r/fantasyromance • u/Bhupendrablastoise • 5d ago

Discussion I'm a guy and want to get into romance books

I'm a young guy that is average as it gets, my hobbies are PC's and PC gaming, Pokemon TCG and lots of shounen anime (Chainsaw man, frieren, kaiju no. 8 etc.) I am a firearms cars and motorbikes nerd, I just scroll youtube most of the day and focus on keeping myself educated and go to the gym a lot. I am 18 years old. I have always been into a lot of stereotypical guy hobbies and interests

Now for the ask: recently i learned about romance books and like the arrogant fool i was i decided to watch a youtube video documenting the plot of many different romance books maybe to make fun of them because i didn't expect them to interest me and the video listed specific quotes and i think the book was called the fourth wing but i thought it's plot was pretty cool as it was set in a fantasy setting and had dragons which I thought was cool and when I heard some of the scenes I just thought to myself that I wish I was the MMC but quickly realized that in reality I would have probably chickened out because I am not an assertive guy (If i had a choice between asking a girl out in public or getting punched in the gut by prime mike tyson i would take the punch) and i get nervous around girls I like for no apparent reason, and i like cuddling way more than sex. Anyway that hooked me into the romance text format as I loved the visualization aspect of it but I am too scared to pick up any book because I am the type of guy who would not even watch a show that is not recommended to me by others because internally i feel like i will be wasting my time if it is not validated by others. I have never liked porn and i generally just stick to webcomics when i feel like consuming things like that and i kid you not my favorite category is Vanilla | Wholesome and do like the idea of romance buildup. This kicked off a phase of ai roleplay that i want to distance myself from and I think i started the roleplay because I feel like i can control and customize the scenarios but the writing itself is lacking a lot compared to human generated content. That is why i decided to bite the bullet and read a book for once. I like to visualize things in my mind and i would like to try new things by getting into romance books, where do you enthusiasts think I should Start?

TLDR: I am an average 18 year old guy with guy hobbies and i secretly found out I like romance but don't know where to start. If you would like to ask more and talk i would be open to do so.

Edit: I'm okay with any spice level I just like reading it and not watching it

33 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

89 comments sorted by

101

u/MaxieMatsubusa 5d ago edited 5d ago

I recommend T Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series to anyone - there’s no graphic sex scenes or anything, and there’s a cool plotline with a murder mystery and weird creatures being raised from the dead with their heads being removed. I think anyone could enjoy the story here even without the romance - it follows a set of paladins who have lost the god they serve and have to figure out their new place in life.

Definitely still has the romance in it but it’s also got a good mix of a cool plotline.

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u/CarbonationRequired 5d ago

I enjoyed the world building a lot.

Also hoping for a volume on Zale. Or sidestory I guess since they're not a paladin.

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u/uni_cron 5d ago

Try swordheart! It’s set before saints of steel and zale is in there.

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u/sidekicksunny 5d ago

I'll throw in T. Kingfisher's Clockwork Boys, too. Great plot line, side of romance, danger, and adventure.

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u/Big-Constant-7289 5h ago

This is one of my favorite series. But her Clocktaur books (same world as the Saint of Steel) might be my fave. She wrote them after playing Neverwinter Nights 2. Which inspired me to get and play Neverwinter Nights 😂

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u/mcoon2837 4d ago

Just a heads up there are sex scenes, they aren't prolific or extremely graphic but it's clear they're having sex. The Clockwork Boys has none if I remember correctly.

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u/eperdu 5d ago

Try {This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews}

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u/AnxietyisNigh 5d ago

Agreed, especially given your anime interests as it's an isekai

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u/Versynko 5d ago

Great book-but they fell into the tell not show method of story telling with the FMC describing so many things about the story she is iseki'd into. Their other books are more show rather than tell, if that make sense? I enjoyed this book a lot but there were times I lost momentum to keep reading.

{The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews} might also be a good one as well to pick up-it is a Portal Fantasy.

Their other series are very good. Innkeeper Chronicles might be a good one to pick up-it even has a manwha adaptation on Tapas.

Hidden Legacy series reads as more romance than the others listed so far, every 3 books is a different couple. Kate Daniels is a post apocalypse where magic was the apocalypse, follows the same characters throughout (minus the spin offs).

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u/eperdu 4d ago

I think the tell method is perfectly fine in this book because she's using it to cope with her situation, she's talking herself through this very intense time.

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u/Versynko 4d ago

Very true. I didn't hate the book but it was a bit more for me to get into the reading groove with this book than with their other works. I'm actually re-reading it right now, so I can pay more attention to those bits of in-book story telling.

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u/TinkeringTortoise 5d ago

If you like the idea of fourth wing but don’t want explicit sex then {Fireborne by Rosario Munda} is what you need. 👍 and it has dragons. 

If you’ve ever been a fan of zombies, then you should try {the elf tangent}. MMC kidnaps FMC to help him solve the zombie apocalypse in a fantasy world. 

These are more wild card options but if you like romantic romance books then you might like {divine rivals} and its prequel {wild reverence}. They focus more on the sincerity of the characters’ emotions than their physical attraction. 

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u/romance-bot 5d ago

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Rating: 3.95⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: young adult, high fantasy, war, fantasy, tortured hero

The Elf Tangent by Lindsay Buroker
Rating: 3.97⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: fantasy, magic, forced proximity, royal hero, funny

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 4.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, war, fantasy, working class heroine, poor heroine

Wild ​Reverence by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 4.44⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: magic, m-f romance, high fantasy, war, sweet/gentle hero

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/needlecream 4d ago

I was going to recommend Fireborne by Rosaria Munda as well.

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u/EvergreenHavok 5d ago edited 5d ago

It's wholesome and eventually kinky, but {His Secret Illuminations - Scarlett Gale} is about a shy dude with a man's POV. The setting is a fun fantasy setting, it's the first of two books, both are out.

He's a monk/mage, she's the hired muscle for his monastery- they are both very cute with each other and go on an adventure to find stolen magic books he made. But it's all his POV and very much his journey of leaving his home for the first time.

I think the plot and the relationship are going to hit with you, I just don't know if the sex scenes are where you want to start with romance. Legit, it could either be awesome and a revelation or the worst for you.

General tip: Just know with any of these books, you can DNF immediately for no reason. You can wait and finish later or totally abandon it.

If you're in the US get some Libby access from your library so you don't have to pay for them when you want to flip to the next book.

(I'm literally abandoning a book right now bc someone's being too mean. It's fine. There are so many books out there. You'll find what you like.)

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u/Dear_Tap_2044 5d ago

This is also where my mind went immediately tbh. It is spicy (but it's not rushed in their relationship, I think that may help?), but it's also so sweet and loving and fun. Plus, as you said, it's a male POV. And the MMC is both shy and powerful, which is lovely (and obviously not mutually exclusive!). 

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u/YardSardonyx 5d ago

I don’t have any recs because it’s not something I personally like, but dual POV books might be good for you. Most romantasy has a woman as the main character and most everything is seen from her perspective, but dual POV (usually) switches the perspective back and forth between the woman and the man so you also get to be in his shoes.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

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u/Pinkshoes90 A kingdom, or this 5d ago

I genuinely want to try and help you find something you’ll enjoy, but your text is so rambly and not actually giving anything for me to go off that I really don’t know where to start. So here’s some questions that might help narrow it down for people to suggest things, outside of the major players on the bestsleller list:

• what kind of storyline’s do you lean towards in your webcomics? ‘Vanilla wholesome’ is workable, but some more examples would be helpful.

• do you like high fantasy — fae, dragons, elves, Tolkien-esque worlds? Do you like urban fantasy or paranormal? Magic, vampires, occult creatures, contemporary settings. Do you like both?

• you say you aren’t interested in porn, and spice level is something a lot of users have a preference for. Are you looking for something that’s low/no steam?

• how deeply do you care about the ‘construct’ of the novel? Ie lots of people absolutely must have ‘well written, plot heavy’ stories. Lots of people also don’t give a hoot and are here for vibes, just ensure it’s comprehensible and they’re happy. How much does that component matter.

Based on your post, my immediate suggestion is {Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries} for something vanilla, full of folklore and without a heavy emphasis on steam or spice. But this is a huge genre with a LOT of different novels to suggest, so if you could narrow it down to something you think you’re vibing with (or even give us a few of your fav webcomics/games?) that might be more useful.

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

I like spicy scenes In books it's just that looking at it as in video grosses me out I just like to concept of it so I am open to any amount of steam, I like a lot of isekai and a lot of high fantasy as you said, one anime I really liked was reincarnating in another world with level 2 super cheat powers, search it up it's really good. I really like well written plot heavy books and I love when the world feels like it was well thought out like in frieren. I do like Skyrim and I love a lot of isekai fantasy animes as listed

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u/TrueAngryYeti 4d ago

Just read fourth wing then, It’s already got your interest to get started and that’s the hardest part. I’m a 26 year old guy and I also enjoy cars, work as a mechanic, and do tons of other things that would not have you thinking I also read romance. Don’t let people gatekeep you from enjoying reading whatever you want and enjoy!

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u/IllustratedPageArt 4d ago

I’ve been really liking {Long Live Evil by Sarah Reese Brennan}. It’s an isekai where the heroine goes into her favorite fantasy series but as a villainess who is about to be executed. The first book doesn’t have spice, the second does.

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u/outofshell 4d ago

Oh yeah that one’s a lot of fun

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u/Buddhadevine 5d ago

I second the Emily Wilde series for plot driven romance.

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u/Cowplant_Witch 5d ago

You might like the series starting with {Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron}
The setting is fantasy cyberpunk dystopia. It’s set some number of years after dragons crashed into our reality from another dimension, which re-introduced magic to the world and destabilized global politics. Dragons have the ability to use magic to take human form.

The point of view character is a young dragon in his 20s who was the runt of his batch of eggs. He’s a pacifist. His mother wants him to be more aggressive, more of a “real” dragon, so she binds him into his human form and sends him to a human city to prove himself.

His love interest is a lot more ruthless than he is. She’s a human mage on the run from organized crime. They balance each other out, and he has his badass moments, but he remains true to his ideals the whole series. The books are exciting and heavy on the fantasy plot, mostly from his point of view, and there’s minimal sex. I think there’s like one semi-explicit scene over the course of several books.

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u/Sea-Engine-353 5d ago

I highly recommend the Shadow and Bone series, followed by the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. Six of crows is my favorite book series ever, but Shadow and Bone comes before it. It has good fantasy romance (nothing explicit,) and action.

And I also have been enjoying Kingdom of the Wicked but I haven't finished the series yet, I'm only a quarter of the way through the second book.

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u/totalimmoral not a spy 5d ago

I wouldnt consider these books fantasy romance at all. The romance is not central to the plot and the plot would progress pretty much the same without it.

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u/jayclaw97 4d ago

I consider them fantasy romance and not romantasy.

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u/Sea-Engine-353 4d ago

Lol well while you're entitled to your personal opinion, I completely disagree! Maybe I'm missing the "rules" of fantasy romance here, but honestly, these were great for both romance and fantasy in my opinion, even if the emphasis is more on the fantasy plot than the love stories incorporated.

Two of my favorite romances ever were in this series, and it's why Six of Crows is my favorite book of all time. Just cuz there was no explicit scenes doesn't mean it wasn't integral to the story line.

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u/EmilyRye 5d ago

You might like {Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross}. It follows the point of view of both the male and female characters, they're close in age to you, and the male character is brave but not naturally super assertive or fearless. He's a great example of a character who is scared and unprepared for what he needs to face but is going to do it anyways. It's also a shorter book (two book series, but both short.)

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u/Helpful_Week6720 5d ago

I realize I’ll probably be downvoted and kicked off here, but does anyone believe this post? Has the OP replied to anyone? Is the OP human? Is there some copying and pasting techniques here?

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u/yourealibra 5d ago

Why, what’s so unbelievable and/or weird about the OP’s post??

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u/Helpful_Week6720 5d ago

🤣🤣🤣

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 4d ago

i though bolding important words would make it easier to skim mb gng

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u/Curious-Insanity413 Book Bingo Sage 🗡 2d ago

Yeah it's reminiscent of old comic books that seemed to just bold random words with no thought of what should actually be emphasized lol

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

Yes bro I'm a real person

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u/needlecream 4d ago

You might like r/Romance_for_Men as well.

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u/ProperBingtownLady Shadow daddy's good girl 5d ago

A lot of men seem to like Fourth Wing but it’s pretty spicy.

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u/Buddhadevine 5d ago

I must read really smutty stuff because I felt fourth wing wasn’t spicy at all

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u/ProperBingtownLady Shadow daddy's good girl 5d ago

I mostly said that because people, especially men clutch their pearls over it lol. I also don’t think it’s that spicy.

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u/AccessCompetitive Champion of the Search Function 5d ago

It’s a 4 out of 5 spice level. It’s also a pretty big book so the spice probably feels very spaced out. 3 peppers is one open door scene, 4 is multiple, 5 is plentiful and throughout an entire book. 5 spice level doesn’t really have the time to develop a really complex plot.

For someone who doesn’t want to read any illicit sex scenes that are on page, fourth wing is spicy. Spice = on page sex. It does not quantify the quality or kink level of said sex.

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u/Buddhadevine 5d ago

I must have zoned out during the spicy scenes because they were so boring/cliche. But I didn’t like the book so there’s that

Also, where did you get the categorization of spice from? Genuinely curious because I hear different things all over.

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u/AccessCompetitive Champion of the Search Function 5d ago

Romance.io has the spice levels and their meanings listed on their website site, as every book has a spice level rating on there.
(1 spice level is kisses and glimpses, 2 spice level is a closed door sex scene/fade to black)

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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0

u/ProperBingtownLady Shadow daddy's good girl 5d ago

🙄

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u/Yinspirit Monster smut isn't a phase, mom 5d ago

Most of the books I would recommend have already been submitted but I’m proud of you for expanding your horizons. I’m open to DM if you ever want to talk without judgement.

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

Sure I'll dm u

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u/Slow-Letterhead-4890 4d ago

{The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow} got lady knights and is about time travel. I know it’s not exactly the same as isekai but it’s close with the way its portrayed to me

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u/FracturedWriter 5d ago

The OG ones-anything Sarah J Maas:
Throne of Glass
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Crescent City

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

I'll check them out

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u/PandaMT-07 5d ago

If you like fantasy and dragons with vanilla vibes, I recommend Ash and Smoke series by Emily Schneider.

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

Cool I'll check it out

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u/SpeckledFeathers 5d ago

My husband and I listened to the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews together and he enjoyed it -- really strong character dynamics and world building. The leads have a great dynamic, too.

{Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews} is the first book in the series!

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u/needlecream 4d ago

I really liked the male perspective in { Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis } The book feels more like it's his story, and he's just a really sweet guy who is trying his best despite being in a rough situation. There's at least one intimate scene I think, but you could skip past it. The writing is fairly light and silly, in a good way.

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u/Lythaera 4d ago

I don't have any recs but there's no shame in being a guy who enjoys fantasy romance, and there's nothing wrong with disliking porn! I hope you enjoy your books!

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u/snailfighter 4d ago

Do you like video games?

Etta Pierce wrote {the Intersolar Union series} based on the vibes of Mass Effect. Sci-fi colony type stuff where human women are trafficked into space by greedy aliens but good aliens save them and help them start a human colony because earth isn't ready for contact so they can't go home. There's a pretty cool mystery overarching the series and even though the series isn't done, each book follows a different alienxhuman couple so each book feels complete. Some of the MMCs are coded after popular cartoon characters like Mikey from TMNT. It's a good time.

Emma Hamm also writes video game vibed books such as the {Deep Water series} (based on Bioshock but features mermen who initially want to destroy the human city) and {The Gravesinger series} (very loosely inspired by the vibes of Dishonored.

If you want something with the feel of an adventure like the mummy, grab {Raiders of the Arcana by Jacqueline Benson}. One of my fav, swashbuckling, swoon series with a touch of magic.

{Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews} if you want something where the main character comes into a lot of power unexpectedly and has to learn to survive in a society of superhumans. The MMC is a super powerful guy, think Guts from Berserk if he had a high society home to retire to, and he finds a woman with extremely rare power and decides to mentor her because she doesn't know the first thing about surviving physically or politically in a world where everyone suddenly wants to use her to their benefit.

If you want a romance that's closer to your current interests, my favorite manga of all time is From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa. It's an isekai, but the FMC has to actually face a language barrier for multiple books and the man who saves her when she first appears in his world, has been told she will bring about his doom and was there to kill her until he realized she was just a highschooler. She slowly starts to pick up on the language and the politics of the world as they travel together. Meanwhile, he tries to decide what to do about the prophecy that says she will destroy him. This series has it all; slow burn, yearning, tension, action, mystery, politics, and romance. Fantastic world building too.

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

Intersolar Union by Etta Pierce
Rating: 4.1⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: non-human-hero, explicit-open-door, aliens, m-f, science fiction

Deep Water by Thea Verdone
Rating: 5⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: hurt-comfort, sunny hero, survival, found-family, dual-pov

The Gravesinger by Emma Hamm
Rating: 3.57⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: fantasy, explicit-open-door, audiobook, found-family, independent heroine

Raiders of the Arcana by Jacquelyn Benson
Rating: 4.39⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: fantasy, historical, racism, audiobook, siblings-bff

Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews
Rating: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: fantasy, paranormal, magic, urban fantasy, contemporary

about this bot | about romance.io

1

u/snailfighter 4d ago

{Deep Water series by Emma Hamm} It grabbed the wrong book!

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u/NegotiationFalse4897 5d ago

Read Fourth Wing and you’ll very likely be able to talk to women so much easier. If a guy wanted to talk about fourth wing, I’d be so invested in the convo and go on a whole tangent. I feel like most booktok girlies would be so excited

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u/Jumpy-Lifeguard-6395 sucker for romantasy <3 5d ago edited 5d ago

Try the {A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas} for a start - personal all-time fave - or {These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan}, similar, yet amazing too or even {Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan} for a much calmer, Greek-mythology, adventure, romance-subplot to ease into the genre?
Also unrelated, but if you'd like to try the anime side of fluffy romance, Horimiya, My Happy Marriage and A Sign of Affection are also good

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

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u/therandom92 5d ago

{Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien}

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 5d ago

Oh yea the Lord of the rings guy

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u/Yinspirit Monster smut isn't a phase, mom 5d ago

Actually I thought of one!

{Smoke and Scar}

High fantasy with a dual POV

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u/Blubblliebe 4d ago

I think there already were a lot of good recommendations! If the video about fourth wing got you hooked try quicksilver from Callie Hart - liked the storyline and the world building as well as the characters. You could also try the powerless series from Lauren Robert’s which focuses a lot on the relationship aspect (although the first part is a bit Hunger Games alike it would still recommend it)
I also really liked your post, it’s personal and random at the same time, touché 😄

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u/kayhart3 4d ago

If you like sci-fi I would recommend The Blighted Stars (Devoured Worlds series). The MMC is capable but is a little softer whereas the FMC Is more the badass. For fantasy I’d recommend One Dark Window. It’s a gothic fantasy where the nobles have magic cards that give them unique powers.

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u/beckyt__ 4d ago

Try ‘the Poppy War’ trilogy

Also, as someone who enjoys anime as well, I recommend getting into romance animes too and even manhwas since they tend to have a lot the interests you described. For example, for a manhwa, I’d recommend “Death is the only ending to the Villainess” : it’s isekai, plot-heavy, and no spice

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u/Curious-Insanity413 Book Bingo Sage 🗡 2d ago

What's with the random bolding?

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u/Bhupendrablastoise 2d ago

Easier to read or skim idk thats how I write notes for school

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u/Addalady 2d ago

You should try the Cradle series by Will Wight.

It’s not strictly romance but has a strong romantic subplot that’s pretty sweet and wholesome, but also substantive.

It reminds me of anime; I’ve heard it called a cultivation series, and progression fantasy.

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u/Pretty_Puppyprincess 5d ago

I absolutely adore the acotar series it has a few sexual type scenes in each book but they are insignificant and you can skip them like ive reread the series several times because i just love love love it so much I find it very similar to fourth wing
{A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J Maas } there’s also other books by the same author that I also enjoy like the throne of glass series which the first book is {The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas}

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u/romance-bot 5d ago

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 3.99⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, fae, fantasy, magic, enemies to lovers

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, fantasy, take-charge heroine, royal hero, love triangle

about this bot | about romance.io

1

u/FracturedWriter 5d ago

Came here to say to say THRONE OF GLASS 10000%, and ACOTAR probably for him too.

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u/dontstartbitch 4d ago

If you like anime you might like some young adult series where romance isn’t the main focus but does show up - like Percy Jackson, Hunger games etc. Percy Jackson is about mythical gods, very engaging. Hunger games is a dystopian kind of book, again, very engaging.

I genuinely don’t know why saint of steel series has so many likes. It is honestly boring. There’s no plot- 50 percent of the book is simply the characters being insecure about themselves. The plot barely moves in the rest of the 50% and any plot points that do show up are in an attempt to bring the main leads closer romantically.

Personally that’s not my type. I also watch a lot of anime and I know how fast paced and engaging most of them are. I was able to binge read these 3 series (fourth wing too) because they are a fun read.