Romantasy

By: Raquel Raelynn (Author), 2024, Paperback

Book 1 of 2: Fate and Legacy

FAMILY OR LOVE?

When her grandmother falls ill, Lucia Dol'Auclair has to leave her sheltered life and travel to Eirini Academy of Mystics to compete in the Triune.

In three events, she will compete against vampires and werewolves to take her grandmother's place as the guardian vessel of a destructive celestial of magic and prove her worth as heir to her royal coven.

But, her heart is pulled in two directions when she falls for her rival, Adelaide, a troublesome vampire who doesn't play by the rules.

Lucia is forced to choose between the traditions that hold her coven together and the passion that could tear apart her world.

Dangerous competition.

Deadly secrets.

A feud between mystics.

Lucia never believed in love. She never had a good example of it, nor did she think it was meant for her.

Until Adelaide.

Lucia must question everything she was taught, or she might lose the one she loves.

Will she mend the centuries-old rivalry or turn her back on love for family?

This book picks up speed and doesn't let go.

It's a new-adult sapphic fantasy novel with a swoon-worthy slow-burn romance. Full of banter and a heart-warming show of first love, "The Balance of Fates" has fun fantasy creatures, vast world-building, and a rivals-to-lovers dynamic that will leave you wanting more.

One-bed, helping with nightmares, forbidden love, and a vampire/witch romance...

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Heavy is the conscience that must keep its secrets.

No one expected Arix Sable to claw her way to victory and become the Black Hand. Even Arix never expected the price she would have to pay for her triumph. But beating her competitors was only the first step in taking her place at the new king's side. Now, the real test has begun.

There are new challenges to face, now under the grueling spotlight of her new position. As she steps into her new role, Arix wonders if more of herself than just her appearance was stripped away to make room for the new magick that now thrums in her veins. With her Five Fingers, an inner circle to assist and guide, Arix may have found a new family, and new confidence, to build the world she sees for Rökkur.

But more than just the council watches her now. It seems that the gods are turning to look, taking an interest in the success or the failure of the new Black Hand. All eyes watch; all eyes wait for a mistake.

THE BLACK CROWN is a dark fantasy novel with a focus on the rise from her to villain, with intricate religious and magical worldbuilding.

If you love villain origin stories filled with magical items and magical creatures, political intrigue, morally gray characters, and retribution, then you'll love The Black Kingdom trilogy.

THE BLACK KINGDOM TRILOGY READING ORDER:
Book 1: The Black Hand
Book 2: The Black Crown
Book 3: The Black Kingdom

The Black Kingdom Trilogy

Not all heroes are saints. Not all villains are monsters.

Arix Sable is a free-spirit. She roves through the cities of Rökuur, slipping nimble-footed into ornate halls, and nimble-fingered into the pockets of those who cross her path. Her self-taught talent and luck has kept her out of the dungeons, but even Arix can’t survive on luck forever.

Caught in an alley and coerced into a deadly competition to become the king's personal sorcerer, The Black Hand, Arix realizes that her way to freedom won’t be an easy one. Fearing that she’ll be found out for her lack of magical ability, Arix fights against a gambit of skilled individuals, all clawing for the ultimate victory.

With only one path left in front of her, Arix struggles to find her footing in the competition, and must use her old skills to survive. Can she learn to find her place in this new world without becoming a pawn in a power-hungry game? And will she be able to distinguish between friend and competitor as their numbers dwindle?

THE BLACK HAND is high fantasy novel with a focus on the rise from hero to villain, with intricate religious and magical worldbuilding.

If you love villain origin stories filled with magical items and magical creatures, political intrigue, morally gray characters, and retribution, then you’ll love The Black Kingdom trilogy.

THE BLACK KINGDOM TRILOGY READING ORDER:

Book 1: The Black Hand

Book 2: The Black Crown

Book 3: The Black Kingdom

In the second installment of C.L. Clark's Magic of the Lost trilogy, soldier Touraine and princess Luca must return to Balladaire to reclaim Luca's throne and to face the consequences of dismantling an empire.

The rebels have won, and the empire is withdrawing from Qazal. But undoing the tangled web that binds the two nations will not be easy, and Touraine and Luca will face their greatest challenge yet.

Luca needs to oust her uncle from the Balladairan throne once and for all and take her rightful place as Queen. But he won't let go of power so easily. When he calls for a "Trial of Competence" and Luca's allies start disappearing from her side, she will need to find a way to prove her might. And she knows someone who can help...

Touraine has found a home in the newly free country of Qazal. But she soon realizes that leading a country and leading a revolution are two very different tasks. And, even more importantly, if Luca's uncle doesn't ratify the treaty, the Qazali could end up right back where they started. 

Together, the two women will have to come overcome their enemies, their history, and their heartbreak in order to find a way to secure Luca's power and Touraine's freedom.

By: Jay Dell (Author), 2025, Paperback

Driven by the fear of losing those she loves, Kaelara Bladesworn, a fierce warrior, embarks on a perilous journey to find a legendary power said to change fate itself. Along the way, she rescues Red, a mischievous foxkin shapeshifter with no memory of her past. But as they follow a mysterious map to the source of this immense power, dark forces close in, and Kaelara and Red must navigate treacherous enemies, hidden truths, and the ultimate question: What price will they pay for power?

"The Fox and the Bladesworn" is a sapphic romantasy novella that weaves a tale of adventure, love, and the courage to face the shadows.

From the author of The Witch Boy trilogy comes a graphic novel about family, romance, and first love.

Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can't wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She's desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends...who don't understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan's biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl.Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn't seem so stifling anymore.But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they're each trying to hide will find its way to the surface...whether Morgan is ready or not.

By: TJ Klune, 2020, Paperback

Book 1 of 2: Cerulean Chronicles

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
A 2021 Alex Award winner!
The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner!
An Indie Next Pick!
One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020"
One of Book Riot’s “20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies”

Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune’s bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger)

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours.

By: C.M. Waggoner (Author), 2021, Paperback

A Tor.com Reviewers' Choice Best Book of the Year

Sparks fly in this enchanting fantasy novel from the author of Unnatural Magic when a down-and-out fire witch and a young gentlewoman join forces against a deadly conspiracy.

Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.
 
Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places.

On the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire, two women--a princess and a soldier--will haggle over the price of a nation in this richly imagined, breath-taking sapphic epic fantasy filled with rebellion, espionage, and assassinations.
 

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet's edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren't for sale.

"A perfect military fantasy: brutal, complex, human and impossible to put down." - Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand

By: Sarah J. Mass (Author), 2023, Paperback (Throne of Glass, 1)

Lethal. Loyal. Legendary.

Enter the world of Throne of Glass with the first book in the #1 bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas.

In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway country will befriend her. But something rotten dwells in the castle, and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival-and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Thrilling and fierce, Throne of Glass is the first book in the #1 bestselling series that has captivated readers worldwide.

A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND INDIE BESTSELLER
One of Buzzfeed's "Best Books of 2022"!
An Indie Next Pick!
A Locus Awards Top Ten Finalist for Fantasy Novel

A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

By: Alexandra Rowland (Author), 2024, Paperback

A cozy M/M romantasy from the author of A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON:

"Alongside the sexiness and absurdity (and the sexy absurdity) in Yield Under Great Persuasion is a tender, resonant story of second and third chances and being loved when we need it most and feel we deserve it least. Evocative, emotional, and endlessly entertaining." —Jules Arbeaux, author of Lord of the Empty Isles

"Yield Under Great Persuasion is a hot cup of chocolate for the soul. Prepare to experience the softest, most caring romance ever." --Bookriot.com

Tam Becket has hated Lord Lyford since they were boys. The fact that he’s also been sleeping with the man for the last ten years is irrelevant.

When they were both nine years old, Lyford smashed Tam’s entry into the village’s vegetable competition. Nearly twenty years later, Tam hasn’t forgiven him. No one understands how deeply he was hurt that day, how it set a pattern of disappointments and small misfortunes that would run through the rest of his life. Now Tam has reconciled himself to the fact that love and affection are for other people, that the gods don’t care and won’t answer any of his prayers (not even the one about afflicting Lyford with a case of flesh-eating spiders to chew off his privates), and that life is inherently mundane, joyless, and drab.

And then, the very last straw: Tam discovers that Lyford (of all people!) bears the divine favor of Angarat, the goddess Tam feels most betrayed and abandoned by. In his hurt and anger, Tam packs up and prepares to leave the village for good.

But the journey doesn’t take him far, and Tam soon finds himself set on a quest for the most difficult of all possible prizes: Self care, forgiveness, a second chance... and somehow the unbelievably precious knowledge that there is at least one person who loves Tam for exactly who he is—and always has.