#queer romantasy

Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire

The latest novella in the Wayward Children series features the return of Nancy. She's looking for assistance to help solve a mystery in the Halls of the Dead!

Release date: January 6, 2026

Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum

This is being described as a "whimsical fantasy romance" and a "contemporary queer fairy tale" about two roommates who live on the edge of a magical forest. A wedding invite and impending danger from within the enchanted forest prompt the main character, David, to reassess his (mostly negative) feelings for his eccentric roommate. It's said to be "cozy, sharp, steamy, and poignant."

Release date: January 13, 2026

The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee

A Sapphic romantasy about a vampire hunter who falls in love with a vampire.

Release date: January 13, 2026

City of Others by Jared Poon

"Rivers of London meets A Master of Djinn in this warm-hearted, action-packed urban fantasy debut full of workplace found family, queer romance and supernatural creatures straight out of Southeast Asian lore." This is about Ben, who works in a department that helps keep supernatural forces out of Singapore. When an entire apartment complex glitches out of existance, he and his small team must work to keep the entire city from following. This has been blurbed by lots of great

Release date: January 13, 2026

George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett

This is a novel about a man who travels back in time to the 1300s. It's described as a "confessional queer romance, a swords-and-sorcery soap opera, a literary, paradox-embracing reimagining of the legend of St. George."

Release date: January 20, 2026

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva

This is a cozy fantasy about a hafling and a goblin who both think they've inherited the same cottage. They're forced to cohabitate until one can annoy the other into giving up their half of the cottage.

Release date: January 20, 2026

Soul of a Gentleman Witch by David Ferraro

A Young Adult fantasy about a witch, Callum, who is tasked with collecting souls for the devil. He begins to care for the latest soul he is escorting to hell, Auggie, and is torn between completing his task and winning his freedom when the price is Auggie.

Release date: January 20, 2026

The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman

This is a retelling of Bisclavret, a 12th-century French werewolf story. It follows a young knight who is afflicted with "wolf-sickness" and the king he has sworn fealty. This is being described as being like "Madeline Miller meets Angela Carter" and "unmissable for fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Swordcrossed by Freya Marske, and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden." Early reviewers are praising the prose and atmosphere. This will be released in November in the UK, but US readers have to wait until January.

Release date: January 27, 2026

Way of the Walker by Salinee Goldenberg

This is the sequel to The Last Phi Hunter, which has a bisexual main character. This series explored "mythology, colonialism, and feminine rage."

Release date: January 27, 2026

Masquerade by L. R. Lam

The rerelease of the third and final book in the Micah Grey series.

Release date: January 27, 2026

🆕 Nightshade and Oak by Molly O'Neill

"An Iron Age goddess must grapple with becoming human in this delightful historical fantasy of myth and magic from the author of the instant hit Greenteeth." This includes a Sapphic romance.

Release date: February 3, 2026

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers

The one sounds like so much fun! This is about Sir Cameron, whose death has been prophesied as being the key to defeating the mad sorcerer, Merulo. Not wanting to die, Cameron seeks help from Merulo, and the two are forced to work together and, of course, probably fall in love along the way. This is being described as a "hilarious, off-the-wall queer fantasy romance."

Release date: February 3, 2026

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord

This is the first book in a new Young Adult fantasy series. This is set in a world where the elite can swap bodies as easily as changing clothes. Ana is a young girl who is trapped in a decaying male body, but has just lost her chance to swap into a more suitable form. She's faced with execution after being caught trying to steal a new body and is forced to become part of a team to bring down a dark witch.

Release date: February 3, 2026

🆕 The Chamos Project by Alexis Ames

"Twenty years after an attack perpetrated by androids takes the lives of those closest to him, Doctor Leander Dade is living a reclusive life on Earth—until the Alliance Fleet recalls him back into service aboard the first extrasolar colonization vessel, Ariadne. Unable to refuse this order, Leander returns to space and finds himself serving alongside androids, whom he has never forgiven for the attack."

Release date: February 17 , 2026

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan

This is a historical fantasy that is based on the story of the Beast of Gévaudan. This is a debut with a bisexual main character as the lead and a queer romance. "A tragic love story, a bewitching twist on history, and a blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption—The Red Winter by debut author Cameron Sullivan is the story of the first werewolf."

Release date: February 24, 2026

The Faithful Dark by Cate Baumer

This was published independently in 2024 and is now being released by a major publisher. This is being recommended for fans of Ava Reid, Leigh Bardugo and Katherine Arden. This is a gothic fantasy about a girl born without a soul. She's rejected by the church until they realize they can use her to assassinate a heretic who they suspect to be behind a string of murders.

Release date: February 24, 2026

Quicksand Theatre Company by Molly Ringle

"A swoony, slow-burn, cozy, queer romantic fantasy of runaway secrets, fae bargains, and sequins." Vai Delvecchio leaves their home and takes shelter with the Quicksand Theatre Company where they meet Leo Takahashi, an actor. The two grow close but trouble awaits as Leo has a secret: he's made a deal with the Fae.

Release date: February 24, 2026

Black as Diamond by U.M. Agoawike

This is an epic, dark fantasy from a Nigerian-Canadian author, described as "a fresh, dark, and thrilling debut that untangles questions of queer identity, history, and power, illuminating a society crushed by the lingering actions of a few."

Release date: March 3, 2026

I Was a Teenage Death God by M.J. Beasi

This is a YA fantasy about Charlie, a boy who absorbs seconds of life from anyone he touches. The ghost of a bully uses that time for her own selfish reasons, but when she tries to force Charlie to steal time from his crush, Ravi, Charlie refuses, and the ghost retaliates by going after Charlie's twin. When Charlie finally confesses to Ravi about his powers, the two learn that there are other "death gods," and they travel to meet some to stop Lou, the bully ghost. This has been blurbed by Andrew Joseph White and Kacen Callender!

Release date: March 3, 2026

Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall

A sci-fi and Sapphic retelling of Moby Dick that is also being compared to Gideon the Ninth. This takes place in the future, after Earth has been destroyed. The remains of the human race hunt Leviathan creatures of Jupiter for energy sources. The main character "begins to lose herself in the eerie word of Leviathan-hunting and the captain’s increasingly insistent delusions; the only thing that might keep her grounded is the bond she develops with Q, a woman from the wreck of Old Earth whose skin is marked with holographic light and who remembers things otherwise lost."

Release date: March 10, 2026

The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White

"An obsession with a beautiful serial killer entangles a vampire hunter’s daughter in an immortal sapphic romance." Anneke finds her father, Abraham Van Helsing, murdered with a beautiful woman standing over him. She gathers a team of detectives to find the escaped woman who killed her father, but she and the killer grow increasingly obsessed with each other.

Release date: March 10, 2026

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

This is the second novella in the Dorothy Gentleman series. In this installment, Dorothy's nephew finds an abandoned infant aboard the spaceship, and Dorothy must investigate. This is a series of cozy mysteries with a science fiction setting. There are multiple queer characters and relationships, too!

Release date: March 10, 2026

Time-Tripping Over You by Brennon Lane

This is a Young Adult science fiction romance with a trans main character. Silas's life is being disrupted by time-traveling trips back into his pre-transition body. The trips are unexpected and can last for days at a time. He thinks he's the only person experiencing this until he meets Jude.

Release date: March 10, 2026

Intergalactic Feast by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

The sequel to Interstellar MegaChef. The first book is a science fiction novel about an intergalactic reality television-style cooking competition. It's described as "A fun, satirical, [and] thought-provoking."

Release date: March 10, 2026

The Witch Without Memory by Maithree Wijesekara

This is the second book in the Obsidian Throne trilogy. This series blends "Indian myth and history into a story of a witch and a prince determined to burn an empire to the ground in order to raise it up out of the ashes."

Release date: March 10, 2026

Shake Out the Ghosts by Al Hess

This is a queer romance with fantasy elements, recommended to fans of TJ Klune and Ashley Poston. Micah, the main character, is trans and is dealing with PTSD and panic attacks after an assault. Isolated at home, he begins to suspect that his apartment is haunted when he starts receiving messages on his bathroom mirror.

Release date: March 17, 2026

Wayward Souls by Susan J. Morris

This is a follow-up to 2024's Strange Beasts, which tells the story of Samantha Harker, the daughter of Dracula's killer, and Dr. Helena Moriarty, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes' most famous villain, teaming up to solve monstrous mysteries. In the sequel, the two women find themselves in Ireland, in the middle of Professor Moriarty's hidden empire.

Release date: March 17, 2026

The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann

This is a Tudor-era historical fantasy that starts hours after Anne Boleyn’s beheading. She wakes up, sews her head back on, and sets out on a quest for vengeance. This is said to include a queer romance and delves into how intelligent and outspoken women are often punished by society. It's being described as an "epic journey through the wilds of British royal history."

Release date: March 24, 2026

The Need for Dandelions by Alex Larkspur

This is a new Achillean romantasy from the author who wrote Sweet & Wild. This will be independently published, and we don't have any more details yet, but I will update this as soon as we do!

Release date: March 24, 2026

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed

"From Cameron Reed, the acclaimed author of The Fortunate Fall, comes a soaring novel of queer hope and transformation, perfect for readers of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar." This is a queer science fiction novel that takes place on a strange planet where transformation is a part of survival.

Release date: April 7, 2026

Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis

This is a dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid that is being pitched as "the perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe." It follows Yemi, Arielle's granddaughter, who is tempted to make a deal with Ursla, who is looking for revenge. Yemi is looking to protect her family, take back her throne after a coup, and protect Nova, her beloved fiancée.

Release date: April 7, 2026

Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois

This is about a fearsome pirate captain who takes aboard a young girl who is holding an artifact that the Fleet is desperate to acquire. It's said to be "a game of cat and mouse over land and sea." According to early reviews, this has lots of great representation, including a trans character, a character with a disability, and many characters of color.

Release date: April 7, 2026

🆕 Princeweaver by Elian J Morgan

This is a queer romantasy and is the first book in a trilogy about an arranged marriage between two men of warring kingdoms. It's about "an anxious apothecary who must hide his forbidden nature magic from his new husband, the enemy prince Osian." It's being pitched as "BBC Merlin meets A Taste of Gold and Iron and A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, but stuffed with Welsh folklore and history."

Release date: April 7, 2026

Honor & Heresy by Max Francis

This is a Gothic Dark Academia novel about two men who are working to unravel the mystery of the Old Ones, mysterious invaders who've arrived on the shores of Northgard. The two look for answers in an ancient and haunted library, and slowly uncover a conspiracy while they grapple with their own pasts. This is being described as "filled with all the yearning of a rivals-to-lovers romance, the intrigue and fear of a dark academia, and the wonder and discovery of an epic fantasy."

Release date: April 21, 2026

The Witch and the Huntress by Luna McNamara

This is a sapphic reimagining of the quest for the Golden Fleece that has Medea and Atalanta join forces during the adventure. It is being described as "bursting with mythological references and cameos" and "a daring, enchanting story about two singular women in search of love, power, and redemption, set against a backdrop of epic quests and meddling gods."

Release date: April 21, 2026

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

TJ Klune's latest is about two husbands who face the end of the world together. They take a road trip together as the Apocalypse looms and look back on their life before the earth is swallowed by a black hole. This sounds emotional!

Release date: April 28, 2026

Our Rogue Fates by Sarah Glenn Marsh

This is a queer romantasy that I've already read and enjoyed. It's a queer romantasy that I'd compare to books like Can't Spell Treason Without Tea or Faebound. It's a quest-style fantasy plot and a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. It's cozy, spicy, and adventurous, and has a sweet found family dynamic between the two romantic leads and their best friend, Alys.

Release date: April 28, 2026

An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke

This is an "adventurous and light-hearted queer cozy fantasy." Teddy has been selected as Lord Summer by the Dragon of Summer. The people of Summer doubt him and think he was only chosen because of his former relationship with the last Lord Summer. When the Dragon of Summer's lays an incredibly valuable egg, Teddy makes a mistake that leads to his daughter being kidnapped. Now, Teddy needs to save his daughter, prove himself to everyone, and come to terms with past mistakes. This is a debut, and is the first book in a planned series.

Release date: April 28, 2026

🆕 The Moon Blessed King by Lindsey Byrd

"In the daring sequel to The Sun Blessed Prince, Elician and Cat must confront the goddess of death to save their nations – unless it's already too late."

Release date: April 28, 2026

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

The 8th entry in The Murderbot Diaries has Murderbot on a rescue mission that involves it spending a lot of time with strangers, including children.

Release date: May 5, 2026

Love Galaxy by Sierra Branham

This is a science fiction book being compared to Winter's Orbit and A Memory Called Empire. It's about a woman who participates in a reality television show, one of many women competing to marry the prince or princess of the galactic empire. The prince is interested in Temmi, but she is drawn to the princess. However, when contestants start dying, conspiracy theories start swirling around the motivations and political motivations of everyone involved.

Release date: May 5, 2026

🆕 Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopoulou

"For fans of A Dowry of Blood, Clytemnestra, and Piranesi, Vile Lady Villains is an unforgettable ride into the realm of stories." Klytemnestra and Lady Macbeth work together as they venture through a dangerous realm of stories. "As every threat brings our vile lady villains closer, turning ill intentions into fiery attraction that no author dare write, they have a remain within the confines of their original tales … Or burn down the world to pen a new story together." This is being described as a "horrormantasy".

Release date: May 12, 2026

The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn

This is being pitched as "The Song of Achilles for Arthurian legend, a queer retelling of Lancelot’s place in Arthurian lore, based on the oft-overlooked relationship with his fellow knight-in-training, Galehaut, and showing how this first, epic love shaped his devotion to the Round Table and the quest to restore the grail." This is the first novel by John Glynn, who is best known for his memoir, Out East.

Release date: May 12, 2026

🆕 A Star-Cursed Heart by Annie Mare This is a contemporary rom-com, but it has fantastical elements. Two women, despite being in love with each other, have been cursed to be mortal enemies. "In the lead-up to the Salem witch trials, a desperate man made a deal with the devil—a deal that would drag two families down with him. Now, over 400 years later, the Steadfasts and the Prynnes remain caught in a curse that sentences both families to an existence of rigid rules, torturous consequences, and half-lives." Now, Lucy Prynne and Ashes Steadfas are the latest generations to deal with the curse. Lucy must serve as a reaper of souls, and Ash must try to stop her. Their lifelong friendship and romantic feelings complicate that, though. Ash starts looking for a way to break the curse, and the two join forces to fight the real enemy.

Release date: May 19, 2026

The Fake Divination Offense by Sara Raasch

This is a follow-up to The Entanglement of Rival Wizards. It's a sports romance about a half-giant who is forced into a PR relationship with a cheerleader. The romantasy + sports romance blend has me super intrigued, and I've loved all of Sara Raasch's queer romances, so this is going on my must-read list for the year!

Release date: May 19, 2026

The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty

This is the follow-up to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, which I loved and which had a delightful queer twist. This series is an adventure fantasy series about a retired pirate who sets sail with a band of rogues and then returns home to her daughter. In this second book, Amina is tasked with "a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape."

Release date: May 19, 2026

Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots

This is the sequel to Hench and is described as "filled with a queer and neurodiverse cast, Villain asks the question: what happens when a diabolically brilliant henchperson looks back at their already storied career and thinks, I can be so much worse."

Release date: May 19, 2026

The House of Now and Then by Edward Underhill

A literary fantasy about a lonely trans man who spends a summer in a magical beach house. In the house, apparitions of people from his past appear. "It’s clear the house is trying to tell him something, and he’s sure it has to do with the mysterious repairman who suddenly seems to be everywhere he looks… But can Harlowe let go of the past long enough to listen?" This is being recommended to fans of TJ Klune and Ashley Poston.

Release date: May 19, 2026

Bromantasy by Máire Roche

The tagline for this is "Two heroes. One brain cell." It is about two male best friend who go on a quest to save their kingdom from a monster. Along they way they maybe start to question their totally platonic feelings for each other. "Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?"

Release date: May 26, 2026

The Disco at the End of the World by Nathan Tavares

This is a science fiction novel that is being described as a "sweeping, psychedelic romance of two men caught in a looping world of artificial realities, edited memories, secretive cabals and conspiracies to push humanity to the next step in its evolution." It takes place in an alternate version of the 1970s where the queer community of Los Angeles must save the world.

Release date: June 2, 2026

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England

This was pitched as "a cozy fantasy in which a non-binary former minion to the realm’s recently defeated Big Bad searches for a fresh start in a Stardew Valley-esque farming community."

Release date: June 2, 2026

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham

This is a Sapphic Sleeping Beauty retelling "about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world."

Release date: June 2, 2026

The Hyacinth Labyrinth by Jamie Pacton

This is a Young Adult Sapphic romantasy with a quest-style plot. A Fae princess, Hyacinth, sets out with her human friend, Chloe, to find Hyacinth's missing father. Joined by two friends and a tiny dragon, the group set out to find a library in the center of a treacherous labyrinth.

Release date: June 2, 2026

The Way It Haunted Him by Laura R. Samotin

This is a Dark Academia novel about Jewish folklore that is being recommended to fans of T. Kingfisher, Tori Bovalino, and Sunyi Dean. It's about Michael, a young man grieving the recent loss of his boyfriend. Blaming himself for his boyfriend's death, he visits the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies to finish his boyfriend's dissertation. As a skeptic of anything paranormal, Michael doesn't believe in demons, but the Institute's new archivist, Jacob, does, and frightening encounters start happening as he continues his research.

Release date: June 9, 2026

Her Sharp Embrace by Kate Koenig

A Young Adult fantasy. Noa is in The Nightshades, a group of magical outlaws, and she's infatuated with their leader, Lennon. When new threats to Lennon arise, Noa sets out to keep them both alive.

Release date: June 9, 2026

The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher

This is a dark academia romantasy with a nonbinary main character. Two best friends apply to a prestigious, magical school. Seb is accepted, but Briar is not. "When Seb gets an acceptance letter and Briar doesn't, their relationship is shattered - until, at eighteen, Briar secures a temp job sorting through the magical junk in Temple's attic, and discovers that quiet, sensitive Seb, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become the villain." The author describes this as a "very queer book with they/them pronouns on every page."

Release date: June 9, 2026

🆕 Endless Blue Beneath by Shannon English

The first book in a Sapphic mermaid romantasy! A young queer woman sees someone drowning in the ocean and rushes to save them, "instead of a sputtering victim, she finds an inhuman creature smiling up at her with rows of sharp, white teeth that snap closed on her arm and drag her beneath the waves." While living with the colony underwater, she meets a beautiful mermaid, but soon mermaid hunters arrive, and she must decide whether to protect her new home or return to a world that had rejected her for being queer.

Release date: June 9, 2026

Dearly Departed by Chip Pons

This is an Achillean romance with heavy fantasy elements. It's about the former god of the Underworld, now a funeral director, who is looking for a loophole in the Immortality Retirement Act that banished him to Earth. Then he meets the florist next door, and his plans begin to unravel.

Release date: June 16, 2026

Hunt the Ever Wild by S. E. Kiser

"A new fantasy standalone that combines the gaslamp fantasy of C. L. Polk’s Witchmark with the slow-burn rivals-to-lovers romance of Isa Agajanian’s Modern Divination and the whimsy of Howl’s Moving Castle." The main male character is bisexual, so while the main romance appears to be male/female, there is some queer representation!

Release date: June 23, 2026

📰 Nemesis Mine by Amy Archer

This is about a hero and a villain who agree to stage public confrontations to help improve their dwindling reputations. It's said to be "a fresh twist on the beloved tropes of enemies-to-lovers and fake dating." It's also described as featuring the “Touch him and you die” trope and "Black cat/golden retriever energy."

Release date: June 23, 2026

🆕 The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk

A romantic fantasy involving a non-binary character. "Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse. The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team."

Release date: June 30, 2026

🆕 A Great and Powerful Tyranny by Victoria Carbol

A YA and Sapphic portal fantasy that was inspired by The Wizard of Oz. "Thia is the perfect granddaughter—how could she be anything else when a tragic accident left her the sole family to Grandma Winnie? But one stormy Kansas day, Thia accidentally uncovers clues that reveal her grandma has been lying to her: her mother was never a medical doctor, she was studying the supernatural and all she left behind was a strange mirror"

Release date: June 30, 2026

And a few more from the second half of 2026...

The following books are expected to be published in the second half of 2026. We don't know much about most of these books. More information is likely to be released in the coming months, and I will keep this updated as we learn more!

Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne: The first book in a cozy and Sapphic sci-fi series from the author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. This will be released on July 7, 2026.

Misery's Wife by Joan Tierney: "A queer and cli-fi reimagining of a Portuguese folktale about a young trans woman who must save her elder sisters from the King of the Air, the King of the Sea, and the King of Misery." This will be released on July 14, 2026.

The Lord of the Wood by E.M. Anderson: This follows Arthur, an autistic man who encounters the Lord of the Wood after getting lost in an enchanted forest. The Lord of the Wood is slowly turning into a beast, and Arthur must find a way to keep him human so that they might escape the forest. This will be released on July 21, 2026.

📰 The Flayed Man by Chloe Lauter: "A sapphic vampire neo-noir set against the washed-out environs of Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert." This will be published on July 21, 2026.

🆕 We Were Never Here by Sophia Hannan: A Sapphic paranormal horror. "The remaining members of a ghost hunting show return to the haunted manor that may have killed their friend in this atmospheric, contemporary gothic debut perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and Delicious Monsters." This will be published on July 21, 2026.

Immortal Game by Allison Saft: A Young Adult Fantasy with a Sapphic romance. This is set in a world where human chess players are granted access to the Faerie world once every 100 years. While there, the chess players are invited to compete to have a chance to battle the King of the Otherworld. The winner will be granted one wish. "Shea Fury intends to be the first to win - it's the only way to win back her sister, who was taken by the king years before. But standing in her way is her longtime rival and faerie princess, Ciara." This will be released on August 4, 2026.

Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning: "A cozy, queer, vacation mystery pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Roman Holiday, in which a vampire who travels to a tiny Italian village with his talking cat in tow stumbles across a body and into the arms of a dashing police detective." This sounds like a fun mystery and romance, but it also incorporates some fantasy elements. This will be released on August 4, 2026.

Dangerous and Well-Read by Rebecca Sky: This is being described as "Xena Warrior Princess meets Mrs. and Mrs. Smith, in which daughters of enemy kingdoms must wed to unite their people against the greater threat of an immortal army, all the while plotting each other’s murder." It will be released on August 4, 2026.

Find My Way Down To You by Julian Winters: The author's first contemporary fantasy. This is a YA romance about August, a boy who finds himself in the underworld, where he meets Cary, the brooding ferrier of lost souls. This will be released on August 4, 2026!

Bridget and Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher: This is the sequel to Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. It will be released on August 4, 2026.

📰 A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett: This is the third book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series. In this one Ana and Din work to solve a case that involves two powerful and rival families. The son of one of the families is being accused of a gruesome murder. This will be released on August 11, 2026

Earthbound by Saara El-Arifi: The third, and final, book in the Faebound trilogy. This will be released on August 11, 2026.

📰 Stitcher by Tobias J. Rooke: This is a debut that was pitched as an "M/M dark fantasy, in which a Stitcher and his Builder, who reanimate corpses in an alternate-world London where immortality goes to the highest bidder, must stop a murderous cult bent on destroying the death trade, while a forbidden romance awakens between them." Based on the publisher, I'm assuming this will be closer to the spicy romance genre than the fantasy genre. This will be released on August 18, 2026.

📰 The Blue Moon Cafe and 24-hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou: A Sapphic cozy fantasy about a young woman who works at a cafe that sits on top of a magical portal. It's being described as "Gilmore Girls meets The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches." This is coming August 18, 2026.

🆕 The Halls of the Dead by S. M. Hallow: "A queer, gothic horror romance set in a necromancy-tinged London, sure to entrance fans of The Death of Jane Lawrence and Mexican Gothic." This will be released on August 18, 2026.

🆕 Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher: The follow-up to Swordheart appears to be an Achillean romance! In this sequel, "a disillusioned scholar named Learned Edmund is tasked with delivering the sword to a distant city, and, in the greatest of peril, draws the blade. The Dervish finds himself bound to a sweet, brilliant, and above all kind young man. And while he may be able to protect Edmund from bandits, cultists, dragons, and strange inhuman diplomats, he may find it much harder to protect his own heart." This will be released on August 25, 2026!

🆕 Summer Coven by Kat Hillis & Rosiee Thor: The sequel to Dead & Breakfast. In this installment of the cozy mystery series, the vampire husbands find themselves investigating a coven. This will be released on August 25, 2026.

Espíritu by Aiden Thomas: The long-awaited sequel to Cemetery Boys, expected to be published on September 8, 2026. This time we're following Julian, "who is dealing with newfound powers, a new relationship with Yadriel, and the return of demons he had hoped were gone forever."

📰 With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling: This is a sapphic paranormal romance about "a witch who’s hired to haunt a small-town B&B, only to find herself spellbound by her non-magical client." This is expected to be released on September 8, 2026.

📰 A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer: This is being described as a "Sapphic contemporary," but it is a retelling of the folktale, Bluebeard, so I'm going to include it here. "In which a ceramic artist moves into her new wife’s gothic manor, only to be drawn to the locked, forbidden basement after realizing the house—and the art within it—is haunted." This will be published on September 15, 2026.

📰 The Darkness Bites Back by Laura R. Samotin & Ben Alderson: A queer retelling of Romeo & Juliet with vampires. This is scheduled for release on September 29, 2026, and will be the first book in a duology.

🆕 Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske: "Five scholars. Five secrets. Five days in which to solve a murder, pass the most important exam of their lives, and uncover a secret larger than all of their own combined. One with the potential to change the world." This is scheduled for publication in September 2026.

📰 The Heresy of Thieves by Mia V. Moss: This will be published on October 6, 2026, by a small publisher, Dark Matter Ink. It's an epic fantasy and is described as: "The three kingdoms of Yvaelen are suffering a crisis of faith. After a thousand years of prosperity and effortless magic by the grace of Vael, the witch-god who sacrificed a paradise so that Her people could reign supreme, the land is plunged into chaos when magic abruptly stops working and prayers to Vael go unanswered. In Spellfall’s wake, a young king, an urchin in disguise, and a disgrace of a knight must rescue Yvaelen, and themselves from betrayal and monstrous ambition."

Scorpion Deep by C.G. Drews: The next YA Gothic horror from the author of Hazelthorn and Don't Let the Forest In. This is a queer monster romance with an asexual main character. It comes out October 27, 2026.

🆕 Call Me Traitor by Everina Maxwell: The author describes this as "sapphic Winter Soldier." This is a slowburn queer romantic fantasy from the author of Winter's Orbit. This will be released on October 27, 2026.

Love and Lake Monsters by T.J. Alexander: "In which an amateur cryptid hunter rents a cabin in upstate New York in an effort to stave off a boring, normal life and instead makes history by proving the existence of a little known cryptid... but when his grumpy, grizzled new landlord reluctantly agrees to help the hunt, their lives will never be normal again." This is more of a rom-com, but it has fantasy elements, so I decided to include it. It will be published in Fall 2026.

The Weight and the Measure by Foz Meadows: Foz Meadows is the author of one of my favorite books, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, so I was thrilled to learn that he has a new series that will start publishing in Fall 2026. This first book in the series is described by the editor as "intensely character-driven and intimate while staying true to its political foundation, with showstopping gods and terrifying magic alongside a nuanced exploration of justice in a deeply unjust world." This will be published in Fall 2026.

Ren Von Lugenbach’s Absolutely Unnecessary Adventure by Fox De Winter: Pitched as "a sapphic cozy fantasy in which a prickly librarian and a curious stranger must find a missing antique book for a dragon with an affinity for knitting." This is expected to be published in Fall 2026.

Into The Burning Deep By J.M. Voris: A Sapphic retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, set on a boat quarantined at sea while a magic infection runs its course. This was pitched as "Hadestown by way of Titanic." This is another one expected in Fall 2026.

Kill Your Darling by Mariana Costa: Shoestring Theory was one of my favorite books of 2024, so I was very happy to see that the author has a new book releasing in 2026. This was pitched as "a fantasy-historical immortal workplace rom-com between the avatars of good and evil." No release date has been announced yet.

Dreamslayer by A.K. Mulford: This will be the first book in "a dark Sapphic romantasy trilogy where a dream falls in love with a nightmare, and they are forced to find a way out of Hell together." No word on an official release date yet.

📰 CURRENTLY UNKNOWN RELEASE(S) by TJ Klune: We know that TJ Klune is releasing multiple (likely 2-3) books in 2026. We are aware of one 2026 release (listed above) and one 2027 release so far, but we're waiting for more information on the other 2026 book(s).

Sasha's eyes slid down to the key, which was now trembling between Astarion's turncoat fingers, and a tear spilled down their cheek.

"She seems a lovely, fiery foil to your ethereal beauty, and the perfect size to fit snugly in your embrace. Unlike…"

"Don't finish that sentence."

"…me."

Astarion's fingers swept up into his wild curls, tugging at them. How was it Sasha could possess an abundance of talents and wonderful qualities—a gifted tailor, a natural eye for art and beauty, a sharp wit—and yet be so infuriatingly inept at recognizing those values? Or were they being purposely obtuse? Whatever it was, Sasha's inner saboteur was a stalwart figure in their psyche.

"My taran…" Astarion groaned as he paced to their tiny dining table—now enhanced with a second chair, he'd noticed with a flutter in his chest—and back to where Sasha stood, shivering slightly in their skimpy lingerie.

What could he possibly say to get through to them? Or were they going to have this same conversation ad nauseam?

"Erm…yes?"

The hopeful note that crept into their voice chimed like a noontime bell, clearing the fog crawling through Astarion's mind. He realized it didn't matter. Not even a bit. In a perfect world, of course, Sasha's internal looking glass would clearly reflect their inner and outer beauty. But it seemed their mirror was as cracked and beaten as the countless mirrors Father had shattered in his manors.

In that moment Astarion resolved to be their reflection. He would have this conversation as many times as Sasha needed to, and he would tell them every time how wrong they were. He approached once more, hands at the ready but refraining from reaching.

"Lia may be beautiful and quick-witted, but there is one glaring issue she cannot ever hope to overcome: she is not you."

"…Oh."

"Moreover, what makes you think I wish to have someone who fits snugly in my arms like a stuffed animal or pretty doll? What if…" he closed the distance, but rather than wrapping his arms around Sasha he turned, guiding their hands across his chest and stomach. "…I wish to be the one who fits perfectly into someone's embrace? Would that be unthinkable?"

Sasha's lower hand pressed him closer before beginning to work the remaining sections of tucked blouse out from his waistband until they were able to slide beneath it, palm hot against his skin.

The sensation scrambled Astarion's mind so thoroughly that he lost the thread of his thoughts. Head lolling back against Sasha's shoulder, he allowed himself to get swept up in the overwhelming rightness of their touch before he attempted to patch the rubble of his thoughts back into a solid shape.

"What if I wish for an equal partnership built on friendship, understanding, and love? Hmm? What if, rather than pretending to be some stoic protector and provider, I wish to be cherished and adored, showered with gifts and affection as I so clearly deserve?"

"…You do deserve that…" Sasha murmured, sounding remorseful.

"Yes! I do! Not enough people recognize that," he huffed. "But you do."

"You deserve so much more than I could ever have the means to give you. Not even my duchy or all the Amastacia family riches would be enough."

Fingers swished across Astarion's nipple under his shirt, the pebbled cluster of nerves radiating a comforting pleasure with each pass.

"Keep them! I've more of my own riches than I could possibly need in my very long lifetime. You offer something else I want that is far rarer and more precious anyhow."

"My thick cock and crippling anxiety?"

"Ha! At this point I would perish without the former, but I would banish the latter in a heartbeat if I had the power, darling. But no, not what I had in mind.

"I see in you a kindred soul. You know precisely how it feels to be stuck in your father's shadow, hungry to show the world who you are yet cursed to keep so much hidden lest you be misunderstood. But you make me feel safe enough to put my full self on display in all my messy, gorgeous, imperfect glory. You…understand me. And unless I have misread you, you have little interest in my title, my wealth, or my father's legacy. You—"

"—I just want you."