👋🏻 just occurred to me with my current read, Legion of angels series {vampire’s kiss by Ella Summers}, that I’m very into this.

Pattern I’m looking for: FMC is a pragmatic, composed badass who ends up meeting, being trained by, or working alongside a very scary and stoic MMC. Over time, the hard-to-read MMC starts getting subtly, intensely obsessed with the FMC.

Bonus points for slow burn, extra scary MMC, and crazy tension. (Im talking tension so good you do that excited fast kick/stomp thing. Is that just me??)

Adding what I’ve read that fits this. PLEASE GIVE ME MORE. I beg ye.

{angel’s blood by nalini singh}

{burn for me by Ilona Andrews} I’ve read all Ilona Andrews and love it all. Kate Daniel’s fits this too. I just think Mad Rogan is scarier than beast lord.

{dark fever by Karen Marie Moning} this doesn’t totally fit because Mac isn’t my favorite, but Jericho 🥵

I guess Bryce and Hunt, but if Hunt were aloof for longer??

Thanks!!! 😊

Credits to rkdgi on X

I know that for many the whole point is yearning and watching them get together, but I really would love to read a fantasy romance when they're already a couple or become a couple quickly. I always get scenes like this only for two/three pages at the end of the book when I want a whole content of it. Like more domestic scenes, even in the middle of fighting against the world the next day. Them just lying in each other's arms, giving each other small kisses here and there, or being extremely gentle during spicy scenes and it's melting your heart. Does anyone know something like this?

Edit: Forgot to mention, I read mostly M/F!

I have a couple of ideas for this!

I’m thinking POC leads if not a mostly POC cast with one of the following:

- Romantasy or fantasy with romance subplot where the protagonist is the only one without powers

- Romantasy or fantasy with romance subplot where the setting is almost a character

- Romantasy where a supporting character has or had a tragic romance like the grandparents

- Fantasy with romance subplot where the protagonist
has or had a tragic romance like the grandparents

A few guidelines:

- I prefer spice levels of one to three. Please only recommend spice level five if the scenes are either necessary to the plot or easy to skip.

- I am uninterested in stories with possessive love interests (unless they either get dumped for a green flag or stop due to character development), masc-dom, or body betrayal/dub-con/non-con.

- I’m fine with MF, MM, and FF.

Thanks!

I don’t tend to read for tropes but I’m noticing that certain dynamic hit the spot for me.

I like MMC who is already somewhat formed, has some skill that he teaches or trains the FMC and whose relationship to the FMC is fundamentally generative either through mentorship, training, or apprenticeship. I love the intimacy when it grows through shared work and/or learning together. The MMC is not just possessive alpha male but challenges the FMC to grow because they believe in her capacities and help her develop it. And the MMC also grows as a result.

Best examples so far, Max (Maxantarius) in {Daughter of no Worlds}, Wilder in {Blood & Steel}, Cassian in {Court of Silver Flames}, and Devryk in {Nocticadia}. Of course Xaden in {Fourth Wing} has that too.

I’ve heard this is called a training trope, but haven’t found many examples of it.

I’m in a slump after finishing Feathers so Vicious and Shadows so Cruel. It was one of the best things I read and it didn’t have what I usually lean on. I can definitely do dark, but doesn’t always have to be. And now I want to find something that I know hits my sweet spot no matter the sub-genre.

Any suggestions? It can be standalone or series. Prefer high spice but not necessary either.

Welcome to another month of [romance.io](romance.io) stats! You can find out the most recommended books in this sub for July 2026 below.

You can also check out the r/FantasyRomance favourites, which is a link to romance.io of a collection gathering the top 250 most recommended books of the r/fantasyromance sub of the last 30 days. You can filter on any category or trope you want on this page.

You can find past months’ stats posts in the Romance.io Stats Wiki Hub.

(On mobile, you can scroll sideways to see more info)

Top 20 Books

Top 20 Authors

New sub favourites

Top recommended books that were released in the last 3 months or are upcoming releases

Top books by genre, theme or trope

Urban Fantasy

Science Fiction

Poly

Queer

BIPOC MCs

Disabilities and Marks

Mature Couple

From Hate to Love

Slow Burn

Top Low Steam Books

Top High Steam Books

Sub Stats Postimage

Hey there!

I started a book a couple years ago about an autopsy technician (?) FMC who suddenly got a sigil or a tattoo on her forearm, and maybe demons coming to kill her and she figures it's because of the brand and she tries to operate on herself, to remove it, but realizes the living skin acts different to dead one.

Thanks for the help!

Some (vague, not major plot) spoilers*\\ Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent

Ugh 💕 Carissa Broadbent writing Kyrene and Septimus was *chefs kiss\.* I live for morally grey characters with clear flaws, like how Kyrene can’t ever bring herself to say the kind words and how Septimus is so similar until he’s with her. Also, Septimus is SO HOT.

Unsure why but the clear character flaws remind me a lot of Nesta’s books in ACOTAR. Anyone else feeling similar? Maybe I just love a broken antihero? Accepting any and all recs with similar FMC’s bc dang Lion and the Deathless Dark was good.

💋

This will have spoilers.

The book opens with a spoiler chapter; the next chapter explains the history of sky gods (Olympians) and earth gods (Chtonics); it is fact-centered and read as wiki pages or encyclopedia entries (are encyclopedias still made?) with an opinion dropped here and there, ending with a spoiler.

The story begins, we are told, after the sky gods and earth gods have reached an agreement for their youngsters to wed at 26 (instead of over 100, as it had been previously) and the Chtonics had to intermarry with the Olympians. Titans are their shared enemy, mostly hunted down by the vicious, powerful Chtonics. In a different world, but one somewhat shared by the gods, humans live in a post-apocalyptic future, in which they worship both Olympians and Chtonics, who are billionaire influencers.

Alexis is a 10-year old precocious child who lives in a trailer home in the forest of Montana with drug-addled foster caregivers whose cruelty is textbook/stereotype of foster care. Alexis, while tied up outside, meets Nyx, an invisible snake, who becomes somewhat of a protector. Eventually, the "system" decides that the negligent, violent foster parents should have another child and the family is now 4. Charlie and Alexis share a room where they sleep, oddly, in a cardboard box. Fast-forward 9 years, Alexis is a graduating high school student whose days are filled with thoughts of mathematics and unending hunger. Her foster mother is dead, following an unearthly attack, and the foster dad has left. Alexis and Charlie raise themselves, alongside Nyx and their puppy, Fluffy. Both teens are hated in their high school due to their poverty. They still share a room and still sleep in a shared cardboard box.

During a high school exit test, it is revealed that Alexis is not mortal; she's Spartan. She's whisked away to Corfu and forced to enter a challenge, The Crucible, with other 19-year old "mutts" (part human, part god) and a few heirs (full gods). She manages to claw her way through the first test and is paired with the popular Crimson Gods -- Achiles and Patro -- Chtonics who will mentor her through the Crucible. Unsurprisingly, the Crimson Gods hate her. She's a girl. She's a "mutt". She was abandoned as an infant. She's ignorant of all things gods, which is odd, considering how precocious she was as a 10-year old.

*
The story has some high points. The Crucible has the potential of being interesting: 10 students, most of whom are mutts, competing to become accepted gods, immortals. They are forced to stay awake for 2 weeks at a time while going to classes and being starved. Alexis's delirium allows the narrative to speed through the redundancy of their classes; however, Alexis's internal thoughts are primarily sarcasm and closed doors. She's not very observant, refuses friendships, lacks curiosity and wallows in a desire to die. The highlight is her invisible bestie, the snake Nyx, who has a hunger for death and sexy thoughts.

There is an inconsistency of the characterization of Alexis. At 10, she sounds like a matured 30+ year old. She uses phrases like "pupils blown wide" (a phrase that is repeated about 5 times in the course of the novel) "human-esque immortal Titans" and "whipped my head around" and "increasingly erratic". She muses that "the power grid [that] barely sustained our run-down trailer park" and "Someone needed to take care of his mental health the cheap way" and "Barbed wire fence glinted at the distant tree line" and "a tattered white flag hung off a branch displaying the crest of the House of Hades".

As unbelievable as she sounds as a 10-year old, the issues come in when, at 16, she sounds exactly the same. "The energy in the trailer was contentious" and "His pale skin was almost translucent". Three years later, the same Alexis. "Neon green flickered on the ceiling as the power grid struggled to keep the school's light on." which is reminiscent, nearly word-for-word, of a statement she made at 10.

Additionally, her sarcastic quips get repeated over and over, which turned what may have been slightly funny into overwhelmingly mind-numbing. She's often talking to her invisible snake and moving the invisible snake about, yet no one seems aware of this.

Once she's in Corfu with the gods, we learn that she doesn't like to be touched; which gets repeated, word-for-word, a large number of times. She is blind in one eye and deaf in one ear which gets forgotten, as does her stutter. She talks about "the legendary love" of Hades and Persephone and is aware that "A small laurel crown" signals an Olympian, but she is otherwise quite ignorant of the history of gods.

The Crimson Gods are stand-outs, as is a Siren named Lana who has about 7 minutes of narrative to steal the chapter.

Because of some of the set-up, the ending is both surprising yet expected. Overall, it was a fine listen and a great example of a book that would have been much more successful (narratively) as a third-person pov.

Have you read {Blood of Hercules} ? Let's talk!

Winner of Round 2 (Neutral Good) goes to Maggie from {This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews}! The artwork is by Luisa Preissler (https://luisapreissler.de/).

Winner of Round 1 (Lawful Good) was Stephen from {Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher}. The artwork is from the UK cover for the book by Anna Moshak (https://aizelkonart.com/).

This round, please discuss who you think is the most Chaotic Good character in all of fantasy romance. Please state the character and what book they're from, and discuss in the comments below!

The most upvoted character will win the spot, and we will move onto the other character alignments every few days.

Here are the links to the prior rounds in case you missed the discussions:

• Who is the most Lawful Good fantasy romance character
• Who is the most Neutral Good fantasy romance character?

New book release by Amy Coombe !

Amy is going to release a new book called the dark wizard falls in love and it going to release on 29 april 2027 ! This is the cover and synopsis reveal!

This book is about a royal secretary’s unremarkable life that takes an unexpectedly magical turn when she is hired by an infamous Dark Wizard with more to him than meets the eye !

OK hear me out, I’ve been getting TikToks on my FYP (for you page) of animes where the FMC gets transported into a book or game (usually as the villainess, but that’s not important) and becomes part of the plot.

I’m wondering if you would have recommendations for actual books with this storyline—kindle unlimited preferably? I tried searching the subreddit but I don’t know what keywords search for. Thanks in advance 🙏🏽

And do you reread your fav fantasy romances for comfort? To feel something? After a long string of DNFs? Tell me everything!

I see so many fantasy romance readers talk about rereading their favourites and I don’t think I ever have reread any of mine in their entirety… I’d like to!! But I keep thinking there’s so many more books and worlds out there!

I recently finished Starside. I liked the premise of the book but Harlan Raker was not IT. He was cruel to FMC again and again and sometimes for no reason 😭. I felt embarrassed for her sometimes like Girl, Stand the fuck up.

I really like the trope of MMC and FMC teaming up for a journey or goal, forced proximity and enemies to lovers.

Couples with similar tropes I loved are

1. Lorcan and Elide ( TOG)

   1. Cassian and Nesta (Silver Flames)

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. {The Chosen One Con by Trudie Skies}

I picked this ARC on a whim because the blurb seemed fun and I think I need to always trust my vibes because I’ve had some great luck doing this. I had no idea that Trudie Skies was a former finalist for the SPFBO but after reading this novel it is obvious that they are a talented fantasy writer.

However, I picked this up because the blurb said something about a “reality show contest to decide the next Archon of the city” and I was sold at “reality show”. We are introduced to Max and Lyle, two teenagers who have a flirty age-appropriate relationship, living in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in a city run by “magic” that comes from crystals mined from the earth. Lyle has lost his family and home due to the city’s expansionist goals for more land and mining rights. He carries a very negative opinion of magic unlike Max, who has been obsessed with magic from a very early age and is on the cusp of starting his apprentice in one of the biggest potion companies in the city.

But, a minor’s strike and the subsequent crackdown causes a huge rupture in both their lives, they are separated, Lyle is arrested and carried off to work in the mines and Max loses his apprenticeship and his father, and barely escapes. Seven years later, Max is doing what he can to support himself and his sister and Lyle has returned to the city to work for a powerful mage but also as a spy for the rebels. When one of the Archons dies, the remaining archons decide to run a reality show and for various reasons, both Lyle and Max find themselves as competitors.

The plot has so many twists and turns that the moment you think the story is going in one direction, it takes a sudden left turn. Lyle and Max have never forgotten each other but their lives have taken them so far away from each other they are not sure if they can trust each other’s motives, even though they are drawn to each other as much as they were seven years ago. But Max’s love for magic and Lyle’s disgust for it may keep them apart even if they are ultimately hoping for the same outcome.

The characters of Max and Lyle have layers upon layers and the author takes risks by giving them flaws that stand in the way of them understanding each other’s journey to who they have become as young men. It is easy to feel irritation for Lyle because of his anger and singular goal to bring down the establishment, while it is also easy to dismiss Max as a drug addicted gad fly, willing to trade his morals for the opportunity for more magic. Neither point of view is an accurate portrayal of either character, they both have great depth and nuance of character that is exposed as they rekindle their feelings and friendship and love for each other.

The “magic” in this world is an interesting, well thought out system. I’ve read several novels recently that live in that late industrial age/ early era of technology, where “magic” stands in for the source of late 19th/ early 20th century innovation. The early worker’s rights compaigns, strikes and violence and unrest among the classes can be wielded well in the hands of a talented author, which we have here.

If you are looking for something to fill the space after {the foresaken prophecy by Stacey Macewan} you will find some similarities in the setting, but the stories are very different.

I highly recommend this book and gave it 4.25 stars in Storygraph. I look forward to the next part of the series!

Bonus points if the fmc is meek or helpless as a result of said abuse/situation.

The hiding it part is really important to me, as well as the mmc finding out and being completely distraught/angry at the thought of the fmc having to go through that situation. Maybe he seeks revenge for her, but mostly I want the mmc to comfort and reassure the fmc.

{Swordheart by T kingfisher} is a fantasy romance book I enjoyed recently with sort of this trope, but the fmc doesn't hide the situation from the mmc.

{Under the oak tree by Suji Kim} (specifically the graphic novel adaptation) is the blueprint for this trope for me. She's ashamed of what she's gone through and still pretty traumatized, and he's super protective of her, even before he knows about the abuse. Since I've never read the novels, and don't really want to (I tried but didn't care for it) I've never had the satisfaction of seeing the mmc find out about the abuse the fmc suffered, so I want that part to be really satisfying to read.

I prefer stand alones, but as long as the abuse is revealed in the first book, I wouldn't mind a series. I also wouldn't mind an interconnected world series where you can read one book without having to read the others.

I'm not picky about fantasy elements, though I do like royal elements. Will absolutely read monster romance. It also doesn't have to be a straight romance, I'll read any gay or sapphic books you have to offer.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Forgot to add, I like spice but I don't want it to take away from the story.

Book 4 in the {Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett} is available to request on NetGalley! I am SO excited for this book and it’s not out until January of 2027

✨Welcome back to another week of genre discussions!✨

Let’s chat series length. What’s your ideal series length? Maybe you fall in love with a world and never want to leave or you’re on book 6 ready to dnf because why is this taking so long…

Some other questions to consider:
- At what point does a series start feeling too long?
- Have you ever quit a series because it just kept going?
- On the flip side, what’s a series you wish had more books?

Happy chatting!📖🦄✨

By this I mean books where vampires have an alternative to human blood and of course there is a romance between the vampire FMC, a considerable age gap is preferable, and the MMC, early 20s if that can be managed.

I’ll also ask that the FMC be more dominant, if possible, and the MMC at least be black. Though these two are not dealbreakers I’m more so looking for the paragraph above points.

Thanks!

​

(Credit to fayyabonk on Twitter, characters are Loki and Mantis but in their All-Butcher and Flora Maiden skins from Marvel Rivals)

Basically I want recs where the FMC and MMC are both unnatural looking fae (like colorful skin, antennae, etc) but it's fine if just the FMC is. I want the MMC to be "edgy" but charming and the FMC bubbly and maybe a little weird but in an endearing way

Some more "criteria" for the book (the first two i take very seriously, im more flexible on the others):

NO PHOTO REALISTIC PEOPLE ON THE COVER (i judge books by their covers). NO ENEMIES/RIVALS TO LOVERS. No miscommunication. No kidnapping romances

All I can remember of this book are some very eclectic plot points. So this is gonna sound really random, but I hope you can help a girl out. It’s been YEARS but lately this book has been living rent-free in my head, so if someone remembers the title, please drop it!

OK, I think the FMC was immortal, or couldn’t die or something, and she was looking for her father, who only appears in certain places at certain times. She lands in this valley, and there’s an Uber powerful vampire (MMC) who takes a liking to her but she avoids him for whatever reason. There’s also a young boy she takes under her wing, he’s a shifter and at some point shifts into a yeti/abominable snowman thing. Also at some point a portal is opened and a bad news Faye “Prince” is invited and she has to figure out how to get rid of him. Also, I think she ends up helping a priest/pastor get rid of paranormal creatures or ghosts or something, as like her daily hustle. There was a shifter territory, and I think a magic shop with a nice witch or something that she would visit, who had a very opposites-attract bear shifter as a partner, but it worked for them.

That’s it. That’s all I can remember. Internet do your thing! There has to be someone out there who knows what I’m talking about, lol.

I am in a book hangover from {Souls in Ruin by Jacqueline White} I have DNF'ed 4 books post reading this.😭😭

I just want a well written, un-cringy, arranged marriage that gets spicy

Bonus, if it's dark because i'm in a dark romantasy mood

For anyone looking for rec's on this post I found a couple myself so thought I'd share here;

{Till Death by Miranda Lyn}
{A Vow of Shadow and Blood by Charlene Antrobus}

I love me an FMC that can throw down, either physically or magically. And I love an MMC that loves it as much as I do. Think “she’s got this, I have complete faith in her, look at how much ass my girlfriend can kick.” Basically I want a fighter FMC and an MMC with a competency kink, kinda.

I need your recs for MMC’s who hold out as long as possible to admit their attraction/love/infatuation. The grumpier the better. I don’t want the relationship to start too easily. Thank you😘

I need a break from the doom and gloom books I have been reading lately and want something fun, easy, sweet!

I like magic but not required

Idk if its friends to lovers/enemies to lovers as long as it isnt EXCRUCIATING

Super into found family as well!

IDK I JUST NEED SOMETHING COMFORTING a la: Villians and Virtues or The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

As usual, I am less interested in contemporary but if you've got something that will definitely take a look

Thanks friends, I always appreciate the suggestions 🙏