Find your next romantasy read ✨

Below is our spice rating system so you know what you’re getting into:

• 🌸 Closed-door – romance happens off-page or is very tame

• 🌶️ Mild – a little heat, but nothing super explicit

• 🌶️🌶️ Medium – steamier scenes, a balance of plot + spice

• 🌶️🌶️🌶️ High – open-door, descriptive, and plenty of heat

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If you like forbidden romance, sharp-tongued heroines, and brooding male leads, this series is for you. Poppy has lived her life hidden away, destined for a future she never chose — until she meets Hawke, a guard who challenges everything she thought she knew. Expect betrayals, (many!) shocking twists, deadly battles, and a romance that builds from spark to wildfire. Fair warning: many readers critique the writing quality of this series. If you're in it for the story, this one is for you - but do your best to prepare for some redundant lines. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️(fairly graphic)

• Start with book one: From Blood and Ash (Book 1)

• Or grab the full binge: Blood and Ash Complete Collection

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

If The Hunger Games met How to Train Your Dragon but with a whole lot more kissing, you’d get Fourth Wing. Violet Sorrengail is forced into an elite dragon rider academy where survival is anything but guaranteed. The mix of brutal trials, high-stakes friendships, enemies-to-lovers romance, and, of course, dragons makes this series an instant obsession. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️(fairly graphic - though a bit less descriptive than BoA)

• Fourth Wing (Book 1)

• Fourth Wing Series 3 Book Set

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This series starts with an assassin forced into a deadly competition to win her freedom — and slowly expands into an epic saga of kingdoms, magic, and fate. What begins as a survival story for Celaena Sardothien grows into a sprawling adventure with ancient powers, deadly enemies, and bonds of loyalty that will break your heart and then piece it back together. This series may have a slower start and the writing is a bit rough around the edges at first (SJM was very young when she started these books), but even after my fair share of romantasies, this one remains my favorite. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

• Start with book one: Throne of Glass (Book 1)

• Or the full set: Throne of Glass Box Set

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas

This one kicks off with a Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired retelling, where Feyre, a mortal huntress, is dragged into the dangerous world of the fae. What starts as a story of survival and uneasy romance quickly evolves into a sweeping saga of court politics, war, and found family. The characters and romances only get more layered (and steamier) as the series continues. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

• A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1)

• Or the full set: ACOTAR Box Set

Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

An urban fantasy twist from the queen of romantasy herself. Bryce Quinlan, half-fae and all sass, is thrown into a murder mystery that drags her into the politics of angels, demons, and everything in between. The books are action-packed, emotional rollercoasters with slow-burn romance and plenty of jaw-dropping reveals. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️

• House of Earth and Blood (Book 1)

• Or the full set: CC Box Set

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Think Twilight, but for grown-ups who love history, alchemy, and academia. This trilogy follows Diana Bishop, a scholar who stumbles upon a bewitched manuscript that pulls her into the secret world of witches, vampires, and daemons. Alongside a brooding vampire geneticist (yes, really), she navigates forbidden romance, time travel, and centuries of magical intrigue. Spice rating: 🌶️

• A Discovery of Witches (Book 1)

• Or commit to the full All Souls Trilogy

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

If you like a touch of gothic atmosphere with your fantasy, this duology is a gem. Elspeth lives with a monster trapped inside her mind, giving her forbidden power in a kingdom ruled by fear and superstition. The story balances eerie, haunting vibes with a slow-burn romance that feels dangerous, intimate, and unforgettable. Spice rating: 🌸/🌶️ (mostly tension and yearning, light steam)

• One Dark Window (Book 1)

• Two Twisted crowns (Book 2)

Ever King by LJ Andrews

Perfect for fans of Norse-inspired worlds and morally gray love interests. This book kicks off the Ever Seas series, where a fierce pirate queen crosses paths with a cursed prince bound by shadows. It’s full of seafaring adventure, political intrigue, and a romance that burns slowly but brightly against a dark, mythic backdrop. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (slow-burn, some open-door)

• Ever King (Book 1)

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

Imagine A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Game of Thrones—but add werewolves, kidnappings, and a royal forced proximity that burns like wildfire. Princess Aurora ditches a loveless marriage, only to find herself captured by a dangerous alpha. He drags her into a world of clans, war, and secrets she never signed up for—but the chemistry between them is as inevitable as the moon’s pull. It’s enemies-to-lovers, cursed loyalties, and brooding tension served on a silver platter. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (open-door and danger all night long)

• Wolf King (Book 1)

The Road of Bones (Ashen, Book 1) by Demi Winters

Silla Nordvig is on the run. After her father's murder, she embarks on a perilous journey along the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer. Seeking refuge in Kopa, she stows away in a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. There, she must navigate the complexities of her newfound companions, including the brooding leader, Reynir Galtung, and the enigmatic Wolf. As secrets unravel and danger looms, Silla's quest becomes a fight for survival and self-discovery. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers)

• Road of Bones

• Kingdom of the Claw (Book 2)

• Roots of Darkness (Book 2.5)

• Dawn of the North (Book 3)

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, Book 1) by Carissa Broadbent

Oraya, the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, enters the Kejari—a deadly tournament held by the goddess of death herself. To survive, she forms an alliance with Raihn, a mysterious vampire rival. As the competition intensifies, their bond deepens, challenging Oraya's beliefs and desires. Set in a world where love can be as lethal as betrayal, this book weaves dark magic, forbidden romance, and high-stakes intrigue into a gripping narrative. Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️ (slow-burn with some open-door moments)

• The Serpent and the Wings of Night

• Or get the full 3 Box set

✨ That’s the roundup - some of the best romantasy books of the year! Whether you’re looking for something dark and gothic, light and romantic, or full-on epic with dragons and fae courts, these picks will keep your TBR pile stacked. Thanks for reviewing these romantasy book recommendations.

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