Underrated Slow Burn Romantasy Books You Need to Read

There’s fantasy romance that sizzles, and then there’s romantasy that simmers with emotion. The kind that makes you wait, squirm, and fall in love on a soul-deep level before anyone even brushes hands. If your favorite kind of fantasy romance is more about emotional tension than open-door steam, this list is for you.

Author Sylvia Mercedes knows a thing or two about slow burn magic. Her books (like Bride of the Shadow King) are amongst our favorites thanks to their lush worldbuilding and angsty romantic arcs. So we asked her to share with us the romantasy books that hit her hardest.

Let’s get into her top 5 underrated slow burn romantasy picks that are dripping with emotional tension. Warning: feelings ahead.

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Slow Burn Romantasy Books I Genuinely LOVE

These are all titles I have recommended to friends or—in several instances—gone out and bought extra copies of so that I can force them into the hands of my reader friends and insist they read them NOW. LOL. And they are as follows:

The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon

This was such a beautifully conceived and written romantasy . . . but the romance that absolutely BROKE MY HEART and made me love the book forever wasn’t even the main couple! The main couple is adorable, yes, but there’s a secondary couple, more mature characters (parental figures to the main couple), and their gentle, heartbreaking romance was SUBLIME. Will never forget this one!

Grab the First Girl Child on Amazon

Watch Francesca’s take on The First Girl Child here:

Deathmark by Kate Stradling

This book took me completely by surprise! A marriage of convenience that blossoms slowly and painfully before the reader’s eyes. There’s no spice . . . there aren’t even very many kisses! But the ROMANCE and CHEMISTRY is absolutely palpable, and I could not put it down. It’s also a retelling of a Lucy Maude Montgomery (of Anne of Green Gables fame) novel, The Blue Castle. That made my literary heart happy!

Grab Deathmark on Amazon

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

Another obscure retelling . . . this time of Puccini’s opera, Turandot. Which is actually my favorite opera as well, so I already suspected I’d like this book before I read it. But I didn’t just like this book—I DEVOURED IT. Everything about this story is absolutely gripping and glorious, and it completely tore me to little pieces by the end. I’ve read it numerous times since then, and it still brings me to tears in those final pages.

Grab The Bird and the Blade on Amazon

The Sharing Knife by Louis McMaster Bujold

This was actually a recent read, but I’ve read other Bujold novels and truly loved them. This one is the most overtly romantic of her works, however, and it was delightful! An age-gap romance, tastefully done, with just the right amount of spice. And, like all Bujold’s work, the worldbuilding and adventure was exceptional!

Grab The Sharing Knife Volume 1 on Amazon

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher

I mean, it’s hard to pick just one Kingfisher, because her work is so enjoyable across the board! But this was the first one I read, and it absolutely hooked me. The dynamic between the leads was so beautiful and wholesome, especially the way the hero reacted to the heroine’s s*xual traumas. Just beautiful! And, like all Kingfisher’s books, hilarious and HORRIFYING with each fresh turn of the page.

Grab Paladin’s Grace on Amazon

Those are my top five favorites! All of them have influenced me to explore emotion-first romance, with a restraining hand on the physical interactions (so that when those physical interactions DO occur, they’re absolutely electric!). These writers all exhibit beautiful, smooth prose as well—almost classic in style—that I admire and find tremendously inspiring.

About The Seventh Champion by Sylvia Mercedes

If you made it to the end of the list and are now craving a romantasy that blends deadly trials, secret identities, forbidden magic, and exactly the kind of slow burn romantasy angst Sylvia’s obsessed with… good news. Her new book The Seventh Champion is out now.

The Seventh Champion by Sylvia Mercedes

In the first book of this duology, a dragon princess gets forced into a deadly competition for her hand in marriage, but she’s not interested in being anyone’s prize. Like the Bachelorette, but with a fresh new take on dragons. One of the Champions is an assassin sent to kill her. She’s waking up powers she never asked for. A grumpy/sunshine, healer/assassin romance with plenty of banter.

If you love romantasy with trials, hidden powers, and a morally gray love interest who was literally sent to kill her but falls for her instead… this one delivers. It definitely gave me a YA vibe in the best way. Think strong heroine, court intrigue, and slow burn tension.

Personally, I’m a sucker for the assassin-turned-protector arc (yes, I will always fall for the spy who catches feelings), and The Seventh Champion scratched that itch. It’s a great fit for readers who love Danielle L. Jensen or Elise Kova, especially if you like your romantasy with danger, betrayal, and a romance that simmers.

Grab The Seventh Champion on Amazon

Who is Sylvia Mercedes

Sylvia Mercedes makes her home in the idyllic North Carolina countryside with her handsome husband, numerous small children, and a menagerie of rescue cats and dogs. When she’s not writing she’s . . . okay, let’s be honest. When she’s not writing, she’s running around after her littles, cleaning up glitter, trying to plan healthy-ish meals, and wondering where she left her phone. In between, she reads a steady diet of fantasy novels.

Final Thoughts

If you’re still emotionally wrecked from these slow burn romantasy picks, welcome to the club. Huge thanks to Sylvia Mercedes for dropping by and sharing her top-tier recommendations (and for writing heroes we’ll never recover from).

Looking for more even more romantasy? Check out our fantasy romance archive. We’ve got enough brooding assassins and magical mayhem to keep your TBR stacked for months (years?).

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