Romance fantasy (or romantasy) has been gaining popularity over the past few years, and it’s currently the reigning queen of best-selling genres. It’s not a new genre, but it has taken the world by a storm thanks to beloved titles like A Court of Thorns and Roses.
And it comes by its popularity honestly — it combines the world’s best-selling genre (romance) with high stakes and magic of fantasy novels. The plot is more focused on the main couple, but it usually has many twists and turns that can keep people interested for multiple installments.
Plus, it’s one of those genres that just pulls people in and gets people who wouldn’t normally be readers or who stopped reading back into it. And there’s a lot to love here, and plenty of books to enjoy.
Because there’s so many, and I want to tell you about all of them, I’ve prepared a quick overview so you don’t have to scroll through to the books you want to see:
- Romantasy royalty — These are the books you’ve been seeing everywhere from TikTok to your local Barnes and Noble. Includes stuff like ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, but also some amazing books you may not know like The Jasmine Throne or Kushiel’s Dart.
- Standalone fantasy romance — These are quick but unforgettable reads with epic romances set in wonderful worlds. Pick if you don’t have time for a longer series or just want to dip your toes into romantasy to see what it’s all about.
- Romantasy series you should read — Here, you’ll find fantasy romance series that are well-worth your attention but may not be as popular on social media as the romantasy royalty.
- YA romance — If you’re younger or you need a book for someone younger in your family, or you just love YA in general, these books are perfect for you. Tons of romance, but no spice at all, but still serious themes.
- Cozy romantic fantasy reads — Craving some softness and coziness? Try these books. The stakes are low but the romantic tensions are high, plus there’s always a cat, a bookshop or a tea cup nearby in these, which makes them perfect for a relaxing afternoon.
- More fantasy, less romance — If you want fantasy romance, but maybe more focus on the fantasy, with the romance playing out as a B plot, I recommend these books.
- More romance, less fantasy — If you want smuttier, more romance-focused books, with some fantasy still happening, these are for you.
Just click on the link for the category you’re interested in and you’ll skip everything else and go straight to it.
One tip: If you plan on reading a lot of romantasy in the future or you just love reading it now, I highly recommend getting a Kindle Unlimited subscription because you can get most of these books for free there, with a monthly subscription ($11.99 with a month free). It’s a great way to save up and still read a lot.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Romantasy Royalty
These are the books you’ve likely heard about or read already; the books that started it all. I highly recommend going into these if you’re just getting back to reading and are looking for something addictive and fun to read.
A Court Of Thorns and Roses (Series)
| Series Length | 5 books, main storyline complete (+ novellas) |
| Heat Level | Low in book 1, rising to High by A Court of Mist and Fury onward |
| Tropes to Expect | Beauty and the Beast retelling, fae courts, slow burn, found family |
A few years ago, I was obsessed with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and while the obsession has died down a little, this series will always have a special place in my heart.
So, ACOTAR tells you a story about Feyre, a poor girl from a village at the border of fae and human lands, who kills a wolf one day (to feed her family) and that wolf turns out to be a transformed fae. As punishment, a fae lord takes her into his kingdom, where she has to stay forever as payment for the death she’s caused.
However, not all is as it seems in the Spring Court, and there appears to be trouble afoot. While Feyre settles in and learns this new world around her, she also starts to see a new side to her captor.
If you couldn’t tell by that description, this is a Beauty and The Beast re-telling (at least the first part is). The story is twisty and turny, and you may not expect what happens in part two and three, depending on what you’ve heard of this series.
My favorite is, of course, ACOMAF — I could still reread that book and love it just the same. It’s a comfort read for me.
Fourth Wing (Series)
| Series Length | Ongoing series (5 planned) |
| Heat Level | High, but not prevalent |
| Tropes to Expect | Dragon riders, enemies to lovers, chronic illness rep, deadly training grounds |
The Fourth Wing swept the world by a storm, and for a good reason. It plays on familiar tropes and concepts, and for many people reads very nostalgic, like those books you used to read in middle school or high school.
Personally, I was not the biggest fan, though I really wanted to love it. But that doesn’t mean you won’t, especially if you’re just getting back into reading.
Fourth Wing tells you a story about Violet Sorrengail, who suffers from a debilitating chronic illness, but whose mother still forced her to apply to become a dragon rider, the most dangerous profession in the realm. Violet really wants to be a scholar, but her mother is a general and will kill her if she doesn’t try. So she does, though even the entrance exam could be deadly. And she manages to get it.
But there she’s faced with more dangers (like riding a dragon) and the son of a man her mother killed, who hates her.
This is an ongoing series, with three books published, and five books planned total, so pace yourself if you’re an impatient reader.
Throne of Glass (Series)
| Series Length | Finished series (7 parts + 1 novella) |
| Heat Level | Very low, only a bit, mostly closed-door (but many romances!) |
| Tropes to Expect | Assassin heroine, competition, found family, epic scope |
This is definitely my favorite series of Sarah J. Maas, and it’s one I most heartily recommend to people. It’s more YA in some ways, and there’s like one spicy scene across the series, but there are many, many romance storylines which makes it perfect as an intro to the world of romantasy.
Throne of Glass opens with Caelena Sardothien, who used to be an assassin before she was captured and taken to the salt mines, as she meets the prince of the kingdom that enslaved her and half the continent. The prince wants her to be his champion in the competition his father is holding to find a new royal assassin (they call it something else, but that would be her job). She agrees, because there’s no other choice, but the competition proves deadly.
I will say, the first part doesn’t do the series justice, in my opinion. The series as a whole is epic and amazing (like listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack) but part one tends to be a bit boring. If you can survive through that, I promise the series as a whole gets better and better.
It has 7 parts and one novella, all of it is finished, and it looks like Sarah J. Maas has no plans to continue with it. If you’re confused about the reading order, here it is:
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms
- Tower of Dawn
- Kingdom of Ash
- Assassins’ Blade (novella) — optional
People like to make this more complicated than they are, you really don’t need to read the novella at all (I never did), and you don’t need to tandem read anything. Just read everything in order of publication, and you’ll be golden!
Divine Rivals (Duology)
| Series Length | Finished duology |
| Heat Level | Low |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, epistolary/pen-pal romance, wartime setting, gods at war |
This is another popular pick I didn’t quite enjoy (read my full review here), but I would definitely recommend because it’s a charming concept and a well-written book. Again, just because something is not my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it won’t be yours.
Divine Rivals is set in a world inspired by World War II aesthetics, where a young journalist leaves the (relative) comfort of her home and job to head to the frontline to report on a war in the hopes of finding her brother. And the war isn’t just any war, but a war between gods, so it’s extra dangerous.
At the same time, she is exchanging letters with a mysterious man and falling in love with him slowly, but she doesn’t know who he is — and he couldn’t possibly be her annoying, handsome coworker and office rival, could he?
This is a duology, and both parts are out, though the author is still writing in this world (not with the same characters, so you can read and relax). And if you like books where people fall in love via letters, check out my list of best epistolary romances.
The Bridge Kingdom (Series)
| Series Length | 6 books so far, each two follow a different heroine’s romance (in the same world) |
| Heat Level | Medium — it’s not erotica, but there are steamy scenes |
| Tropes to Expect | Arranged/political marriage, enemies to lovers, spy heroine, court intrigue |
The Bridge Kingdom is a very popular series of loosely (?) connected books. I feel like you can read each one separately without worrying, but skipping through might result in some spoilers. Personally, I feel sort of so-so on this book, but it’s really well-written and I loved the heroine a lot.
The first book is about a woman who was trained and raised to marry and kill a king at her father’s request. She was raised to believe the worst of the king and his kingdom, but when she gets there, she realizes things are not so bad, and her father may be the monster rather than her new husband.
I highly recommend this book if you want a well-written, long-running series to binge. It’s a perfect intro into the world of romantasy, though maybe less addictive than ACOTAR or Fourth Wing.
One Dark Window (Duology)
| Series Length | Completed duology |
| Heat Level | Some steamy scenes, but this leans more YA fantasy |
| Tropes to Expect | Voice in your head (possession), gothic, fake courting, enemies to lovers (kind of) |
Yet another book I felt meh about, but deserves a spot on this list. This one is more YA and excellently written, with a fantastic atmosphere I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s more gothic, and the magic is based on these cards, which was refreshing.
Anyways, you meet our heroine, who’s an abandoned daughter of a noble in this kingdom, and lives with her aunt. She goes to a royal ball where she meets the king’s enforcer (he hunts down people with magic), and our heroine has magic. Not only that, but she has the voice of a monster in her head. The enforcer realizes she has magic and can help him find all the cards (they need one of each to end a curse on this kingdom), so he wants them to pretend to be courting each other in order to have a cover for looking for these cards.
The duology is completed, so you can enjoy it without waiting as well.
Crowns of Nyaxia (Series)
| Series Length | Ongoing – 5 books and 2 novellas so far (but each two are separate stories in the same world) |
| Heat Level | Medium — there aren’t that many scenes, maybe like one per book |
| Tropes to Expect | Vampires, deadly tournament, enemies to lovers, forced proximity |
There’s a trend here, if you’ll notice, of books I generally didn’t get excited about, but Crowns of Nyaxia is probably one of the better entries here. This one’s about vampires in a vampire land, and a deadly trial our heroine (the only human, and the daughter of a vampire king) enters in the hopes of becoming a vampire herself.
At this competition, she makes friends with a very handsome, very powerful vampire, and together they try to beat these trials and keep her alive.
It’s a slow-paced, somewhat sedate plot despite all the blood, gore and fighting, so keep that in mind when reading. The romance is also quite slow. This series is ongoing, but only the first two parts (both out) are about the original heroine and hero.
Kushiel’s Dart (Series)
| Series Length | The series is complete; there are 6 parts and some novellas, but only the first three are about the same heroine, the rest is a different one |
| Heat Level | Very spicy, this world’s religion is based on love and intimacy + the heroine is a courtesan |
| Tropes to Expect | Courtesan/spy, forbidden romance, journey fantasy, bodyguard romance, political intrigue |
Kushiel’s Dart is the grandfather of all romantasy, and a true fantasy romance series unlike anything you’ve seen before.
This story is set in a land where love and sex are a form of worship to the gods, and our heroine is a courtesan trained in the arts of seduction, but also spying and observation.
I won’t say more for fear of spoiling the whole thing, but I would recommend this book if you’re not squicky about physical intimacy being such a big part of this world, and some light S&M. Other than that, this book is far deeper than you’d expect, with a very well-developed world, fantastic focus on politics, military tactics, religion and more.
The Jasad Heir (Duology)
| Series Length | A complete duology (sweet and short)! |
| Heat Level | Not all that spicy, some scenes, but more focus on the tension |
| Tropes to Expect | Lost princess, enemies to lovers, betrayal, Egyptian-inspired world, political intrigue, magic-users in hiding |
The Jasad Heir is a newer entry in the world of romantasy, and one of the better books in my opinion. It’s a completed duology I enjoyed very much, and found it incredibly fun to read.
Our heroine, Sylvia, is the last heir of Jasad, a country that was burned down. Everyone believes she’s dead and she wants things to stay that way. But then Arin, the heir of an enemy country hunts down some rebels to her village, and she has an unexpected outburst of magic, so she has to make a deal with him — she’ll lure out the rebels if he’ll let her go. She hopes this will save her secret, but things, of course, get more complicated the more time she spends with Arin.
Again, what a fun book! It’s surprisingly funny and also based in Egyptian mythology and folklore, which is a great change of pace.
The Jasmine Throne (Series)
| Series Length | A complete trilogy |
| Heat Level | Similar to most of these books, there’s spice but it’s mostly about the tension (which is delicious!) |
| Tropes to Expect | Sapphic, political intrigue, imprisoned princess, slow burn |
The Jasmine Throne is based on the history and folklore of India, and it’s a brilliantly written book with one of the best sapphic romances ever.
Okay, so Malini is a princess imprisoned by her brother, and Priya is a maidservant with a secret, sent to clean Malini’s chambers. But then one day, Priya’s true nature is revealed, and our story begins — as someone said, “morally gray lesbians who want to burn down an empire” and that tracks.
But aside from that, this book is incredibly nuanced and well written and I would highly recommend the entire series if you want something really good, really different and fresh.
Standalone Fantasy Romance
Read these books if you don’t have time for a long series and you just want something quick, magical and romantic. Some of these are more well-known, some are very underrated, but all of them will steal your heart and make you wish there was more.
The Everlasting
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | Not spicy, but so romantic and swoony |
| Tropes to Expect | Time loop, fated lovers, forbidden romance, lady knight, scholar hero (with glasses!) |
The Everlasting is the best romantic fantasy book on this list. You just won’t know what hit you when you start reading, and it’s definitely one of my favorite books ever, so much so that I’m still unable to competently talk about it without feeling like just forcing someone to read it wouldn’t do a much better job.
The Everlasting is a story about Owen Mallory, a historian who has always been obsessed with the legend of Una Everlasting, his nation’s greatest myth, and one often used to spur on more wars. One day, he gets a book that appears to be a diary of Una’s companion, and he’s so excited to have it — until it’s taken from him, and all of the clues lead him to a powerful politician, who throws him into time and space, and straight into Una’s arms.
Again, just read it. You won’t regret it. It’s so powerful and so tender, and so unique. Read my full review of Everlasting here!
Asunder
| Series Length | Standalone (for now!) |
| Heat Level | Not spicy, very slow burn |
| Tropes to Expect | Sharing consciousness (with the hero), slow burn, friends to lovers, journey/road trip, very Ghibli-like |
Okay, so Asunder isn’t strictly categorized as romantasy, but it’s a fantasy book, and it has a beautiful, epic romance, so I say it meets the criteria. And it’s one of my favorite books ever! So, let me introduce you to the masterpiece that is Asunder.
We follow Karys Eska, a deathspeaker (she can talk to ghosts of people who died recently and sense all magic), who has been sent to inspect a possible death site by her city’s crime boss (of sorts). But instead of a routine job, she stumbles upon dangerous creatures created by old gods and a dying man named Ferain.
Now, Karys desperately wants to escape, but she also needs money (for reasons you’ll find out later), and because of this, she makes a deal with Ferain: she’ll save him but he needs to pay her for it. The saving doesn’t go as smoothly as they expect — instead of it being a simple process, Ferain ends up locked as her shadow, and they have to find a way to release him, which includes a dangerous journey across warring countries, old, cunning gods, crime lords, skin-walkers, and so much more.
All of this is set in a beautiful, lush world. It’s both modern (at times futuristic) and old-fashioned, filled with the kind of magic I guarantee you haven’t seen before. And it’s dark, true — a lot of it is almost horror-ish, with demonic gods, creatures that kill by turning you inside out, and more — but Asunder also has a Ghibli-esque vibe. Like, one mode of transport is a gigantic spider that has a five-star hotel inside itself. Or a train that is covered in moss and wildlife.
And the prose is so wonderful, so easy to read, but very cinematic and descriptive. There are lovely side-characters you’ll adore, a found family aspect, and the whole book feels both cozy and keeps you on edge. The romance is slow-burn — Ferain and Karys don’t trust each other easily (even though they’re essentially sharing a body), but they end up so deeply in love by the end.
Fair warning: this is a duology, and part two is not out yet. So, read it and then tell more people to read it so part two can come out sooner! Plus, this author is so awesome; like, currently, she’s writing the script for a cozy video game named Dressmaker, so check that out as well if it’s something you think you’d like. Read my full review of Asunder here!
Spinning Silver
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | Not spicy at all |
| Tropes to Expect | Rumplestilskin inspired, fae, fire demons, enemies to lovers, girls getting what they deserve through hard work! |
Spinning Silver is, again, technically not a romantasy in the truest sense, but it is a fantasy book with excellent writing, plotting, characters and world-building that also features a romance.
It basically tells a story of three women — Miryem, Irina and Wanda. Miryem is the daughter of a lender who is a terrible debt collector, so she takes things into her own hands and she does the job so well she captures the attention of a fae lord. Irina is a noble whose father wants her to marry a tzar, but the tzar is not what he appears to be. And finally, Wanda is a poor maidservant with two brothers and an abusive father who really wants to get out of her bad situation.
Read it, love it, remember it forever — it’s a really good book and one of my personal favorites. Read my full review of Spinning Silver here!
Bride
| Series Length | Can be read as standalone, companion novel is about another character |
| Heat Level | Very spicy (learn about knotting first!) |
| Tropes to Expect | Arranged marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, fated mates, werewolf/vampire |
If you were a Twilight girlie ever in your life, or if you liked Vampire Diaries, Bride is definitely for you. It’s pretty romance focused, but it does have a plot on the side. And, it can be read as a standalone, which is always a bonus.
This story follows Misery, a vampire who, as a child, has been sent to humans as collateral in a political deal. Now, her father is asking her to become a collateral once again via a political marriage to a werewolf and she refuses to — until she hears her groom’s name. So, she agrees to go into the dangerous world of werewolves, and finds something really unexpected there.
I really loved how fun and self-aware this book was. It reminded me of my favorite fanfics in the best way possible. It’s a quick read too. You follow mostly Misery’s POV, but there are snippets of Lowe’s thoughts at the beginning of each chapter.
Read my full review of Bride here! (And if you’re curious about its companion, Mate, I have a review of it here).
One for My Enemy
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | Low to no spice — the romance is more tension and longing than anything explicit |
| Tropes to Expect | Star-crossed lovers, enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, rival families, slow burn, Romeo and Juliet retelling |
While I personally didn’t love this book (find out why here), many people did and I feel like it’s a unique, underrated romantasy book. One for My Enemy follows two families of witches in New York as they fight for their position in the world of magic-infused drug dealing.
It’s based on Romeo and Juliette, so the romances in this one are tragic, sad and forbidden. And yes, there are multiple. It’s a beautifully written book, though I found it a bit too much at times.
However, it might just work for you because it’s really atmospheric and perfect if you already love Olivie Blake’s writing.
The Starling House
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | No spice but lots of romance |
| Tropes to Expect | Boss/employee romance (but not weird), small town secrets, sentient house, found family |
This is another Alix E. Harrow book, and another one of my favorites. In this, you follow a poor, disillusioned girl named Opal, who struggles to care for her asthmatic teenage brother in a town where air is heavily polluted and bad for him. To collect more money, she agrees to work at the Starling House, a mysterious, supposedly haunted place with an even more mysterious (but handsome) owner.
This throws Opal straight into decades-long mystery and brings new dangers into her life, but she also finds comfort and friendship with her new boss (who is so smitten he allows her to steal from him).
A very charming book, with amazing themes and a cast of characters you won’t soon forget. I have a full review of Starling House here if you want more info.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | There is spice, but in romantic scenes it’s more ephemeral than explicit |
| Tropes to Expect | Immortal, philosophical, god of death, star-crossed lovers |
This book is one that people either love or hate, and I’m in the former camp. I loved it so much that it made me cry quite a lot, and I own a beautiful special edition which I’m very proud of. Funnily enough, the romance was my least favorite part, but I adored the discussions of immortality and what it means to be remembered, and all that.
So, this is a story of a girl who makes a pact with a god to get freedom, on the night of her wedding to a man she doesn’t love. The god grants her that wish, but at the cost of everyone, including her beloved father, forgetting her existence. And so she lives her life, with people being unable to remember her, if they look away from her for even a second. That is, until she meets Henry, who for some reason can remember her perfectly.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | No spice, this is more YA |
| Tropes to Expect | Gods and mortals, wallflower, Ghibli-like, fated romance |
If you love Ghibli movies, and especially Spirited Away, this is the book for you. In this one, we follow the heroine Mina, as she decides to save her brother’s love from a terrible fate of being the sea god’s bride. She jumps instead of her, and finds herself in an entirely new and strange world. The sea god is trapped in an enchanted sleep, and with the help of a mysterious man named Shin, she sets out to release him so he can end the storms that plague her small village once and for all.
It’s adorable, romantic and very slow burn, so if that’s your cup of tea, I highly recommend it.
Romantasy Series You Should Read
The Road of Bones
| Series Length | Ongoing series, three parts and one novella are out (of planned 5) |
| Heat Level | Spicy, but not all the time, maybe a few scenes per book |
| Tropes to Expect | Hidden identity, enemies to lovers, magic is forbidden |
The Road of Bones gave me that same feeling that ACOTAR did when I first read it, but this one is (in my opinion) much better written, and has a more compelling plot. I have a full review here if you want to know more. The story begins when Silla and her father have to run from yet another home, though she’s unsure why.
Then her father gets killed while they’re running and she’s forced to find her way to safety on her own. And she does this by sneaking into the caravan of a group of mercenaries, hoping they won’t find her. But then they do, and instead of killing her (which they initially want), they allow her to stay and cook for them.
Silla just wants to get to safety, but she’s also intrigued by one of the travelling companions, Jonas, and equally afraid-slash-curious about the group’s leader, Reynir. I won’t say anything more because it would spoil things but I guarantee it’s one of the best true romantasy reads you’ll get.
Whispers of The Deep
| Series Length | Finished series (?) of 5 interconnected novels (each focuses on a different couple) |
| Heat Level | The spice scenes are usually near the end and they get very spicy |
| Tropes to Expect | Human and merman, forbidden romance, true enemies to lovers, unable to communicate, underwater world |
I’m honestly not sure how Whispers of The Deep isn’t more popular on social media and in general because it’s honestly one of the best romantasy books I’ve read. You have the strong heroine fighting against impossible odds, a competent, handsome hero, and a romance that truly goes from enemies to lovers.
So, Mira is an engineer of an underwater city called Beta. Humans have had to move under the sea in order to survive, but their intrusion is angering the native Undines, or mermaids, that lived there. One day, while Mira is working in an abandoned area, she spots an undine called Arges spying on her, and a few days later he attacks her city with his pod.
The two of them end up saving each other’s lives in the attack, which only makes Arges more interested in Mira — mostly just as a source of information at first. So he kidnaps her and takes her away.
What he doesn’t realize is that humans can’t survive underwater, and that dangerous members of his pod are following. They can’t communicate, and don’t understand each other, but somehow they start becoming friends, and then something more.
This is a wonderful book with a very believable romance that has to suffer many obstacles. There’s some spice but mostly towards the end, and the main focus is on romance, while the plot is in the background. You also get perspectives from both Mira and Arges.
I have reviews for the whole series here:
- Whispers of the Deep Review
- Song of The Abyss Review
- Echoes of the Tide Review
- Call of The Fathoms Review
- Secrets of The Void Review
The Irresistible Urge To Fall for Your Enemy (Duology)
| Series Length | Finished duology |
| Heat Level | No spice in the first book (maybe a little), it’s very slow burn |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, slow burn, funny, forbidden romance, mystery |
If you love enemies to lovers and a burn so slow it will leave you breathless, this is the book to read. It took me a while to get into it (despite how excited I was to read it), but once I did, I could not stop. There’s a lot of world dumped on you, be warned, but I promise all you need to do is follow the main couple because that’s kind of the point. Read my full review of this book here.
Our heroine belongs to the order of healers, while our hero belongs to the despicable assassins. But when he gets a wound that could kill him (or make his order kill him), he goes to her, and together they try to repair his magic.
The problem is, they hate each other so much. They’re literally disgusted by the other. But slowly, as they get to know each other, they fall in love.
Reign and Ruin
| Series Length | 4 parts and 2 novellas |
| Heat Level | There’s spice, but it’s not excessive |
| Tropes to Expect | Slow burn, political intrigue, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, capable heroine (and hero) |
This is a brilliantly written series, with a magic system I loved. And the heroine in this book is magnificent, smart, cunning — I adored her.
The story is this — our heroine is the daughter of a sultan and she’s meant to inherit the sultanate. But the problem is, her father grows ill before he can confirm it, and so he’s easily manipulated by his Grand Vizier to make our heroine marry someone (hopefully him) and let him rule the lands. Thankfully, our heroine is smarter than that, and she messages another kingdom promising an alliance. Our hero, a spare prince with an agenda of his own, arrives just in a nick of time, and the two concoct a marriage of convenience which turns into something more.
There are many books in this series, covering many of the original characters, so you can enjoy it for a long time.
Rose in Chains
| Series Length | Planned trilogy, two books out |
| Heat Level | Spicy and dark |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, imprisoned princess, forbidden romance, slow burn (ish) |
Rose in Chains is a newer fantasy romance series, and it’s based on a Dramione fanfiction, but I feel like you’ll enjoy it if you like books like ACOTAR. In this one, you get a dual timeline. One in which our heroine is attending a school of magic in an enemy kingdom and dealing with a rude, spiteful boy, and another in which her kingdom has been ravaged by war and that same boy is hunting her.
If you’ve read the original fanfic, you’ll love this, but even if you haven’t, you won’t feel lost — this reads entirely unique from that. Keep in mind that it’s an ongoing series so you’ll have to wait a while for its conclusion.
This Monster of Mine
| Series Length | Planned trilogy, two books out |
| Heat Level | Not overly spicy, but there are a few explicit scenes |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, boss/employee, forced proximity, slow burn (ish), he falls first |
Though I felt so-so about This Monster of Mine (read my full review here), I would still highly recommend it if you want something different and perhaps deeper.
So, years ago, our heroine went after her friend to the prestigious university in the capital. However, something happened to her when she got there, and she almost died, so now she’s serving as a barmaid back in her poor small town. But then an opportunity arises to be a petitor to one of the great judges at the capital (a petitor is like a person who can tell who’s lying or not) and she goes there on a mission to find out who tried to kill her years ago.
Six Crimson Cranes
| Series Length | Finished duology |
| Heat Level | This is more YA, but there is tons of romantic tension |
| Tropes to Expect | Wild Swans retelling, silence curse, arranged marriage, sibling loyalty |
Six Crimson Cranes is a Chinese-inspired retelling of the old “Wild Swans” fairy tale.
Princess Shiori has been hiding a dangerous gift for magic her whole life, since practicing it is forbidden for anyone but sorcerers. On the day of her betrothal, that magic slips out of her control, and the fallout curses her six older brothers into cranes.
To break the spell, Shiori can’t speak a single word or her brothers die, all while a stepmother with secrets of her own is scheming to take the throne, and Shiori is forced into hiding, disguised and alone, trying to find a way to save her family before it’s too late.
I liked this one a lot. It leans into the eerie, fairy-tale logic of the source material while still building out its own political intrigue and a genuinely sweet slow-burn with Shiori’s betrothed, Prince Takkan. It never feels like it’s just going through the motions of the original story.
It’s a duology, so if you pick up Six Crimson Cranes, know you’re committing to book two (The Dragon’s Promise) to get the full ending.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
This is a dual-POV fantasy set in a world inspired by West African folklore, and it’s got one of the more brutal “ticking clock” premises I’ve read in the genre.
Malik is a refugee who just wants to get his family somewhere safe, but his little sister gets possessed by a demon, and the only way to save her is to assassinate a princess during the week-long Solstasia festival. That princess is Karina, who’s dealing with the fresh grief of her mother’s murder and is trying to solve it herself, all while unknowingly being someone’s assigned target. The two of them get pulled into each other’s orbit as the festival’s competition unfolds, and neither one has the full picture of what the other is hiding.
I liked this one. The dual POV does a lot of heavy lifting here, since you’re rooting for both of these people even though their goals are in direct conflict, and the mythology woven through the plot gives it more weight than a typical enemies-to-lovers setup. It’s a duology, wrapped up in the sequel A Psalm of Storms and Silence.
Cozy Fantasy Romance Reads
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
| Series Length | Can be read as a standalone, but there is a book set in the same world that comes before this one |
| Heat Level | Low spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Grumpy/grumpy, forced proximity, found family, slow burn, ice king melts, sentient magical house |
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a cozy fantasy book with a side dish of romance so delicious, you’ll sort of wish it’s the main course, but also be glad it isn’t because everything else is also fantastic. It tells the story of Sera Swan who used to be the most powerful witch in Britain. But when she resurrects her great-aunt Jasmine, she loses almost all of her powers and she’s practically kicked out of the magic community.
Years later, she finds out about a book of spells that can help her regain her powers, and she decides to try to get her magic back. And at the same time, her inn draws in Luke and his little sister who have their own reasons for hiding from the world.
The story that unfolds is soft, cozy, full of found family and tender moments that will make you tear up, and the romance itself has the most wonderful tension. If you’re craving something cozy, this is your best bet! Read my full review of this book here!
Wolfsong
| Series Length | Four books and three novellas, but you can read the first as a standalone, each book is just a different couple |
| Heat Level | Some spice, mostly near the end of books, but very explicit |
| Tropes to Expect | Fated mates, werewolf romance, found family |
Wolfsong is a werewolf M/M romance that feels very cozy despite the fact that the stakes get high. But the vibes are homey and there’s found family, so the whole book feels warm and welcoming even if there’s some sadness and tragedy in it. Give it a go if you’re okay with that!
The plot follows a boy whose father abandons him, and he gets basically adopted by a weird newcomer family who turn out to be werewolves. And their youngest son seems especially fond of our hero. But dark forces threaten to endanger the family they’ve built together. You can find my full rant/review here.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
| Series Length | A series, unfinished, three books out, one out in 2027 |
| Heat Level | Not spicy |
| Tropes to Expect | Fae, hidden identity, light academia, cottagecore, diary entries |
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book when I first read it, but it’s definitely a fan-favorite and a staple in the cozy romantasy genre, so I would always recommend it. It’s mainly focused on Emily and her work on the faeries, but there’s a bit of romance in there as well.
So, Emily Wilde is a scientist and an academic with a special focus on the fae (not the sexy, six-foot fae, but the more folkloric ones), and she travels to a distant land (much like Iceland), where she intends to study them. Unfortunately, it’s not going well, she’s very cold, and then she’s followed by a fellow professor who apparently intends to do nothing but seduce local women and bother Emily.
It gets really cute and heartwarming at times, so definitely check it out if you want the more traditional fae.
The Spellshop
| Series Length | A series of 4 interconnected books |
| Heat Level | Not spicy |
| Tropes to Expect | Cozy fantasy, grumpy x sunshine, small-town found family, forbidden magic |
I wanted to love this one more than I did. It’s a cozy fantasy through and through, and if that’s your exact mood, it might hit for you the way it didn’t for me.
Kiela is a librarian who’s spent over a decade quietly guarding the empire’s spellbooks, minding her own business with her sentient spider plant assistant, Caz. When revolution breaks out and the library burns, she flees with as many spellbooks as she can carry to the remote island where she grew up.
There, she opens an illegal “jam shop” that’s secretly powered by spellwork, and slowly gets pulled out of her shell by the island’s residents, including her extremely persistent, extremely handsome neighbor, Larran.
It’s sweet, and Caz the spider plant is a highlight, but the whole thing felt a little too low-stakes and a little too pleased with its own coziness for my taste. I think this is a case of “it’s not the book, it’s me” though; if you want something that reads like a warm hug with minimal peril, this delivers exactly that.
It’s a standalone kickoff to a loosely connected “Spellshop” series (Durst has followed it up with more books set in the same world), so you don’t need to commit to anything to try it.
Half a Soul
| Series Length | Technically the first book in a series of interconnected novels, but the other ones are about other characters and there’s no overarching plot so it can be read as a standalone |
| Heat Level | Not spicy |
| Tropes to Expect | Cozy fantasy, fae, dislike to lovers, regency romance |
Half a Soul is a perfectly cozy, quick little fantasy romance that you’ll definitely enjoy. In it, half of Dora’s soul is taken (cut off with scissors) by fae when she’s a child and she spends the rest of her life socially inept, with muted feelings, always feeling othered and different. Her cousin is determined to help, so when they’re of a marrying age, she convinces her mother to take them to London, ostensibly to to find husbands, but really to meet the Great Wizard who the cousin thinks can help Dora.
Only when they get there, the Wizard is rude and invested in helping people from the workhouses, where children seem to be going into this eternal sort of sleep. He’s also very drawn to Dora, especially since she gets just as invested in helping the children and people from the workhouses in general.
This book reminded me of Howl’s Moving Castle in some ways, and it’s a wonderfully cozy story to enjoy on a rainy day.
Paladin’s Grace
| Series Length | A series of 4 interconnected books, each with its own couple |
| Heat Level | Just a pinch of spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Gods and paladins, cozy romance, adult characters (above 30), good diversity |
Paladin’s Grace is actually the first book in a series of interconnected novels, each featuring one of the Paladins who lost their god and now they feel lost and listless in the world. The first one is about Stephen, who loves knitting socks and wants to protect people, and is also deathly afraid of himself because he blanks out sometimes and goes into rage (because of the dead god).
He runs into a woman one night and helps her out (quite in an interesting way) and from there, their paths intersect. This is one of those books that’s equally funny and tender, and if you know T. Kingfisher, just trademark goofy and silly while also covering some very serious themes.
Both characters are also well into their thirties, so if you’re looking for older characters to relate to, this will be your jam for sure.
Throne in The Dark
| Series Length | A series of 3 books, plus 2 stories of different couples from the universe |
| Heat Level | Just a pinch of spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, a rom com, opposites attract, a little bit meta because it’s kind of like a parody |
Throne in the Dark may not belong on this part of the list, but I found it cozy nevertheless just because it feels like a rom com and a parody of sorts of the typical “dark lord meets pretty girl and falls in love”. In this book, whatever the dark lord does somehow works out for the best, and he cannot get to the evil he aspires to.
He sets off on a journey to free his demonic father, but meets a girl that looks innocent but is anything but. Watch them stumble and fall in love in this very charming, very relaxing book. It’s a series too, and there are plenty of books to enjoy here!
Old Flames and New Fortunes
| Series Length | A 3-book series, two of them are out; each one is about a different sister and can be read as a standalone |
| Heat Level | Spicy, but not too much, there are one or two scenes per book |
| Tropes to Expect | Witches, cozy small town, second chance romance, great found family |
Old Flames and New Fortunes is more of a contemporary romance, but it features a family of witches (even though no one believes them) and it reminds me of Practical Magic a lot. It helps that it’s by one of my favorite authors too!
In Old Flames and New Fortunes, our main heroine’s old flame (as the title says) comes back to town and she is at the same time outraged and smitten all over again. She fakes a relationship with one of her best friends to avoid him, but she needs the money her mother might spend in her flower shop, so they’re constantly thrown together. And it doesn’t help that he knows her, so he’s not convinced by any of her faking.
This one is funny and heartfelt, also a series with each sister (of three) getting her own book. There’s plenty of flower magic, a beautiful bookshop/candle shop/flower shop the sisters share in a charming little town. Enjoy!
Tusk Love
| Series Length | Standalone |
| Heat Level | Spicy, but not too much |
| Tropes to Expect | Orc and human, road trip, forbidden romance |
Tusk Love is based on Critical Role’s DnD campaign, which is something I missed when I first read it, but I enjoyed the story nevertheless. Thea Ghuanzon manages to paint the world of DnD in lovely colors and she delivers the relationship convincingly.
It’s a new take on orc romance, which is a rabbit hole I briefly fell down into — and still do, on occasion. In this one, our hero rescues our heroine from bandits who kidnapped her, and is tasked with bringing her home. But along the way, the two of them slowly start to fall in love, and it’s as sweet as you can imagine.
A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire
| Series Length | Series of interconnected novels, each one can be read as a standalone because each one is about a different couple |
| Heat Level | Medium spicy, more so cozy and emotional |
| Tropes to Expect | Grumpy/sunshine, nerdy werewolf/assassin vampire, found family |
This is also a series, but I read A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire first because I wanted to read about werewolves and vampires, so I skipped all others. Not that I minded the spoilers — these are rom coms after all and you know the main couple is going to fall in love.
This is a very cozy, gentle take on the classic Werewolf/Vampire romance trope, where there are far less bodily fluids and toxicity, and more just finding that one person who understands you perfectly. This one features another hero who loves knitting, so you just know it belongs here!
In this book, our hero accidentally summons our heroine (the vampire) from the necklace where she’s been trapped for many years by a witch. The witch got tired of her, so she just mailed the necklace to whomever. Now, he’s stuck with a vampiress who doesn’t understand much of modern society and is mainly used to killing people. Watch as these two misfits fall in love!
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
| Series Length | Three connected novels but each is about a different couple |
| Heat Level | Medium spicy, more so cozy and swoony |
| Tropes to Expect | Rivals to lovers, historical rom-com, magical creatures, academic setting |
I loved this one, and if you’ve read India Holton before, you basically know what you’re getting: chaos, banter, and a plot that takes itself exactly as seriously as it should (not very).
Beth Pickering is an Oxford ornithology professor trying to earn the respect (and tenure) she’s more than earned, and her biggest obstacle is her insufferable rival, Devon Lockley from Cambridge, who has a habit of stealing her spotlight (and her birds).
When the International Ornithological Society announces a competition to capture a rare, mythical bird and name a “Birder of the Year,” Beth and Devon are forced into an alliance, tromping across England and Europe while dodging corrupt officials, rival birders, and their own growing feelings for each other.
It’s set in the same universe as Holton’s Wisteria Society books, and it’s got the same chaotic Victorian rom-com energy, just swap flying houses for magical birds and pirates for professors. This kicks off Holton’s “Love’s Academic” series, so there’s more silliness to come if you end up as into it as I was.
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Trilogy)
| Series Length | Three connected novels but each is about a different couple (can be read as standalones) |
| Heat Level | Not too spicy, maybe one or two scenes per book |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, flying-house pirates, comedic Victorian fantasy |
I loved parts one and two of this trilogy; part three was so-so for me, but two out of three ain’t bad, especially when the highs are this fun.
Book one introduces Cecilia Bassingthwaite, a proper Victorian lady who also happens to be a pirate, flying around England in a battlehouse with the rest of the Wisteria Society, a crime sorority of lady scoundrels who steal, blackmail, and drink an alarming amount of tea.
Her life gets complicated when Ned Lightbourne, an assassin with far too many aliases, is sent to kill her, but falls for her instead. The real trouble starts when Cecilia’s villainous father, Captain Morvath, kidnaps the entire Wisteria Society, forcing Cecilia and Ned to team up despite him technically still being under orders to end her.
Book two, The League of Gentlewomen Witches, was actually my favorite of the three, and book three, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason, is where things went a little flat for me, though it’s still a perfectly fine way to close things out.
The whole trilogy is completely unhinged in the best way, somewhere between The Princess Bride and a Monty Python sketch, so go in expecting silliness over substance and you’ll have a blast.
YA Romantasy Picks
The Cruel Prince
| Series Length | Trilogy, completed |
| Heat Level | Some spice, but it’s closed door and implied only |
| Tropes to Expect | Dark fae court, enemies to lovers, morally gray hero, political scheming |
The Cruel Prince is a famous YA series that you definitely need to read. Fair warning: this one is more fantasy than romance, and if you go into it with that in mind, you’ll find lots to love. This is mainly a political fantasy with very little actual romance, but it was sold to me as Cardan/Jude enemies to lovers’ romance, so I was quite disappointed in what I got. However, you don’t have to be.
In The Cruel Prince, Jude is a human in a land of fae. She is bullied and tormented constantly, most of all by Cardan, the fae prince. But when a competition begins to see who the next knight will be, she applies, and then she’s also pulled into a sort of spying group with a bunch of other misfits to protect the crown prince (Cardan’s brother), and all the while Jude has to deal with her sister Taryn who only wants to have fun and marry someone, and her stepfather who loves her and wants her to be safe in equal measure.
It’s a complex world full of fae that respects the actual fae lore and there’s really a ton of political maneuvering from everyone, lots of bullying of our humans, lots of betrayal and murder. The romance comes through in bits and pieces, but it’s there, so if this seems like your sort of book, I hope you enjoy!
Your Blood, My Bones
| Series Length | Technically not a series, each book can be read as a standalone, but characters from all books appear in each other’s books |
| Heat Level | One spicy scene that’s more emotional than anything in Your Blood My Bones |
| Tropes to Expect | Childhood friends to lovers, star-crossed/curse-crossed lovers, opposites attract, slow burn, forbidden love, loose Peter Pan inspiration, gothic horror elements |
Your Blood, My Bones combines horror, romance, and mystery in such a brilliant way that I’m surprised more people aren’t singing its praises. It can be read as a standalone, though I also recommend The Whispering Dark by the same author, and her follow up novel since the characters do converge at some point in each book.
This one follows Wyatt, whose father just died. She goes to her family home in order to burn it, but then finds her childhood best friend Peter chained up in the basement. The property is falling apart and getting swallowed by the nature around it without someone there to protect it. The only way to do that is for Wyatt to kill Peter. But the only way for Peter to be truly free is to kill Wyatt.
Trapped in that house, the two of them have to come to terms with their feelings for each other, their childhood, and the secrets that lurk there.
Your Blood, My Bones is full of nostalgia, tender feelings and creepy eldritch monsters. It doesn’t have any spice since it’s YA, but that doesn’t make the romance any less charming and swoony. You can find my full review of Your Blood My Bones here, and my review of I Am Made of Death here.
Once Upon a Broken Heart
| Series Length | Completed trilogy + one novella |
| Heat Level | Very low |
| Tropes to Expect | Deal with a trickster/fate figure, enemies to lovers, love triangle, forced proximity, slow burn, forbidden love, magical curses |
I’ll be perfectly honest with you — I didn’t like Once Upon a Broken Heart or its sequels, but this series is so beloved and praised (and has such gorgeous fan art) that I’m so super jealous of everyone who did like it. I want to be a part of it all, but alas the book was very childish for me, and it’s like it took all the worst parts of Caraval and put it together. Don’t get me wrong, the world is gorgeous and wonderfully imagined, but Evangeline is so stupid, I couldn’t follow her any further.
That said, this truly is a magical love story between Evangeline and Jacks, full of betrayal, longing, and lovely scenes.
A River Enchanted
| Series Length | Completed duology |
| Heat Level | Medium spice, but it’s still suitable for teens I feel like |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, childhood rivals, folklore, missing-persons mystery |
This one’s not really my jam, but I liked it enough that I’m planning a reread, which tells you something about how it sits with me even when it’s not hitting exactly right the first time.
Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on the isle of Cadence in ten years, perfectly content studying music on the mainland, until he’s summoned home because young girls from his clan have started disappearing. He’s paired up with Adaira, his childhood nemesis and now heiress to the east, since she believes only a bard’s music can call out the island’s spirits and get answers about the missing girls.
Cadence itself is half the draw here: a divided island with two feuding clans, spirits tied to fire, water, earth, and wind, and folklore that feels truly Scottish in its bones rather than just aesthetic dressing.
The mystery and the atmosphere are what kept me reading, more than the central romance, which felt a little undercooked compared to everything happening around it. It’s a duology (paired with A Fire Endless), so there’s a full arc if you decide to stick with it.
The Winternight Trilogy
| Series Length | Three books, completed |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Slavic folklore, household/forest spirits, forbidden romance, feminist fairy tale |
This is one of my favorite series, full stop, not just in this genre. Set in medieval Russia and steeped in Slavic folklore, it follows Vasya, a girl who can see the household and forest spirits that keep her village safe, spirits that everyone else has stopped believing in (and feeding, which is a problem).
As those old protections crumble, Vasya finds herself drawn into a dangerous alliance with Morozko, the frost demon of winter, while contending with a countryside slipping into superstition, suspicion, and real danger for anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of who a proper woman should be.
The writing here is gorgeous, cold and fairy-tale-like in a way that matches its setting perfectly, and Vasya is exactly the kind of stubborn, complicated heroine I want leading a story like this. It’s a complete trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, The Winter of the Witch), so you can binge the whole arc without any of the usual waiting-for-the-next-book anxiety.
Belladonna
| Series Length | Completed trilogy + novella |
| Heat Level | Some spicy scenes, but nothing too excessive |
| Tropes to Expect | Girl who can’t die x Death himself, gothic mystery, murder investigation |
I loved this one, and it hit a very specific sweet spot for me: gothic murder mystery with just enough romance to keep things interesting.
Signa Farrow has been passed between a string of guardians since she was a baby, and every single one of them has died under mysterious circumstances. She’s spent her whole life being followed by Death himself, who’s spared her more times than he should have. When Signa is finally sent to live with her last remaining relatives at the sprawling, secretive Thorn Grove estate, she learns that the family matriarch was recently murdered and her cousin is suffering from the same mysterious illness. To save what’s left of her family, Signa has to work with Death to figure out who’s behind it, all while their strange, dangerous connection turns into something else entirely.
It’s got real mystery bones to it, not just a romance with spooky set dressing, and the dynamic between Signa and Death is exactly the kind of forbidden, slow-building thing I’m a sucker for. This is the first in a trilogy (followed by Foxglove and Wolfsbane), so there’s more Thorn Grove to come if you fall for it the way I did.
The Red Queen
| Series Length | 4 books, a few novellas, completed |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Dystopian caste system, hidden powers, love triangle, rebellion |
Not my jam, but I know this one has a massive following, so don’t let my take scare you off if the premise appeals to you.
Mare Barrow is a Red, part of the lower class in a world where your blood color determines your entire fate, while the ruling Silvers possess superhuman abilities and treat Reds as disposable. When Mare discovers she has power of her own despite her red blood, she’s forced into the Silver court under a false identity, caught between a rebellion that wants to use her and a royal family that wants to control her.
The dystopian, chosen-one bones of this one just didn’t do much for me personally, but it’s a fast, easy read if you’re looking for something in the YA-dystopia-meets-fantasy space. It’s the first in a four-book series, with a few additional companion novels if you end up wanting more of that world. Also, The Powerless series is not on the list because it blatantly rips off this one, and I found the Red Queen to be much better and more fun to read.
More Fantasy, Less Romance
An Ember in The Ashes
| Series Length | Four books, complete, though there’s a connected series just staring |
| Heat Level | Some spice, but not too explicit |
| Tropes to Expect | Dystopian empire, spy-in-enemy-territory, brutal military academy, slow burn |
I loved this one, genuinely one of my favorites on this list, and I’m already planning to make my husband read it.
Laia is a scholar whose brother is imprisoned by the brutal Martial Empire, and to save him, she agrees to spy for the resistance from inside Blackcliff, the empire’s terrifyingly harsh military academy. There, she crosses paths with Elias, a soldier being trained at that same academy who wants nothing more than to escape the violence he’s been raised into. Their stories intertwine as both of them try to survive a system built to crush anyone who doesn’t fall in line, and the empire’s cruelty is never softened for the reader’s comfort.
This isn’t a light or fluffy read, it’s very dark in places, but the payoff is worth it, and the tension between Laia and Elias builds beautifully across the series. It’s the first in a four-book series, and the whole thing is complete, so there’s no waiting required if you get hooked the way I did.
When the Moon Hatched
| Series Length | Ongoing series |
| Heat Level | Lots of spicy scenes |
| Tropes to Expect | Dragon riders, amnesia/lost memory, dense world-building, morally gray hero |
This one is not my jam, and honestly, it’s way too dense for me in a way that isn’t fun, more like homework than escapism.
Raeve is an assassin for a rebellion group, disguised as a traveling bard, until a run-in with a rival bounty hunter gets her captured by a group of powerful fae nobles who plan to use her as a political statement. She’s rescued (sort of) by Kaan Vaegor, a dragon-riding king still grieving the loss of the great love of his life, who recognizes something in Raeve he can’t quite explain.
The world-building here is genuinely intricate, dragons that become moons when they die, an elemental magic system, a literal glossary at the front of the book, but that density is exactly what made it a slog for me rather than something I could sink into.
I know this book has a huge following and plenty of people find the world completely immersive, so if you love heavily built-out lore and don’t mind a slower start, this might land for you even though it didn’t for me. It’s the first in the ongoing Moonfall series.
Sorcery of Thorns
| Series Length | Standalone + novella |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Sorcerer x librarian, sentient grimoires, demons, enemies to lovers |
I didn’t like this one on my first read, but I’m planning a reread, because I have a feeling my expectations were just off going in the first time.
Elisabeth has grown up in one of the Great Libraries, where dangerous sentient grimoires are kept locked away and guarded, and she’s always dreamed of becoming a warden to protect them. When one of the library’s most dangerous books is sabotaged and used to frame her for the crime, Elisabeth is forced to work alongside Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer she’s been taught her whole life to distrust, since sorcerers are the ones responsible for creating the demons plaguing her world in the first place.
Together they have to untangle a conspiracy that threatens the libraries and clear her name, all while her assumptions about sorcerers and magic get repeatedly upended.
There’s a genuinely fun magic system here, and Nathaniel’s demon butler is a highlight, but something about the pacing or the setup didn’t click for me the first time through. It’s a standalone, so it’s a low-commitment reread whenever I get around to giving it a second chance.
Daughter of No Worlds
| Series Length | Three books, completed |
| Heat Level | Medium (open door, a handful of explicit scenes) |
| Tropes to Expect | Grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, mentor/apprentice, slow burn, allies to lovers, chosen one, dual POV, war and political intrigue |
Daughter of No Worlds is a criminally underrated fantasy romance and if you haven’t read it already, you need to read it. You’re probably familiar with its sibling, Serpent and The Wings of Night (by the same author) and let me tell you, that book has nothing on this series.
The story follows Tisannah, a slave girl who finally collects enough money to buy her freedom and finally make her dream of going to Ara come true. But her owner refuses to set her free and almost kills her when Tisannah’s latent power of mind-bending kills him. She runs off, on the brink of death herself and somehow manages to get herself to Ara.
There, in order to prove herself and get the people of Ara to help her land and friends, she agrees to apprentice under Max. Now, Max is completely unwilling and seems to have a dark past of his own. But he agrees. And together, the two of them train.
I don’t want to reveal more in case of spoilers, but Daughter of No Worlds is a unique, tender romance fantasy, with an amazing plot and a relationship that will tug at your heartstrings. Everything develops slowly, and at the beginning this book feels almost cozy. You’ll mostly get Tisannah’s POV, but there is a bit of Max in there as well. See my full review here.
Immortal Longings
| Series Length | Three books, completed |
| Heat Level | Medium (open door) |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, deadly competition/games, body-jumping magic system, morally gray heroine, political intrigue, obsessive/all-consuming romance |
I really wanted to love Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights series, but unfortunately didn’t. But then Immortal Longings came out, and I can finally be a part of the Chloe Gong fandom.
This story is set in the world where the characters can jump from one person to another. And every year, the kingdom hosts a set of games where people compete to death. Calla, the heroine, is a disgraced princess in hiding, and wants to win the games in order to kill her uncle, King Kasa.
Anton, the hero, has been spending all of his money keeping his childhood sweetheart alive and wants to win the games in order to get out of debt.
He and Calla form an alliance, but even as they get closer to having to kill each other, their relationship turns into something entirely different.
You would think that this book is more generic than others on this list, but it’s really not. It’s full of twists and turns, unique concepts and character arcs.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
| Series Length | One novel and two companion novellas which you don’t need to read |
| Heat Level | Low |
| Tropes to Expect | Dragons, court politics, sapphic romance, multi-POV epic |
This one’s a doorstopper, but it’s the kind of epic fantasy where the length makes sense and things actually happen, it’s not just because of the infodump.
Ead Duryan is a mage secretly protecting Queen Sabran from assassination attempts, embedded in her court under a false identity, in a world where dragons once nearly destroyed civilization and are stirring again. The story splits across multiple perspectives and kingdoms, weaving together political intrigue, a looming draconic threat, and a slow-building romance, all without ever losing the thread connecting them.
What I appreciated most is that it’s a standalone, a rarity in a genre that usually demands a trilogy commitment, and it still manages to feel as sprawling and complete as any multi-book epic. There’s now a companion novel, A Day of Fallen Night, set earlier in the same world, if you want more once you finish this one.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
| Series Length | Planned trilogy (ongoing) |
| Heat Level | Low |
| Tropes to Expect | Middle-aged pirate captain, one-last-job heist, Indian Ocean setting, found family |
I liked this one, and I really appreciated that the protagonist isn’t the usual scrappy nineteen-year-old you get in most fantasy adventures.
Amina al-Sirafi is a retired, forty-something former pirate captain trying to live a quiet, devout life with her daughter, done with all the piracy, magic, and demons of her past. That retirement doesn’t last long once a wealthy woman tracks her down and offers her a fortune to find her missing granddaughter, who’s disappeared with a dangerous occultist hunting a legendary magical relic. Amina reassembles her old crew for one last job, and the deeper she digs, the more it becomes clear this isn’t the simple rescue mission she signed up for.
The setting is a huge part of the appeal here, a medieval Indian Ocean world full of dhow ships and trade winds instead of the usual Western-medieval-fantasy backdrop, and Amina’s voice (equal parts devout, sharp-tongued, and self-aware) carries the whole book. It’s the first in a planned trilogy, so there’s more of Amina’s story still to come.
More Romance, Less Fantasy
Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy
| Series Length | Trilogy, complete |
| Heat Level | Medium–High |
| Tropes to Expect | Witch x demon prince, twin’s murder mystery, deal-with-the-devil |
I didn’t like this one, but it’s genuinely good for a silly, goofy, fun time if that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Emilia is a witch whose twin sister has been brutally murdered, and desperate for answers, she strikes a bargain with Wrath, one of the seven princes of Hell, in exchange for his help finding the killer. What follows is equal parts murder mystery and demon romance, with Emilia getting pulled deeper into Wrath’s world (and his motives) than she ever intended.
It didn’t land for me personally, mostly a “this isn’t my flavor of romantasy” thing rather than any real fault with the writing, but I can absolutely see the appeal if you want something fast, dramatic, and a little over the top. It’s a complete trilogy, so you know exactly what you’re signing up for going in.
Serpent & Dove trilogy
| Series Length | Trilogy, complete |
| Heat Level | Medium |
| Tropes to Expect | Witch x witch hunter, forced marriage, enemies to lovers |
I didn’t like this one either, but again, it’s a good pick if you want something fun without taking it too seriously.
Lou is a witch on the run from her past, and Reid is a witch hunter sworn to destroy people exactly like her. A twist of fate forces the two of them into an arranged marriage, and they have to navigate pretending to be a normal couple while hiding what Lou really is, all while actual feelings start getting in the way of their mutual hatred.
This is enemies-to-lovers in its most classic, tropey form, which is exactly why it works for some readers and didn’t quite work for me. It’s a complete trilogy if you want the full arc.
Phantasma
| Series Length | 2 books so far, it seems there will be more |
| Heat Level | Yes, it’s very spicy |
| Tropes to Expect | Deadly competition/game with rules, “don’t fall in love” forbidden romance, morally gray love interest, forced proximity, necromancer heroine, gothic New Orleans setting, found family |
Phantasma is an easy-breezy read which starts out gothic and serious but then ends up feeling somewhat silly. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and it brought me out of a reading slump at one point, so kudos for that.
The best way I can describe it is Caraval but for grown-ups and that’s kind of what it is. One sister recklessly enters a dangerous, treacherous competition and the other, more sensible one, follows along to save her and get her out. But oh, no, she cannot find her and instead finds a handsome man who offers his help in more ways than one. What is she to do but to enjoy herself?
And that’s literally this book. It’s definitely better written than Caraval and spicier too, so I would recommend it if you’re looking for a fun time. Here’s my review of Phantasma.
Neon Gods (Dark Olympus Series)
| Series Length | 10 books and many novellas (maybe finished?) but each can be read on its own, kind of |
| Heat Level | Very spicy, this is basically erotica |
| Tropes to Expect | Hades x Persephone retelling, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, forbidden romance, arranged-marriage escape plot, BDSM/Dom-sub dynamics, exhibitionism |
Neon Gods is one of those books you’ve probably seen around. It starts a long-running series about Greek gods and goddesses running around a corrupt city that seems somehow modern but also cut off from all modern society.
Neon Gods is specifically about Persephone, whose mother wants her to marry Zeus. But Zeus is abusive and violent, so Persephone runs away, straight across a bridge leading into the Underworld and into Hades’ arms. They make an agreement for her to be “spoiled” by him so Zeus will leave her alone, but nothing comes easy for them, and the budding feelings between them are the least of their worries.
Be warned that this series is very spicy — it’s more erotica than fantasy, in my opinion (there’s very little actual magic used), so if that’s not what you normally enjoy, skip this one. But if you’re okay with that, I would then highly recommend the second part in the series, Electric Idol, which is about Eros and Psyche. See my review of the series here.
A Touch of Darkness
| Series Length | Ongoing series |
| Heat Level | High |
| Tropes to Expect | Hades x Persephone, modern myth retelling, forbidden romance, possessive love interest |
I didn’t love this one, but it’s good for a fun time, especially if you’re already a fan of Hades and Persephone retellings.
This is a modern reimagining of the Hades and Persephone myth, following Persephone as she navigates life as a goddess trying to stay hidden among mortals, and Hades, ruler of the Underworld, who she becomes entangled with despite every reason not to. It leans hard into the “mythology as modern romance” angle, with all the drama and possessiveness you’d expect from a god of the dead falling for someone he’s not supposed to touch.
It wasn’t my favorite take on this myth, but it’s an easy, addictive read if you’re in the mood for something a little dramatic and don’t need it to be groundbreaking. It’s the first in an ongoing series if you end up wanting more of this particular Hades and Persephone.
Radiance
| Series Length | 3 books, many novellas, ongoing |
| Heat Level | Low–Medium (open door, but light on frequency — emotional intimacy over explicit scenes) |
| Tropes to Expect | Arranged marriage, friends to lovers, slow burn, “each finds the other physically monstrous” Beauty-and-the-Beast twist, political intrigue, found family, humor |
Radiance has a cover that might put you off (or at least I didn’t like it), but it’s a lovely story about two very different people learning to love each other. Our heroine in this is set to marry the hero, whom she doesn’t know and who is of a different species. She’s very afraid, but then they meet and he turns out to be an okay guy. They slowly build their friendship, and then finally love.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance
| Series Length | 2 books so far, you can just read the first as a standalone |
| Heat Level | Medium–High (open door, explicit but not frequent — a couple of key scenes rather than many); be careful of content warnings |
| Tropes to Expect | M/M arranged marriage, strangers to lovers, court politics/murder mystery, trauma recovery, queer-normative worldbuilding, found family, dual POV |
While I didn’t love A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, I do appreciate its world and themes. I also quite liked the main character.
The story follows our hero whose father is forcing him to marry a princess from another kingdom. Our hero really doesn’t want to because he doesn’t like women, but when the delegation from that kingdom comes to take him away, it turns out he can actually marry a prince instead.
The world is very queer-normative, which I really enjoyed, but what I didn’t enjoy is the very, very graphic sexual assault scene at the beginning and all the subsequent suicide attempts. I really hated that and it sort of prevented me from enjoying the rest of the book. So, be warned before you read, there are a lot of trigger warnings, and you might want to skip this one if you don’t want to read about those things.
