Cecilia Bassingwaite belongs to the prestigious Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. Yet this is no ordinary society - as it's full of pirates, thieves and ne'er-do-wells. These women spend their days pickpocketing and blackmailing all before tea time. But when Cecilia meets Ned Lightingbourne her world is set to change. Because he's an assassin and she's his next hit.
Romantasy
There is a LOT being published thanks to the Romantasy boom and the current obsession with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Everyone probably knows about Sarah J Maas, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Leigh Bardugo (and if you don't, those are great authors to recommend to your Romantasy girlies looking for their next fix!), but here are some other authors you may NOT have heard of:
YA Authors (there MAY be some sexual feeling/exploration, but nothing graphic)
This is a contemporary fantasy series with a focus on Arthurian legends featuring a Black protagonist. Looking to escape her previous life after the death of her mother, 16-year-old Bree enrolls in a program for high school students at the local university. She witnesses a magical attack, discovers her own powers, and finds herself inducted into a secret magical society where she begins to uncover sinister truths about the magical world and her mother's supposedly "accidental" death.
Stephanie Garber – Once Upon a Broken Heart
Desperate to stop her beloved from marrying another, sixteen-year-old Evangeline Fox strikes a deal with the mythic Prince of Hearts leading her down a dangerous path that may ultimately end in her destruction.
Brigid Kemmerer – Cursebreaker
A modern girl is pulled into a fantasy world in this series of fairy tale retellings. Harper finds herself at the center of a kingdom at war where a prince must fight for his right to rule and an evil sorceress uses her enchantments to control him. Detailed worldbuilding and characters, romance, and secrets add to the suspense.
Mild Spice (some sexual feelings/descriptions)
Mary E Pearson – The Courting of Bristol Keats
After the death of their parents, Bristol and her sisters settle in Bowskeep after a life on the run. Struggling to stay afloat and with no hope for their future, Bristol is shocked when she recieves a mysterious letter from an unknown aunt promising riches. Upon investigation, this turns out to be a ploy by the fae and Bristol is pulled into a world of terrifying magical creatures and political intrigue. Forbidden romance, mystery, and high-stakes dangers.
Stephanie Burgis – Wooing the Witch Queen
"Wicked" Queen Saskia is a feared sorceress who has recently wrestled the throne from her evil uncle. All she wants to do is keep her people safe and experiment in her laboratory with her spells. A mysterious dark wizard arrives at the castle, and Saskia immediately hires him to organize her magic library and take one more thing off her over-crowded plate. Little does she know that sweet, mysterious Fabian is actually a completely unmagical archduke in disguise, on the run from assassins.
Deborah Harkness – A Discovery of Witches
Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford's library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure.
Spicy (There is sex on the page)
Sarah Hawley – Shards of Magic
In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.
Rachel Gillig – One Dark Window
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. Very gothic feeling romantasy.
Thea Guanzon – The Hurricane Wars
Two powerful royals are entangled in a war in Guanzon’s trope-heavy, Southeast Asian–inflected romantasy debut. Orphaned Talasyn of Sardovia harbors a deadly secret: she’s one of the last remaining Lightweavers, capable of wielding magic that can combat the brutal Night Empire’s own shadow magic. When the Night Empire attacks and its alluring Prince Alaric Ossinast corners Talasyn, she must expose her powers to escape. Sardovia’s leadership sends her to the Nenavar Dominion to amplify her powers, making her an unwilling but vital player in diplomatic relations—especially when she is betrothed to the Night Empire's prince.
Danielle Jensen – A Fate Inked in Blood
A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son in this Viking-inspired romantasy.
Extra Spicy (There are graphic sex scenes)
Sarah Parker – When the Moon Hatched
Raeve, an assassin for a rebel group, who is saved from imprisonment by Kaan, the King of The Burn. An enemies-to-lovers, action-packed romance set in a vibrant world wtih mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that transcends time.
Callie Hart – Quicksilver
Saeris has alchemical magic and inadvertently opens a gateway between her world and the fae realm. She quickly finds herself bound to a handsome warrior named Kingfisher who plans to use her powers to protect his people, no matter the cost.
Saara El-Arifi – Faebound
Forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their homeland’s borders an elven warrior and her prophet sister encounter the fae court, in the first book of a new trilogy .
LGBTQIA+ Romances
While LGBTQ romances have become more popular and available, there are still a lot of the spectrum that is not well-represented and can be hard to find. We focused on looking for romances with trans/nonbinary and asexual/demisexual characters.
Jeff Garvin – Symptoms of Being Human
An emotionally charged and hopeful exploration of identity and self-acceptance through the lens of a gender-fluid protagonist navigating personal and societal challenges. A mild romance develops in the midst of this coming-of-age story. Gender-fluid. YA.
Claire Kann – Let's Talk About Love
Alice's last girlfriend, Margo, ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual. Now Alice is sure she's done with dating... and then she meets Takumi. She can't stop thinking about him or the rom-com-grade romance feelings she did not ask for. Asexual, Black, and Asian characters. YA.
Claire Kann - The Romantic Agenda
Thirty, flirty, and asexual, Joy is secretly in love with her best friend, Malcolm, but she's never been brave enough to say so. When he unexpectedly announces that he's met the love of his life-and no, it's not Joy-she's heartbroken. Malcolm invites her on a weekend getaway, and Joy decides it's her last chance to show him exactly what he's overlooking. But maybe Joy is the one missing something...or someone...and his name is Fox. Asexual and Black characters.
Anita Kelly – Love and Other Disasters
The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy. Trans/Nonbinary character.
Casey McQuiston – The Pairing
Two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not. Bisexual and non-binary characters.
Two video game creators go head-to-head in this delightful, queer enemies-to-lovers workplace romance debut. Asian, Lesbian, and Non-binary characters.
Gabe Cole Novoa – Most Ardently
Oliver Bennet, trapped by societal expectations to live as female, discovers the possibility of love and freedom when he forms a connection with Darcy, but is faced with the choice of living a secure but inauthentic life or risking everything for true self-expression and love. A queer YA twist on Pride and Prejudice.
Joanna Lowell – A Shore Thing
A delightfully queer Victorian love story, featuring a boldly brash trans hero, the beguiling botanist who captures his heart, and a buoyant bicycle race by the British seaside.
Erotic Romance
With the Romantasy boom has come an increased interest in more erotic/descriptive romance. We discussed a few sub-genres I had never even heard of such as "monster romance" (featuring mythical creatures like minotaurs, shape-shifters, as well as your typical vampires and werewolves, etc.), and "enchanted object romance" - usually where someone has been cursed into an object. These kinds of recommendations might not come up very often (be very cautious when recommending - know your reader!), but on the rare occasion, it's good to know a few. Most of these are available through Hoopla.
C M Nascosta – Cambric Creek Romance Series
Nascosta writes "monster" romance featuring a wide variety of creatures. This might be a good recommendation for readers who enjoy humorous, lighthearted fantasy romances with playful twists on traditional tropes and a focus on quirky, character-driven narratives. There are some surprisingly poignant themes of social justice and other topics woven throughout.
Tiffany Reisz – The Godwicks Series and The Original Sinner Series
Tiffany writes erotic romance novels that have an element of BDSM, dominant/submissive relationships. The Godwicks series has a mythological/historical fantasy element to them. The Original Sinners series focuses on the world of BDSM and the story of a dominatrix and erotica writer.
Emily Rath – Pucking Around
A spicy "why chose" hockey romance ideal for readers who enjoy lighthearted yet emotional romances with a mix of humor, sports drama, and unconventional relationships.
Donyae Coles – Midnight Rooms
This is a horror book with erotic themes. Trigger warnings for gore, incest, assault, and confinement. Orabella is married off to a seemingly wealthy and devoted husband to pay off her uncle's debts. When she arrives at the Blakersby family estate, she realizes her husband is hiding things and the house is haunted in more ways than one. The longer she stays, the more Orabella seems to be losing herself to a waking nightmare.
