Move over crime and thriller, there's a new book genre on the block and we're loving it. If you've been in a bookshop or on public transport lately, you might have noticed people glued to their copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses, £4.98 / $12 (also referred to as ACOTAR) - a Beauty and The Beast-inspired novel that has taken over the bestseller charts.
The popularity of this series marked a complete boom in 'romantasy', a genre that takes everything we love about a good romance novel and puts it in an incredibly detailed fantasy world where the normal rules simply don't apply.
From fae kings, enemies-to-lovers, epic battles and imaginary worlds, to spicy scenes that will have you hot under the collar, this list is the best place to start if you've seen the romantasy hype and want to jump on the bandwagon.
There's a mix of the classic romantasy books everybody should read, as well as the latest releases and I'm here to guide you.
- If you loved ACOTAR: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, £11 / $16
- Spiciest read: Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen, £11 / $29
- Best enemies-to-lovers arc: The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli, £12 / $11
- Sweetest romance: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, £16 / $15
- Best fantasy world: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, £19 / $11
- Best love triangle: Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer, £13 / $16
- Strongest heroine: Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, £20 / $24
How I chose the best romantasy books
- Reviews: I read around a hundred books every year and 90 per cent of those are romance, fantasy, or romantasy (who wants to read about real life anyway?!). Every book on this list made me gasp out loud, blush, kick my feet in excitement or all three, and offered something fresh to the world of romantasy.
- Paperback / audio options: I don't want anything to get in the way of you reading these incredible fantasy books, so if you prefer to listen to your books, Audible has you covered.
- Popularity: Don't just take my word for it – these books have been charting up a storm on the bestseller lists and, of course, over BookTok.
The best romantasy books for 2026
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
© Bloomsbury PublishingHELLO! Reviews:
"If you found your way here from the A Court of Thornes and Roses series, then I highly recommend reading Sarah J. Maas' first book, Throne of Glass. The book's protagonist, Celaena, is an assassin, and watching her character progress as the book continues is extremely satisfying.
"Readers will be swept into an immersive world of balls, castles, princes and romance, and there is also the backdrop of a vicious tournament between thieves and murderers, where everything is to be gained or lost."
What's It About? Assassin Celaena Sardothien is serving a prison sentence in the mines of Endovier when she is given a chance to win her freedom by entering a deadly tournament to find the greatest assassin in the land, and become the king's champion.
She is beautiful, deadly, and destined for greatness, but nothing in the castle – including Celaena herself – is what it seems.
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Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen
© Wayward TxFHELLO! Reviews:
"This book was an absolute breath of fresh air. A complicated heroine who was actually likeable, a well-built fantasy world, and enough plot twists to drop your jaw mid-page."
What's It About? This spicy, page-turning military romantasy follows Meryn Cooper as she enlists in the army when her sister is kidnapped. Meryn becomes part of the lethal Bonding Trials in a desperate bid to save her sister, where a single mistake could cost her life. Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate, and the other trainees would love to spill her common blood. Meanwhile, her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness.
Dire Bound excels in its characters and plotting, and the smut in this book will certainly have you blushing. There's simmering tension, a male main character who puts other dark and brooding heroes to shame, and an incredible chemistry between main characters that makes this romantasy very hard to put down.
And if you love Dire Bound just as much as I do, fear not! The sequel, Fury Bound, drops on 5 May so you don't have long to wait for the story to continue.
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The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli
© MagpieHELLO! Reviews:
"A romance between a witch and a witch hunter is the perfect place to start if you're looking for your next enemies-to-lovers fix. Rune is the best heroine if you like your main characters to enjoy fashion and also saving the world.
"Gideon is a MMC whose personality goes beyond being surly and brooding, which is a rare thing in a romantasy novel. He's conflicted, has plenty of backstory and can't seem to get over his infuriating attraction to Rune.
"Both books in this duology are out now, so you don't even have to wait for the sequel!"
What's It About? In this world, witches used to be in power before a revolution changed everything. Now witches are persecuted, and their very survival balances on a knife edge.
Rune is a socialite by day, and a vigilante called the Crimson Moth by night, saving her fellow witches from the clutches of witch hunters – like Gideon Sharpe. Gideon has his own reasons for being a witch hunter, but when he starts pursing the Crimson Moth, Rune has to act to keep her identity hidden.
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Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
© OrbitHELLO! Reviews:
"If you're a fan of light or dark academia, then Emily Wilde is a must-read. She is a brilliant heroine, wonderfully awkward around humankind and happiest when in the company of her dog and books.
"The story is written through Emily's diaries, which adds plenty of intrigue about our heroine's perspective on matters.
"If you're looking for something more light-hearted with an adventurous flair, then this is the book for you."
What's It About? Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who has little tolerance for people and a lifelong obsession with faeries. This light and enchanting fantasy series sees Emily journey north to study the Fair Folk, hoping to make her discoveries in peace.
However, no such luck for Emily, who is soon joined by her academic rival Wendell Bambleby. Wendell quickly charms the locals, muddles Emily's research and cause her much frustration – being unbearably handsome whilst doing so.
Despite his cavalier manner, Emily soon discovers there is more to Wendell – and the faerie population in the north – than meets the eye.
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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
© PiatkusHELLO! Reviews:
"Having a heroine with a chronic illness is a rare choice in fantasy but certainly adds nuance to Violet's character. She is small, frail, and prone to pain and injuries, which don't serve her well in the Riders Quadrant, where survival is the only focus.
"Fourth Wing is the ideal read for fans of training sequences, academy or school settings, dragons and spicy scenes. This is a good one to start after A Court of Thorns and Roses as it plays with different elements of romantasy – besides, who doesn't love a book about dragons?"
What's It About? This multi-million copy bestseller follows Violet Sorrengail, a young girl whose mother and commanding general forces her to join the Riders Quadrant, where candidates learn to ride dragons.
Not only are the other candidates out for Violet's blood, she must also contend with her wingleader, Xaden Riorson, who is not Violet's number one fan. Can she survive to graduation?
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Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
© HarperVoyagerHELLO! Reviews:
"Warrior Princess Assassin is a great read, not only because of its steamy nature, but also because of the fascinating dynamic between its three main characters. It's a love triangle that evolves beyond the cliché, and leaves readers begging the question: why choose?
"Spicy moments aside, this book also takes place in a really interesting political landscape, where war could threaten all parties. Brigid Kemmerer is a well-established romantasy author, so you know you'll be in safe hands with this one."
What's It About? This bestseller focuses on three main characters whose fates combine when Princess Jory is betrothed to King Maddox Kyronan in order to save both their kingdoms. Asher is an assassin who is given two targets – Jory, the woman he's always loved, and her husband-to-be.
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Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
© Second SkyHELLO! Reviews:
"This fantasy world is simply delicious in its detail and ideal if you're a fan of a dark romance. Set in New Orleans, necromancer Ophelia Grimm is the classic oldest sister: used to holding everything together, and putting herself at the bottom of the list.
"Throughout Phantasma, Ophelia is plagued by a Shadow Voice, which she learns to engage with as the story progresses and she comes into her own. Ophelia is a very competent character, which makes for exciting reading."
What's It About? When Ophelia Grimm's sister goes missing, she is faced with one option: enter Phantasma, a contest in a haunted mansion where the price of failure is death. If she wins, Ophelia will be granted a single wish – but plenty stands in the way.
Handsome and infuriating Blackwell is a mysterious stranger who offers Ophelia a bargain: his assistance through the maze in return for ten years of her life.
Ophelia must take care not to lose the game – or her heart.
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The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
HELLO! Reviews
What a gripping read. The Poet Empress is a fantastic book, packed to the brim with intriguing characters, an exciting new magic system and a complex heroine. Loosely based on imperial China, this book is a breath of fresh air for any readers who enjoy in-depth world-building and storytelling that has you on the edge of your seat.
The twist in this book had me gasping – I can't wait to see what Shen Tao writes next.
What's it about? In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves – even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the Azalea House, where danger hides around every corner.
Wei must survive both the machinations of court life and the prince her fate is bound to, all without losing herself.
Steelborn by Taylor J. LaRue
HELLO! Reviews
"I love a fantasy that starts in a city, especially when it's written from the perspective of the city's criminals. Reya is an underdog who has pulled herself up from the gutter, which makes it all the more painful when everything goes wrong and she's forced to watch everything she built crumble.
"But her determination and spirit make her an engaging heroine, and her capability means she's worth rooting for. The love story here is an captivating one – he's on the moral high ground, and she most certainly is not. There's plenty of fun back-and-forth and spicy sequences to enjoy."
Reya Connery is the Crimson Dagger, the most notorious thief in Rhiterra, but when a heist goes wrong on the eve of paying off her debt to a ruthless crime lord, she becomes desperate.
Enter Caelan Halcyon, an immortal warrior whose magic makes him a valuable target – if the curse inching closer to his heart doesn’t kill him first. Caelan is the one person who might be able to clear Reya's debt, if she can steal the fabled cure just in time to save his life.
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King of Ravens by Clare Sager
HELLO! Reviews
"The concept of a mortal human being spirited away to another world is one that has captured imaginations for centuries, and King of Ravens proves no different.
"It's a compelling read, the chemistry between the enemies very tangible, with the added element of Rhiannon's mysterious ailment only adding to the tension. If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers (who isn't?!) and magic, then this is the read for you. Coupled with a gut-wrenching twist, you'll be just as desperate as me for the sequel to arrive!"
What's It About?
Rhiannon is dying – of what she doesn't know. Kept protected by her family in their clifftop home, she spends her days searching for a cure.
Her world is torn apart when an unseelie King of the Dead arrives and gives her a simple choice: descend to the underworld as his bride or he'll take her family instead.
Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. Her new husband is powerful, cold, and infuriating and she is determined to hate him.
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The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace
HELLO! Reviews
"Sizzling. A great premise, gripping writing, and a plot twist I did not see coming. It's a rare and wonderful thing to be totally gripped by a book, but this is exactly what happened for me.
"It's great when the enemies are actually enemies, and the stakes are high. Severin is a villain with soul, which makes him a fascinating opponent and a vehicle for Aurelie to question her worldview. The angels and demons setup makes for very fun reading too."
Aurelie Chantelune was born to serve. Raised as a knight in a kingdom ravaged by demons, she's spent her life honing her blade, driven by the memory of the monsters who tore her family apart and by the knowledge that she's one of the few who can stop them.
If Aurelie can claim her first kill, she'll inherit a legacy passed down through the Chantelune bloodline: a soulbond with Yuriel, an angel whose power is vital to her kingdom's survival. But when those she loves begin turning into the very monsters she's sworn to destroy, Aurelie is forced to seek help from the last place she ever imagined. Desperate, she forges a second and far more dangerous bond with Severin, a demon she can hardly trust, but who claims to know how to end the war for good.
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The Dagger and the Flame trilogy by Catherine Doyle
HELLO! Reviews
"This is my book trilogy of the year – and all the books are now out, so there's no need to wait before starting this incredible series. Ransom and Sera are two fantastic heroes, and their sizzling chemistry is to die for. Beyond the romance, this is a fully built-out world, set in the city of Fantome. The magic system is intriguing; the premise original. I devoured all three books in quick succession – highly recommend."
What's It About? In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins.
On the night of her mother's murder, eighteen-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera's heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?
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