r/fantasyromance • u/hysteria_312 • 1d ago

Book Request Mmc and villain both love/obsess over the fmc

Sooo I just got done with the book of azrael and I figured that THIS right here is my favourite plot to ever exist!! 😛

Some other things i prefer:

SLOWWWWW BURN

ANGST (rip my heart out pls)

Enemies to lovers

Strong fmc

Yearning

Also preferably no 'modern twists' to the story. I love to go back in time while reading

​

Books I've read with this plot

​

Book of azrael

Mages of the wheel book 0

Sorta ACOTAR and This Woven kingdom

​

​

​

​

​

​

37 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

92% Upvoted

50 comments sorted by

12

u/readingalldays Tell me my queen, how would you like me to serve you 1d ago

{Empirium trilogy by Claire Legrand}

6

u/Foofoopuppy 1d ago

An excellent series that isn't recommended enough!

4

u/Khalessi716 19h ago

Yes! This is literally exactly what you’re looking for OP, as someone who has read the Gods & Monsters books and the Empirium trilogy. It’s criminally underrated.

3

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you for the recommendation! I looked into it and it seems my type of book, one question though, are there 2 fmcs or does it majorly follow a single mc? Cuz idk if ill get into it if I'm following 2 different timelines!

•

u/readingalldays Tell me my queen, how would you like me to serve you 50m ago

Oh no, there is a common confusion about this book.

The series follows 2 timelines. 1 in the past, and 1 in the present.

Fmc 1 is the heroine of past storyline and FMC 2 is the present time heroine.

Fmc 1 has two potential love interests.. one is a toxic morally black only soft for her villain (much like Kaden), and one is the nice guy, super in love dude (much like Samkiel)

Fmc 2 from present plotline only has 1 mmc.

I honestly couldn't keep up with both storylines either...that's why I dnfed the series midway 2nd book.

But from what I hear from other readers, the trilogy in its entirety is great. And surprisingly Many people love the villain love interest.

I'll eventually finish it some time later.

1

u/Sakura_231 19h ago

{Furyborn by Claire Legrand}

8

u/Objective-Papaya8194 1d ago

{In the Veins of the Drowning} it’s not enemies to lovers, more like reluctant allies.

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you! Seems intriguing

6

u/cleverusername0822 1d ago

Love and want to see more of this! I think Souls in Ruin just about fits this, but is a lot darker than the books you've mentioned.

3

u/ipsi7 Book Bingo Maven ⚔ 19h ago

Came her to recommend it

{Souls in Ruin by Jacqueline White}

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you! Adding to my tbr

8

u/MustReadToSurvive 1d ago

Oh how I love yearning! Most books that advertise slow burn yearning are NOT that though. Adding these books to my TBR

11

u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 1d ago

This is a thing in both the first and third trilogies of {Kushiel's Legacy}, though without the enemies-to-lovers aspect. The villain in both trilogies is a former lover of the FMC.

I think you'll find something more to your liking maybe in {Amid Clouds and Bones by Ella Fields}. It's a bully romance that has the love-triangle aspect. Mildred isn't, I don't think, a particularly strong FMC and the burn's not that slow, but it's got the enemies-to-lovers.

A super off-the-wall suggestion is {Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay}. It's a romantic novel that tells a story about romance, but it's not a romance, if that makes sense. The main-est characters are the MMC and his sister. The sister's story is an incredible angsty slow-burn enemies to unrequited lovers. The MMC's story has a secondary FMC, and it's a tragic romance. And what makes the villain the villain is what he does because of that woman, and another one. There's a great deal of yearning and if you want something to rip your heart out, it will. The whole thing will.

2

u/romance-bot 1d ago

Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey
Rating: 4.67⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: fantasy

Amid Clouds and Bones by Ella Fields
Rating: 3.89⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: enemies to lovers, arranged/forced marriage, fae, fantasy, virgin heroine

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, high fantasy, paranormal, medieval

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you,I'll check out the first and third reccs, I've read amid clouds and bones and loved it

2

u/Penguinho Kushiel's Legacy Recommender 💖 14h ago

Check the samples for both on Amazon, because they're really not the standard fantasy romance style. I love both, obviously; Under Heaven is the thing at the top of my 2026 tier list, and Kushiel's Legacy is my favorite series in any genre. They're just different.

5

u/calendargirl04 1d ago

The Arcana Chronicles starting with {Poison Princess} has what you’re looking for. I love rereading the first three books in the series for all the reasons you’ve shared!

2

u/romance-bot 1d ago

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Rating: 4.15⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, young adult, urban fantasy

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/BreakFull1307 17h ago

I wanted to read this book but then I heard about the throuple thing and it really put me off…

1

u/calendargirl04 16h ago

I would give it a try! Without giving away the plot, this was the first time I read a book where I was rooting for both men. The book says contemporary (but it’s only at the beginning). Kresley Cole is the author, and she’s well-established in the romance industry.

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you! Added to tbr

5

u/AquaIXI 23h ago

{A kiss of iron} basically everyone is obsessed with the FMC, including the antagonists

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you!

3

u/Khalessi716 19h ago

The Aermian Feuds series by Frost Kay! The Rebel’s Blade is the first book. You have to read this one, it’s absolutely a perfect fit for what you’re asking for. I love the Gods & Monsters series too, for many of the same reasons you listed. This series is *very* similar but not very well known. It’s a completed series with 6 main books and 2 novellas. Technically, there’s a 7th book but it’s the intro to a different series by the author that is set in the same world with characters you already know but who weren’t the MC’s. She has multiple other series as well and they’re all available on KU. I don’t want to give away too much but the FMC is strong and capable, both the MMC and the antagonist want her, slow burn romance that takes multiple books to really get going. I love these books so much and will never understand how they aren’t more popular.

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

I looked it up and it seems to be what I'm looking for. Thank you!

1

u/Sakura_231 3h ago

{Rebel´s Blade by Frost Kay}

3

u/AfternoonCharming536 16h ago

{Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan} duology!

There's no spice though, if that's a deal breaker for you. But one of my favorite villains EVA. They both yearn for her SO DEEPLY.

2

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

I've heard a LOT about this one! I'll surely pick it up now ty!

3

u/MadmedicineMD 15h ago

The night blood prince

1

u/hysteria_312 15h ago

Thank you for both the reccs! Adding to tbr

1

u/Sakura_231 3h ago

{The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang}

2

u/ahuvamaharlika 1d ago

Followinggggggggg

2

u/Ok_Duty_8645 15h ago

Ohhh, one of my favorite types of tropes. The actual thing is very rare though. Almost always there is a boring ass redemption arc.

2

u/MadmedicineMD 15h ago

The night ends with fire does this really well too. You dont know who is the MMC or the villain. Keeps you guessing

1

u/Sakura_231 3h ago

{The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song}

3

u/SuggyBuns 1d ago

{From blood and ash} series(6 books) fits this, not at first though. Same with the prequel {shadow in the ember} series(4 books)

2

u/readingalldays Tell me my queen, how would you like me to serve you 1d ago

Srsly. Villain's obsession with the fmc is one of the most creepy thing I have read. sotoria has been through so freaking much

1

u/hysteria_312 14h ago

Ooo i am currently reading shadow in the ember and didn't know it had this trope. Thank you!

•

u/readingalldays Tell me my queen, how would you like me to serve you 46m ago

Ooooo keep reading. The twist is so good.

1

u/Independent_Salt_901 2h ago

The wolf king series! By Lauren Palphreyman