The best fantasy books to make you giggle and swoon

Why am I passionate about this?

Every morning when I sit at my computer, I’m reminded by a post-it note stuck to my monitor that my self-ordained purpose is to “bring readers joy.” Like many, I escaped into books as a child, and I’ve been seeking out stories that encapsulate wonder, delight, and, most importantly, love ever since. I began my self-publishing journey in 2020 and am thrilled to have found my place in the fantasy romance genre, writing romcoms with a heaping spoonful of ridiculous magic. I’ve written a number of standalone novels as well as a (sub)urban fantasy series, Vacancy, and a traditional fantasy romance series with a satirical twist, Villains & Virtues.


I wrote...

Throne in the Dark

By A.K. Caggiano,

Book cover of Throne in the Dark

What is my book about?

Dark lord, demon spawn, prophesied realm destroyer. With a demon for a father, Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne’s destiny could be nothing but nefarious, and with the completion of his most vicious spell, Damien is on the cusp of fulfilling the evil inevitability all of his dark machinations have led to.

And then, her. Bubbly, obnoxious, blonde. Harboring secrets of her own, a tiny yet troublesome thief calling herself Amma completely upsets Damien’s malevolent plans when she mistakenly gets chained to his side through magic, forcing him to drag her across the realm. Killing her would fix things, of course, but the nauseatingly sweet Amma proves herself useful on Damien's unholy crusade and then proves herself the source of something even more sinister: feelings.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Howl's Moving Castle

A.K. Caggiano Why did I love this book?

I don’t think I’ve ever been giddier than when I first read this book. Jones crafts a whimsical and cozy world that’s so easy to sink into again and again, and her sharp wit and droll observations always have me laughing from cover to cover.

Even under a curse, Sophie feels like a good friend with her humor and charm, and broody, flamboyant, spoiled wizard Howl is so frustrating on every page that I can’t help but utterly adore him. As a couple, they just have that warm and fuzzy 'It Factor' for me, and I find myself picking this book up at least once a year.

By Diana Wynne Jones,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked Howl's Moving Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Now an animated movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the oscar-winning director of Spirited Away

In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell...

Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls...

There Sophie meets Michael, Howl's apprentice, and Calcifer…


Book cover of Paladin's Grace

A.K. Caggiano Why did I love this book?

If he knits socks, he’s a keeper—that’s the most important thing I learned from this book. The second is that stepping on a severed head can really kill the mood, but pages filled with brawny sword-wielders who are struggling to balance their faith and their fervor can really make up for a whole mess of horrible murders.

Kingfisher’s World of the White Rat, which spans several growing series, perfectly blends sentimentality and humor. Every time I pick up one of these books, I feel like I’m being wrapped in a warm cloak (never mind that I probably need the cloak because of shock). This book had me laughing and swooning despite all the beheadings.

By T Kingfisher,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Paladin's Grace as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year…

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind…

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far…


Book cover of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

A.K. Caggiano Why did I love this book?

I didn’t know how badly I needed to read the journal of a Cambridge professor until I got ahold of this book. It helps that her area of study is faeries and that her academic rival and love interest is an eccentric, self-absorbed charmer of a “man” (see footnote: exiled fae) who ends up enraptured by his human.

This book is filled with genuinely beautiful prose that often topples over into ridiculousness, a perfect blend to make me devolve into chuckling while also falling in love with the characters and the spooky, wintery world they adventure through.

By Heather Fawcett,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.

“A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic.”—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is…


Book cover of Sorcery of Thorns

A.K. Caggiano Why did I love this book?

I’m a sucker for any book about books, and this one features a librarian who can speak with magical tomes—how much better does it get? Well, it gets quite a lot better when you throw in a demonically indebted sorcerer who’s as flirty as he is dangerous.

I devoured this book and wish I could read it for the first time all over again. Rogerson weaves a beautiful world that’s so easy to get swept up in, complete with a sword-wielding heroine.

By Margaret Rogerson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sorcery of Thorns as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer's Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery-magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library's most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy.…


Book cover of Contagion

A.K. Caggiano Why did I love this book?

This book should perhaps be classified as sci-fi, but hear me out: the bulk of this novella follows two characters, one who is technically supernatural (we just happen to call him an alien), as they break out of captivity and quest through a forest. That’s fantasy enough for me, and the syrupy sweetness of these two can overcome any hesitation over on-page, spacey jargon.

I’ve never read a book that so wholly gets into the head of a non-human species as this, and it also had me cracking up the entire time. Simmi, the alien in question, is a germaphobe, to put it lightly, but his partner in escaping, Aurora, is patient and kind with him, and the love that blossoms between them is kick-your-feet delightful.

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A Beggar's Bargain

By Jan Sikes,

Book cover of A Beggar's Bargain

Jan Sikes Author Of The Edge of Too Late

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Avid reader Lover of Music Astral Traveler Tarot Reader Grandmother

Jan's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Historical Fiction Post WW2.

A shocking proposal that changes everything.

Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.
Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time—a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.

But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?

Then, the banker makes an alternative proposition—marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.

Now, he has two years to make a living off the land while he shares his life with a stranger. If he fails at either, he’ll lose it all.

A Beggar's Bargain

By Jan Sikes,

What is this book about?

A shocking proposal that changes everything.

Desperate to honor his father's dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.

Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time-a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.

But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?

Then, the banker makes an…


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