Forced proximity is primarily a romance trope and is one of the best ways to create intimacy and allow the main characters to get to know each other–whether they want to or not. You don’t have to have the characters forced to be together to create a romance but for a true romance they do need to spend a good deal of time together. As readers we want to feel that romantic tension–the push and pull of their emotions as they get to know each other and begin to fall in love. We also love that comedic aspect when close becomes too close.
Forced proximity is especially delightful when the characters don’t actually want to spend time together. “Beauty and the Beast” is a classic example of this. Belle never would have chosen to stay with Beast of her own volition, but to save her father she decides to take up his debt and stay with Beast. This forces her to spend time with Beast giving them the opportunity they wouldn’t normally have to fall in love. It also leads to lots of delightful tension.
Understandably, forcing characters to spend time together seems to be an extremely popular trope and is one of my favorite things which is probably why I chose to do it for my first book The Dark King and the Eternal Dance.
Sweet & Swoony Retellings
I’m all about reading and sharing clean content. All of these books should remain sweet and clean giving you all the happy romantic feels with kisses that make you swoon, but without the explicit content. Fade to black should only occur if the characters are married and even then nothing is described. Swears and gore should be zero to mild. Some may contain fantasy violence.
I hope you can find some delightful new books to read!
Retellings I’ve Read and Loved:
The Dark King and the Eternal Dance by me, Alesha Adamson
An unwanted proposal. An unexpected curse. Will Rayna and her eleven sisters ever be free of the Dark King and this eternal dance?
Rayna is not usually the boldest of her sisters. However, when her eldest sister, Faelynn, seems ready to abandon her own happily ever after and accept the Dark King’s proposal, Rayna knows she must act and take drastic measures before someone gets hurt. Measures that just might cost her her heart.
Drake’s reputation as the Dark King precedes him—a reputation he doesn’t quite deserve. When the opportunity arises, Drake seizes the chance to barter for Princess Faelynn’s hand. Weaving his magic, he establishes a weekly ball to court his intended. After six months of rejection, something must change. He never anticipated finding Princess Rayna in his castle disrupting his quiet life.
Will he change directions and acknowledge his heart before it is too late? Or will he live up to his reputation as the Dark King, shattering more than one happily ever after?
As the Sun Sets by Stephanie Fowers
No one bothered to tell Daphne Starr that faerytales are real and because of it, she’s stuck in a beanstalk with a beast and a pricked finger. Daphne’s sister and stepsister are in big BIG trouble!
- It’s the third and final day
- Rumpelstiltskin plans to suck their powers dry
- The queen wants them dead
- The wolves switched sides
- The world is about to end
- And did they seriously expect to keep this all from Daphne?
Oh yeah, A LOT of trouble! Because Daphne Starr pricks her finger on a spindle, it awakens the power that was always within her. That’s a big time no-no! Now Rumpelstiltskin and some evil queen are after her. Even more annoying, the biggest player at Omak High is a shapeshifter and he goes beast on her, dragging her into a beanstalk and getting them stuck in a time-warp. He won’t stop asking her to marry him to get to her powers. I mean, give up already! Sure, it’s cool when she scores matching boots with the weirdo cat, and some cute faery guy accidentally tags along for the ride, but . . .Enough is enough already!Halley and Bridgette had better get her out of this—especially since she only has until the battery runs out of her cell phone before she loses . . . to a beast.”Will it be happily ever after or the end?”
Identity by Camille Peters
Anwen’s uncanny resemblance to Princess Lavena has been a curse since the moment she entered her service, as the spoiled princess has frequently used it to her advantage by forcing Anwen to switch places with her. But Princess Lavena’s latest scheme is her worst—and most dangerous—yet: compelling Anwen to take the princess’s place in her marriage to her loathed fiancé, Prince Liam.
Bound by an enchanted contract not to reveal the charade, Anwen is forced to go through with the masquerade and endure a marriage to a man who despises the woman he believes her to be. As time goes on, Anwen struggles not only to maintain her identity, but to fight her deepening feelings as she begins to fall in love with her new husband, a man who not only isn’t hers to keep, but who has no idea who she really is.
Turret by Camille Peters
Princess Gemma has been trapped for years within a magical turret, a fate she deems fitting for a sickly princess with little purpose. The enchanted walls offer security, which she’d do anything to maintain, for though she knows she should want to escape, her prison seems far safer than the outside world. But the magic of the tower has begun to fade, bringing with it not only unpredictable dangers but the very real possibility that soon Gemma will be forced to leave the prison she’s grown to trust.
The tower’s shifting magic isn’t the only thing changing, for the longer Gemma spends with her faithful guard, Quinn, the more she realizes that her feelings for him are inappropriate for one of her royal status. But the deeper her feelings for her guard grow, the more Gemma yearns not only to escape the tower in order to see more of the world beyond, but to break through the walls she’s built around herself.
But even if she finds the courage to fight for the life she wants—one filled with possibilities far more beautiful than she’s ever allowed herself to imagine—there’s one final obstacle for her to overcome…for she’s not the only one who has created walls. Though she’s striving to lower hers in order to allow her guard in, Quinn is determined to protect her from his devastating secret by keeping her out.
Hunting Sirens by Mary Mecheam
She was destined to hunt sirens to extinction… but can she complete her mission before one of them captures her heart?
Trapped on an island nation and surrounded by bloodthirsty sirens, the starving people of Haven Harbor are losing hope. Treva, a Deaf blacksmith immune to the tempting call of the sirens lurking in the deep, steps into the perilous role of Siren Hunter. If she can rid the waters of enough sirens, her people could be free at last.
Unbeknownst to her, another creature dwells in the sea, even more ferocious than the dreaded sirens. When Treva faces the monster and loses, her life is saved by a handsome siren who has no voice. Can mortal enemies set their differences aside long enough to unite their nations? Or will Treva ignore her growing feelings and finish what she started?
Treva is certain of one thing—that the famed Siren Hunter of Haven Harbor would never fall for one of her prey.
Kingdom of Beauty by Deborah Grace White
Peasant girls don’t mingle with dragons, princes, and beastly curses…or so Felicity thought
After a lifetime with a grief-stricken father and a self-absorbed brother, Felicity isn’t daunted by sacrifice. But when protecting her father means falling afoul of the curse that has swallowed the Summer Castle, and Prince Justin along with it, her own safety is not all that’s at stake. The prince’s monstrous form is the least of her concerns—the whole castle has been trapped by his pride, and his absence from the capital is driving the kingdom to ruin.
Justin was born to be a king, not a beast. Between the inhuman coldness he learned from his father, the humiliation of his cursed form, and his powerlessness against his hidden enemies back in the capital, laughter is the last thing on his mind. But even though she’s a prisoner, nothing seems to dampen the intruder’s maddening cheerfulness. Justin has to break his curse, and he needs someone like Felicity to do it. But as she begins to thaw the ice around his heart, he discovers her past is not what it seems.
With time running out, not just for the castle’s inhabitants, but for the kingdom of Albury, they will need more than the help of a dragon to break the curse and prevent disaster before it’s too late. But for all Felicity’s warmth and laughter, even she could never look at Justin and like what she sees.
Could she?
TBR Retellings:
Shadow and Thorn by Kenley Davidson
When a beautiful thief meets a beastly king, it’s anything but true love.
Unless a haunted castle can change their minds…
Zara has always hated to steal, even from the dead, but treasure hunting is the only life she knows—until her father’s cowardice traps her in an abandoned Erathi castle. She soon discovers that her new home is far less empty than she once believed, and far more dangerous than she could ever have predicted.
Alexei is king of a forgotten kingdom—its people dead or enslaved, and the magic that once protected it lost to all but memory. His only hope to save those few who remain is to return to the place where Erath fell, and brave the shadowed halls of a castle that echoes with the ghosts of his past.
When their paths collide, Alexei and Zara may both have a chance to atone for past mistakes… unless they kill each other first. Brought together by a castle, a cat, and a crew of allies both expected and unexpected, they will plumb the depths of an unimaginable betrayal and forge the foundations of a love they would risk anything to keep.
Thorns of a Princess by Kassidy Kameron
Finnan wants nothing more than to join the kingdom’s guard and leave sheep-herding behind forever. All he must do is perform a deed heroic enough to be recognized by the king. His search brings him to the middle of the forest, where he stumbles across a maiden living in a tower with no doors. She claims to be the missing princess of Aelia and assures him that her father will knight him if he aids in freeing her from her curse. Could it be so simple?
Princess Rapunzel has been living alone in her tower for six years, convinced this will be her life forevermore. She could never travel to the Enchantress’s cottage to break her curse on her own. It’s hopeless. Until a handsome stranger appears at the base of her tower and offers to be her guide across the Esper Sea.
Will she be able to make it to the Enchantress without her curse hurting anyone? And will the Enchantress even be able to help? Or will this curse endlessly come between her and those she loves?
The Scarlet Rose by Valia Lind
A mafia heiress. A desperate bargain. A cursed wolf prince without hope.
Nikita has one goal in life: to take her father’s place in the Bratva syndicate. While her sisters want nothing more than advantageous marriages to wealthy men, Nikita wants control of her own life.
But when her father is tricked into a bargain with Gavriil, the prince of Skazka, to protect her family’s legacy, Nikita has no choice but to steal the portal ring and take his place.
Within the walls of the castle, she finds a spoiled royal, hallways filled with strange statues, and a magic she didn’t know existed.
Tasked with finding a way to break the curse, Nikita spends hours pouring over ancient texts, looking for answers — and a way out.
Her one reprieve is her music. After finding the hidden piano room, she takes her refuge there. Soon, so does Gavriil. Suddenly, the broody enemy is becoming a friend—or something more.
Passions ignite and Nikita must do all she can to save the prince and his people from the curse that could destroy them.
Time is running out. Each day, Gavriil turns more and more into a wolf, losing his human emotions and memories.
If Nikita can’t break the curse, there will be no trace of Gavriil left, and he’ll become the monster he’s always feared himself to be—forfeiting his humanity, and heart, forever.
Of Curses and Beauty by Elle Backenstoe
One curse to bring them together.
One kiss to tear them apart.
All her life, Alaine has suffered the weight of her beauty and she is tired of it. When an unexpected debt threatens her family, Alaine is urged to accept a lucrative marriage to her worst nightmare. She flees to the nearby forest and encounters a witch that offers to help her. The last thing Alaine expects is to be taken away, stripped of her beauty, and abandoned at a curious cottage with no way out.
Daric has been cursed for centuries when a strange young woman wanders into his secluded corner of the woods, claiming to be a lost beauty. For years, his only goal had been to escape the enchanted cottage and exact revenge against the witch that ensnared him. But sharing his curse with Alaine might not be so bad, especially if she’s the one that can break it.
Daric yearns to see them both free. Alaine knows her family is counting on her, but as her reluctant friendship with Daric blossoms into something more, she must decide if saving her parents is worth losing him and returning to the marriage she escaped.
Princess of Roses by A.G. Marshall
A beastly prince. A beautiful servant. Can two imperfect souls learn to love before the last petal falls? When a kraken attack leaves her family destitute, Rosemary Mercer strikes a bargain. She will serve Prince Darian for a year to erase her father’s debts. But there is more at stake than money, and the prince’s beastly curse changes more than his appearance. Can Rosemary uphold her end of the bargain without getting caught in the spell herself? A lifetime of selfishness and pride has cost Prince Darian his humanity, his throne, and the means to make it right. As shadows gather around his kingdom, his only hope for redemption is the brave servant who refuses to be intimidated by his monstrous form. But would she still help him if she were free to leave?
Can Rosemary and Darian see past appearances and find the beauty within themselves? Or will they be torn apart by a plot much bigger than an evil curse?
The Dark Prince’s Choice by Katelyn Daliath
What if Cinderella was a princess and Prince Charming invaded her kingdom?
Returning to her home-kingdom after ten long years of the dark prince and his father’s invasion, the crownless princess Austrella is quite unrecognisable even to her family. She finds herself a job in her uncle—the duke’s house, under a new identity, and begin a new life when she learns about the yearly ball hosted at the palace for the prince. Austrella grabs this opportunity and makes it to the ball—just to see her old home.
But what unfolds when the dark prince choses Austrella as his bride? How will Austrella escape the fate that bounds her to the one who is the source of all her problems? Can she tolerate being with someone who overthrew her family, killed her brother, and usurped her father’s throne, without risking her true identity?
Bearly Free by Abigail Manning
A runaway bride finds her way into an abandoned manor…
A Retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Lady Aurelia Lockly has finally turned sixteen and hopes that her parents may finally loosen the reins on her position as a proper lady. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case; instead of gaining respect, she gains an arranged marriage with a complete stranger. Despite Aurelia’s lack of consent, her parents pursue the engagement, anyway. After all, it would benefit the family business fabulously…
Not wanting to be forced into the role of a pretentious wife, Aurelia makes a run for it. Luckily enough, she comes across an abandoned estate that would be perfect for hiding in… That is, it would be, if it was actually abandoned.
Can Aurelia escape without being sent back home? Or will her mysterious new hosts send her running for other reasons? With the aid of a young lord and a rather fluffy new companion, Aurelia will hide, race, and fight her way to freedom. But can she escape what she was born into?
Emmazel by Kendra E. Ardnek
Love potions aren’t that terrible, now are they?
Emmazel lives in a tower with her father and a talking cat named Night, and, much to her father’s chagrin, keeps marrying off her companions to the princes and lords who try to rescue her.
That is, until the prince she choses for her newest companion, Heather, changes everything…
To Destroy an Illusion by Kendra E. Ardnek
Surrounded by glass and glamour, how can you know what’s real?
Now
Isobel’s life is perfect – as long as she doesn’t look too closely at the cracks in the glass. Yet, it’s a lonely life, so when a charming young man takes the place of her reflection and speaks with her, she’s glad for the companionship, even if his secrets threaten to topple everything she knows. Just how did she come to live in this glass palace?
Before
Kieran might play the part of the roguish younger prince, but he takes seriously his role as the last line of defense against threats to his parents and brother. When Lothilla brings her goddaughter to court wrapped in too much glamour, and his brother falls for the girl too quickly, he knows that something must be wrong. But what can he do against the power of an elder fae?
Secrets and mystery abound, and who knows the truth under the perfection? What will stay standing when the illusion is destroyed?
Rose Gate by Hanna Sandvig
Once upon a time, a human girl was kidnapped by a fae prince…for her own good.
I was just minding my own business in the woods. At night. As you do when your family is as messed up as mine. When I was rudely abducted to Faerie by a grizzly bear.
Okay, so he’s actually a cursed fae prince named Leith. And yes, he did technically save me from the creepily intelligent wolves that were chasing me down. But now I’m trapped at his castle until they go away, and this prince is far from charming, what with the missing eye, and the curse, and did he cut his own hair with a sword?
I suppose it could be worse. Yes, the castle and it’s inhabitants have been cursed by the Unseelie Queen, but I don’t have a fox handmaiden back home to braid my hair every day. Or dresses that shimmer like starlight. And maybe the prince isn’t so bad, when he’s not growling at me. He might even be handsome under those scars.
But that’s besides the point. I’m going to figure out the curse this castle is under, save my new friends, and get back home before I lose my heart to this beast of a prince.
Until then, I hope there’s at least a decent library somewhere in this castle.
Cat’s Gambit by Kimberly A. Rogers
Trusting a talking cat was perhaps the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard of . . .
Helena Sheppard always prided herself on keeping a level head. But when she gives up the flock of sheep meant to be her dowry to preserve her younger sister’s happiness, she accepts a cat to appease her family despite the impracticality. When the cat starts talking and insisting on an adventure, Helena finds her path taking rather unexpected turns.
Cursed by a dragoness nearly a century ago, Reed hasn’t spoken to a human in nearly as long. When Helena proves herself worthy, he grows determined to see the former shepherdess properly rewarded even if it means leading her to Carabas and encouraging her to accept the attentions of a nice knight.
But when they discover a dragon in Carabas, what will it cost to save the people and the kingdom?
A fantasy retelling of the classic fairytale, Puss in Boots
Gryphon’s Sister by Kimberly A.Rogers
The curse stole her voice, but breaking it may cost everything she holds dear.
Hidden in the northern mountains, Sybil longs for the day when their curse will be broken. Life with only gryphons as company is not easy. She knows that she is the key to returning her brothers to their human forms but doing so may be impossible. Then everything changes when she saves a stranger.
Damian is a hunted man. When he makes the mistake of trying to protect a mysterious and silent girl, his fate takes an unexpected turn. A foreigner, he’s lived on the run for years. As he grows closer to Sybil, he discovers she doesn’t need a voice to speak. However, he cannot forget his haunted past and the gryphons she claims as brothers are eager to see him gone.
With danger closing in on all sides, will Sybil be forced to sacrifice something greater than her voice?
Dancer by Kimberly A. Rogers
A desperate attempt to save a child demands sacrifice.
Imani Tanzer is the closest her young brother has to a mother. When he falls ill due to a vengeful dragoness, it seems almost impossible to save him. Yet when she hears rumors of a dragon healer, Imani risks seeking him out. The dragon gives her a sliver of hope—the curse can be transferred but she and her sisters must leave their family behind forever.
William left behind his painful past when he agreed to be the huntsman and companion to the golden dragon. When his master binds three sisters in service to him, the last thing William expected was to grow to care for the eldest, Imani. Yet as the years pass and the sisters perform their nightly dances, he finds himself loving from afar.
When the curse turns dark, will love be strong enough to save them all?
A fantasy retelling of the classic fairytale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Clean romance, adventure, and humor combine to bring classic fairytales and myths to new life in Love’s Enchanted Tales, a series of interconnected stand-alone stories. Each story can be read and enjoyed on its own. However, for greatest enjoyment they should be read in order.
Dragon’s Fire by Kimberly A. Rogers
They survived one curse, breaking another could burn them.
Thalassa and Alina spent one hundred years dancing for a golden dragon. With their elder sister and her huntsman venturing north, they are left to figure out a new place in life. One that might not involve dragons. However, when the dragons are attacked by a shadowy cabal, the sisters choose to join a quest to root out the organization before it can bring war back to the Five Kingdoms.
Lore spent over a century alone save for his human companions, the huntsman and three sisters. A healer and curse breaker, he closed away his emotions after unimaginable loss until one of the sisters dared challenge his rule of detachment. Something he cannot allow. When he discovers an old enemy is involved with the cabal attack, he agrees to help break the cabal’s schemes in hopes the dancer wrapping her fingers around his heart will fall for another.
Their quest becomes more perilous when the cabal uses magic to separate the group and curse the dragons to madness. Thalassa and Alina must each fight for their dragon’s mind. But to survive this curse, they must unlock the secrets of their own heritage before everyone succumbs to dragon’s fire.
A fantasy retelling of the classic fairytale, Snow White and Rose Red
Feather of snow by Alice Ivinya
In Brianna’s new world of ice and snow, the coldest things by far are the eyes of her betrothed…
Brianna bears a deadly secret: she’s not the princess she is pretending to be. If the prince finds out, her life will be forfeit and her country plunged into war.But there is more to the icy prince than meets the eye, and Brianna slowly unravels the secrets of his dark past while surviving in a strange culture.
However her goodness and wit will only get her so far. Terrifying beasts stalk the border and a murderer is at work in the town. They know the truth of Brianna’s identity and will stop at nothing to destroy all she has fought for.
Willow and the Harvest Moon by Kayla Eshbaugh
She’s the shunned, strange and unwanted maiden living alone in the woods. He’s the noble, handsome, and highly eligible personal knight of the King. So why is he always seeking her out?
Willow is familiar with the unkind words of others. With her ugly and undesirable grey-white hair and black eyes, the villagers never tire of their mocking. Only one person has ever been kind to her–Sir Thomas. Despite her intense attraction to the kind and handsome knight, Willow knows he could never want her–the cursed outcast with the strange ability to speak with animals.
When Thomas takes a walk in the woods on a cool autumn day, he never imagines finding the mythical Westwoods–woods he only knows from bedtime stories told to children. After becoming stranded, he is relieved when Willow stumbles upon him. As they wait out a storm together in a small cave, their feelings for one another can no longer be denied.
As they emerge from the cave and search for a way out of the woods, Willow starts to wonder if she could belong with Thomas. Could someone truly want her? However, when they discover secrets about Willow’s true identity, their budding relationship is threatened. Will discovering her past change whatever seems to be forming between them faster than a leaf falling to the forest floor? Or is belonging more than being accepted by others, but accepting one’s self?
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?
Charlotte and the Cosy Cottage by Abigail Manning
She’s a con artist who’s ready to start fresh. He’s her last target before she’s placed under house arrest. What will happen when he pays her a visit in her new prison?
Charlotte Chryses has spent enough time pick-pocketing and thieving to know that it’s not the life she wants, but her father doesn’t feel the same. Her illusion magic is far too useful for her father to let her leave the family trade. She could always run away, but that becomes more difficult when one of her father’s tricks offends the king.
With no other way to keep himself out from behind bars, Charlotte’s father convinces the king that his daughter’s magic is capable of turning common items into gold. This intrigues the king just enough to place her on house arrest with instructions to transmute whatever he brings her, but how is she meant to fool the king when her magic can only cast illusions?
With her freedom and her father on the line, Charlotte finds help in the most unlikely of guests when her solitude is interrupted by a former victim of her thievery. With only a weak form of magic, a strange new companion, and one very fat cat, Charlotte must find her way out of the cottage and out of the life that holds her trapped. Will she ever be free of her cozy prison? Or will she end up in a cell that’s far colder?
A Theiving Curse by Selina R. Gonzalez
She must marry a prince for the good of her kingdom…but the man cursed with dragon features who saved her life is the wrong prince.
Raelyn would love a simple life getting up to mischief with her brother and being valued for herself, not her title, but she’s a princess with the weight of a peace treaty on her shoulders.
When Raelyn gets separated from her family on the way to her arranged marriage to the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom, she is saved by a beast…
But now he won’t let her leave.
Not only does the monster claim to be Alexander, the rightful crown prince living in hiding, but he refuses to escort her back to her family. Trapped in dangerous mountains with an infuriating, fire-breathing dragon-man, Raelyn fears for the future of her kingdom and the safety of her family.
And yet…
The kindness of the cursed prince’s human friends surprises her. When Alexander reveals the shocking truth of his curse, she begins to see past the monstrous exterior to the prince’s human heart. But will Raelyn have the courage to admit her growing love for a cursed man? And will her family manage to salvage the treaty when they think her dead?
Greek Mythology:
The Dark King and the Eternal Dance by me, Alesha Adamson
An unwanted proposal. An unexpected curse. Will Rayna and her eleven sisters ever be free of the Dark King and this eternal dance?
Rayna is not usually the boldest of her sisters. However, when her eldest sister, Faelynn, seems ready to abandon her own happily ever after and accept the Dark King’s proposal, Rayna knows she must act and take drastic measures before someone gets hurt. Measures that just might cost her her heart.
Drake’s reputation as the Dark King precedes him—a reputation he doesn’t quite deserve. When the opportunity arises, Drake seizes the chance to barter for Princess Faelynn’s hand. Weaving his magic, he establishes a weekly ball to court his intended. After six months of rejection, something must change. He never anticipated finding Princess Rayna in his castle disrupting his quiet life.
Will he change directions and acknowledge his heart before it is too late? Or will he live up to his reputation as the Dark King, shattering more than one happily ever after?
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?
With Soil and Flame by Kimberly A. Rogers
A Son of Zeus
A Lost Warrior
A Love Stronger than Mountains
Hercules, son of Zeus, has no place. The eldest son of the Storm King lost his home, his name, and his family in a fit of madness. A madness he fears will emerge once more.
An earth elemental with the strength of mountains, he hides from his father’s schemes by staying far away from elemental strongholds. Wandering the land as a warrior for hire is a small penance for his past. But when a fire elemental asks him to save her village, he risks being rediscovered by the Storm King.
Deianeira calls to his heart. A call he must resist. Battling monsters is easier than risking the return of his madness. But when an act of treachery endangers Deianeira, Hercules will do anything to save her.
A romantic fantasy inspired by the classic myths of Hercules
Of Heat and Springs by Kimberly A. Rogers
A Daughter of Zeus
A Loyal Servant
A Love Daring to Rebel
Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the ultimate strategist. Her mind is her greatest strength in surviving the Storm King’s court. And she proves it by being her father’s most loyal child. Until the day she fails a mission.
Desperate to regain her place, Athena obeys Zeus’ command to bring a recalcitrant weapon smith to heel. Hephaestus of the fire elementals is the greatest weapon smith known to elementals and he is infuriating. Athena’s strength lies in her mind but crossing a water elemental risks drowning. When Hephaestus challenges her loyalty to the Storm King, she thinks she can handle any scheme.
A smith with a magnificent mind is not what she expected. But when they are both accused of disloyalty, Athena faces the most challenging choice of her life. Stay loyal to the father she cannot trust. Or, rely on an unexpected bond and rebel.
A romantic fantasy inspired by the classic myths of Athena and Hephaestus
Fantasy Romance:
Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice by C.F.E Black
All Vera wants is to survive her wedding day without disaster striking, no easy task for a quarter-mage like Vera. But all her hopes fade when a stranger traps Vera, claiming she’s dangerous. The day gets worse when she is shoved inside the Labyrinth, an enchanted prison for the worst of criminals.
In this place, madness reigns. The monsters—both real and imagined—are all ruled by a terrible force that feeds on fear. Vera must keep her wits about her as she navigates this deadly place, searching for a way out.
When she meets another mortal trapped within, she doesn’t know if she can trust him. But as their paths continue to cross, it seems as if the maze is forcing them to work together. Can they help each other defeat the monsters and survive in this nightmare world? But in the Labyrinth, nothing is as it seems.
Blade of Ash by C.F.E Black
A cursed king. A hunted sorceress. A mad plan for survival.
Newly crowned, Red blames one person for his father’s murder: the secret sorceress sworn to protect the king.
Alyana Barron, Royal Sorcerer to the throne of Tandera, has been hiding from a dangerous enemy bent on destroying her magic–and Red’s rash behavior has just told her enemy where to find her.
When Red activates a hidden curse, he must rely on Aly for survival, but Aly’s magic is tied directly to his wellbeing. As the curse drains his life, it weakens her magic as well.
Fighting for survival, their lives entwine in ways neither of them expected. To find a cure, they must put aside their mutual distrust and work together, but the closer they get to a solution, the nearer they step toward death, for the path to the cure is as dangerous as the curse itself.
Crown of Dust by C.F.E Black
The enemy is dead. The battle has only just begun.
Red and Aly thought they had eliminated the greatest to their lives, but as they return from their trip north, a new enemy rises from within their own ranks, threatening to rip Red and Aly apart.
Lord Benedict Alexander has a distant claim to the throne, and he will do everything in his power to usurp Red’s rule before the official coronation at summer’s end. Convinced Red was corrupted by his trip into the Canyon, Lord Alexander fights to destroy Red’s kingship, and with it, Red’s Binding to Aly.
Now Red must earn the trust of his countrymen, not only to retain his throne and continue his fight against Kassia and the Canyon, but to keep Aly as well, for Aly is bound to serve the crown, no matter who wears it.
Fight for the crown. Fight for love. Or lose them both.
Secrets of the Desert by Anabelle Raven
Tana was ready to be the crown princess. She was not ready to lose her father and save her home.
Keegan had left his home to run away from his past, but he cannot escape his heritage or his mistakes.
As the two fight to save Heimat Draz, they discover they must learn to trust both themselves and each other, because a lot more than just Tana’s kingdom is at risk. If they cannot defeat the evil spreading, all of Sandig Skaa will be destroyed.
Of Stormlarks and Silence by Constance Lopez
To kill the prince, she must first kill her heart.
Princess Riona was eight when the Revonian king murdered her family and conquered her kingdom with a mysterious magic. She has spent the last decade training—and waiting for her moment to avenge them all and reclaim her rightful title.
Now that the king is ailing, Riona secures a position within the Revonian royal palace. Her goals? Get close to the prince. Kill him. Uncover Revon’s secret magic. Make the king suffer. Only then can she take back her country.
But the closer she gets to the prince, the more he surprises her with kindness, honor, and wit. He is nothing like his cruel father. Worse yet, he sees right through to her heart. When she planned this assassination, her heart didn’t factor in.
And now it’s about to ruin all her plans.
Elves:
In Darkness Forged by Kenley Davidson
In a land of darkness and deadly adversaries…
He might just be the deadliest one of all.
Burdened by a debt she can never hope to repay, Aislin is sent by her cruel lord to the mysterious land of Dunmaren, where she must beg the night elves for a single favor. The shapeshifters demand a steep price, but Aislin will do anything to save her family—even travel alone into a nightmare forest filled with monsters.
Except she isn’t quite alone…
Talyn’s magic is as deadly as his blades, but he lives only for his chance at revenge. Betrayed and imprisoned by his night elf kin, his only hope of freedom is to serve as guide and bodyguard to a human woman foolish enough to enter the perilous depths of the Darkspring.
Talyn wants nothing to do with a weak and useless human. In Dunmaren, only the strong survive, and soft things are easily broken. But Aislin defies his expectations at every turn, and what he once believed to be weakness might just prove the key to their survival.
In the shadows beneath the earth, an unlikely bond is forged between the renegade night elf and the fiercely determined human. But few ever return from the depths, and it will take more than stubbornness and steel to defeat the enemy that awaits them at the very heart of the Darkspring.
The Elven Spymaster’s Thief by Elisa Rae
In a world full of elves, woodwose, gargoyles, and brownies among others, humans can’t help crossing paths with all of the magical species. Well, everyone except Avril. She manages to avoid all elves. Then one day, her master orders her to steal a dagger from the very elf she wishes to evade most, the elven spymaster of Eldarlan. Bound by her indenture, she has no choice but to obey. She plans a swift sneak-and-grab mission, but things go awry.
Illeron knows more than any elf should. The gathering, analyzing, and disseminating of information consumes his life to the point his brother suggests he needs a distraction. So, when a human woman breaks into his study to steal his dagger, he seizes the opportunity and offers her a bargain she can’t refuse. And a fate he never imagined.
The Elven Healer’s Apprentice by Elisa Rae
Merlon, the king of Eldarlan’s healer, hides his soft heart beneath a prickly exterior. Despite a traumatic childhood, he strives to excel as a healer and an elf. But he gets more than he bargained for when he rescues a human woman from certain death right before being snared in the curse put on the king of Eldarlan.
Left to fend for herself in an absent elf healer’s compound, Adela tries to be useful. The patients call her the healer’s apprentice. Something the healer rejects when he finally returns. Despite his grumpy manner, the healer displays a strange mixture of kindness and care. Intrigued, Adela suspects the healer hides more than he reveals.
Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce
Essie would do anything for her kingdom…even marry an elf prince she just met that morning.
The human kingdom of Escarland and the elven kingdom of Tarenhiel have existed in an uneasy peace after their last wars ended with both kings dead. As tensions rise once again, desperate diplomacy might be the only way to avert war. If only negotiations between elves and humans were that simple.
When a diplomatic meeting goes horribly wrong, Essie, a human princess, finds herself married to the elf prince and warrior Laesornysh. Fitting in to the serene, quiet elf culture might be a little difficult for this talkative princess, but she’s determined to make it work.
With impending war and tenuous alliances, it will be up to Essie to unite her two peoples. And maybe get her hands on elven conditioner while she’s at it.
Paranormal Fantasy:
The Marriage Spell by Jayna Morrow
In the quaint, cliffside town of Overton Heights, FIONA—a real-life witch masquerading as a stage magician—steps into the spotlight and spies the one man capable of destroying the stable life (and cover) she’s built for herself and her half-mundane daughter: a social media superstar famous for debunking people with paranormal abilities. Fiona casts a malfunction spell to stop him. But like many of her spells, the muddled magic leads to bigger problems.
ARTHUR hates magicians and ghost hunters and fortune tellers, anyone with so-called paranormal abilities. They make a living by deceiving others, so he earns his by exposing them for frauds. His father had been a magician, and the only real magic he’d performed was a disappearing act when he’d vanished from his life forever. On the agenda tonight is the smoking hot Fiona the Ice Magician, only he can’t record the show because everything he touches breaks. A trip to his van to retrieve another pen lands him—headfirst—into a more dire situation.
Sprawled across the rocks at the bottom of a cliff, Fiona discovers Arthur’s unconscious body and uses magic to save the dude in distress. When he wakes, witnesses real magic, and threatens to expose her, Fiona administers two hours’ worth of an Amnesia Ambrosia to make him forget, but in the struggle, he bites her finger, drawing blood, and the spell is reversed. He wakes with a full set of memories of a happy life with Fiona and her daughter, HAYLEE. Spelled into a fake marriage, Fiona must play house with the enemy until a counter spell can be found. Until then, magic and mayhem unfold as she makes him pay for his misdeeds. Can she pretend to be married to the enemy without falling for him?
The Dragon’s Billionaire Rival by Kimberly A. Rogers
A dragon billionaire. The heiress of a rival company. They agree on nothing. When their companies are required to collaborate, will their rivalry blind them to something better than business?
Peter Krall is the charming one among his circle of friends. He knows his place in the family business of running one of the country’s preeminent PR firms. Lead with his charm and neither business rivals nor women resist for long. With one notable exception—the new VP of Communications for a rival paranormal PR firm.
Rebecca Halliman has always fought to prove herself worthy of being adopted into the Halliman legacy. Burying the truth about her half-siren was part of that battle. The other was earning her way through the ranks of her father’s company. Newly appointed to VP of Communications, she faces her greatest challenge when a high profile meeting between human and paranormal politicians requires her to work with her playboy rival.
The rivals could be a dream team in the making in and out of the board room. If they can ever have a conversation without arguing. However, when secrets threaten to break their temporary alliance as well as their companies, Peter and Rebecca could lose everything unless they choose to take a chance on each other.
Thank you so much for reading. I’d love to hear about any sweet and swoony fantasy romance forced proximity books you’ve read. Drop your recommendations and favorites in the comments. Meanwhile, I hope you’ve found many new and fantastic reads! If you enjoyed this list and would like to receive more be sure to join my newsletter by subscribing with the link below.
Happy reading!
Alesha Adamson
Alesha Adamson 