Each month, our team of book-selling experts hand-selects a small group of titles for special editorial recognition. This rare distinction is designed to increase visibility for independently published books and advocate for their readership.
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The titles featured below are this month's IngramSpark Editorial Selections, spanning romantasy, urban fantasy, epic fantasy, historical fantasy, and more.
2026 indie editorial selections - fantasy
Web of Vows and Vengeance: A Dark Enemies To Lovers Fantasy Romance Novel
by Aria Ashbrook
“They say vengeance is a blade best kept sharp, and my dagger has been honed with every betrayal.”
Web of Vows and Vengeance is the first in a dark, spicy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy series, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and Throne of Glass.
Stripped of power. Fuelled by vengeance.
She lost everything because of his lie. Now the only way to save her sister is to win a deadly competition that could cost her the only thing she has left: her life.
When Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother's death, Rose paid the price. Her family was stripped of their magic, cast into the slums, and abandoned by the kingdom they once served. Now her parents are gone, and her younger sister's future hangs in the balance.
Rose's only hope is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal competition held once a century, where the victor earns a blessing from the Goddess of Life. The catch? Every other contender wields the very power she was robbed of.
And Prince Kyor is among them. Commander of the armies. Rider of a bonded dire wolf. Wielder of lightning. He doesn't just want to win for vanity - he wants the gift for himself. But what could a man who has it all possibly want?
Thrown into a world of magic, monsters, and merciless trials, Rose must fight not only for survival but for the chance to reclaim her future. Along the way, she'll find unlikely allies, ruthless rivals, and a dangerous connection with her greatest enemy - one that could ruin or remake her.
Web of Vows and Vengeance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set in a Nordic-inspired world, featuring deadly trials, found family, gods and goddesses, political intrigue, and an underdog heroine who refuses to stay broken.
This is a story of heartbreak, vengeance, and the kind of power that can never be taken.
Tortured Souls
by Melissa K Roehrich
Fate bends to no one except the cursed.
The King
The safety of his kingdom has been the highest priority for Cethin since the moment he was born, but he's been on the throne less than a year when new threats find their way to his lands. Past sacrifices mean nothing if he can't figure out what is hunting his people. Desperate to protect his kingdom but also free Avonleya from the curse that keeps them locked away from the rest of realm, he'll do anything to ensure his people know peace. Even if that means being a villain in one story to be a savior in another.
The Queen
When Kailia steps in to save the Avonleyan king from certain death, she never expected to be punished for it. Then again, maybe she's being punished for accidentally stabbing him a few weeks later. Whatever the reason, she suddenly finds herself forced into a marriage and onto a throne. But she's not from here. She's from across the sea where the Avonleyan king is only whispered about. Wicked. Cursed. Cruel. That's fine. She can be all those things too, and she'll have to be to get what she came to the kingdom for. She lives for the hunt, and she's never the prey.
The Dragon
Avonleya is the only real home he's ever known, but Razik Greybane is loyal to the kingdom that loves the night, not the arrogant king who sits on the throne. Content with his books and solitude, he only cares for two people: his uncle and the female Fae who can sustain his magic. When his uncle assigns him to be the new queen's personal guard, Razik agrees. Sure, it's mainly to figure out the new queen's ulterior motives, but if he can use the opportunity to undermine Cethin, he'll take that too. It's only fair when he's the reason Razik was abandoned to this realm and cursed to forever fight a destiny he doesn't want, until he realizes the Fates just might be more involved than they ever realized.
The night harbors more than shadows.
Laws of Witchcraft: A Novel from the World of Glass and Steele
by C J Archer
Fans of the GLASS AND STEELE and THE GLASS LIBRARY series will delight in the new magical historical mystery by USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, C.J. Archer. Set in the years between the two series, the first volume of Professor Gavin Nash's memoir features beloved characters on a quest for a rare book.
When Gavin travels to Edinburgh with his good friend Oscar Barratt, he's eager to acquire a centuries-old book on witchcraft for the soon-to-open Glass Library. Even with ruthless railroad magnate John J. Defoe in the bidding, the victory comes easily. Perhaps too easily.
Hours later, the book is stolen.
A single clue links the theft to the recent abduction of two women, both magicians. Desperate to recover the book, Gavin and Oscar find an unexpected ally in Defoe's enigmatic assistant, Miss Wheeler. But as they delve into the mystery, they uncover far more than they bargained for: a secretive sect, a descendant of the Witchfinder General, and forbidden love letters.
With time running out for the kidnapped women, can the unlikely trio untangle the lies from the truth before the magicians-and the book-are lost forever?
The Quiet Light
by Casey Blair
Immortal dragons can't mate with humans... or can they?
500 years ago, Yora went into magical stasis to escape her violent life as the Sage of Wrath. Now she's awoken because a hunted dragon shifter needs help, but the last thing she wants is to go back to war.
She'd much rather stay in her cottage with the dragon, Zan, and eat every kind of ice cream she can imagine. Even if she knows better than to give in to the rush she feels around him... Dragons can't mate with humans, and soon Zan will have to leave again.
But the dragon's flight has brought danger to Yora's doorstep. Dark powers are desperate to claim her destructive powers for themselves, and they'll stop at nothing to bring her under their control.
Yora knows how to use her wrath to destroy. But if she can harness that same magic to build instead, maybe she can protect her found family in Crystal Hollow-and find a way to stay with Zan for all of their days, too.
The Quiet Light is the first book of an ice cream-filled spicy cozy fantasy romance trilogy in the world of Sage's Sanctuary, where the most powerful and vulnerable alike find refuge in an isolated mountain cottage with only one bed. Sage's Sanctuary is full of dragon encounters, tender romance and hilarious banter, building community and having each other's backs, and finding who you are and what you stand for.
Soulfyre
by Samantha Nell
Hunted. Powerful. Rare.
Airess Haeleth longs for freedom after a decade of confinement in the capitol. The royals of House Lucien have a different plan for her-intending to marry her off to the crown prince. On the night of the engagement ball, she finds herself dreading her future more than ever. That is until she meets a notorious Fae male that has her going from future queen to traitorous noble overnight.
Hunter. Criminal. Conflicted.
Taryn Seas is an assassin with a mysterious past. When his Guildmaster sends him on a mission to capture a girl of rare power, Taryn believes it's just another job-until she upends his meticulous plans, and the monarchy places a bounty on both their heads.
Forced to become reluctant allies, Taryn and Airess flee Luciena and the Guild and travel to the only other continent on earth. What begins as a desperate escape quickly turns into a dangerous adventure as they unearth an ancient prophecy, and discover the truth about their world's history.
As Taryn and Airess grow closer to the truth-and each other-they discover who they truly are... or aren't.
Scars Beneath a Serpent's Scales: A Romantic Fantasy Novel
by Nicole Platania
What is inevitable?
Emmeline DeLeoste has always talked to the stars. As a member of a fortune-telling warrior clan, her exceptional magic allows her to read the Fates, earning her a prestigious Academy job. But it has also cost her everyone she loves.
Roremar Silventa has more responsibilities than any man should. Combined with his Reckless reputation haunting his every step, it's left him burdened in more ways than one.
When women start disappearing from the drug-infested Isle of Lyra, Emmeline and Roremar are tasked with finding the culprit due to their unique skillsets. In return, each is offered the one thing they can't refuse. There's only one problem: the pair couldn't be more different.
Amid mounting threats from the Fates, and with a murderer creeping closer, Emmeline and Roremar strike up an alliance only to realize that, despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, they may understand each other in a way no one else can.
Can they unveil fated pasts and catch a killer before they lose their lives-or their hearts?
Everyone on Lyra has a secret, and some things may be inevitable after all.
House of Earth and Blood meets Heavenly Bodies, Scars Beneath a Serpent's Scales is the first book in an Adult Romantic Fantasy series full of celestial magic, murder mystery, and sizzling, star crossed love. It is recommended for fans of Chloe C. Peñaranda, Sarah A. Parker, and Kayla Edwards.
Isle of Wrath
by Claire Contreras
Isle of Wrath is a slow-burn romantasy where memories are traded for asylum, and a forbidden bargain soul-binds a healer to the ruthless warrior who could destroy her-or set her free.
A forgotten prophecy.
A three-hundred-year-old curse.
And two people bound by a goddess to break it... if the bond doesn't break them first.
In Lunaris, everyone trades their memories for asylum. No one remembers their past, their homeland, or the curse that trapped them behind a wall of darkness called the Shroud. But no one dares break the rules.
Ada Acevedo has spent years hiding her healing gift and keeping her head down. But when her twin brother is struck by a poisoned arrow, she breaks the most dangerous rule of all-she bargains with the goddess of death to save his life.
She didn't expect the goddess to send Malachi Bain to collect. Much less to be soul-bound to him until she repays what she owes. Now Ada has no choice but to help him do the impossible: lift the Shroud and break the curse that's kept Lunaris hidden from the rest of the realm for three hundred years.
As she's pulled deeper into a world of forbidden prophecies and buried secrets, Ada discovers a devastating truth. Lunaris isn't the paradise she always thought it was. It's a cage. And on the other side, a monster is lurking-waiting for the Shroud to fall.
Waiting for her.
Tropes:
Slow-burn romance
Forced proximity
Obsessed hero
Fated mates
Found family
Morally grey characters
Meddling gods
Forbidden bargain
Hidden identities
Monsters inspired by Caribbean folklore
Prophecies and magic
Isle of Wrath is the first installment in a new romantasy series, perfect for fans of Iron & Embers, Divine Rivals, and One Dark Window.
Hide the Witches
by Miranda Lyn
"Hide the Witches is a stunning new romantasy series set in a world of magic and cool creatures. Miranda Lyn explores themes of power dynamics and loyalty, as well as a passion between witch and witch hunter that burns right off the page." -Demi Winters, New York Times Bestselling Author, Road of Bones
"This is exactly the sort of story I needed! Tension, an atmospheric world, the lore, the banter, the romance...I plan to visit again and again. There is no doubt in my mind the book world is about to erupt with love for this book!" -LJ Andrews, Internationally Bestselling Author, The Ever Seas
Some bonds are forged in blood. Others burn everything to ash.
In Grimora, secrets burn faster than witches, and Syneca Black is both. Forbidden fire magic courses through her veins, hidden behind a lifetime of lies because Hunters don't spare phoenix blood.
When her best friend vanishes and resurfaces on execution scrolls, accused of crimes that she couldn't have possibly committed, Syn risks everything and volunteers for a hunt that could see both of them killed. It's the only way to protect the woman who is like a sister to her. But taking that oath means binding herself to Wickett, the legendary Hunter whose sharp eyes and lethal grace have ended countless witches' lives.
Every moment beside him threatens to shatter her carefully built lies. Every stolen glance fans flames she can't afford to kindle. He's sworn to his cause. She's everything he's trained to destroy. But in a city where Sprites carry desperate messages and ancient Furies keep secrets, the most dangerous discovery isn't the growing fire between them. It's realizing that both hunter and hunted are dancing to someone else's deadly design.
When the blood debts come due, Syneca must choose: save the woman who stood with her in shadows or trust the man whose touch feels like salvation.
Will the world burn or will she?
This gripping romantasy weaves Crescent City's unbreakable found-family and layered mystery with Fourth Wing's beastly bonds, heightened by the witch-and-hunter tension that defines Heartless Hunter.
Wing Weaver
by A P Beswick
What use is a dragon rider who can't fly?
That's the brutal reality Aeden Harrington faces after bonding with a dragon that should never have hatched, a consecrated egg, hidden, marked as dead and untouchable. Worse still, he formed the forbidden bond before Aviara Academy's official ceremony, shattering ancient tradition and painting a target on his back before he even sets foot in the sky.
Starting as the Academy's newest Initiate was supposed to be a chance to rise above his past. To master the Weave. To prove himself. But Nyra, the dragon fate chose for him, bears wings too broken to ever fly, a flaw that stains Aeden's reputation and makes him a target among students and masters alike.
As he battles distrust and isolation, Aeden uncovers darker secrets hidden within Aviara's hallowed halls, whispers of his parents' deaths and the cover-up that followed. And when two unknown riders arrive, wielding authority and power that even the Academy fears, surviving the deadly trials ahead becomes more than a matter of honor.
It becomes a fight for his life and for the truth.
In a world where flight means power, what chance does a grounded rider have against enemies who rule the skies?
“Perfect for fans of Eragon, Ascendant, and Of Blood and Fire, Wing Weaver delivers a fast-paced, dragon-rider academy fantasy where survival depends on more than just flight.”
Veiled Court
by C N Crawford
Join the Trials. Fake a Romance. Kill the King.
Ex-assassin Syn Malleore hates kings. The last one poisoned her sister, leaving her to slowly die of a curse. Now that the monarchy has fallen, Syn can finally leave London and return to the Fey realm to search for a magic cure.
But the Fey nobility are already plotting to restore the monarchy. In a hidden court, aristocrats fight to the death in brutal trials to claim the throne.
Syn won't let another tyrant rise. Disguised as a baroness, she infiltrates the trials as a spy. Her first goal: steal a sacred relic to save her sister. Her second: destroy the monarchy. But the greatest danger is Rion du Lac, a lethally seductive warlord.
When he discovers she's an imposter, he forces her to pose as his lover to win the crowd's favor. If he exposes her secrets, she'll burn for treason. And if she fails, a new tyrant will rise.
The Dread Descendant
by Lauren Cate Leake
Twenty-year-old Maeve Sinclair is supposed to finish her mastery in Practical Magic at the most prestigious university in all seven realms, living a life of academia and orderly spells. But Maeve harbors a secret.
She has the unique ability to jump through minds, making her rare power into a weapon both sides of the war are desperate to control.
As a rebellion begins within her father's magical militia, Maeve should be studying mind-jumping, but she can't stay away from Malachite Peur, a dark wizard who seems determined to train her in magic she was never meant to wield.
With the ancient prophecy of the Dread Descendant unfolding around them, together they face the reality that magic has no moral compass.
Unfortunately for their enemies,
neither do Maeve and Mal.
Suncursed
by Nephele Lane
Peace has reigned in the skylands for thousands of years... But curses and rebellions are brewing.
A mysterious drought has plagued the queendom of Scorpio. With an empty throne trapped behind a power-hungry regent, Scorpio has fallen susceptible to rebels bent on destroying the floating world of Gaianos.
As an aspiring Geminian dancer, Rahzlyn Ariti couldn't care less for politics. After a foolish mistake thrusts her into a world of prophecies and danger, Rahzlyn finds herself at the mercy of a powerful group of rebels with two options: commit treason to protect her brother, or face death. Saved from that impossible choice by a mysterious man who both infuriates and entices her, she is taken to Scorpio's fragile court as their next cursed princess.
Raithe Katsaros is a cynical guardian who will do anything to break Scorpio's curse, including revealing Rahzlyn as a secret rebel-the brazen woman he's now sworn to protect. As the lines between duty and desire blur, Raithe and Rahzlyn must learn to trust each other-but time is running out. They will have to overcome their biggest adversary in order to survive: themselves.
Prince of the Sun
by Emma Noyes
Legally Blonde meets A Deal with the Elf King in the debut spicy standalone adult romantasy from the acclaimed author of How to Hide in Plain Sight, the Sunken City series, and the Soul of Shadow trilogy.
One hundred years ago, the elves appeared on Earth.
Beautiful, brilliant, and filled with unearthly grace, they swarmed the libraries and universities: Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Beijing. They made for the humans' fountains of knowledge with eerie precision, as if they'd spent millennia studying Earth before their arrival.
Once there, the Elf King made an announcement: we're looking for something, and once we find it, we will leave you in peace.
Quinn Kallister doesn't believe him. Seven years ago, she watched her father be murdered and her brother kidnapped by a pair of elves. Since then, she fought to gain admission to Harvard for one reason: to find the answers no one will give her. To do that, she must spy on Daerios Ariar, the most powerful and terrifying of the Sun Princes. Quinn is set on gaining the prince's trust and learning the elves' secrets-until an unwanted attraction begins to form between them that neither can deny.
The Never Heirs
by G M Fairy
A pixie stolen from her world.
Two brothers battling for her claim.
Magic hums beneath Belle's fingertips-an unexplainable spark she's used to chase stability in a life that's been anything but steady. But when pirates from a realm hailed Neverhaven abduct her, she discovers her magic isn't just metaphorical. As the last living pixie, true power pumps through her veins. No time to savor her newfound abilities, as Belle is strapped into a power-restricting Darling and sold to the kingdom's ruler. Lord Pan demands she produce a magical heir through one of his two sons: Peter, a tragically beautiful waste of potential, or Rourke, his deranged stepson, scarred by a crocodile attack, and rebuilt with the beast's remains, plus a hooked hand. Whichever son claims the pixie first will inherit the throne.
Terrified of her captors yet drawn into their broken worlds, Belle discovers Peter and Rourke are as bound to Pan's cruelty as she is. To survive, she must resist her captors, her chains, and the dangerous fire threatening to consume her in a gilded cage where love and power are weapons.
The Gold Keepers
by Elizabeth Falkenberg
Scotland, 1953. Eileen Binchy is pulled from her work as an archivist in Edinburgh and sent to fill a vacant teaching post at her old school of magic. She arrives at Dunroven Academy prepared to endure her professional exile, only to find it further complicated by Calum Markaine, her former classmate, who is assigned to teach alongside her despite the lingering stain of past crimes.
When Eileen suspects that Calum's return conceals a purpose darker than scandal, she follows him across centuries on a hunt for lost, powerful relics. But the closer she comes to understanding what he wants, the less certain she is whether Calum is the threat at the heart of it all or the one person she can trust.
The Gold Keepers is a grown-up magic school fantasy steeped in tension and mystery, with time travel, elemental magic, and slow-burn romantic suspense.
Stolen Magic of the Deep
by H R Justice - Christian Shipp - Marika Veil
Marine biologist discovers hidden magic of the deep. Ocean king wants the stolen magic returned but falls for her instead.
Marine biologist, Sarah Fischer, never expected her research to lead her into a forgotten world beneath San Francisco's waters. While exploring abandoned man-made structures teeming with unusual sea life, she stumbles into a magical rift and everything changes.
After this uncontrollable accident leaves her infused with ancient ocean magic, Sarah is confronted by Orion, the powerful and enigmatic king of an undersea kingdom. Captivated by her light-and wary of the power she now holds-he forces her into his world, claiming it's the only place she can be trained to wield her magic safely.
As a dark force stirs in the shadows of the sea, Sarah must learn to control the magic she never asked for, face a destiny she never imagined, and navigate a connection to a king that threatens to consume them both.
Filled with deep-sea mystery, heart-pounding adventure, and a slow-burning romance that defies the tides, Stolen Magic of the Deep is a spellbinding romantasy where love might just be the most powerful magic of all.
Bloodbound
by J a Good
Six strangers. One soul-bound Ring. No way out.
Isara Virelle has spent her entire life avoiding people.
Unfortunately, becoming Eshani means binding your soul to five of them.
When the Binding Ceremony assigns her to Ring Six-the most elite fighting unit in Veryuun-Isa is forced into the last place she wants to be: surrounded by strangers who can hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and know her secrets.
Worst of all, their commander is Niko Veyshar.
Feared across the continent as Rathvenorn's deadliest weapon, Niko is everything Isa has been taught to hate. Cold. Dangerous. Untouchable.
And now they're bound together.
As political tensions rise between nations and whispers of forgotten gods begin to spread, cracks appear within Ring Six. Ancient powers stir beneath the surface, forbidden magic awakens in Isa's blood, and the bond tying her to her team may be unraveling before it has a chance to hold.
To survive, Isa must learn who she can trust.
Because in Veryuun, loyalty is sacred.
And betrayal can cost far more than your life.
Tallow and Bone
by Rhiannon Hargadon
If Salem would rather kill witches than let them exist, how much will one witch sacrifice to save it?
After her family flees allegations of treason in Europe, Amity Merriweather hopes Salem will be a fresh start. Instead, she finds a land poisoned by something far older. Toxic relationships. Crop failures. Sick children. Deep-seated superstition and irrational fear. With every death, the curse buried beneath Salem's soil grows stronger.
Gifted with rare earth magic, Amity has spent her entire life hiding, suppressing her magic. But now she has a chance to heal the town before hysteria turns neighbor against neighbor. But Salem doesn't want saving. Every acre of poison she clears is a risk, and she'll get no thanks from its citizens.
Meanwhile, Amity must choose between two very different men:
A male witch hardened by abuse, who would gladly burn Salem to its poisoned roots.
Or a scarred shoemaker with a heart too generous for its own good, .
As accusations mount and innocents are dragged to the gallows, Amity faces an impossible choice. Keep sacrificing herself for people who would rather see her burn-or abandon Salem to the curse consuming it.
Tropes and Triggers:
- Love Triangle
- Surprise (unwanted) pregnancy
- Elemental magic
- Generational curse
- Witch Trials
- Religious Trauma
TALLOW AND BONE is spicy, gothic romantasy retelling of the Salem Witch Trials with a healer witch, a cursed village, and the choice between mercy and retribution.
Daughter of Sin: A Dark Lesbian Mafia Romantasy
by Ruby Roe
Once upon a time, a saint fell for a sinner…
Saint Severo is the most revered fixer in Nefari city. She's the woman the rulers call when a problem needs to disappear.
Marlowe Reign is the assassin she loved. The one she exiled fifty years ago to keep her alive.
When the Capas are found slaughtered in their own fortress, the city edges towards war. There's no heir. No order.
And the killer? None other than Saint's ex-lover.
Saint needs a confession. Marlowe wants to hang.
Neither are saying why.
A night in the dungeon torturing the woman who still tastes like everything she lost will break anyone's willpower.
But Marlowe didn't do it and she won't deny it either.
Someone far bigger than them both is pulling the strings.
The last thing Saint wants is to fall for the woman she has to execute... but the body remembers what the heart tried to bury.
To save her, Saint must betray everything she's served. To love her, she'll have to let the world burn.
To keep her secret, one of them has to die.
A confession. A reckoning. And a debt that can only be paid in blood.
A deliciously dark sapphic mafia romantasy with captor-x-captive, second-chance love, a fae assassin, a vampire mafia fixer, murdered royals, and a whole lot of "I'm the only one who gets to torture the truth out of her." 18+ only.
The Undertow of Evelyn Graymore
by Matteo Franco
The Undertow of Evelyn GraymoreHearts of the Drowned - Book 1
Evelyn Graymore is dead-murdered by one of Seattle's most powerful men. Dumped into the waters of Washington's Puget Sound, lost to the undertow of corruption, but instead of sinking into the abyss, Evie is reborn as a siren. She makes a bargain with Layne Murrows, an enigmatic man made of shadows who seemed to rise from darkness itself.
With nothing left to lose, Evie takes the offer of cursed power for the chance at revenge on Preston Willows, the man who murdered her. Armed with a deadly glamour, a voice that bends will, and the power to control water itself-Evie isn't just a monster of the deep now, she's a weapon. But everything comes with a cost, and the bargain's rules are ironclad. She must feed on the darkness that festers in men's hearts or die. The catch? She can never fall in love, or the curse will slowly chip away at her lover's mind and body, inevitably drowning them from the inside out.
A small price to pay and not much of a concern for Evie-until she meets Ethan Ward, a paralegal who works right alongside Preston. Now, Evie must decide between the mortal who makes her feel like a human again, stoking the embers of forbidden love, and the enticing monster who created her.