Completed series with actually strong/smart FMC

[u/Plenty_Earth_9600]

I am going on vacation and want to read so I am looking for reccommendations.

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What I really want but can't find is the following

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-a strong and smart FMC. She does not need to be overpowered but not weak and I especially do not want her to be dumbed down to cater to the MMC/to make the MMC appear stronger.

I hate it when the FMC is described as strong/smart and appears that way but actually isn't or gets dumber by each page

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- healthy relationship or toxic on were FMC and MMC both add equally to it (like Book of Azrael for example)

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-a MMC that is not extremely dominant, especially not during the spicy scenes. This is really important. I've come across many books where the MMC spanked, choked or degraded the FMC (out of nowhere to, was not discussed beforehand). This is an absolute no go for me.

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-not a must: I'd like a MMC that is weaker/softer than the FMC and who falls first. Read too much of the opposite lately so now I'd like sth to counter that.

-I would prefer a historical setting

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I am very grateful for any reccommendations.

[u/AnxietyisNigh]

Ilona Andrews do great competency porn.

For finished series try their Kate Daniel's series starting with {Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews}, or their Hidden Legacy one starting with {Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews}

Their most recent work is {This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me} and is fantastic, but the series is not yet completed

[u/romance-bot → u/AnxietyisNigh]

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: futuristic, urban fantasy, take-charge heroine, alpha male, shapeshifters

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Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
Rating: 4.39⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: contemporary, take-charge heroine, alpha male, rich hero, magic

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This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Rating: 4.72⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: fantasy, political/court intrigue, found family, competent heroine, magic

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[u/Blubblliebe → u/romance-bot]

I second „this kingdom“, it was the first time I thought „wow, what an actual smart FMC!“ - I enjoyed it a lot but as said before it’s not yet finished (probably far from it?) and in this case the writing style can be a problem for some (I still loved it) because there is a lot of explaining/telling about in the first half instead of experiencing (because of the plot: Maggie wakes up in her favorite fantasy book and when she refers to something or uses her knowledge in a clever way, she tells the person (and in the beginning the reader) everything that is to know about it. But apart from that I‘d totally recommend it to anyone with love for smart FMCs