Heroine
She can fight, she can scheme, and she does not need saving (but he will try anyway). 26 books so far, including A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing and House of Earth and Blood.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 5 of 6 in A Court of Thorns and Roses
Spice 4/5 · SpicyNesta and Cassian: a prickly heroine, a patient warrior and the spiciest book in the series. The training montage is iconic.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 6 in A Court of Thorns and Roses
Spice 3/5 · SteamyA huntress, a cursed fae lord and a Beauty and the Beast retelling that is secretly the opening act for book two.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 3 of 6 in A Court of Thorns and Roses
Spice 4/5 · SpicyFeyre goes undercover in enemy territory, then everybody goes to war. Big Night Court energy.
Rebecca Yarros · Book 1 of 5 in The Empyrean
Spice 3/5 · SteamyA deadly dragon-rider war college and Xaden Riorson. The book that made half of BookTok shop for dragon jewellery.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 3 in Crescent City
Spice 3/5 · SteamyA party girl, a fallen angel and a murder investigation in a modern magic city. The last 200 pages are a ride.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 3 of 3 in Crescent City
Spice 3/5 · SteamyThe Crescent City finale, with plenty of Prythian cameos for ACOTAR fans.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 2 of 3 in Crescent City
Spice 4/5 · SpicyBryce and Hunt finally stop pretending, plus a crossover twist that broke the fandom.
Rebecca Yarros · Book 2 of 5 in The Empyrean
Spice 3/5 · SteamyViolet and Xaden, now together and somehow still fighting about secrets. Bigger war, bigger dragons, bigger cliffhanger.
Rebecca Yarros · Book 3 of 5 in The Empyrean
Spice 3/5 · SteamyAn island-hopping quest for allies while the world burns. Yes, it ends on another cliffhanger.
Callie Hart · Book 1 in Fae & Alchemy
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA thief, a fae warrior with a death wish and a portal into a frozen kingdom. Kingfisher is a menace and we are obsessed.
Holly Black · Book 1 of 3 in The Folk of the Air
Spice 1/5 · SweetA mortal girl schemes her way up a vicious fae court. Cardan is the original morally grey bully prince. Zero spice, maximum tension.
Sarah J. Maas · Book 1 of 8 in Throne of Glass
Spice 1/5 · SweetAn assassin fights for her freedom in a royal competition. Low spice to start; the series gets steamier as it goes.
Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 2 of 6 in Blood and Ash
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA fake engagement with the man who lied about everything. The banter and the spice both level up.
Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 1 of 4 in Flesh and Fire
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA princess trained to seduce and kill the God of Death. Prequel to Blood and Ash, readable first.
Raven Kennedy · Book 1 of 5 in The Plated Prisoner
Spice 3/5 · SteamyKing Midas's golden favourite in a golden cage. It starts slow, then turns into the revenge-and-rot fantasy of your dreams.
Danielle L. Jensen · Book 1 of 4 in The Bridge Kingdom
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA princess trained as a spy marries the enemy king to destroy his kingdom. Then she starts liking him.
Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 3 of 6 in Blood and Ash
Spice 4/5 · SpicyPoppy and Casteel step into crowns they never wanted. More gods, more wolves, more yelling at the page.
Carissa Broadbent · Book 1 in Crowns of Nyaxia
Spice 3/5 · SteamyA human girl raised by the vampire king enters a deadly tournament and forms an alliance with her most dangerous rival.
Sarah A. Parker · Book 1 in Moonfall
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA brutal assassin, a dragon-riding ruler and a world-building chonk of a book. Bring snacks.
Danielle L. Jensen · Book 1 of 3 in Saga of the Unfated
Spice 3/5 · SteamyViking-flavoured romantasy: a shield maiden with a prophecy and a jarl's son who should be her enemy.
Rebecca Thorne · Book 1 in Tomes & Tea
Spice 2/5 · SimmerA queen's bodyguard and a mage run away to open a bookshop tea house. Sapphic, cozy, low stakes.
Jennifer L. Armentrout · Book 1 in Awakening
Spice 4/5 · SpicyA courtesan with a sixth sense and the dangerous prince she is sent to spy on.
Penn Cole · Book 1 in Kindred's Curse
Spice 3/5 · SteamyA healer princess discovers she is far more than mortal. Two love interests, rising stakes.
Katherine Center
Spice 1/5 · SweetShe is the bodyguard. He is the movie star. She has to pose as his girlfriend. Gender-flipped and adorable.
Thea Guanzon · Book 1 of 3 in The Hurricane Wars
Spice 3/5 · SteamyTwo enemy weather mages trapped together in the desert. Reylo-coded and proud of it.
Tricia Levenseller
Spice 1/5 · SweetA ruthless girl plans to seduce and kill the Shadow King. He is just as ruthless. Slytherin romance.
Reader favourites include A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas; Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros; House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas; Quicksilver by Callie Hart; The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Use the spice filter above to narrow it to your heat level.
For explicit badass heroine romance, try Quicksilver by Callie Hart; A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout; The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen; When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker; Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout. These are rated 4 or 5 out of 5 on our spice scale.
Yes: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black; Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas; Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne; The Bodyguard by Katherine Center; The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller are rated 1 or 2 out of 5, closed door or kisses only.
If you do not want to commit to a series, try The Bodyguard by Katherine Center; The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller.
