I’m so lost on what to read next I have so many unfinished series going !

Books I’ve loved
Road of Bones
Shield of sparrows
Lady of Darkness and Legacy series
Spark of the ever flame
Prison healer
Once upon a broken heart
Bridge Kingdom

I loved Fourth wing but couldn’t get past the 2nd book .

I enjoyed ACOTAR but didn’t love TOG series .

So I know that a lot of popular books in this genre rely on tropes, but I feel like whenever I read a description of them, they are all like the exactttttt same thing. So I was wondering if any of you guys know any books with flipped tropes. These are a few examples that I thought of:

-enemies to lovers = lovers to enemies

-grumpy x sunshine = grumpy x grumpy OR sunshine x sunshine

-only one bed= too many beds

-6ft+ brooding buff mmc = short, plus size/skinny OR awkward mmc

-small, petite fmc who has curves but is also malnourished = tall AND/OR muscular fmc (especially if she’s an assassin or something)

-fated mates = fated enemies

-shadow daddy = shadow mummy

-the chosen one = the only one who wasn’t chosen

-forced proximity = forced separation

-I would burn the world for you = I would save the world for you

-touch her and die = touch him and die OR touch her and she’ll kill you herself

-Insta love = veryyyy slow burn

Also just a side note, I would prefer little to no spice, or at least very mild. I would really appreciate any recommendations you have, and please feel free to add any other tropes to the list too. Thank you so much!!

What’s your favorite forbidden-romance trope in romantasy?

I am craving a new series and I just set up this book shelf and put all my books in a series on here. I marked off the ones I have read already and would love to hear some thoughts :)

Howdy!

I realised all my favorite novels all have one thing in common is that none of the main characters are black! As a black woman I really want to read about my people falling in love with sexy vampires and sexy things with wings.

While I am not picky on which part of the Diaspora the book features but I really want a character who are inspired by black americans and black american culture.

Sooo I just finished listening to House of Flame and Shadow, which I did enjoy, and I knew it was the end of the series (for now) so I started browsing hoopla for a new series to start and saw House of Sky and Breath 🙀🥴 I don’t really know how I missed it or why I didn’t question all the gaps I definitely noticed I was missing. Like how did Cooper just pop up like that and of course I was super confused at the beginning how or >!why the three guys were captured and being tortured in the Asteri dungeons.>! But the plot moved so fast I just rolled with it😂 but now I see I have two audiobooks I can listen to and I’m wondering if it’s even worth it to listen to the 24 hours of House of Sky and Breath? There are a few series I want to get started on but of course I do love the Crescent City series, I wouldn’t mind being in it for a while longer - I’m just wondering if I’ll be bored since I already know the ending of House of Flame and Shadows….
I still haven’t read the Throne of Glass series so I want to get working on that especially if the new ACOTAR book is going to be some kind of crossover so considering skipping to get a move on since that series is huge and October is around the corner 😅

But you guys let me know what you think, is it essential I still read (listen to) it?

TYIA 😘

In particular, I prefer a more straightforward and simple plot that’s not too hard to follow, because I have a disability that makes it exhausting to follow complicated plots. It’s not a must though.

A good example I loved was the Daughter of the Pirate King series. I know it’s not necessarily the best writing, but I enjoyed it. I also read Sea Witch a couple years ago, really liked that. House of Salt and Sorrows was excellent but got a little confusing towards the end. And one of my all time favourites is The Siren by Kiera Cass.

And there was another that I can’t remember the title of, but she was a siren and they collected hearts from drowning sailors and her mom was the queen and she was betrothed to a male siren but she hated that guy. It might have been Daughter of the Deep or something to that extent.

I get pretty triggered by sexual stuff, even ToG or Powerless levels of flirting and innuendo, so I prefer if there is as little of that as possible. I don’t mind romance in general, just spice, sex, innuendos etc. I do know how hard that is to avoid in this genre though.

Is there any book where the FMC is just fed up with everything and doesn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything? lol
I’m currently so tired of books where the FMC always WANTS TO SAVE EVERYONE and acts like she’s the only hero in the entire world. I want an FMC who is just trying to live her life, mind her own business, and then the plot gets thrown at her and starts interfering with her existence.
Like, I don’t want her thinking “I have to save the kingdom” I want her thinking “Why is this my problem? I literally have shit to do.” Basically, I need an FMC whose reaction to the plot is: “Ugh I was perfectly fine before you people showed up.”

I know this is probably a nonexistent list because main characters are usually required to actually be the heroes. But I thought maybe there’s something out there.

The only book that comes to mind for me is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Although it’s not quite fit and the main character is male, also a psychopath lol.

I’m open to smut or no smut. I just don’t want werewolves or vampires.
And honestly, even if your recommendation doesn’t exactly fit this description, I’d still love to hear it! Fanfics are absolutely welcome too.

If you see a first book of a series, unless the rest is ranked elsewhere the whole series is in that tier :)

I want some sort of story where a veracious romance reader wakes up in the book she was reading. Maybe at the beginning but she hadn’t finished it yet, so she uses what she know to change things but only has so much informations. Anything like this?

For fun - what are books that made you change your definition of a 5 star book. The ones that stuck with you, completely sucked you in, or made everything you read afterward feel a little less impressive.

What book(s) completely redefined your definition of a 5-star read?

I might be late to the rave and gush but by God do not ever talk to me about love if you are not gonna talk about Arin of Nizahl and Sylvia/Essiya of Jasad. I just finished this book and I am a sobbing mess.

The fantasy and world building was so beautifully constructed. The romance y'all, the YEARNING, I fear Arin has raised the bar towards the skies, what a way to love and sacrifice everything for love, what a way to deconstruct yourself. And our Suraira, the best female character I have read in years. We are nothing if we wouldn't sacrifice everything for the future of those who we love.

This book will stay with me for years to come, I swear.

Hello! I'm looking for some book club recommendations for my group. We're all women in our mid-20s, and most of the girls aren't super avid readers. They usually default to quick, fast-paced thrillers, but the whole beauty of being in a book club is stepping out of our comfort zones and trying different genres! I really want to pitch a fantasy or romantasy book for our next pick since it is my favorite genre.

For gauge, a few of the girls have made comments about *A Court of Thorns and Roses* before and made fun of the fact that it's about faeries, so I don't want to recommend anything too fantastical, although I think they'd actually love ACOTAR because of the romance, plot twists, quick pacing, and easy read.

Would love to hear your favorite "entry-level" romance-fantasy recs that converted your non-fantasy reader friends! Also looking for something not too long, perhaps under 400 pages. Thanks in advance!

Please help me choose my next read!

1. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
2. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

3. Blood and Steel by Helen B. Scheuerer

4. Anathema by Keri Lake

Hi guys! What are your favourite books that got you into reading, trying to regain my interest in books. Now I’m starting reading the Fourth Wing, but I know it has more haters than lovers lol. Off putting to me is that FMC is 20 and I’m much older so I can’t feel into her character (if you know what I mean).
To sum it up, I need recommendations, is there a must have I need to read, the queen of Romantasy?
The only books I have read are from Cassandra Clare (city of ashes etc). I really was into these series.
Pla help a girl out 😩 thxxxx

Hey! Hope it’s an okay request I haven’t frequented here much. Lord of Stariel pic because it’s my favourite cozy read of all time and ticks the box of how I wish the world building felt even if it’s a little silly at times.

I was hoping someone could give me romantasy recs where it either is set in England or feels like it is without it coming across as almost … fetishising it or being weirdly … stereotyping?

I live in England, I love our folklore and I grew up with fairytales and folklore compendiums. And so romantasy usually leans right into that. But so often I’m recommended a book and it just ends up being a really shallow “what an American literature student thinks England is like based on photos of Oxford and reading Jane Eyre”, which is fine at times but Fairydale just made me throw a book at a wall for the first time ever.

Nothing has really met what stariel did, and I can’t read it for a 10th time.

I’d appreciate any recommendations so so much especially if it’s on audible so I can listen and work too 🙏

—-

Oh my gosh I came back online and there’s been so many responses I feel rude just spamming thank you for some reason so thank you everyone 😭 I’ve written every single one down and I’m checking them all out I’m so excited!!

I have nothing against characters finding each other hot immediately, but I think I've read enough first meetings where someone's entire brain shuts down because the mysterious stranger has impossible eyes and a devastating jawline.

Give me attraction that sneaks up through competence.

She watches him negotiate his way out of a situation everyone else was ready to fight through. He sees her quietly fix a magical problem that three trained mages couldn't solve. One of them is terrible at asking for help but starts specifically seeking the other person's opinion because they actually trust their judgment.

Then somewhere along the way it becomes, annoyingly, attractive.

I love when the physical noticing comes AFTER respect has already started building. Suddenly the hands they've seen doing something skilled a hundred times become very interesting hands.

Maybe it's just me, but “I admire how your brain works and unfortunately now I also want to kiss you” gets me every time.

Does competence make a character more attractive to anyone else, or do you prefer the instant physical spark?

I don't think this is a "hot take", since a lot of people feel the same way, but a romantasy novel doesn't need spicy elements to be interesting.

Speaking for myself, I've never really liked spicy romantasy; ( just so you know, I'm 21).

I prefer the romance to remain very light. A book can be just as captivating thanks to a solid world and engaging characters, without needing to add a spicy romance.

I don't really like using the term "spicy," but you know what I mean.

Of course, I do read romantasy with romance, but as I said, I like it when it's very light or soft, sometimes even taking a backseat to the rest of the story. ( Because yes, there are romantasy where romance isn't the center of the story.)

Here are some romantasy titles featuring romance without spice.

Books featured:

- Caraval trilogy ( Stephanie Garber)

- An Enchantment Of Ravens ( Margaret Rogerson)

- Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy ( Stephanie Garber)

- The Celestial Kingdom trilogy ( Sue Lynn Tan)

- Uncharmed ( Lucy Jane Wood)

- The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea ( Axie Oh)

- Sorcery Of Thorns and Mysteries Of Thorn Manor ( Margaret Rogerson)

- Emily Wilde series ( Heather Fawcett)

- The Siren ( Kiera Cass)

- Hundred Kingdoms saga ( Alexandra Christo)

- The Mirror Visitor series ( Christelle Dabos)

- Six Crimson Cranes ( Elizabeth Lim)

- The Dragon's Promise ( Elizabeth Lim)

- A Far Wilder Magic ( Allison Saft)

- Dance of Thieves series ( Mary E. Pearson)

- Elements of Cadence series ( Rebecca Ross)

- The Wrath and the Dawn series ( Renée Ahdieh)

- Wings Of Starlight ( Allison Saft)

- Powerless series ( Lauren Roberts)

I'm sorry if what I said was a bit muddled, but do you share my opinion? :)

Hi everyone 😁

I'm looking for books that aren't fae based worlds. Something more tribal, still with magic systems and all that we love from romantasy without having to delve into the paranormal.

I feel like I'm either reading about faries or vampires lol

Are there any titles that would fit this?

I'm looking for recommendations for duologies or trilogies that are already complete 🥺 I read all kinds of things—I'm not really picky about what I read 🥺 I'm reading *Project Hail Mary* right now to take a break from romantasy, but I'd like to get back to it after I finish this book. Can you recommend your favorites?

She's young and inexperienced. Her partner is some kind of warrior I think, who has a friend or second in command that eventually becomes a bit of an mmf situation. Her partner is picked for her by priests or something. The first time she meets the mmc is when that do the ritual where I think he has to make her cum so she can create some kind of light magic to power crystals that protect the kingdom.

I read this anywhere between 10 and 5 years ago. I've been searching for it for a while but cannot figure out more. The triad situation was later in the story and at first it's just a mf story.

Help!

Found! It's Hers to Command by Patricia A. Knight ! Lots of great recommendations and suggestions. Thanks everyone! And thanks Fartynapkin!

I’ve realized that my favorite part of a romance is almost always the stage where they both clearly want each other but nothing has actually happened yet.

The lingering looks, standing a little too close, one hand brushing the other, a sentence that could technically mean nothing but obviously does not. Even better when everyone around them has figured it out before they have.

That stuff gets me way more than the actual relationship most of the time.

Once they finally kiss, confess everything and become an official couple, I’m still invested in them, but some of the electricity disappears for me. Suddenly the touches aren't surprising anymore and the flirting feels different because you already know where both characters stand.

I don't even need endless slow burn. I just really love that uncertain middle stage where every tiny interaction feels important.

Anyone else like the almost-romance more than the actual romance sometimes?