My Favorite Fantasy Romance Reads of 2024

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While 2024 was an overall hard year, I did still manage to read a few books. 27 in total. But of the 27 I read, I enjoyed quite a few of them immensely. 

So while I keep working on my book ranking for the books I read in 2024, let’s chat about some books I absolutely loved. 

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A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

Our main character, Freya, a shield maiden blessed by the Gods, finds herself in unwanted marriage and spends her day’s fishing while dreaming of putting an axe through her husband’s back. 

But one day, she is betrayed by the husband she despises and is forced to reveal her darkest truth about her power. Casting her as a necessary tool in the fight to take the crown and introduce a new king. 

Despite her power, Freya finds herself in yet another unwanted marriage while fighting her growing attraction to the man made to protect her. 

My first introduction to Danielle L. Jensen and also my favorite book of the year! 

I genuinely enjoyed this book so much. The slow burn, the mythology, the tropes, and THAT ENDING. I am still not okay, but I am so ready for the next book. 

So please be warned, this book does end on a cliffhanger. 

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Cicarelli

A witch living a double life to protect those she loves. A complicated love triangle between the one who encourages our main character, Rune, to be herself. Another who hunts witches and could be Rune’s downfall. 

Another story where the vibes kinda overtook the plot a little. There were definitely some loopholes here and I am not complaining. 

I loved the tension and the cat and mouse elements. The ending of this book (while an intense cliffhanger) also lives rent free in my head till this day. 

One love was very sweet and emitted a strong friendship to lovers’ vibe. The second was far edgier. With a secret, keeping both from truly being honest with the other. 

This is another favorite of 2024 where I cannot wait for the 2025 sequel. 

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

Focusing on Blythe in this final installment of the Belladonna series, Blythe is determined to uncover the truth of her past. While also dealing with the insufferable man she has bound herself to. But as sparks ignite, finding the truth becomes much more important than ever. 

I was not ready to say goodbye! To Blythe, to Signa, to Death & Fate. I do wish the book had ended less abruptly, but I enjoyed Fate’s arc and getting to know more of Blythe. 

Death also grew on me. I definitely found him annoying in Foxglove. Leaning more about his past really helped to make him more complex in the best way. 

This book did open up a few more questions about what other entities exist, but was still an interesting way to wrap up the series. 

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

A necromancer enters a deadly competition in order to find her sister and uncover the truth about their parents. Along the way she meets a sarcastic phantom who promises to help her through the competition, for a cost, of course. 

(Also described this book to Diego as big d*ck Danny Phantom all grown up)

I enjoyed this book immensely! It was a lot of vibes and I found I really enjoyed the vibes. 

The plot needed a bit of work and the spice was far more than what I expected, but it was a very enjoyable read. Some parts of the story felt a bit toned down, like the demons and trials. 

Other areas like the story of our main character, Ophelia’s parents’ backstory, had my heart aching. 

Definitely some small potholes that needed a bit more work, but the vibes were vibing. 

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

Fia is a changeling, left in the place of the princess, Ealia. However, the time has come for Fia to cross into the Fae lands and bring Ealia home. But nothing is at it seems, and Fia finds herself fighting for more than just the princess, but also to protect her heart. 

This book was tricky. At first I wanted to DNF it. The plot took nearly half the book to get interesting. 

Once Fia leaves on her mission, I began to find myself more interested in the story. The Queen and her “assistant” were insufferable at the beginning of the book and the flashbacks were becoming quite repetitive. 

Despite slugging through a slow start, Fia leaves on her mission to get into the Fae lands, and things become quite interesting.

We learn more about Fia and there is some interesting world-building and lore that begins to add extra layers to the story. 

This book was also incredibly spicy. I did not think going into this book that there would be that much smut. Please be warned in case you planned to read this in public. 

The Ever Queen by L.J Andrews

Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

The Ever Queen by L.J. Andrews

Erik and Livia face the ultimate betrayal in the second installment of their story. Both eventually face their enemies in an epic battle and fight to bring peace back to the Ever Seas. Before finally getting their own happily ever after. 

This book is the second to The Ever King and finishes Erik and Livia’s story, while there is a third book, The Mist Thief, which chronicles Jonas’s story. (Jonas is Livia’s cousin and makes a good, bad boy, playboy turned loyal to only her, type of love interest.)

When I first picked up this series on Kindle Unlimited. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. But surely enough, I fell in love with Erik and Livia’s story and it was so nice to see it through to the end. 

I will also say, I am glad the author left their story as a duology rather than a trilogy. While I have yet to read the third book, it is on my list to read in 2025. As I have no doubt, I will love Jonas’s story just as much. 

The Legends of Thezmarr Series – Books 1, 3, & 4

Blood & Steel – Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Fate & Furies – Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Shadow & Storms – Goodreads / Storygraph / Books-A-Million

Blood & Steel, Fate & Furies, and Shadow & Storms by Helen Scheurer

I decided to bundle these three together. 

In book 1, we are introduced to our main character, Thea. Who has 3 years left to live and many big dreams to fulfill. She dreams of being a warrior of Thezmarr. Her mentor Wilder, becomes a source of knowledge for Thea, and some great smut for us.

In the 3rd book, Thea has emerged a champion. She is anxious to receive the call and take her final test on her journey to becoming a warrior of Thezmarr. 

In the 4th book, the series takes a much darker turn as Thezmarr is overrun with darkness, and Thea and co. face down some of their darkest days. With an unexpected enemy revealing themselves, Thea unleashes all of her power to saving not only Thezmarr but also those she holds closest. 

The main reason I did not include the second book, Vow & Ruins, because all the smut ruined it. The smut overtook the plot, and it really turned me off. 

The other three, however, held both smut and a decent plot. Blood & Steel is by far my favorite in the series. It does a fantastic job of setting up the series, and the tension between Thea and Wilder had me in a chokehold. 

Fate & Furies is my second favorite. Thea’s character arc in this book was my favorite moment for her. Reading about her fulfilling the big dreams she set for herself and seeing her become who she is meant to be made me love Thea all the more. 

The final book felt a bit stretched out. But meeting Talemir Starling (Wilder’s mentor) was so beyond fun.

Though reading about him in this book completely ruined Slaying the Shadow Prince for me, as that book is a standalone story about Talemir. So if I do read that one, I guess I’ll go in reading it for the characters and their origins story, rather than to see what happens. 

2024 was the year I spent the most time in Thezmarr and I cannot wait to go back soon with the continuation of a new series, set in the same world, and focused on Thea’s sister, Wren. 

While I will be the first to admit that I wish I had read more, 2024 was a year of burnout.

Despite pushing through, I am excited for 2025 because there are quite a handful of books on my list. I am eager to dive into. Most of them sequels for the books I read in 2024. 

If you loved any of the books on this list, please let me know in the comments! & happy reading!