Fantasy in which the romance carries equal narrative weight with the plot — not fantasy with a love subplot, and not a romance in fancy dress. The term became common around 2023, when the category outgrew being shelved under either parent genre. It is the Fae Court's genre, and the first collection catalogued here.

How do I find a book with exactly the spice level I want?

Open the filters above the catalogue and pick a number, or read the scale first if you are not sure what the numbers mean. Zero is no sex on the page at all, three is several explicit scenes of real length, and five is explicit throughout. Spice is rated separately from how romantic a book is, so you can ask for a central romance at a low heat.

Which romantasy series are actually finished?

Open the filters above the catalogue and choose finished series. It is a shorter list than it should be — most of the biggest names in the genre are unfinished, which is why this is one of the most common questions readers ask before starting anything new.

Do you cover anything other than romantasy?

Not yet, and saying otherwise would waste your time. House of a Reader is five houses — dark academia, romantasy, gothic and dark romance, epic fantasy, and science fiction and speculative — and the Fae Court's romantasy shelf is the one catalogued so far. The other four are being written against the same scales rather than assembled from other people's lists, which is slower and the reason they are not here already.

Lessons: Reading Guides from the Five Houses

Reading guides written house by house. Every book is rated on the same six scales — spice, romance prominence, plot, worldbuilding, darkness and craft — with series status, endings and content warnings recorded alongside, so a four means the same thing whichever shelf you are standing at. The Fae Court's romantasy collection is catalogued in full below; the other four houses are being written.

Last reviewed 28 August 2026

Online book clubs

Find a public room, start a private circle, or pick the app that actually runs the club. Written to answer the questions people type into Google and into ChatGPT.

Every book-club guideFind, join, start, run, and the tools Find and Join an Online Book ClubPublic rooms you can join tonight, private circles for friends, Discord, Reddit, and the apps that list them.Book Clubs by Genre and AudienceFantasy, romantasy, BookTok, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, spicy and dark romance, and clubs for readers in their twenties.Start and Run a Book ClubFound a club, organise it, choose the next book, and keep people actually reading.Book Club Apps and ToolsApps for running a club, managing one, voting on books, scheduling meetings, and talking by chapter.Reading Apps: Track, Talk, Stats and TasteTrack and talk, read together, TBR and taste, friends' reading, genre houses, Wrapped-style recaps, stats, streaks, tropes and spice.

The five houses

Every reader here swears to one of five houses, and each house keeps its own shelf. The collections below are being catalogued a house at a time, on the same scales, so a rating means the same thing whichever shelf you are standing at.

The Poets
Dark academia
Being written
The Fae Court
Romantasy
Catalogued below
The Nightborn
Gothic & dark romance
Being written
The Dragon Riders
Epic fantasy
Being written
The Alchemists
Science fiction & speculative
Being written

What to read after a specific book

The question most readers actually arrive with. Each hub carries a full list plus refinements for spice, darkness, craft and whether the series is finished.

Books Like ACOTARA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Books Like Fourth WingFourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Best-of lists

Every list is filtered from the same ratings, so a spicy list and a slow-burn list disagree about a book for a reason you can go and read.

The Best Spicy Romantasy Booksbest spicy romantasy books The Best Completed Romantasy Seriesbest completed romantasy series The Best Dark Romantasy Booksdark romantasy book recommendations The Best Fae Romance Booksbest fae fantasy romance books The Best Dragon Rider Fantasy Booksbest dragon rider fantasy books The Best Romantasy Books for Beginnersbest fantasy romance series for beginners

Browse by trope

Defined in the words readers use for them, not the words a publisher would.

Enemies to loversenemies to lovers · enemies-to-lovers Touch her and dietouch her and die · protective mmc Fated matesfated mates · mate bond Morally grey MMCmorally grey · morally gray Slow burnslow burn · slow-burn Forced proximityforced proximity · stuck together Forbidden romanceforbidden romance · forbidden love He falls firsthe falls first · he falls harder Found familyfound family · chosen family Fake datingfake dating · fake engagement Magical academymagic school · academy

Search the romantasy shelf

50 books written up in full, every one rated on the same scales. Search by title, author or trope, or open the filters to narrow by heat, creature and whether the series is finished.

How this works

The Spice ScaleAll six levels, defined and dated How We Choose and Rate BooksNo affiliate links, no sponsored placements Online book clubsFind one, start one, or run one

Questions readers ask

What is romantasy?: Fantasy in which the romance carries equal narrative weight with the plot — not fantasy with a love subplot, and not a romance in fancy dress. The term became common around 2023, when the category outgrew being shelved under either parent genre. It is the Fae Court's genre, and the first collection catalogued here.
How do I find a book with exactly the spice level I want?: Open the filters above the catalogue and pick a number, or read the scale first if you are not sure what the numbers mean. Zero is no sex on the page at all, three is several explicit scenes of real length, and five is explicit throughout. Spice is rated separately from how romantic a book is, so you can ask for a central romance at a low heat.
Which romantasy series are actually finished?: Open the filters above the catalogue and choose finished series. It is a shorter list than it should be — most of the biggest names in the genre are unfinished, which is why this is one of the most common questions readers ask before starting anything new.
Do you cover anything other than romantasy?: Not yet, and saying otherwise would waste your time. House of a Reader is five houses — dark academia, romantasy, gothic and dark romance, epic fantasy, and science fiction and speculative — and the Fae Court's romantasy shelf is the one catalogued so far. The other four are being written against the same scales rather than assembled from other people's lists, which is slower and the reason they are not here already.