Now I want to explain the method to my madness. To me, these are fantasy romances where the romance elements are integral to the story. Fantasy novels with strong romantic elements are out there, but these are not them. There are also some major names missing. However, I didn’t want to include a series that skews more urban fantasy and develops the romance more so in book two. This is, namely, how I feel about Ilona Andrews. Love ’em, but I find the romances aren’t as much of a focus in book one and tend to feel more like urban fantasy to start. When it comes to defining fantasy, I’m in the magic and fae camp, with alternate history and original world building being a big factor. Anything that has vampires or werewolves as part of the main cast is more likely to be dumped into the paranormal romance cubby. I’m very interested, though, in how other readers categorize their fantasy romance reading! Let’s get into it, shall we?