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Romantasy books

Fantasy worlds with a romance at the centre: dragons, fae courts, magic systems and morally grey men with swords. 52 books so far, including A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing and From Blood and Ash.

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  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses

    Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 6 in A Court of Thorns and Roses

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A huntress, a cursed fae lord and a Beauty and the Beast retelling that is secretly the opening act for book two.

    • Beauty and the Beast
    • Retelling
    • Deadly trials

  2. Fourth Wing

    Rebecca Yarros · Book 1 of 5 in The Empyrean

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A deadly dragon-rider war college and Xaden Riorson. The book that made half of BookTok shop for dragon jewellery.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Deadly trials
    • Touch her and die

  3. From Blood and Ash

    Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 1 of 6 in Blood and Ash

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A sheltered Maiden, her very flirty guard and one of the most talked-about twists in romantasy.

    • Secret identity
    • Forbidden love
    • Touch her and die

  4. House of Earth and Blood

    Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 3 in Crescent City

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A party girl, a fallen angel and a murder investigation in a modern magic city. The last 200 pages are a ride.

    • Found family
    • Secret identity
    • Morally grey MMC

  5. Quicksilver

    Callie Hart · Book 1 in Fae & Alchemy

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A thief, a fae warrior with a death wish and a portal into a frozen kingdom. Kingfisher is a menace and we are obsessed.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Forced proximity
    • Road trip / vacation

  6. The Cruel Prince

    Holly Black · Book 1 of 3 in The Folk of the Air

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    A mortal girl schemes her way up a vicious fae court. Cardan is the original morally grey bully prince. Zero spice, maximum tension.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Bully romance
    • Morally grey MMC

  7. Throne of Glass

    Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 8 in Throne of Glass

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    An assassin fights for her freedom in a royal competition. Low spice to start; the series gets steamier as it goes.

    • Deadly trials
    • Love triangle
    • Royalty

  8. A Discovery of Witches

    Deborah Harkness · Book 1 in All Souls

    Spice 2/5 · Simmer

    A historian witch finds a cursed manuscript and attracts a very old, very possessive vampire scientist.

    • Forbidden love
    • Possessive MMC
    • Vampires

  10. A Touch of Darkness

    Scarlett St. Clair · Book 1 in Hades x Persephone Saga

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    Persephone is a journalist, Hades runs a nightclub, and they make a very bad bargain. Modern Greek myth with plenty of spice.

    • Retelling
    • Forbidden love
    • Rivals to lovers

  11. Assistant to the Villain

    Hannah Nicole Maehrer · Book 1 of 3 in Assistant to the Villain

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    An office romcom where the boss is the kingdom's Big Bad. HR is a dragon. Delightfully silly.

    • Villain gets the girl
    • Boss x employee
    • Workplace romance

  12. Divine Rivals

    Rebecca Ross · Book 1 of 2 in Letters of Enchantment

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    Rival journalists who are, unknowingly, falling for each other through magic letters. Swoony, sad, closed door.

    • Rivals to lovers
    • Secret identity
    • Cinnamon roll hero

  13. Gild

    Raven Kennedy · Book 1 of 5 in The Plated Prisoner

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    King Midas's golden favourite in a golden cage. It starts slow, then turns into the revenge-and-rot fantasy of your dreams.

    • Captor / captive
    • Retelling
    • Revenge plot

  14. Kingdom of the Wicked

    Kerri Maniscalco · Book 1 of 3 in Kingdom of the Wicked

    Spice 2/5 · Simmer

    A witch summons the Prince of Wrath to avenge her twin. Slow burn now, payoff later in the trilogy.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Revenge plot
    • Morally grey MMC

  15. Powerless

    Lauren Roberts · Book 1 of 3 in The Powerless Trilogy

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    An Ordinary thief hides among the Elites in a deadly royal competition, opposite the prince trained to hunt her kind.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Deadly trials
    • Secret identity

  16. The Bridge Kingdom

    Danielle L. Jensen · Book 1 of 4 in The Bridge Kingdom

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A princess trained as a spy marries the enemy king to destroy his kingdom. Then she starts liking him.

    • Arranged marriage
    • Enemies to lovers
    • Secret identity

  18. When the Moon Hatched

    Sarah A. Parker · Book 1 in Moonfall

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A brutal assassin, a dragon-riding ruler and a world-building chonk of a book. Bring snacks.

    • Captor / captive
    • Fated mates
    • Morally grey MMC

  20. A Dawn of Onyx

    Kate Golden · Book 1 of 3 in The Sacred Stones

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A healer is conscripted into the enemy king's army and becomes part of his inner circle. Romantasy comfort food.

    • Forced proximity
    • Secret identity
    • Enemies to lovers

  21. A Deal with the Elf King

    Elise Kova

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A village herbalist is chosen as the elf king's bride. Cozy-ish standalone with a satisfying burn.

    • Marriage of convenience
    • Arranged marriage
    • Forced proximity

  23. A Marvellous Light

    Freya Marske · Book 1 of 3 in The Last Binding

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    Edwardian England, a hidden magical world and a bumbling civil servant cursed by mistake. Charming and very steamy.

    • Opposites attract
    • Forced proximity
    • Grumpy hero

  24. An Enchantment of Ravens

    Margaret Rogerson

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    A human portrait painter accidentally insults a fae prince with one brushstroke. A pretty, short standalone.

    • Forbidden love
    • Road trip / vacation
    • Royalty

  25. Bonded by Thorns

    Elizabeth Helen · Book 1 in Beasts of the Briar

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    Beauty and the Beast, but there are four cursed fae beasts and she does not have to choose.

    • Beauty and the Beast
    • Retelling
    • Found family

  26. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

    Rebecca Thorne · Book 1 in Tomes & Tea

    Spice 2/5 · Simmer

    A queen's bodyguard and a mage run away to open a bookshop tea house. Sapphic, cozy, low stakes.

    • Cozy / low stakes
    • Found family
    • Badass heroine

  27. Captive Prince

    C.S. Pacat · Book 1 of 3 in Captive Prince

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A prince sold as a slave to his enemy's court. Vicious politics and a slow, savage enemies-to-lovers.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Captor / captive
    • Royalty

  28. Dark Fae

    Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti · Book 1 of 4 in Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A fae girl in a supernatural prison with a gang of dangerous inmates who all want a piece of her.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Forced proximity
    • Morally grey MMC

  29. Fall of Ruin and Wrath

    Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 1 in Awakening

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A courtesan with a sixth sense and the dangerous prince she is sent to spy on.

    • Forbidden love
    • Morally grey MMC
    • Badass heroine

  30. King of Battle and Blood

    Scarlett St. Clair · Book 1 of 3 in Adrian x Isolde

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A princess is married off to the vampire king she plans to kill. He is far too into it.

    • Arranged marriage
    • Enemies to lovers
    • Morally grey MMC

  31. One Dark Window

    Rachel Gillig · Book 1 of 2 in The Shepherd King

    Spice 2/5 · Simmer

    A girl with a monster in her head and a cursed card heist. Moody, foggy and gorgeous.

    • Forced proximity
    • Secret identity
    • Morally grey MMC

  32. Phantasma

    Kaylie Smith · Book 1 in Phantasma

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A necromancer enters a deadly carnival-esque game run by the devil's own manor. Gothic, creepy and sharp.

    • Deadly trials
    • Morally grey MMC
    • Demons / devils

  33. Sorcery of Thorns

    Margaret Rogerson

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    A library apprentice, a sorcerer with a sarcastic demon butler and a world of evil books. Closed door, open heart.

    • Found family
    • Grumpy hero
    • Demons / devils

  34. Spark of the Everflame

    Penn Cole · Book 1 in Kindred's Curse

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    A healer princess discovers she is far more than mortal. Two love interests, rising stakes.

    • Love triangle
    • Chosen one
    • Gods & mythology

  35. The Hurricane Wars

    Thea Guanzon · Book 1 of 3 in The Hurricane Wars

    Spice 3/5 · Steamy

    Two enemy weather mages trapped together in the desert. Reylo-coded and proud of it.

    • Enemies to lovers
    • Forbidden love
    • Forced proximity

  36. The Never King

    Nikki St. Crowe · Book 1 of 5 in Vicious Lost Boys

    Spice 5/5 · Scorching

    Wendy's granddaughter, a feral grown-up Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. A deliciously dark Neverland.

    • Retelling
    • Villain gets the girl
    • Captor / captive

  37. The Shadows Between Us

    Tricia Levenseller

    Spice 1/5 · Sweet

    A ruthless girl plans to seduce and kill the Shadow King. He is just as ruthless. Slytherin romance.

    • Villain gets the girl
    • Morally grey MMC
    • Royalty

  38. Throne of the Fallen

    Kerri Maniscalco · Book 1 in Prince of Sin

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    The Prince of Envy and a rebellious princess on a quest together. Spicier spin-off from Kingdom of the Wicked.

    • Forced proximity
    • Enemies to lovers
    • Morally grey MMC

  39. Uprooted

    Naomi Novik

    Spice 2/5 · Simmer

    A village girl is taken by a cranky immortal wizard. Fairy-tale forest magic with a prickly love story.

    • Forced proximity
    • Age gap
    • Grumpy hero

  40. Throne in the Dark

    A.K. Caggiano · Book 1 of 3 in Villains and Virtues

    Spice 4/5 · Spicy

    A Dark Lord who has never been loved and the heroine who is not scared of him. Readers report actual book hangovers.

    • Villain gets the girl
    • Captor / captive
    • He falls first

Popular tropes in romantasy

Romantasy: FAQ

What are the best romantasy books?

Reader favourites include A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas; Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros; From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout; House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas; Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Use the spice filter above to narrow it to your heat level.

What are the spiciest romantasy books?

For explicit romantasy romance, try The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe; Quicksilver by Callie Hart; A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout; A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair; The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen. These are rated 4 or 5 out of 5 on our spice scale.

Are there low-spice or clean romantasy books?

Yes: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black; Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas; A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer; Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross are rated 1 or 2 out of 5, closed door or kisses only.

Are there standalone romantasy books?

If you do not want to commit to a series, try A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova; An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson; Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson; The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller.