Corrupt

Penelope Douglas is known for writing popular dark romance novels, and Corrupt is no exception. Her texts often delve into taboo subjects, such as incest, sexual violence, and bondage. The romance genre—including Douglas’s books—has experienced a sharp spike in sales and popularity, primarily due to BookTok and Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, which is where many romance novelists self-publish their work before finding a large enough audience to attract a traditional publisher. These dark romance novels usually center a white woman who is in a toxic yet protective relationship with a villainous and sometimes criminal man. There is always violence—toward either the woman or someone else—and explicit and taboo sex. The genre is deeply interested in power dynamics between men and women. The main character of Corrupt is a stereotypically beautiful white woman who has a deeply problematic relationship with a criminal. She has lots of explicit sex in often taboo places, such as a cathedral and a public sauna. In keeping with genre conventions, the novel is deeply invested in exploring the power dynamics between Rika and Michael.

The dark romance genre draws some of its atmospherics from the earlier genre of Gothic horror, popularized in the late 19th century in novels like Mary Shelley’s