Whimsy, Wonder & Love Without the Spice: Closed-Door Contemporary Fantasy Romances You’ll Adore
If you’ve ever longed for a love story wrapped in magic, humor, and just the right touch of emotion—without crossing into steamy territory—you’re in for a treat. Closed-door contemporary fantasy romances are coming into their own, and for good reason: they offer swoony romance, charming settings, and enchanting plots… all while keeping things cozy and PG.
Contemporary Fantasy/Paranormal Romances have a modern feel but with magic or a supernatural element to them. They often are humorous, the focus is often on the relationship, and, generally speaking, they tend to be lighter in feel. You get all the romantic elements, all the sighs and smiles and genuine emotion…without the shock of twenty pages of detailed intimacy.
They are truly enjoyable romances you wouldn’t hesitate to share with your daughter or a friend. The line between Fantasy and Paranormal can be blurry and several of these books exhibit both but all are fade-to-black romances.
Here are five books/authors you might want to check out!
1. A Dream of Magic & Across a Starlit Sea by J. Megan Smith
Vibe: Light, cozy, and magical with honorable hero’s & confident heroines
A Dream of Magic is the first in the Blackstar Guardian’s series. The heroine is searching for a cure for her father and stumbles across the man she’s literally seen in her dreams every night of her life. The story is low-stakes, has funny secondary characters, supportive family (both biological and found), an Alpha male hero, and a mystical island.
Across a Starlit Sea is number six in the BG series. This is all about the water with a lost magical artifact, family secrets, an enchanted island kingdom, and magic centered in water. The heroine is just looking forward to seeing the ocean for the first time but finds herself swept up in a light mystery while being charmed by a handsome rogue.
2. A Garden in the Rain by Lynn Kurland
Vibe: Time travel, Scottish highlands, heartfelt romance
This is one of my all time favorite authors! I have an entire shelf devoted to her books and this one I re-read frequently. Her stories are a staple for readers who love time-travel romance with a magical twist. In A Garden in the Rain, a modern-day heroine finds herself caught in a time-traveling love story set against the mists, myths, and castles of Scotland. After meeting the handsome hero in the present (though, he originally came from the past), she accidentally finds herself back in medieval Scotland and he comes to rescue her. Lynn has a talent for creating a connection between the couple that is slow and easy, yet so romantic with characters you wish you could meet.
3. Court of Midnight and Deception by K.M. Shea
Vibe: Fae politics, reluctant royalty, witty banter
This was my first taste of this author and I was hooked. This book has all three stories in the series so it’s complete (I don’t like cliffhangers, as a rule but if all three are out and the storyline is finished, I’m all in). It blends fae court intrigue with clean romance and a strong, snarky main character. The heroine is thrown into the world of the fae when she unknowingly becomes the Night Court Queen where she must rule people that look down on her as half-fae and navigate alliances with the other courts while figuring out a complicated relationship with a certain brooding, assassiny fae (who happens to be her marriage-in-name-only husband). It’s a fantasy full of clever world-building, sparkling romantic slow-burn tension and a lot of snarky, funny moments.
4. Between a Rock and a Haunted Place by Mandy M. Roth
Vibe: Paranormal fun, humor, small-town supernatural
I found this author in a Nocturne Falls anthology. It’s light, funny, full of quirky characters and takes place in several connected small towns that have a large population of supernaturals including witches, ghosts, werewolves-even a kraken. The town and it’s people act like a modern-day, quirky small town-they just happen to shapeshift or have magic. This book is an anthology (all her stories) and many of the characters interact over all of them. Each one is light fantasy romance that’s whimsical, flirty, and fun.
So there you have it! Five closed-door light contemporary fantasy/paranormal romances that you might, or might not, have heard of before but definitely should check out!
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn with qualifying purchases