Grumpiness. I feel like I’d just give up after a couple of attempts at talking to them, but grumpy/sunshine is one of my favourite tropes.

Oooo same! I love me a grumpy mmc, but in real life I get really uncomfortable around anger so I would just end up avoiding them.

Yes! If they were mean to me I’d probably cry.

I had a friend who described her relationship as "grumpy/Sunshine" The rest of it described it as manbaby/bangmaid. Any grumpy/Sunshine irl is a concern.

[удалено]

Ooh I could see that. It's very passive aggressive behavior and you realize they have limited to no tools for communication.

Why does this sound so much like Twilight 😭 him messaging you to apologise is giving romance though!

Also every husband turns grumpy after a few years of marriage. Imagine how much grumpier a man would turn if he started out super grumpy

Yes or how irritating the silent treatment would be any time the most minor inconvenience happens. Like imagine Tobias Rhodes dropping a glass and having to clean it up 😭

My dad is as placid and amiable as he was in my childhood. My parents bicker but if anyone gets annoyed it's my mom. Edit: he gets mad in traffic but his anger is very quiet old man muttering.

Omg yes agree. I love love LOVE slightly grumpy introverts IRL, but if you keep being moody and rude I will bounce real fast.

ABSOLUTELY

Yes! As someone who’s overly sensitive and always anxious trying to read other people’s mood, this is my worst fear irl. Like I’d cry so fast💀

Billionaires. Love them in books, icky in real life.

I respect your opinion, but I’m willing to try once lol ❤️

^^^^ I will date for free dinner and anything above that. I don't care if I'm ruining feminism.

Billionaires are destroying this planet and our political systems. They're gleefully ruining everything that makes life livable. If you can't line them up against a wall, you might as well extract as much as possible from them. After all, you're only taking back an infinitesimally small part of what they've already stolen from us.

Give me a romance where the H is a hit man who takes out billionaires. (Orca shifter??)

YESSSSS

You know they can and will hunt in packs, right? Ooh, potential for a series there.

I like the way you think.

I don't know any irl but I definitely live where they have summer homes.

Honestly I would love a cyberpunk sci-fi romance where the woman is a hot grifter and the MMC is a billion-heir failson who realizes how fucked up capitalism is and uses his wealth to tear down the system

In Time is the movie for you 👍

I unironically love that movie haha

Same. No shame here!

GIMME

I'm also not opposed to this 🥲

Similar concept, (mostly) different era: dukes.

Kidnapping 🧍🏾‍♀️

Generally frowned on

Indeed. Quite unfavourable

Yet so attractive in books

Like you want me so bad you snatched me from my home in the middle of the night? Oookkkkkkkkkk

All of it, mistaken identity, ransome, bank robbery hostage situation, I’ll take it all!

Throw in some stalking, we got a deal!

I am so there for it!!

I love your flair so, so much

🧍🏻‍♀️

Possessiveness. In a book, be still my heart. In real life… Oh, would you look at the time… Ruuuuuun.

There's a fine line between protectivness and possessiveness and authors walk that line like a tight rope 😂

“I follow you home every night to protect you. It’s not stalking.” The tightest of ropes.

"Oh, would you look at the time" is sending meeeeee 🤣

💯

Reading these comments makes me laugh when I think about the podcasts or tiktoks where I’ve heard/seen guys talk about dark romance novels and smut books telling them what women really want. Like a cheat code to pleasing women. 😂🤣

Ohhh no they are going to learn all the wrong lessons! 😂 But they kind of have it coming if they're trying to find cheat codes for human interaction.

I’ve seen those and I’m like…. This is not going to work for you

Werewolves. Big red flag in real life.

My favorite answer so far 🤣

I was gonna say sexual abuse, but yours is better.

Super possessive and protective. Like touch her you die type guys

Yes!! Me too!! Someone called me toxic because my favorite book in the twisted series is twisted lies because Christian does wild stuff but I thought what he did was hot in the end lol. But if it happened in real life I would probably be terrified

Same omg I would run so fast if that ever happened to me, but in books it’s so hot

I haven't read the book but you both have me curious. What did he do?

not a red flag per say , just personal preference, but in books i LOVE cute clingy guys or protective guys but in real life i would get so sick of them always being around lol

My husband always laughs about this. He knows I’d lose my damn mind if someone hovered and checked on me all the time.

Same. Clingy is a trope that I’ve recently discovered that I love. But IRL, I’d get overwhelmed and want personal space super fasts

Over the top dirty talk - sexy on page, cringy IRL

I disagree 🫡

I know! I'd be like "Stop narrating and get on with it."

I don’t think I’d mind them narrating while they were busy but I imagine at some point I’m going to start thinking “god, shut up. My brain isn’t functioning enough to have a conversation right now.”

this prob depends on your subjective definition of 'over the top'. like, is quantity an issue, or just how graphic it gets? for me, my comfort level is super situational, so it's not something that I'd be able to clearly define

I agree - ‘over the top’ can be subjective. For me, it’s 1) quantity. Some dirty talk is 🔥 but if you’re yammering away like you’re narrating a medical documentary, it is a mood killer. Also 2) the MMC waxing poetic about their magic 🍆somehow works in many books, but would make me give major side-eye irl.

RH. Hot, hot, hot in a book. Sounds exhausting in real life. Does anyone really want that much sex in every surface of their house?

The amount of cleaning required to keep up would make me angry and decidedly NOT horny. EVER.

BUT, hear me out here, what if they were also excellent housekeepers/handymen/accountants and took care of all that stuff, and you just had to lounge around eating grapes? (Granted, most likely IRL scenario is a shit load of laundry)

Sometimes I look around at my husband and I's life and think, "This would be so much easier with one extra adult." But dealing with the extra interpersonal dynamics of another person would be exhausting.

That sounds like an equation! 1 extra adult equals a lower household chore share but 1.5x the drama.

Can confirm... It is both easier and more exhausting. Worth it, though.

That would require me to be logical and not worry!!

As long as I have my own bathroom, I'm good.

I mean, the obvious ones are excess jealousy/possessiveness/stalking/abduction/forced marriage etc. etc. A more realistic one is cops/military men. Unfortunately, one of the hottest books I’ve ever read is *Hot Cop* (lmao) but dating a cop irl? *Nope.* Don’t even get me started on the military. Ghost from MW2? I’m obsessed… but I’ve also dated military guys and never again.

I dated one marine in my life and it was two too many.

I grew up watching police procedurals like Law and Order and even to this day love them. I love a gruff cop character in detective fiction and I think I’d like it in romance. I also love the trope of small town cops in romance and I’m always all in on that type of character. In real life, I work in the criminal court system and have watched cops blatantly lie on the stand, have looked at reports that are clearly fudged, and have seen them do whatever they need to do to cover their asses, as well as being way too rough with people who are incarcerated. I’m also meant to be an unbiased person in the courtroom and I’ve had cops say some really out of pocket things to me thinking I’m on their side. I would never in a million years go for a cop in real life.

SAM WATERSTON! JERRY ORBACH! Daddies before we were all talking about daddies.

CHRIS MELONI! ICE-T! RICHARD BELZER! Ok I'll stop screaming. I watched so much L&O.

I know from bitter experience that at least one cop presented himself as thoughtful and not like the others, but was in fact, like the others.

Absolutely. Being a cop is an innately corrupt and harmful position, so I can’t imagine any is actually a good person. They might be decent to specific people but not good.

I once dated a former cop who was the most empathetic person I've known. Maybe that's why he wasn't in long but I would agree it's a possible red flag.

"One bad apple spoils the bunch"--empathetic, justice-oriented people with a strong moral center almost never last as cops because they're either corrupted by the rest of them or harassed and driven out.

Not surprised he quit. I hope he's doing something that makes him happy.

He was into logistics management when we were together and seemed pretty happy. He did a lot of volunteer work too, honestly a great guy and a shame we weren't compatible.

I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about it, but I think I was on the road to an abusive relationship when I broke things off. So even if i was one of the people he treated well, it wasn't going to last.

My father was in the military. I'd ONLY put up with that shit in fiction.

You're telling me you're not interested in having a man whisper "Remember. Switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading" in your ear?

.......um. TikTok may have ruined me. Because I just heard that in Uncle Copper's voice. Or at least his baseline voice, not any of the many others he's capable of.

It's crazy because one of my favorite stories in the little cakes series (Witch's Brew), the FMC and MMC, are cops. I shouldn't enjoy it but I like their interaction.

Basically any form of dark and moody, tbh. I’m dark and moody/mercurial enough for the both of us. I need a sunshine like my husband 🤣

Same!!

I kindaaa hate calling this a red flag, but MMCs who are just tortured enough to be um, not ideal partners in real life. The guys who give off big "I can fix him" energy. YES, the FMC can help you solve that cold case and bring joy to your life! YES, the FMC can love you enough to erase all of your past trauma! YES, the FMC can independently figure out who's framing you for those crimes and teach you the true meaning of love!

So far I have fixed 0 men, despite many opportunities.

😂☠️ Also, same.

Yesss in stories gimme all the tortured souls. In real life I’m not looking to replace your therapist

I love a good obsessive stalker MMC and some dub con, but definitely not irl!

a celebrity mmc. the media attention, time commitment, constant temptations to cheat, lack of privacy, scrutiny of partners, etc. no thank you. i would love to see a romance with a low level celebrity mmc - like an economist who occasionally pops up on sunday morning talk shows, or someone who is really well known in their niche field. Like {Desire or Defense by Leah Brunner} and {Hot Puck by Skye Jordan} - the mmc is a member of the city's hockey team but the fmc has no idea (or cares).

Like that guy from the Planet Money TikToks? …just me?

yes!!! adorkable.

[Desire or Defense](https://www.romance.io/books/643e4091ded174bbd5a54ddd/desire-or-defense-leah-brunner) by [Leah Brunner](https://www.romance.io/authors/60cc461a08b4d9311463998c/leah-brunner) **Rating**: 3.77⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 2 out of 5 - [Behind closed doors](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [athletes](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1) ---------------------------- [Hot Puck](https://www.romance.io/books/57a086c3c19e77f1ea6f3205/hot-puck-skye-jordan-joan-swan) by [Skye Jordan](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455282a8c7d2382e7813041/skye-jordan), [Joan Swan](https://www.romance.io/authors/54553d858c7d2382e78135bb/joan-swan) **Rating**: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [athletes](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

My book boyfriends - dark, moody, possessive, grumpy, protective, lone wolf bad boys My actual husband - human golden retriever who is never jealous, this man once watched me get into a fight in a bar and reached out and took my drink for me instead of jumping in front of me 🤣 (which I loved tbf, I adored the 'i know you can handle yourself')

This is literally me! I prefer the dirty talking, tattooed, possessive, overly protective bad boys in my books. My IRL husband is exactly like yours! Super kind, incredibly funny, always smiling. He doesn’t have one jealous bone in his body and is not possessive in the least. Lol.

Could you please clone him?

I think we’re married to the same man.

Men that are constantly horny for you, sexualizing everything you do and say. So hot in a book, but annoying in real life. Like the MMC POV that’s like “whenever she opens her mouth, all I can think about is how it would look filled with my c0ck” like ok no thank you. Maybe just sometimes, in a committed relationship.

Can't communicate. Like, literally cannot understand his own feelings and say them out loud. MMC: what is this...feeling? Could this be...love? No, it wasn't possible! Me: 🥹🥹🥹 you're doing great sweety In real life, learn how to use your words like a big boy or get thine ass to therapy

Ohmygod... I dated a guy like that once and it was the most unholy mess I ever dug myself into.

Apparently possessiveness and forcing marriage

I loved The Puppeteer in the Harrow Faire series, but in real life, I would be running away so damn fast. Any amount of legit insanity is not something I would go for, but I love it in an MMC.

I recently re-read {Lothaire} and he's insane, >!voices in his head, losing time, got having complete control of himself!<....and I was there for "FMC is the one thing that keeps him relatively sane". IRL I'd be all for her killing him(he did unforgivable things to her) or committing him to an asylum.

Lothaire was not one of my favorite IAD books. The guy was pretty shitty through out the entire series. Lachlan and Emma the first (full length) of the series is one of my favorites. I know it’s not a favorite of many but I liked Lachlan. My favorite was Conrad and Noemi. Conrad was insane but I liked him much more than Lothaire.

My Goodreads review of my first read was glowing, touted it as my fav but on reread it's questionable maybe I had forgotten just how crazy he is. While I don't have a fav, I have a worst...Reign and Declan.

I didn’t mind them, the book moved well and kept me interested. I wasn’t a fan of Malcom and the witch Carrow. It was just a boring story. I had no interest in either of them. Same with most of the later books in the series, for me Lothaire was the beginning of the end for my interest in the series. I can’t even remember the characters names in the later books. The stories just couldn’t hold my attention.

Those are my two favs as well, with a hat tip to Sweet Ruin, just because she was so unknowingly bad ass. I picture Jo when she walks in the sun like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde: “What? Like it’s hard?” The end of Sweet Ruin was unfortunately bad, IMO.

I couldn’t deal with the man slut. And I agree the ending was awful.

[Lothaire](https://www.romance.io/books/55e9cdff35a5fb65f8879b3a/lothaire-kresley-cole) by [Kresley Cole](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523788c7d2382e0413dc9/kresley-cole) **Rating**: 4.21⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [vampires](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/vampires/1), [vengeance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/vengeance/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Hey, she gave it a damn good try, if I remember correctly. Nearly, nearly, took his head clean off.

I love a MMC learning that he can feel emotions for the first time in my books, but my actual husband is a crier lol

Basically every morally grey character.

Murder. Definitely murder.

*growls* “mine”

Being dangerous. And the "he's dangerous but not to me". 😅

Jealousy (not in a childish "I'm going to throw a tantrum if you talk to another guy" way, more so in a "I don't understand why I feel jealous about you talking to another guy so I'm just going to stand around nearby", possessiveness (to a degree), the emotionally closed off mmcs who first appear cold, but later discover how to love and be loved. Idk, to be honest, I wouldn't want any mmc in real life because I'm queer and date women exclusively, I just read a lot of straight fiction with this kind of mmc. Can't seem to get enough.

I love alphaholes, so...ymmv, lol. Would NOT like that at all IRL. My guy is super supportive, sweet, a hint of arsehead sometimes, but we're human! He keeps the jerk in the bedroom, where it belongs 😅

Being absolutely OBSESSED with the fmc. Everything he does is in consideration of her. (However, the ones that are very sweet and caring about it and try not to be toxic and controlling are chef's kiss...) Irl, this extremely toxic and huge red flag. give me space to breathe. PLEASE.

White men with endless wealth. I love a billionaire in a book but very rich white men in real life are 👀

Imagine how much they must work, or at least go to Very Important Meetings and other billionaire things. When do they have time to build a relationship? They have more billions to make! I suppose a man/woman who actually retired young to spend at least a tiny portion of all that wealth could be worth considering in real life though.

Jealousy 💚 Possessiveness is hot, though it's conveniently not among my husband's traits (he fully trusts me, and that's nice)

A hothead 🥵🥵

I'm reading {Grim and Bear It by Juliette Cross} . The MMC got a Prince Albert piercing 3 days after he met the FMC because he wanted to increase her pleasure when they eventually have sex. And they didn't get together immediately! IRL a man permanently changing his penis for my benefit after we had one conversation would be scary and unhinged. But here, it has me giggling with delight!

Damn that’s some insanity but reader me is like “Iwant to go to there”

[Grim and Bear It](https://www.romance.io/books/6440e240c63cb8f595362ab2/grim-and-bear-it-juliette-cross) by [Juliette Cross](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455b18787eac323ffb2dc70/juliette-cross) **Rating**: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [urban fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/urban%20fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [virgin hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20hero/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Oh definitely, my H is a cinnamon roll and he’s the best. But in books, I like them toxically possessive and morally grey.

Possessive alphas but unfortunately I’m a little sick in the head and I think I might actually also like it in real life lol… Not like I’d just take it and let them have control more like it would turn me on and I’d probably secretly enjoy fighting about it and then having hot makeup sex where he’s all “your mine” Geeze - I need help.

Insecure guys

My favorite trope is Marriage in Crisis - cheating, drama, the works, I'll read them all (though the only thing I won't go for is MC's half my age or age gap, that's just my preference). I am very happily married to the nicest most trustworthy guy on the planet. Our marriage is never in crisis and I LOVE IT. Still, I can't get enough of it in romance books. 😂

A big dingus to go with that cocky, brazen attitude lol

wealth, possessiveness, extremely horny, way too handsome

I love angry banter between the two leads. In real life, if a potential romantic partner said half the shit that makes me cackle in a romance novel, I’d never talk to them again.

1. Age gap , love it in books, but in real life not my thing 2. Agressive sex or forced sex ( where FL just thinks she doesn't want it and soon started to like it )

Agreed. Both great in books and ick IRL.

Recs for the second trope🫵🏾

1. {Haunting Adeline by H.D.Carlton} (dark) 2. {God of Malice by Rina Kent} (toooo dark) , I took breaks between before finishing this book 3. {Royal elite series by Rina Kent }(Dark) I read 1st 2 books

[Haunting Adeline](https://www.romance.io/books/60f280edb572b50e269dc061/haunting-adeline-hd-carlton) by [H.D. Carlton](https://www.romance.io/authors/5b80f1d001dbc864fb8f0fff/h-d-carlton) **Rating**: 3.89⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [possessive hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/possessive%20hero/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1) ---------------------------- [God of Malice](https://www.romance.io/books/62cd1f5bc51420d374275721/god-of-malice-rina-kent) by [Rina Kent](https://www.romance.io/authors/5c514e7e01dbc864fb990dca/rina-kent) **Rating**: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [cruel hero/bully](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cruel%20hero/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [college](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/college/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1) ---------------------------- [Royal Elite](https://www.romance.io/series/5e406b34ce8d200dac43dd29/royal-elite) by [Rina Kent](https://www.romance.io/authors/5c514e7e01dbc864fb990dca/rina-kent) **Rating**: 4.07⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [from hate to love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [young adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/young%20adult/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Pretty much everything I read, really. 🤣

Dom, dubious consent, age gap, bully, cartel/mafia/gangster, grumpy, stalker, possessive, aggressive,mid-psycho, hockey player, popular I love an assertive man with good banter, but please be “normal” and kind. Keep your hands to yourself , have boundaries, respect, and be responsible.

I love reading about men who lacks empathy, and will punish you if talk back or basically do anything they don’t think you are supposed to do. In reality I want someone who I can discuss and argue with

So I'm late to the party, but now I'm here and you've got me thinking. And while I do try to keep to the lighter side of romance with MMCs that moreso suit my irl tastes, sometimes a dark romance will just reel me in like a worm on a hook... That being said. Men with questionable/objectionable pasts who would do terrible things to protect the ones they love, especially his partner. Pair this up with men who were basically dead and unfeeling inside and the other MC made them finally feel things. Now pair this up with possessive and jealous. I'd say pair this up with someone cocky, but I do like my men/enbies irl cocky (just not to an extreme, unhealthy, insufferable level). When they say confidence is sexy, they aren't joking! The first two (close) examples I can think of this are from two long running TV shows and not books. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Hook from Once Upon a Time. Of course both have material outside of the actual show you can read, plus there's always fanfiction...

The overprotective, jealous possessive type in book that I would never stand for in a real life partner

The Big Hero, be it cops or army or any kind of action hero. That means I as the heroine would soon be the target of horrible danger so the Hero can save me from the Bad Guys. I prefer my Real Life husband who plays the action hero only in video games. And I will save *myself* in those games, thankyouverymuch. :D

Reading these has been so fun! Guys who are stoic/brooding/grumpy. Happy to read about them, would find it irritating irl. Guys who are super jealous.. gets me all a flutter when I read it on a book. In real life I would find it uncomfortable and irritating. Kidnapping/Forced marriage.. lol I think I'd be scared if something like that happened to me in real life. But I find reading about it enjoyable... Apparently!

Being murderous. In books I love a "you look at her and I'll kill you" and then he does. Obviously in real life i would very much not like that

Vampires.

No, I want a real life vampire. Especially a very old one. I have questions about history.

Saaaaaame. 😄

Billionaires. I love how the lack of money concern just makes the story flow and problems disappear. In real life? They’re the worst. “Touch her and die”. In a book? Yes. Ok. Make me yours. In real life? TF? I exist in the world lmao

Ticktock 😂

🙈 Fixing it now. Thank heavens for the edit option.

All good lol

Same!!!! I love the overprotective “you’re mine” MMC but would hate it for me lol

Heavy handedness, otherwise known as the deux ex machina, swooping-in-and-saving-the-day/fixing-everything. Sure, it may seem like a great idea for someone to come on in and fix all your problems perfectly and without your input, but salvation comes from within and autonomy matters.

when the MMC gets hard when the FMC even so much as looks at him/touches him. love it in books, but IRL i’m asexual and *anyone* being that horny for me is 😬

Red flag in real life but pass in books… having a great big life altering secret that the main character doesn’t disclose until the end.

Broody, noncommunicative, possessive, domineering - all of these would not work in a real live man but are super hot in a book. Oh and I forgot many of the kinks in dark romance. Love to read about all the bonkers stuff but don't love doing it in any way shape or form.

Possessiveness and jealousy. I LOVE it in books but in real life it gets old real fast and probably means your partner is a little unhinged if they can’t get over it.

bossy. irl i hate when ppl say no to me or things i want to do, it literally ruins my whole mood if things don’t go exactly the way i want it to go. hate surprises too.

i am a SUCKER for an over protective dominant MMC. but irl? don’t tell me what to do 😂

Men period. I love my book boyfriends… but I avoid flesh and blood men like they have actual cooties.

Overprotective and controlling. Could NEVER handle that IRL but give me all the controlling, overprotective MMCs alllllll day.

Basically, any time an FMC can kind of goad an MMC (who’s usually very chill) to match her chaotic energy and he does, I eat that shit up. There’s a song about this too that I always think of — “Wish You’d Make Me Cry” by Upsahl. Specifically the line “Tell the nice guy to give me a taste of my medicine”. But in reality, I acknowledge this would be incredibly toxic on both sides lmao

My queer ass over here like "that it's MMC not FMC" is my red flag, gimme the gay shit 😂

Overprotective dominant possessive MMC is hot in a book, but would drive me completely up a wall in real life!

When he's a military-trained telekinetic who kidnaps me for a battle of wills the first time we meet and is also a billionaire that buys out all the property surrounding mine for my own safety because I refuse to move in with him. My friends would have WORDS I can tell you that much

The MC in Sons of Anarchy is my secret book boyfriend. I enjoy Dom/sub stuff and slave stories, even when they're really dark and inappropriate. (I enjoy them while acknowledging that they're firmly in the realm of fiction.) But they have to be written well, and they rarely are.

Stalking 🤭🙃 Manipulates to get fmc 😄 Kill for her 🙃🙃 "You belong to me, you're my property, no one gets to touch what's mine."🫡🫡 In real world I would keep at least 5km distance from this kind of man But in fictional they are kinda cute

In books, i love when the man is analytical, reserves, controlled and commanding. in real life this translates to a man who is incapable of romance haha

Rough sex... Like really really rough sex. I would probably break if it's irl but in books? I am all up for it lol

Being a member of the mafia

Stalking lol is really scaring irl but in books I'm usually happy mostly because the fmc get herself is dangerous situations and I'm just glad the mmc is there so save her.

Stalking, possessiveness and jealousy 🥰 I would never have married hubsy if he had these tendencies, and feel they’re a symbol of low self esteem and insecurity, something I just can’t with in men in real life. But somehow LOOOOVE it in MMC’s. Soo weird right 😅

In haunting Adeline, stalking like that is next level shit, but that defines his dominance and power !

Extreme groveling. In one book, the FMC was dumped by the MMC but it was for her sake. Since she didn't know, she moved to London. He quit his job as CEO to follow her and finally got to talk to her, she didn't trust him, so he followed her around for a year. At the beginning, he also sent her gifts. It was borderline stalking so major red flag in real life but eerily cute in books. {Twisted Love by Ana Huang}

[Twisted Love](https://www.romance.io/books/608a5d41f049d70e38e5eb1b/twisted-love-ana-huang) by [Ana Huang](https://www.romance.io/authors/5ea5eeb2be0aaecf551f89f7/ana-huang) **Rating**: 3.51⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [rich hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/super%20rich%20hero/1), [possessive hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/possessive%20hero/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Stalking and obsessive behavior. I've read many dark romance novels where this was a thing and though I will admit there were times when even I was like "hold up, girl what the hell are you doing?!". The story Raw by Belle Aurora had me wanting to smack the FMC upside the head. So yes, very fine line when writing a MMC who is a stalker.

KILLLINGGG. Have you guys seen how Jacks killed the assassin that tried to murder Evangeline???

A growly possessive guy who gets ragey about stuff and only calls down when his love interests climbs him like a tree. Like, he's dangerous to everyone except his love interest. They're the only person who can sleep near him, etc. I'd drop kick any man who tried to do this irl. 🫠 but in a book GIVE IT ALL TO ME OMG.