Short stories are tough. It takes a talented author to tell a story in a tight package and this anthology makes that clear. I requested this because Kelley Armstrong, Katherine Arden, and Meagan Bannen are on the author list. I know Kelley’s work and her novellas are fantastic, so I expect she’ll write a great short story. My review is my thoughts as I read…

⭐️<b>The Fall Guy by Olivie Blake</b> - The premise is confusing. This is romance-first, world-building second. Mer is the MMC and seems to be a magician/scribe. Lilari is the FMC who seems to be marrying for convenience or safety, but for some reason, she needs to steal a necklace? She might be an aristocrat or a pirate? This is unclear, but there’s an info dump towards the end that kind of explains this. Mer is going to help her do this as a masked ball.

I never read The Atlas Six and the writing here doesn’t compel me to.


⭐️<b>The Dubious Ladies of Mirador by Melissa Marr</b> - This story starts well, but we once again have an unclear premise when the opening scene ends. A convent seems to train nuns for espionage. A novice named Alwen is being sent on a mission. Then we have Christabel, “Lady of Mirador,” a woman in a castle with eagles? Alwen is supposed to kill Christabel. Maybe. Or maybe they’ll get married.


⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>Until December by Kelly Andrew </b> - College student rivals who study the same magical concept, “drifting.” It’s a sort of time travel with entering others’ minds. While it takes a bit to understand what’s happening and the solution to their problem isn’t explained well, the story is interesting and holds your attention.


⭐️⭐️⭐️💫<b>The King’s Witch by Tasha Suri </b> - A witch is chosen to marry a new ruler, but because travel is dangerous, she marries a priest by proxy. She is in love with someone she met a few years ago, but that person was killed by guards…or were they? Super short, but well done.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>Disgraced Virgin Sacrifice by Kelley Armstrong </b> - it’s no surprise that this wash favorite of all the stories. A gryphon will stop terrorizing a town of a virgin princess is sacrificed to it. The FMC is a monster-slayer who pretends to be an innocent virgin to get to the royals. No spoilers, but this turns a trope-y story on its ear. It even manages to have some social critique, humor, and a little romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫<b>Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole </b> - Former friends and now rival researchers both aspire to a job on a mysterious island, working as assistant a powerful magician. They get a two month trial on the island and become reconnected. The fact that they used to be friends makes the romance that blossoms during the trial believable. A little thin on magic once they get on the island.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 <b>Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay by Eliza Chan </b> - Beautifully written, but the dual timeline and lack of world building makes it hard to understand what’s happening at times. A second chance romance?

⭐️⭐️ <b>Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon by AC Wise </b> - A modern story of the popular, rich girl and the outcast, trailer park dweller becoming friends and more. With a dragon. The characters are in high school and it would probably appeal to a younger audience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy by AG Slatter </b> - A necromancy story with some good world-building, but the backstory is sped through. The FMC and MMC met prior to the story starting, but I wish there was a little more to that story. Some of the romantic elements are a little too obvious, but subtlety is a personal preference.

⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer </b> - A woman is taken from Manhattan to a magical realm by an aristocrat woman who wants to prove to her son that mortal kindness exists. The son must spend a year in the mortal world because he lost the bet. A little simple in style, but entertaining. I wish more of a time jump was used to make the physical relationship more believable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>The Larkspur by Megan Bannen </b> - Set in the world of Hart and Mercy (and Bannen’s other recent books), I loved this. I could see a new reader not appreciating the nods to that world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<b>Rosebud by Katherine Arden </b> - Daughters of a diplomat move to Brussels for their father’s post-WW2 work. They think they’re dreaming when they encounter an early 1800s ball happening in their rental home’s ballroom every night. They find out the house is where the famous Duchess of Richmond’s ball happened the night before Waterloo. They escape to the ball every night, but it’s not exactly an escape.

I love reading anthologies because they introduce me to new authors, though I often find them challenging to review. When I saw that The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic features some of my favorite authors, I immediately requested it. I really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong and Megan Bannen's stories, and I also discovered new authors to explore. If you prefer your fantasy more romance heavy, this anthology is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

Actual Rating: 3.75

Generally I’d like to say that I love a short story collection but in truth my experience with them over the last couple of years has been slightly mixed. ’The Secret Romantic’s Book Of Magic’ was one that instantly called to me though between its alluring title, promise of romantasy tales and a mixture of authors whose work I’ve previously enjoyed or longed to check out. Happily I can honestly say that this was a collection that I truly enjoyed on the whole; some stories more, or less, so than others but that always tends to be the case with this kind of book.

One thing that I feel is worth noting before anything else is that on the whole I fell for the fantasy elements of this collection’s tales much more strongly than the romance. There were a couple of stories where the romance managed to get beneath my skin too but others where I was only really invested for the other elements that were at play. As a major fantasy fan this didn’t particularly worry me but it’s definitely worth mentioning given its romantasy promises. Although maybe this was just a me thing; maybe as someone who doesn’t read romance overly much I needed longer to invest in new pairings?

Given the length of each story I don’t really want to go into the plot of them all – those are best discovered for yourself – but I will highlight my favourites. ’Until December’ was an instant hit for me which came as somewhat of a surprise as it dealt with an element that I’m generally apprehensive of. ’Good Deeds And Their Magical Punishments’ was another that I ended up falling for swiftly and honestly convinced me to move the author’s series right up my TBR. ’The Larkspur’ is set within the author’s established world but perfectly readable with no knowledge of it (I managed and I haven’t picked her books up yet); it’s also another that’s left me longing to pick up more by the author as this world instantly got its hooks into me. ’Rosebud’ was my other highlight and captured the kind of ghostly, fairytale vibes that I dream of. All four of those I loved.

There were two other stories with worlds that particularly stood out to me as ones I’d love to explore more thoroughly – Melissa Marr’s and A.G. Slatter’s. I actually never knew I needed a vampire novel by one of my favourite fae authors until I discovered her example for myself. Yet the romances didn’t quite click for me. Both had pairings that I quite liked the idea of, I just felt they needed more page time to truly develop but I guess that’s just a danger of the format.

The rest of the stories within this collection were generally enjoyable too. One had a twist that I particularly appreciated and another a magic system that I enjoyed reading about. Truthfully there weren’t any within this book that I disliked although one did feel more suitable for a YA collection and another had a storyline that I liked but a writing style that didn’t quite click for me.

Ultimately I’d consider this collection a success and am thrilled to say that it’s sent me away excited to check out more books by some of its new to me authors. There were four stories that I loved and the rest were generally enjoyable tales to explore too. Yet I do think this collection is more likely to work for fantasy fans than romance ones. As someone who needs to test the latter genre out more though it’s probably best to see if other reviewers, who read more romance, agree. But if you’re intrigued by the idea of exploring a few new fantasy lands and testing out some of these authors’ styles for yourself then this is a great book to do so with.

The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic is a great collection for someone looking to enter the world of romantic fantasy.

As with many short story anthologies, I liked some stories more than others. My personal favourites in the collection are Until December by Kelly Andrew, Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelley Armstrong, San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy by A. G. Slatter, and The Lakespur by Megan Bannen.

For readers looking for a quick taste of fantastical (many I would also say are haunting) romances, this would be a great start.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic comes out on June 24th.

This collection was, like many short story collections, a bit of a mixed bag. There were some stories that really worked for me, and some that really didn't, as well as quite a few in the middle. My favourite stories were by Tasha Suri, Kelley Armstrong, Megan Bannen, and Katherine Arden, and I really liked the opportunity to read a snapshot of many authors to decide if I liked their writing. There were a couple of really popular authors in this collection that I hadn't read anything from, so this was a nice introduction to them. I really like the concept of this collection, and hope that this paves the way for more romantasy short story collections.

A bit of a mixed bag of Romantasy stories with some that just weren’t my thing (but could very well be perfect for someone else) and others I really loved!

From stories of shapeshifters, time travellers and damsels causing distress to folklore and mythology inspired tales, there’s definitely something for everyone in this collection.

My absolute favourites from this collection were Until December by Kelly Andrew, San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy by A. G. Slatter and Rosebud by Katherine Arden.

Lovely anthology to get a glimpse into the writing style of authors and enjoy sweet short stories. Overall I enjoyed it immensly and found new authors to check out. Would recommend to any romantasy lover.
Overview of each story:

The Fall Guy | Olivie Blake: ⭐⭐⭐ interesting writing style, romance fell a bit short for me, spy in disguise, mf

The Dubious Ladies of Mirador | Melissa Marr : ⭐⭐⭐ sweet, vampire and warrior nun, ff

Until December | Kelly Andrew : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ academic rivals, teleportation, mf

The King’s Witch | Tasha Suri : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ unexpected betrothal, ff

Designated Virgin Sacrifice | Kelley Armstrong : ⭐⭐⭐ nice take on virgin sacrifices and monsters, mf

Second Class Magic | Kamilah Cole : ⭐⭐⭐ academic rivals, ff

Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay | Eliza Chan : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ east asian mythology-ish, nice storytelling

Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon | A. C. Wise: ⭐⭐⭐ poor meets rich plus a dragon, ff

San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy | A. G. Slatter: ⭐⭐⭐ betrayal and a meaningful ONS, mf

Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments | Hannah Nicole Maehrer : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ bit of isekai, shared loss, mf

The Larkspur | Megan Bannen: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ mc who thinks he is not worthy of his wife, mf

Rosebud | Katherine Arden: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ heartfelt, war, mf

Thanks to netgalley and Titan books for providing me with an ARC for this book.

A lovely anthology full of magic and love. All of the featured authors were new to me although I've heard of some of them I'd never actually read their work. Glad to say I now have. I really enjoyed this collection, it's a good palate cleanser for the heavier high fantasy/romantasy books out there.

Overall 4 stars after averaging out my rating for each story below.

The Fall Guy: Olivia Blake - 3* Fast paced, felt like an excerpt from the middle of a novel as apposed to a short story.

The Dubious Women of Mirador: Melissa Marr - 4* Interesting story, very short enemies to lovers/fated mates plot.

Until December: Kelly Andrew - 5* - More Sci-Fi than fantasy, but loved it all the same. Addie Laure/Our Infinite Fates vibes.

The King's Witch: Tasha Suri - 5* Good world building, well paced with chapters split between current time and flashbacks. I really enjoyed this one.

Designated Virgin Sacrifice: Kelley Armstrong -5* Favorite one so far! Absolutely loved the twist in this one, for a short story it was really gripping and so well paced.

Second class magic: Kamilah Cole - 3 stars, interesting magic system for a short story, good academic rivals to lovers plot, felt a little bit rushed and disjointed but otherwise a nice little sapphic romance.

Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay: Eliza Chan - 3* Loved the magic system in this one, very unique, but otherwise really struggled to get through it and almost skipped it all together a couple of times. Well written, beautiful ending, just slow for me personally.

Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon: A.C Wise - 4* Whirlwind of an academic rivals to lovers story. I really enjoyed this one, fast paced and sweet, ending on a lovely little cliffhanger.

San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy: A.G. Slatter - 4* I was a little bit confused by the world building at the start, it felt like too much for a short story, but once it actually got into the plot and the magic I really enjoyed it.

Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments: Megan Bannen - 5* - Adored this story so much, easiest 5* in this whole anthology. My favorite of them all.

The Larkspur: Megan Bannen - 3* Cozy fantasy vibes but I was a little bit bored with the MCs self pity, it fell a bit flat for me and didn't give his character much depth. I'm not a huge fan of the 'Woe is me' character profile.

Rosebud: Katherine Arden - 3* A beautiful story but closer to gothic/paranormal that romantasy.

A very cute, fun, and ultimately unique collection of romantasy stories! I'll be honest, while I love the genre, "full-on" romantasies are just as hard for me sometimes as standard or even ~high fantasy-genre reads for me in that, one, there's all the world-building and etc.... but also two, sometimes after awhile they all seem to blur together and sound the same? (This same truth I think can be said about general romcoms for me lol.) That being said, I had fun with this one; I really only knew of a handful of the featured authors going into it (Blake; Slatter; Wise; and Chan, mostly), so I feel like I went into this read with a fairly unbiased view of what to expect. As always, of course I loved some stories more than others, but that's to be expected with anthologies, so it didn't color my overall experience as much. More importantly, I think a majority of them did a good job at being subversive additions to the genre(s), as well as being tales that are able to stand on their own. Overall would definitely recommend, especially if you're new to the genre or, like me, who like to dip their toes in some of the time and want to be exposed to several different authors at the same time!

I thoroughly enjoyed the range of short stories in this anthology. I loved the focused on romantasy which is fast becoming my favourite genre. There were several authors on the list that I was so pleased to see and they did not disappoint. Good Deeds and their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer stood out as one of my favourites. It had the cute, adorable banter of Assistant to the Villain as well as an interesting premise with lots of plot points added to a quick snap shot of the protagonists lives. Eliza Chan's Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay was so enjoyable and straddles a line between myth and past loves. It was beautifully written and I was there for it all. I am also a big fan of Katherine Arden whose story, Rosebud was a beautiful blend of historical fiction with magical undertones. Whilst I enjoyed them all to varying levels my final story in my top selection was Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelley Armstrong. I loved the feel of the story which was reminiscent of the film Damsel but nothing like it in plot lines so no spoiler there. For anyone who loves Romantasy and would like some quick short stories to quench their thirst for the genre, I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGallery and Titan books, as well as these amazing authors for the ARC of this book.

Such a fun and flirty collection of Romantasy short stories! This would be a great recommendation for someone wanting to dip their toes in the genre and see if it’s for them.

I think this is being published at a perfect time, with many readers experiencing Romatasy fatigue from story threads and narratives being rehashed over and over again in some big releases over the past year - this collection shows the widespread variety the genre has to offer, and showcases the talent of 12 great writers. I was only familiar with a few before reading this, and I’m very excited to check more out (Eliza Chan’s prose was gorgeous!)

As with all anthologies, I enjoyed some much more than others.
My favourite was most definitely Until December. Time-travel and Academic Rivals to Lovers???? Say less!!!! I felt like a mouse led to the most delicious cheese.
The Larkspur was also a stand out for me. And I feel the need to shout out Designated Virgin Sacrifice as the FMC is named Marielle, which is my (government) name, and it felt really cool to see it in a book.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
What a treat this anthology was.. I spent a wonderful time with my favourite authors and met two new-also now my favourites.
They were not simply short stories (technically I may even call each a novella), they were each different worlds.
Olivie Blake was as usual, amazing. I love how she makes me imagine her actually talking. It was witty, full of humor-sarcasm combined and rich in descriptions.
Tasha Suri's story was dynamic, yet following the pace of other stories. As with Katherine Arden's, I thought they had an understanding as how fast things may go (I don't know how anthologies are planned)
Which was my favourite? As it depends on the mood I was while reading, I guess this time I enjoyed Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole.
I cannot thank enough for the time I enjoyed while reading..Hope more compilations/anthologies are published.

Loved this! I don't typically do anthologies but the author list is absolutely stacked and I had to give it a try!

As with all anthologies, not every story was for me, however I did enjoy the majority of them. And of course I wished some of the stories were longer! All around, very well done. Loved it.

Alot of these were up and down for me, my favorites were by Kamilah Cole and Tasha Suri! Unless you are already an anthology fan I'm not sure this is for you.

"Enemies become lovers, rivalry turns to romance, and convenient marriages create true love in these 12 addictive Romantasy tales.

Featuring Olivie Blake, Kelley Armstrong, Katherine Arden, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Tasha Suri, Melissa Marr and more.

Fall in love with these twelve gorgeous Romantasy stories from bestselling and beloved authors.

Lost lovers return for a second chance - but what are their motives? Academic rivals compete for a prestigious position, but their sizzling chemistry might get in the way. A monster slayer​ posing as an unwitting sacrifice meets an intriguingly moral prince.

From relationships caught in disparate timelines to ghostly ballrooms and dragons that need rescuing from princesses, this anthology gives you an inventive new spin on all your favorite tropes, and much more that you've never seen before.

FEATURING BRAND-NEW STORIES FROM:
Olivie Blake
A. G. Slatter
Tasha Suri
Katherine Arden
Kelley Armstrong
Hannah N. Maehrer
Melissa Marr
Megan Bannen
Kelly Andrew
Kamilah Cole
A. C. Wise
Eliza Chan"

Damn, that lineup! Just damn.

My first endeavour into romantasy. What fun!! Kelley Armstrong stories are a no-brainer. Kudos to the rest

This was such a delight to read, and I had the hardest time choosing a favourite among such incredible writers. Short stories always deeply impress me as it can be so hard to establish a truly good story in such a short amount of time. While I don't think every story in this collection wowed me, a few of them absolutely did and would get me to recommend this book to others based on them alone.

My ultimate favourite was The King's Witch by Tasha Suri. I adore her writing already, but the story she was able to weave so quickly and complexly really captured my attention and my heart. I love how much detail was put into the world building and the relationship feels very fleshed out. There was so much love between Lark and Silver that I was aching for more by the end.

A few of my other faves: Kelley Armstrong's Designated Virgin Sacrifice, I've never read anything by this author (criminal, I know) and I loved the twists and mystery element to her story. I wasn't expecting it and it made for a very fun read. Slay the Princess, Free the Dragon by AC Wise and The Larkspur by Megan Bannen were both so fun to read and some of my favourite relationships in the collection.

I don't think a single story disappointed me at all, even the ones that weren't necessarily my favourites were still so well written and captivating. This is a very solid collection of stories and I'll definitely be telling people to check it out.

This was a really strong selection of stories, though I do feel it was bookended by the two of the weaker stories.

The Fall Guy by Olivie Blake - I liked the concept of this story from the world (especially with magic being written) and the romance/dynamic between Mer and Lilari. I think what didn't work for me was the writing style, which makes sense as personal preference since I've never been drawn to this author's work. 3/5

The Dubious Ladies of Mirador by Melissa Marr - this was one of two stories in this collection where I've read some of the author's work before. I absolutely loved this one (not least because it was sapphic) because of the world created and the characters of Alwen and Mirador. I was so drawn in by the convent Alwen came from. And I loved the dark humour of Mirador's family with the mentions of her parents trapped in a ravine. I also loved the play on ideas of vampirism with bonded partner's gaining the longevity of Mirador's bloodline, and with Alwen achieving her mission of containing Mirador through that bond. 5/5

Until December by Kelly Andrew - this wasn't a story I'd tend to pick up but it sucked me in, I was absolutely engrossed. I loved the grounded word building with the addition of drifting powers. I also adored the dynamic that Georgina and Orson had - they're long-term academic rivals, they've got feelings for each other, Orson accepts that Georgina may kill him again and again but is still determined to try and break that loop. Just wow, I loved it. 5/5

The King's Witch by Tasha Suri - the whole reason I read this book, I am enamored by Tasha Suri's writing and knew I had to read this. I absolutely loved the world that was created in this story - the way king's are made by killing all their rivals when the previous king passes, the way descendants of a goddess are heirs to magic and raised in monasteries. I also loved the depth given to Lark and Silver's romance through the foray's into the last, into the sixth months at the monastery. I could just devour more from this world, and of these characters. I loved how Lark became king so no one could separate her and Silver again. I loved how everything they both did was raw with the hurt and love that made their relationship. Just phenomenal. 5/5

Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelley Armstrong - this one was just really fun, I loved how twisty it was with not quite knowing who the love interest would be and then the reveal of Marielle and Volkir (the 'monster') working together to rid places of cruel, corrupt leadership. Just such a fun twist on classic story tropes. 5/5

Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole - I loved the simpler style of this story and the lack of grand adventuring within it. It was such a wonderful version of a quieter fantasy story, of two woman seeking an opportunity to study under a great magic user. I loved the dynamic between Margot and Jesy, especially how even when they fell for each other they still knew they were academic rivals, both of the wanting the opportunity for themselves (but now knowing they wouldn't be defined by it). 4/5

Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay by Eliza Chan - i really loved the use of a story within a story in this one, of the tale where at first it seems the characters of Meiyu and Weifeng were the girl and her lover only for the story to unfold and reveal a different truth. I also LOVED the magic of the world - of creation being pulled from flesh and Meiyu learning that she can still create and exist without tearing reams of paper from herself, without giving all of herself. And the way she realised that being in a relationship also wouldn't mean losing herself. 4/5

Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon by A.C. Wise - this definitely had the most YA feel to it in terms of the characters (not a bad thing, just some of these stories were more adult). I think it was a fun idea merging fantasy and modernity and the way Ev and Carissa's relationship developed was sweet. 4/5

Can't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy by A.G. Slatter - I loved Millicent Broad so much as a character! I would follow her through many a story. I thought the way the side characters were fleshed out and how their behaviours impacting the plot was so well done, especially with the like's of Pandora (who is so well named). I also loved the way the story twisted as Millicent's family last was revealed, and I loved how both she and Augustus fully rejecting any ideas of claiming the throne. 5/5

Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - this was a typical sort of Fae LI with a normal mortal woman kind of story. Not my favourite but nice enough. 3/5

The Larkspur by Megan Bannen - I very much loved this story, I thought Sterling was such a fun and miserable character to follow. I think he was wonderfully characterised with his absolute inability to realise his wife may love him and not just have been with him because he thought he was going to die soon. And I am an absolute sucker for the trope where the woman is the wanted criminal/vigilante and her pathetic partner is the one accused. Just Bernadette was wonderful and I adore her so much. 5/5

Rosebud by Katherine Arden - I loved the romance of this being that between Susan and Arthur. I didn't really feel it was much of a fantasy story though (perhaps more gothic?) with the only element being the ghostly ballroom dances. Alice was an increasingly awful character who was deeply cruel to Arthur and whose dissapearance I honestly couldn't care much for. 3/5

This is a book of 12 romantic fantasies, including some written by my favorite authors. It's also an excellent resource for readers who want to try out new-to-them fantasy authors - I found several more writers I intend to follow. My favorite stories were Rosebud, Until December, and The Dubious Ladies of Mirador.

I received an e-arc from the publisher Titan Books, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

What a delightful read this was. I truly believe that anyone could find something to love in this anthology. The stories cover a wide variety of plots, themes, and overall vibes all within the romantasy/fantasy romance genres. For me, the clear standout stories were “Slay the Princess, Free the Dragon”, “Designated Virgin Sacrifice”, and “Until December”, but each story I think offered something for a different type of fantasy/romance reader.

I will say I felt that about 50% of the stories would have been so much more successful as a full length, but nothing felt incomplete … I just simply wanted more! A number of these authors were new to me and I will definitely be exploring more of their works.