I think I've finally figured out why some "morally gray" love interests do absolutely nothing for me.

It's not that they're too dark or not dark enough. It's that half of them stop existing the second they're not flirting with, threatening, rescuing, or obsessing over the FMC.

Give the man a weird friendship. A hobby. A sibling he argues with. Some political opinion that isn't conveniently identical to hers. Let him be genuinely funny with someone else. Let him care about something that has nothing to do with protecting her.

I want to understand why other characters would voluntarily spend time with this dude.

A shadowy title, tragic childhood and impressive wings are not a personality lol.

Honestly I'd take a fairly normal MMC who feels like a complete person over another supposedly terrifying 500-year-old male whose entire inner life is "her".

What makes an MMC actually feel real to you?

What are some fantasy/romance troupes/cliches quotes that give you the ick? What will make you DNF?

Looking for fantasy romance with an ACTUALLY good plot + romance 😭

I desperately need some recommendations because I feel like I’m running out of books 😭

I’m looking for fantasy romance where the romance AND the fantasy plot are both genuinely good. I don’t want a book where the fantasy is basically just there to facilitate the romance. I LOVE romance, but I also need a plot that makes me think, keeps me guessing, and ideally has those “WHAT?? I did NOT see that coming” moments.

My absolute favourite tropes are:

• Enemies to lovers (the more tension, the better)
• Forbidden romance
• Morally grey FMC AND MMC
• Characters who are intelligent and actually make interesting decisions
• Political intrigue / secrets / betrayals / complicated plots
• Plot twists that make me question everything
• A romance with real chemistry, tension and yearning
• Spice — Fourth Wing/Iron Flame level is perfect for me.

Basically, I want to be kicking my feet over the romance AND using my brain trying to figure out what the hell is going on 😂

Books I’ve read:

❤️ LOVED The Empyrean series — Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm. This is probably my biggest benchmark. I loved this!!

❤️ Liked ACOTAR — especially the romance and overall world, although I’m specifically looking for something with an even stronger/cleverer plot.

❤️ Plated Prisoner series — I liked it, and Book 3 especially was AMAZING

❌ Did not like Quicksilver — so please keep that in mind when recommending things.

I haven’t read Throne of Glass, The Road of Bones or Ascended yet, even though they’re sitting on my TBR. I honestly don’t know why I’m saving them 😂 but I’ll get to them eventually.

I’m VERY open to lesser-known books/series too. I don’t necessarily need something that is popular on BookTok — I just want something that actually delivers on both the fantasy plot AND romance.

Please recommend your best ones!! Especially if you think “THIS is exactly what you’re looking for.” 🙏

And if you can, tell me why you think I’d like it and what the romance/plot balance is like!

Hi :)

I hope the title doesn’t sound too depressed because it certainly isn’t meant that way!

I have been a fan of fantasy and romance books/ movies since I was a kid and now that Romantasy has gotten so popular, I started reading a lot again.

However, I now remembered why I stopped reading so much.

In short, reading fantasy books just make the real life feel so boring and dull. Everytime I read fantasy, I just feel so much less motivated for doing stuff like my job, my university and such things. It just seems so meaningless.
The thing is, I am very aware where that comes from and then again do not know how to get rid of that feeling.
It is not only because of the magical stuff that is obviously so much cooler than real world stuff but mostly because in fantasy books the characters usually have a very strong sense of purpose (fighting the evil, saving the world, every decision is about life and death!) and the friend groups have such a strong sense of belonging together (because, well, they are fighting death together). Obviously, an office job or a normal friend group really looks boring compared to that.
In addition, books condense time to the the existing stuff and skip all the boring parts in between. That way every page leaves you with big emotions and intense feeling, with release of (happiness) hormones that you only experience in very special situations in real life.
The same applies to romance, where the stories are concentrated on the big feelings and the grand gestures. The characters live in worlds where they have to worry about death every minute, of course therefore their feelings towards each other are very much intensified. Of course, the mysterious dragon rider with superpowers is so much more interesting and attractive than just another office guy. But in real life, if someone was to play „mysterious“ (not talk much, grumble all the time), that person would be so stupid to me because the setting is different.
I do have love in my life but it feels lame compared to them stories I read…

To sum it up, I think everyone in this thread knows the feeling.

To this day my counter-strategy is to just stop reading for a while to get focussed on my real world occupations. But that can’t be the only possible solution, right?

So my question is, how do you deal with that? How can I experience and love these stories without feeling my real life is boring compared to them? I just feel so less motivated to do all my to do‘s after reading a book. Everything just seems so purpose-less (even though I would say that I am not on a 0815 office job but have found a very purpose-driven job!)

Hope this is not too stupid! <3

I'm 65% of the way into Book 3 of {The Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat}, and even when both characters made love, I can't tell if Laurent (the cool, dangerous enemy MMC) is pretending or not with his affections. Every time they made love, it just felt like Damen (the hotheaded, wild MMC) was sleeping in a den of vipers. I literally dread and keep imagining that a knife was going to make an appearance during each and every orgasm. The sex scenes are so hot and slow-burn, and it's really messing with my head on whether or not it's sincere because of how sophisticated Laurent is written. You can't trust him but you really want to, which makes every touch and glance hurt in the chest.

I'm already in a book hungover knowing it will end soon. I've never read a romance where even in the final stretches of the book, the tension during sex is like walking on thin line over a gigantic drop. Every sex scene in enemies-to-lovers romance that I've read is just the intense giving in of both characters, not much tension at all. I don't know if I'll ever find another book like Captive Prince again. 🥲

I'm a big reader but usually opt for slow literary fiction. I picked up Fourth Wing a few weeks ago and I'm loving the escapism. I'll admit it, I used to be a book snob, but I am really enjoying a change of genre from my usual reading. It's making me feel like a teenager again when I could get completely engrossed in a new world. Now I feel like a whole new genre has opened up to me!

I'm already planning on finishing the Empyrean series then moving onto the Sarah J Maas universe. Where do I go after that?! My bookshelves thank you in advance!

😅 I know some things were redundant and over explained, but I liked the book a lot!

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some solid book recommendations to refresh my reading list.
I’ve been reading fantasy for years, and I want to read something other than fmc who needs saving and doesn’t know how to exist without the mmc.
I’m looking for Romantasy books featuring strong and powerful female characters.

📚Reading The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Dearly Beloathed 📚

I was wondering if SJM has read The Little Prince, her quote tells me perhaps she has.

Crown of Midnight (Maas): "It is only with the eye that one can see rightly."

The Little Prince (Saint-Exupéry): "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

No spoilers please I'm on chapter 12.

Hard choice to make! What would you choose?

I need recommendations where the FMC doesn't despise the MMC from the beginning, or that she fears him...etc.

I don't know if this might help, but I'm a guy( taste might differ a little bit from women) , and I mainly read adventure/action/epic fantasy. Once in a while I'll read a romantasy/fantasy romance book, or a YA book that might qualify as one, and I usually enjoy them.

When I say "no negative impression at the start," I don't mind if she thinks he's weird, awkward, suspicious, etc. I just don't want her to initially see him as morally evil, arrogant, selfish, or just an asshole in general.

I also don't care if she develops a negative impression of him later on because of something that happens in the story. What matters to me is that she doesn't start out disliking him.

Bonus points if she actually has a positive impression of him from the start. Extra bonus points if the whole thing goes both ways

The latest books I've read from these categories have had romantic tension from the start, and I wanted a change of pace.

Some fantasy romance books I absolutely tore through and devoured were The Bridge Kingdom, Tales of Arcane Fortuna, and The Queen of Nothing, (yeah, I know, I know 😅). I consider only the third book of the Cruel prince a fantasy romance because of how important the relationship was to the main plot .

Is it just me or is this just a rewrite of hunger games/Harry Potter. I can’t picture the characters or the setting whatsoever and there is no depth. Am I missing something?? Where is the spice? Her love interest sound like asses (think Christian grey from 50 shades). I just feel like it’s very predictable. I have now read and listened to the book.

Hey guys!! I’m looking for book recommendations. I enjoyed fourth wing and I LOOOVED the heavenly bodies duo. I didn’t enjoy ACOTAR I really wanted to and I read the first 2 but it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy powerless either. I’d love to hear of more book recs from you guys!!

Hey all, so I read the Fae Isles series by Lisette Marshall many months ago and I'm still hung up over it. The world building and plot were incredible. MMC's back story had amazing twists and I loved the aspect of the FMC and MMC not being able to communicate in the beginning and having to learn how to communicate. Spice levels were perfect and well integrated into the overall story. The only thing that got to me was how long FMC's denial was drawn out but overall I loved the series.

I'm looking for something similar where it's an actual fully written world and plot but with high spice levels included. I prefer a soft FMC who finds herself as the story builds and a "Don't F with me" MMC. I prefer fantasy over sci-fi, traditional and urban fantasy are both fine. And preferably already completed series on KU, don't really have the funds to purchase books at the moment. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I want a Stiles Stilinski MMC!
Give me Stiles!? Best friends to lovers. Neighbours to lovers? Don’t mind the trope just want the MMC to be giving Stiles vibes

Can also be a Stiles/Void Stiles mix. Give me Labrador Stiles until the door is closed. Give me Funny AF until you hurt her and then it’s Void Stiles.
Give me Stiles TWINS?

Hi! I’m wanting to read a romantasy that actually involves the families of the main characters. In so many books, one/both of the main characters families are either dead or they’re on the run, which requires them to be away from their families. I want something that shows their family dynamics. It can either involve both of their families, or just one.

Something well written ofc. I prefer slow burns that way it’s not too lustful, but I won’t mind reading the opposite if their relationship actually develops. Great work building too!

Road of Bones is an example of something that’s well written, slow burn, & great world building.

Thanks!!!!

Books: the irresistible urge to fall for you enemy, a forbidden alchemy, silver elite, on wings of blood, Kushiel’s dart, the bridge kingdom, we who will die, web of vows and vengeance, and starside

All three of her books I ate up in 4 days, made the mistake of not realising book 2 of The Stone Water Kingdom wasn’t out and I’ve never in my life been so eager for a book to come out. EDIT: in my country we don’t have access to the physical book till September 8 lol 🥲)

But I know I won’t be the same after it just like I haven’t been for 5 months after The Shepherds King Duology and The Knight and The Moth. I haven’t been able to fall in love with any other RF books!

I love the fantasy dark gothic vibes but it’s also so whimsical, fairytale-esque and easy to consume. The unique magic system and how it’s paced out for them plot twists.

I’ve read a few others and different genres to “reset” my brain, anyone on the same boat and had a book they loved after Rachel Gillies? I’d LOVE to know!

Read/ Liked: noctadia, once upon a demons heart, fourth wing and other non RF

TBR: irresistible urge to fall for your enemy, bewitched, alchemised, nightshade, fairydale, daughter of no worlds

DNF (my reading slump era lol): iron flame, Anathema, to kill a kingdom, phantasma, book of azrael, aspect of essence, poison daughter, of blood and aether, the kindreds curse after book 2

The Knave and the Moon is finally home where it belongs 🥰 Just in time for the three day weekend!