Books like 'The Half-Hearted Queen'
Readers who enjoyed The Half-Hearted Queen by Charlie N. Holmberg also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy paranormal dark romance magic horror new adult angst m-f class difference
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Reign of Stars and Fire by L.J. Andrews
Nothing is as it seems. It never was.With darkness spreading across the fae isles, the reluctant raven queen seeks the aid of Calista, the storyteller, and unwittingly falls into a dark tale of twisted fates. To save Ari from being lost in a fae sleep, Saga will reach into the past and uncover deadly secrets left behind by her brother, the last fate king... -
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Daughter of the Forest is a testimony to an incredible author's talent, a first novel and the beginning of a trilogy like no other: a mixture of history and fantasy, myth and magic, legend and love... -
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow
The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom’s greatest warrior in this short story of love and loyalty by New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow.Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor... -
Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy
The seductive and thrilling dark fantasy series comes to an end in this powerful finale. With sizzling romance, devastations, and triumphs, this is the epic conclusion to the gilded world of Orea that everyone has been waiting for.If there is ever a choice between her or the world, it's going to be her.One king caged my body.Another has caged my mind... -
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The Sea by A.H. Lee
Knights and necromancers are never on the same side… are they? Sairis has known all his life that knights are not his friends…until the last few weeks, when he somehow forgot, and tumbled into bed with one. He told Roland to leave, hurt him badly, used as many cruel words as possible. And yet Roland stubbornly refuses to leave Sairis alone, half-naked and friendless in the wilderness...Categorized as:
magic royalty war high fantasy forbidden love tortured hero sweet-hero political-intrigue -
Crown of Blood and Ruin by L.J. Andrews
War begins. But secrets have the power to end...everything.Fallen princess. Traitor. Queen. Forsaking her people and her birthright, Elise Lysander takes her place at the side of the new fae king of a broken land. Revered by some, hated by many, Elise’s fight for her love and freedom is only beginning... -
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsKushiel's Avatar is the concluding volume in Jacqueline Carey's evocative novels about the enigmatic Phèdre nó Delaunay; the third in a triptych of beautifully constructed historical fantasies that combine passion and danger, great battles of the sword and soul, deep eroticism, and mystical enigmas.Phèdre nó Delaunay was chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one... -
The Border by A.H. Lee
Roland thought necromancers were inhuman monsters. Until he met Sairis.Roland and Sairis have escaped from a traumatic assassination attempt, solved the mystery of their attacker, and enjoyed plenty of heavy petting along the way. Roland knows that it’s too soon for love, but he feels like he’s falling head over heels... -
The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg
A captive healer and a mysterious prince are drawn to each other in the midst of war and magic in a beguiling dark fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.The kingdom of Cansere is on the brink of war. Young men are conscripted from their homes, and a royal decree from the queen has made healing the only legal form of craftlock...Categorized as:
magic new adult m-f class difference competent heroine sweet-hero royalty forbidden love -
The Knight and the Necromancer - The Complete Series by A.H. Lee
Roland is the premier knight of the realm. Sairis is the closest thing Mistala has to a dragon.Prince Roland comes home from the war to bury his father and see his sister on the throne. He sneaks out to his favorite tavern for nostalgia’s sake. It’s the place where he kissed a man for the first time, the place where he used to carouse with the lover he buried on a battlefield...Categorized as:
magic political-intrigue class difference caretaking forbidden love war survival sweet-hero -
Court of Ice and Ash by L.J. Andrews
She chose him. He chose revenge. But some choices have deadly consequences.When Elise agreed to break a vicious curse over the man she loved, she never imagined he was a lost fae prince. But Valen left her to carry out vengeance for his slaughtered family. So when she joins the outlaw fae in their uprising against her own sister, all Elise wants is to forget the prince who holds her heart... -
Thorns of Frost by Krista Street
Being entered into the Rising Queen Trial is equivalent to death. If I win, I’ll marry my enemy. If I lose, I’ll marry another fae of the king’s choosing. Either way, my freedom is lost unless I find a way to escape.Intent on fleeing, I train my new affinities and learn what’s needed to survive while pretending to vie for the throne... -
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsKinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path... -
The Infernal Battalion by Django Wexler
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsMilitary might and arcane power clash in Django Wexler's thrilling new Shadow Campaigns novel. The Beast, the ancient demon imprisoned beneath the fortress-city of Elysium for a thousand years, has been loosed on the world.It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north... -
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The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsA standalone novel following young warrior Galva dom Braga on her journey from untested academy swordswoman to feared and bloodied veteran knight, set during the war-torn, goblin-infested years just before The Blacktongue Thief .The goblins have killed all of our horses and most of our men. They have enslaved our cities, burned our fields, and inflicted a waking nightmare on the known world... -
A Promise of Lies by Clare Sager
The King is dead. Long live the King. And death to his enemies. Bargained away to Dawn Court, Kat must play the part of a helpless human bewitched by the Day King. But beneath the veneer of submission, she’s playing a far more dangerous game—spying for Dusk Court, and for the one person who holds her heart: Bastian...Categorized as:
m-f magic competent heroine strong heroine new adult political-intrigue angst survival -
The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick
Millicent Foxboro is haunted.Not by ghosts but by the anguish of her past and the uncertainty of her future. After all, even in the progressive year of 1928, most people would balk at hiring a woman who’d spent two months in a mental ward for traumatic amnesia... -
Wit'ch Star by James Clemens
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsThe three deadly Weirgates are destroyed but the threat of the Dark Lord remains. And so Elena and her companions have gone their separate ways to prepare for what is yet to come. Elena herself has journeyed to the beautiful city of A'loa Glen, there to recover her strength and spirit. Enter Harlequin Quail.Some might call him a fool, but the little man in the jester's suit claims to be a spy... -
Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton
The first in a new epic fantasy series from David R. Slayton, Dark Moon, Shallow Sea is a powerful story of divine betrayal, ghosts, and self-discovery, perfect for fans of the Dark Souls series or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.When Phoebe, goddess of the moon, is killed by the knights of the sun god, Hyperion, all who follow her are branded heretics... -
Bite The Terror That Feeds by Penelope Barsetti
He gave me his word—and he broke it.Kingsnake promised me he would let me go once he found the cure, but he’s known this entire time and never once shared it with me. And now that I know the truth, that there is no cure, he still won’t let me go. Now I’m his prisoner once again.He asks to feed from me several times, but I refuse all his advances...Categorized as:
suspense angst high fantasy forbidden love war competent heroine gifted heroine royalty -
ENNEAD Vol. 4 [Mature Hardcover] by Mojito
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsON THE BRINKThe mirror’s power—and its consequences—are slowly coming to light. Filled with remorse about what he did to Seth, Horus teeters on the brink of a decision that will affect the future of Egypt—and his relationship with the god of war... -
ENNEAD Vol. 2 [Mature Hardcover] by Mojito
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe full-color Boys’ Love webtoon hit inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology! (Hardcover Edition for Mature Audiences)Nine powerful gods of ancient Egypt are known as the Ennead. When the god of war, Seth, kills his brother Osiris to take over Egypt, he ushers in an era of chaos and cruelty under his rule... -
House of Secrets by Darcy Coates
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSophie and Joseph’s escape from Northwood is short-lived. The beast survived, and attached itself to Joseph’s young cousin, Elise. Garrett writes to beg for their help. Joseph and Sophie travel to meet him at Kensington, a long-abandoned mansion that overlooks a dead town. The house offers a small hope: its original owner had dedicated her life to researching the monster that possesses Elise... -
Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Demeter
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsColonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die.After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger.But fate has a different plan.Ariah Larochelle is a survivor...Categorized as:
tortured hero angst suspense disabilities and marks historical military dark regency -
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Warrior of the Drowned Empire by Frankie Diane Mallis
Warrior of the Drowned Empire is the highly-anticipated fourth book in a sensational romantic series. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Danielle L. Jensen, and Rebecca Yarros. The Guardians have returned. As Moriel's reincarnation nears, Lyr is determined to fulfil her harness the power of the red shard and defeat him... -
Court of Blood and Bindings by Lisette Marshall
They call him the Silent Death, because he kills without sound and leaves none capable of speaking in his wake…When the empire’s deadliest fae murderer catches her wielding forbidden magic, twenty-year-old Emelin believes her hour has come. Instead, her inhumanly beautiful captor spares her life, but carries her off on his velvet wings – into the one place from which no human ever returns...Categorized as:
magic tortured hero new adult royalty disabilities and marks m-f political-intrigue abduction -
The Capital by A.H. Lee
It’s a classic fairytale: Knight meets necromancer. They argue. They fight. They…make out?Prince Roland comes home from the war to bury his father and see his sister on the throne. He sneaks out to his favorite tavern for nostalgia’s sake. It’s the place where he kissed a man for the first time, the place where he used to carouse with the lover he buried on a battlefield... -
The Lies Of Lena by Kylie Snow
Passionate and Dark. Forbidden Romance. Forced Proximity. Angst.The Otacian Chronicles is a Dark Romantasy that will progressively get darker as the series continues. Please be mindful of the content warnings.Lena Daelyra has always lived in fear, as do most Mages in Tovagoth. Mages are discriminated against, hunted for sport, and have no laws that provide them protection... -
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThere are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek sayingThe great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed... -
To Poison a King by S.G. Prince
S.G. Prince's new standalone is a breathtaking fantasy about sacrifice, self-discovery, and a girl tasked with saving the very man she aimed to kill.Selene is the youngest daughter in a gifted line of healers, born to serve as the king's royal physician. Yet when Selene's mother Persaphe embroils her in a plot to kill the king, Selene finds herself poisoning the very man she is sworn to protect... -
The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA scientific young woman probes the mysterious death of her magically gifted sister in this quasi-Renaissance epic fantasy sequel to The Spirit Lens.Anne de Vernase is fighting to hold herself together as scandal and tragedy tear her family apart. Her father remains at large, convicted of treason and murder thanks to her own testimony—and his pursuit of depraved sorcery... -
Fires of Hatred by Erin O'Kane
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFires of Hatred ‘My name is 625. At least, that’s the number branded into my skin, the only identity I have. My real name, whatever it was, was stripped from me when I was sold into slavery at age eight. I am now 20, and no more than property, my only purpose working in the palace. Until the day I meet him.’ The Elves and Humans have been at war for millennia... -
Bump in the Night by Cassie Mint
He’s smart, handsome, and we have an instant connection.Pity all these ghosts keep interrupting our moments…All my life, I’ve wanted a ghostly encounter. It’s my greatest dream, and it’s never happened for me—not even in Belladonna Bay, where every other building is haunted... -
Circle of Freaks by Delilah Croww, Carmen Rosales
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSince I was a little girl, I fell in love with the circus. It's all I ever wanted to see up close or be a part of. There was no room for things like that where I grew up. There was no room for anything except bad memories and bad expectations.Every year around Devil's Night, since we moved to Stockbridge, the Circle of Freaks paranormal circus comes to town... -
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Curse of the Thorn King by Lisette Marshall
Killing a fae king is hard. Doing so politely is even harder.Briannis Iavi – well-bred lady and accidental assassin – is so close to securing the life of her dreams. All she needs to do is complete one last make her way into fae territory, sneak into the enchanted halls of Rosethorn Keep, and kill the king of Faerie...Categorized as:
new adult angst magic m-f class difference disabilities and marks competent heroine strong heroine -
The Amethyst Kingdom by A.K. Mulford
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIn the fifth and final novel in the Five Crowns of Okrith romantasy series from bestselling author A.K. Mulford, a young fae warrior is hellbent on winning the Eastern Court crown, but when her fated lover—and hated nemesis—Ersan enters the trials she struggles to balance the competition and the chance at love... -
To Hunt a Demon King by Madeleine Eliot
Little Red Riding Hood meets spicy romantasy in this witchy retelling of a classic fairy tale. Elara has only one goal in her life: to convince her mother to treat her like the fully grown witch she is and let her attend a Coven meeting. But on her twenty-fifth birthday, Elara discovers that her mother had good reasons for keeping her away from the Coven and her grandmother, its unfeeling Crone...Categorized as:
gifted heroine high fantasy magic forbidden love sweet heroine m-f royalty competent heroine -
The Cold Commands by Richard K. Morgan
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe otherworldly Kiriath once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain, only to depart as mysteriously as they arrived. Now one of the Kiriath’s uncanny machines has fallen from orbit, with a message that humanity once more faces a grave danger: the Ilwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly realm of the Gray Places... -
Fractured Wings by M.T. Morgan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStarlette doesn’t remember the crimes everyone seems to assume she committed. And without any evidence of transgression, she is set free. Only for her parents to have her committed to Mount Point Psych Ward.She’s had countless therapists, none of them lasting, except him. The brooding, beautiful doctor who’s come in to rain on her parade... -
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
As Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her... -
A Heart So Cold and Wicked by Rebecca F. Kenney
He saved her from a murderer. But can he protect her from himself?Kidnapped by a serial killer, Feather has lived in a remote cabin for years, surviving by cleverness and caution. One night, she unwittingly summons a Fae demon known as Krampus, who enacts vengeance on her kidnapper and leaves Feather free... but with nowhere to go and no memory of the family from which she was stolen...Categorized as:
survival m-f competent heroine strong heroine tortured heroine fantasy christmas paranormal -
The Councillor by E.J. Beaton
This Machiavellian fantasy follows a scholar's quest to choose the next ruler of her kingdom amidst lies, conspiracy, and assassinationWhen the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen’s closest friend, is appointed Councillor. Publically, Lysande must choose the next monarch from amongst the city-rulers vying for the throne...Categorized as:
high fantasy political-intrigue magic horror competent heroine fantasy queer bisexual -
Bite The Power That Feeds by Penelope Barsetti
Ellasara came at me with a blade—and she defeated me.But my eyes open to my bedchambers and I see Kingsnake sitting at my beside with Fang next to my pillow. I expect to feel the horrible pain of my injury, but I already feel healed. When I sit up, the room doesn’t spin and I don’t feel weak. In fact, I feel better than I ever have…Kingsnake takes my face in my hands and pulls me close...Categorized as:
suspense angst high fantasy war competent heroine strong heroine sweet heroine royalty -
Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson
Once he had scorched the world. Once he had driven back overwhelming darkness. Once he had loved with such passion, his name was legend... TAIREN SOULLong ago, in the magical holocaust known as the Mage Wars, the immortal Fey and their allies fought to defeat the grasping evil of the Elden Mages and their dark-gifted supporters...Categorized as:
high fantasy magic royalty tortured hero war tortured heroine gifted heroine suspense -
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Red by K.D. Miller
They don’t go into the woods…Every full moon, the Beast rises within the woods. Every full moon, some poor soul is sent into that forsaken forest as a sacrifice. Every full moon, the village holds its collective breath that the sacrifice will be enough. Any other time, the woods are supposed to be safe, but no one dares take a chance.Not until Sloane Whelan...Categorized as:
high fantasy new adult survival magic caretaking sweet-hero forbidden love tortured hero -
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah F. Whitten
In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten's lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King's royal court. The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side...Categorized as:
magic new adult high fantasy angst m-f class difference disabilities and marks political-intrigue -
Dynasty of Ghosts by P.L. Nunn
Illya has always been different - fey, quiet, and cursed with the ability to see the lingering spirits of the dead. A younger son of a younger son from a backwater mountain province, he is a nobody in the king’s army until he comes to the notice of the Prince Knight himself, the spoiled, stubborn heir to the kingdom of Aldania... -
Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA complex, adult epic fantasy from a new Australian author ... original, dramatic, unputdownable ... Sierra has a despised and forbidden gift - she raises power from the suffering of others.Enslaved by the king's torturer, Sierra escapes, barely keeping ahead of Rasten, the man sent to hunt her down... -
The Winter Kissed Kings by Ivy Fox
From the USA Today Bestselling Author Ivy Fox comes the last installment in The Winter Queen Duet, where every secret and lie will be forced into the light to either save or destroy the Kingdom of Aikyam.The plan was simple.Subdue my would-be usurpers with a marriage proposal and guarantee my sovereignty.Little did I know that my reign should have been the least of my worries...Categorized as:
suspense angst m-f competent heroine strong heroine tortured heroine royalty tortured hero -
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA world-weary woman races against the clock to rescue the children of a wrathful tyrant from a dangerous, otherworldly forest.At the northern edge of a land ruled by a monstrous, foreign tyrant lies the wild forest known as the Elmever. The villagers know better than to let their children go near—once someone goes in, they never come back out...
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