WEEK: 2/9/2025 - 2/15/2025

This week I looked for dark romances that included mental health representation and here’s a few of your suggestions!

Take Me Apart by Brea Alepou and Skyler Snow.jpg

The Sound in Silence by M.L. Philpitt.jpg

I have added all of these books to my TBR and I am so grateful to have received so many wonderful recommendations!

The book with mental health representation that I completed this week that absolutely gutted me was - Under Your Scars by Ariel M. Anderson.

This story gave me the absolute SHOCK OF A LIFETIME with the ending. I would absolutely recommend this book if you are looking for a read that will absolutely devastate you. There is no happy ending here so prepare yourself accordingly before you go in.

1. Nothing has changed since last week!
1. Bookstagram spotlight
2. Booktok spotlight
3. No Booktube Spotlights this week
1. Author Spotlight of The Week
  1. Havoc Wilde
2. 3 New-to-me Authors
  1. Mallory Fox
  2. Lilian Harris
  3. Ella Jacobs
1. Twenty-Five: The Age of Melancholy and Melodramatics
1. No Videos This Week

What am I reading this week?

Physical Read:

This week I unboxed a PR Package from Author A.X. Cole that included the book - Devious Delusions. I will be reading this as an ARC copy! It releases on March 3, 2025. Sometime this week I will make sure to post that unboxing to my social media so stay tuned!

Kindle Read:

I was unable to get started on this ARC last week, but I will absolutely make sure to get into it this week because it releases on February 27th, 2025!

Audiobook:

I’ve heard so many amazing things about this book! There is actually a review of this book already on the blog and if you want to check it out, you can see it here!

Influencer Spotlight

Bookstagram:

Courtney’s content has to be some of the most lighthearteed and goofy bookish content that I’ve come across! She brings a fun spark that breaks up the monotony of the everyday content we consume. It’s both a breath of fresh air and much needed reprieve. I can’t wait to see what fun bookish content she continues to create!

Aspen is one of the most consistent content creators on Instagram! I love heading to her page when I need some new reccs or new bookish merchandise. On her page, you can find dark romance recommendations in reels, dark romance brands that she reps for, and even the coolest flat-lays ever! I also had the pleasure of meeting her at Sinners and Stardust (2024) and she is just the sweetest! She is also an author so (wink wink) go check her out!

Booktok:

To know Al is to love her. She is BY FAR one of the sweetest, most supportive and loving humans I’ve ever met in our dark romance community. Her personality shines through in her content, her interactions, and even her facial expressions! Everything about her is lovable and if you haven’t seen her content, then it’s time you go check her out. If you’re an author who ever want someone to send a PR Box to - send it to AL. She legit takes the cutest pics of PR Boxes and will rep your books until she’s out of breath!

Diem is 100% the reason I listened to the audiobook of Under your Scars last week. She recommended it to me and like I said earlier, the book CRUSHED ME. Diems Tik Toks are always hilarious, relatable, and overall a good time! You won’t leave her page without hearing about her hottest read, her packages arriving damaged, or her bookish getaways with her book besties! I will ever be able to get enough of her and her content!

Booktube:

I don’t know of that many dark romance youtubers so this spotlight always gets a little tricky! I will make sure to do some more research this week and see what I can come up with to bring you some new influencers next week!

Author Spotlight

Fun fact of the week? I own all of Havoc Wilde’s discreet covers of the Wicked Brother’s of SCU series.

I am actually SO in love with those covers that it’s insane! When I was first introduced to Havoc Wilde as an author, I knew I would be in loveeee! I was able to receive a PR Box for Wicked Fury in 2024 which was such an honor! The newest release by this author comes out in the beginning of March 2025. You can preorder ‘A Twist of Lemon’ now on Amazon!

New-to-Me Authors

Believe it or not - I got all of these new-to-me authors from Amazon! I looked up dark billionaire enemies-to-lovers, dark single-dad, and dark captive romance and these are some of the recommendations that came up!

From Hell: A Dark Billionaire Enemies to Lovers Romance
Sinful Vows: A Single Dad Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance
Take Me: Dark & spicy captive story

Bookish News This Week:

Twenty-Five: The Age of Melancholy and Melodramatics

I feel like my weeks are all blending together and I’m slowly losing time. It’s such an odd experience to have because I feel so busy and consumed by work and life, but the time is truly escaping me. Now is the time that I should be soaking up every precious moment before they all slip through my fingers, but how?

As a quarter of a century of my life; otherwise known as 25, approaches in 10 days, is it normal to feel both melancholy and melodramatic? As my frontal lobe develops, I find myself leaning into the dark poetic side of my heart and mind more than ever before. I’ve never quite felt that pull so strong before now. It’s the kind of pull that I imagine the great gothic literature champions felt. When I think of the torchbearers of dark gothic literature, my mind draws near to Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

I’m sure before they found themselves writing such profoundly broody work, they too must have went through a turn-of-the-century change. A quarter-life crisis seems like the exact change to bring to life moody and dark muses. What is the cause of a quarter-life crisis? Feeling out-of-place, heartbreak, or something simpler like the rose colored glasses coming off for the very first time? Are twenty-five year olds misunderstood melodramatics or is melancholia back in style? Who knows?

All I know is that I feel everything so profoundly as of late and I wish I knew if it was because I’m turning twenty-five or if I am destined to be a great writer of gothic literature. Likely not the latter, but one can dream. I will use the brink of 25 to soak in all the Edgar Allen poe feels mixed with a splash of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and this is destined to be the moodiest year I’ve lived yet.

Booktube Videos of The Week

I didn’t get to watch any dark romance youtube videos this week, but I will make sure to have some video recommendations for you next week!

What This Week! (Vol. 6 2025)