A round-up of some of the romantasy out recently.

A Dance of Lies
Brittney Arena

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court – until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her King. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the month-long royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom.

But Vasalie discovers the monster she serves may be aligned with someone far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the King of the East.

As the rivalry between brothers escalates, the truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust.

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A Forbidden Alchemy
Stacey McEwan

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are 12 when they are taken to dazzling Belavere City to be tested for magical abilities. Nina’s dream is to become an Artisan (a mage), while Patrick wants only to return to his family of Craftsmen.

Together, they discover a secret: Artisans aren’t born but chosen. With this information, Patrick departs for home, while Nina finds her place as a rare Artisan.

When a Craftsman revolution ignites years later, Nina is captured by Patrick’s rebel group. He needs her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City, which she reluctantly accepts. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick, she faces an impossible choice.

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Metal Slinger
Rachel Schneider

Even though she’s not one of them, Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha, training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta – the people who exiled her community to a life at sea. Going to the market is a rite of passage, but Brynn does not anticipate breaking a century-long peace treaty while there.

Brynn’s loyalty to the Alaha is tested when the truth of who she is is brought to light by an enemy soldier who’s taken an oath to bring her back to where she belongs. She was once certain of her fate, but this stranger has her questioning everything, including her heart.

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Rose in Chains
Julie Soto

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Princess Briony Rosewood is stripped of her magic and auctioned off to the highest bidder.

She’s sold to Toven Hearst: scion of a family known for their cruel control of magic – and her long-time, and unresolved, infatuation. Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost.

Help – and hope – may yet arise in the most unlikely of places …