You want to start a new romantasy series. You also want to know what you're walking into. Will there be on-page scenes? Will the door stay closed? Will book one be sweet and book five be scorching? These are reasonable questions, and "it depends" is not a helpful answer.
We ranked 12 of the most popular romantasy series from least to most spice. For series where the heat level changes across books, we note exactly when and how much. No spoilers on plot, just honest spice calibration so you can pick the right series for your mood.
One thing to know: spice level and romance quality are not the same thing. Some of the best romantic tension on this list happens behind a closed door. Some of the most explicit series also have the deepest emotional arcs. Spice is a preference, not a ranking of quality.
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Start HuntingClosed Door (No On-Page Spice)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Three romance threads, all closed door. The tension between Kaz and Inej is devastating precisely because nothing happens. Physical touch is the climax. Kaz can barely remove his gloves. Inej's patience with that boundary, and what it costs her, carries more romantic weight than most explicit scenes in the genre. Jesper and Wylan are playful and sweet. Nina and Matthias are passionate and doomed. Two books, tight, done.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Vin and Elend's romance is sweet, understated, and mostly happens between heist planning and revolution. The focus is hard magic systems and political upheaval. If you want romantasy where the "fantasy" does most of the heavy lifting, start here. The relationship deepens across three books but the door stays firmly closed throughout. Sanderson writes affection through action, not intimacy.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Jude and Cardan. The enemies-to-lovers tension is thick enough to cut, but the door stays closed across all three books. Holly Black channels every ounce of heat into power dynamics, political manipulation, and moments where hatred blurs into something else. If you need on-page scenes to feel the chemistry, this won't work for you. If you can live on tension alone, this series will ruin you. Three books, completed, no filler.
Warm (Fade to Black)
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Rival journalists writing letters through a magical wardrobe while a war unfolds around them. The romance is sweet, aching, and stays at the fade-to-black line. Ross writes longing better than most authors write love scenes. The second book, Ruthless Vows, adds separation and memory loss to the mix, which only makes the yearning worse. Two books, both out, both will make you clutch your chest in public.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
ACOTAR book 1 is Warm. Book 2 (A Court of Mist and Fury) jumps to Spicy. Book 4 (A Court of Silver Flames) goes full Scorching. The spice ramp across this series is one of the most dramatic in the genre. If you start book 1 expecting the heat level BookTok promised, you'll be waiting. The payoff comes later, and the shift from Warm to Scorching is jarring if nobody warns you. Consider this your warning.
Steamy (On-Page, Not Explicit)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Starts with zero spice and a love triangle. By Empire of Storms (book 5), the main romance is solidly steamy with one notable scene that fans still reference in every recommendation thread. Eight books is a commitment, and the first two are weaker than the rest. The series finds its footing around book 3, and the romance doesn't pick a lane until book 4. If you can handle a slow start, the payoff across the back half is massive. Completed series, so no waiting.
Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Enemies-to-lovers with a fae prince who starts as a political adversary and becomes something else entirely. The steamy scenes arrive when the trust does, which means you earn every one of them. Penn Cole keeps the heat consistent across four books without suddenly spiking to Scorching or pulling back. If you want a series where the spice level matches your expectations from start to finish, this is reliable in the best way.
Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
Arranged marriage to a shadow king who looks monstrous and acts with more tenderness than any human suitor in the book. The spice builds across three books as trust deepens. Book one is firmly Steamy. By book three, scenes are pushing into Spicy territory. The ramp feels earned because Mercedes takes the relationship progression seriously. The arranged marriage setup means the characters are forced together, but the emotional intimacy is never forced. That's a harder trick than it sounds.
Spicy (Explicit Scenes)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The buildup is long and the payoff is worth it. Solidly Spicy. Not Scorching, despite what BookTok might have led you to believe. The tension with Xaden runs through danger, competition, and mutual distrust before anything happens. When scenes do arrive, they're heated and specific to the relationship dynamic. Five books planned, three out so far. The spice level stays consistent without escalating dramatically book to book.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
The tournament arc in book 1 keeps things at Steamy. Oraya and Raihn are too busy trying not to die to do much else. Book 2 (The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King) opens the throttle. The grovel arc in that book is one of the best in romantasy, and the scenes that follow carry the emotional weight of everything that went wrong between them. If you start book 1 expecting Spicy from page one, recalibrate. The escalation is part of the design.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Starts Spicy and only goes up. By the later books, Scorching moments are frequent. JLA does not believe in restraint when it comes to heat. She believes in "here, have all of it." The forbidden dynamic in book one (she's the untouchable Maiden, he's her guard) creates genuine tension, and when the reveals hit, the spice escalates alongside the emotional stakes. Six books is a lot, and some readers feel the later installments lose focus. But if you want a series that never pulls back on heat, this delivers.
Scorching (Frequent, Detailed, Central)
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Phedre is chosen by a god of desire. The spice is baked into the worldbuilding and the plot. This is not a fantasy book with spicy scenes added on. The intimacy IS the story. Phedre's nature as an anguissette (someone who experiences pain as pleasure) is central to her role as a spy, a diplomat, and a weapon. Carey wrote a world where sexuality is woven into politics, religion, and power, and nothing about it feels gratuitous. Epic scope, completed series, gorgeous prose, and the most intentional Scorching spice in the genre. If you want heat that serves the story rather than interrupting it, start here.
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