Dakota Wilde

Hey there! I'm Dakota Wilde, and I write the kind of dark romance that makes your mama clutch her pearls and your book club raise their eyebrows. (But let's be honest - those are usually the best books, right?)

I never set out to write romance, let alone the twisted, psychological kind that keeps readers up until 3 AM. My original plan was to become a clinical psychologist, and I spent years studying what makes people tick. Turns out, that background comes in pretty handy when crafting complex characters who blur the lines between right and wrong. Who knew?

My debut novel "Truth or Dare" started as a late-night "what if" scenario that wouldn't leave me alone. You know those thoughts that creep in when you're trying to sleep? Yeah, those. I kept wondering what would happen if someone received a mysterious text message that turned their whole world upside down. One sleepless week and several bottles of wine later, I had the first draft of what would become my twisted little baby.

Here's the thing about my writing - I don't do sweet and fluffy. (Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just prefer my romance with a side of psychological warfare.) I write about the dark corners of relationships, the games people play, and the secrets that eat away at us. My characters aren't perfect - they're messy, complicated, and sometimes morally questionable. But isn't that more interesting than perfect people making perfect choices?

When I'm not putting my characters through emotional hell, you can find me wandering around antique stores looking for creepy old dolls (they inspire me, don't judge), binge-watching true crime documentaries (research, I swear!), or trying to convince my cat that my laptop keyboard is not, in fact, the most comfortable spot in the house. Spoiler alert: I'm losing that battle.

I believe the best stories are the ones that make you question everything - including yourself. Why do we root for the villain sometimes? What makes a person cross lines they never thought they would? These are the questions that keep me writing late into the night, fueled by way too much coffee and the playlist of songs that would probably get me put on some kind of watch list.

To my readers: thank you for being brave enough to dive into the darkness with me. Your messages about staying up all night to finish "Truth or Dare" make my day (even though I feel a little guilty about your sleep schedule... sort of). The theories you come up with about what's really going on? Sometimes they're even more twisted than what I had planned!

For those wondering what's next - I'm currently working on something that makes "Truth or Dare" look like a warm-up act. Let's just say it involves a secret society, an inheritance that comes with dangerous strings attached, and the kind of mind games that would make Machiavelli proud. (My therapist is slightly concerned, but she's used to me by now.)

If you like your romance with psychological twists, morally grey characters who definitely need therapy, and endings that leave you wondering what really happened - we're going to get along just fine. Fair warning though: I don't believe in putting trigger warnings in my books. Life doesn't come with them, and neither do my stories. They're dark, they're messy, and they're definitely not for everyone.

You can find me on Instagram posting aesthetic photos of my latest writing spot (usually involving coffee and something skull-themed), or in my Facebook reader group "Wilde's Dark Side" where we discuss theories, share dark romance recommendations, and occasionally plan world domination. (Kidding about that last part. Maybe.)

So if you're ready to play some dangerous games and explore the darker side of love, come join me. Just remember - in my world, nothing is ever quite what it seems, and everyone has something to hide.

Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies... and secrets.