Goblin Roomies, Art Magic, and Dream Trains: Romantasy Report for January and February 2026 - Reactor

(Dutton; January 13, 2026) This debut sounds like a queer Odd Couple set in a whimsical cottage on the edge of an enchanted forest: David Carew is exasperated with his eccentric roommate Meredith Schwarzwelder—like, has made a 100 Things I Hate About You list exasperated—and is looking for any excuse to break the lease. The eponymous Midnight Wood creeping dark magic around Meredith seems as good an excuse as any, but the upcoming nuptials (between Meredith’s brother and David’s boss’ daughter) forces the roomies into further proximity. We all know what a wedding can do to the best of intentions, especially when your romantic leads are described as a manic pixie dream boy and Colin Firth levels of uptight.

(Orbit Books; January 20, 2026) How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days is one of those 2000s rom-coms I would always change the channel to on cable, so I’m tickled by the opposites-attract of cottagecore and goblincore in this forced-proximity roommate romantasy. Halfling Pansy and goblin Ren each believe they’ve inherited the same cozy cottage, so they make (of course) a bargain: they’ll live together until one of them drives the other one mad and out the door. It’s like if Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barry put their cards on the table from the start! And instead of a diamond ad campaign, it’s an encroaching community threat that will force them to face their attraction and figure out how they can work better together to save their home.

(Arcadia Falls #1—Del Rey; February 3, 2026) Contemporary romance loves a quaint mountain town, but Arcadia Falls has a magical twist, as insurance agent Rhea Wolfe discovers when she inherits her grandmother’s cozy cottage, a run-down video store, and the family history of witchcraft. Leaving Alabama for Arcadia Falls isn’t the worst thing, as Rhea is inspired to transform the abandoned store into a welcoming bookshop—while catching the eye of handyman Hunter Blakely. Too bad their families are sworn enemies across the magical divide. But as Rhea embeds herself more in the community that her mother always warned her against, she’s more compelled to mend the enmity between their families and save Arcadia Falls’ magic. And what’s this about her having two “hopelessly immature” younger sisters who rely on her? I have a feeling more of the Wolfe sisters will be visiting Arcadia Falls in future installments…

(Leviathian Fitness #1—Berkley; February 10, 2026) Speaking of places to revisit, Ashley Bennett’s previously self-published Leviathian Fitness series is getting a rerelease this year. The supernatural gym is the setting for meet-cutes among potential mates Atlas, a wolven and the owner, and Tegan, a wedding baker who would rather deadlift than be a damsel in distress. Look for future emotional workouts with similarly expanded editions of Tentacles & Triathlons and Mantras & Minotaurs.

(Del Rey; February 17, 2026) In 1920s Montréal, Agnes Aubert is much like the cats in her cat rescue charity: prickly, particular, aloof, and used to doing things her own way. But when the shelter needs a new home, Agnes must swallow her pride and ask for help—even if it comes from Havelock, the mysterious magician whose dark magics are rumored to have almost ended the world, and who runs an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Drawn to his mischievous personality despite herself, Agnes must choose a side when a glamorous magician comes sniffing around for Havelock. Protecting the shelter means defending the magic shop and being willing to look past the dangerous legend and get to know the man.

(Saturday Books; January 13, 2026) I’ve seen other fantasy!Florence settings, but incorporating sculpture into the magic system is a real savvy move for YA author Isabel Ibañez’s adult debut. Sculptress Ravenna Maffei conjures beauty from stone, but because all magic is forbidden in this alternate-universe Renaissance Italy, her gift is regarded only as dark witchcraft. The Pope is obsessed with eliminating all magic, forcing Ravenna to turn to the immortal famiglia dei Luni—and its merciless heir, Saturnino—for protection.

(Bramble; January 20, 2026) Rice farmer-turned-imperial concubine Wei Yin infiltrates the lethal Azalea House in order to save the remaining members of her family from starvation. But in order to survive, she must first learn the forbidden art of reading in order to compose the deadly heart-spirit poem. If the poetry magic is properly mastered, this ballad will kill Azalea’s cruel heir… but the only truly effective heart-spirit poem must be written with love. Screaming.

(Mayhem Books; February 3, 2026) This dark debut amplifies performers’ stage presence into something much more vicious in the world of the Playhouse, where immortal Players can bend reality and prey upon their adoring audiences. Cursed by a Player with a slow death, Riven Hesper grows up knowing that the only way to survive an encounter with the Players is to distract them with compliments and never look them in the eyes… that is, until the unprecedented opportunity arises for one mortal to steal a Player’s immortality. Taking to the stage, Riven strikes a bargain with Jude, the Lead Player, in which he will break her curse but she must spare his life. As these co-conspirators become scene partners and perhaps something more, Riven must confront the possibility that she is being set up not as the ingénue, but as the villain.

(Delacorate Press; February 3, 2026) Bookending this section of the report is another work where making art is the gravest trespass—in fact, it’s a sin. Secret storytelling is a forbidden art that conjures demons out of the shadows, but that hasn’t stopped Inana from crafting more illicit narratives for her eager audiences. Sure, she has a bounty on her head, the promise of a nasty death sacrificed to the immortal Sinless, but that only adds to the thrill. Said thrill is enhanced by crossing paths with Dominic, a half-Sinless monster hunter who wants to collect on her bounty… and more.

(The Night-Singers Duology #1—Ace; January 13, 2026) It took me multiple checks to confirm that this is the beginning of a new duology from contemporary romance author Shepard, because of the sheer amount of backstory: Iona Night-Singer is a priestess on the other side of a war, having beaten back the god Death… but in the final battle, her beloved Taran sacrificed himself. Iona begs her patron goddess Wesha to let her play Orpheus and rescue her Eurydice from the Underworld—only to discover that Taran is actually in the Summerlands, a trickster god with no memory of her or their bond. What’s worse, the gods are regrouping for revenge on the mortals who dared oppose them.

(The Broken Accords #1—Aria; January 27, 2026) The afterlives here belong to a princess fated to endless resurrection in order to maintain peace for Vartena. Bryony Devaliant is the latest sacrificial princess, her death and rebirth meant to appease the gods. But when the mortals tire of this eternal bargain, the god-king sends Evander, an immortal assassin known as the Wolf for how brutally he kills over and over. And this time, he’s finally found the prey he cannot kill—which spells doom, for gods and mortals, not even reincarnated ones, are not meant to fall in love.

(Little, Brown and Company; February 10, 2026) A slightly different sort of Underworld is the setting for Maniscalco’s standalone fantasy romance—a realm of divine dreams and nasty nightmares. Prince Sloth must protect his enchanted library by discovering the Book of Nightmares before the Goddess of Night does. But he can’t do it alone; he must beg the help of Lore Brimstone, a librarian who is plunged into the Underworld via a portal stone called the Phoenix Tear. But sunny Lore recognizes this uncanny reality: she’s living out her favorite novels, one by one, but with the stories twisted into dark endings, unless she and Sloth can restore the canon.

(Saga Press; February 24, 2026) Yue is unparalleled in her deadly ways, appearing on the streets of Longhao as a beautiful woman until she consumes her victims as the nine-tailed fox. But she is also alone, possibly the last of her kind, and susceptible to demon hunters like Sonam. Instead of being banished to Hell on her own, however, she drags him down with her. Now fox and hunter must ally against the terrors of the underworld in order to fight their way back to the land of the living.

(Wednesday Books; January 6, 2026) In a fun twist on familiar archetypes, Prince Arris is the damsel of sorts; thanks to a curse upon the royal family, he anticipates that anyone seeking the throne needs only to marry him before they can handily murder him and rule the Isle of Malys. To wit, a tournament of brides is held for Arris’ hand, with no hope to discern the promising young princesses’ motives. Until, that is, Arris meets Demelza, a veritas swan in hiding. In exchange for her protection, Arris demands that Demelza be his canary in the coal mine, so to speak—to suss out which brides are true. But how will the swan survive once these deadly suitresses figure out her power… and, perhaps, once they discern that she may be a rival for Arris’ heart and hand?

(Queens of Villainy #2—Bramble; January 27, 2026) Queen Lorelei is accustomed to capturing hearts, breaking them, and leaving trails of rainbow sparkles in her wake. But behind that glittery glamour is a ruler shrewd enough to play seductress while really maintaining the safety of the fae realm. As part of her cover, she kidnaps the empire’s valiant general Gerard de Moireul—but any plans for no-strings-attached seduction are dashed by a deadly fae tournament. Now, Lorelei must convince her enemy’s most prized fighter to become her champion and save both their lives.

(Erewhon Books; January 27, 2026) A court is nothing without its people, even if they are themselves cursed. In this retelling of the 12th-century tale of Bisclavret the werewolf, the would-be knight hides from his glorious destiny due to managing his wolf-sickness. But when a new young king takes the throne, every nobleman must kiss the ring and swear fealty, which drags Bisclavret to court. The king, lonely even surrounded by his courtiers, finds a kindred spirit in the self-imposed pariah. But any closeness is lost when Bisclavret disappears unexpectedly and the king must venture out of his court to find him—his only companion on the journey a peculiar wolf…

(Orbit Books; February 24, 2026) A newly widowed queen begs the gods for aid after a natural disaster floods the Kingdom of the Five Isles, killing her husband and countless citizens. However, the gods’ help comes with a tricky rule: Queen Coralys must marry the first man to set foot on her pier… no matter that he’s a penniless, sunburnt, stinking fisherman. We love a marriage between strangers—especially when it turns out that the humble fisherman is actually the god of the sea, intent on repairing his own kingdom even as his new wife has declared revenge on his people.

(Del Rey; January 20, 2026) I would bet that many of us are feeling adrift, between January ennui and the general state of the world. The Ghibli-esque vibes of this whimsical fantasy romance are arriving right on time, no ticket required: Grieving her brother and her own abandoned songwriting dreams, med student Raya Sia finds herself one night stepping not onto the subway, but the Elsewhere Express. Fellow passenger and artist Q Chen Philips Jr. joins Raya in shedding their emotional baggage as they explore the train, each care more surreal and imaginative than the last. But in its quest to welcome aboard lost souls, the Elsewhere Express has picked up a passenger with a dark secret that will threaten the train’s very existence, unless Raya and Q can stop him.

(Ancestor Memories #2—Harper Perennial; January 27, 2026) The first book in Kuroki’s Ancestor Memories series was inspired by Outlander but with a young Scottish woman transported to the samurai era. In the sequel, set in 1995 Tokyo, Yui Sanada follows her twelve-year-old brother Hiro through a samurai statue to 1923. While searching for Hiro, Yui falls for a young woman named Chiyo—and realizes that in mere weeks the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake will kill tens of thousands of people. Torn between her need to reunite with her brother and the chance of new love, Yui must decide what to do with this dangerous knowledge, and what—or who—she will have to give up.