Dark Romance Book Boyfriends and Their Allure
This is a list that includes a mix of dark romantics, morally grey anti-heroes, seductive fantasy rulers, and one emotionally repressed gentleman who’s the OG brooding boyfriend. So, here are your book boyfriends, each with tropes, spice levels, and what makes them swoon-worthy or dangerous (or both).
1. Zade Meadows – Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Tropes: Stalker romance, obsession, morally grey anti-hero, dark suspense
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Extremely high – dark, intense, and explicit)
Why You’ll Love Him: Zade is the ultimate dark protector – equal parts terrifying and tender. He stalks to protect, kills without hesitation, and worships the woman who both fears and desires him.
Zade has a twisted code of justice, but we kind of love him for it. He opens your mind to a world of more than black and white. Not for the faint of heart – read trigger warnings.
“When you make someone fall in love with the darkest parts of you, there’s nothing you can do that will scare them away. They will be yours forever.”
2. Rhysand – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Tropes: fae ruler, mates, found family, hidden identity, enemies-to-lovers
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Fantasy steam with a deep emotional pull)
Why You’ll Love Him: The High Lord of the Night Court is all power, wings, and whispered dreams. He’s respectful, adoring, and completely self-sacrificing. He hides his softness behind a facade of arrogance and power, but when he loves, he loves completely.
He has his moments of not being very forthcoming with certain information, but man does Feyre put him in his place and make him. All about that healthy communication, but nobody’s perfect. Need a smirking fae king who will kneel for you and destroy anyone who won’t? You found him.
“I would have waited five hundred more years for you.”
3. Hades – A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
Tropes: Greek mythology retelling, god x mortal, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, grumpy x sunshine
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Moderate to hight – steamy and seductive with emotional depth)
Why You’ll Love Him: Hades is a dark, brooding god of the Underworld who masks his softness behind his duty and rules. Balances cruelty and compassion. His love for Persephone is deep, respectful, and possessive in the most divine way.
Persephone is young and inexperienced, but Hades has the perfect smoldering patience for her. Bonus: He respects boundaries and teaches through seduction, not force.
“‘I have waited lifetimes for you,’ he said as if it was an oath he was swearing upon every star in the sky, every drop of water in the ocean, every soul in the entire universe.”
4. Xaden Riorson – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, dragon rider, protector, hidden identity
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Spice with emotional stakes, high tension and high heat)
Why You’ll Love Him: A warrior with a tragic past. Xaden is dangerous, tactical, and 100% in love with his girl – even when it breaks every rule. He’s lethal in battle and devastating in love – protective, possessive, and honorable beneath it all.
He guards his heart but gives it fiercely when he falls. Want a man with the “I’d sacrifice everything if it meant I could be with you” kind of passion; here he is.
“There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”
5. Ryat Archer – The Ritual by Shantel Tessier
Tropes: Secret society, forced proximity, dominant alpha male, power play
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Very explicit – BDSM elements and psychological dominance, full of power-play)
Why You’ll Love Him: Ryat is dangerous, commanding, and entirely obsessed. Once he claims you, there is no escaping his world of rituals and rules. You’re his, and it’s for life. Expect rough edges, brutal loyalty, and dark seduction.
“They say love is patient and kind. I’m not either of those things when it comes to Blakely. I’m controlling, possessive, and madly jealous. Which can only mean one thing – I’m obsessed with her.”
6. Josh Hammond – Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Tropes: Stalker romance, masked man, “he falls first” dynamic, black cat x golden retriever
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit – kink friendly, obsessive emotional intensity)
Why You’ll Love Him: Josh is raw, rough, and emotionally layered. A tech guy with a dark family history and no time for a real relationship. He hides behind the mask and thirst trap videos, too scared to be recognized because of his father.
He craves intimacy and understanding, and Aly brings that to the table. Dark and mysterious, with a good sense of humor. You’ll find yourself laughing with him and his silly commentary.
“Maybe it was time to accept the fact that I wasn’t normal and I never would be. I wanted things most people didn’t. I craved darkness and depravity instead of light and love.”
7. Leon – Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
Tropes: Demon x mortal romance, good girl x monster, forced proximity, paranormal kink
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Max spice – monster erotica with heart, taboo and kinky, supernatural)
Why You’ll Love Him: Leon is a demon, known for his killing abilities. But what happens when he decides to protect the one he’s supposed to kill? A filthy mouth and a soft heart for his mortal girl.
He’s playful, obsessive, and wicked in bed. Leon blends horror and humor, sensuality and shadow. The demon you flirt with at the crossroads – and end up soul-bound to.
“‘Your mouth is perfect. Your body is perfect. Your mind, that damned curious mind, is perfect.’ His hold on me wasn’t gentle, but the kiss he laid on my forehead was. ‘You’re mine, even if you don’t believe it. And I treasure what’s mine.'”
8. Cole Blackwell – There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
Tropes: Serial killer romance, obsession, artist x muse, morally grey anti-hero, dark protector
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (High intensity – dark, twisted, and deeply sensual)
Why You’ll Love Him: Cole is cold, calculating, and entirely unrepentant – until he meets Mara. A serial killer and artistic genius, he becomes obsessed with her spirit and strength. He doesn’t love like a normal man; he claims, corrupts, and protects in equal measure. What begins as a psychological power play turns into a hauntingly intimate bond between predator and prey.
Cole is dangerous, unpredictable, and an embodiment of the phrase “I’d burn the world down for you.” If you like your romance laced with darkness, control, and unexpected tenderness – he’s your guy.
“‘I shouldn’t like you now,’ she says. ‘But I do.’ I shouldn’t like her, either. But I do.”
9. Rowan Whitethorn – Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Tropes: fae warrior, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, bonded mates, found family
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Fantasy slow burn with eventual high emotional and physical heat)
Why You’ll Love Him: Rowan is a centuries-old fae warrior with scars on his body and soul. At first cold, brutal, and unyielding, his bond with Aelin thaws him into something fiercely protective and unwaveringly loyal. He trains her, challenges her, and ultimately becomes her equal – both in battle and in love.
Rowan doesn’t just fall; he chooses his person with a ferocity that defines him. If you’re drawn to immortal, tattooed warriors who love with lethal intensity and silently suffer for those they protect, Rowan Whitethorn is your forever fae.
“‘To whatever end?’ she breathed. Rowan followed her, as he had his entire life, long before they had ever met, before their souls had sparked into existence. ‘To whatever end, Fireheart.'”
10. Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, repressed feelings, rich grump
Spice Level: 🌶️ (Classic slow-burn, emotional tension – not physical, pure emotional angst, clean but iconic)
Why You’ll Love Him: The original brooding gentleman. Darcy is prideful, awkward, and emotionally constipated – but oh, when he falls, he falls with grace, integrity, and unconditional love. His love is transformative, selfless, and unforgettable.
“You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love.. I love.. I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.”
So, Who Are Your Next Book Boyfriends?
In the world of dark romance, these book boyfriends captivate readers with their intensity, complexity, and unwavering devotion. From stalkers and demons to gods and fae, each of these characters offers a unique blend of danger and desire, pushing the boundaries of love in unforgettable ways. These book boyfriends challenge controversial notions of romance and deliver emotionally charged, high stakes stories. Ultimately, what unites them is not just their darkness, but their fierce loyalty and the way they love – completely, unapologetically, and often, at a cost.
Need some more inspiration? Check out these dark romances.
We’d love to know who makes you love the dark. Tag us and share who your book boyfriends are on social media!
