Recent Reads: Dark Romantasy & Alien Love Interests
Howdy, all!
It’s been a minute—I’ve been meaning to write, but life got in the way. I still haven’t had the chance to share my all-time favorite book or compile that list of time travel romances (one day, I promise!). But today, I want to talk about something unexpected: my newfound love for dark romantasy and alien romances.
To be honest, I wasn’t into either at first. I used to be more of a paranormal, light-hearted, chick-lit kind of reader. What changed? Well... I made a new friend—Stephanie, queen of dark romantasy—and she gently (okay, relentlessly) nudged me into the genre. At first, I resisted. I didn’t have the patience for all that worldbuilding before the romance kicked in.
But then I discovered audiobooks. Game changer. Listening helped me stick with the setup, and now I actually appreciate the slow burn—the tension is juicier because of all that worldbuilding.
Oh! And let’s not forget alien romances. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about falling for someone with a non-human body that’s oddly... compelling. I’m into it. Deeply.
Anyway, here’s a list of dark romantasy and alien romances I’ve been reading lately:
🌒 Dark Romantasy
Eternal Reign (Age of Vampires Book 1) – currently on Book 4
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening – still working through Book 1
Quicksilver: The Fae & Alchemy Series, Book 1 – I loved this! Not quite as dark as Zodiac or Eternal Reign, but I’m hooked. Can’t wait for Book 2
Kingdom of the Wicked – Finished the trilogy! A friend also recommended the bonus book, so that’s on my radar
Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) – currently on Book 2
If you haven’t heard of Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (authors of Zodiac Academy), they’re basically royalty in the dark romantasy world.
👽 Alien Romance
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Saving Askara – up to Book 3 on my TBR
HomeBound by Lydia Hope
And a couple more whose names I forgot (I’ll track them down eventually—maybe)
So there you have it! If you’ve got recs (especially audiobooks), drop them my way.
—Lesley 💫📚👾
