One of my all time favorite scene tropes is only one bed. The Proposal and Leap year are both excellent examples of this. No spice is necessary to create fantastic romantic tension with this trope. One of the things that makes it so fun is that the characters are usually in a the getting to know one another stage of their romance or they still think they dislike each other. Forcing them to not only be together, but to share such an intimate space often leads to awkward hilarious moments along with accidental touching and cuddling–*swoon.*
This trope is often found in books with arranged or marriage of convience, forced proximity–especially when they travel, fake spouce/ fiance, or just when the characters find themselfs in a lie or some other awkward situation.
Sweet & Swoony Recommendations
Fantasy Romance I’ve read and Loved:
Arianna and the Maze of Monsters by Alesha Adamson
Kidnapped!
She is the bait. He is her captor. A monster awaits in a labyrinth of lies. Can she navigate the truth before losing her heart?
When Princess Arianna discovers a plot against Kelkona, she knows she’s in trouble. She rushes to find help—only to get kidnapped. Unfortunately, her knife-throwing skills can’t thwart the nefarious scheme, nor does it stop Silas, the handsome, stoic fae, from binding her to him. Now she is being dragged through the forest on an adventure she didn’t ask for, stuck with a captor who has secrets of his own.
Their time in the forest only heightens her curiosity about Silas, who she wants to believe is more than the villain he seems. And yet he offers no escape, taking her to the very monster who threatens the kingdom—to use her as bait. The monster will stop at nothing, cursing her to remain forever within the maze. Only a true king can save her, but where will she find such a man?
Will she ever escape this monstrous maze and warn her family, or will she fall for the one person whose loyalties she can’t decipher—is he her silent protector or a monster as dangerous as the one prowling the maze? She must untangle the lies before she becomes lost in more ways than one.
Get lost with Arianna in this sweet and swoony reverse “Princess and the Pea” retelling intertwined with the Greek myth of “Ariadne and the Labyrinth.”
Assasin of Fire and Sacrifice by Mary Mecham
To assassinate her target, she must marry her enemy.
Azora has dedicated her life to exacting revenge on the phoenix shifters who murdered her parents. When Prince Tarquin of Pyren demands a bride as part of a peace treaty, the elite strike squad of assassins Azora belongs to agree—she’s the perfect candidate to eliminate the monstrous shifter.
The traces of Pyrenese blood flowing in her veins grant her immunity to fire and will allow her to slay Tarquin, for a phoenix can only be destroyed by one descended from Pyren. The safety of all Termarth is dependent on Azora to maintain her cover; her true identity must never be discovered.
With the tantalizing offer of peace on the altar, Azora weds Tarquin, knowing that as soon as the peace treaty is broken, either bride or groom will be the first casualty. But just as Azora begins to uncover the man behind the monster, skirmishes erupt throughout the land. When the time arrives to finally eliminate the threat to Termarth, Azora’s loyalties are torn.
She intended to gamble her life away, not her heart.
Facade by Camille Peters
Princess Evelyn has spent her entire life striving to be the proper princess expected of her…only to suddenly discover that she’s not a princess at all, merely a decoy unknowingly masquerading as the heir to the enchanted throne.
With her identity stripped away and her future uncertain, Evelyn struggles to find her purpose and discovers it in a most unexpected source when she stumbles upon whispers that the true princess’s betrothed is plotting to use his upcoming marriage to steal her kingdom’s rare and precious magic. Desperate to prove that her life has meaning other than being an unwitting decoy, Evelyn comes up with a plan to marry the prince before he learns that she’s a fake in order to protect the kingdom she still cares for.
Prince Ryland has his own reasons for agreeing to the hasty union, for the magic in the princess’s royal bloodline is his last chance to save his kingdom from ruin. However, his careful schemes don’t exactly go according to plan when his unconventional wife proves thoroughly uncooperative and seems to be hiding secrets of her own.
As the two navigate the façades, deceit, and dangers threatening them, the lines between enemies and lovers soon begin to blur…yet their growing love comes at a price. In her effort to protect her kingdom, Evelyn might have just put herself and all her people in grave danger.
Retellings on my TBR:
The Serpants Tower by Abigail Manning
Rapunzel meets Medusa.
Ranessa Medzel always wanted to be a princess until she realized she was destined to be the villain. Born as a gorgon with unusual beauty and vibrant emerald hair, she tried her luck at impressing the king as a young child with her ability to command serpents. Everything goes well, until an accident results in a missing prized jewel, and the gorgon becomes the easiest to blame. Angering a divine ruler never ends well, and in Ranessa’s case, it has a rather blinding result…
Now cursed to blind anyone she looks at, Ranessa is forced to hide away from the world that had made her a monster. With only a tower full of snakes to keep her company, ideas of revenge serve as her only entertainment.
Prince Phillip is the son of the great divine king of the oceans, but he himself wasn’t born with magic. Eager to prove his worth as a future ruler, he sets off on a mission to rid the kingdom of the snake-wielding gorgon who plagues their people.
Ranessa is all too pleased to have the prince join her—after all, killing her former betrothed would be the revenge she’s waited her entire life for. Phillip can only prove himself by bringing back the gorgon’s head, and Ranessa can only free herself by killing the royals who forced her into solitude. Will one of them emerge victorious? Or will they both remain blind to the true villains at work?
Little Bo Sneak by Abigail Manning
What if Little Bo Peep, had a skill for catching crooks?
Lady Genevieve Rayelle Palleep loves to point out what no one else notices, which makes it a tad difficult to get along with most suitors. While tracking down details may not be beneficial for her life as a lady, it certainly has uses in her more secretive life. Since being recruited as a crown agent as a child, Evie’s talents have never failed to hunt down black market goods, runaway convicts, or anything else one could imagine… That is, until her next mission bears an interesting request.
When eight magic-fused wool cloaks go missing from the black market, the agency doesn’t feel that Evie can handle the task alone. Much to Evie’s regret, she’s assigned her very first partner, an obnoxiously attractive agent by the name of Shepherd. He wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have to go undercover as courting lovers… or if he wasn’t so perfect.
With her new partner in tow, and a mysterious stack of cloaks ready to be found, Evie is determined to prove she never needed Shep’s help from the start. She’s worked too hard to let another man drag her around like a wandering sheep. Will Evie be able to track down the missing wools? Or will her distrust of her partner leave them both lost?
Crimson Claws by Abigail Manning
A girl and her grandma… separated by an entire pack of beasts.
A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Roisen Karro and her grandmother run the most beloved bakery in the province of Omaira. Ever since her father disappeared seven years ago, Ro has decided there is no place for a man in her heart, especially an obnoxiously flirty woodcutter. Unfortunately, her granny has no issue encouraging the young man’s advances toward her.
At the far end of Omaira, a strange foreigner washes up on the shores and finds himself amongst the ranks of a nefarious group of beasts. With no knowledge of the Ruby Realm or even a grasp on their language, the foreigner agrees to do their dirty work until he gets back on his feet. All they asked him to do was kidnap some girl from a bakery, anyway…
As Ro discovers there is more behind her father’s disappearance than she knew, she finds herself entangled in the schemes of a sly new foe. With only the clothes on her back and a pack of wolves on her heels, Ro must find her way back to her granny before it’s too late for them both. Will Ro be able to survive the hunt? Or will the beasts swallow her family whole…?
Sands of Deciet by Celest Baxendall
A disgraced gossip. A lying nobleman. A fake marriage to destroy an empire.
Lady Gisele lost everything when her father was convicted of treason. She was supposed to become a princess, have the court dance to the songs she sang, and trapped in the webs of gossip she spun. Now all the years she’d spent amassing that power was for nothing.
When she’s presented with the chance to get everything she ever wanted, she’ll take it—even when it’s a life-threatening undercover mission in the Esmean Empire. Even when it involves the most infuriating man she’s ever met. She’s desperate enough to risk her life, but is she desperate enough to lose her heart?
Taking his cousin’s identity to uncover a supposedly empire-shattering secret didn’t sound so bad to Lord Hakim, until he ended up stuck with the most insufferable woman he’s ever met. Now he has to pretend to be married to her while also keeping her from realizing that he’s not just her fake husband but also the lord of the estate they’re staying at.
While they chase a secret that could change the world, Hakim has to wrestle with more than one unfortunate truth along the way. Maybe Gisele isn’t what he first thought she was, and that without her, does he even stand a chance at surviving at all?
Sky of Wind by Emily Deady
He’s my fake husband. Our kingdom’s only hope.
And he has no idea that I’m desperately in love with him.
I’m not strong and powerful like my brothers. I’m just a princess. A rather spoiled princess. My skills will not help us win this war.
But turns out, my mischievous mind and diplomatic mouth are perfect for subterfuge. By marrying Sol-a magic-wielder-I can sweet talk our way directly into the enemy’s headquarters where Sol can destroy the source of their power.
I just can’t let myself get distracted by my fake husband’s stormy eyes, or the gentle pressure of his hand on my arm as we exchange pleasantries with fellow dignitaries.
Pull it together, princess. Your people come first.
The Red Rider by Revecca Fittery
The day Red walked through the woods to meet her grandmother was the day her childhood ended. But she’s not a little girl anymore.
RED: I not only survived the revolution—I thrived. Revered by our people as The Red Rider, I spend my days fighting the ever-present Beasts at our border. But even though I’ve conquered the monsters of my past, their shadows are creeping into my present. When I’m tasked with guarding a tight-laced Pelerine soldier, his contempt makes me see red. I may have survived countless battles, but babysitting this know-it-all just might kill me.
EDDIE: I woke up to a brutal reality after the Battle of Asielboix. Alone and wounded in potentially hostile territory, I’m at the mercy of the intriguing and dangerous Captain Hood. She’s everything I should hate, but I can’t deny that I’m drawn to her. We’re bound together for now and sparks fly as we force each other to confront our demons. It’s hard for me to admit—but I’m hoping one of those sparks ignites something powerful.
When Red is called upon to fix her only failure, Eddie turns out to be the one person who can stand by her side—if they can trust each other first.
Fantasy Romance on my TBR:
Island of Secrets and Sacrifice by Deborah Grace White
A girl marked for death, a man branded a monster…a reality that is very different from what it seems
Ember’s defiance has always been a frustration to the rest of her island community. But even she didn’t expect to be selected as the next sacrifice, years before another is due. And she can’t help but wonder if it relates to the strange new ability that’s just begun to stir within her. She doesn’t intend to go down without a fight—in fact, the chance to confront the monster demanding sacrifices is a more welcome path than the marriage her parents had arranged to a local farmer.
Haiden has never heard of Ember’s island, and he couldn’t care less about their plight. He’s fully occupied trying to lift the curse that has turned him into a monster while fending off the stream of maidens determined to break it for him—both feats that are proving impossible in spite of his considerable magical ability.
When Ember charges into his purposely isolated life, badly wounded, full of nonsensical accusations, and entirely undaunted by his hideous form, their paths and plans collide with a force neither is prepared for. It will take more than Ember’s fledgling magic and Haiden’s superior training to lift both his curse and the lies holding her island captive. They’ll first have to learn to actually let each other in, which may prove the hardest sacrifice of all.
The Peaceweaver by Everly Haywood
An indentured healer. A doomed prince. A nightmarish curse.
When Persis Ophne travels to Gelaira to heal the dark elf prince, the young dune elf stumbles into a kingdom brimming with prejudice and treachery. Her oath—and heart—are further tested when her mistress orders her to kill Prince Haryk.
When she discovers the blind prince is under a malignant curse, she taps the deepest reserves of her sand magic to confront the sentient affliction devouring his body and soul. But trying to break Haryk’s curse unearths long-buried secrets and an ancient evil that threatens to consume the Shadewood Forest. Persis will have to choose how far she will go for the one who stole her heart.
Will Persis and Haryk’s forbidden love survive a powerful blight and bloody betrayals?
The Songbender by Everly Haywood
A secretive spy. A reluctant suitor. A sinister plot.
Margret Medallan longs to free her family from the clutches of a vile society, but cutting ties with her master would be a fatal mistake. Desperate, Margret reluctantly agrees to a fake engagement with a banished goblin prince, hoping to save her sisters from enslavement and possible death.
Kora Daemon can’t go home unless he rights the wrongs of his past and completes a dangerous, hopeless mission. But when he finds himself bound to a lovely but reluctant spy, the line between right and wrong blurs dangerously. Because now the city of Nestra balances on the edge of a knife…and one wrong move could destroy them all.
Will these lovestruck enemies put aside their differences or will they fall prey to a deadly enemy?
Chaos and Cadence by Constance Lopez
A half-elf woman with deadly magic. A mage hunting for his childhood friend. A bargain that will change everything.
Isarrel Dalmyar is too human for her elven home, and too elven to be accepted anywhere else. Banished after her human magic endangers two elves, she must learn how to control her chaotic power if she ever wants to return home.
Liam Galway’s loyalty to his king has always guided him, so when he’s ordered to find the missing mages of Makaria—including his childhood friend—he does so eagerly. But the sparse clues only hint at dark dealings that stretch far beyond their own borders.
When Isa begs Liam to train her, he has one condition: she must use her elven skills to help him find the mages. It should be a simple task—if Liam can put his duty before his heart… and if Isa’s magic doesn’t kill him in the process.
Reader Recommendations
Willow by Kayla Eshbaugh
Princess of Shadows by Shari L. Tapscott
The Golden Prince by Alice Ivinya
Thank you so much for reading! Do you have any sweet and swoony fantasy romance recommendations with the one bed trope? Which are your favorite? Tell me in the comments. Meanwhile, I hope you’ve found many new and fantastic reads!
Happy reading!
Alesha Adamson
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Alesha Adamson 