I don’t know about you, but I love these « If you like this, read this » videos. I can’t believe I haven’t written sooner about it! I just decided to twist it and add 4 options instead of 1. I guess I’m a maximalist.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
Arcady is a desperate street thief in a world where dragons are revered as banished gods after humanity betrayed them. Arcady steals a powerful artifact linked to their disgraced past. This act draws them into the path of Everen, the last male dragon, who has crossed the veil between worlds, taking on a human form.
Similarities: dragons, enemies to lovers, protagonist perceived as weak and starting with a disadvantage, political intrigue
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Set in the aftermath of a bloody revolution that overthrew the dragon-riding aristocracy, Fireborne follows two orphans: Annie, whose lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, and Lee, the secret son of a murdered aristocrat. Raised together, they become fierce rivals for the top rank in the new, merit-based dragon-riding fleet. When survivors of the old regime appear, threatening to ignite a new war, Annie and Lee's loyalties are tested, forcing them to choose between their friendship and their beliefs.
Similarities: dragon riders, magical bond, military and political setting with high stakes, rebellion
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
In a world where deceased dragons solidify into moons that occasionally fall to earth, Raeve is a fierce assassin working for a rebellion against the tyrannical Guild of Nobles. When a mission goes wrong, she is captured and imprisoned, facing a certain death.
Her life is saved by Kaan Vaegor, a powerful king consumed by grief and a quest for a mysterious artifact.
Similarities: dragons, magical bond, protective male lead who initially keeps his distance, enemies to lovers, political intrigue
Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling
Elowen Atarah, an exiled princess with a powerful soul-bond to five imprisoned dragons, is determined to seek vengeance against her tyrannical father and free her dragons. To achieve this, she is forced to form a dangerous alliance with Cayden Veles, the ruthless and feared Commander of a rival kingdom, who has his own war to wage against her father.
Similarities: dragons, magical bond, enemies to lovers, underestimated main character, war
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
Marigold Claude, weary of high society, accepts her grandmother's offer to become the next Honey Witch on the magical Isle of Innisfree, embracing a life of nature-based magic and beekeeping. The new role comes with an ancient curse: no one can ever fall in love with the Honey Witch. Marigold is soon drawn to Lottie Burke, a famously grumpy skeptic who visits the island.
Similarities: cozy fantasy, slice of life, queer romance, found family, starting anew
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
When a revolution destroys the library where she works, introverted librarian Kiela and her assistant, a sentient spider plant named Caz, flee with a boatload of forbidden spellbooks to her remote childhood island home. She tries to lay low by opening a jam shop, but she's quickly drawn into helping the community, whose magic is failing due to the oppressive empire.
Similarities: cozy fantasy, slice of life, small business, career change, found community
Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow by Victoria Walters
Willow Connor is fighting to save her family's farm from being sold to property developers, betting everything on turning it into Birchbrook's first pumpkin patch in just six weeks. Her determination is challenged by Dylan Henderson, the handsome property consultant sent to convince her to sell. Willow makes a bold offer: Dylan must stay and watch her succeed.
Similarities: small business, community hub, cozy, reluctant partnership to romance
Love Letters & Thirst Tonics by Hailey Blackwood
In the magical village of Moonvale, vampire trinket shop owner Fiella is devastated when her business is destroyed by a magical attack. She must accept the help of Redd, a handsome and grumpy vampire newcomer, to rebuild, leading to constant bickering and a reluctant partnership.
Similarities: cozy fantasy, small business in a magical small town, focus on community, personal growth and healing
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Princess Shiori has a secret: forbidden magic runs in her veins. When her stepmother, a powerful sorceress, discovers this, she curses Shiori's six brothers, turning them into cranes, and banishes Shiori. The princess is struck mute, bound by a curse that warns that with every word she speaks, one of her brothers will die. Penniless and voiceless, Shiori must embark on a perilous quest to find her brothers and break the curse.
Similarities: fairy tale, cursed heroine, reluctant partnership, whimsical fantasy world
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
This Beauty and the Beast retelling follows Prince Rhen, who is cursed to repeat the same season of his eighteenth year, transforming into a bloodthirsty monster at its end unless he can get a girl to fall in love with him.
After hundreds of failed seasons, Rhen's last hope arrives in the form of Harper, a resilient young woman from Washington, D.C., who is accidentally transported to his magical world. Harper, determined to return home, forms an uneasy alliance with Rhen to help save his kingdom of Emberfall.
Similarities: Beauty and the Beast retelling, dark curse/deal, a prince with secrets
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, is forced to take over the family business and becomes so successful she earns the boastful reputation of being able to "turn silver into gold." This draws the attention of the ruthless, magical King of the Staryk, an ice-like fae creature, who whisks her away to his frozen kingdom to complete an impossible task. Miryem's actions, and her resulting plight, weave together the fates of a peasant girl, Wanda, and an unhappy noblewoman, Irina.
Similarities: fairy tale, bargain/deal with a god, enemies to allies to lovers
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Choksi
Princess Maya has a cursed horoscope that promises destruction, leading her to be scorned by her father's kingdom. On the day she is forced into a political marriage, she is unexpectedly whisked away by the mysterious King Amar to his strange, otherworldly kingdom of Akaran.
As the new queen, Maya begins to find her voice and a forbidden love with Amar, but she quickly suspects her new home and her husband are concealing dangerous secrets about her past.
Similarities: whimsical, secretive royal male character with concealed motivations
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Kiva Meridan is a healer imprisoned in Zalindov, the notorious death camp. For ten years, she has kept herself alive by working in the infirmary while secretly waiting for instructions from her family's rebel group.
When the captured Rebel Queen is brought in, Kiva is tasked with keeping her alive through the Trial by Ordeal, a deadly series of elemental challenges. If Kiva fails, both she and the Queen will die. To survive, Kiva must rely on the mysterious new prison guard, Jaren.
Similarities: deadly competition, protagonist’s hidden identity, political intrigue
Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
Lor has survived ten years in the brutal Sun Queen's prison, known as the Quadrant, after the failed coup that killed her family. When a new prophecy emerges about a human girl who will win the legendary Trial of the Sun Queen and end the Queen's tyrannical reign, Lor is unexpectedly chosen to compete. If she wins, she earns her freedom; if she fails, she dies, but her victory could change the balance of power between humans and Fae forever.
Similarities: deadly competition, protagonist’s hidden identity, political intrigue
The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae
Zahru, a lowly "Whisperer" who can only talk to animals, dreams of adventure outside her station in the magical kingdom of Orkena. When she sneaks into a royal event, she gets caught up in a feud between the king's three heirs, who are about to begin the Crossing, a deadly race to determine the next ruler. To her horror, Zahru is unwillingly chosen to be the human sacrifice whom the winning heir must execute at the race's end to ascend the throne.
Similarities: deadly competition, protagonist is an outsider in a royal world, royal love triangle, forbidden romance
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Diem Bellator, a mortal healer in a world colonized by gods and ruled by the cruel, magical Descended, yearns for a life beyond her poor village. When her mother mysteriously disappears, Diem discovers a dangerous secret about her own past that forces her into the world of Descended royalty to uncover the truth.
Diem is pulled into a growing civil war between a mortal rebel alliance and the ruling Descended, all while navigating the attention of Prince Luther, the powerful and enigmatic heir to the dying King.
Similarities: oppressed heroine, concealed identity, political intrigue
Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
Misha Lare and Ryen Trevarrow have been anonymous, rule-bound pen pals since childhood. When Misha accidentally discovers Ryen's true identity, he is shocked to find that the vulnerable girl he knows on paper is the popular cheerleader and bully at school. Disappointed and driven by personal tragedy, Misha enrolls at her school under a new name, Masen, embarking on a ruthless enemies-to-lovers journey to force Ryen to confront the fake life she's built and reveal the girl he truly loved.
Similarities: high school setting, popular vs. new dynamic, angsty and emotional, bullying
Normal by Danielle Pearl
Aurora "Rory" Pine moves across the country to start her senior year hoping for anonymity, as she is suffering from an anxiety disorder. Her plan for blending in is immediately ruined when she has a panic attack witnessed by Sam, a popular and handsome athlete who represents everything she wants to avoid. Despite her initial wariness, an unexpected connection forms between them.
Similarities: high school setting, trauma, protective/savior love interest, popular vs. new dynamic, slow burn
Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roark
Olivia Finnegan is a troubled college track star who « sleep-runs ». After being forced to transfer, she is now coached by the young and burdened Will Langstrom. Will, who is struggling to save his family's farm and his team, initially clashes with Olivia's difficult attitude. Their forbidden coach-athlete relationship deepens and their powerful attraction could cost Will his job and destroy them both.
Similarities: trauma, protective/savior love interest, sports romance, slow burn, emotionally driven
The Boy and His Ribbon by Pepper Winters
Ren, a boy living a difficult life with a controlling father, finds solace and his only friend in Della, a rebellious girl who visits his quiet world. Their innocent childhood friendship revolves around a shared pink ribbon, symbolizing their bond. Years later, when they reunite as adults, they must confront their painful histories to reclaim the promise of love they once held, testing the unbreakable tether of their shared ribbon.
Similarities: trauma, protective/savior love interest, love as salvation, slow-burn, spans years
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Signa Farrow is cursed with the inability to die and an unwelcome ability to communicate with Death, a mesmerizing figure she has known all her life. When she is sent to live with her last remaining relatives, the aristocratic Hawthornes, Signa is drawn into a world of grand balls and dark secrets. After the matriarch of the family is poisoned, Signa is forced to ally with Death himself to uncover the culprit.
Similarities: dark powerful love interest, enemies to lovers
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
Keera, known as the Shadow, is the most elite spy and assassin for the cruel, immortal Fae monarchy who rule over the oppressed humans. She is also secretly a human herself, trying to keep her true identity and the source of her immense power hidden from the King. When a seemingly routine mission to retrieve a mythical stone goes wrong, Keera finds herself entangled with a rising human rebellion and its compelling leader.
Similarities: badass heroine, enemies to lovers, magical beings
Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco
Gabriel Auriand, known as the Prince of Wrath, is the most ruthless of the demon brethren and rules over the shadowed circles of Hell. He is tasked by his wicked family to find the lost relics of the demon kings, a quest he pursues reluctantly. His search leads him to the mortal world and a secretive, beautiful sorceress named Verona.
Similarities: concealed identity, enemies to lovers, God figure
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Poppy is the Maiden, forbidden to be touched or spoken to, living a solitary life awaiting the day of her Ascension. Her entire existence is controlled by the mandate that she must remain pure to save her kingdom from the Ascended. When the handsome and charming Royal Guard, Hawke, is assigned to protect her, he challenges everything she believes about her confinement and duty.
Similarities: chosen heroine, forced proximity, betrayal
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
Coming Home to Starr’s Fall by Kate Hewitt
Laurie Ellis, seeking a fresh start, moves to the quaint but fading town of Starr's Fall to open a unique pet store and dog bakery. She immediately clashes with Joshua Reilly, the handsome but grumpy manager of the bookstore across the street, who doubts her unconventional business will succeed.
Similarities: small town, grumpy/sunshine, small business, cozy, found family
The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn by Valerie Bowman
Willow Creek, a high-powered Boston attorney, returns to her small hometown of Sweetgrass, Vermont, when her grandmother breaks her hip, requiring Willow to manage the family's historic Honeycrisp Orchard Inn and its famous restaurant during the busy fall season. She immediately clashes with Simon, the handsome, fiercely protective orchard manager, over how to run the business.
Similarities: small town, cozy, small business, festivals, fresh start
Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
Polly Waterford moves to the small, seaside town of Mount Polbearne after a heartbreaking business failure. She rents a tiny, run-down apartment above an abandoned shop on a remote tidal island. To cope with her loneliness, Polly throws herself into her passion: baking bread. Soon, the scent of her artisanal loaves draws the struggling community to her tiny space, leading her to open a makeshift bakery. As she learns to navigate the challenges of island life—including a taciturn fisherman, a handsome lighthouse keeper, and a rescued puffin.
Similarities: fresh start, small business, small town, found family
The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
Flora fled her small, remote Scottish island home of Mure years ago for the ambitious, anonymous life of a paralegal in London, largely to escape a painful past and her chaotic family. When she is unexpectedly sent back to the island for a work assignment, she is forced to confront her estranged family and the memories she left behind. While back on Mure, Flora rediscovers her passion for cooking and decides to restore a dilapidated shop on the harbor, transforming it into a charming café by the sea as she works to figure out where her heart truly belongs.
Similarities: fresh start, small town, found family, food
This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
0 comments