my dreadful darling review — h.d. carlton (spice level, tropes & is it worth it)
May 16, 2026looking 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.
review 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. 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. 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 — very spicy. the emotional intensity is already high and the spice absolutely matches that energy. “You’ve ingrained yourself so deeply in me, I would die if I cut you out.” you want a romance that hurts a little. okay, maybe a lot. if you like books where nobody is emotionally stable, everyone needs therapy, and the tension feels sharp enough to draw blood, this will probably work for you. you need your romances soft, comforting, or low stress. this book spends a lot of time putting both characters through hell and doesn't apologize for it. this is a dark romance dealing with grief, trauma, bullying, violence, and the aftermath of murder. her father killed his mother, and neither of them escaped the damage that left behind. definitely check detailed trigger warnings before picking this one up. book one of the hollow graves duet, which means you're not getting all your answers here. plan accordingly before you get attached.no spoilers edition
verdict
vibe
spice
reader fit
content warnings
standalone + hea
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
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
this isn’t light.
tropes
- true enemies to lovers
- dark romance
- morally gray characters
- touch her and die energy
- serial killer parent
- ppd/struggling mother
other books to check out
similar vibes to my dreadful darling
come back for these when you want a similar pull.
craving venom
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
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.
inescapable darkness
she saved a mafia prince once… now he’s found her and he won’t stop until she’s his even if it kills them both
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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