Unlike mainstream romance where characters meet through chance or dating apps, these storylines rely on forced domestic proximity. The romantic tension builds from shared living spaces, mandatory family interactions, and the breaking of institutional boundaries.
Characters are immediately forced into a state of secrecy, raising the stakes of every interaction.
Throughout Primal's Taboo, Alison's relationships and romantic storylines serve as a lens to explore themes such as:
Most romance novels treat taboo as a plot obstacle: the age gap, the boss, the best friend’s partner. Tyler flips this. In her work, the true taboo is radical emotional honesty about what we actually want—not what we’re supposed to want.