Books Like ACOTAR: 12 Fantasy Romance Series With Fae, Enemies to Lovers & Slow Burn Romance

ACOTAR is one of the most popular fantasy romance series for a reason, it blends magical worlds, unforgettable characters, and relationships that evolve from tension to obsession.

If you’re chasing that same feeling, these fantasy romance series deliver everything you loved about ACOTAR, from enemies to lovers to powerful heroines and high-stakes romance.

Fae Fantasy Romance Books Like ACOTAR

If you loved the fae world, magic, and court politics, these series will feel instantly familiar.

The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black

A mortal girl navigating the dangerous and manipulative fae world, filled with political intrigue and tension.

Tropes: enemies to lovers • fae courts • political intrigue • morally grey characters • power struggle

Set in a dangerous fae court filled with political games, cruelty, and shifting alliances, The Folk of the Air follows a mortal girl determined to win power in a world that despises her, and the cruel, intoxicating prince she can’t escape.

Perfect if you loved the darker, more strategic side of ACOTAR.

If you love fae politics and enemies to lovers, check this on Amazon
Looking for a darker fae romance? See this on Amazon

Fae Isles Series by Lisette Marshall

A slower-burn romantasy with strong emotional development and immersive worldbuilding.

Tropes: fae • slow burn • magic • hidden identity • forced proximity

Set in a magic-filled world divided by power and rebellion, Fae Isles follows a hidden-magic heroine and the ruthless fae warrior bound to her fate, as tension, secrets, and slow-burning romance unfold.

A great underrated option if you want ACOTAR vibes without reading the same popular recommendations.

If you want a slow burn fae romance, check this on Amazon
Looking for underrated ACOTAR vibes? See this on Amazon

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Tropes: Hidden fae world • fated bonds • dark fae courts • forbidden attraction

Before romantasy exploded on TikTok, Wicked Lovely was already giving readers dangerous fae romance.

Set in a dark, seductive fae world hidden within our own, Wicked Lovely follows a girl who can see faeries, and the dangerous Summer King whose interest in her pulls her into a deadly supernatural court.

Perfect for readers who enjoy nostalgic fae romance with darker undertones.

Begin the Wicked Lovely series here I want the entire serie

Enemies to Lovers Fantasy Romance With Tension

If your favorite part of ACOTAR was the chemistry and emotional push-and-pull, these series deliver that same addictive tension.

Blood and Ash Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Tropes: Enemies to lovers • chosen one • forbidden love • spicy slow burn

If you loved ACOTAR and want something even more addictive and spicy, From Blood and Ash is your next obsession.

Set in a kingdom built on secrets and control, Blood and Ash follows a sheltered maiden destined for sacrifice, and the mysterious guard who challenges everything she’s been taught, igniting a forbidden and dangerous romance.

Perfect for readers who crave slow-burn tension that turns deliciously intense.

Get the first book in the Blood and Ash series here Check the price on Kindle Get the complete series

The Bridge Kingdom Series by Danielle L. Jensen

A political fantasy romance where love and betrayal collide.

Tropes: enemies to lovers • arranged marriage • political intrigue • betrayal • slow burn

Set in a politically charged world of rival kingdoms, The Bridge Kingdom follows a princess trained as a spy and assassin, sent to destroy the king she’s forced to marry, until loyalty, betrayal, and slow-burning love collide.

A great choice if you loved the emotional stakes and trust issues in ACOTAR.

If you love political romance and betrayal, check this on Amazon
Looking for high-stakes romance? See this on Amazon

Slow Burn Fantasy Romance With Emotional Depth

If ACOTAR hooked you because of the emotional journey, these books will hit just as hard.

The War of Lost Hearts by Carissa Broadbent

A deeply emotional fantasy romance with powerful character development.

Tropes: slow burn • strong female lead • mentor/student • found family • emotional healing

Set in a war-torn magical world, The War of Lost Hearts follows a former slave seeking power and freedom, and the reluctant, powerful mage who trains her, forming a deeply emotional bond that grows through trust and survival.

Perfect if you want something more character-driven but equally impactful.

If you want emotional fantasy romance, check this on Amazon
This one will stay with you, see it on Amazon

Kindred’s Curse Saga by Penn Cole

A rising romantasy series combining fate, magic, and slow-burn romance.

Tropes: chosen one • slow burn • magic • destiny • morally grey characters

Set in a world ruled by magic, power, and hidden truths, Kindred’s Curse Saga follows a strong-willed heroine drawn into dangerous politics and forbidden attraction, where tension and destiny intertwine.

A newer series that feels like early ACOTAR, before it became mainstream. It takes place in a mortal world colonized by gods and their descended, a cruel people.

Looking for a new romantasy obsession? Check this on Amazon
If you love slow burn and tension, see this on Amazon

New & Underrated Fantasy Romance Series Like ACOTAR

If you want something fresh that not everyone is talking about yet, start here.

Riftborne Series + The Ascended by Grenwich & Lennox

Tropes: magic • power growth • enemies to lovers • high stakes • slow burn

Set in a fractured world of magic, war, and rising power, Riftborne follows a heroine caught between destiny and destruction, as alliances shift and a slow-burning, high-stakes romance emerges.

These are actually two series but you read them together starting with the Riftborne Series and then The Ascended. In these books there are both enemies to lovers and also high stakes unic trails.

Start this series on Amazon
Looking for a new romantasy obsession? See this on Amazon

The Shepherd King Series by Rachel Gillig

A darker, gothic fantasy romance with atmospheric worldbuilding and slow-burning tension.

Tropes: dark magic • slow burn • gothic romance • mystery • morally grey characters

Set in a dark, atmospheric kingdom ruled by ancient magic and cursed power, The Shepherd King follows a heroine bound to a dangerous force, and the enigmatic man tied to her fate.

Perfect if you want ACOTAR vibes but darker and more atmospheric.

If you want a darker fantasy romance, check this on Amazon
Looking for gothic romantasy? See this on Amazon

Artefacts of Ouranos series by Nisha J. Tuli

Tropes: trials • enemies to lovers • forced proximity • power games • slow burn

If you loved the trials and competition in ACOTAR, this is one of the best series to read next. The story follows a hidden identity heroine thrown into deadly trials, with tension, secrets, and romance building slowly in the background.

Set in a world of deadly trials and hidden identities, Artefacts of Ouranos follows a girl fighting for survival and freedom, as she navigates dangerous competition, court politics, and a slow-burning romance.

If you love trials and high-stakes competition, check this on Amazon
Looking for addictive romantasy with tension and romance? See this on Amazon

Classic Fantasy Romance With ACOTAR Vibes

If you want to explore the roots of modern romantasy, these series are essential.

Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

An iconic fantasy series with a powerful heroine and epic worldbuilding.

Tropes: strong female lead • slow burn • found family • competition • destiny

Set in an expansive fantasy world filled with kingdoms, magic, and war, Throne of Glass follows a deadly assassin with a hidden past, and the allies, enemies, and loves she gathers on her journey to power.

The classic first series from Sarah J. Maas. A must-read if you loved ACOTAR.

Want another epic fantasy series? See this on Amazon

Want another epic fantasy series? See this on Amazon

The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

Tropes: Dark fantasy • morally grey characters • powerful heroine • possessive love interest

If you love your fantasy romance truly dark, emotionally intense, and unapologetically powerful, this is the series that set the standard long before romantasy was trending on BookTok.

Set in a brutal magical world ruled by blood power and dangerous courts, The Black Jewels Trilogy follows a heroine prophesied to become the most powerful queen in centuries, and the dangerously devoted, morally grey male who would burn kingdoms for her.

Perfect for readers who love dominant heroes, high-stakes magic, and emotionally consuming romance.

Start the Black Jewels Trilogy here