by Merlin Hoye
With the advent of our new romance imprint Bramble, we hope you won’t blame us if we have love on the brain. If you still want to scratch that fantasy itch, though, we’re here with romantasy recommendations for every spice level!
Cassiel’s Servant by Jacqueline Carey
We have to start with Jacqueline Carey. Her lush Kushiel’s Legacy series is, in the immortal words of Olivie Blake, “the beating heart of every romantasy to follow”. Kushiel’s Dart is the story of Phédre nó Delaunay, a courtesan who experiences pain as pleasure, and her bodyguard, Joscelin, who is sworn to celibacy. Their epic love story put romantic fantasy on the map and Cassiel’s Servant is a retelling of that genre-defining tale from Joscelin’s perspective. In Carey’s world, people are allowed to love who and how they wish and things get steamy pretty quickly.
Wolfsong by TJ Klune
Wolfsong, the first installment in the Green Creek series, has all the heart and soul of Klune’s more recent books, with far more spice. This book is decidedly for adults. Ox is a young boy with a troubled home life so when a family with a mysterious secret moves in down the street, he quickly bonds with their son Joe. Years later, when Joe suddenly moves away, Ox is forced to grapple with his feelings for him, his own identity, and the turmoil building up all around him. This is a story about trauma, loyalty, loss, and opening yourself up to love despite your scars. Also werewolves. All the angsty werewolves.
Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
This novel is an imagistic and literary alternate turn-of-the-twentieth history with romance and elements of the fantastic. It’s also fantastic, so it way earns its recommendation on this list and then some. Gifted vaudeville performers and hoodoo conjurers Redwood and Aidan embark on a journey from the haunted swampland of Georgia to the billed “city of the future” Chicago. There is magic and pain. Community and the prejudiced evils of individuals and society that despise such solidarity and hope. Like the stories Redwood and Aidan conjure not on screen, but in real space, this book lives with you, and inside you.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The romance in this one is light, almost like a slight dusting of cinnamon on top of (you guessed it) a latte. Low on the steam scale, but off the charts on the cute scale, this is cozy, romantic fantasy at its best. When orc barbarian Viv grows tired of constant battle and bloodshed, she moves to a small town and opens a coffee shop. The residents of the town have never heard of coffee before and are reluctant to try the strange “bean juice”, but soon Viv shows them the wonders of caffeine while finding herself a family and, perhaps, even love.
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Now we just need a name for sci-fi romance… Romantifi? Eh, we’ll work on it. Winter’s Orbit is a story about an arranged marriage between princes in space. Jainan and Kiem marry in order to keep the peace after a bout of political upheaval and soon find themselves actually falling in love. This book doesn’t shy away from dark topics, but it is also a wildly entertaining ride full of blackmail, murder mystery, misunderstandings, interplanetary political intrigue, and romance galore. Winter’s Orbit will have you turning the pages far past your bedtime.
One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake
What happens when you take the greatest love story of all time, set it in Manhattan, and add witches? One for My Enemy happens and it happens brilliantly. This is a retelling of Romeo & Juliet where the Antonova and Fedorov families have been rivals for years, each fighting to keep control of their criminal empires through magic. When Lev and Sasha, the two youngest members of the families, meet and fall in love, things quickly run out of control. Come for the fairies and Russian mythology, stay for the big feelings and heart-pounding romance.
