Books Five Books About Five Fantasy Books Featuring Class Difference Romance These novels craft compelling romances — perfect for reading between episodes of Bridgerton! By Markelle Grabo | Published on February 25, 2026 A Fragile Enchantment cover art by Kelly Chong Comment 0 Share New Share A Fragile Enchantment cover art by Kelly Chong Dearest gentle reader, if you’re anything like me, you’re anxiously awaiting the release of Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2 after binge watching all of Part 1 (despite promising to pace yourself this time). Episodes should be released weekly to avoid this problem but, alas, I’m just an author, not a streaming executive. At least while we wait for Sophie and Benedict to grace our screens again, we have books to fill the void. We have fantasy books featuring class difference romance, to be exact, where the characters are divided by society but not what lies in their hearts. In my opinion, there’s nothing more compelling than lovers who refuse to bend to class expectations and are determined to be together against all odds. Not only does this make for a dashingly romantic story, but the writer can explore complex themes like class privilege, power dynamics, and what ultimately connects us as humans. (Or non-humans. This is a fantasy novel rec list, after all.) I’m a writer exploring such themes. My upcoming gothic fantasy, The Redwood Bargain, features a sapphic romance between a kitchen maid and the noble lady she’s agreed to impersonate in a deadly bargain with a forest creature. It’s a love letter to those who yearn, but also a story about power—who wields it and in what ways, and how the choices made by the powerful can irrevocably change the lives of those caught in the fallout. If that sounds intriguing, then you’ll love these five fantasy books also featuring class difference romance: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft In this romantic fantasy, magical dressmaker Niamh is commissioned to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding, only to find herself caught in a scandal when her undeniable chemistry with the groom, Kit, makes her the target of a gossip columnist.   Featuring a Regency-England inspired fantasy setting with queer representation; a gossip columnist akin to Lady Whistledown; and a nuanced, swoon worthy grumpy/sunshine forbidden romance, A Fragile Enchantment checks so many boxes for fans of Bridgerton. Yet Saft takes things a step further by giving the gossip columnist motivations beyond, well, gossip. As unrest brews amid the working class, the mysterious writer blackmails Niamh to help uncover the royal family’s secrets, which threads themes of social inequality, political intrigue, and court drama into this dreamy tale. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall In this swashbuckling queer fantasy, genderfluid pirate Florian and the high-born Lady Evelyn Hasegawara hail from completely different worlds but are nevertheless drawn together as they set sail on the pirate ship, Dove. Florian is part of the crew while Evelyn is a passenger on her way to a dreaded arranged marriage, but they share a yearning to defy their given roles in life. Amid a turbulent voyage, they fall in love and orchestrate a daring escape.  Florian and Evelyn’s romantic arc plays an essential part of the novel’s critique of colonialism and imperialism as well as its exploration of gender and identity, with each character helping the other learn important truths about the world and themselves. The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea is for those who are enjoying Bridgerton season 4’s foray into class commentary but would like to wade into deeper waters.  An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole Class difference romance doesn’t always have to involve royalty/nobility. In the modern dark academia fantasy, An Arcane Inheritance, the societal division between rivals-to-lovers Ellory and Hudson is centered on wealth and family history. They attend the same elite university, but Ellory is an immigrant and a scholarship student, while Hudson is a legacy student from a wealthy Connecticut family.  Something I love about their slow-burn romance is that even though Ellory and Hudson begin as academic rivals, as soon as they partner up to investigate the university’s occult origins, their barriers begin to break down, and any outside forces trying to keep them apart are no match for the strength of their connection. Cole does a great job portraying the complexities of Hudson’s privilege, and Ellory discovers she has more in common with him than she thought. But since mystery lies at the heart of this story, I won’t spoil any of that here.  Malice by Heather Walter Malice is a sapphic retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” that follows the POV of the “evil sorceress”—known as Alyce in this version. The nobles who pay her to brew hexes also deem her a monster, but not the beautiful (and cursed) Princess Aurora. She wants Alyce to be proud of her gifts. But Aurora is meant to wed the prince who saves her with true love’s kiss, not a commoner. But could Alyce be the one to lift Aurora’s curse and keep her from dying on her twenty-first birthday? You’ll have to read Malice (and its sequel, Misrule) to find out, but I love the complexity, beauty, and darkness surrounding Alyce and Aurora’s romance. Alyce is as villainous as the world pushes her to be, and her and Aurora’s views as women from different backgrounds are satisfyingly challenged and reshaped by their love affair and the events of the duology.  Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella It’d be remiss of me not to include a “Cinderella” retelling in a list inspired by Bridgerton season 4, so let’s end with Liar’s Kingdom, in which the girl who fits the glass slipper is not actually the girl the prince met at the ball.  In this twist on a fairy tale classic, Ell decides to let Prince Bayard believe she is the mystery girl he’s fallen in love with to escape her cruel stepfamily. Yet while Ell is drawn to Bayard’s kindness, she can’t ignore his dashing best friend, Maxim. Romance isn’t the novel’s dominant force, but Ell’s newly privileged place at court as Bayard’s betrothed grants her opportunities to advocate for castle servants and the less fortunate. She, Bayard, and Maxim begin the novel with assumptions about one another that are proven to be more nuanced, and I think readers will see a lot of Sophie in Ell’s journey of healing and empowerment.[end-mark] Buy the Book The Redwood Bargain Markelle Grabo Buy Book The Redwood Bargain Markelle Grabo Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post Five Fantasy Books Featuring Class Difference Romance appeared first on Reactor.