins like a death sentence — and he's spent years making sure she never forgets it. but he's not the only one who wants her to drown.
spice level
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
it’s a very dark and spicy book. very bully heavy.
tropes
- true enemies to lovers
- dark romance
- morally gray characters
- touch her and die energy
- serial killer parent
- ppd/struggling mother
same energy, different obsession
Craving Venom
enemies to lovers
poking the bear is easy when he’s a criminal behind bars, until she finds herself face to face with him in the real world.
Souls in Ruin
captor x captive
married off to a cold king and trapped in her own kingdom, she’s forced to survive two dangerous men… and prove she was never meant to break.
Atone
dark academia
a psych ward “ghost” who’s been watching her from the shadows turns out to be very real — and just as obsessed with her as she is with him.
final thoughts
this is one of those books that reminds you why you like dark romance.
it commits. it doesn’t soften anything. and it actually lets the relationship build from something messy.
and yes — it ends on a cliffhanger.
just know that going in.
should you read it?
if you like dark romance, real enemies to lovers, and something that actually pulls you in… yes.
this one is worth it.
want more like this? say less.
the full romance library is waiting.
peek inside the society library
take me to the library →morally gray men, slow burns, hockey romances, villains who should absolutely not be attractive… it’s all there.
frequently asked questions
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