Ongoing Series
Carissa Broadbent's vampire tournament romance kicked off the Crowns of Nyaxia universe: three planned duets under one goddess, with four books out so far.
Reading Order
Carissa Broadbent
480 pagesA 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.
Carissa Broadbent
448 pagesThe 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.
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone
Bridget E. Baker
350 pagesA healer with a forbidden magical gift is sent to cure a cursed fae lord who has been turned to stone. What she finds is not a grateful patient but a dangerous man who does not want to be saved, and a court full of fae who would rather see him stay frozen. As she works to break the curse, she realizes the magic binding him is tied to something far larger and more political than anyone admitted. The slow-burn romance here builds on mutual stubbornness and reluctant vulnerability.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night was self-published in 2022 and earned its BookTok explosion the honest way: word of mouth from readers who could not believe how hard a vampire tournament romance had wrecked them. The pitch is a human woman raised by the vampire Nightborn king, entering a brutal contest held in the goddess Nyaxia's honor, where the prize could save her and the competition includes the vampire she absolutely should not trust. Broadbent came from epic fantasy rather than romance, and it shows in the best way: the stakes are real and the world does not exist purely to decorate the couple.
The Crowns of Nyaxia is structured as three duets, six books total, each pair following a different couple in the same world. The Nightborn Duet: The Serpent and the Wings of Night (2022) and The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (2023), following Oraya and Raihn. The Shadowborn Duet: The Songbird and the Heart of Stone (2024) and The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk (2025), following Mische and Asar into the realm of the dead. A final duet is still to come. Read in publication order: each duet tells a complete romance, but the second builds directly on the fallout of the first and spoils its ending completely. The novella Six Scorched Roses slots in alongside the first duet and is worth your evening.
Heat is a 3 on our spice scale, earned rather than constant, with the emotional intimacy doing as much work as the explicit scenes. Content notes: heavy blood and violence as befits vampires, a complicated and controlling father-daughter relationship at the heart of book one, grief processed at length in book three, death gods, dead bodies, and one infamous ending that readers still have not forgiven.
What sets Nyaxia apart is that Broadbent lets choices cost something. The romances are built on sacrifice with actual consequences, the finales commit instead of hedging, and The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is that rare sequel readers like more than the opener. Mische, the sunshine side character of duet one, turning out to carry the saddest story in the series is a masterstroke. Fair criticism: the tournament structure of book one produces some repetitive middle rounds, book three opens slow while it sits with grief, and readers who want fluffy vampires should be warned that this universe bites down.
When you are caught up, From Blood and Ash scratches a similar gods-and-monsters itch at greater length, and ACOTAR remains the genre's front door. Our vampire romance and enemies to lovers trope pages collect the nearest neighbors, and if you want another author who makes you pay for every happy ending, Quicksilver is happy to hurt you next.