The Fall Guy - Olivie Blake
Complicated, lots of backstory and names but not enough time to fully explore it so it felt more like an info dump.
Felt like a novel squished into a short story rather than a short story in itself
2.5 stars

The Dubious Ladies of Mirador - Melissa Marr
Adorable and sexy.
Makes me want to know more about this world.
A lovely contained little story about a secret convent of women trained to fight monsters and a badass vampire that falls in love with the hunter sent to kill her.
5 stars

Until December - Kelly Andrew
Loved the Sci fi vibes
Hot!
Again, would love to see a longer novel set in this world - drifting has so much potential!
5 stars

The King’s Witch - Tasha Suri
Badass and romantic.
Loved the idea of witch and king pairings, felt very game of thrones mixed with Lirael.
5 stars

Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Kelley Armstrong
Adorable, reminded me of Damsel but even better - feminist twist and fun concept.
5 stars

Second Class Magic - Kamilah Cole
Very sweet, maybe a little too short? Competing magical academics who fall for each other is one of my favourite tropes though.
4 stars

Bamboo, ink, paper, clay - Eliza Chan
Very poetic, I loved the concept of removing parts of yourself to make your livelihood - you always sell some part of yourself, whether it’s your body or your mind.
5 stars

Slay the princess, save the dragon - A C Wise
Cute, easy read, maybe a little on the simple side? Not much about the dragon even though it’s in the title. I liked the idea of how a modern world that started off as the classic medieval fantasy world would work. Companies taking advantage of the magical creatures and selling them for parts makes so much sense in a capitalist society.
4 stars

San’t Martin’s book of mild melancholy - A G Slatter
The setup of the demon possession and royal infighting is good but needed a longer book to do it justice, the ending felt rushed, but I liked the world building.
4 stars

Good deeds and their magical punishments - Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Weird, felt like reading a fanfic. I’m not sure a short story is the place to try and change a man’s worldview and opinion on humanity in a couple of days - felt very rushed.
2 stars

The Larkspur - Megan Bannen
Nice, interesting world. Makes me want to check out her other books too. Not sure it stood out to me in this short story collection though.
3 stars

Rosebud - Katherine Arden
Wow, dreamy and beautiful. I loved the spooky edge to the haunted ballroom and I hope the two dancers were able to find some way to stay together in limbo
5 stars

The Secret Romantic's Book of Magic is a fun anthology of romantasy short stories. Some stories shone, like the King’s Witch, however, several stories fell flat for me. I have read works by some authors, but not all of them. I liked getting a taste of those authors I hadn’t read before, and appreciated the mix of f/f and f/m relationships.

Thank you, NetGalley and Titan Books, for the ARC!

The buzziest names writing in fantasy right now decided to show us love in all its wonderful, weirdest, inclusive forms!

THE FALL GUY BY OLIVIE BLAKE

Mer’s split-second decision to intervene in Lady Lilari’s kidnapping is so hopeless and stupid it ruins him for life.
Two extreme characters who are dealt lots in life they want more from.

<b>Imagine if he said that. If he got down on his knees and said Lilari, fuck the empire and their promises of sorcery and power, I’ll die with you in poverty and treason if that’s what you ask. Can you imagine? If he said I’ll die for you, how could she say anything short of okay cool, then die?
</b>

THE DUBIOUS LADIES OF MIRADOR BY MARISSA MEYER

A convent sister trained in combat and seduction, make-up and manners is sent to deal with Christabel, Lady of Mirador who may or not be a vampire.
This is sapphic, wild, and fun.
<b>
Beautiful and deadly? She was exactly my type.

“I don’t love you.”
“Yet.”
“I was sent to kill you,” Alwen pointed out.
“I will give you a little death as often as you want. Will that satisfy this obsession with killing?” Mirador’s eyes glittered at this short distance.
</b>

UNTIL DECEMBER BY KELLY ANDREW
Magical university rivals caught in a deadly countdown.
Major The Atlas Six Vibes, perhaps that is why it stood out to me. Plus, academic rivals is always a beloved troupe.

<b>“You make it sound like my soul was searching for yours,” she says. “That’s not science, Orson. That’s poetry.”
</b>

THE KING’s WISH BY TASHA SURI
I was let down by this one :(

The new King chooses Silver as his new bride who is still grieving an old friend, lover, flame.
If you have read Suri before, this is definitely HER. Her style, longing, twists.

<b>I do not know how this wolf of a woman can look at me with such hunger, such avarice, as if I am as silver as my name.
</b>

DESIGNATED VIRGIN SACRIFICE BY KELLY ARMSTRONG
My FAVOURITE of the collection.
This is literally what I wrote my dissertation on: the supervision of fairytale and narrative troupes. I loved it.


SECOND CLASS MAGIC BY KAMILAH COLE
Another magical academic rivals story competing for a position of a professional assistant. Sadly, because of repetition, I wanted something completely new.

<b>If Jesy Bellchant was a tornado, then Margot was a wooden shack on the plains. There was no escaping the devastating force of her.
</b>

BAMBOO, INK, PAPER, CLAY BY ELIZA CHAN
Sadly, my least favourite of the collection. I just found it so boring. It’s basically a story about setting expectations about the greatest living story.

<b>She was tired of being told what her future looked like. By the father who did not want her to want, and yet laid the burden of his sacrifice upon her back. By the ex-lover who sought to mould her in an image not of her own choosing. And even now, by the man she loved, who wanted to make promises for a future that was not certain.
</b>

SLAY THE PRINCESS, SAVE THE PRINCESS BY A. C. WISE
Possibly one of my other favourites.
Another case of subversion where a girl decides to tutor the school’s princess in order to steal her dragon.


SAINT MARTEN’S BOOK OF MILD MELANCHOLY BY A. G. SLATTER
Necromancy, royal intrigue, assassins, and demons.
This was probably my second FAVOURITE. A very satisfying story with great characters in such a short span.


GOOD DEEDS AND THEIR MAGICAL PUNISHMENT BY HANNAH NICOLE MAHRER
Portal fantasy with a done-with-everyone’s-BS waitress and a fae prince who doesn’t believe in human kindness.
I thought it was quirky, but it was very predictable and I was kinda bored.


THE LARKSPUR BY MEGAN BANNEN
‘The Larkspur’ is set in the same world as my novel The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, but you don’t have to have read that for this.
I love how Bannen writes chaotic, misunderstood and misunderstanding characters.
A loose reimagining The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery.


ROSEBUD BY KATHERINE ARDEN
Very similar in tone to The Warm Hands of Ghosts. Another story surrounding war and lost love. Another bitter ending.


Overall, a great collection and the time flew past as I read it. Most of these were good four stars.

Arc gifted by Titan Books.

This anthology is a great introduction to romantasy, showing a lot of different facets of the genre. Like all anthologies, some stories were more to my taste than others, but I universally enjoyed the disparate characters and refreshing perspectives explored.

Standouts for me were Kelley Armstrong's 'Designated Virgin Sacrifice', which looks at the traditional trope of sending young women off to appease magical beasts, AC Wise's 'Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon', exploring how life might work if dragons were real now, and AG Slatter's 'San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy', a story of demons and mediums and powerful books, told through the eyes of the indefatigable Millie.

The twelve stories were well balanced and lent themselves to reading each in a sitting, and would be good for readers wanting to read in short but immersive chunks.

Thank you to Titan and Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this title.

Table of contents:
The Fall Guy - Olivie Blake
The Dubious Ladies of Mirador - Melissa Marr
Until December - Kellie Andrew
The King's Witch - Tasha Suri
Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Kelley Armstrong
Second Class Magic - Kamilah Cole
Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay - Eliza Chan
Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon - A. C. Wise
San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy - A. G. Slatter
Good Deeds and their Magical Punishments - Hannah Nicole Maehrer
The Larkspur - Megan Bannon
Rosebud - Katherine Arden

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As romantasy continue to grow exponentially and I find myself tiring of the copy-and-paste books coming out in this genre, the opportunity to read a book of short stories around this was interesting. Because, despite its popularity and my subsequent jaded approach to it, romantasy in theory combines my two great loves: fantasy and romance. I knew from the author names I recognised on the list, this was not the mainstream romantasy being churned out. I knew this would be different.

And I was spot on. Each story was unique, subversive in some way, and combined the elements of fantasy and romance delectably. Yes, some were stronger than others, but overall, the quality in this collection was strong and the enjoyment I got was HIGH. I’ve not much been one for short stories before, but I thoroughly enjoyed leaping from each tale, discovering new worlds, spells, curses, and kingdoms. I think my honourable mention has to go to ‘Until December’, because it was pure perfection and scratches my brain juuuust right.

Overall, a wonderful collection of wildly different stories that centre love, fantastical realms, and adventure in a way that, for me, is what romantasy should be about.

4.5/5 🌟

***

And if you’re interested, below are my quick fire thoughts from each story after I read them:

The Fall Guy:
As usual, Olivie Blake’s writing is everything. Funny, razor sharp, and utterly engaging. This short story was fun, twisty, and classic Olivie Blake. I fear recently reading ‘Januaries’ has raised my expectations to impossible levels, and this story didn’t reach the heights of those found in that book. Still, I had a great time with it. 4/5

The Dubious Ladies of Mirador:
Look, all I need to hear is sapphic vampires and I’m in. This was a delicious little story that I wanted more of. Having never read the author before, I’m now interested in exploring her back catalogue. This was super fun, but the ending was a little abrupt. 4/5

Until December:
Okay, this was just sublime. Academic rivals to lovers and timey wimey plot? I’m in heaven. I love stories that confuse me, that scramble the brain a little, and this was wonderfully befuddling. Our two main characters had excellent chemistry and in a short time, I was fully on board with their relationship. Honestly, this was excellent. 5/5

The King’s Witch:
Oh, this was great. Having read Tasha Suri before, I knew I would be in for a treat. A witch chosen to wed the king? A devastating tragic and sapphic backstory? Will there be a happy ending? No spoilers, but this was truly delightful. 4.5/5

Designated Virgin Sacrifice:
Another fun little story about slaying monsters and sacrificing virgins. The premise was solid and the twists were unexpected. I really enjoyed the journey and learning all about the true monsters among us… 4/5

Second Class Magic:
This was pretty cute, sapphic rivals to lovers, which I eat up every time. Predictable, but enjoyable. Ultimately, though, nothing groundbreaking. 3.5/5

Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay:
I think this had great potential, with a wonderful and unique concept. I enjoyed the writing wholeheartedly, but I felt the ending was a little rushed. 3.5/5

Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon:
This was a sweet, if predictable, little tale. The setting was a bit jarring, with the modern aspects not quite blending fully with the fantasy. I definitely felt the potential here, but it lacked some emotional depth. 3.5/5

San’t Marten’s Book of Mild Melancholy:
Okay, this slapped. A really engaging main character with the kind of no nonsense attitude I love. The world building was excellent and the story paced well. A nice twist and perfectly ambiguous ending. 4.5/5

Good Deeds and their Magical Punishments:
I think this was a great little tale of kindness, grief, and second chances. Although the ending was predictable, I was grinning. The story was funny and had heart, and I had a great time. 4/5

The Larkspur:
Excellent world-building, good plot, and a main character destined to die. I enjoyed this one a lot, although I did guess the twist immediately, I still had a fun time. The romance fell a little flat, but overall, it was a good little story. 3.5/5

Rosebud:
I truly did not know where this was going, and initially I was sceptical but good grief, this was great. The bright lights and music swept me away, and I was completely spellbound as the story progressed. Ultimately, an eerie ending that tied this together beautifully. 4.5/5

As with any anthology, The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic is a bit of a mixed bag—but in the best way possible. With twelve romantasy stories by a wide range of authors, from well-known names like Olivie Blake and Tasha Suri to emerging voices, there’s something here for every flavor of fantasy romance fan.

Some stories completely drew me in with their worldbuilding and emotional pull, especially those that played with unusual tropes or added a darker edge to the romance. A few tales felt a bit rushed or didn’t click with me personally, which is expected in a short story collection. That said, the quality of writing across the board is high, and several stories left me wanting to read full-length novels set in those worlds.

If you’re a romantasy reader looking to dip your toes into new authors or just craving quick, magical love stories, this is a satisfying and charming read. Not every story will be a perfect fit, but the hits make it well worth the time.

Thank you to Net Galley and Titan Books for this ARC.

I had never read anthologies before, and although I knew a few of the authors in this one, I’d only ever read Hannah Nicole Maehrer, so I was very much going in blind.

Each of these short stories was a joy to read. Naturally there were some that I didn’t enjoy as much as others, as you would expect with an anthology, but each of them used tropes that I adore and they were pleasant enough. It was also brilliant to discover some new authors, and I’ve already ordered a book by Kelly Andrew after loving her short story.

I’m always a little 50/50 whenever a book classes itself as ‘Romantasy’ as in my experience they will either be perfect, or cliché stories that make you cringe. Happily in this case, I found this book to be perfect!

An entertaining anthology of romantasy stories. As always some are better than others but all were enjoyable.

Mirador - A lovely love story between a (female) vampire and a nun!
Until December - Probably my favourite: a gorgeous couple and completely mind bending. Really wish it was a full length book
The King's Witch - Totally absorbing, another one I wish was a book
Designated Virgin Sacrifice - Lots of fun
Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay - Very puzzling but also enchanting
Good Deeds - Wonderful, a great story
Rosebud - A lovely story

i was so hyped for this when I saw Olivie Blake and it was definitely up to the hype I found. 4 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

What an incredible sampling of various romantasy authors! Some of them I've read before, some are brand new to me. Of course, I loved every single Sapphic story that was in this collection, but the M/F romances were good too. Here we go.

- The Fall Guy by Olivie Blake
Mer involves himself in Lady Lilari Barzya's kidnapping and doesn't regret a moment of it.
I was so lost at the beginning of this. So many elements introduced in a short time. I liked the conclusion, though.

- The Dubious Ladies of Mirador by Melissa Marr
A monster hunter leaves the convent on a mission to contain Mirador by any means necessary.
This is an interesting Sapphic vampire x hunter fated mates scenario that I liked well enough.

- Until December by Kelly Andrew
Academic rivals thrown together in a strange time-bendy way.
This one was intriguing. Mind-bending in a good way.

- The King's Witch by Tasha Suri
Silver is sent for to be wed to the new king, chosen to her surprise.
Tasha Suri can do no wrong. I loved everything about this Sapphic story, especially the ending.

- Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelly Armstrong
A monster hunter seeks to rid a town of their monster.
Oh, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Give me a good hero of her own making story any day.

- Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole
Rival researchers Margot and Jesy compete for the chance to become an apprentice.
Short and sweet rivals to lovers Sapphic romance with a dash of magic. I love Kamilah Cole's writing.

- Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay by Eliza Chan
In a world where the characters take materials from themselves, a papercutter lives out a tale of a spurned lover, a hardworking father, and her soulmate.
This was lyrical and lovely. It was a little hard to wrap my head around at first, but I quit trying to make sense of things and it eventually made sense anyway.

- Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon by A.C. Wise
Daunted by her futuer prospects, Ev decides she needs to ruin Carissa's reputation by saving her dragon.
I wasn't expecting this to be Sapphic, so I was happily surprised. I wish there was more to this story. I want the full-length version, please.

- San't Marten's Book of Mild Melancholy by A.G. Slater
Millicent was trained by the Witches to take over their business as a medium. When an unlikely customer shows up, Millicent must figure out what she really wants out of life.
This was interesting. Not what I expected. It's a little too short for the romance aspect but a nice, quick read.

- Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Elizabeth "Bette" gets pulled through a magical portal by a meddling lady to prove to the lady's son that mortals are kind.
Maehrer's whimsical writing style shines through in this one. Short and sweet with a tiny bit of steam.

- The Larkspur by Megan Bannen
Sterling Valancy fully expected to die within the year, but his luck keeps holding out. Unfortunately, this also affects his wife, who married him out of pity.
I love the world of Hart and Mercy, and I was really pleased to see a short story from that world. I think if I wasn't already familiar with it, I'd be a little lost with the lore of birth keys and demigods. Regardless, this is a lovely and romantic short story.

- Rosebud by Katherine Arden
Alice and Susan are the daughters of a diplomat who moved to Brussels shortly after a War (assuming World War I?). Their new house includes an incredible, possibly magical ballroom.
I was not expecting the way this one ended. It gives a little more of a spooky vibe than a romantasy one.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Romantasy is the current big thing in BookTok and Bookstagram. This collection of 12 romantasy stories is a great way to dip a toe into the world of romantasy for those who are afraid to begin and the perfect way to find new authors for those who have already fallen in love with the genre.

The stories range from taking place in fantasy worlds to historical worlds filled with familiar names, to anywhere your imagination can take you. The stories themselves also range across a broad range of plots and characters. Whatever it is that you want to read can be found in this anthology.

I find it difficult to summarize shorter stories but they are all excellent.

Thank you to Titan Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a great collection of short stories. Obviously every story wasn't my favorite but I got to read some authors I haven't read before. This is a great sampler to wet your toes in romantasy.

Rated 4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

As with any anthology, this was a mix of writing styles and signatures, and I gelled with some and not so much with others. Olivie Blake, as always, provided a beautiful short story that somehow had me aching for more interaction between the characters despite only meeting them for a few short chapters. I am also grateful to have received this ARC as I loved Kelly Andrew's short story and plan to seek out some of her other published work.

Overall, it was great to experience short pieces from different authors and a credit to the current popular trend of romantasy.

I really enjoyed this short story collection from some of my favourite authors. Each story is a perfect little appetiser and it was great to read such a variety.

I always love anthologies so I was very excited for this one since it has some of my favorite authors in it! Like every anthology I really enjoyed some but thought others were just okay. Overall I liked all the stories and enjoyed the different tropes but one of my favorites was definitely Hannah Nicole Maehrer's! This is a great palate cleanser in between books and I would highly recommend for Romantasy fans. I'm excited to read more from the authors!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an advanced copy!

I have mixed feelings about this anthology. As much as I liked a couple of stories, the rest fell a bit flat for me unfortunately. I get that being short stories there is only so much you can do in terms of world building and character development, but still some of them just weren’t working for me. Overall this was an okay collection and I feel like any romantasy reader can enjoy it as a palate cleanser, just not my favorite. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This review is hard to write because it’s a compilation of short stories all by different authors. Some I really like and some a really didn’t like. Overall, I would say I felt pretty meh about most of them. I think in general this book shows me that maybe short story isn’t the best format for the romantasy genre. However I don’t want to be too overly critical because there were a couple stories here that I really, really liked!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

Understandably and as with most anthologies, this is a mixed bags. Some were excellent and some were meh, but overall a good mix and introduced me to some new to me authors, so overall worth a read

These stories are really cool. Some are little more than vignettes, but the world building is so complete that I got sucked into each one. My only nitpick is that the final story ended so melancholically. I was hoping to finish the anthology on a happier note. Highlights for me were stories by Megan Bannen, Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Andrew, Olivie Blake. Thanks to Titan for the ARC.

This is a truly fantastic anthology of short stories for Romantasy fans. As with all collections like this some were more to my taste than others but every story was well written and original.

Among my favourites were Kelley Armstrong’s “Designated Virgin sacrifice”, about a girl who decides to step up and slay the world’s monsters, it’s a sweet story with an excellent twist and A.C. Wise’s cute urban love story “Slay the princess, save the dragon”.

By far the standout for me was Kelly Andrew’s beautiful time travel love story, “Until December”. She was a new author to me and I will definitely be looking at her other work.

Overall, this book is the one that I am going to recommend when someone has just devoured Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses and is wondering what to read next because they will find their next favourite Romantasy author here.