Under the Iron Sky (2026) (Under the Iron Sky, book 1) A T Emerald "Under the Iron Sky is fresh, engrossing, brilliantly energetic. A.T. Emerald has crafted a gorgeously realised world savouring of Mad Max and Pitch Black. The combat scenes are vivid, the enemies-to-lovers throughline goes hard on the enemies (to my vast delight), and a juicy vein of cynicism seeps through the characters' voices. An exhilarating ride."
Reap & Sow (2026) Charlotte B Plumb "A fresh voice, an electric and twisty plot, and a romance that strikes the perfect balance between hot and tender. Reap & Sow should be on every romantasy fan's must-read list."
Mothsblood (2026) Lynn D Jung "MOTHSBLOOD: a dark alchemy mingling The Secret History and Frankenstein. Jung writes with the precision of an entomology pin, achieving here a masterclass in sharp prose, tight plotting, and a low, slow horror that will seep into your bones. This book is an intoxicating addition to the dark academia canon. In a word, extraordinary."
Hawk & Sparrow (2026) Ayana Gray "Ayana Gray wields magic in her pen. Hawk & Sparrow is an expertly plotted, rollicking whodunit woven through a charming, slow-burn romance."
(Mostly) Human Resources (2026) (Entity Case Files, book 1) Grace Viall "Welcome to (Mostly) Human Resources, in which the bureaucracy and the spooks are equally frightening. Viall's debut is a tongue-in-cheek delight, pulling from multiple genres to create a tale that is both unsettling and cozy - whimsical horror, if I had to give it a name. The Appalachian ambience and aesthetics are hauntingly delicious. The romance is tender, yet snarky, featuring protagonists who can't stand one another (my favourite dynamic!) unwillingly finding love whilst hunting for things that go bump in the night. Five creepy stars!"
Dominion (2026) (Silk and Iron Trilogy, book 1) Jean Kwok "Dominion is a page turner. Tender yet tense, loving yet steamy, dangerous yet darkly humorous - a real showcase of Kwok's ambidextrous talents. It draws gorgeously on Chinese mythology to create something entirely new, all while commenting, through Rubi's eyes, on the immigrant experience - the difficulty of displacement and the joy of finding new places (or people) to call home."
Witch Season (2026) (Broken Coven , book 1) Julia Bianco "Bianco writes a compelling, addictive story with beautifully flawed characters. Witch Season was a phenomenal read. A tale of blood-sacrifice and self-sacrifice, of the collision of witchcraft and modern life, of the price of privilege. Action-packed, unapologetically violent, and somehow culminating, amidst the carnage, with a gorgeous message of hope. Just my kind of read. Brilliant!"
Wildflower (2026) Becky Jenkinson "Prepare to be enchanted. Wildflower is a lovely respite from reality, featuring a charming cast of characters, snappy dialogue, and so much heart. The prose is gorgeous - Jenkinson wields such lyricism in her pen, I can hardly believe this is a debut. The romance between Fliss and Will is achingly tender, unfurling gorgeously, petal by petal. A book to treasure!"
The Reimagining of Thornwood House (2026) (Magic of Iskendra, book 1) Jaleigh Johnson "Johnson has created something from the soul here - a story warm-hearted and full of wild magic that feels like slipping back into a half-remembered dream. The prose is luminous, the atmosphere, luxuriantly cosy; it's cottagecore, but the cottage is sentient and has an attitude. Running throughout is a deft exploration of family, mother-daughter love, and what it means to find a place to call home. The Reimagining of Thornwood House is for those who love their fantasy sweet, ethereal, Ghibliesque, with some slightly spooky dark corners."
Strange Familiars (2026) (Seamere College Duology, book 1) Keshe Chow "Strange Familiars is my exact brand of catnip, featuring brilliant academic rivals, magical university, and cheeky animal sidekicks stealing every scene. And let's talk about the romantic tension between Gwen and Harrisford - sizzling, with gorgeous ebbs and flows between wanting and hating, sacrifice and treachery. Chow's world-building is fabulous and imaginative, with a frighteningly accurate exploration of what magic might look like in our late stage capitalism world. Animal lovers will adore the familiars and the accuracy of the veterinary medicine scenes. Percy stole my heart. An absolute delight!"
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!"
