The second half of 2026 is looking ridiculously good for romantasy readers. Between long-awaited series finales, brand-new fantasy romances and the return of some of the genre’s biggest authors, the final four months of the year are packed with books worth adding to your TBR.
And then there’s October 27, when Sarah J. Maas finally takes us back to Prythian.
For this list, we’re focusing on new romantasy and romantic fantasy releases arriving between September and December 2026. We’ve also checked the current publication dates against publishers wherever possible, because several major romantasy releases originally expected in 2026 have since been postponed.
Release dates can still change, so we’ll keep this guide updated as publishers announce new information.
Upcoming Romantasy Books at a Glance
| Book | Release Date |
|---|---|
The Knave and the Moon
The Stonewater Kingdom #2 | Sep 1, 2026 |
Burn of the Everflame
Kindred’s Curse #4 | Sep 8, 2026 |
Tempest
New Romantic Fantasy | Sep 8, 2026 |
The Emperor’s Enemy
Unsurvivable Love Duet #1 | Sep 15, 2026 |
Kiss of the Black Flame
New Trilogy #1 | Sep 22, 2026 |
The Sweetest Fiend
New Duology #1 | Sep 22, 2026 |
Threshing Day
The Empyrean | Sep 29, 2026 |
Escape Me
Shatter Me: The New Republic #3 | Sep 29, 2026 |
The Stolen Crown
The Ever Seas | Oct 6, 2026 |
The Secrets of Everlight
Shattered Kingdoms #1 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Under the Iron Sky
New Fantasy Romance | Oct 8, 2026 |
Our Dark Incantations
Standalone | Oct 20, 2026 |
With Hearts of Flame
Bloodwing Academy #4 | Oct 20, 2026 |
The Tarot Trials
New Series #1 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | |
Defy the Dusk
The Sundering Duet #1 | Nov 3, 2026 |
The Last King of Faerie
The Wicked Powers #1 | Nov 3, 2026 |
Lightwing
Crown of Hearts and Chaos #2 | Nov 3, 2026 |
Soul Sworn
New Fantasy Romance | Nov 17, 2026 |
Vine of Hearts
Evermore Trilogy #2 | Dec 1, 2026 |
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September 2026 Romantasy Releases
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Release Date: September 1, 2026
Series: The Stonewater Kingdom #2
Rachel Gillig returns to the strange, gothic world of The Knight and the Moth with The Knave and the Moon. The sequel picks up after the destruction of Aisling Cathedral, with Sybil now trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation as Benji tightens his grip on Traum.
Orbit describes the sequel as darker and higher-stakes. Sybil tries to destroy the kingdom’s faith while a mysterious knave rises through a new tournament. If you loved the eerie atmosphere and slow-burn romance of The Knight and the Moth, this is one to watch. The Knave and the Moon releases September 1.
The Knave and the Moon
Releases September 1, 2026
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Burn of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Release Date: September 8, 2026
Series: The Kindred’s Curse Saga #4
After a very long wait, Diem and Luther’s story is finally getting its conclusion.
Burn of the Everflame is the fourth and final book in Penn Cole’s Kindred’s Curse Saga, with Emarion at war, the Descended facing extermination and old enemies forced into unlikely alliances. Simon & Schuster describes the series as an epic slow-burn romantasy and confirms that Burn is the never-before-published finale. The publisher is hosting its midnight launch on September 7 ahead of events beginning September 8.
This is one of the releases we’d put very high on the late-2026 TBR, especially for anyone who has been waiting years to find out how Diem’s story ends.
Burn of the Everflame
Releases September 8, 2026
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Tempest by Victoria Aveyard
Release Date: September 8, 2026
Victoria Aveyard is moving into adult romantic fantasy with Tempest, a new story combining war, dangerous seas, political conflict and romance.
Given Aveyard’s Red Queen readership and the scale of the new fantasy world, this has the potential to be one of the bigger crossover releases of the fall. We’ll be watching this one closely as release approaches.
Tempest
Releases September 8, 2026
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The Emperor’s Enemy by Jasmine Mas
Release Date: September 15, 2026
Series: Unsurvivable Love Duet #1
Jasmine Mas is following Blood of Hercules with an entirely new dark romantasy duet, and the premise sounds appropriately unhinged.
Zora Ravenal is a Knight Mage fighting against an empire. Aleksander is the emperor determined to capture her. Somewhere between rebellion, storm magic, assassins and a war neither side intends to lose, the two become locked in a dangerous obsession.
HarperCollins calls The Emperor’s Enemy a true enemies-to-lovers dark romantasy and lists September 15 as its release date. Expect a heroine who does not need rescuing, slow-burn tension, plenty of hostility and the sort of chaotic relationship dynamics readers already associate with Jasmine Mas.
The Emperor’s Enemy
Releases September 15, 2026
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Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Series: New Romantasy Trilogy #1
Helen Scheuerer begins a brand-new romantasy trilogy with Kiss of the Black Flame, following Saige Grayson, a gifted bookbinder living with chronic pain who is traded to an immortal race known as the Azkari.
Her best chance of escaping lies with Archer, a cursed former Azkari general imprisoned alongside her. Their bargain sends them searching for an ancient book made from living magic that may either stop a growing evil or unleash it.
Penguin officially lists the book for September 22 and describes it as an epic romantasy built around a deadly bargain between a bookbinder and a cursed immortal.
This is probably one of the new-series launches we’re most curious about, especially for readers who enjoyed Scheuerer’s Legends of Thezmarr.
Kiss of the Black Flame
Releases September 22, 2026
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The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Series: New Duology #1
Raven Kennedy is leaving The Plated Prisoner behind for a completely new world of fae, dark magic and monsters in The Sweetest Fiend.
The story introduces a world once devastated by nine creatures known as Banes. Its heroine is something the world believes should not exist at all: half Bane and half fae. Penguin describes the book as the first installment of a romantasy duology and a dark reimagining inspired by the Pied Piper, complete with captive romance, forced proximity, banter and a morally questionable love interest. It releases September 22.
The Sweetest Fiend
Releases September 22, 2026
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Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros
Release Date: September 29, 2026
Series: The Empyrean
No, it isn’t Fourth Wing Book 4 — but Threshing Day is still one of the biggest Empyrean releases of the year.
Rebecca Yarros’ new book contains thirteen stories featuring familiar characters and their dragons, taking readers back to pivotal Threshing Days from the world of Basgiath. Red Tower Books currently lists September 29 as the official release date.
We still don’t have a full breakdown of all thirteen stories, which makes this one particularly interesting to watch as September gets closer.
Related: What Is Threshing in Fourth Wing? →
Threshing Day
Releases September 29, 2026
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Escape Me by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: September 29, 2026
Series: Shatter Me: The New Republic #3
Tahereh Mafi returns to the Shatter Me universe with Escape Me, the third book in The New Republic series. Set ten years after the fall of the Reestablishment, the new series follows James Anderson and Rosabelle Wolff as the conflict surrounding the rebel regime becomes increasingly dangerous.
In Escape Me, James is ready to stop waiting for permission and take action against the threats facing their world, while Rosabelle is still trying to convince Sebastian and Klaus that she remains loyal to their plan. Meanwhile, Warner is struggling to decide whether Rosabelle is an ally he can trust or a threat he needs to eliminate. HarperCollins promises high-stakes action, major revelations and an increasingly complicated romance.
For anyone already invested in James and Rosabelle after Watch Me and Release Me, this is easily one of the biggest YA fantasy-romance releases of September.
Escape Me
Releases September 29, 2026
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October 2026 Romantasy Releases
The Stolen Crown by L.J. Andrews
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Series: The Ever Seas
L.J. Andrews returns to the Ever Seas with Mira Sekundär and Tait Heartwalker in The Stolen Crown.
Mira is a glamour-fae princess; Tait is the decidedly less sociable cousin of the Ever King. After an otherworldly storm leaves them shipwrecked far outside the Ever Kingdom, the pair are forced to work together to survive and find a way home. Naturally, the feelings they have been trying to avoid become considerably harder to ignore.
Penguin Random House confirms an October 6 release and notes that the novel can also be read as a standalone within the Ever Seas world.
The Stolen Crown
Releases October 6, 2026
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The Secrets of Everlight by Julie Hall
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Series: Shattered Kingdoms #1
A thief pretending to be a princess while competing for a fae prince’s hand? We’re listening.
Rowan has spent years stealing from the wealthy to pay off her servitude. Then a mysterious fae buys her contract and offers her freedom in exchange for uncovering an assassination plot. To get close to the target, Rowan must pose as one of the princesses competing to marry Prince Dryden.
Penguin Random House calls The Secrets of Everlight an “entrancing romantasy” and lists it for October 6. It has all the ingredients of classic romantasy: fae royalty, hidden identities, court politics and murder. There’s also a prince becoming far more interested in his fake princess than planned.
The Secrets of Everlight
Releases October 6, 2026
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Under the Iron Sky by A.T. Emerald
Release Date: October 8, 2026
For readers looking for something darker, Under the Iron Sky is one to keep on the radar.
The fantasy romance combines war, enemies-to-lovers tension and a darker atmosphere than many fae-court stories. It’s a strong pick for readers who liked the harsher, morally complicated side of Alchemised.
Under the Iron Sky
Releases October 8, 2026
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Our Dark Incantations by Wanda Hellmund
Release Date: October 20, 2026
Dark academia meets fantasy romance in Wanda Hellmund’s debut Our Dark Incantations.
Former healer Mira Winters has sworn off magic after a war, only to find herself at the newly reopened Ivercrest University, enrolled in the wrong department and paired with lethal former soldier Aidric Dawson. What begins with demonology lessons and forbidden magic soon turns into a murder investigation tied to a much larger threat.
Penguin Random House describes it as an “achingly romantic dark academia fantasy,” with an enemies-to-lovers dynamic at the center of the story, and currently lists October 20 as the release date.
Our Dark Incantations
Releases October 20, 2026
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With Hearts of Flame by Briar Boleyn
Release Date: October 20, 2026
Series: Bloodwing Academy #4
The Bloodwing Academy series reaches its conclusion with With Hearts of Flame.
If your preferred romantasy ingredients include dragons, vampires, fae, dangerous academies and enemies-to-lovers romance, this series has never exactly been subtle about delivering them. HarperCollins is already promoting With Hearts of Flame as the final book in the series.
With Hearts of Flame
Releases October 20, 2026
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The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert
Release Date: October 22, 2026
Katee Robert is trading Olympus for a new fantasy world built around tarot magic and a deadly competition.
Kestrel has trained her entire life to compete in the Tarot Trials. Her mother once won the same competition before being executed for treason. Macmillan describes the book as the start of a fast-paced epic fantasy series built around tarot magic and a deadly contest.
While this appears to lean somewhat more epic fantasy than some of Robert’s previous romance-first books, it is still one of the most interesting crossover titles on the fall schedule.
The Tarot Trials
Releases October 22, 2026
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Untitled A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 6 by Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: October 27, 2026
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #6
And then we have the obvious one.
After years of speculation, Sarah J. Maas is officially returning to ACOTAR on October 27, 2026. Bloomsbury announced the date in March and also revealed that the next ACOTAR book will follow remarkably quickly on January 12, 2027.
The October novel still does not have an official title. Bloomsbury has also revealed very little about the plot, only promising a return to Prythian filled with romance, danger and intrigue.
Fans have spent years theorizing about Elain, Azriel, Lucien, the remaining Dread Trove mysteries, Koschei and the future of Prythian. Until Maas confirms the POV and plot herself, however, we’re keeping those theories separate from what we actually know.
This is easily the biggest romantasy release of late 2026.
Related: Complete ACOTAR Reading Order →
Related: ACOTAR Status Quo Before Book 6 →
Untitled ACOTAR Book 6
Releases October 27, 2026
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November 2026 Romantasy Releases
Defy the Dusk by Danielle L. Jensen
Release Date: November 3, 2026
Series: The Sundering Duet #1
Danielle L. Jensen is leaving Viking-inspired fantasy behind for something very different.
Defy the Dusk is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where terrifying creatures emerge after dark. Twenty years earlier, Lirien’s magic fractured the world, and she now lives aboard Dawnrider while secretly plotting against its ruler. Then she is abducted by Vox, the king of the people surviving outside.
What follows is a fight for survival filled with dangerous magic and shifting loyalties. The romance promises to be just as complicated.
Penguin Random House lists the US release for November 3. The book is the first installment in The Sundering Duet and blends post-apocalyptic action with forbidden romance.
This might be one of the most interesting books on the entire list simply because it sounds so different from the current fae-and-castles romantasy template.
Defy the Dusk
Releases November 3, 2026
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Lightwing by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Release Date: November 3, 2026
Series: Crown of Hearts and Chaos #2
The authors of Zodiac Academy return with the second Crown of Hearts and Chaos novel.
Lightwing finds Ferris imprisoned in a castle surrounded by Hollows and trapped with a dangerous fae who has every reason to hate her. Simon & Schuster describes the sequel as a dark enemies-to-lovers romantasy filled with necromancy, cliffhangers, dark humor and spice.
If you already know what Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti do to their readers emotionally, you can probably guess that “relaxing November read” is not the category we’d put this in.
Lightwing
Releases November 3, 2026
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The Last King of Faerie by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: November 3, 2026
Series: The Wicked Powers #1
Cassandra Clare returns to the Shadowhunter world with The Last King of Faerie, the first book in The Wicked Powers and the beginning of the final trilogy in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. Dru Blackthorn is kidnapped by Prince Ash Morgenstern and taken into Faerie, while Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn are drawn back together by a disappearance that threatens the Shadowhunter world.
With Faerie politics, dangerous alliances, complicated relationships and the return of familiar Shadowhunter characters, this is easily one of the biggest YA fantasy-romance releases of late 2026 — especially for readers who have been waiting years for The Wicked Powers.
The Last King of Faerie
Releases November 3, 2026
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Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan
Release Date: November 17, 2026
Kate Dylan’s Soul Sworn introduces two people who are supposed to destroy one another rather than fall in love.
Penguin Random House lists Soul Sworn among Dylan’s upcoming fantasy titles. Its assassin-versus-assassin setup makes it a strong pick for readers who like more danger with their romance.
Soul Sworn
Releases November 17, 2026
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December 2026 Romantasy Releases
Vine of Hearts by Julie Soto
Release Date: December 1, 2026
Series: The Evermore Trilogy #2
Julie Soto returns to the dark romantasy world of Rose in Chains with Vine of Hearts. Briony is now forced to share her magic — and her heartbeat — with Toven Hearst, once her enemy and now an uneasy ally.
As the two travel through foreign courts, Briony secretly gathers information for the rebellion while pretending to be Toven’s devoted heartspring. Their political alliance becomes harder to separate from their growing feelings, especially as Toven’s own dangerous magic begins to surface.
Hachette lists Vine of Hearts for December 1, 2026, which gives us a much stronger December section than we had before.
Vine of Hearts
Releases December 1, 2026
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The Late-2026 Romantasy Releases We’re Most Excited About
If your TBR is already out of control, we’d narrow the list down even further.
For established series, ACOTAR 6, Burn of the Everflame, Threshing Day, The Knave and the Moon and Lightwing are some of the most obvious releases to watch. ACOTAR 6 in particular is the first new ACOTAR release since A Court of Silver Flames and arrives October 27.
For completely new worlds, Kiss of the Black Flame, The Emperor’s Enemy, The Sweetest Fiend, The Secrets of Everlight and Defy the Dusk stand out most to us. The latter is particularly intriguing because Danielle L. Jensen is combining romantic fantasy with a post-apocalyptic world where survival depends on outrunning what comes out after dark.
Romantasy Books That Have Been Delayed Out of 2026
There are also a couple of major books you may remember seeing on older 2026 release lists that should no longer be included.
Callie Hart’s next Fae & Alchemy book, following Quicksilver, is no longer expected in late 2026, and Lauren Palphreyman’s The Wolf Queen has also moved into 2027. Because these dates have shifted, we’d rather keep this article focused strictly on books still scheduled to release before the end of the year.
That also means Dawn of the Cursed Queen does not belong on this list as a new 2026 release: the novel itself was already published earlier, with a deluxe edition arriving in 2026.
Which Late-2026 Romantasy Book Are You Most Excited For?
Between a new ACOTAR book, the conclusion of Kindred’s Curse, thirteen new Empyrean stories and several major new romantasy worlds launching within weeks of one another, the final months of 2026 are unusually stacked.
Which one is at the top of your TBR — and is there a late-2026 romantasy release we should add to this list? Tell us in the comments.
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