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Warning: These dark romance books will undoubtedly become your new personality after you read them. They are spicy, romantic, intense, thrilling, mysterious, and will have you on the edge of your seat.

Dark romances usually feature characters who can be categorized as morally grey; characters who will do anything in order to achieve their goals. But even though they might make you question so many things, we can’t deny they are hard to put down.

In 2026, we have such a good selection of new dark romance books to choose from. I picked the best of them for this list, but there’s plenty more where this came from. In this list, find dark romance books with serial killers as protagonists (and you’ll be rooting for them!), stalkers finding love, mafia romances, and even human-killing sirens.

Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver

Harvest Season is the second book in the Seasons of Carnage trilogy, and it takes place just after Tourist Season ends, with Nolan finding out about Harper’s past. (Read Tourist Season before this one!)

Everything is quickly escalating in Cape Carnage; secrets are being revealed, and people are ending up dead. You know, a typical Monday morning. If you love dark rom-coms that have both humor and intrigue, this trilogy is one you cannot miss out on.

Midnight Message by Avina St. Graves

In Midnight Message , Mina’s obsession means she knows a little too much about star hockey player, Leo Duval. Things she has no business knowing. But after she sends him a DM in the middle of the night, things quickly escalate between them. Maybe the stalker is the one being stalked.

For the readers who like unhinged, morally grey characters, Midnight Message is everything you’ve been looking for.

Endless Blue Beneath by Shannon K. English

Becoming a human-eating siren tends to change your life completely. For Eppie, it gave her a second chance. Eppie became an outcast in her town after kissing the grocer’s daughter. But her life makes a drastic turn when she is suddenly kidnapped and transformed into a mermaid. She soon realizes that there’s a hunger inside her that can only be satisfied by human flesh.

Mine, Yours & Ours by Karmen Lee

If you’ve been craving a mafia romance but don’t know where to start, Mine, Yours & Ours is a great introduction to the genre. It’s light on the mafia and heavy on the “strong female characters plotting for revenge and getting what they want.” Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

Melissa DuBois’s husband is dead. Finally. Things are going exactly how Melissa wants, until her husband’s twin arrives in town.

Loving the Wicked by Rebecca Johnpee

Loving the Wicked is the second installment in the Wicked trilogy, so it’s recommended to start with The Wicked . Dark mafia meets heist, the stakes are higher than ever in Zahra and Elio’s story. If you thought The Wicked was dark, Loving the Wicked turns it up to 11.

Expect twists, turns, secrets, morally grey characters, a captivating romance, and thrilling heists!

Losers: Part One by Harley Laroux

This duet was originally released in 2022, but it was recently rereleased with Kensington. You can now find a very pretty deluxe edition in stores as well!

Losers: Part One is a polyamorous bisexual dark romance following Jessica, who used to be a mean girl back in high school who bullied a group of four rejects—the “losers”. But after a wild, intense Halloween night together with them years ago, they meet once again now as adults… and they are still as obsessed with each other as before.

It’s recommended to read The Dare , the novella, before starting this duology.

Big Trouble in a Little Mafia by Tanvier Peart (July 31)

Tanvier Peart’s upcoming dark rom-com is here to become your new favorite read for the summer. Who doesn’t want to go to Italy and enjoy a sun-drenched holiday? Well, Bianca is done with her corporate job and decides to travel to Italy for some rest and relaxation. Instead, she gets kidnapped by the mafia (they think she’s someone else!). Even though she’s in the middle of a mafia war, she is not letting anyone mess up her vacation.

Ember by Naima Simone (July 14)

After her father dies, Ember is ready to take his empire, but unfortunately, he left it all to her stepbrother, Asad. Asad has to marry in sixty days, and it so happens that his number one choice for a bride is Ember. If she doesn’t go through it, he will kill everyone she loves.

Ember is a Cinderella-inspired dark romance featuring morally grey characters who will do anything to achieve their goals.

If you want to read more dark romance books, check out this list of the best mafia books out right now.

Or, for something a little different, why not try the cozy dark romance genre? It might be your new favorite genre mashup!

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A Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is inbound, and it plunges players straight into the beloved story by letting them create their own Section 9 agent.

Developed by Mantic Games (the studio behind wargames like Halo: Flashpoint) and due to launch on Backerit later in July, this Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is based on the manga by Shirow Masamune rather than the anime. It promises to be "the most authentic tabletop roleplaying experience ever created" for the franchise, and features a custom system put together by the legendary designer Alessio Cavatore (co-creator of Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, Mordheim, Kings of War, and more) alongside Zak Barouh, an award-winning tabletop RPG writer.

It's still early days so we can't tell for sure how this system will compare to the best tabletop RPGs , but Mantic promises that it "combines fast-paced, narrative-driven mechanics with the philosophical depth and visual flair that define The Ghost in the Shell." Judging by the sneak-peek via DrivethruRPG , it appears to use different dice to represent your character's skill rather than static numbers that provide a bonus. They might use a d8 for reflexes but have a d12 for hacking, say.

(Image credit: Mantic Games) A lot also seems to hinge on your character's "Synthesis Conflict" that represents an inner conflict they're fighting. This provides "a way to reflect character development through a personal story tied to each Player Character," and uses aspects like duty vs. family, humanity vs. technology, or tradition vs. progress.

Not that the Ghost in the Shell tabletop RPG is purely philosophical, of course; you'll need to arm up with cybernetic enhancements along with a host of weapons to battle corruption in this dystopian future, and it seems as though you'll be able to use miniatures for fights if you'd like.

We'll be able to find out soon enough. The Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game will launch on Backerit this July 28, and backers will immediately receive the full digital rulebook as a PDF after the campaign ends.

For more tabletop recommendations, why not drop in on the best board games ? If you're planning a vacation this summer, it's also worth visiting our guide to the best travel board games in case there's something you can add to your suitcase.

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DAMASCUS — Two blasts rocked the Syrian capital near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron is staying during a visit for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In a statement shared on X after the incident, Macron confirmed his visit would continue and praised the “aspiration” of the Syrian people. “This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination,” read the post. “My visit continues.”

Macron’s convoy had just left the hotel when the first explosion hit. “`The Elysée Palace has confirmed the French president is safe.

“We are currently at the presidential palace where the expanded meeting between the presidents and their delegation is taking place,” an Elysée official told POLITICO.

The blasts occurred just outside Syria’s Ministry of Tourism, near the Four Seasons hotel where Macron held meetings Tuesday morning.

Syria’s Ministry of the Interior reported 18 people injured, including four police officers. Both devices were improvised, said the ministry. The first blast came from inside a trash container and the second from a parked car, which detonated near an ambulance a few meters away.

This visit marks the first time a European head of state has visited Damascus since 2024, when groups led by al-Sharaa brought an end to the administration of Bashar al-Assad. It was meant to showcase the transformation of Syrian politics under the new president, who has worked to establish positive relations with Western powers.