Hideaway

The genre of dark romance purposefully blurs the boundaries between danger and desire. Some titles examine issues such as power disparities, moral ambiguities, and obsessions, while others portray these fraught topics through a purely fantastical lens. Novels that conform to the conventions of the dark romance genre include characters who engage in psychological manipulation and dubious consent, displaying habits of severe physical or emotional abuse that are normalized and often entirely unaddressed in the text. Because the primary characters are often embroiled in relationships that are considered toxic and unhealthy by real-world standards, these narratives set a highly emotional tone and subvert traditional ideas of what romance and love should look like. The approach heightens the emotional stakes of the relationships depicted, challenging readers to consider the acceptability and moral ambiguity of the characters’ actions, which are often harmful and violent at best.

Penelope Douglas both follows and expands upon these dark romance tropes in Hideaway, depicting twisted sexual and social power dynamics throughout the story. Her characters frequently rely upon manipulation and intimidation to assert dominance over one another, abusing those they profess to “love.” Although the characters frequently consent to these problematic physical interactions, this consent is dubious at best because it is occasionally forced by the existing power dynamics or emotional complications.