There exists a particular species of magic that arrives only when frost etches its delicate patterns upon windowpanes and the world wraps itself in a blanket of silver and white. It is during these long, dark evenings that we readers seek out tales of wonder and romance—stories that warm us from within whilst the wind howls without.
If you have ever wished to lose yourself in a world where love blooms against impossible odds and magic crackles in the frozen air, then do settle in, dear reader. I shall be your guide through the most enchanting winter romantasy novels that await your discovery.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
In the wild, snow-smothered forests of medieval Russia, where household spirits guard the hearth and frost demons claim unwary souls, there lives a young woman named Vasilisa who possesses a most inconvenient gift—she can see the magical creatures that others dismiss as mere fairy tales.
Katherine Arden has woven a tale so thoroughly drenched in winter that one can feel the cold seeping through the very pages. Young Vasya must protect her family when a devout stepmother forbids the old ways, weakening the protective spirits whilst something ancient and terrible stirs in the woods.
This is the sort of book that wraps around you like a grandmother’s quilt, rich with Russian folklore and the kind of slow-burning romance that hints at immortal love. It is the first of a trilogy, each book more wintry than the last, and there is not a single reader who has emerged from these pages without longing to return.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Now here is a most delightful creature—a grumpy Cambridge professor named Emily Wilde who travels to a remote Scandinavian village in the depths of winter to study the local faerie folk for her scholarly encyclopaedia. She is the sort of heroine who would rather converse with dangerous fae than engage in small talk.
Enter her academic rival, the impossibly charming Wendell Bambleby, who arrives uninvited and proceeds to thoroughly complicate everything, including Emily’s well-ordered heart. Told through Emily’s academic journal entries, this cozy fantasy romance is sprinkled with footnotes, faerie lore, and a slow-burning romance between two perfectly mismatched souls.
Picture yourself reading by firelight with cocoa in hand, snow falling softly outside, and you shall have captured the essence of this thoroughly enchanting tale.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik has crafted something extraordinary in this loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin—a tale set in a snow-covered fantasy realm inspired by medieval Lithuania, where a moneylender’s daughter named Miryem discovers that her gift for turning silver into gold has attracted the attention of the Staryk king himself.
Here are three remarkable women—Miryem, the servant girl Wanda, and the nobleman’s daughter Irina—whose fates interweave as they each face terrible bargains and discover strengths they never knew they possessed. The winter setting is not merely backdrop but character, as essential to the story as breath itself.
This standalone novel earned nominations for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and reviewers have called it “one of the most immersive and satisfying fantasy novels” they have encountered. The romance is subtle, woven through with intelligence and ancient magic.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Once upon a time, there was a cursed prince doomed to transform into a monster, trapped in an eternal autumn that repeats endlessly until he finds true love. But this is not the fairy tale you remember, for the young woman who stumbles into his castle is Harper, a teenager from Washington D.C. who has cerebral palsy and absolutely no patience for self-pitying royalty.
Brigid Kemmerer has reimagined Beauty and the Beast with a wintry Gothic atmosphere and a heroine who refuses to be anyone’s prisoner. The kingdom of Emberfall exists in perpetual twilight, caught between seasons, whilst Harper and Prince Rhen circle one another with suspicion that gradually, wonderfully, transforms into something else entirely.
This is romantasy for readers who prefer their fairy tales with thorns and their heroines with unyielding spirits.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Oh, but this book is a warm embrace disguised as a novel! Mika Moon is a witch—one of the very few in Britain—who has spent her entire life following the rules: hide your magic, stay alone, never let other witches gather lest their powers mingle and draw attention.
Then she receives a mysterious invitation to teach three young witches at Nowhere House, a rambling estate where she discovers the most delightful found family imaginable and a grumpy librarian named Jamie who makes her heart perform the most inconvenient acrobatics.
This cozy fantasy has been compared to The House in the Cerulean Sea meets Practical Magic, and whilst it suits any season, there is something particularly lovely about reading of witchcraft and romance whilst winter winds rattle the windows.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
For those who prefer their winter romantasy with dragons, danger, and rather more intensity, Rebecca Yarros delivers with the third installment of her phenomenally popular Empyrean series. Following the events of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, our heroine Violet ventures into frozen new territories with her bonded dragons.
This 2025 release has already claimed the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Favorite Romantasy and sold millions of copies in its first week. The world expands, the stakes multiply, and the romance continues to burn hot against the icy backdrop of an expanding magical war.
Be warned, dear reader—this one ends with a cliffhanger that shall haunt you until the next installment arrives.
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
In the Pacific Northwest, where ancient forests hold secrets and witches have guarded their powers for generations, a terrible winter storm leaves one boy dead and another missing. Two weeks later, Nora Walker—descendant of witches, keeper of dangerous gifts—finds Oliver Huntsman in the haunted Wicker Woods, alive but remembering nothing.
Shea Ernshaw writes atmospheric Gothic romance that makes you feel the frost in your bones and smell woodsmoke on every page. The paranormal mystery unfolds alongside a romance shadowed by secrets, set in woods so vividly rendered they become a character themselves.
This is perfect reading for those who like their romantasy dark as a winter’s night, with magic humming beneath the surface.
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
Should you desire something altogether cozier, here is Stella Bloom, desperate owner of a struggling Christmas tree farm who enters an Instagram contest to save her beloved Lovelight Farms. There is only one small problem—she claimed to own the farm with her boyfriend, and no such boyfriend exists.
Enter her best friend Luka, hot chocolate in hand, who somehow agrees to the fake dating scheme that brings all the warmth of a Hallmark film combined with the sweetness of finding love where it has been hiding all along. Set in the charming small town of Inglewild, this holiday romance wraps you in tinsel and fairy lights.
For those seeking pure comfort reading with just the right amount of romantic tension, this is your winter’s night companion.
Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
This is no ordinary novel but rather a grand, sweeping fantasy set in a mythical New York City where a white horse named Athansor rescues a burglar named Peter Lake, who then meets a dying heiress whose love will echo across centuries.
Mark Helprin’s 1983 masterpiece is a snow-dusted love letter to New York itself, magical realism that some readers worship and others find bewildering. The prose is undeniably beautiful, the romance epic in scope, and the winter imagery so vivid one might mistake it for poetry.
This is romantasy for adventurous souls willing to lose themselves in something vast and strange and genuinely unforgettable.
The Salt Bind by Rebecca Ferrier (Coming January 2026)
For those who wish to add something extraordinary to their future reading lists, mark January 2026 for this gothic romantasy debut set on the Cornish coast in 1779. Red-haired Kensa discovers a dying sea creature beneath the full moon, binding herself forever to the Old Ways—ancient magic connecting land and tide.
When her mentor falls ill, Kensa must strike a dangerous bargain with the Bucka, a storm god chained to the sea. Early reviewers describe it as an “utterly mesmerising gothic fairytale” with writing so beautiful readers lose themselves in its music. The coastal witchcraft and windswept atmosphere promise a perfect winter read.
If you adore The Bear and the Nightingale and Spinning Silver, this mythic tale of forbidden deals and ancient magic belongs on your shelf.
Finding Your Perfect Winter Romantasy
The perfect winter romantasy is rather like finding the ideal spot by a crackling fire—deeply personal and thoroughly satisfying once discovered. For those who crave Russian folklore, begin with Katherine Arden. For cozy academic charm, Emily Wilde awaits. For epic dragon-riding adventure, Rebecca Yarros commands. And for pure holiday sweetness, Lovelight Farms beckons.
Whatever your heart desires, these tales of love and magic shall keep you warm through the coldest months. For there is nothing quite like a book that transports you to enchanted realms whilst winter winds whisper at your windows—nothing quite like the particular magic of winter romantasy.
Now then, dear reader, which adventure shall you choose first?
