Saturday, October 17, 2026

Eighteen top romantasy books

Sofia Lodato is a staff writer at Oprah Daily. Aside from reading, writing, and wellness, she is a lover of all things media-related, and can usually be found overanalyzing her latest favorite show, album, or video game.

One title on Lodato's list of the eighteen best romantasy books:
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen

Hart is a demigod marshal in a frontier town, fighting the reanimated dead who cross the magical border. Mercy works day and night propping up her family’s failing funeral business and defending it from a corporate takeover. Of course, Hart and Mercy “loathe” each other, and every encounter is loaded with belligerent sexual tension. But when a lonely Hart writes an anonymous letter expressing his yearning for a friend and sends it off via the magical postal service, an equally lonely Mercy is somehow the missive’s recipient. It's You’ve Got Mail meets Six Feet Under but as a magical Western; the result is an absolutely adorable fantasy romance with some lovely beta couple pairings, warm family scenes, humorously awkward moments, and even some cool gun-slinging action.
Read about another title on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue