What Dark Romance Gets Wrong About Assassins — And How to Fix It
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What Dark Romance Gets Wrong About Assassins — And How to Fix It A CJ Cauldin craft essay on realism, psychology, and power dynamics Dark romance loves an assassin — but rarely understands one. Most books in the genre build killers from tropes rather than psychology. They rely on leather jackets, brooding stares, and a tragic backstory, then call the character “deadly.” But real danger doesn’t come from mood. It comes from training, cognition, and emotional architecture . Mistake #1: Confusing Trauma With Skill Many dark romance assassins are written as if trauma alone creates lethality. But trauma creates volatility — not precision. A real assassin archetype is built on discipline, not chaos . Caroline Cauldin is the opposite of the genre stereotype: she is not dangerous because she is broken; she is dangerous because she is trained . Trauma may have opened the door, but training sharpened the blade. Mistake #2: Making Killers T...