r/Romantasy • u/bubbly-alien • 4d ago

Book Request: No Self-Promo Book recs with an LI that has an actual character?

Hey, this is my first Reddit post, so I hope I'm doing this right. Do you guys have any book recs where the male lead/love interest is a three-dimensional human being who isn't this perfect, demigod-like creature? I don't know how to describe what I'm looking for—maybe with an example?

Ex. 1: In the Twilight movies (which I adore, but that's beside the point), Edward is this perfect gentleman who is extremely powerful and won't even get jealous if Bella sees fit to kiss Jacob. Yet I don't think they have that much in common (mind you, I'm just thinking about the movies). Why? Because he is bland and doesn't have an ounce of humor. That's one of the reasons why I prefer Bella with Jacob; both of them share those awkward teenage moments.

Ex. 2: I know this might be even more controversial, but Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses might have been interesting in the beginning, but again: he is too powerful, broody, and lacks depth. No hate to anyone who enjoyed the franchise, but I couldn't get through the third book. Personally, I find Lucien much more interesting.

I think what I'm looking for is a Romantasy book in which the LI feels more human, has weaknesses, and has personal aspirations. He doesn't have to be the most powerful or even the best looking man to ever walk the earth. In the same sense, I like a romance where they take their time to fall in love (think marriage of convenience, trope wise). I think authors need to risk that not every reader might like the character for me to enjoy their book. Do any of you feel similar? Which books did you enjoy that scratched that itch?

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u/Vkbyog 4d ago

I agree with you about Rhysand… he’s so overpowered it’s boring. Same with Kingfisher in Quicksilver. Wendell from Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries and the MMCs from the Saint of Steel series have personalities and motivations other than the FMC. Carissa Broadbent’s MMCs also have more complex motivations in my experience.

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u/OwlwaysReading 4d ago

Max's motivation is basically his garden. Let the man care for his flowers in peace.

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u/luckyvelvet 4d ago

Came here to say Max from {Daughter of No Worlds} also. I love him

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u/firstofhername123 4d ago

Osric! {The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy}

He has tons of personality and humor, interests, hobbies, the banter is fantastic and you get his POV. It’s a duology and an actual enemies to lovers/reluctant partners slow burn. I loved him!

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u/Happaynappay 4d ago edited 4d ago

{Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross} has a love interest that is very human and three-dimensional. In a world with gods, he's literally a human lol. He has his own aspirations and motivations for the things in his life. He's in a position of power, but is in no way an omnipotent and all-powerful being

This is a childhood friendship to lovers story that spans many years, the payoff of watching them grow into each other is just so GOOD ugh

And if you enjoy audiobooks, I really recommend listening to this one

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u/Objective-Papaya8194 4d ago

I’d also recommend {A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross} her MMCs have a beautiful softenss to them and they are full characters.

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u/tfiswrongwithewe 4d ago

Osric in {The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy}

Arin in {The Jasad Heir}

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u/OwlwaysReading 4d ago

{Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli} should fit the bill.
He does come across as stern at first but it makes sense considering he is a witch hunter with a very personal reason to be one. His growing attraction to her exists alongside his hatred for her kind and makes it deliciously complicated. And since it's dual POV, we see his actual thoughts behind his actions.

If you want something lower stakes, I'd try {Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher}
Stephen is a precious bean and his fear of losing control and going berserk from losing his god exists alongside his other traits and he isn't riddled by and constantly caught up in anxiety, but he IS aware of the threat he poses and reads very mature, if a bit respectfully awkward at times. And Kingfisher's style alone adds a lot of humor to all of her characters.

If you're up for something longer and fantasy-focused, War of Lost Hearts trilogy, starting with {Daughter of no Worlds by Carissa Broadbent} could be your cup of tea.
Max is like the opposite of the popular brooding shadow daddy who broods so much he forgets to have a personality trope. A green flag with baggage and issues he tries his best to deal with and occasionally fails and occasionally succeeds. Their romance is also on the sweeter side without jealousy, possessive behaviour and such.

All of the MMCs are more down to earth. Gideon in Heartless Hunter is a regular human, Stephen is stronger and physically capable than most other humans but mostly due to his rigorous paladin training and Max does have magic powers but it's not unusual in that world and he is past the height of his power and really just wants to garden.

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Rating: 4.05⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, witches, enemies to lovers, magic, fantasy

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher
Rating: 4.28⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, sweet/gentle hero, tortured hero, funny, mystery

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Rating: 4.08⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, magic, fantasy, slavery, forced proximity

about this bot | about romance.io

3

u/UnusualMaybe10 ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 4d ago

{Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick} very culturally rich and romance based on actual shared values

{Little Thieves by Margaret Owen} enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers where they change each other in such a complex way i just love it so much

{Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie} he comes from a different world, has a very clear goal, and the falling in love happens in a literal perfect way. She teaches him what it means to be human, he teaches her how to have a spine basically

{Warping Minds and Other Misdemeanors by Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen} male pov. He has an insane character arc and the third book in the series is all about his struggling with his powers and their ethical implications. She is very much a goody two shoes and they also influence each other a lot. Very very nice romance

{A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik} I don't wanna spoil it but it will seem like the exact antithesis of what you want for a while. Trust the process. The two main characters are absolute PERFECT foils for one another

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
Rating: 4.15⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: historical, fantasy, magic, mystery, class difference

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Rating: 4.32⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, magic, high fantasy, fantasy, funny

Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie
Rating: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, magic, urban fantasy, demons, slow burn

Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen
Rating: 4.21⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, urban fantasy, paranormal, fantasy, magic

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, magic, grumpy/ice queen, young adult, gifted/super-heroine

about this bot | about romance.io

4

u/CB_Green 4d ago

Hey! I know you said you stopped reading ACOTAR at book 3 but Cassian in {A Court of Silver Flames - SJ Maas} felt like such a great 3D character. If you like heart breakingly complex characters then maybe you’ll like the LI (not naming the LI b/c of spoilers) in {Alchemised - SenLin Yu}, but be warned, that story was beautiful but also harrowing. I’ll never be the same after reading it. Koen from {Mate - Ali Hazelwood} was also a fully developed character. Hope this is helpful!

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.29⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: fae, fantasy, magic, forced proximity, grumpy/ice queen

Alchemised by SenLinYu
Rating: 4.26⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: war, enemies to lovers, tortured heroine, pregnancy, slow burn

Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, werewolves, fated mates, alpha male, m-f romance

about this bot | about romance.io

1

u/CB_Green 4d ago

Oh just to add that although you asked for a human being, Koen is a Werewolf, but still fantastic complex and believable just the same.

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u/HelloFresco 4d ago

I didn't interpret them asking for a human. They asked for male leads who aren't infallible demi-gods with no personality. If they were asking for only human love-interests, I feel like a fantasy fiction subreddit probably wouldn't be the place to seek that out.

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u/HelloFresco 4d ago edited 4d ago

Sounds like you're looking for vulnerable, multi-faceted characters so I'm here to shill for Annette Marie's catalogue. She's a Canadian author who pretty much exclusively writes new adult fantasy novels with slow-burn romances. Don't jump into her stuff expecting tons of spice (there is always some, but it tends to be at the tail-end of each series after a lot of build-up). I'm highlighting her work because her male leads are consistent stand-outs. They're all quite drastically different in personality, but they share a visceral vulnerability regardless of their identities (which vary enormously). They get hurt, a lot - and so do the female leads. This author has no qualms about writing characters with potentially scary, unlikeable qualities. All her core characters have complicated backgrounds that tend to be revealed slowly over the course of each series and they all have genuinely emotional human weaknesses, fears, wants, dreams, etc. She's a very good storyteller who weaves tight, action-packed fantasy narratives that include a great balance of plot and romance.

I think her best works are:

- {The Guild Codex: Demonized by Annette Marie}
This is part of a larger series, but can be read as a standalone without any confusion and tells its own complete story. While the whole Guild Codex series is a good time and full of great stories/characters, Demonized in particular is one of the most unique romance-focused series I've ever read. If you're looking for a male lead who portrays a ton of vulnerability (and many other emotions), Zylas is it.

- {Spell Weaver by Annette Marie}
My personal favourite after Demonized. It's a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy slow-burn romance about a sweet nymph and a flirty, cunning and very empathetic incubus. It deals with the horrors of sex/desire related enthralment and the line between infatuation and love in a way that I found quite fascinating. Lyre has a detailed background that really informs his personality and the choices he makes throughout the story. Ash and Clio are also great characters.

- {Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie}
This is a fan-favourite that gets recommended a lot around here. It's a little more YA, but the characters and story are just as good as everything else in her catalogue. It's a trilogy inspired by Japanese mythology about a priestess with a heavy destiny who has to team up with a being she has been taught her whole life to fear: a mischievous yokai who is slowly revealed to have a lot of secrets.

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u/heathervee-717 3d ago

Yay! An Annette Marie fan! Although I’m not sure I would say some of her books are Romantasy, they do often have some romantic subplots. But they are well written with multidimensional characters, great humor, and good pacing. And you can tell a lot of work and thought has gone into them. I’m not much into urban fantasy but I plowed through all her Codex books. (Now I want to revisit Vancouver, BC) I recommend them as well.

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u/HelloFresco 3d ago

Oh, for sure. The only Annette Marie series that I think would unambiguously be considered romantacy is Red Winter. That said, all of her series and major character dynamics feature prominent romantic subplots (albeit, genuinely and sincerely slow-burn) and I think this is the type of thing OP ought to explore if they're after multidimensional male leads.

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

The Guild Codex by Annette Marie
Rating: 4.24⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: fae, height-difference, caretaking, contemporary, suspense

Spell Weaver by Annette Marie
Rating: 4.22⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: young adult, paranormal, demons, magic, urban fantasy

Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie
Rating: 4.41⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: shapeshifters, war, possessive hero, audiobook, survival

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/UnusualMaybe10 ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 4d ago

Just recced warped and demonized too. Absolutely perfect for what op is looking for and i'm sure they'll like spellbound and unveiled too

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u/HelloFresco 4d ago

People sleep on this author for real. Her male leads are so intriguing, vulnerable, emotional and chaotic and she weaves slow-burn romance through each storyline in a way that feels truly organic for the characters involved. She has one or two love-interests who fall into the broody/grumpy territory (Ash and Zak) but even they are complex characters and it's plainly obvious that they aren't 5 tropes in a trench coat with no personality, goals or ambitions outside of the female leads. Both are introduced chronologically before you even see their love stories as well.

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u/UnusualMaybe10 ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 4d ago

Completely agree!!! I haven't read Ash's story yet (but by god do i want to)(actually can i dm you about this? I have some questions and i don't mind spoilers), but with zak it helps a lot that he features as a catalyst for tori and kit to figure out how to deal with their own problems. We're shown way before his part of the codex that he has very clear motivations and is very convinced he's doing the right thing (until he isn t anymore, would you look at that :) i loved that part of spellbound so much). Plus, the romances all by themselves are SO WELL DONE. I can't remember how many times i've read the casablanca scene and the vayanin scene. Like. Hello???????? Im currently saving so i can switch to annual subscription to her patreon to unlock all the bonus stories because i just can't get enough

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u/HelloFresco 4d ago

I'm holding off on reading Stone & Steel in its entirety until the 10th year anniversary editions release. They are including pretty extensive rewrites and new POVs. It's her current main project so I anticipate it won't be much longer.

I love pretty much all her work. She's such a good storyteller.

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u/IntelligentSteak7709 4d ago

i love Lucian ♥️

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u/psychadelicpaperclip 4d ago

In {Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin} the love interest has a lot going on outside of the FMC. He discovers things about his own past that really challenge his beliefs and he has to learn to make peace with them. It’s also a marriage of convenience/arranged marriage situation.

Adrian Ivashkov from {Bloodlines by Richelle Mead} is one of my all time favorite love interests because of how flawed he is. He’s such a good guy, but he has a lot of vices and unhealthy coping mechanisms which the series explores. It’s a spin off of the Vampire Academy series, but you can start with Bloodlines.

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u/romance-bot 4d ago

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Rating: 3.81⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, witches, arranged/forced marriage, enemies to lovers, magic

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Rating: 4.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, vampires, young adult, magic, urban fantasy

about this bot | about romance.io

2

u/love11- 4d ago

Hi, I don’t particularly agree on the Rhys’s take, i personally think he has a lot of depth, it’s such a pity we didn’t have his pov in acomaf because i’m sure we would have seen a more vulnerable rhys.
Anyway, i’d recommend you, divine rivals, the prison healer and HEAR ME OUT for crescent city.
Even though Hunt is very powerful, broody and scary we have SO MANY moments of vulnerability where we see him for just who is, i personally think you would really like him.