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Favorite Five Fantasy Romances
This list is actually pretty hard for me to narrow down to just five books! It’s not a secret that I love romance and I’ve read a ton of books that are fantasy novels that have strong romance plots and vice versa. There are so many authors I wish I could have included on this list, but I only have room for five.
- Radiance by Grace Draven
This is probably one of my ideal romances. There are so many romance tropes but when you read a lot of romance they get stale pretty fast. One of the things I love about this one is that there is very little conflict in the book that stems from their relationship. Conflict in this one tends to be external, and there’s none of the soap opera-y ‘let’s have this happen for the sake of drama even though it could be cleared up quickly by two people talking to each other’ things, thank goodness! It’s just a really sweet love story! And that’s not to say it’s devoid of tropes, because it’s totally built on tropes, it just handles them a bit differently from what you’d expect.
- Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis
Ok, so I literally just read this one and I haven’t even done my review for it yet, but I really loved it. This takes place in an alternative United Kingdom where women rule the country through a council of Boudicca, while men are the magicians. So there are definite gender roles but not the kind you’re used to. I found this utterly refreshing, and the romance was sweet (and also not the usual route!).
- The Demons We See by Krista D. Ball
I absolutely love this book. Krista’s strength is in her characters, so if you enjoy banter and fun dialogue, this is a book for you. This story has a lot of political stuff going on in it as the main character suddenly gets appointed to a government position. But she has a secret, which if it came out then the church and the government would condemn her. I love the world that’s created here, but above all I love the romance.
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
This one is a classic, so I couldn’t have a list like this without putting it on there! I remember loving the movie when I was a kid, but never read the book until later. In the earlier days of the net there was a site I used to hang out at and this site had a forum. Everyone on there was obsessed with this book and quoting it all the time. Finally I had to read the book to see what it was that everyone was going on about and I immediately fell in love. Yes, I still love the movie! But like a lot of things, the book is so much more!
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I love Stardust sooooo much! It’s such a fun book with a lot of adventure, but more than anything I love it for its heart. It’s such a lovely fairy tale and is very much signature Gaiman with hints of darkness within the light.
So, those are my picks for this week’s FFF! What are your favorites? Leave me a note in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
Way Too Fantasy 
I love this list! I’m dying to read more Grace Draven after I was pleasantly surprised by Phoenix Unbound. And I’ve read the short story prequel to Snowspelled and loved it. I believe she has a sequel to Snowspelled coming out next year so I’d love to read this first😁
Definitely want to read more Burgis! The Draven book, the first in the series is very much centered on the romance, the sequel breaks out into epic fantasy, so that was a fun treat!
Oh my gosh, The Princess Bride is AMAZING!! And I’ve been meaning to read a Neil Gaiman book, would you say that Stardust is a good start?
Stardust is a great place to start, although Gaiman’s stuff varies a bit so it depends what you’re in the mood for. 🙂
Okay! Thank you!!
Oooh I love Princess Bride ❤ Its one of my favorite books! I really need to read Stardust! I saw and loved the movie. I have heard they are slightly different so I need to read and compare!
The book is definitely worth checking out. 🙂
I’ve only ever read The Princess Bride (and of course love it!) and Stardust, but the rest of these sound really interesting. I might have to go look up some of these. Great list!
Thanks! Stardust is worth checking out if you liked The Princess Bride. 🙂
I’ve never read Radiance, but if I made this list, her new book this year Phoenix Unbound would probably be at the top!
I really liked that one too!
Ahh I love stardust! I still need to read princess bride cos I love the movie 😀
If you love the movie, the book is well worth reading!
I don’t tend to think of myself as a romance reader but I’ve read two off here and have a copy of Radiance – which I’m now really intrigued about and I’m bouncing up and down with impatience to pick up.
Lynn 😀
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
The Princess Bride <3. Radiance looks interesting!
That’s a great one!