Books Romantasy Report Cryptids, Taboos, and Fey Heists: Romantasy Report for May and June 2026 This season’s romantasy includes cryptid rom-coms, star-cross’d lovers, and heroic hoaxes… By Natalie Zutter | Published on May 12, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share Stack your spring TBR with these romantasies! I don’t know what I’m more jazzed about in the next two months’ bounty of fantasy romance. Maybe it’s the ones that read like contemporary romances but replacing one love interest with Mothman or a half-giant. Perhaps it’s the origin stories or unexpected sequels starring Mercutio, Lady Macbeth, Klytemnestra, and more classical characters. Or it might be the ones that best interpret “fake it til you make it” through a variety of lenses: fake feuds, questionable quests, and heroic hoaxes. Gimme Gimme Gimme: Rom-Com Tropes Mothman Is My Boyfriend by McKayla Cole, illustrated by Wendy Stephens (Quirk Books; May 5, 2026) Cryptid Creek is your typical quaint town full of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes… who just happen to be mythical and undiscovered creatures. Swing by the café and you might accidentally grab Mothman’s drink order; catch a nightcrawler doing ollies at the skate park; and don’t miss Sasquatch belting out power ballads at the butch/femme karaoke bar. It’s like an entire rom-com book series in one collection, with bonus delightful illustrations. The Fake Divination Offense by Sara Raasch (Magic and Romance #2—Bramble; May 19, 2026) Sara Raasch’s Magic and Romance series sprinkles rom-com tropes over an urban fantasy setting; The Entanglement of Rival Wizards had dueling grad students fall in love, while the second installment tackles sports romance by way of fake dating. When half-giant athlete Orok rescues pint-sized human (?) cheerleader Alexo at a bar, their viral moment leads to a PR relationship for Orok’s patron god Urzoth. But if Orok follows his heart in renouncing the god of aggression, he’ll lose the chance to keep fake-dating Alexo, who is guarding his own secrets. Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow (Seamere College #1—Ace; May 19, 2026) First off, I love the premise of a school of magical veterinary science; if your world has animal familiars, why wouldn’t there be people whose specialty is in the care of those beloved companions? Gwendolyne Chan and Harrisford Briggs are competing for the top spot at Seamere College; his father is the CFO of Magecorp, a major global distributor of magic, and she’s got a chip on her shoulder. But when surges of magic make familiars start going feral, Harrisford must trace the connection to Magecorp, while Gwen must protect her snarky cat familiar—they’ll have to figure out how to combine their expertise, and maybe even find that they’re not just intellectual equals but something more. Yearning For: Retellings That Change the Narrative Mercutio by Kate Heartfield (Harper Voyager; May 7, 2026) I dreamt a dream tonight / And so did I / Well, what was yours? / That dreamers often lie. After that excellent exchange between Romeo and Mercutio in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the latter goes on to give a dark speech about Queen Mab influencing dreamers to action in their waking lives. Now imagine that monologue expanded into a prequel story, as soldier Mercutio encounters poet Dante Alighieri on the battlefield—and then the two crack open our world and Faerie. Can Mercutio change his stars, and could that change the fates of two star-crossed lovers and their warring houses? All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan (Time of Iron #2—Orbit Books; May 12, 2026) In Long Live Evil, Rae escaped a terminal cancer diagnosis by leaping into the fantasy world of her favorite book series. There, she discovered that she was the villainess of the tale, facing off against the Once and Forever Emperor, a.k.a. her very favorite character. In the sequel, Rae has made things a bit worse than planned, but it comes with the silver lining that the now-monstrous Emperor wants her to be his evil queen. A fake engagement could lead to a happily evil after, if Rae plays her cards right. Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopolou (Union Square & Co; May 12, 2026) Instead of agonizing over getting that damned spot out, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches to change the ending of her story—and gets transported to Mycenae, where Queen Klytemnestra has just murdered her unfaithful husband Agamemnon. Believing Lady Macbeth to be a spirit, Klytemnestra chases her into another realm entirely, where the two vile lady villains must humble themselves before the Mistress of the House of Books if they want to avoid being written out of the narrative, while exploring their bloody, brutal attraction. Gimme Gimme Gimme: Wartime Prophecy Archangel’s Eternity by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #18—Berkley; May 5, 2026) After 18 installments in 17 years, Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series is coming to a poignant, world-altering end. It’s been a thousand years since vampire hunter Elena Deveraux met the Archangel Raphael, centuries of defending their forbidden love and maintaining peace between mortals and immortals. When rogue archangels threaten everything that Elena and Raphael have fought for, the lovers must challenge themselves to go to even greater lengths to protect what they have and what their future could be. Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth (Tor Books; May 12, 2026) Elegy Ahn prefers a life of anonymity as a soldier, but with a name like that, you know that destiny is going to pluck her off the battlefield and elevate her to potentially mythical status. She may be the prophesied hero of the war against Talusar—or she may fall to enemy general Rava Vidar, especially considering that the Talusar people worship a deadly (unless you’re resurrected) Fever. Regardless of whether she’s on the losing or winning side, Elegy is also destined to fall for a man whose fate is linked to both her and Rava. It’s Veronica Roth’s newest dystopia—this time a space fantasy—and we’re all livin’ in it. Hopeless Necromantic by Shiloh Briar (The Catseye Chronicles #1—Orbit Books; June 9, 2026) Twice now necromancer Sikras has attempted to stop the undead army encroaching on the edges of the kingdom. For his potentially final try, his latest reluctant escort is new recruit Helspira. Can the third time be the charm when something sparks between them, or will it make them both rethink this doomed mission? Yearning For: Dark Academia The Arcane Arts by S.D. Coverly (Del Rey; May 19, 2026) I confess I haven’t read too much dark academia, but I’m drawn to the taboo elements of S.D. Coverly’s contemporary fantasy. There’s the forbidden attraction between Newlyn University’s ambitious grad student Ellsbeth Storer and her advisor Thaddeus Rawlins, which is only amplified by their shared course of study: Ellsbeth’s thesis on writ magic, which allows its user to control and compel others. We’re talking clandestine research after-hours in the lab, secret magical experimentation on one another, and the layers of are we manipulating each other or is this lust actually love? Sign me up. The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher (Harper Voyager; June 2, 2026) “Casey McQuiston meets The Secret History”? Are you kidding me? I may have to start my dark academia education in earnest with both of these books. Lex Croucher, whose previous books have flirted with Bridgerton-esque tropes (Infamous) and Arthuriana (Gwen and Art Are Not in Love), explores what happens when two best friends are split up by one of them getting into magical school while the other is rejected. Eighteen-year-old Briar Jones, who long ago accepted their mundane life over their magical dreams, gets a temp job at the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, which they lost their best friend Sebastian Wolfe to at age 11. But when Briar steps onto Temple’s campus, they discover that Seb has become the arrogant villain Bastian—and that Temple is hiding a dark conspiracy. Gimme Gimme Gimme: Fake It Til You Make It Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer (Harper Voyager; May 19, 2026) Heated Rivalry meets Shrek when a failed villain strikes up a fake feud with a golden-boy hero to boost both their reputations. Rather than strike fear in the hearts of Athacan people, Cyrus finds himself more drawn to embroidery and gardening. So when the imperfect hero Maximilian suggests they stage a few battles for their respective good-versus-evil followings, Cyrus thinks this will help him tap back into his dark side. But despite Maximilian representing everything he’s supposed to hate, he may instead make Cyrus realize everything about himself that’s worth loving. Bromantasy by Máire Roche (G.P. Putnam’s Sons; May 26, 2026) Is mead and skincare enthusiast Juniper O’Reilly the least capable candidate for a dragon-slaying quest? You betcha. Is he tagging along with his heroic and very capable best friend Mo Elmthorn? Without a doubt. Are they totally just platonic besties with no feelings for each other whatsoever? Hoo boy, this fake quest is gonna be a shitshow, but it may well be exactly what these two need to get to the truth of the matter. The Last Best Quest Ever by F.T. Lukens (Margaret K. McElderry Books; May 26, 2026) Seventeen-year-old Ellinore is the kingdom’s champion, her heroic exploits too good to be true… because they’re all staged. Plagued by guilt and dogged by her royal rival Aven, Ellinore impulsively decides to retire. But when her twin brother Zig bets his life on her retrieving a rare relic from a mythical Elder Beast that might not even exist, Ellinore must reclaim her supposed glory—or finally come clean. But when Zig, Aven, and a bunch of ragtag questers are all relying on her, Ellinore must decide whether she lets them down or actually steps into her self-made legend. The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk (Dungeons & Dragons—Random House Worlds; June 30, 2026) C.L. Polk was writing romantic fantasy before the romantasy boom (The Midnight Bargain, Witchmark), so I’m psyched to see their take on this D&D heist in which con artist exes—one of whom has sworn a magical pact to never fall in love again—must steal a Feywild gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love.” What seals the deal for me is Polk describing it as “imagine an ENTIRE FAIRY REALM is trying to Parent Trap you while you’re trying to work the biggest heist of your life.” Hell yes. Yearning For: Court Intrigue The Kings’ List by Jade Presley (The Never List #2—Red Tower Books; May 19, 2026) In The Never List, Rylee Gray infiltrated the kingdom of Lumathyst searching for her missing sister. Instead, the four immortal god-princes named her their Chosen mate—yep, it’s a why-choose romance with one queen and four kings. In the sequel, the immortal Rylee and her mates must now survive the Kings’ List, in which a council will vote on if they deserve to keep their crowns, and each other. A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese (Games of the Goddess #1—Orbit Books; May 26, 2026) In this Bollywood-inspired romantasy, the power-hungry king of Nandapore seeks a mythical weapon. To oppose him, an ancient goddess brings together Taara, a newly-crowned queen; her husband, prince Garjan; Bhediya, a spellcasting courtesan and Garjan’s secret love; and Roland, a thief and a foreigner. With its rotating perspectives and medieval inspirations, it’s the start of a new epic fantasy trilogy. Masques by Sherwood Smith (Book View Cafe; June 9, 2026) Sherwood Smith’s Crown Duel set the bar for court intrigue fantasies for me, so I am champing at the bit to read Masques. Fourteen years ago, the Norsunder War ended, and twelve-year-old Sky Szinzar made a childhood betrothal with Lexan Glenereth. Sweet, but Sky is Princess of Ralanor Veleth, with responsibilities to fulfill even during peacetime, and Lexan has neither land nor any other prospects. At age twenty-six, Sky finally has her coming-of-age ball—only to be abducted by sarcastic Prince Garian-Rafael, the biggest critic of her idealistic adolescent pact. As Sky is surprised to realize she’s attracted to Rafael’s fiery attitude, she is even more shocked to meet Lexan in young adulthood—Lexan who is now cool and competent, Rafael’s foil and another contender for her affections. This cozy standalone romantic fantasy of manners sounds just delightful. Asperfell by Jamie Thomas (Orbit Books; June 23, 2026) Briony is a noblewoman raised in a remote country estate, far from the dangerous capital politics that would kill her for her forbidden magic. But when her secret is discovered, her only choice is to slip between realms into Asperfell, the legendary prison of mages. And her only hope for returning home is to find its most infamous prisoner: the former crown prince, banished long ago and with no interest in being rescued. Can Briony harness her magic in order to survive Asperfell?[end-mark] The post Cryptids, Taboos, and Fey Heists: Romantasy Report for May and June 2026 appeared first on Reactor.