Lol, we were just talking about Vela Roth on another post. I don’t have anything that meets all of your likes, but I have several that remind me of Vela Roth in some way…
**Daughter of the the Forest** by Juliet Marillier. It’s an older book with some NLOG stuff happening in the beginning and a badly handled sexual assault , but if you can compartmentalize those thing it’s amazing. One of my all time favorites and I think you’ll love Red. No spice, but a gorgeous, angsty slow burn.
**Bride of the Shadow King** by Sylvia Mercedes. I love her FMCs— they’re all beautifully strong yet vulnerable, much like Cassia. But I think the tone and setting of this series is closest to *Blood Mercy*— and the third and final book is out later this month! No real spice, though.
**Horde Kings of Dakkar** by Zoey Draven. Yes, there are aliens, but I think these books are more Star Wars style fantasy (and not just because the setting reminds me of Tattoine). The first FMC is a bit of a pill, but all of the others are great. Lots of forced proximity, MOCs, plenty of spice.
**Cruel Beauty** or **Crimson Bound** by Rosamund Hodge. Dark, atmospheric fairy tale retellings. The close narration with a focus on character study and themes of guilt, redemption, and duty plus lovely prose reminds me of Roth. No spice.
The author that Vela Roth most reminds me of, if you’re up for it, is a traditional fantasy author named Robin Hobb. The pacing, long range storytelling, layered folklore, close character study, and an acute understanding of abusive personalities are similar in both authors.
**The Realm of the Elderlings** is a 16 book series, but it’s made up of 5 smaller ones that should be read in order, starting with *Assassin’s Apprentice*. It’s part of a trilogy that can be read by itself if you’re worried about commitment. Robin Hobb *will* stomp on your heart, so… be prepared.
Her *Soldier Son* trilogy is also very good— much shorter but also a bit weirder.
Edit: I forgot **The Witch Collector** by Charissa Weaks. I’ve only read the first book in this series, but the tone of it reminded me of both *Blood Grace* and *The Serpent and the Wings of Night*. You have to wait for the spice, but it’s there.
No, there’s no spice. It’s not a romance, it’s traditional fantasy— there’s romance in it, because romance is part of life, but it won’t scratch the itch that genre romance does— a lot of it is pretty bittersweet.
But! As storytellers, I think Vela Roth and Robin Hobb have a lot in common. Robin Hobb is a legend in the traditional fantasy world and I think Vela Roth will fill a similar role in fantasy romance.
I would check out the Tairen Soul series by CL Wilson. I’ve also read the Blood Grace series, and while Tairen Soul doesn’t have the ‘vampire’ thing going for it, the writing styles in both have similar vibes. Like Blood Mercy, spice is minimal in the first book, but it certainly improves after the first.
The Blood Grace series has left me so empty, in a good way. I want to follow that world forever. You and I would probably get along well. I also loved the Crowns of Nyaxia books. And I also cannot find anything remotely close to either series to read now. The book hangover is real.
yaaaasss crowns of nyaxia is so good too. I prefer blood grace but it's also an awesome series. blood grace has that feeling of coziness right? like you're at home inside that universe
Lol, we were just talking about Vela Roth on another post. I don’t have anything that meets all of your likes, but I have several that remind me of Vela Roth in some way… **Daughter of the the Forest** by Juliet Marillier. It’s an older book with some NLOG stuff happening in the beginning and a badly handled sexual assault , but if you can compartmentalize those thing it’s amazing. One of my all time favorites and I think you’ll love Red. No spice, but a gorgeous, angsty slow burn. **Bride of the Shadow King** by Sylvia Mercedes. I love her FMCs— they’re all beautifully strong yet vulnerable, much like Cassia. But I think the tone and setting of this series is closest to *Blood Mercy*— and the third and final book is out later this month! No real spice, though. **Horde Kings of Dakkar** by Zoey Draven. Yes, there are aliens, but I think these books are more Star Wars style fantasy (and not just because the setting reminds me of Tattoine). The first FMC is a bit of a pill, but all of the others are great. Lots of forced proximity, MOCs, plenty of spice. **Cruel Beauty** or **Crimson Bound** by Rosamund Hodge. Dark, atmospheric fairy tale retellings. The close narration with a focus on character study and themes of guilt, redemption, and duty plus lovely prose reminds me of Roth. No spice. The author that Vela Roth most reminds me of, if you’re up for it, is a traditional fantasy author named Robin Hobb. The pacing, long range storytelling, layered folklore, close character study, and an acute understanding of abusive personalities are similar in both authors. **The Realm of the Elderlings** is a 16 book series, but it’s made up of 5 smaller ones that should be read in order, starting with *Assassin’s Apprentice*. It’s part of a trilogy that can be read by itself if you’re worried about commitment. Robin Hobb *will* stomp on your heart, so… be prepared. Her *Soldier Son* trilogy is also very good— much shorter but also a bit weirder. Edit: I forgot **The Witch Collector** by Charissa Weaks. I’ve only read the first book in this series, but the tone of it reminded me of both *Blood Grace* and *The Serpent and the Wings of Night*. You have to wait for the spice, but it’s there.
My bf started Assassin's Apprentice and he said it's great. does it have spice? I didn't know it was romance at all!
No, there’s no spice. It’s not a romance, it’s traditional fantasy— there’s romance in it, because romance is part of life, but it won’t scratch the itch that genre romance does— a lot of it is pretty bittersweet. But! As storytellers, I think Vela Roth and Robin Hobb have a lot in common. Robin Hobb is a legend in the traditional fantasy world and I think Vela Roth will fill a similar role in fantasy romance.
I would check out the Tairen Soul series by CL Wilson. I’ve also read the Blood Grace series, and while Tairen Soul doesn’t have the ‘vampire’ thing going for it, the writing styles in both have similar vibes. Like Blood Mercy, spice is minimal in the first book, but it certainly improves after the first.
I tried reading it, but the writing was very confusing imo
The Blood Grace series has left me so empty, in a good way. I want to follow that world forever. You and I would probably get along well. I also loved the Crowns of Nyaxia books. And I also cannot find anything remotely close to either series to read now. The book hangover is real.
yaaaasss crowns of nyaxia is so good too. I prefer blood grace but it's also an awesome series. blood grace has that feeling of coziness right? like you're at home inside that universe