“What are the best fantasy romance novels to read right now?”

Here are excellent fantasy romance (romantasy) picks that are hot right now—across vibes from dark and angsty to gothic and lyrical—plus why each might fit your mood:

• Onyx Storm (Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros — The 2025 Goodreads Choice Award winner for Romantasy; blockbuster scale, fast pacing, and a central pairing that drives the stakes. Start here if you want the buzziest current series. (goodreads.com)
• The Knight and the Moth (Stonewater Kingdom #1) by Rachel Gillig — Lush, gothic romantasy with prophecy, quests, and a fierce slow-burn. Book 2, The Knave and the Moon, is slated for September 2026—perfect time to jump in. (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dire Bound (Wolves of Ruin #1) by Sable Sorensen — Dark, enemies-to-lovers trials, direwolves, and “who did this to you?” energy; a 2025 hit positioned squarely for romantasy fans. (hbglibrary.com)
• Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy #2) by Callie Hart — Spicy fae politics and alchemical magic; a 2025 romantasy installment if you like immersive, high-heat series. (en.wikipedia.org)
• House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3) by Sarah J. Maas — Not brand-new (2024) but still a top-of-pile pick for readers who want urban-fantasy sweep plus a central romance; it won Goodreads’ Romantasy in 2024. (en.wikipedia.org)
• Alchemised by SenLinYu — Breakout 2025 debut with a dark, alchemy-infused romance; won Goodreads’ Debut Novel and placed highly in Romantasy voting. Great if you want something fresh and intense. (en.wikipedia.org)

If you want what’s coming out this year to add to your TBR:

• Browse Book Riot’s “Most Anticipated Romantasy of 2026” and Reactor’s monthly roundups for brand-new releases to catch as they drop. (bookriot.com)

Want me to tailor this to your exact tastes? Tell me:

• Preferred spice level (closed-door to very spicy)
• Tropes you love (enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, morally gray MMC, arranged marriage, monster/aliens, etc.)
• Tone (dark/angsty, cozy/whimsical, gothic, epic)
• Standalone vs. series and YA vs. adult

I can then build you a short, hyper-personalized TBR with sample first lines and content notes.

Here's a curated list of the best fantasy romance (romantasy) novels to dive into right now, spanning beloved classics, current bestsellers, and buzzy 2026 releases:

Must-Read Classics & Bestsellers

A Court of Thorns and Roses series – Sarah J. Maas Still one of the genre's biggest names. In A Court of Mist and Fury, the novel centers around Feyre who now has the powers of the High Fae, and finds her marriage to Tamlin approaching, but can't forget what she bargained with Rhysand — a thrilling sequel full of spice, worldbuilding, and adventure.

Fourth Wing / Iron Flame / Onyx Storm – Rebecca Yarros Currently dominating bestseller charts, with multiple books in the series landing among the most-read romances of the week right alongside Yarros's earlier hits.

Quicksilver – Callie Hart A fan favorite right now — "for those who like their slow-burn romances with plenty of quick banter and a healthy dose of spice, Quicksilver is for you."

From Blood and Ash – Jennifer L. Armentrout

This tells the story of Poppy, who's unsure about fulfilling her destiny as an untouched, isolated Maiden among the gods—especially not after meeting Hawke, the extremely handsome guard overseeing her planned Ascension, kicking off a seven-book series.

The Cruel Prince – Holly Black A dark faerie classic: a darkly enchanting story that engages readers in Faerie's dangerous, yet beautiful world, following Jude Duarte, a human girl abducted after witnessing her parents' brutal murder, who must learn to live in a society where humans are despised.

Radiance – Grace Draven A hidden gem for fans of slower-burn romance featuring a best-friends-to-lovers dynamic between Ildiko and Brishen, who are about to get married.

Cozy / Lower-Spice Picks

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping – Sangu Mandanna Described as a cozy fantasy book with a side dish of romance so delicious, you'll sort of wish it's the main course.

Half a Soul – Olivia Atwater — perfect for a quick, cozy fantasy romance read.

Exciting Upcoming/New 2026 Releases

• This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews (March 31, 2026)
• A Court of Splintered Harmony (ACOTAR #6) by Sarah J. Maas —

releasing October 27, 2026

• Crown of War and Shadow: Kingdoms of the Compass by J.R. Ward —

the New York Times bestselling author's transition into expansive high fantasy, introducing a new saga pairing war-torn landscapes with deep emotional stakes.

• Innamorata by Ava Reid (duology, March 2026)
• The Sea Spinner by Julie Johnson — featuring

elemental magic, slow-burn romance, found family, and enemies to lovers.

Quick recommendation by mood:

• Want epic/political intrigue? → A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crown of War and Shadow
• Want intense spice + dragons/war? → Fourth Wing, Quicksilver
• Want dark faerie politics? → The Cruel Prince
• Want something cozy and lower-heat? → A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Half a Soul
• Want queer historical romantasy? → The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske

Want me to narrow this down based on your favorite tropes (enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, slow burn, dark academia, etc.) or

Whether you want high-stakes dragon battles, dark gothic fairy tales, or cozy, whimsical magic, the fantasy romance (“romantasy”) genre has a wide range of standout options. Here are the best fantasy romance novels to read right now, categorized by vibe:

1. High-Stakes, Action-Packed Blockbusters

Best if you love deadly trials, fast-paced action, and fiery chemistry.

• Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Series) by Rebecca Yarros
• The Vibe: How to Train Your Dragon meets The Hunger Games, with heavy tension and high spice.
• The Premise: Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail expected to enter the quiet Scribe Quadrant, but her commanding mother orders her to join the deadly Riders Quadrant. Cadets bond with ruthless dragons who incinerate the weak—and fellow cadets are encouraged to eliminate competition. Violet must survive brutal challenges alongside Xaden Riorson, the lethal and resentful wingleader of her squad.
• Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, deadly academy, forced proximity, hidden powers.

• The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia Series) by Carissa Broadbent
• The Vibe: Ruthless vampire politics, gladiatorial survival, and devastating slow-burn romance.
• The Premise: Oraya is an adopted human daughter of a vampire king. To secure her safety in a kingdom that treats humans as prey, she enters the Kejari: a legendary, brutal tournament held by the goddess of death. To survive, she must strike an uneasy alliance with Raihn, a rival vampire from an enemy faction who is just as deadly as he is alluring.
• Tropes: Deadly tournament, enemies-to-allies-to-lovers, secret royalty, high survival stakes.

• A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated) by Danielle L. Jensen
• The Vibe: Norse mythology, shield-maidens, and fierce, elemental magic.
• The Premise: Freya longs for a quiet life, but when her blood reveals she is blessed by the goddess of war, a tyrannical jarl forces her into battle to unite the realm. Entrusted to the jarl’s lethal son, Bjorn, Freya must navigate war, treacherous court politics, and an undeniable attraction to the warrior sworn to guard her.
• Tropes: Forced proximity, bodyguard/charge, Viking-inspired, forbidden love.

2. Dark, Atmospheric & Gothic Romances

Best if you love eerie forests, clever magic systems, and haunting mysteries.

• One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Duology) by Rachel Gillig
• The Vibe: Foggy woods, gothic castles, tarot-like card magic, and an ancient monster sharing the protagonist’s mind.
• The Premise: Elspeth Spindle lives in the mist-shrouded kingdom of Blunder, hiding a dark secret: she is infected with magic and harbors an ancient, sinister spirit in her head called the Nightmare. When she crosses paths with Ravyn Yew, the king’s nephew and captain of the elite Destriers, she is pulled into a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom’s mist by collecting the full deck of magical Providence Cards.
• Tropes: Dark/gothic atmosphere, monstrous inner entity, grumpy x sunshine, unique card magic.

• A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
• The Vibe: A lush, dark, polyamorous retelling of Dracula’s brides.
• The Premise: Constanta is saved from the brink of death by a charismatic, immortal aristocrat. What begins as an intoxicating romance spirals into centuries of manipulation and cruelty. Together with her fellow consorts, Constanta must find the strength to reclaim her agency and destroy their creator.
• Tropes: Gothic horror romance, villains-to-escapees, lyrical prose, sapphic and polyamorous dynamics.

3. Cozy, Whimsical & Low-Stress Fantasy

Best if you want charming banter, cozy settings, and low-angst romance.

• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
• The Vibe: Dark folklore meets cozy academic rivalry in a snow-covered Scandinavian village.
• The Premise: Emily Wilde is an introverted Cambridge professor who specializes in dryadology (the study of faeries). To complete the world’s first fairy encyclopedia, she travels to a remote northern town. Her solitary research is interrupted by her charming, insufferably handsome colleague Wendell Bambleby, who brings tea, chaos, and a few secrets of his own.
• Tropes: Academic rivals-to-lovers, grumpy female lead x golden retriever male lead, unseelie fae folklore.

• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
• The Vibe: Pride & Prejudice meets Howl's Moving Castle.
• The Premise: Ever since a faerie curse stole half of Dora’s soul as a child, she has been unable to feel fear, embarrassment, or sadness—making her socially blunt in high-society Regency London. While trying to avoid scandal, she crosses paths with Lord Sorcier, a cynical, sharp-tongued royal magician trying to undo a plague of sleeping curses.
• Tropes: Regency romance, cynical sorcerer x unbothered heroine, fairy-tale whimsy.

4. Modern Paranormal Romance

Best for fast, witty reads with supernatural creatures in modern-style settings.

• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• The Vibe: A tongue-in-cheek, trope-aware spin on arranged marriages between rival supernatural species.
• The Premise: Misery Lark, the estranged daughter of a powerful vampire councilman, agrees to enter an arranged marriage of alliance with Lowe Moreland, the fierce, protective Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Both have hidden agendas and a deep mutual distrust, but as they spend time together, an unexpected bond forms.
• Tropes: Arranged marriage, vampires vs. werewolves, dual hidden motives, high spice.

5. The Modern Classics (If You Haven't Read Them Yet)

If you are new to romantasy, these are the cornerstones that popularized the current wave:

• A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas: A loose Beauty and the Beast retelling that evolves into an expansive, world-altering epic of high fae courts, trauma healing, and iconic slow-burn tension (peaking in book two, A Court of Mist and Fury).
• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen: A spy-princess is sent to assassinate the king of a mysterious island bridge kingdom, only to find the people aren't the monsters she was raised to believe.
• The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air) by Holly Black: Technically YA/crossover, but unmatched for Machiavellian political maneuvering, treacherous fae, and genuine enemies-to-lovers tension between a mortal girl and a wicked fae prince.

Quick Guide to Choosing Your Next Book:

• For dragon battles & high spice: Fourth Wing
• For eerie, atmospheric magic: One Dark Window
• For lethal vampire tournaments: The Serpent and the Wings of Night
• For a witty, cozy, academic mystery: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
• For enemies-to-lovers spy espionage: The Bridge Kingdom

Here are some of the best fantasy romance / romantasy novels to read right now, based on recent expert lists and “best of” roundups from 2026. If you want the safest picks, start with A Court of Mist and Fury, The Bridge Kingdom, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and The Jasmine Throne.⁵¹⁴¹⁷

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas — a modern romantasy staple and one of the most widely read fantasy-romance picks right now.⁵
• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen — a strong enemies-to-lovers pick that repeatedly appears on romantasy recommendation lists.¹⁴
• The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent — frequently recommended for readers who want epic stakes, romance, and high tension.¹⁴
• The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri — a popular choice for readers who want lush worldbuilding and a slower-burn romantic arc.¹⁴¹⁷
• From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout — highlighted as a benchmark for slow-burn forbidden romance.³
• House of Dragons by A. Linde — recommended as a new series with enemies-to-lovers tension and magic.⁷
• Riftborne by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox — listed among current must-read romantasy picks and newer 2026 romance releases.¹⁵¹⁸
• Archangel’s Eternity — described as one of the latest notable romantasy releases in 2026.⁹¹⁰
• Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz — recommended by Marie Claire as a cozy, funny queer friends-to-lovers romantasy.¹
• The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks — a favorite among fantasy-romance experts and recommendation lists.¹⁷

If you want the best fit by vibe, these are strong starting points:

If you want, I can also narrow this to spiciest, clean/cozy, best standalone, or best for fans of ACOTAR.

Fantasy romance is too broad for one “best” list, so the right pick depends on whether you want spicy epic romantasy, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story, or a cozy low-spice read. Based on current recommendation roundups, these are the titles to look at right now.

Spicy / high-stakes romantasy

• A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas — the genre gateway: four books plus a novella, huge worldbuilding, and an epic love story. It’s also been slated for a Hulu adaptation. nastialiukin.com
• From Blood and Ash series — a popular ACOTAR hangover cure with an epic romance, several books available, and more planned. nastialiukin.com
• Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas — modern-set fantasy with the usual SJM worldbuilding, twists, and a world-shaking romance. Two books were available at the time of that list. nastialiukin.com
• The Serpent and the Wings of Night — a good starting point if you want less commitment than ACOTAR: beautiful writing, lots of action, and an epic love story, with a sequel following. nastialiukin.com
• The Road of Bones by Demi Winters — ongoing series (three parts plus a novella out of a planned five); hidden identity, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden magic, and spice that comes in a few scenes per book. bookish-delights.com
• Whispers of the Deep by Emma Hamm — a possibly finished series of five interconnected novels; human/merman forbidden romance, true enemies-to-lovers, underwater world, and very spicy scenes near the end. bookish-delights.com

Enemies-to-lovers / slow burn

• The Irresistible Urge To Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley — finished duology; very slow burn, little to no spice in the first book, funny, forbidden romance, and a healer heroine vs. an assassin hero. bookish-delights.com
• Reign and Ruin by J. D. Evans — four parts and two novellas; slow burn, political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, and a smart, capable heroine. bookish-delights.com
• The Bridge Kingdom — fantasy-adjacent rather than fae/vampire fantasy, but a great enemies-to-lovers pick for fans of the above. nastialiukin.com

Cozy / low-spice fantasy romance

• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna — cozy fantasy with low spice, grumpy/grumpy tension, forced proximity, found family, slow burn, and a sentient magical house. bookish-delights.com
• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett — not spicy; fae, hidden identity, light academia, cottagecore vibes, and diary entries. The series is ongoing. bookish-delights.com
• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater — cozy Regency fantasy romance with fae, dislike-to-lovers, and no spice; can work as a standalone. bookish-delights.com
• Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher — just a pinch of spice; cozy romance with gods and paladins, older characters (30+), and good diversity. bookish-delights.com
• The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton — comedic Victorian fantasy with flying-house pirates, enemies-to-lovers, and light spice. bookish-delights.com

A more literary/romantic pick

• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow — a historian, a mythical woman, and a diary that could change everything; emotional, beautifully written, and one of the standout recommendations. bookish-delights.com

For even more options, Goodreads readers maintain fantasy-romance lists such as “Enemies to Lovers – Slow Burn – New Adult” and “YA-NA Romance with Kick-Ass Heroines.” goodreads.com

Romantasy is still one of the biggest categories in publishing, so “best right now” mixes the series everyone is still talking about with a few stronger or fresher options.

The ones dominating the conversation

• Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Empyrean #3) — Winner of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Award for Readers’ Favorite Romantasy. Dragon-rider war college, high stakes, and a very spicy romance. Start with Fourth Wing if you haven’t.
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — Still the gateway series for a huge number of readers. Fae courts and enemies-to-lovers; the heat and worldbuilding both ramp up hard in book two (A Court of Mist and Fury).
• Quicksilver by Callie Hart — A #1 New York Times bestseller and a major BookTok favorite. Sharp-banter enemies-to-lovers fae romantasy with alchemy and action.
• The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent — Vampire trials, dark magic, and one of the more emotionally satisfying romances in the current wave. Frequently recommended as a step up in craft from some of the bigger hits. First in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.
• From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout — Long-running, highly addictive series built on chosen-one prophecy, gods, and heavy spice. A staple “if you liked ACOTAR / Fourth Wing” recommendation.

Strong recent or highly praised picks

• The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig — Gothic, atmospheric fantasy with a strong sense of place. It was a major 2025 Goodreads Romantasy nominee. If you prefer her earlier style, start with One Dark Window (card-based magic, eerie folklore vibes).
• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross — Wartime letters, rival journalists, and gods. Beautiful prose and a more emotional, lower-spice romance than most of the books above.
• Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans — Political intrigue, marriage of convenience, and a genuinely competent heroine. Often praised by readers who want stronger writing and worldbuilding than the purest BookTok hits.
• When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker — Fast-paced dragon romantasy with witty banter and a sassy lead. A frequent “what to read after Onyx Storm” suggestion.
• Alchemised by SenLinYu — Dark, ambitious fantasy that landed high in 2025 Romantasy voting. Note that many readers treat the romance as a subplot rather than the main engine, and the tone is heavy.

If you want cozy or lower heat

• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett — Academic folklore, prickly heroine, and a slow, charming romance. Light on spice.
• Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher — Funny, tender, adult characters (30s+), and a lighter touch. Interconnected series.
• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater — Short, cozy Regency-fantasy romance with fae elements. Easy palate cleanser.

Quick guide by vibe

Most of these lean enemies-to-lovers, found family, and “chosen one under pressure.” Heat levels vary a lot—Fourth Wing, ACOTAR (from book 2), From Blood and Ash, and Quicksilver are on the spicier side; Divine Rivals, Emily Wilde, and Reign & Ruin are milder or slower-burn.

If you tell me your preferred heat level, favorite tropes (dragons, fae, vampires, politics, cozy), or whether you want a finished series versus an ongoing one, I can narrow this further.