Like any anthology, you have standouts and you have some that are just okay... this was no different. I was blown away by Until December by Kelly Andrew—she has such a way with crafting atmosphere in a short space that is magnificent. Katherine Arden's Rosebud is another that I loved. I see myself returning to these two stories in particular. Would absolutely recommend this anthology to any fantasy/romance reader!

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I love short stories, so it was really great to take a break from novels and just have some stories to read.

I’m not the biggest romantasy fan, though I do find myself reading a lot of them, but I feel like the format of short stories really worked for me. There wasn’t a load of sex scenes, which I find rather dull and the focused seemed to be more on the plot than the romance so it didn’t feel as drawn out as most romances do to me. Overall, it was really good.

Most of the stories I enjoyed. My favourite was A.C. Wise’s Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon, which was a really funny enemies to lovers with a strong save the magical creatures message. I also loved Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelley Armstrong. Both these stories I felt did something a bit different with the genre and had fun twists.

I loved seeing brand new stories from some of my favourite authors and would definitely read another of these anthologies.

The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic is filled with everything I love about romantasy: enemies to lovers, rivals with chemistry, magical marriages, and second chances.

Each of the 12 stories brings something different even a few sapphic romances! but Until December by Kelly Andrew was my absolute favorite. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since, and now I’m on a mission to find more books that are similar!

Thank you netgalley for my ebook arc!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable anthology. The absolute standouts for me were Until December and Rosebud - I'd have read full length versions of these in a heartbeat. I'd recommend this to anyone who can't get enough of romantasy - it's also useful as a sampler for the authors too!

1. The Fall Guy - Olivie Blake
"The truth of the matter lives somewhere between devotion and foolhardiness, right at the midpoint of yearning and valor. Although don’t tell Mer that right now or he’ll die."
3.5 stars
Loved the worldbuilding Blake managed to fit into such a short tale, and the mysterious heist vibes were fun. You could definitely feel the yearning between tbe two characters. Could have done without the constant parentheses though!

2. Ladies of Mirador - Melissa Marr
"Too loud. Too thorough. Too inquisitive. Too hungry. Too much. I am always too much of everything."
4 stars
The last single daughter of an immortal vampire family falls in love with the assassin nun sent to murder her. Hijinks ensue. A fast paced, witty little sapphic romantasy!

3. Until December - Kelly Andrew
"If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of my way."
5 stars.
I love this and I want Kelly to write more and more stuff just like it. Time travel, academic rivals to lovers, a race against time to stop a murder. Perfection. No notes.

4. The King's Witch - Tasha Suri
"She has fought wars for me, and killed for me. I do not know how to be worthy of that devotion."
4.5 stars.
Sapphic childhood friends to lovers to ??? A magic scribe living a quiet life. An arranged marriage to the blood-soaked king. Extremely readable and made me want more from the world Suri created!

5. Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Kelley Armstrong
"Oftentimes, the monsters exist only in lore. They are nothing but bedtime stories to keep girls from dreaming too big."
4.5 stars.
This was SUCH a fun take on the "damsel in distress" trope and I want an entire trilogy of Marielle going around posing as the virgin sacrifice to slay the real monsters of the world.

6. Second Class Magic - Kamilah Cole
"I’m sure we’ll work well together, at least. We were always best at that part."
3.5 stars.
Margot and Jesy used to be friends, until they weren't. Now they're vying for the same position on a magical island, and things are getting mysterious and ROMANTIC!

7. Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay - Eliza Chan
"Everything I have ever wanted has only ruined me and those I love."
3 stars.
Former lovers meet again, years after a falling out. Split into two POVs with different styles made it feel a little disjointed.

8. Slay The Princess, Save The Dragon - A. C. Wise
"How glorious would it be if Ev could somehow free Princess Carissa’s dragon and annihilate, or at least mortally wound, her online presence?"
3.5 stars.
A modern fantasy tale, where the kingdom realised carving magical creatures into pharmaceuticals was a great money-makimg scheme. Quirky and interesting!

9. San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy - A. G. Slatter
"The dead deserve to rest, and the living should simply get on with things."
4.5 stars.
Necromancer Millie Broad operates a flourishing medium business in the lower city, but chaos ensues when a one-night stand comes back to (almost literally) haunt her. Standard gothic perfection from A.G. Slatter!

10. Good Deeds And Their Magical Punishments - Hannah Nicole Maehrer
"Elizabeth believed small talk to be a section of hell carved out on earth just for her personal torment."
4 stars.
Bette gets kidnapped by a disgruntled magical woman desperate to prove mortal kindness to her son. But oh no! He's hot. A simple tale of trying to get over misconceptions about people you realise you don't know anything about - and the love you might find along the way.

11. The Larkspur - Megan Bannen
"I have already broken faith with Bernadette by living, even if I had not meant to. What is one more transgression?"
3.5 stars
A fantasy short with echoes of The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Blue Castle, set in the same world as Bannen's The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. A relatively easy read with cosy vibes.

12. Rosebud - Katherine Arden
"There was no weight of decision on me that night. Dreams have no tomorrow."
5 stars.
A supernatural historical fantasy, this is full of longing and sadness and love. Adored it!

3.5 stars. A sweet set of stories with fun romantasy elements with a wide range of authors and writing styles. I really enjoyed some of these stories whereas others I didn't quite get along with but that is the beauty of a book like this - the mix! I have found some new amazing authors I will be following up on. Each of the stories are quick reads which is great for dipping into some styles but it did mean that some stories left me wanting more!

Some of my favourites from this collection were Until December by Kelly Andrew, Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Kelley Armstrong and the bonus story for the World of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

These are all new to me authors so this was perfect to read and get an insight into their writing! I had heard of some of the authors but not read them but now will look out for them on the bookshelves!

I really enjoyed these short stories and the whirlwind romances and the falling in love is perfect for the mood reader in me!

It's a quick read, quick fire stories getting straight to the point and a great way to read new to you authors. I will enjoy re-reading this again soon!

I picked this book up because I needed more from the world of Hart & Mercy, and I was delighted by many of the stories within.

As is usual with most short story collections, some I liked far better than others. But it was an overall great collection to read.

This anthology of romantasy short stories is absolutely packed full of incredible authors! There are 4 F/F romantic and 8 F/M and there's no repetition between them because they cover all sorts of worlds and situations!

Because of the nature of anthologies, there's bound to be some stories that work and some that don't for every reader. There were some absolute standouts for me, which immediately sent me to the authors' back catalogues. These were:

Until December - Kelly Andrew
This time-travel short story was fascinating and clever without being pretentious. I really enjoyed it and my mind kept going back to this one after I'd finished it!

The Dubious Ladies of Mirador - Melissa Marr
How the author managed to get me invested in two character POVs like that within a short story was amazing. This F/F romance was funny and sweet at the same time.

Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Kelley Armstrong
Clever and interesting with a kick-ass FMC. It subverted the classic Virgin Sacrifice story in a really funny way.

Rosebud - Katherine Arden
Rosebud was a complete surprise - it didn't go how I thought it was going to at all but it completely hooked me with its beautiful writing and the tension of the story.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Note: I have only posted the above review here on NetGalley. I will post the review on Goodreads, Fable and Storygraph on 01/06/2025 so that it is only posted within the release month, as requested. I will update this feedback page on that date with the 3 links.
Updated note: Now reviewed on Goodreads, Fable and StoryGraph and links have been added below to those three reviews.

I really enjoyed this set of short stories! I won't go into any detail for them individually, as I believe you should go into it not knowing too much. There are several queer romances in this as well, which was so lovely. I'll list the titles with my personal ratings for each.

Top two:
Until December ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Designated Virgin Sacrifice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The King's Witch ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rosebud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Larkspur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dubious Ladies of Mirador ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fall Guy ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second Class Magic ⭐️⭐️
Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay ⭐️⭐️

Highly recommend! There are some really incredible authors in this one. Thank you Netgalley!

overall a mixed bag of romantasy stories, there were some that really captivated my attention meanwhile others were rather forgetful. for the most part this is because there were sadder stories and those stuck with me meanwhile the wholesome sweet ones didn’t do much since they’re quite short. there were a few times where authors would use 1st and 3rd povs in the same storyline which reality threw me off, idk if it was supposed to be like that…

my favourites were the fall guy by olivie blake, until december by kelly andrew, and the king’s witch by tasha suri.

This is a wonderful collection of stories written by some of my most read authors. It combines romance with fantasy and dipicts the most wanted tropes - enermies to lovers, marriage of convenience, academic rivals etc.

The stories in their short form create tension and burn which surprised me for their short content.

My favourite was designated virgin sacrifice and the dubious woman of mirador.

There was also sapphic, lgbtqia representation. It was good to see an anthology of fantasy written by women.

A spellbook of romantic sparks—some fizzle, some flare.

As with most anthologies, The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic is a mixed bag. A handful of stories truly shine, while others feel like sketches of stronger ideas—lacking the emotional depth or payoff to make their romances truly land.

The standout for me was "Until December" by Kelly Andrew, which played beautifully with timelines, magical academia, and a sizzling rivals-to-lovers tension. It’s exactly the kind of atmospheric, character-driven romantasy I was hoping for. I WISH there was a full-length novel set in that world!

Still, the variety is part of the charm, even if it means the emotional resonance varies widely from one story to the next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A magical sampler with a few memorable gems. Best enjoyed slowly, with an open mind and a soft spot for fantasy-flavoured romance.

The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic is a delightful collection of romantasy stories from power-house authors like Olivie Blake, Katherine Arden and more. Each story is unique and and yet they all have the same focus on building a wonderfully magical, and occasionally dangerous, world with complex and compelling characters. It’s hard to write a good short story, but I think that there’s something for everyone in this anthology.

One of the things I liked was the variety of writing styles. A few authors, like Kelly Andrew and A.G. Slatter, were particular stand outs. I have read a few of their books before and reading their short stories just made me want to explore more of their work. I also managed to find a new author to explore- Eliza Chan. If you can come out of a story collection wanting to read more of a specific genre or author, I think that it’s a win!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this eARC

A great collection of short stories from amazing authors!
My absolute favourite was “Designated Virgin Sacrifice” by Kelley Armstrong, but then that’s no surprise as she is the main reason I requested this ARC and I’ve been devouring her books for the better part of my life!
Highly recommend for anyone who loves romantasy or wants to try out one of these amazingly talented authors.

So, I'm 40% of the way through my e-ARC, and all of the stories I've read so far have been fun, but OMG: Tasha Suri's "The King's Witch" is an absolute dagger-through-the-heart triumph, SO gorgeously swoony and romantic it completely blew me away and made me breathless as I read.

I'll be re-reading that story often!

And I'm diving back into the anthology now. :)

**

...Coming back at the end: this is a FABULOUS anthology. I normally read anthologies in small bites with lots of time between each story, but this one I devoured in less than 48 hours! There's a lot of variety in the 12 stories; I really liked 10 out of the 12, and there were fun elements in the other stories, too - I'm sure other readers will name those as their favorites.

It feels too difficult to break down "favorite" stories, but I sooo enjoyed this whole book, and it led me to look up two new-to-me authors - Kamilah Cole and Kelly Andrew - to read their full books as I enjoyed their stories so much. (And of course I've already read and loved novels from many of the other authors whose stories I loved here!)

I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this one, but I am now planning to get a print copy as well once it's published. Definitely a book I'll enjoy re-reading in the future!

The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic is a charming anthology of magical short stories from a talented lineup of authors. While some tales stood out more than others, the overall tone is whimsical, romantic, and imaginative. I appreciated the variety of voices and magical settings, though a few stories didn’t quite resonate with me.

The Secret Romantics Book of Magic is a collection of romantasy short stories from a variety of authors.

I feel like short story collections are so hard to review, because typically some are good and some are… not. But I was pleasantly surprised by this collection. I definitely have favorites! But most were quirky and creative and I think there was only one or two I didn’t like all that much.

Favorites:
* San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy by AG Slatter (my first but NOT my last by the author)
* Until December by Kelly Andrew
* Rosebud by Katherine Arden
* The King’s Witch by Tasha Suri

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Secret Romantics Book of Magic is a wonderful collection of short romantic stories, each one different and written so well! I enjoyed each one so much, some I liked more than others but that's personal preference.

My favourites were; The Dubois Ladies of Mirador, Designated Virgin Sacrifice and Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments.

I felt like a few were just trying to write some of the classic tropes like "enemies to lovers" as their main plot but it worked well nonetheless.

The only thing I wanted more was LGBTQ+ love stories. I believe there was only 3 or 4 out of the 12 stories that featured a LGBTQ+ pairing and they were all sapphic, so a bit more representation would have been nice to see.

Overall these stories had me grinning and kicking my feet and I will be checking out more work by the authors included in this anthology.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for the e-arc in exchange for a free honest review.

Thank you NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for a review.
4 ⭐
Ever since I first heard about this book, saw the list of authors I was buzzing! I really enjoyed each one, a massive mix of styles and subsections of the romantasy genre. Each of the short stories withing the book had compelling characters which managed to draw you in quickly - enough that I kept becoming frustrated when each chapter was over! Still, it's allowed me to discover some new authors to delve more into, for which I'm very grateful! Additionally, it was nice that there were many queer, specifically multiple wlw, stories included.
Overall, I found it a very satisfying read!

3.25 stars from me!
Short stories are hard. Like it's hard to get the story to flow so well and make sense, and also have all that description. There were a couple of stories I really enjoyed such as Hannah Nicole Maehrer's, Eliza Chan's and Melissa Marr's but others I just could not enjoy as much. Reading is subjective though so I would say if you are wanting to have a taste of certain author's writing because you're yet to try their books I'd say go for it! I have never read Olivie Blake's work for example and it helped me make a decision whether she may be for me or not. There were a few authors in this that I have not heard of or read anything by and they were alright short stories. But the ones that stuck out the most for me were the ones I said above.

Deffo recommend if you want to have a taste of certain authors writing!