10 Great Fantasy Romances

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Fantasy and romance go together like peanut butter and chocolate; the matchup is a sweet indulgence that’s more than the sum of its parts. As winter sets in, there’s no better time to warm up with a hot drink and a steamy dose of romantic escapism. Check realism at the door and enjoy these 10 great novels that blend the two genres, to unusual and lovely effect.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre, the youngest daughter of a bankrupt merchant, kills a large wolf in the forest, only to learn that the wolf was actually a shape-changed faery. Faery High Lord Tamlin requires her life as recompense: Either he slaughters her now, or she agrees to live out her days in the faery realm of Prythian. Deeply suspicious at first, eventually Feyre finds herself enjoying her comfortable existence at Tamlin’s estate...and her growing attraction to Tamlin. But Tamlin’s court is under a curse, and a sinister, more powerful noble is taking the first steps toward invasion. This original take on Beauty and the Beast is high-pitched romantic drama at its fantastical best. And since this is just the first volume in an ongoing series, get ready for Feyre’s love life to take some unexpected turns in future installments.

Tam Lin, by Pamela Dean

While A Court of Thorns and Roses makes glancing references to Tam Lin, the traditional ballad in which the pregnant Janet of Carterhaugh rescues her lover from the Fairy Queen, this is a more direct adaptation of the story, set at an American liberal arts college in the early 1970s. Blackstock College undergraduate Janet Carter gradually grows suspicious of the charismatic head of the Classics department, and the curious hold she has over her students—including Thomas Lane, with whom Janet’s developed an intense, charged friendship. The novel takes the bones of the ballad and fleshes them out into an exploration of the college experience: a profound period of self-discovery and intellectual flowering, when both new love and new friendships are deeply felt.

All Souls Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness

The All Souls trilogy, which begins with A Discovery of Witches and inspired an AMC TV series, tells the story of Diana Bishop, a Yale professor and witch, who falls unexpectedly and perilously in love with Matthew Clairmont, an Oxford professor and 1,800-year-old vampire. Their search for a missing alchemical volume that may hold the key to the origins and the future of all magical species takes them across the world and even back in time, pursued by hostile forces who seek both the book and to destroy their taboo relationship. Lush, thrilling, and emotionally wrenching, the series is also an education in fine wines, politics and culture in late 16th-century Europe, genetics, and the peculiarities of alchemical symbolism.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen

Hart is a demigod marshal in a frontier town, fighting the reanimated dead who cross the magical border. Mercy works day and night propping up her family’s failing funeral business and defending it from a corporate takeover. Of course, Hart and Mercy “loathe” each other, and every encounter is loaded with belligerent sexual tension. But when a lonely Hart writes an anonymous letter expressing his yearning for a friend and sends it off via the magical postal service, an equally lonely Mercy is somehow the missive’s recipient. It's You’ve Got Mail meets Six Feet Under but a magical Western; the result is an absolutely adorable fantasy romance with some lovely beta couple pairings, warm family scenes, humorously awkward moments, and even some cool gun-slinging action.

Temporary Agency, by Rachel Pollack

Temporary Agency might not immediately get tagged as a romantic fantasy, but it is, indeed, all about love. It’s set in the same world as Pollack’s Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning Unquenchable Fire, a parallel America where all aspects of daily life are infused with spiritual energy. Ellen has never entirely gotten over the murder of her cousin Paul after his unfortunate affair with a demonic being went sour. She must confront her unresolved past when she re-encounters Alison, the attorney who attempted to seek justice for Paul. The two join forces to investigate a charismatic politician, whose rallies, intended to foster love and community, have taken on a dangerously uncontrolled sexual quality. Ellen and Alison’s contentious reunion and burgeoning love, Ellen’s messy breakup with her clingy girlfriend, and her growing understanding of her dead cousin all serve as lenses to examine healthy and unhealthy forms of love, as well as the importance of consent.

Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner

In an unnamed city ruled by a council of nobles, a secret plan to upend the current balance of power unwittingly draws in Richard St. Vier, the city’s greatest duelist for hire, and his lover, Alec, a sharp-tongued, secretive, and self-destructive young man estranged from his noble family and expelled from the University. Subtitled A Melodrama of Manners, the novel is a rich tapestry of witty banter, clever scheming, devastating social machinations, and of course, dashing swordplay.

Archangel, by Sharon Shinn

Archangel is actually science fantasy, but it’s got enough fantastical (and romantic) elements to earn its place here. When the planet Samaria is threatened by severe weather or disease, angels fly into the heavens and sing prayers to Jovah, their god, who parts the clouds and drops medication from the sky. Jovah has chosen Gabriel to be the next Archangel, leader of all the angels on Samaria, and selected Gabriel’s human bride, Rachel, an angry, resentful kitchen slave in a wealthy household. She’s happy to be freed from captivity, but not so happy to be ordered to marry; or indeed, to follow anyone’s dictates on how to lead her life from now on. As the two struggle to find understanding with each other, it becomes clear that someone does not want the marriage to succeed and is willing to go to any lengths to prevent it. This book offers lovely (if somewhat implausible) world-building, gorgeous descriptions of music and singing, and of course, a glorious depiction of that classic romance trope: the arranged marriage that turns to love.

Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey

Phèdre, an anguisette—a divinely touched courtesan who experiences pain as pleasure—and a talented spy for the disgraced noble who holds her contract, is investigating a secret plot against the young Queen of Terre D’Ange, a magical realm that strongly resembles France. Her bodyguard, the celibate warrior-priest Joscelin Verreuil, has nothing but disdain for Phèdre’s public profession, and she scorns him right back. But after a dreadful betrayal, this unlikely couple almost unwillingly develop a fierce and (of course) forbidden love for each other. Their darkly erotic, angst-ridden, globe-trotting adventures carry them through a trilogy, as well as a recently published companion volume, Cassiel’s Servant, which recounts the events of Kushiel’s Dart via Joscelin’s perspective.

The Midnight Bargain, by C.L. Polk

The Midnight Bargain takes on one of romance’s most beloved subgenres: the Regency romance. Beatrice Clayborn and her father have very different ideas about how to repair the family fortunes. She wants to become a mage, despite that role being forbidden to fertile women; magic opens a path for amoral spirits to possess an unborn child. He wants her to marry a wealthy man. During the so-called bargaining season in the city of Bendleton, Beatrice attracts the attention of Ianthe Lavan, the most socially eligible bachelor on the market. Must Beatrice sacrifice love for magic or magic for love? This is classic romance, blended with a razor-edged attack on sexism and classism.

The Lions of al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay

This novel is a colorful and tragic retelling of the Reconquista: the fall of Muslim Grenada and its conquest by the Christian kingdoms of Spain. In the final, glorious days of the Asharite city of Ragosa, strong ties develop among three people of different faiths: Jehane bet Ishak, a clever and skilled Kindath doctor; Rodrigo Belmonte, an exiled Jaddite military officer turned mercenary; and Ammar ibn Khairan, an Asharite poet, courtier, and assassin. The two men develop a brotherly bond, and less than brotherly feelings toward Jehane, despite their profound differences in belief, Rodrigo’s status as a happily married man, and the philandering Ammar’s jaded approach to love. As Jaddite and Asharite forces prepare to clash (with, as always, the Kindath caught in the middle), personal feelings threaten to be crushed under the weight of national and religious loyalties. This is a bittersweet historical saga where a complete happy ending will never be in the cards, but love does prevail when possible.

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