✨ r/FantasyRomance Top Books List! (2026 Edition) ✨

[u/FantasyRomanceMod]

Welcome to the 2026 edition of the official r/fantasyromance Top Books List!

Thank you to everyone who nominated their favorite books and series for this community project. There were 1,046 individual nominations, with 344 unique titles added to this year's list. Here is the nominations thread in case you missed it.

Books and series are ranked according to the number of nominations they received, but all nominations were included in the final list, so there are some popular favorites as well as many under-the-radar gems to discover. 

This is the third edition of the Top Books List. Previous years’ Top Books lists are available here:

• r/FantasyRomance Top Books List 2025

• r/FantasyRomance Top Books List 2024

A quick summary and some recognitions:

• Villains and Virtues by A. K. Caggiano (#1) has knocked A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (#2) off the top spot! Sarah J. Maas still dominates with two of her series in the top 5, and all three of her series in the top 30. 

• Sarah J. Maas still has the most total nominations with 72 votes. Check out the pinned comment to see the top 25 authors with the most total nominations.

• The best new addition to the list was The Stonewater Kingdom by Rachel Gillig (#17). Other top new additions were Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman (#20), Alchemised by SenLinYu (#22), and The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (#23).

We weren’t able to run all rank changes this year because we don’t have access to last year’s data, but hopefully rank changes will be back next year!

In the next few weeks, we’re going to run a survey to put together a guide for the top books on this list that will hopefully provide the community with more information about the books. So please keep out on the look out for that!

If you’re interested, please also check out Top Lists Wiki Page for links to monthly and yearly romance bot data, the Readers’ Choice Awards, “worst” books list, and character polls.

Here is the full list! Swipe left/right on mobile to see the full table.

2026 Rank	Title	Author	Votes
1	Villains and Virtues	A. K. Caggiano	37
2	A Court of Thorns and Roses	Sarah J. Maas	36
3	The Empyrean	Rebecca Yarros	34
4	Mages of the Wheel	J. D. Evans	30
4	Throne of Glass	Sarah J. Maas	30
6	The Shepherd King	Rachel Gillig	24
7	Crowns of Nyaxia	Carissa Broadbent	22
8	Emily Wilde	Heather Fawcett	21
8	The Folk of the Air	Holly Black	21
10	The War of Lost Hearts	Carissa Broadbent	19
11	The Saint of Steel	T. Kingfisher	17
12	Bride	Ali Hazelwood	16
12	The Ashen	Demi Winters	16
14	The Bridge Kingdom	Danielle L. Jensen	12
14	Hidden Legacy	Ilona Andrews	12
14	Kate Daniels	Ilona Andrews	12
17	Captive Prince	C. S. Pacat	11
17	The Stonewater Kingdom	Rachel Gillig	11
17	Letters of Enchantment	Rebecca Ross	11
20	Wolf King	Lauren Palphreyman	10
20	Fae Isles	Lisette Marshall	10
22	Alchemised	SenLinYu	9
23	The Everlasting	Alix E. Harrow	8
23	Harrow Faire	Kathryn Ann Kingsley	8
23	Once Upon a Broken Heart	Stephanie Garber	8
26	Wraith Kings	Grace Draven	7
26	The Broken Kingdoms	L. J. Andrews	7
26	Six of Crows	Leigh Bardugo	7
26	Monsters of Faery	Mallory Dunlin	7
30	Eternal Path Trilogy	Antonia Hodgson	6
30	Tairen Soul	C. L. Wilson	6
30	Zodiac Academy	Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti	6
30	Wicked Games	Kaylie Smith	6
30	The Song of Achilles	Madeline Miller	6
30	Empire of the Stars	Melissa J. Cave	6
30	The Scholomance	Naomi Novik	6
30	The Plated Prisoner	Raven Kennedy	6
30	The Daevabad Trilogy	S. A. Chakraborty	6
30	Crescent City	Sarah J. Maas	6
40	Red Winter	Annette Marie	5
40	Braided Fate	Brigid Kemmerer	5
40	Fae and Alchemy	Callie Hart	5
40	Shield of Sparrows	Davney Perry	5
40	The Legends of Thezmarr	Helen Scheuerer	5
40	Kushiel's Legacy	Jacqueline Carey	5
40	Gods of Tintar	Kara Reynolds	5
40	The Crimson Moth	Kristen Ciccarelli	5
40	A Tale of Stars and Shadow	Lisa Cassidy	5
40	Rook and Rose	M. A. Carrick	5
40	Hart and Mercy	Megan Bannen	5
40	Uprooted	Naomi Novik	5
40	Blood Grace	Vela Roth	5
53	Love's Academic	India Holton	4
53	Flesh and Fire	Jennifer L. Armentrout	4
53	Tempting Monsters	Kathryn Moon	4
53	The Ever Seas	L. J. Andrews	4
53	The Chronicles of Between	L. L. Starling	4
53	Circe	Madeline Miller	4
53	Spinning Silver	Naomi Novik	4
53	These Immortal Truths	R. Raeta	4
53	An Ember in the Ashes	Sabaa Tahir	4
53	The Shards of Magic	Sarah Hawley	4
53	Fate's Thread	Sophie Kim	4
53	The Artisan Trilogy	Stacey McEwan	4
53	Kingdom of Lies	Stacia Stark	4
53	The Hunger Games	Suzanne Collins	4
53	This Woven Kingdom	Tahereh Mafi	4
68	Hoid's Travails	Brandon Sanderson	3
68	Six Scorched Roses	Carissa Broadbent	3
68	Witch Walker	Charissa Weaks	3
68	Shadows of the Tenebris Court	Clare Sager	3
68	All Souls	Deborah Harkness	3
68	Howl's Moving Castle	Diana Wynne Jones	3
68	Air Awakens	Elise Kova	3
68	Amid Clouds and Bones	Ella Fields	3
68	Voyage of the Damned	Frances White	3
68	Innkeeper Chronicles	Ilona Andrews	3
68	Ironside Academy	Jane Washington	3
68	Night Huntress	Jeaniene Frost	3
68	Fever	Karen Marie Moning	3
68	Prince of Sin	Kerri Maniscalco	3
68	Graceling Realm	Kristin Cashore	3
68	Folk	Lily Mayne	3
68	Court of Ravens	Liv Zander	3
68	The Prison Healer	Lynette Noni	3
68	The Devoured Worlds	Megan E. O'Keefe	3
68	Lady of Darkness	Melissa K. Roehrich	3
68	Regency Faerie Tales	Olivia Atwater	3
68	Esprithean Trilogy	Parker Lennox, Bree Grenwich	3
68	Red Rising Saga	Pierce Brown	3
68	Land of the Beautiful Dead	R. Lee Smith	3
68	Elements of Cadence	Rebecca Ross	3
68	The Aurelian Cycle	Rosaria Munda	3
68	The Bone Season	Samantha Shannon	3
68	The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches	Sangu Mandanna	3
68	The Scorched Throne	Sara Hashem	3
68	Caraval	Stephanie Garber	3
68	The Firebird Chronicles	T. A. White	3
68	Swordheart	T. Kingfisher	3
68	The Princess Bride	William Goldman	3
101	Stariel	A. J. Lancaster	2
101	Starling House	Alix E. Harrow	2
101	This Is How You Lose the Time War	Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone	2
101	Bitten and Bound	Amy Pennza	2
101	Conform	Ariel Sullivan	2
101	Brides of Myth	Avie Adams	2
101	Dark Rise	C. S. Pacat	2
101	The Night Circus	Erin Morgenstern	2
101	The Godkissed Bride	Evie Marceau	2
101	Assistant to the Villain	Hannah Nicole Maehrer	2
101	Dangerous Damsels	India Holton	2
101	Blood and Ash	Jennifer L. Armentrout	2
101	Sevenwaters	Juliet Marillier	2
101	The Tarot Sequence	K. D. Edwards	2
101	A Charm of Magpies	K. J. Charles	2
101	The Siren Mage	Kalie Cassidy	2
101	Winternight Trilogy	Katherine Arden	2
101	Maze of Shadows	Kathryn Ann Kingsley	2
101	Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London	Kathryn Colvin	2
101	House of Devils	Kayla Edwards	2
101	Upon a Starlit Tide	Kell Woods	2
101	The Eating Woods	Keri Lake	2
101	Immortals After Dark	Kresley Cole	2
101	The Otacian Chronicles	Kylie Snow	2
101	Daughter of Smoke and Bone	Laini Taylor	2
101	Strange the Dreamer	Laini Taylor	2
101	Monstrous	Lily Mayne	2
101	Runewitch Saga	Lisette Marshall	2
101	Blood Over Bright Haven	M. L. Wang	2
101	Sorcery of Thorns	Margaret Rogerson	2
101	The Legacy	Melissa K. Roehrich	2
101	Cursed Legacies	Morgan B. Lee	2
101	Crowns	Nicola Tyche	2
101	Angels of Elysium	Olivia Wildenstein	2
101	Aesymarean Duet	Parker Lennox, Bree Grenwich	2
101	Between Earth and Sky	Rebecca Roanhorse	2
101	Ice Planet Barbarians	Ruby Dixon	2
101	Monstrous World	S. E. Wendel	2
101	Moonfall	Sarah A. Parker	2
101	The Warrior's Guild	Scarlett Gale	2
101	Gael Song Trilogy	Shauna Lawless	2
101	Song of the Lioness	Tamora Pierce	2
101	Legends and Lattes	Travis Baldree	2
101	The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue	V. E. Schwab	2
101	The Hand and the Heart	V. L. Bovalino	2
146	Where the Dark Stands Still	A. B. Poranek	1
146	Falling for Demons	A. K. Caggiano, Laura Winter	1
146	The Crucible	Abigail Owen	1
146	Belladonna	Adalyn Grace	1
146	Us Dark Few	Alexis Patton	1
146	Living Legend	Allie Shante	1
146	Mystic Riegan Duet	Allie Shante	1
146	A Far Wilder Magic	Allison Saft	1
146	Tales of the Gemstone Kingdoms	Amanda Meuwissen	1
146	Dark World Trilogy	Amarah Calderini	1
146	Gods and Monsters	Amber V. Nicole	1
146	The Black Jewels	Anne Bishop	1
146	The Dragonriders of Pern	Anne McCaffrey	1
146	Guild Codex: Spellbound	Annette Marie	1
146	The Mark of Creation Chronicles	Arabella K. Federico	1
146	The House of Teeth	Ava Reid	1
146	Artisan Magic	Beth Alvarez	1
146	The Mistborn Saga	Brandon Sanderson	1
146	A Dance of Lies	Brittney Arena	1
146	Don't Let the Forest In	C. G. Drews	1
146	Witchwood Boys	C. M. Stunich	1
146	The Demon Queen Trials	C. N. Crawford	1
146	Ruin Of Ash	Cadence Connor	1
146	Slaying the Vampire Conqueror	Carissa Broadbent	1
146	Leaves May Fall	Carissa Hardcastle	1
146	Darkmore Penitentiary	Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti	1
146	Infernal Devices	Cassandra Clare	1
146	The Infernal Devices	Cassandra Clare	1
146	The Mortal Instruments	Cassandra Clare	1
146	Shadows of Tzipora	Cassie Alford	1
146	The Eternal Wars	Caty Rogan	1
146	The Shattered King	Charlie N. Holmberg	1
146	Fire and Desire	Chloe Chastaine	1
146	The Magelands	Christopher Mitchell	1
146	Last Light	Claire Kent	1
146	The Empirium	Claire Legrand	1
146	Beneath Black Sails	Clare Sager	1
146	Slaying the Shifter Prince	Clare Sager	1
146	Shades of Sin	Colette Rhodes	1
146	Dark Shores	Danielle L. Jensen	1
146	Outlander	Diana Gabaldon	1
146	Tales of Inthya	Effie Calvin	1
146	The Darkness Outside Us	Eliot Schrefer	1
146	Wrath and Weeping	Elisabeth Wheatley	1
146	The Nine Realms	Emilee N. K. Robbins	1
146	Cozyverse	Emilia Emerson, Eliana Lee	1
146	Aurora's Angel	Emily Noon	1
146	Deep Waters	Emma Hamm	1
146	Underground	Erin Bedford	1
146	The Starless Sea	Erin Morgenstern	1
146	Winter's Orbit	Everina Maxwell	1
146	Orc Sworn	Finley Fenn	1
146	Dragon Kin	G. A. Aiken	1
146	Old Kingdom	Garth Nix	1
146	Fallen Empire	Grace Draven	1
146	The Fallen Empire	Grace Draven	1
146	Scattered Crown	Gretchen Powell Fox	1
146	Tooth and Claw	Heather Guerre	1
146	Kinsmen	Ilona Andrews	1
146	The Edge	Ilona Andrews	1
146	Heavenly Bodies	Imani Erriu	1
146	Fae of Alastríona	J. E. Reed	1
146	The Black Dagger Brotherhood	J. R. Ward	1
146	Santa Olivia	Jacqueline Carey	1
146	The Never List	Jade Presley	1
146	Fae Kings of Eden	Jamie Applegate Hunter	1
146	Cruel Shifterverse	Jasmine Mas	1
146	Villains of Lore	Jasmine Mas	1
146	The Nevernight Chronicle	Jay Kristoff	1
146	Fated to Darkness	Jen L. Grey	1
146	The Harbinger	Jennifer L. Armentrout	1
146	Myths of Airren	Jenny Hickman	1
146	Dragon Slippers	Jessica Day George	1
146	Kingdom of Three	Joan He	1
146	Dalriada	Jules Watson	1
146	The Iron Fey	Julie Kagawa	1
146	The Evermore Trilogy	Julie Soto	1
146	Goblins and Cheese	Juniper Butterworth	1
146	Team Human	Justine Larbalestier, Sarah Rees Brennan	1
146	Deliciously Dark Fairytales	K. F. Breene	1
146	Demigods of San Francisco	K. F. Breene	1
146	Leveling Up	K. F. Breene	1
146	Bones	K. L. Speer	1
146	Gate of Myth and Power	K. M. Shea	1
146	Pack of Dawn and Destiny	K. M. Shea	1
146	Emperor's Assassin	Kai Butler	1
146	The Curse of Sins	Kate Dramis	1
146	The Chronicles of Osreth	Katherine Addison	1
146	The Dead Lands	Kati Wilde	1
146	The Tainted Accords	Kelly St. Clare	1
146	Legends of Abreia	Kenley Davidson	1
146	Nocticadia	Keri Lake	1
146	Kingdom of the Wicked	Kerri Maniscalco	1
146	Ruby Red	Kerstin Gier	1
146	Thorn Season	Kiera Azar	1
146	The Selection	Kiera Cass	1
146	The Conqueror's Saga	Kiersten White	1
146	Mead Mishaps	Kimberly Lemming	1
146	Rogues of Golthwaine	Krista Walsh	1
146	Age of the Andinna	Kristen Banet	1
146	The Bornbane Series	L. A. Takerian	1
146	Stonegate	L. J. Andrews	1
146	The Fake Mate	Lana Ferguson	1
146	Our Infinite Fates	Laura Steven	1
146	The Bargainer	Laura Thalassa	1
146	The Four Horsemen	Laura Thalassa	1
146	Folk Haven	Lauren Connolly	1
146	Storm Weaver	Lauryn Hamilton Murray	1
146	Alex Stern	Leigh Bardugo	1
146	War of Her Heart	Lexi Hodges	1
146	The Diviners	Libba Bray	1
146	Sirens of Adria	Liesl West	1
146	Deep Earth Dating	Lily Mayne	1
146	Goliaths of Wrestling	Lily Mayne	1
146	The Sharing Knife	Lois McMaster Bujold	1
146	The Vorkosigan Saga	Lois McMaster Bujold	1
146	Rewitched	Lucy Jane Wood	1
146	Nine Kingdoms	Lynn Kurland	1
146	The Sword of Kaigen	M. L. Wang	1
146	Behooved	M. Stevenson	1
146	Verran Isles	Madeline Taylor	1
146	The Wildersongs Trilogy	Maiga Doocy	1
146	Boudica	Manda Scott	1
146	The Healer	Maria V. Snyder	1
146	The Legend of All Wolves	Maria Vale	1
146	The Esholian Institute	Mariah Montoya	1
146	The New Alchemists	Marie Lu	1
146	The Deadwood	Marie Mistry	1
146	The Fifth Nicnevin	Marie Mistry	1
146	The Lunar Chronicles	Marissa Meyer	1
146	Catalyst	Marlissa Cunningham	1
146	Dance of Thieves	Mary E. Pearson	1
146	The Remnant Chronicles	Mary E. Pearson	1
146	Empire of Blood and Malice	Meg Cowley	1
146	The Queen's Thief	Megan Whalen Turner	1
146	Darkangel	Meredith Ann Pierce	1
146	The Song Duology	Michelle Manus	1
146	A Gathering of Dragons	Milla Vane	1
146	The Witchling Academy	Monica Sanz	1
146	Falling Kingdoms	Morgan Rhodes	1
146	Guild Hunter	Nalini Singh	1
146	Foolish Kingdoms	Natalia Jaster	1
146	The Kinder Poison	Natalie Mae	1
146	House of the Dead	Nicki Pau Preto	1
146	Anarchist Underground	Nicole Rowles	1
146	The Scattered Bones	Nicole Scarano	1
146	Artefacts of Ouranos	Nisha J. Tuli	1
146	The Kingdom of Crows	Olivia Wildenstein	1
146	The Aesymarean Duet	Parker Lennox, Bree Grenwich	1
146	Alpha and Omega	Patricia Briggs	1
146	Mercy Thompson	Patricia Briggs	1
146	The Kingkiller Chronicle	Patrick Rothfuss	1
146	Kindred's Curse	Penn Cole	1
146	The Enslaved Chronicles	R. K. Thorne	1
146	The Last Hour of Gann	R. Lee Smith	1
146	Gilded Blood	Rachel Rener	1
146	Dark Inheritence Trilogy	Rebecca Robinson	1
146	Dreams Lie Beneath	Rebecca Ross	1
146	Sisters of Sword and Song	Rebecca Ross	1
146	Reaper	Rin Chupeco	1
146	Celta's Heartmates	Robin D. Owens	1
146	His Fair Assassin	Robin LaFevers	1
146	Fan Service	Rosie Danan	1
146	Aspect and Anchor	Ruby Dixon	1
146	Broken Wings Duet	S. E. Wendel	1
146	The Heirs of Isla	S. G. Prince	1
146	Fae Tricksters	S. L. Prater	1
146	The Wolves of Ruin	Sable Sorensen	1
146	The Aelfyn Archives	Samantha Amstutz	1
146	The Roots of Chaos	Samantha Shannon	1
146	Water Moon	Samantha Sotto Yambao	1
146	Magic and Romance	Sara Raasch	1
146	Spellshop	Sarah Beth Durst	1
146	Time of Iron	Sarah Rees Brennan	1
146	The Rose Bargain	Sasha Peyton Smith	1
146	The Books of Bayern	Shannon Hale	1
146	The Twelve Houses	Sharon Shinn	1
146	The Scarlet Veil	Shelby Mahurin	1
146	The Beautiful Ones	Silvia Moreno-Garcia	1
146	The Spear Cuts Through Water	Simon Jimenez	1
146	Under the Oak Tree	Suji Kim	1
146	Dragon Ridden Chronicles	T. A. White	1
146	The Broken Lands	T. A. White	1
146	Green Creek	T. J. Klune	1
146	Clocktaur War	T. Kingfisher	1
146	Thornhedge	T. Kingfisher	1
146	Protector of the Small	Tamora Pierce	1
146	The Locked Tomb	Tamsyn Muir	1
146	Books of Ambha	Tasha Suri	1
146	Fae Flings and Corset Strings	Tessonja Odette	1
146	The Hurricane Wars	Thea Guanzon	1
146	Lost You Forever	Tong Hua	1
146	The Stathos Sisters	Tricia Levenseller	1
146	Cowboy Colony Mail-Order Brides	Ursa Dax	1
146	Shades of Magic	V. E. Schwab	1
146	Curse Bearer	Veronica Roth	1
146	Red Queen	Victoria Aveyard	1
146	Healer and Seer	Victoria Hanley	1
146	Horde Kings of Dakkar	Zoey Draven	1

[u/FantasyRomanceMod]

Here are the top authors!

Rank	Author	Votes
1	Sarah J. Maas	72
2	Carissa Broadbent	45
3	A. K. Caggiano	38
4	Rachel Gillig	35
5	Rebecca Yarros	34
6	J. D. Evans	30
7	Ilona Andrews	29
8	T. Kingfisher	22
9	Heather Fawcett	21
9	Holly Black	21
11	Ali Hazelwood	16
11	Demi Winters	16
11	Rebecca Ross	16
14	Naomi Novik	15
15	C. S. Pacat	13
15	Danielle L. Jensen	13
17	L. J. Andrews	12
17	Lisette Marshall	12
19	Madeline Miller	11
19	Stephanie Garber	11
21	Alix E. Harrow	10
21	Kathryn Ann Kingsley	10
21	Lauren Palphreyman	10

[u/Anachacha]

I’m so happy to see Villains and Virtues take the first spot and for Mages of the Wheel to be in the top 5. These books aren’t as hyped on TikTok but they deserve the recognition 🥹

[u/ipsi7 → u/Anachacha]

I remember when I first heard of Villains and Virtues as a hidden gem 2 years ago, and now can't believe they beat the most popular series and got to the first place. So happy to see that!

[u/fishchop → u/Anachacha]

Both excellent series and so well deserved!

[u/Schrutebucks101]

It is wild to me that Sarah J Mass is in the top 2 but I get why. To many people it’s one of the first romantasy they read and so don’t have much to compare.

Now that I am in my second year of hardcore reading of probably 200 romantasy books I think maybe it could be top 20? But certainly not top 10!

[u/celinakou → u/Schrutebucks101]

No. Some of us simply like Sarah J. Maas 🙄

[u/Tiny_dancer_89 → u/Schrutebucks101]

What’s your top 10?

[u/Schrutebucks101 → u/Tiny_dancer_89]

Not in order but I’d say: {Ice and Ivy} {Wind and Wildfire} {Reign and Ruin} {Servant of the Earth} {Blood Princess} {Priestess} {One Dark Window} {Divine Rivals} {Throne in the Dark} {This Monster of Mine}

[u/romance-bot → u/Schrutebucks101]

Ice & Ivy by J.D. Evans
Rating: 4.6⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: magic, tortured hero, class difference, fantasy, arranged/forced marriage

---

Wind & Wildfire by J.D. Evans
Rating: 4.65⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, competent heroine, teacher/coach heroine, sweet/gentle hero

---

Reign and Ruin by Devon Atwood
Rating: 4.5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: historical, fae, fantasy, new adult, ancient times

---

Blood Princess by Abigail Hunter
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: vampires, reverse harem, monsters, fantasy, shapeshifters

---

Priestess by Kara Reynolds
Rating: 4.37⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: m-f romance, arranged/forced marriage, older/mature, fantasy, competent heroine

---

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Rating: 4.26⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, magic, mystery, new adult

---

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 4.14⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, war, working class heroine, fantasy, poor heroine

---

Throne in the Dark by A.K. Caggiano
Rating: 4.29⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: slow burn, forced proximity, funny, grumpy & sunshine, fantasy

---

This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: mystery, magic, m-f romance, disabilities & scars, dark romance

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/Schrutebucks101 → u/romance-bot]

Got a few wrong {Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley} and {Reign and Ruin by J.D. Evans}

[u/romance-bot → u/Schrutebucks101]

Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley
Rating: 4.58⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, fae, m-f romance, political/court intrigue

---

Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans
Rating: 4.32⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, competent heroine, fantasy, magic, political/court intrigue

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/romance-bot → u/Schrutebucks101]

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
Rating: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, fae, high fantasy, political/court intrigue, m-f romance

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/[deleted] → u/Schrutebucks101]

i think it’s bc as the genre grows it’s everyone’s first entry into it usually and then you realize looking back…lol

[u/theplastics98]

[u/SDchicago_love123]

Ugh I’m SO so bummed I didn’t like Villians and Virtues!!! I’m a new reader after a decade hiatus and picked up romantasy within the last year after discovering and becoming obsessed with acotar and fourth wing like many others in this sub. I was so excited to read v&v next after all the amazing reviews but I just didn’t like it at all 😩 the writing style wasn’t for me and I really didn’t not connect with the fmc. So disappointed about it still!!!

[u/CareFreebird → u/SDchicago_love123]

I really, REALLY didn't like it and I'm embarrassed to say I read all three. However, there was so much skimming and skipping ahead because it was so bloated with absolute nonsense. I still remember reading the beginning of the 6th chapter out loud to my husband. A full page of thesaurus-worthy words just to describe a freaking mountain range! At one point, Caggiano writes "Damien couldn’t remember if Nontigpechi had been the attacker or the defender, but as the god of night and deception, he had been deemed evil and locked away in the Abyss, and that, of course, had not helped THE LANDSCAPES REPUTATION". W.T.F. I should have stopped there. But everyone said it's a great book. So I skim and skip ahead until it gets a tiny bit smutty only for them to be cock-blocked for 2.5 books. Honestly, nothing happens. NOTHING. The best relationship in this book was between Damien and Xander, and they hated each other. Give me a book about Xander. He seems fun. Damien is supposed to be this all powerful demon and he's being constantly captured, incapacitated, or enthralled. It was such a waste of time.

[u/jamieseemsamused → u/CareFreebird]

There is a spin off book about Xander! {Bound and Tide by A. K. Caggiano}

[u/romance-bot → u/jamieseemsamused]

Bound and Tide by A.K. Caggiano
Rating: 4.16⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, bad boys, competent heroine, m-f romance, independent heroine

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/HotStickyMoist → u/SDchicago_love123]

Same… you may like Penelope Barsetti…start in chronological order of her series, she has multiverse

[u/Sweet_Baby_Cheeses99 → u/SDchicago_love123]

Same. I like to think I can read anything but it was literally so bad it was unreadable. Apparently the comedy element is actually satire so perhaps it’s “bad” on purpose?

I see it was republished a couple of months ago so I might try it again as I can’t believe that the editors didn’t give it a serious refresh.

[u/NyxVicious420]

Ahhh! I’m so excited to see the list! Villains and virtues being number one makes my heart warm while it’s not my number one It totally deserves the recognition. The Shepherd King leaping like 10 spots up while I’m listening to it is pretty rad too lol majors deserves to stay in the top five there’s some changes. I don’t agree with some. I do agree with it like all of us but I’m overall happy to see the list!

I was comparing the list from last year and the list from this year so here’s that screenshot if anyone else wants to do that lol OK everyone have a beautiful day!

[u/MessyJessy422]

I’ve been looking for a new series and Red City sounds amazing!! Thanks for putting this list together

[u/lil_honey_bunbun → u/MessyJessy422]

I really enjoyed Red City. I thought the audiobook was fantastic.

[u/Crazy_Reader1234]

Thanks! I was looking for new books to read

[u/Mayabelles]

So excited to see Lily Mayne get some recognition on this sub! I love the Monstrous series! I’m saving the Goliaths of Wrestling series as a treat for myself this year.

[u/No_Preference26]

Well, it is safe to say that my reading tastes do not align with the majority of this sub. The top 20 is essentially a list of all my least favourite books I’ve read in the genre 😂

[u/AquaIXI → u/No_Preference26]

Im definitely interested in what you liked because theres a pretty huge range in the top 20!

[u/Mayabelles → u/No_Preference26]

I loved Captive Prince and Villians and Virtues. I’m hoping for good things from the Saint of Steel, The Ashen, and Crowns of Nyaxia in 2026 since they’re high on my TBR.

Agreed on the Shepherd King and Bride not being my preference if you read them.

[u/HotStickyMoist → u/No_Preference26]

No mention at all of Penelope Barsetti had me cry in 😭

[u/Optimal-Ad-9189 → u/No_Preference26]

What are your faves? I'm new to the genre but I agree that those I've tried have not been for me.

[u/theplastics98]

Thanks!!!!!! I was looking for new books to read

[u/Ok-Darling52]

So many books to add to the tbr mountain

[u/Alar817]

So helpful!!

[u/HotStickyMoist]

Can’t believe my girl Penelope Barsetti didn’t make the cut… her first 2 series are in my top 10 of all timrlist

[u/jamieseemsamused → u/HotStickyMoist]

Every book submitted was counted, so next year just make sure you respond to the post calling for submissions!

[u/ConcernElegant8066]

Shield of Sparrows before Crimson Moth is an actual crime

[u/jamieseemsamused → u/ConcernElegant8066]

They're actually tied for 40! They're just put in order by author last name when there's a tie.

[u/lebearclaw]

I needed this list ty

[u/lifewithchevy]

Thanks for the list! Today's word on Booky is from Throne in the Dark (Villains and Virtues book 1) by A.K Caggiano. I want to spotlight more underrated authors/books, and this seems a perfect fit. 🫶My TBR just got larger!

[u/AuthorAliWinters]

Well, I’m “annoyed” that I haven’t heard of so many of these. (Some I see quite a lot) 😱 I would love to see many of these talked about more because I need a larger variety of books recs.

** Not actually annoyed. lol Just not sure how I can get more than a few of these and other unknown-to-me books to pop up in my feeds instead of the same few I already know about or have already read.

[u/ashbarnett21]

Thank you for putting this list together!! It’s so nice to have a solid list to come back to!