Fall in Love with the Bad Guy: Romantasy Books Where the Villain Gets the Girl

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

Step right up to Harrow Faire, where nightmares take center stage. Bank teller Cora Glass’s mundane life is upended when a long-abandoned circus springs back to life. Drawn into a sinister bargain, she becomes ensnared in a deadly feud between the fiendish Puppeteer and the enigmatic Mr. Harrow.

As secrets unravel under the big top, Cora must navigate a world of dark magic and danger, where murder is a means to an end—and the ultimate prize is her very soul.

Destiny calls Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne: dark lord, demon spawn, prophesied destroyer. On the brink of completing his ultimate spell, Damien is ready to embrace his evil legacy—until Amma, a bubbly, obnoxious thief, crashes into his plans. Bound to him by accidental magic, Amma becomes an irritating yet oddly useful companion. But her secrets—and the strange, unwelcome feelings she stirs in Damien—threaten his malevolent mission.

Can Damien fulfill his dark birthright, or will Amma’s relentless virtue force him to choose a path more dangerous than villainy: redemption?

In a world where Technology and Magic clash, survival demands sharp swords and sharper alliances. Cast aside by his immortal master, Hugh d’Ambray, former warlord, must rebuild his life and protect his hunted soldiers. Elara Harper, an outcast known as the White Lady, fights to shield her people from impending war. Desperate, they strike an uneasy alliance—Hugh needs a base; Elara needs soldiers.

Bound by necessity and betrayal’s shadow, their partnership might save them—or ignite a fire they can’t control. In the apocalypse, marriage might be their only hope.

James lives for revenge against Peter Michaels, but when Peter’s sheltered daughter Wendy walks into his bar, his plan takes a dangerous turn. Seduce Wendy, use her to destroy Peter—it’s perfect. Until betrayal threatens James’s empire and Wendy becomes more than a pawn. Drawn to James’s dark allure, Wendy can’t resist the intensity of their connection, even as she uncovers the dangerous truth about his world. Is she falling for the man—or the monster they call Hook?

Trained as my father’s weapon against the Coven that stole his sister and legacy, I’ll do anything to protect my younger brother. My mission brings me to Crystal Hollow and Hollow’s Grove University, where magic thrives beyond human scrutiny. Here, I face no judgment for my bloodline—only the ire of the enigmatic Headmaster, Alaric Thorne.

Secrets lurk in the shadows, from a deadly massacre decades ago to the reopening of the Thirteen: elite students fated to change the world…if Hollow’s Grove’s ghosts don’t destroy them first.

Beneath shadows and schemes lies the Court of Ravens, where beasts reign and innocence is a dangerous liability. Ripped from her world, she becomes their captive—pure, fragile, and guilty by blood. One raven offers shelter and pleasure, seeking redemption; the other promises pain, craving revenge. Caught between their desires and lies, she must navigate their twisted games.

Will she succumb to their darkness or carve her own elusive destiny? Feathers So Vicious is a dark fantasy romance with morally gray shifters, a resilient heroine, and a gripping HEA.

Rielle Dardenne exposes her forbidden powers to save her friend, marking her as one of two prophesied queens: the Sun Queen of light or the Blood Queen of destruction. To prove her destiny, Rielle must survive seven deadly trials—or face execution. A thousand years later, bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora dismisses Rielle’s legend as myth until her mother’s disappearance forces her to join a rebellion.

As their fates intertwine across millennia, Rielle and Eliana’s choices shape the fate of their world—and each other—in a cosmic battle for survival.

Evangeline Fox has always believed in true love and happy endings—until the love of her life chooses another. Desperate to stop the wedding, she makes a deal with the cunning Prince of Hearts: his help in exchange for three kisses, given at his whim. But after the first kiss, Evangeline realizes she’s entangled in a perilous game. The Prince wants more than she bargained for, weaving her into his mysterious plans.

Her fate teeters between a perfect happily ever after—or a heartbreakingly exquisite tragedy.

The fae abandoned this world, leaving power in human hands. In Highbell’s golden castle, everything glimmers—even me. King Midas saved me from poverty, Gold-Touched me, and called me his precious treasure. I gave him my heart and stayed safely hidden within the palace. But when war arrives and a deal is struck, my trust shatters. As I uncover dark truths about Midas, I realize my gilded cage isn’t freedom—and the monsters outside may be even worse.

Catherynne M. Valente reimagines the Russian folktale of Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless in Deathless, a spellbinding blend of myth and history set in 20th-century St. Petersburg.

Koschei, the sinister villain of countless tales, becomes part of a magical saga intertwined with real-world events. Marya’s journey takes her from a clever revolutionary child to Koschei’s bride and eventual undoing, navigating Stalinist house elves, enchanted quests, and power games. A dazzling collision of love, myth, and revolution, Deathless breathes new life into Russian folklore.

For years, I dreamed of a man with green eyes and a cruel smile. The day we meet, he leaves me for dead.

In our world, the gods strip humans of power to protect us from the merciless fae. Those who defy this are corrupt—and burned.

When my forbidden power is exposed, I’m forced to flee my village and strike a desperate bargain with the mercenary who betrayed me. In exchange for helping him infiltrate the city, he’ll teach me to control my dangerous magic.

But his secrets could destroy everything—and everyone—I hold dear.

The throne is within Valroy’s grasp—but first, he needs a queen. As the heir to the Unseelie throne, Valroy must marry to claim his crown. Frustrated by his court’s insufferable candidates, he makes a bold choice: abduct a human.

Abigail’s life is already in shambles, abandoned by her husband and barely surviving. Helping an old hermit leads to her capture and imprisonment in the treacherous realm of Tir n’Aill. Trapped in a deadly Maze, she must navigate the Unseelie prince’s perilous game, where survival is the price for her deepest wish.

For twenty years, I’ve been an unwanted changeling with no name, no family, and no answers—until an irresistibly wicked faerie begins a seductive game of cat and mouse. I am his prey, his treasure, his perfect pet. He offers a trade: he will take me to the faerie realms to assist in my search for the truth of who I am, in return for my promise to marry him. B

ut things are not as they seem, and soon after arriving at his wintry manor, I begin to unravel a dangerous web of lies. Far deadlier still, I’m falling in love with a monster who has no heart.

They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter.

Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has long sought vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves. When his enemy’s daughter inadvertently frees Erik from his prison, he makes her a pawn in his revenge game. Innocent and vicious, he’ll reclaim what he lost—unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the dark, passionate world of pirates, sirens, fae, and Vikings in this villain-innocent romance.