The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains (2026) Reena McCarty "The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains is a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek weaving of folklore and the hell of modern bureaucracy, combined with a twisty adventure and a dash of romance. An unflinching rendition of fae as they should be written - beautiful, bizarre, cruel, and always terrifying. McCarty is a talent!"
Thistlemarsh (2026) Moorea Corrigan "A magical book! Corrigan has developed her own gorgeous mythos of a world like ours, touched by Faery.... Below the whimsy and warmth there is a deeper story of the cost of war and the courage required to build a new and brighter world in its wake. Through it all, a delicate romance blossoms. By the last page, I was healed."
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (2026) (Maggie the Undying, book 1) Ilona Andrews "Another glorious entry in the Ilona Andrews legendarium. Both a send-up of, and a love letter to, your favorite fantasy tropes, by a master of the genre. Self-aware, tongue firmly in cheek, but also full of heart. The perfect balance of humor, romance, and thrills in one brilliant book."
Sight Unseen (2026) Alexis Marie "Sight Unseen is a contemporary fantasy, but as the best fantasies are, it is also deeply real. The world is exceptionally textured, familiar yet new, and conveyed to us in prose that is transportive, patient, beguiling. At its core, Sight Unseen is a story about healing in three modes - a curse, a family, a child - all entwined with a delicate, beautifully wrought slow-burn romance. A darkly gleaming gem of a novel."
Love and Other Brain Experiments (2026) Hannah Brohm "Love and Other Brain Experiments was a brainy delight. Brohm plays with my favourite tropes (academic rivals! fake dating! forced proximity!) masterfully; her writing is cheeky and self-aware, but warmed by an undercurrent of sincerity and real heart. She weaves in unflinchingly trenchant observations about academia by someone who has clearly been through it all - the thankless postdoc grind, the sick addiction to inbox refreshing after grant applications, the revolving mess of ego/devastating emotional breakdown that studs one's trajectory up the ivory tower. Love and Other Brain Experiments is about finding love of three kinds - romantic, sisterly, and self. It is also an ode to overthinkers; Frances, I see you - possibly I am you. I was left charmed and delighted. A stellar debut."
Half City (2026) (Harker Academy , book 1) Kate Golden "Welcome to Half City, in which Kate Golden does nothing by halves: full-throttle action, a twisty mystery, and a deliciously tense romance make this an absolute romp. Our lead, Viv, is equal parts badass and messy, and her love interest may give you a thing for claws. Absolutely fabulous action writing by Golden, beautifully offset by a story about acceptance, belonging, and what it means to be human."
Love At First Fright (2025) Nadia El-Fassi "A high-spice read for fans of enemies-to-lovers featuring a Stern Brunch Daddy . . . Nadia El-Fassi is a master of cozy spice!"
The Possession of Alba Diaz (2025) Isabel Cañas "Searching for self; broken families; women in white; divinity colonised and decolonised; romance; possession in all of its forms -- with prose at times deliciously baroque, at times austere as the Zacatecas landscape, Canas has created a gothic feast for the senses. Don't read it too late at night."
The Book of Heartbreak (2025) Ova Ceren "A beautiful, folkloric exploration of generational trauma, love, and ultimately forgiveness. An evocative tale of star- and curse-crossed love seamlessly blending Ottoman history and fantasy."
Rose in Chains (2025) (Evermore Trilogy, book 1) Julie Soto "Amidst the intrigue and suspense, Soto masterfully crafts a delicious, darkly tender slow burn romance. I didn't want to come up for air."
A Fate Forged in Fire (2025) (Bonded to Beasts, book 1) Hazel McBride "A Fate Forged in Fire delivers visceral action, dagger-to-throat enemies to lovers, lush worldbuilding, and explosive female rage - everything I could want in a romantasy. McBride's prose is addictive and her storytelling cinematic. Rarely have I been so swept away."
Heir of Illusion (2025) (Verran Isles, book 1) Madeline Taylor "Heir of Illusion is a tale as smoldering, sensuous, and bloody as its protagonist. An incredibly impressive debut combining all that is best of the romantasy genre into something new, brutally violent, sizzling with tension, and utterly addictive to read. This is how you do romantasy!"
