While I'm currently deep (and I mean deep) in my first-ever ACOTAR re-read, I've been coming across some books that look like fantasy romance masterpieces.

One thing that brings me so much joy is the insurgence of fae stories. I've been devouring Sarah J. Maas books since 2015 and now, with the sudden and intense and well-deserved popularity of ACOTAR, I finally get to satiate my appetite for books based in fae lore. Especially ones with a strong dose of romance and spice.

Not all of these books revolve around fae characters; however, a near majority of them do. 

To Carve a Fae Heart
by Tessonia Odette

The Serpent and the Wings of Night
by Carissa Broadbent

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

A human trapped in a world of vampires, though what's even more fearsome is the legendary tournament she must compete in to save her own fate.

Daughter of No Worlds
by Carissa Broadbent

Her life for freedom. Her blood for love. Her soul for vengeance.

After abandoning her best friend, she seeks mentorship from a reclusive, mysterious, and powerful magic wielder whose bloody past could be their doom.

Fortuna Sworn
by K. J. Sutton

We were meant to be seductive. We were designed to lure humans in.

There are no more of her kind. She has no family. She hides amongst humans. Until a powerful faerie makes an offer she can't refuse.

She doesn't belong to him... she belongs to the crown.

Sara didn't expect the Scarred Prince when she plotted to marry the king and end his line. Nor did she expect to fall for a man she was sent to kill.

An Heir Comes to Rise
by Chloe C. Peñaranda

In a clash of steel, a mortal body may fall. But in a clash of dreams, a powerful heir may rise.

Never draw the attention of the fae. Faythe knew this. But Nik, a royal guard, awakened powers within her frightening to human and fae alike.

Court of Ravens and Ruin
by Eliza Raine

A defiant human woman. A dark fae Prince. Two enemies bound to a marriage that could destroy their world.

A slave with freedom in sight, that is, until she is kidnapped by the fae prince. Announced as his betrothed, she must find another way out.

A Deal with the Elf King
by Elise Kova

The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

You know him. He doesn't like crowds, but all eyes are always on him. All black is his usual attire. His hair is likely dark, as are his eyes. A smirk is never far from his lips, especially for her. Anything for her. 

The broody love interest. 

Here's a playlist from him to her.

The Greek myth of Hades and Persephone is strangely one that I'm repeatedly drawn to, given that their story begins with a kidnapping. However, something about the power in Persephone becoming Goddess of the Spring and Goddess of Death is oddly inspiring. And the gentleness and the compassion shown by the King of the Underworld only to her is horribly romantic in a fantasy setting.

Over this past year, I found myself picking up different versions of this same story, all inspired by the myth of Hades and Persephone. While each of these three tales varies pretty drastically in their execution and take on some very generous creative liberties, they each hold some... addictive qualities.

My book of choice is always a high fantasy with lots of romance. However, these three books introduced me to a type of story I didn't know interested me: one full of socialites, spice, killers, and modern settings. If you're like me and prefer reading of times without phones or even running water and prefer the charming love interest to wield a sword rather than a gun, bear with me for these because they do not disappoint.

Before January of this year, it had been nearly eight months since I read a book, and several more since I had read one not assigned to me by a professor. By the end of June I passed my reading goal for the year, already reading more books in a year than I ever have. 

Because of these three series that jolted me from my reading slumber, I started devouring a book every week. If you're motivated by a great fantasy and an even greater romance, maybe these stories will have a similar impact on you.

The Cruel Prince

by Holly Black | published January 2, 2018

I had been unaware of just how passionately my heart desires to ride a large toad to a king's revel. It's simultaneously something I never imagined and something I've always wanted. In fact, that was the entire experience of reading The Cruel Prince. 

Had this series been written by anyone else, it may have passed as a cheesy, if not tacky, but fun tale of human girls lost in a faerie realm. But Holly Black created a whimsical world with teeth. Faerieland is as treacherous as it is dreamy, with deadly fearies, mean stepmothers, and truly cruel princes.

This is the reading experience I will search to feel again, forever.

The Bridge Kingdom

by Danielle L. Jensen | published June 9, 2020

War and scheming and deception. Assassin sisters. Steamy forbidden love. Betrayal. Oh, so much betrayal.

This duology, and prequel, was the love child of every single one of my favorite tropes. Sisters stolen and trained with the sole purpose to brutally seek the end of an empire. An enemies to lovers couple too ravaged by lust and mistrust to truly love each other. A war brewing on the horizon, just beyond the bridge linking this complex kingdom to its enemies seeking its destruction.

I can't recommend this series enough if you enjoy an artful mix of action, violence, and romance to make you blush when reading it in public.

From Blood and Ash

by Jennifer L. Armentrout | published March 30, 2020

Speaking of books to not read in public.

Not sure how I'm existing without a daily dose of Casteel, but here we are. While the first book is heavy with miscommunication tropes that I'm not overly fond of in any story, the sheer romance of it all rights any wrongs in my eyes.

This series is a very original take on vampires and mates, mostly because the world building is so incredibly unique. In a land where the chosen Maiden, Poppy, must live in extreme, torturous, virtuous solitude, there was bound to be a handsome guard sworn to protect her—and steal her from the life she so despises.