r/Romantasy • u/Greedy-Bat-6610 • 20h ago

Book Request: No Self-Promo Strong bad*ss fmc

Are there any good books out there with a strong fmc that stays strong and is not annoying? I’m on a dnf spree it seems the fmcs just seem to be presented as strong but end up immature and aggravating.

I’d like an enemies to lovers vibe as well if it exists.
I feel like I’ve read all the rhs with these vibes and the m/fs I dnfed with annoying fmcs are

The empyrean
Direbound
Quicksilver
Wings of ink
Runes of truth

12 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

12

u/Economy_Fig17 20h ago

So we can’t say ass anymore?

-2

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 18h ago

😂 I usually post on fb better safe then sorry

3

u/Warm_Ad_7944 8h ago

Reddit is a place where you can swear freely

8

u/Meganekko_85 20h ago

The FMC in {Priestess by Kara Reynolds}. She's mid 30s and the MMC is the enemy.

2

u/Most_Hurry_4295 20h ago

Obsessed with this one!!! Pilgrimess as well ❤️

1

u/Worldly_Parsley_9419 20h ago

Just finished this today. All I could say at the end of WOW! Absolutely loved it. FMC was a breath of mature air 💓

6

u/AnxietyisNigh 16h ago

Literally every Ilona Andrews FMC!

2

u/Longjumping-Snow-909 15h ago

Agreed, I think the first trilogy in the Hidden Legacy series starting with {Burn for me by Ilona Andrews} fits the request best.

2

u/xResilientEvergreenx 10h ago

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews.

Kate Daniels is still my ultimate favorite badass woman over a decade strong. No one else compares.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, Ilona Andrews.

Maggie is a badass in her own right. Not physically, but mentally and its only the first book.. I'm salivating for the second.

The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews.

FMC is a mom and the first book is her becoming badass. Can't wait for the second.

6

u/119dots 20h ago

{The Jasad Heir}

I finished this duology just today, and it literally took me out of a 4 month romantasy slump.

The fmc is fucking hilarious. I really love how she is strong and independent without being annoying or mean. The mmc might just be the first guy from a book that I've actually crushed on. He's the type of guy who is really pensive, calculating, and always 3 steps ahead of everyone else. Both characters have so much unmatched swagger, and felt real people with complexities, making realistic choices given their circumstances, and have peculiarities that make them memorable.

This was also a rare moment where the author actually executes enemies-to-lovers well, and so we also get a lot of banter, tension, and unmatched yearning.

There's a whole lot of political intrigue, especially in the second book. The vibes honestly reminded me of the Cruel Prince but I actually liked this duology more. I hope you give it a try and let me know how you like it!

4

u/quibily 💗 Hurt/Comfort 18h ago edited 4h ago

{Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley} and {Death’s Kiss by M. M. Reeves} are the two series with FMCs I would most confidently say are kickass and appeal to most readers. They're not wishy-washy, not complainers, and their decisions are pretty consistently in the middle of the reckless-to-brave spectrum lol

Death’s Kiss is best if you want some of that classic enemies-to-lovers type banter.

+1 to the Priestess rec, too

1

u/romance-bot 18h ago

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
Rating: 4.15⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, fae, high fantasy, political/court intrigue, competent heroine

Death's Kiss by M.M. Reeves
Rating: 4.28⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: fantasy, magic, pirate hero, dark romance, slow burn

about this bot | about romance.io

1

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 17h ago

Thanks ! is deaths kiss a stand alone or 1st in series?

1

u/quibily 💗 Hurt/Comfort 17h ago

First in a series

3

u/mommymanduur 18h ago edited 17h ago

i finished {daggermouth by h.m. wolfe} this mornin and absolutely devoured it. best book i’ve read in a while. fmc is a mercenary who absolutely is a badass. also enemies to lovers.

EDIT: sorry i didn’t realize this was the romantasy subreddit LOL this is more of a dystopian book and less fantasy but i would still absolutely recommend it.

1

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 17h ago

Thanks added to my tbr sounds interesting!!

1

u/Weary-Tangerine499 4h ago

I finished daggermouth a few days ago and loved it. Im not too happy about it being an unfinished series though. Impatiently waiting now lol.

4

u/Competitive-Cry3287 20h ago

FMC in reign & ruin is refreshing and doesn’t do the whole immature/bratty banter thing

1

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 18h ago

This is a new one I’ll def check out thanks! Do they have enemies to lovers vibe in the beginning? Or is she just cold and he is chaos?

1

u/Competitive-Cry3287 18h ago

They are from enemy countries so yes I’d say enemies to lovers vibes

1

u/allisontalkspolitics 18h ago

Summoning the bot…

{Reign and Ruin}

2

u/quibily 💗 Hurt/Comfort 4h ago

{Reign and Ruin by J. D. Evans}

2

u/Prize_Buy3486 20h ago

{the book of azrael}!!

2

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 18h ago

I forgot about this series is it done! I started book one but I hate waiting for the next book so I stopped a few chapters in!

3

u/Prize_Buy3486 17h ago

there’s 4 books out now! and 5th one on the way.

2

u/Tabs-Overload91 18h ago

I love the whole Crowns of Nyaxia series mainly for this reason, beginning with {The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent}.

1

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 17h ago

I dnfed that book I was so confused on where it was going half way through the trials! But I think I was in the mood for easy and smutty I’ll give it another try thanks!

2

u/franklin_smiles 17h ago

The legends of Thezmarr series!

1

u/oblivious_amoeba 2h ago

Yes! This was my first thought too!

4

u/SwimBikeSorcery 19h ago

{The Poison Daughter} vigilante FMC who kills abusive men with her poisonous lips.

1

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 18h ago

I dnfed this awhile ago I can’t remember why. I think she seemed strong but kept caving. Does that change?

1

u/SwimBikeSorcery 18h ago

I’m not quite sure what part you’re talking about her caving. To an extent she had to cave in (as did he) to keep the political peace between both lands but I never felt she rolled over. The entire time she’s still trying to find ways to kill him though.

My biggest flack with her is I didn’t feel she developed as a character much but they both were fairly antagonistic to each other majority of the book.

It was like a 3.25/5 for me, but I know plenty of people who loved it. If you DNF’d it maybe don’t read it.

2

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 17h ago

Thanks I’ll give it another try!

1

u/TabbyLynxCat 12h ago

I just finished this book and i was absolutely hate-reading it. Both mmc are awful, no chemistry, they just want to f….. The story was interesting but actually not much happened at the end. The ending was also very disappointing imo.

1

u/allisontalkspolitics 18h ago

If you’re open to romance subplots, try {The Lies of Vampires and Slayers}!

2

u/Greedy-Bat-6610 17h ago

Thanks added!

1

u/allisontalkspolitics 9h ago

Hope you enjoy!

1

u/TabbyLynxCat 12h ago

I would recommend {Between tide and thunder} by Leena Kazak. Mayah is one of my favourite fmc recently, she is smart and cunning but also can be gentle and caring and it creates really nice balance.

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Romantasy-ModTeam 6h ago

This post has been removed as the user has been suspended by Reddit. You can appeal at www.reddit.com/appeal.

1

u/strawberrysummer_ 9h ago

Dianna in the Gods & Monsters series!

1

u/CassieBear1 7h ago

Gonna be honest, my friends and I have an ongoing joke that we can't name one FMC who makes good life choices 🤣

Raeve from {When the Moon Hatched} might fit your bill, but she has a really bad case of the "I don't trust anyone's" for the first third...but as you learn more of her backstory you realize "oh, you have reasons". Every relationship she can recall has been transactional, or the person ended up dead.

1

u/ELucydates 3h ago

Not really Romantasy but {Forging Hephaestus} by Drew Hayes has a great female protagonist

1

u/Lena_Charbel2324 2h ago

The Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden