Seven I am behind on, three I have not started. Be gentle.
This post is part of Top Ten Tuesday, the weekly bookish linkup hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl at thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday where book bloggers everywhere answer the same prompt each week. This week we are talking about series we want to catch up on, or series we would like to start, and I want it on record that this prompt is a personal attack.
I maintain a fantasy romance database with 750+ titles in it. I have opinions about book four of things I have not read book three of. And yet here I am, three books behind on at least four series, with a hardcover I have publicly called a favorite still sitting on the shelf, spine uncracked. If you want properly finished stories instead, our best romantasy series to binge list is right there and it will not judge you. This post will.
The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros. I read Fourth Wing in three days, read Iron Flame in four, and then Onyx Storm arrived and I got scared. Violet Sorrengail deserves better than a reader who flinches. This is the series that pulled half of BookTok into dragon rider fantasy romance, and I am the one holding up the line. With the surprise Empyrean book landing September 29, the series guide and I have an appointment.
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. Bryce Quinlan, Hunt Athalar, and a city I want to move to despite the body count. I keep not starting House of Flame and Shadow, because the moment I do, there is nothing left to save. If you are starting fresh, the Crescent City reading order is on the shelf.
Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Poppy and Casteel, five books deep on our shelf, and I stalled after The War of Two Queens for no defensible reason. My copy still has a bookmark in it from a holiday two summers ago. The Blood and Ash series page says there are six now. Six.
The Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent. The Serpent and the Wings of Night gave me Oraya, Raihn, and a vampire tournament I still think about at odd hours. The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King has been staring at me for months, and the Crowns of Nyaxia in order only makes the staring worse. If you want more of that flavor, our vampire romantasy books shelf is a hazard.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Saeris and Kingfisher, a 5 out of 5 on our book spice ratings, and the sequel Brimstone landed last November. I have not opened it. I have simply looked at it, repeatedly, like it might start itself.
Moonfall by Sarah A. Parker. When the Moon Hatched has the most inventive worldbuilding of the last five years and I will keep saying so loudly. The Ballad of Falling Dragons came out in February, Raeve is presumably still furious about something, and I would like to find out what.
Prince of Sin by Kerri Maniscalco. Throne of the Fallen gave us Camilla and the Prince of Envy, then Throne of Secrets handed the story to Gabriel Axton. I have read the first one twice and the second one zero times, which is a choice I cannot defend.
Violet Sorrengail was meant to become a scribe until her commanding general mother orders her to enter the dragon rider academy. She must survive deadly competition and paranormal creatures while uncovering dangerous secrets. As her world expands, so does her capacity for power and love.
The third book in the Empyrean series hits hard. Dragons, found family, enemies-to-lovers, and enough plot twists to break your heart.
Bryce stands at the center of an escalating war between worlds, magic systems, and forces she barely understands. Her choices ripple across her destiny, her loves, and the fate of everyone she knows. The stakes have never been higher.
The kingdoms are at war, and Poppy and Casteel are caught between love and duty. As old enemies resurface and new conspiracies play out, their bond is tested in brutal ways. Victory demands sacrifices no one is prepared to make.
A paranormal romance where danger and supernatural passion collide in a world of ancient magic and forbidden connection. Two souls bound by fate and danger discover their bond might be their only salvation. Love here means accepting the darkness within and without.
The second book deepens vampire mythology while Isolde and Adrian deal with high-stakes political intrigue within their supernatural world. Ancient rivalries clash with modern ambitions as power shifts dangerously between kingdoms. Vampires, curses, and forbidden connection drive this dark continuation.
A morally gray hero draws a woman into his dangerous supernatural world with no escape, igniting dark attraction and forbidden connection. Power imbalance and danger create obsessive romance. She discovers that love with such a man is both salvation and ruin.
The sequel to Quicksilver intensifies the dark passion and moral complexity between its dangerous lovers. Secrets, betrayal, and obsessive love test their bond in devastating ways. Passion burns brighter than ever, even as it threatens to consume them.
Speck discovers a mythical world where dragons hatch from the lunar sky, and she finds herself caught between protectors and hunters. The warrior who finds her is complex and dangerous, but he teaches her that power comes in many forms. As dragons emerge and the stakes rise, she must choose which world she truly belongs to.
A sequel that deepens dragon lore and cosmic mythology, continuing an epic fantasy romance across multiple worlds. The stakes grow larger as ancient prophecies collide with personal desire. Lovers must triumph over fate itself to save both their hearts and their worlds.
A demon prince makes an irresistible offer to a mysterious artist: help him win a competition and her heart's desire will be granted. As they work together, danger and desire tangle in ways neither of them planned for. It's dark romance with a gothic edge, set in a world where sin and seduction are practically currency.
Intrigue deepens as new players enter the game, bringing dark secrets, forbidden attraction, and paranormal machinations. Every ally could be a traitor and every revelation shifts the balance of power. Trust becomes the most dangerous currency of all.
Crave by Tracy Wolff. Grace Foster, Jaxon Vega, and a boarding school in Alaska full of vampires and questionable adult supervision. Four books sit on the Crave series guide and I have read none of them, which feels like a gap in my education given how much dark fantasy romance I press on other people.
The Hades saga by Scarlett St. Clair. A Touch of Darkness has been on my list since roughly the invention of the list. Persephone, Hades, a bargain that goes sideways, and a modern Greek pantheon behind all of it. I have no excuse and I am not inventing one.
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. A witch and a witch hunter get married. That is the pitch. That should have been enough for me years ago, and the Serpent & Dove trilogy is now, officially, an autumn problem.
So that is my ten. Seven guilty, three untouched, and zero regrets that will survive past Thursday. If you wandered over from the linkup, hello and welcome, this whole site is what happens when a reading habit goes unsupervised. There is a book recommendation quiz that will match you to something in about a minute, and an entire wall of fae romance books if that is your particular weakness. Tell me in the comments which series you are behind on, because I would very much like to not be alone in this. I read every single one.
Grace arrives at Katmere Academy to find herself entangled in dangerous magic, mysterious creatures, and a supernatural mystery that threatens everyone she cares about. A powerful, morally gray male character draws her into darkness despite her best intentions. Magic, danger, and obsessive attraction dominate the story.
A paranormal woman is drawn to a being of shadow and supernatural power in a dark, dangerous romance. Magic and attraction bind them in ways that defy logic and survival instinct. She discovers that darkness can hold unexpected tenderness.
A witch hunter falls in love with the witch he was sent to destroy, igniting a dangerous game of secrets and survival. In a world where magic is forbidden and death waits around every corner, their forbidden bond becomes their greatest strength and deadliest weakness. Trust could kill them both.
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Ten years, ten books, one increasingly unsupervised bookshelf.
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Published August 2026 by The Fae Shelf editorial team. Updated regularly with new releases and community feedback.