Hey there darlings! I am VERY excited for the second half of 2026. We have some very fun romantasy books coming out and I thought I’d mention some of the few I am most excited for! This list contains books from both traditionally published authors, and indie authors debuting their first book.
I have added the synopsis, and release dates of each book description. The book I am most curious to read is the new Fourth Wing book announced in April by Rebecca Yarros. She has specifically stated it wont be book 4 in the Empyrean series, so… what could it be…?
Anyways explore my most anticipated romantasy books of 2026:
Witch Season by Julia Blanco
Release Date: June 30, 2026
Synopsis: Katherine Barnes is an enforcer, charged with upholding the rules of the notorious Los Angeles-based Aestas coven. It’s her job to maintain order and bring unsettled witches–people who aren’t aware they have magic until it explodes out of them in a catastrophic burst–into the coven’s fold. As a former unsettled witch, Katherine owes her life to Sylvia Page, coven leader and silver-haired rebel who founded Aestas years ago.
When Silas Khatri, heir to Noctis, the most powerful coven in the world, arrives to take Aestas to task for some of their more unconventional practices, Katherine’s dislike for him reaches blistering levels. She hates his money, his good looks, his coven’s dangerous attitude towards unsettled witches. She can absolutely overlook that he sets her off in more ways than one.
But a powerful threat is about to rise. Stronger than any one coven. More insidious than the decades-long power struggle that exists in the hidden witch world. One that will pull Katherine and Silas together despite their differences. And one that will lead to an all-out war.
The Wolf Queen by Lauren Palphreyman
Release Date: November 17, 2026
Synopsis: The third and final installment of the The Wolf King series.
‘I won’t be a pawn, Blake. Not again.’
‘Darling, we’re the ones who move the pieces.’
Aurora has spent her life being a pawn, to men, to alphas, and to gods. Now she intends to rule, but first she must defeat the Night God.
The Anatomy Of Magic by Alexis L. Menard
Release Date: June 30, 2026
Synopsis: In the city of Valveron, an elite academy seeks to control all magic. But in the darker districts, every kind of power is for sale. If you can pay the price. Nina Veyr has a dangerous secret. If the city’s enforcers found her, she would be executed… or worse. For years, Nina has stayed in the shadows, picking pockets and smuggling enchanted relics to get by. Then she steals from the wrong man. Max Antonin is the most powerful crime boss in the city. Cold, deadly, and breathtakingly attractive, Max has his sights set on Nina, and nothing will stand in his way.
But when Nina is framed for a shocking murder, Max offers to help her find the true killers. She knows she can’t trust him, that deals with a devil always come at a cost. But there’s no way she can survive on her own.
As they follow a trail of bodies into the city’s underworld, Nina feels a dangerous attraction pulling her ever closer to him. Can she trust her life and her heart to Valveron’s most ruthless criminal?
The Winged Game by Sophie Kim
Release Date: July 2, 2026
Synopsis: Carriwitchet, the violent, rugby-esque game played atop winged beasts, was once Taissa Cho’s whole life, and she was once the United Kingdom’s most promising player. Until her nemesis, rival player Kion Locke, destroyed her career in a single moment. Expelled from the sport in disgrace, Taissa has spent the last two years dreaming of nothing but revenge and relishing watching Kion’s team plummet to the bottom of the league.
So when Taissa is offered the chance to redeem herself and her career, she can’t refuse, even if the offer is coming from the very man who ruined everything in the first place.
It’s close to a dream come true . . . except for that pesky clause in her contract that demands she and Kion enter a fake relationship in order to garner some much-needed positive PR for the team. This could not be a worse match. Taissa and Kion only have two things in common: their love of the game, and their undying hatred for each other.
Yet as a mysterious illness befalls the winged creatures of the entire league, putting both the beasts’ lives and the very sport itself at stake, the athletes find themselves partnering up in other ways, determined to crack the case of the eerie sickness. As their investigation takes them on a whirlwind adventure, Kion and Taissa are prepared for anything . . .
Of Masks And Fury by Alaya Wells
Release Date: July 1, 2026
Synopsis: My sister is alive, tortured, and hidden by the man who raised me, and I stormed the castle to save her. Now I’m trapped behind gilded walls, forced to smile at suitors who might be assassins, while the rebel king I love pretends to be my bodyguard.
Trew followed me into enemy territory, disguising himself to stay at my side. But my father suspects something, and the castle is crawling with spies. If anyone discovers who Trew truly is, he’ll die in the same dungeons where my sister suffered. I need to find her and discover why my mother’s name keeps surfacing in connection to the wasteland’s darkest secrets.
Twenty-three innocent people are scheduled to die on the upcoming Day of Mercy, and my father has told me I must choose a husband to control me before that time. And somewhere beyond these walls, a conspiracy is unfolding that connects my bloodline to the magic my kingdom has spent decades trying to eradicate.
I’ve worn the mask of a dutiful princess for sixteen years. Now it’s cracking, and everyone will see what lies beneath. I wield forbidden magic. I love a rebel king. And I will burn my father’s kingdom to the ground before I let anyone I love die.
Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
Release Date: September 3, 2026
Synopsis: In the industrious city of Basalton at the height of the gilded age, highborn families use enchantments to flaunt power and status, while the lower classes dabble in cheap counterfeit enchantments.
Seventeen-year-old orphan Vesper Evans doesn’t trust magic, or the sorcerers who wield it. Instead, she commits herself to her job as a writer for the Basalton Herald. But when her newspaper finds itself under threat and she happens to witness a murder first-hand, everything changes.
Maximilian Kite is not only the heir to one of Basalton’s wealthiest families, he’s also a sorcerer, and one with a bold proposal for Vesper. If she can use her investigative skill to prove his innocence he’ll pay her more money than she’s ever seen in her life.
Max is everything Vesper despises, but his offer is too good to pass up. And to infiltrate the upper class, Vesper must pretend they are courting. What ever could go wrong?
Kiss Of The Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Synopsis: Saige Grayson has always believed stories could heal, even when her own body refuses to. As the most promising bookbinder in the capital, she’s learned to work through chronic pain and crushing debt, restoring other people’s treasures while trying not to fall apart herself. But when the man she owes decides her rare talent is worth more than her payments, Saige is traded to the Azkari, an immortal race forged by the gods for war, and imprisoned in their ancient stronghold.
Her only chance of survival lies with Archer, a fallen Azkari general imprisoned beside her, cursed, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.
He offers her a way out, and in return, Saige must help him retrieve and restore an ancient book. But the book is made of living magic, powerful enough to stop a great evil, or unleash it. And as Saige works with Archer, the tome begins to awaken something dark and dangerous, both in the realm and within her.
As their enemies close in and buried memories resurface, Saige and Archer must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice: their freedom, their fragile trust… or the spark that could ignite the world.
Vows Of Blood And Deception by Aria Ashbrook
Release Date: July 7, 2026
Synopsis: Rose Kultavaris survived the Retterheld. She reclaimed her magic. Her title. Her place at court. But victory can be a hollow thing. Her sister’s decisions have left her life in turmoil and the crown which Prince Kyor chose over her remains firmly on his arrogant head, while the tension between them is enough to rip the sky apart.
The palace celebrates her as the gifted, yet behind gilded doors alliances shift, secrets surface, and the past refuses to stay buried. When the answers she needs lie beyond the city of Wrohelm, Rose is forced to leave its walls behind and chase the truth herself.
Old betrayals cut deeper than any blade, while new truths shatter everything she thought she knew. Rose is more alone than ever, and her power, now reclaimed, proves far more dangerous than anything else she has faced.
In a court built on lies and ambition, Rose must decide what she truly wants: vengeance, love, or something far more dangerous … freedom.
Sorrow & Strangers by Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune
Release Date: September 8, 2026
Synopsis: Summer Tuatha De Daanan reluctantly returns to Avalon University for her second year after spending the summer with her vampire best friend in Draculea. She’s a shell of her former self, and the peace promised to her has never felt further from her reach. All Summer wants is to keep her head down and get through the year cloaked in her depression, but looming threats linger, and she quickly finds herself thrust into a dangerous position once again; entangled with a friend turned enemy, the protector of her beloved family, and the target of two very powerful kings.
Unwilling to suffer any further loss, Summer must push through her emotions to prepare herself for the enemies who threaten everything she holds dear. Through runic training with the revered and brooding Headmaster Emrys, combat with the aloof and strong-willed Max, and improving her mental walls with the dark and mysterious stranger, each step pulls her further from the edge of despair. Yet, nothing will be simple for Summer, and the more she trains, the more she discovers who she truly is, forcing her to confront her inner darkness. The beast within that purrs for her enigmatic stalker.
A darkness that is waiting to be explored. A darkness that will not be denied.
More Book Releases
These books have been announced, but no cover or blurb has been dropped yet :/
Stormside by Alex Aster
ACOTAR Book 6 by Sarah J Maas
ACOTAR Book 7 by Sarah J Maas
Fourth Wing #? by Rebecca Yarros
Which Books Are You Looking Forward To?
With so many new exciting romantasy releases coming out in 2026, which ones are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments below!
