2025 Best Fantasy Romance Books That Owned Me (Hidden Gems by Vibe)
What should you read after you’ve exhausted BookTok’s usual suspects? Try these 20 fantasy romance hidden gems from 2025…sorted by vibe, with a top-3 “start here” shortlist.
My 2025 Best Fantasy Romance Books Sorted by Vibe
If you feel like every “best of” list is the same five authors on a rotating carousel… you’re not alone. I dug through what I’ve read in 2025 and pulled together the 20 best fantasy romance books, and I don’t see talked about enough, organized by vibe, because mood-reading is the only valid reading strategy.
(And no, you’re not finding Rebecca Yarros on this list. No shade. You just don’t need to only read the bestseller list to find a 5-star read.)
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My top 3 2025 best fantasy romance reads
If you only want the “tell me what to read NOW” version, here you go:
- In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy: This was my god-tier read of the year (debut + lyrical writing + gothic siren + atmospheric).
- The Death-Made Prince by Lisette Marshall: A rune witch + necromancer + slow burn that hurts so good.
- The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley: My spice champion of this list and so obsessed with the world and the romance (check triggers)
Best fantasy romance books by vibe (quick pick your mood)
These are the categories you’ll find on this list:
- Want adult vampires that “brought the bite back”? Jump to Vampire Renaissance
- Want witches + prophecies + salt water? Jump to Witches & the High Seas
- Want shifters/dragons/beasts (plus some academy mess)? Jump to Creatures
- Want mythology + retellings with a new twist? Jump to Mythic Retellings Want dystopian/urban fantasy with “burn the world down” stakes? Jump to Dystopian & Urban
Vampire Renaissance (adult spice + intrigue + “the bite is back” energy)
If you miss the early-2000s vampire era but want it grown… this is the lane.
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent
The classic “she shows up to kill him” setup but the intrigue, politics, and unique worldbuilding kept me hooked. Don’t scroll past this one.
Grab Slaying the Vampire Conqueror on Amazon
A Bargain So Bloody by Vasilisa Drake
A naive witch heroine + serious alpha vampire hero… breaking out of prison together… while her mission is literally to kill him. Also: the card-based magic system felt genuinely fresh.
Grab A Bargain So Bloody on Amazon (or read our A Bargain So Bloody book discussion)
The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
My spice champion of the entire list. Gritty urban fantasy vibes, mafia structure, vampire royalty prince, a fae heroine who’s there to kill him and his whole family and kink…so check your trigger warnings. If you want it hot, this is it.
Grab The Serpent’s Bride on Amazon
We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark
Gladiators meets vampires, with a female gladiator heroine (YES PLEASE) and a vampire take that felt different. It also gave me strong vibes that you’ll be torn between the good guy and the bad guy.
Grab We Who Will Die on Amazon
Witches, prophecies, and the high seas
Sometimes you need magic. Sometimes you need salt water. Sometimes you need both.
Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
More laid-back with slight cozy vibes (not cozy fantasy, just not agonizingly angsty). There’s a huge magical library (book lovers, rise) and a fun secret identity situation.
Grab Wooing the Witch Queen on Amazon
The Sea Witch by Eva Leigh
Picture Pirates of the Caribbean meets Salem witches, but make the entire pirate crew (and captain) female. It’s badass, atmospheric, and scratches that high-seas adventure itch.
Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
Deadly games + trials vibe. Solid, fun ride, and yes: it features a very sexy shadow daddy for those of us who never learn.
Soulgazer by Maggie Rapier
This one felt fresh. Celtic mythology used in a more unique way, plus a pirate hero who isn’t just a pirate caricature. It’s a slow burn with a quest that really delivers.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
The clear winner of this vibe for me: beautiful, alluring, lyrical prose, the kind of writing that feels like a spell. And the romance kind of reminded me of Jocelin and Phedre from Kushiel’s Legacy by Jacqueline Carey.
Grab The Knight and the Moth on Amazon
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Shifters, dragons, and beasts
Because you can’t talk fantasy without creatures. Period.
Psycho Shifters by Jasmine Mas
Academy setting + why choose romance. The characters can be prickly, but the group dynamic is the hook, I got attached to everyone.
Grab Psycho Shifters on Amazon
A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
Sequel to A Fire in the Sky (read in order). The first half was slower for me, but once it gets going I was locked in. Epic worldbuilding with Game of Thrones vibes and a cliffhanger that bites.
Grab A Scar in the Bone on Amazon
The Bastard King and The Uncrowned King by Donna Grant
A dragon-shifter duology with a medieval vibe, hidden identities, and betrayals. If you like dragons, put Donna Grant on your radar.
Grab The Bastard King on Amazon
In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
My #1 favorite book on this entire list. It’s a debut with lyrical writing that doesn’t feel like a debut, a gothic atmosphere, a morally gray siren FMC, and a unique angle on water magic. If you only read one book from this post, make it this one.
Grab In the Veins of the Drowning on Amazon
Mythology and mythic retellings
Old stories. New twists. Familiar concepts that feel brand new again.
The Great and Terrible by Gena Showalter
Starts in the real world, then a tornado hits Oklahoma and suddenly we’re in Oz. It’s a Wizard of Oz retelling with strong “stranger in a strange land” journey vibes.
Grab The Great and Terrible on Amazon
Kiss of the Selkie by Tessonja Odette
Imagine The Bachelor, but with supernatural creatures. A selkie heroine in hiding needs to kill the bachelor with her deadly kiss… except she starts falling for him. High stakes, but cozy/cute vibes with drama.
Grab Kiss of the Selkie on Amazon
The Death-Made Prince by Lisette Marshall
I will always be trying to push this on people because I loved it that much. OCD rep, rune witch heroine, necromancer hero, and an excruciating slow burn with a payoff and character growth that hit.
Grab The Death-Made Prince on Amazon
Dystopian and urban fantasy
When you want gritty survival and a romance that could absolutely burn the world down.
Kingdom of Tomorrow by Gena Showalter
Dystopian academy where the heroine has to move up the ranks to pay off family debt. If you liked (or didn’t like) Silver Elite by Dani Francis, this scratched a similar itch-but worked better for me.
Grab Kingdom of Tomorrow on Amazon
To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast
I’m not gonna lie, this book hurt. The heroine voluntarily gets herself into prison to find her brother… and the rich elite can pay to hunt prisoners on select days. (Basically adult Hunger Games energy.)
Grab To Cage a Wild Bird on Amazon
Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair
My top pick for this darker vibe: it mixes religion, politics, and mafia, and it feels like an urban fantasy throwback (2010s era). The relationship is all tension and denial and they just need to admit they’re obsessed already.
Grab Terror at the Gates on Amazon
Final thoughts
These 20 books are proof you don’t have to live on the bestseller list to find your next five-star fantasy romance. And let me know in the comments, what’s more your vibe from this list.
Want even more recs? Check out all the fantasy romance books we love.
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