Looking for Your New Favorite Dark Romance Blog?
Welcome to the dark side, my Little Angels!
This feels like such a surreal moment for me. Publishing a website is no easy task, especially when you are not a web designer! However, I encourage everyone to follow their passion because you never know where it will lead you. I am feeling a mix of emotions today but above all, gratitude remains the highest on my list. This could not have been done without the support of my friends, family, my partner, and all of you who have supported Library of Angels since the beginning.
For as long as I can remember, I have been a hopeless romantic. I have found so much peace in the idea that the world is so full of love. While I do hold a romanticized view of life, I still understand that we all experience the unique complexities that life has to offer. In the hope of never losing my spark for all things good and romantic, I think that I subconsciously turned to romance stories. I am without a doubt a part of the raised on Wattpad generation. I remember staying up until 4am sometimes just to get through a really good story when I was in high school (sorry mom)! Even with a limited knowledge of what real love was supposed to look like, I had my stories to look up to.
There is something so profound about living a million lives from the comfort of your couch. I have traveled the world, loved hundreds of people, and experienced every emotion under the sun from betrayal and heartbreak to courage and excitement. There are days where escaping the real world becomes a necessity rather than a desire and reading was always my preferred method of escapism. Reading is a never ending journey because the adventure leads you to no specific destination. You can choose to go wherever your heart desires at any moment.
For some, reading is a way to simply pass the time. For me, every story is an inflection point in my life. It becomes a transcending and life-changing experience whether I anticipate it to be - or not. Reading is certainly a high for me and my love for the act seems borderline obsessive as I am sure many of my bookstagram and booktok friends may agree. Reading is something I will never be able to break free from, now that I have a taste of what it feels like to live through stories of love that are not my own.
When I first started reading, I was most drawn to dystopian fantasy stories. I will continue to rave about the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth until I am blue in the face even all these years later. The early 2010’s was a time where that form of escape ran wild through the shelves and hands of readers. Even in these stories, we were all exposed to romantic themes and in this case the forbidden since Four was Tris’ teacher. How could it not be written in the stars for many of us to then become dark romance lovers?
Loving dark romance has been a journey long in the making for me. Before I knew what “taboo” or “forbidden” stories were defined as - I was reading them. Another story that I absolutely wish I could have a physical copy of is Virtue and Vice by Ninya Tipett. This story reminded me of a Beauty and the Beast retelling and it is still available on Wattpad to read for those of you who are curious. This story is one of thee most memorable for me as it tows the line of forbidden and taboo when the just shy of 18 years old, female main character begins subtly falling in love with her generous older host whom she was originally sold to, to pay off her father’s debt. It’s a wild ride and I think I even cried at one point.
The books I have picked as of late have obviously been darker and more depraved than that, but dark romance is a spectrum. Personally, my favorite dark romances include dark romantasy. I can never get enough of vampires, werewolves, mermaids, pirates, and FAE. If you know, you know! A book that got me out of a major book slump in 2023 that re-ignited my love for reading was A Ship of Bones and Teeth, by Karina Halle. Mermaid smut, anyone??
I am so eager to share my love of dark romance with you all in a unique way. Thank you to all my dark romance reading friends new and old for giving me a space to know and love this genre with all my heart. The least I could do to contribute back is to try to give you all a one-stop shop for your dark romance needs.
Library of Angels is currently offering free author services to dark romance authors, and free promotion for dark romance merch and book companies. On the site you will soon be able to find all your favorite dark romance brands and book boxes. Coming July 1st, 2024, you will be able to see all the upcoming dark romance releases for the month! You can also apply to be a guest contributor on the site if you are interested in writing a blog post!
I hope this is a safe and helpful environment for all my dark romance lovers. I am beyond excited to see where this journey takes us and what this blog and site will hold for you in the future! There has never been apart of me that did not root for a happy ending, but this time I truly hope this is just the happiest of beginnings.