9 of the Best Romance Fantasy Audiobooks to Fall in Love With


December 7, 2022
Whether you want to fall head over heels for a classic romance tale or get lost in a dark and torrid love affair, discover the best romance fantasy listens that will make you swoon.

Seeking an escape from the routine of everyday life? A great romance fantasy novel can sweep you off your feet and carry you away from the mundane. A powerful love story can transport you into a captivating fairy tale or a steamy affair.

In the best fantasy romance books, the authors craft attractive characters that pull you in. Whether the traditional Prince Charming tropes in a classic love story or an otherworldly suitor in a paranormal romance, fantasy heroes bring passion, drive and emotion to the stories they inhabit.

Here are our top 9 best romance fantasy books that have been elevated from must-read romantic fantasy books to must-listen audiobooks. These recommendations boast good ratings on Audible and Amazon, positive reviews on other platforms, and a convincing narrator performance.

What are fantasy romance books?

“Romantasy,” an amalgamation of romance and fantasy, refers to love stories set in a fantasy world. This hybrid subgenre is also known as romance fantasy or fantasy romance. Closely related is the paranormal romance, which combines romance with mystical or supernatural elements, and the gloomy-melancholic dark fantasy.

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga is widely considered a model of romantasy. Its success created a boom in similar romance fantasy series, often featuring erotic content. Typically, romance fantasy books are told from the point of view of a female character who falls in love with a supernatural being: a vampire, werewolf, shape-shifter, faerie, demon or angel.

Fairy tale adaptations are also common in the genre. They have helped to make fantasy literature much more centred on and appealing to women today than it was two decades ago. Increasingly, queer romance titles have been coming onto the market in recent years, especially in the young adult and all-ages fantasy segments.

What are the best romance fantasy books?

Millions of fans can not be wrong. These successful romance fantasy novels and series take you into a world of passionate love and dark magic.
Product list
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses cover art

    • A Court of Thorns and Roses

    • Written by: Sarah J. Maas
    • Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
    • Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1
    • Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
    • Release date: 2015-05-05
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,963 ratings
    • The young huntress Feyre has killed a wolf. As punishment, she is abducted by a monster and brought to the fabled realm of the Fae. There, it turns out that the beast is a cursed prince: Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court. Feyre learns that the land of the Fae is threatened by a mysterious plague—and soon her heart is in danger too.

      With her highly emotional romance fantasy series, Sarah J. Maas has written her way to the top of the bestseller lists. Her A Court of Thorns and Roses series is a fairy tale adaptation that grows into a complex fantasy story. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the debut novel in the series, and ACOTAR fans are eagerly awaiting the planned TV adaptation.
  • From Blood and Ash cover art

    • From Blood and Ash

    • Blood and Ash, Book 1
    • Written by: Jennifer L. Armentrout
    • Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
    • Series: Blood and Ash, Book 1
    • Length: 19 hrs and 46 mins
    • Release date: 2020-09-08
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,667 ratings
    • Young maiden Poppy carries the future of the kingdom on her shoulders. That is why she grows up under strict rules and in isolation. No one is allowed to look at her, let alone talk to her or touch her. Then, a new bodyguard enters Poppy's life: the handsome Hawke Flynn with the cheeky grin and provocative behaviour. His golden eyes awaken unprecedented longings in Poppy.

      If you’re active on Bookstagram or Booktok, you won’t have missed the hype surrounding Jennifer L. Armentrout's fantasy romance series, From Blood and Ash. It takes a little patience at first for the bestselling author to introduce the kingdoms of Solis and Atlantia. But then the plot picks up speed. Stina Nielsen lends her vocal talent to the first book of the series, From Blood and Ash, and all the titles that follow. Her performance is so emotional and engaging that more than 21 audiobook hours fly by in no time.
  • Clockwork Angel cover art

    • Clockwork Angel

    • The Infernal Devices, Book 1
    • Written by: Cassandra Clare
    • Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle
    • Series: The Infernal Devices, Book 1
    • Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
    • Release date: 2010-08-31
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 201 ratings
    • This urban fantasy is set in London in 1878. People have no idea about the eerie creatures and dark magic that dominate the city’s streets. Neither does 16-year-old Tessa Grey, who actually wants to move in with her brother. Suddenly, Tessa gets kidnapped by two dubious ladies. Shadowhunter Will Herondale rescues her from her predicament and reveals to Tessa who she really is.

      A complicated love triangle, a Victorian London painted with a lot of imagination and an urban fantasy world full of angels, demons, werewolves and vampires … How can anything go wrong with this combination of epic fantasy tropes? Not if the author's name is Cassandra Clare. Clockwork Angel is book one of The Infernal Devices trilogy. Clare has sold more than 50 million books worldwide, making her one of the most successful authors of the romance fantasy genre.
  • Shadow and Bone cover art

    • Shadow and Bone

    • Written by: Leigh Bardugo
    • Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
    • Series: Grisha, Book 1
    • Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
    • Release date: 2012-11-30
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 564 ratings
    • Alina Starkov grew up in an orphanage, just like her childhood friend Malyen Oretsev, called Mal. Alina is an insignificant cartographer in the First Army of the Tsar of Ravka, and Mal’s reputation as a tracker is overlooked by his good looks. Alina would never admit her love to him. When Mal gets attacked by monsters, Alina saves his life. In the process, she discovers that she has unexpected powers. Alina is not only a magical Grisha—she is the only one who can summon the light.

      Tsarist Russia served as fantasy author Leigh Bardugo's inspiration for the empire she created, Ravka.

      Since the release of the Netflix adaptation of the first book in the series, Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse series has inspired a growing fan base. The American author has been widely praised for her sophisticated worldbuilding, her unconventional protagonists, and her atmospheric descriptions. Narrator Lauren Fortgang performs the audiobook calmly but expressively.
  • Slave to Sensation cover art

    • Slave to Sensation

    • Psy-Changeling Series, Book 1
    • Written by: Nalini Singh
    • Narrated by: Angela Dawe
    • Series: Psy-Changeling, Book 1
    • Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
    • Release date: 2011-04-29
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
    • For 26 years, Sasha Duncan has been able to hide the fact that she is not the stone-cold businesswoman she claims to be. Inside her powerful mind, wild passions rage. If Sasha's weakness came out, she would have to pay for it with her freedom. When the hunt for a serial killer brings her together with shape-shifter, Lucas, things get dicey. The attraction between her and the handsome leader of the Dark River Leopards is palpable—and it could be fatal.

      Suspense, romance, sex and humour—in Slave to Sensation, you get a taste of everything. Nalini Singh, born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand, has been writing imaginative romance novel series since 2003. Her Psy-Changeling series, which kicks off with this novel, includes 19 titles.
  • Burn for Me cover art

    • Burn for Me

    • A Hidden Legacy, Book 1
    • Written by: Ilona Andrews
    • Narrated by: Renee Raudman
    • Series: Hidden Legacy, Book 1
    • Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
    • Release date: 2014-10-28
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
    • Nevada Baylor is a powerhouse. She is a private detective who takes on life-threatening assignments while supporting her family. She ends up on a mission that brings her together with Connor Mad Rogan, a powerful billionaire who is searching for the same suspect. As menacing as the stone-rich killer seems to Nevada, his allure is irresistible.

      Burn for Me is the prelude to Ilona Andrews's six-part Hidden Legacy series. This series offers thrilling entertainment somewhere between romance and dark romance. Renee Raudman’s sensual voice fits the hot plot perfectly, and she brings every twist and turn to life.
  • Twilight cover art

    • Twilight

    • The Twilight Saga, Book 1
    • Written by: Stephenie Meyer
    • Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
    • Series: The Twilight Saga, Book 1
    • Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
    • Release date: 2005-10-05
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 373 ratings
    • A listicle about the best romance audiobooks would be incomplete without Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The phenomenally successful vampire romance marked the beginning of the fantasy romance boom and has inspired countless authors, including E. L. James, who originally wrote Fifty Shades of Grey as fan fiction.

      Ilyana Kadushin brings the love triangle between the beautiful mortal Bella, vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob to life in the unabridged audiobook version. Deeply sensuous and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a YA fantasy love story with bite.
  • Soulstar cover art

    • Soulstar

    • Kingston Cycle, Book 3
    • Written by: C. Polk
    • Narrated by: Robin Miles
    • Series: The Kingston Cycle, Book 3
    • Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
    • Release date: 2021-02-16
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
    • Sci-fi meets romance fantasy in Soulstar, the final installment of C. Polk’s The Kingston Cycle series, narrated by Robin Miles. For years, Robin Thorpe has kept a low profile, staying close to her people in the Riverside neighbourhood and hiding the magic that would have her imprisoned.

      When Grace Hensley comes knocking, Robin’s days of hiding are over. As freed witches flood the streets of Kingston, scrambling to reintegrate with a kingdom that destroyed their lives, Robin begins to plot to establish a freer land. At the same time, she has to face her bottled-up feelings for the childhood love that vanished into an asylum 20 years ago.
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches cover art

    • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

    • Written by: Sangu Mandanna
    • Narrated by: Samara MacLaren
    • Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
    • Release date: 2022-08-23
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 166 ratings
    • Fans of paranormal romance titles need look no further than The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Orphaned at a young age and raised by strangers, Mika is used to being alone, and she doesn't mind her own company. Until one day, she receives a message, summoning her to the mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches. Mika, an isolated witch, jumps at this opportunity to start fresh. Samara MacLaren brings this warm and uplifting novel to life. Listeners of all ages will fall in love with this story about a lonely witch who embraces a quirky new family and finds a new love.

Discover even more romance listens on Audible

Most of the romance audiobooks featured here can be found on Audible in the romance category, and some can also be found among the fantasy audiobooks for adolescents. Thanks to the ongoing romance boom, new swoon-worthy titles are being added all the time. In your Audible trial period, you can download an audiobook for free, so why not make it a romance title of your choosing?