For many of us single, dark romance girlies, we often find ourselves entangled in a fictional world of pure, unadulterated primal urges, passion, yearning, and desire. Especially online, with the big boom of BookTok within the last couple of years. BookTok itself has become an infamous community online filled with book readers, specifically known for reading spicy dark romances and all-around smut-filled novels, embracing the authenticity of morally gray characters. Over time, we have expanded our horizons and have been consumed by the fictional presence of such deviant, twisted men who, in turn, also uphold their own code of ethics. They are neither good nor bad. They follow their own rules in a society that they don't necessarily care for. For them, it's their way or no way. Morally gray characters have their own sense of justice, push the limits, and do not give a shit about whether or not the world can accept them or reject them.
And for that, we find them damn near attractive as fuck.
To normal readers, they can come off as either all good or all bad, villain or hero. But for us dark romance readers, we find ourselves being enamored and attracted to this type of character development. While yeah, we do like ourselves the good guy who is all smiles and is a sweetheart in general. Although we thrive on the characters who are sulky, broody, hard to read, but will torch a building if it means saving the woman they love.
The classic "Touch her, and die" trope.
I'm guilty of this myself. On occasion, I have read a shit ton of romance-fantasy, as we call it (romantasy) novels AND don't get me wrong, by the end I'm a crying, sappy mess. However, I have read more dark romances where, by the end of the novels. I'm literally daydreaming about wanting someone like that to take an interest in me.
Now let's not get things twisted, and assume I'm referring to the toxic, controlling, abusive characters that DESPERATELY need to see the inside of a jail cell. I'm talking about the type of character who would be dominating yet gentle, and know how to put me in my place. One who has his code of ethics and knows where to draw the line. On the surface, he is stoic, troublesome, a rule-breaker with a habit of barking orders. He couldn't give a damn whether he was ostracized by society, resulting in his lone-wolf behavior. But deep down, his past and his inability to let anyone in prevent him from getting too close. Although I admit the deviance within him and his primal instincts are also hot contributing factors. The morally gray characters are written to have an icy-cold stare, a bad attitude, and to refuse to listen to reason, but will knock a guy out for touching a woman he claims as his. The possessiveness and jealousy behind the "I don't care about her" mentality. This is what morally gray attraction is.
Not saying to prefer a toxic, abusive asshole and narcissist. Absolutely HELL to the NO.
There is an alluring charm to the mysterious bad boy image, but tying the morally gray component to it is what drives us women feral.
For those who do not understand or know what morally grey means, I will provide some examples of the definition featured in a few articles below.
Shannon Thompson, Author of the article Morally Gray Characters Explained expresses:
"All right, folks, we need to talk about what “morally gray” actually means.
We know they’re irresistible despite their flaws, but how do we make sure we’re writing a compelling morally gray character and not just an unpredictable mess?
What Makes a Character Morally Gray?
A morally gray character isn’t fully “good” or “evil.” Instead, they make choices that blur the line between right and wrong. They will do bad things for good reasons and good things for selfish reasons—and it will be a pattern of behavior.
I bold “pattern” because this is where I see most writers slip. A character who made one bad choice in the past – even if it was tragic or traumatic – is not morally gray. That’s just a mistake.
True moral grayness operates on its own moral compass. These characters have complex motivations guiding their choices. They may lie, steal, or even kill, but often in pursuit of survival, ambition, or love."
Katie Davis, a student at Andrews University, published an article titled "Morally Gray" in the student paper The Student Movement. Davis explains,
"Morally Grey is a term used to describe a character who is neither good nor bad. They have no motivation to do good or bad actions. On the contrary, morally gray characters follow their ambition rather than those of the greater good or evil. Due to their goals being detached from these attributes, they could be intrinsically virtuous or vicious if their character’s values align with their objectives. However, morally ambiguous characters may still strive to impact their world positively or negatively in some manner. In recent years, there has been a shift in a society of morally gray characters in our literature. This article will describe morally gray fictional characters and the impact that it has on young adults and their moral compass.
Morally gray characters can be seen in numerous fictional books such as the Court of Thrones and Roses series, Mockingjay, Divergent, Shatter Me, and The Cruel Prince. The main characters in these books grow up good or evil, and once they reach a certain age, they start understanding more of the world from different perspectives. They realize that their morals and values do not align with what they want their future to be. Throughout the story, they are dancing around good and evil, but they never choose a side. The author keeps the reader in suspense throughout the book. Morally gray characters add depth to the storyline, making it easier for readers to connect with their complex motivations. When they choose to take actions that defy the ordinary, it captivates and surprises the reader."
Yashvi Peeti, of Bookriot.com, published a piece called What Does Morally Gray Really Mean? and she lists three distinctions that differentiate morally gray characters from villains.
Peeti notes:
1) Recognition: Morally gray characters can recognize that their choices can cause harm. They might do this before they take an action or in hindsight, but they acknowledge the impact it has on others.
2)Remorse: Once they recognise the hurt they’ve caused, they experience remorse. This can differentiate them from a truly evil villain that does not experience any.
3)Redemption: When the character feels that things have gone too far, they seek redemption. They actively try to do some form of damage control.
In conclusion, as you see in the world of reading and literature, the captivating development of these dark romance Morally Gray characters is slowly mesmerizing us in reality. We confine ourselves to the books we read, but all the more, we are hyperaroused over the fictional men who may come off as not all good and not all bad. They don't fall into either category. The attraction oozes out of the book as we turn the pages, reading each chapter. The raw, graphic nature entices us to wonder, "What if?" -
Sometimes, when reading the line of a Morally Gray character who just had a back-alley brawl behind a bar, we could envision just getting deeply ravaged in the ultimate pleasure-seeking fantasy. Bloodied, beaten, with bare-knuckle bruises, ready to engulf us in their arms, their rough, coarse fingertips tracing down our blouses and ripping the buttons off. Pinning us against the cold, brick surface and making love to us. The most primal urge to feel the person they love take them in deep and hard. It's the feralness and attraction that can swallow us into the fictional world.
The essence of such forwardness has us clutching our pearls enough to make us feel the Niagara Falls between our legs. There's nothing hotter and spicier than that.
All pages by BlackRoseAngel
Page last updated: Oct 13 2026
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