There exists a particular sort of enchantment that occurs when romance and fantasy intertwine — a spell more potent, we dare say, than either element alone. We have wandered through enchanted lands, turning pages deep into starless hours, and we have returned with treasures to share.
What follows is our carefully curated collection of the finest adult romantasy novels gracing shelves in 2025 and 2026, alongside the beloved titles that built the genre into the magnificent kingdom it is today.
Whether you favour enemies who fall desperately in love, slow-burning passions amid political intrigue, or gods and mortals tangled in forbidden affections — there is a book here with your name written upon its pages in invisible ink.
What Makes a Romantasy Truly Great?
Before we fling open the doors to our recommendations, a word on what we believe elevates a romantasy from merely pleasant to utterly magnificent. The finest specimens balance their dual natures with grace — neither drowning romance in world-building nor sacrificing plot for passion.
They create worlds one aches to inhabit, characters one cannot bear to leave, and love stories that feel not merely desired but inevitable. That alchemical balance is what we sought as we assembled this list.
The Best Adult Romantasy Books of 2025
These are the titles that defined a remarkable year — books that arrived with the force of a storm and left readers forever changed.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
The third volume of the Empyrean series arrived like thunder in January 2025 and sold a staggering 2.7 million copies in its first week — surpassing any adult novel in two decades. Violet Sorrengail has shed the uncertainties of her earlier self and emerged as something altogether formidable. The story expands magnificently beyond the walls of Basgiath War College, venturing to southern isles where magic itself grows thin. And the dragons — particularly the grumpy elder Tairn and the irrepressible adolescent Andarna — remain as delightful as ever.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
An instant number-one New York Times bestseller, this gothic romantasy introduces us to Sybil Delling, a Diviner who ritually drowns in a cloying spring to receive visions from unearthly figures called Omens. When her fellow Diviners begin vanishing, she must seek aid from Rodrick — described, with exquisite accuracy, as “the foulest knight in all of Traum.” The slow-burn romance unfolds amidst windswept moors and cathedral shadows, and a scene-stealing gargoyle very nearly runs away with the entire affair.
The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem
We cannot recall the last time a duology conclusion satisfied us so thoroughly. This Egyptian-inspired finale to the Scorched Throne series follows a fugitive queen risking everything to restore her lost kingdom. Reviewers have called it “peak romantasy” and awarded it perfect scores with an enthusiasm bordering on the evangelical. The enemies-to-lovers tension between the leads crackles with such ferocity that one almost fears for the pages. Hashem’s prose flows like an incantation — fluid, addictive, and impossible to resist.
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
A prequel to the beloved Letters of Enchantment series, this tale reads like a tragic myth rendered in the most beautiful prose. Matilda, a young immortal herald of the gods, falls in love with a mortal man named Vincent across the span of centuries. Ross builds a hierarchy of deities that feels like established mythology — gods who are brutal to one another, who scheme and betray with casual elegance. The forbidden romance between divine and mortal aches with a yearning that lingers long after the final page.
The Robin on the Oak Throne by K.A. Linde
The second instalment in Linde’s series raises the stakes considerably, weaving heists and twists into an already richly imagined world. For readers who adore intricate plotting layered with romantic tension, this is a jewel well worth pursuing. It builds upon its predecessor with the confidence of an author who knows precisely where she is leading us — even if we cannot yet see the destination.
Silvercloak by Sable Sorensen
One of the most thrilling debuts of the year, Silvercloak plunges us into the violent world of the Bloodmoons, following a young woman who goes undercover to avenge the murder of her parents. Sorensen arrived from the YA realm with all the assurance of a seasoned adventurer crossing into new territory. The result is a romantasy that feels both fresh and deeply satisfying — a debut that announces a remarkable talent.
Essential Adult Romantasy Novels Every Reader Must Know
These are the pillars upon which the modern romantasy kingdom was built. If you have not yet encountered them, we envy you the discovery.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
For countless readers, this is where the adventure began — the gateway into an entire genre. Feyre’s journey from a mortal huntress into the perilous courts of the Fae unfolds with the inexorable pull of a fairy tale retold for those who prefer their enchantments laced with danger and desire. The slow-burn romance, the engrossing political intrigue, and the sheer unputdownability of Maas’s storytelling have made ACOTAR the standard against which all romantasy is measured.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
One enters Basgiath War College and either bonds with a dragon or perishes in the attempt — a premise so magnificently dramatic it practically dares you not to read it. Violet Sorrengail was meant for the quiet life of a scribe, not the brutal gauntlet of dragon rider training. The result is an adrenaline-soaked, open-door romantasy that became a global phenomenon virtually overnight. If you somehow have not yet begun the series, we humbly suggest you remedy the situation at once.
The Serpent & the Wings of the Night by Carissa Broadbent
Oraya is a human raised by a vampire king — already a predicament of considerable complexity — who enters a lethal tournament for the chance to receive a wish from the goddess of death. Her reluctant alliance with Raihn, a vampire from a rival clan, becomes one of the most compelling slow-burn romances in the genre. Broadbent earns every moment of tension and tenderness, never rushing the inevitable. The result is a book that is simultaneously fast-paced, deeply romantic, and wonderfully brutal.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Political romantasy at its most intoxicating. Princess Lara is sent to marry King Aren to seal an alliance between their nations — but her true mission is espionage. What follows is a masterclass in the enemies-to-lovers trope, with chemistry that practically leaps from the page and world-building that balances lush description with genuinely gripping political dilemmas. The series is structured as interconnected duologies, each following a different couple, ensuring the romantic tension never grows stale.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Two rival journalists. A war among gods. Letters that vanish beneath a wardrobe door and reappear in the hands of the one person they were never meant to reach. Ross crafts a romance in the vein of You’ve Got Mail set against a fantasy-inspired wartime landscape, and the result won the Goodreads Best YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi award in 2023. The prose is exquisite — not merely beautiful, but wrought with empathy, hope, and a yearning that settles somewhere behind the ribs.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Poppy, the Maiden and Chosen, has spent her life in isolation — every decision made for her, every freedom denied. Then Hawke Flynn arrives as her guard, and the careful walls of her existence begin to crumble most spectacularly. This is romantasy that revels in forbidden passion, dramatic revelations, and a gothic-medieval atmosphere thick enough to taste. The twists, when they come, are deliciously devastating.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
A number-one New York Times bestseller and BookTok sensation, Quicksilver follows Saeris Fane, a thief who inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and finds herself among the Fae. What distinguishes this from the crowd is its novel magic system — alchemy involving a conscious substance called quicksilver — and a heroine whose power manifests through smithing and forges rather than battlefield training. The enemies-to-lovers banter is razor-sharp, and the romance is, to borrow from the reviewers, “chef’s kiss.”
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Le Cirque des Rêves arrives without warning — a circus of black-and-white striped tents containing wonders beyond imagination. Within it, two young magicians compete through increasingly elaborate displays of enchantment, creating tents as love letters long before they share a kiss. This is not a romance in the traditional sense but a love story, atmospheric and achingly beautiful, translated into thirty-seven languages and beloved by millions. For those who wish to be lost not in a plot but in a feeling, this is pure magic.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Set in a lushly rendered post-unification Italy, this tale follows Emilia, a witch living secretly among humans, who summons a prince of Hell in her quest to avenge her twin sister’s murder. The Sicilian setting is so vividly conjured you will crave pasta between chapters. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Emilia and the demon prince Wrath is electric — all sharp edges, slow-burning tension, and banter charged with dangerous undercurrents.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
In Marske’s Edwardian England, magic hums beneath the surface of polite society. When Robin Blyth is mistakenly appointed as civil liaison to a hidden magical society, he must navigate both a deadly curse and his growing feelings for the cold, brilliant Edwin Courcey. The magic system — rooted in consent and enhanced by string patterns — is wonderfully inventive, and the queer romance at its heart is, as one reviewer declared, “a delight and a model for other authors writing the trope.”
The Most Anticipated Romantasy Books of 2026
The year ahead promises an abundance of riches. Here are the titles we are watching most eagerly.
The Raven at the Ash Door by K.A. Linde
The third book in Linde’s series continues a saga that has grown more ambitious with each instalment. After the heists and revelations of The Robin on the Oak Throne, expectations are soaring — and early whispers suggest they will be met.
Swordheart Sequel by T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher’s long-awaited return to the world of Swordheart follows Dervish, a warrior whose soul has been trapped in a blade for centuries. When the scholar Learned Edmund draws the sword, he discovers the captivating warrior inside. Kingfisher is a master of cozy romantasy with world-worn protagonists, and we are counting the days.
Songbird of the Sorrows
An outcast princess turned spy infiltrates a rival kingdom, only to discover secrets that force her to choose between duty and conscience. The premise alone is enough to make one’s heart race with anticipation.
Witch Season by Julia Bianco
A debut that promises to be exhilarating, dangerous, and fiercely romantic — a contemporary fantasy from a screenwriter turned novelist. We have high hopes for this one and suspect they will not be disappointed.
How to Choose Your Next Romantasy Read
The genre has grown so magnificently vast that choosing where to begin can feel rather like standing before an enchanted forest with a dozen paths leading into the trees. We offer this simple guidance:
If you crave dragons and action: Begin with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — or whichever book you’re up to in the series, of course.
If you prefer gothic atmosphere: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig will bewitch you entirely.
If political intrigue is your weakness: The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen or The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem.
If you want exquisite prose above all: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross.
If enemies-to-lovers is your beloved trope: Quicksilver by Callie Hart or The Serpent & the Wings of the Night by Carissa Broadbent.
If you seek queer romantasy: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske is an absolute treasure.
The Golden Age of Romantasy
We find ourselves in what can only be described as a golden age. The genre that blends romance and fantasy has matured into one of the most vibrant corners of the literary world, producing books of astonishing quality and variety at a pace that would exhaust even the most dedicated reader.
From debut novelists to established stars, from gothic cathedrals to dragon-riding academies, from ancient Egypt to Edwardian England — the range of stories being told under the romantasy banner has never been broader or more brilliant.
We shall continue to read, to recommend, and to marvel at every new adventure. Visit our New This Week shelf to catch brand-new reads all year long, and follow us on TikTok for weekly reminders.
