Best Fantasy Romance Series

The books that become the only books, one after the next.

By the Ember team · Updated July 2026

A fantasy romance series earns its length when the world gets richer and the love story gets sharper with every book. Single-volume stories resolve. Series live inside you for months, sometimes years, because the author keeps finding new ground where you thought the map was full.

This list covers the series worth the commitment. Some are complete and safe to binge. Some are ongoing and worth starting anyway. Every pick includes reading order, heat rating, and who the series is for, because starting book one of a seven-book arc is a different decision than picking up a standalone.

Short answer

The best fantasy romance series deliver immersive multi-book arcs where the world and relationship stakes both grow. A Court of Thorns and Roses remains the fae gold standard. Fourth Wing and its Empyrean series owns dragon romance. From Blood and Ash, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City reward readers who want epic scope. Reading order matters; start with book one and follow publication sequence for all.

Key takeaways

ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and From Blood and Ash are the current entry-point series most readers start with
Publication order matters; reading out of sequence breaks reveals and emotional payoffs in every major series
Completed series include The Folk of the Air, The Bridge Kingdom, Plated Prisoner, and Throne of Glass
Heat levels vary widely; ACOTAR and Fourth Wing run explicit while Throne of Glass and Folk of the Air stay warm

Epic multi-book series

These are the series that take over your reading life for weeks or months. Five books minimum, ongoing or recently complete, and the kind of depth that turns casual readers into fandom.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas · Spicy

Still the series that defines the modern fae romance lane. Feyre's journey from desperate huntress to High Lady spans five books, two courts, and a war that reshapes the continent. Book two changes the entire game; book three is the battle everyone waited for. The world grows with every entry, the romance deepens instead of resolving, and the side characters earn their own books.

Read in publication order: ACOTAR → ACOMAF → ACOWAR → ACOFAS → ACOSF. ACOFAS is a holiday novella bridging three and five; skippable if you want pure plot, but the character moments land.

Fourth Wing / The Empyrean

Rebecca Yarros · Explicit

Violet survives a dragon academy where death is curriculum, bonds the most powerful dragon on the continent, and falls for the one rider who should want her dead. Two books in, with a third coming, and the stakes only get bigger. The romance is high heat and Xaden is the current blueprint for morally gray love interests done right.

Start with Fourth Wing, then Iron Flame. Book three (Onyx Storm) arrives 2026. The duology already feels complete; the third book is bonus territory most readers will take.

Throne of Glass

Sarah J. Maas · Warm

Celaena is an assassin competing to be the king's champion, except the palace hides older magic and the king's son is inconveniently compelling. Seven books, multiple continents, and a romance that changes leads halfway through. It starts YA and grows into epic adult fantasy. Commit to book three before deciding; that's where the series becomes what it was always building toward.

Publication order required: Throne of Glass → Crown of Midnight → Heir of Fire → Queen of Shadows → Empire of Storms → Tower of Dawn → Kingdom of Ash. The Assassin's Blade prequel can go first or after Crown of Midnight.

From Blood and Ash

Jennifer L. Armentrout · Explicit

Poppy is the Maiden, chosen by the gods and forbidden to be touched. Hawke is her guard, breaking every rule the gods set. Six books of revelations, betrayals, and a mythology that keeps rewriting what you thought the first book was about. The twists hit, the banter is elite, and the heat escalates with every entry.

Strict publication order: From Blood and Ash → A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire → The Crown of Gilded Bones → The War of Two Queens → A Soul of Ash and Blood (his POV retelling of book one) → The Primal prequel series runs parallel and adds depth but is not required reading.

Crescent City

Sarah J. Maas · Explicit

Urban fantasy meets high fantasy in a city of angels, fae, shifters, and bureaucracy. Bryce loses everything in book one and spends three books breaking the world to get it back. The romance is slow, the mythology is dense, and the payoff takes patience. This is Maas writing for readers who want her to go weirder.

Publication order: House of Earth and Blood → House of Sky and Breath → House of Flame and Shadow. Each book is 800+ pages; budget your time accordingly.

Need help with ACOTAR or Fourth Wing reading order? ACOTAR reading order and Fourth Wing series guide cover publication sequence, novellas, and what to read between releases.

Completed series worth starting

These series are done. No waiting, no cliffhangers between books, and the emotional payoff is already written. Start book one knowing you can read straight through to the end.

The Folk of the Air

Holly Black · Warm

Jude is mortal, raised in a fae court that despises her. Prince Cardan has tormented her since childhood. She gets power over him and everything that follows is a three-book war between hatred and obsession. Completed trilogy, politically vicious, and the enemies-to-lovers arc is the textbook version.

The Cruel Prince → The Wicked King → The Queen of Nothing. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is a companion novella from Cardan's perspective; read it after finishing the trilogy.

The Bridge Kingdom

Danielle L. Jensen · Spicy

Lara is trained to destroy the kingdom she marries into, except her husband is the only decent ruler on the map. Four books of spies, sieges, and marriages where love and loyalty are not the same thing. Every entry raises the stakes geographically and emotionally. Completed and satisfying.

The Bridge Kingdom → The Traitor Queen → The Inadequate Heir → The Endless War. Books three and four shift focus to a new couple in the same world; start with one and two regardless.

Plated Prisoner

Raven Kennedy · Explicit

Auren has been King Midas's caged possession for years, her skin gilded, her touch deadly. When she is taken by enemies, everything she believed about herself and the world starts cracking. Six books, dark beginning, and a romance built on finding agency after captivity. The series grows brutal and hopeful in equal measure.

Gild → Glint → Gleam → Glow → Gold → Goldfinch. Read in order; this is a single arc told across six books. Content warnings apply: captivity, possessive relationships, trauma recovery themes.

Radiance

Grace Draven · Spicy

A political marriage between two people whose species find each other hideous becomes the most functional adult relationship in fantasy. Ildiko and Brishen choose each other despite everything. Two core books, then novellas. Quiet, strange, and proof that arranged marriage can be the setup for the healthiest love story in the genre.

Radiance → Eidolon (novella) → Wraith Kings series continues the world but shifts couples. Start with Radiance as a standalone or commit to the full arc.

Ongoing series worth watching

These series are still being written, which means waiting between books. They made this list anyway because what exists already is good enough to start now and suffer the cliffhangers later.

Zodiac Academy

Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti · Explicit

Twins raised in the mortal world discover they are fae royalty, heirs to a throne four rival houses want to keep from them. Eight books and counting, bully romance that flips into found family and epic stakes. The series is slow to start, brutal in the middle, and the payoff has turned casual readers into evangelists.

Start with The Awakening and follow publication order. This series has nine books planned; eight are out as of mid-2026. Commit to book three before deciding; the first two set the board.

Crowns of Nyaxia

Carissa Broadbent · Explicit

Each duology in this series follows a different couple in a vampire-ruled world where power is won through trials, blood, and marriage. The Serpent and the Wings of Night starts the series with a mortal girl entering a deadly vampire tournament. Completed duologies mean you can start and finish an arc, then decide if you want more of the world.

Start with The Serpent and the Wings of Night → The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (duology complete). The second duology begins with The Songbird and the Heart of Stone; you can read it standalone or in world order.

Quicksilver / Fae Kings

Callie Hart · Explicit

Saeris is dragged through a gateway to a frozen fae kingdom by Death himself. Kingfisher is cruel, beautiful, and hiding why she matters to him. Two books deep, three confirmed, and the kind of angst and heat that makes readers forget other books exist while they are reading this one.

Quicksilver → Heartless King, then wait for book three. Strict reading order required; the cliffhanger between books is not a suggestion.

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Series vs standalone fantasy romance

A standalone fantasy romance resolves in one book. The world is built, the relationship pays off, and the ending is the ending. A series asks for more: more books, more time, and the faith that the author knows where they are going and will stick the landing three or seven books later.

The tradeoff is depth. Series let the mythology breathe, let side characters become leads, let the central romance weather real conflict instead of resolving at the first confession. The downside is commitment and the risk that the author loses the thread or the publisher cancels the series before the end.

If you want one-and-done fantasy romance, best fantasy romance books covers standalones and first-in-series reads that work without sequels. This page is for readers who want the deep end.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best fantasy romance series?

Should I read ACOTAR or Throne of Glass first?

Read ACOTAR first. Throne of Glass starts YA and takes until book three to become what it’s known for; ACOTAR starts adult and stays there. Both are worth reading, but ACOTAR is the easier entry point and the faster hook.

What order should I read fantasy romance series in?

Always read fantasy romance series in publication order unless the author explicitly states otherwise. Most series build mythology and character arcs across books; reading out of order breaks reveals and emotional payoffs. Our ACOTAR reading order and From Blood and Ash series guide cover the two most-asked-about series.

Which fantasy romance series are completed?

The Folk of the Air, The Bridge Kingdom, Plated Prisoner, Throne of Glass, and Radiance are all complete. ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash, Crescent City, Zodiac Academy, and Quicksilver are ongoing with more books confirmed or expected.

Sources

This guide draws from Goodreads series data, NPR romantasy coverage, and multi-year BookTok reading patterns. Series details rechecked July 2026.

Goodreads ACOTAR seriesUsed for ACOTAR series details and publication order.
Goodreads Fourth Wing seriesUsed for Empyrean series context and reading order.
Goodreads From Blood and AshUsed for Blood and Ash series structure.
NPR: How TikTok made 'romantasy' publishing's hottest genreUsed for series popularity and genre growth context.

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