RomComs for Your Villain Era

Dark, funny, and a little deranged—your next chaotic comfort reads are here.

Oct 05, 2025

When you want a romcom…but make it unhinged.

This week’s Bookish Daylist is for readers who like their meet-cutes a little messy—think killers with soft spots, orcs with HR policies, and mafia queens who don’t need saving. These stories take classic rom-com tropes and twist them into something wild, funny, and dangerously swoony.

The Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Synopsis: In the deceptively charming town of Cape Carnage, Harper Starling tends both flowers and corpses—because sometimes troublesome tourists don’t make it home. When revenge-driven Nolan Rhodes rolls into town to kill her, they strike a dangerous truce that burns hotter than either expected.
Tropes & Tags: small town romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy/grumpy, forced proximity, he falls first, touch her and die, groveling, morally gray leads
Reader Hook: For readers who like their romcoms with murder, mulch, and magnetic chemistry—this one’s lethal in the best way.

Undercover Orc by Ava Ross

Synopsis: When a rule-following librarian meets a brooding orc investigating a stolen artifact, sparks and spellbooks fly. Between small-town charm, ancient magic, and one very determined fated mate, this fantasy rom-com proves love stories can be monstrously adorable.
Tropes & Tags: orc romance, fated mates, small town fantasy, opposites attract, cozy mystery vibes, forced partnership
Reader Hook: Pick this up when you want something equal parts steamy and sweet—with a monster who knows how to shelve your heart.

The Orc from the Office by Kate Prior

Synopsis: Janice accidentally breaks her coworker’s nose… and somehow ends up magically bonded to him. With HR (or technically “Monster Resources”) breathing down her neck, she and Khent have to navigate awkward training sessions, office gossip, and undeniable attraction.
Tropes & Tags: workplace romance, fated mates, slow burn, orc hero, magical realism, opposites attract, office comedy
Reader Hook: For when you want a romance that’s 50% workplace chaos, 50% tender monster boyfriend energy.

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom Com by Kimberly Lemming

Synopsis: After getting attacked by a lion, Dory is abducted by aliens, crash-lands on a dinosaur planet, and somehow ends up juggling two irresistible intergalactic suitors. It’s chaotic, hilarious, and full of heart—like if Bridgerton met Guardians of the Galaxy.
Tropes & Tags: sci-fi romcom, reverse harem, fish out of water, found family, adventure romance, alien hero, humor and heat
Reader Hook: For readers who love chaos, banter, and a heroine who somehow flirts her way through the apocalypse.

A Love Most Brutal by Kath Richards

Synopsis: Mafia enforcer Mary Morelli agrees to a strategic marriage with rival heir Maxim Orlov—but neither expects the deal to come with feelings. Between family feuds, blood oaths, and slow-burning desire, love turns out to be the most dangerous weapon of all.
Tropes & Tags: arranged marriage, mafia romance, forced proximity, slow burn, forbidden love, morally gray hero, strong heroine
Reader Hook: Read this when you want your love story to feel like a knife fight—bloody, beautiful, and impossible to look away from.

A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards

Synopsis: Mafia queen Vanessa Morelli has no time for love—until a disastrous date with her godson’s math teacher turns into something more dangerous. As the two navigate sabotage, loyalty, and unexpected attraction, Vanessa has to decide if loving an outsider could destroy everything she’s built.
Tropes & Tags: mafia queen heroine, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden love, protector hero, slow burn, opposites attract
Reader Hook: For when you crave a love story that’s sharp, surprising, and full of “he shouldn’t want her—but he does” energy.

💬 Your turn! Tell me your favorite unconventional romcom — whether it’s a book, movie, or TV show that made you laugh in all the wrong places.