Trigger Warning: The mention of abuse, violence, and stalking may be triggering for some readers. Please exercise personal care when reading.
Stalker romance books are hitting bookstores loudly and proudly (as they should). But not everyone is completely on board with stalker romances. However, as the subgenre gains popularity, it’s undoubtedly entering the spotlight. And the last thing we want is for you to be left out. So, let’s take a deeper dive into the seductive, spine-chilling subgenre.
What is Stalker Romance?
Stalker romances can fit comfortably into the vast dark romance genre. However, it has its own style and intense flair — a.k.a. the perfect recipe for a subgenre! This subgenre’s storyline includes an eerie, slow-burn romance. The eeriness is a result of the stalking tendencies. The slow-burn romance stems from how the stalker acquires the love and attention of the individual they are stalking. Pretty straightforward, right?
What to Expect
Stalker romances usually feature men being the stalkers and women being on the receiving end of the stalking. Some books feature female stalkers and males getting stalked. However, this particular stalker romance storyline isn’t as common. This trope is full of obsession and possession. Obviously, the stalker is utterly fixated on the individual that they are pursuing. In addition, the stalker always feels the burning desire to possess the woman.
Now, let’s take a quick step back before we continue. While this subgenre features stalking, it’s not a cutesy little stalking of social media platforms. This stalking is full-on, and nothing is held back. Expect gazing through windows, smelling underwear, sneaking into places where the individual is, anonymous gifts, and hiding under beds. It is essential to understand that one of the characters is a stalker. Yes, we know that it sounds like I’m stating the obvious. However, you must be prepared for the psychotic behavior that comes along with these types of characters. The man is usually a sociopath, psychopath, or has some trace of psychological issues.
Most importantly, various types of violence are common in stalker romance books. Themes such as murder, death, assault, abuse, abduction, and mental illnesses are common. So, expect a great deal of content and trigger warnings. Most stalker romance books contain content and trigger warnings due to the intense actions and violent behavior that come with stalking.
History
The stalker romance trope can be traced back to the wonderful year of 1978, when a certain horror movie debuted in theaters. (Truthfully, we can discover subtle stalker romance tropes that go back even further, but this one is painfully obvious.) The iconic Halloween movie came out in 1978, featuring the one and only Michael Myers — a sociopath who stalked individuals before claiming them as his victims. The film didn’t directly romanticize his behavior, but fans sure did!
When writers noticed this attraction between a stalker character and the audience, of course they chose to use it to their advantage. The first stalker romance book that hit bookstore shelves was Belle Aurora’s 2014 novel, RAW. Ten years ago, this book set the standard, featuring the archetype of stalker romances. It took a while for this subgenre to fully take off, but we are currently in the heat of it all!
Popularity
Romance revolving around stalking has always been somewhat intriguing. Plenty of movies, TV shows, and books feature a male character relentlessly pursuing a female character. And fans find it sexy because he is “obsessed” with her. But if you take a few minutes to think about it, this can be a form of stalking. Therefore, audiences have had a slight weakness for stalker romance without even realizing it. However, once Joe Goldberg broke the internet, stalker romance couldn’t be held back anymore. This subgenre is climbing the dark romance hierarchy, and, as we’ve said before, the last thing we want is for you to be left out!
Books to Expand Your Collection
Whether you’re just entering or continuing on your journey into this subgenre, here are some thrilling stalker romance books you must add to your bookshelf.
Once You’re Mine: A Dark Stalker Romance by Morgan Bridges
TW/CW: This book contains explicit sexual content, stalking, murder, torture, loss of body autonomy, and gore. Please exercise personal care when reading this material.
The first book in a duology, Once You’re Mine, integrates the world of justice and crime while adding all the heat. Hayden Bennett is a driven lawyer who punishes criminals who try their luck at escaping discipline. When he is unable to achieve justice in the courtroom, he takes it upon himself to do the punishing. Things get immensely intense when he develops an obsession over Calista Green. Hayden and Calista met at her father’s trial, and since then, he has been head-over-heels for her. On the other hand, Calista has never taken much interest in him. But as time passes, Hayden becomes more and more obsessed with her and feels a desperate need to possess her, wanting to punish any man who gets close to her.
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
TW/CW: This book contains child sex trafficking, rape, sexual assault, dubious consent, gore, murder, torture, and kidnapping. Please exercise personal care when reading this material.
Hunting Adeline is the second book in a two-book set. This duology is an extremely dark romance with a mysterious mansion and an even more mysterious yet charming man. Adeline Reilly is an author who recently moved into her grandmother’s mansion. The mansion is already creepy enough, but it gets creepier when Zade Meadows becomes obsessed with her. He seeks righteousness, but his hunger for Adeline challenges this. Both Adeline and Zade have complex and dark pasts. However, as Adeline tries to unearth her secret past, she simultaneously works to figure out who is stalking her. Luckily, she has support from her best friend, Gigi, and her mentor, Daya. With Zade’s tormenting infatuation on her hands, she needs all the support she can get.
There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
TW/CW: serial killers, blood, dubious consent, graphic murder, graphic violence, mentions of child abuse, kidnapping, stalking, emotional abuse, self-harm, sexual assault, alcoholism, torture.
The first book in the Sinners series, There Are No Saints, features intense drama stemming from a love triangle and the seduction of a rich stalker. Cole Blackwell is a successful sculptor living in San Francisco, California. However, he is more than just a rich artist; he’s also a serial killer. Mara Eldritch is a struggling painter, and when she stumbles upon Cole in an art gallery — her life is turned upside down. Cole’s competition, Alastor Shaw, is an artist who’s a serial killer as well and is also consumed by Mara’s aura. Alastor has set his eyes on her, which eats Cole alive and causes his obsession to skyrocket. Although Cole is detached and heartless, he quickly finds himself developing genuine feelings for Mara.
Notice by K. Webster
TW/CW: This book contains extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes. Please exercise care when reading this material.
This standalone book is a lighter version of the stalker romance trope. Nevertheless, intense behavior is present in this book. Violet Simmons works as an assistant for a real estate company. She flies under the radar but feels highly unappreciated and completely unseen. So when she decides to give her boss two weeks’ notice, he finally notices her. After six years of working as his assistant, Grayson Maxwell becomes aware of her presence for the first time. He immediately becomes infatuated with her, and his obsession begins to form. He realizes that he must convince Violet to keep her job and makes it his mission to obtain as much information about her as he possibly can — all while falling for her more and more.
Vicious Secret by Morgan Bridges
TW/CW: (from the author’s website) This book contains a stabby FMC and a morally gray hero that’s OTT/JP, a stalker who falls first, has Touch Her & Die energy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her.
The Obsidian Order is also a lighter stalker romance duet. The setting is dark and sinister, but the romance is a breath of fresh air. (With stalker tendencies, of course!) Delilah Scott is a bold woman who doesn’t back down from confrontation, which is exactly why Xavier Donovan fell in love with her. The minute he laid eyes on Delilah, Xavier knew he needed to make her “his.” Unfortunately, their paths don’t cross for three years due to his efforts in trying to protect her from a mysterious and corrupt society. However, this changes when Delilah begins college. Xavier has his hands full with trying to shield her from other men and the evil society, all while stalking her every move. And to top it all off, Delilah is obsessed with him too!
Now that we have ensured you won’t be left out of the stalker romance subgenre, it’s time to update your bookshelf! Begin or continue your journey in this intense dark romance trope by submerging yourself into these books.
Learn more about the dark romance genre here.
Find these books and more stalker romances on Bookshop.org.
